Weekend (43 page)

“I’ll probably hang around a few days more. There’s a lot of paperwork to be done and I promised Ellen Golden and Sid I’d help out wherever I could. Besides, I thought I’d wait until you were ready to be discharged. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

“I’m going to have to feel a lot better than this.”

“You will.”

“I didn’t even get the chance to show off my new hairdo.”

“Sure you did. The people in the emergency room were talking about it all night!”

She laughed. The sound of it brought them both a sense of renewal. Her eyes regained their light. He took her hand again and they remained there like that for an hour, talking with increased energy, rushing to know each other. Words became increasingly inadequate. More could be said with a smile, with a movement of the eyes. They were impatient. Their need to be drawn together had grown not only from a shared tragic experience, but because they both believed that in their union there indeed existed a true beginning.

They believed in the words “Once upon a time. …”

They gathered in solemn union on the lawn in front of the old farmhouse. Most of them had been with the hotel for years, but even some of the more recent staff people were present. Behind them, the rubble still smoked. Two volunteer fire truck companies had stationed some men and equipment nearby to wet down the charred remains and keep the sparks from setting fire to the grass.

Some of the staff members sat on the lawn; some stood by talking quietly in small groups. When the screen door opened and Magda, Sandi and Ellen emerged, everyone stood up and turned in their direction. Ellen stood at the top of the wooden stairs. Magda put her arm around Sandi’s shoulder and they moved to her right. The group was very quiet. In the distance car horns beeped. The Sunday morning sky was spotted here and there with cottonlike cumulus clouds. There was only a slight breeze, but some strands of Ellen’s hair lifted and caressed her cheek.

“Thank you so much for coming here,” she said. “I know most of you have had little sleep.” She paused. Everyone’s eyes were still on her. It seemed as though she was trying to smile. “I’ve been sitting inside for the past hour looking over papers, gazing at some albums. This place has a very rich history, as all of you know.” She looked over at the old-timers. “Some of you even know more about that than I. At any rate, the Congress had always been something special, even when it consisted of only this farmhouse.”

She took a deep breath. No one made a sound; not an expression was changed. All waited on her every syllable.

“I’ve been told so many stories about the way many of you acted; your heroism, your unselfish efforts to reduce the loss of life and the amount of injury. Many people owe their lives to you.

“We have all lost some very dear and beloved friends,” she went on. Some people looked down and others nodded slightly. Sandi thought about Grant Kaplan and the fact that he had never been found. And about Mr. Halloran. If he hadn’t pulled her away from the office, if she hadn’t led him down through the Teen Room … Tears started streaming down her cheeks. Magda sensed her thoughts and tightened her embrace.

“Nothing we do now can ever compensate for that loss and our thoughts and sympathies go out to the families.

“I know many of you are wondering what will happen now. We have given it great thought. It would be easy to walk away at this point and I’d be less than honest if I didn’t tell you the temptation was great. But my daughter and I have come to a conclusion.” She turned and reached out for Sandi. They clasped hands and Ellen pulled her to her side. “The Congress was my husband’s life, and it was the dream of his parents.” She straightened up. “It is our intention to rebuild this place from the bottom up, to use the insurance money to create what will become the New Congress, an innovative modern resort that we hope to make the showcase of the Catskills. It will combine all of the best of the past with the best the future has to offer.”

She was interrupted by an outburst of applause.

“Most important, I want every one of you to know there will always be a place for you here if and when you want it. The New Congress may be ultra modern in facilities and design, but above all, it will still value the old-fashioned concepts of loyalty, personal attention and service and staff whom we look to as fulltime partners. You have been and will always continue to be a loved and valued part of our family.” She steadied herself. “We will keep you posted as we progress, so until we meet again, God bless you all. Stay well.”

She kissed Sandi and there was a great cheer. Then the group broke up, heading away from the farmhouse. Ellen, Magda and Sandi stood watching silently for a moment. Then Ellen and Magda turned to go inside.

“I’ll be in in a minute,” Sandi said.

They left her alone with her thoughts. She pressed the side of her face against the porch column. She remembered standing out here like this many times before, crying over one little thing or another. How long ago it all seemed!

Thank God the farmhouse didn’t burn, she thought. Thank God we can start over again. Suddenly, as if in a revelation, it all became clear to her.

The hotel was as important to her as it had been to her grandmother and grandfather, her father and her mother.

The resort and all that it represented was in her blood, too. In this union between her and all that her family had built rested what was truly essential and important. It was part of her heritage. She was part of its tradition. The insight made her feel like a different person. She suddenly understood what responsibility was all about.

It was as though her father had reached back across time and spoken to her.

She heard his words unmistakably.

She would cherish and carry them with her forever.