Big Bend Adventure

By Narlen & Eveline Evans

A grandmother who knows her time is short plans a hiking adventure for her six grandchildren in Big Bend. After she dies the teenagers must complete six hikes to receive their inheritance. Travel along the trails in Big Bend with them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Narlen & Eveline Evans
• Release date: Sep 7, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301536986

Narlen & Eveline Evans

Narlen and Eveline Evans have been happily married for many years. They live in the Central Texas area. Narlen is retired and now spends all his time on trike building, woodcarving, and volksmarching. We worked on the stories together. The ideas are mostly his and she took them and typed them up. Eveline is also retired now and enjoys photography, volksmarching (AVA.org) and typing up the stories he tells.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

Clifford sat holding Ruby’s hand on the back patio of their home. It was her 62th birthday but she was totally unaware. His thumb made gentle circular motions across the still lovely skin. He turned his gaze to look at her. Alzheimer’s had stolen his wife’s mind but she was still as beautiful as the day he married her. Her short silver hair had been done up in a pretty coiffure by one of her nurses. Her body was still slim and athletic, her carriage erect, but her beautiful sparkling blue eyes were vacant. She didn’t turn her head to return his gaze, she didn’t acknowledge his presence at all. She just stared off into space.

Clifford returned his gaze to the rose garden in front of them. He wondered what she saw. Was she reliving her childhood, or perhaps their first years of marriage before the children came along? What she saw would remain a mystery because she rarely spoke.

Clifford got up from his chair and gently tugged on Ruby’s hand to coax his wife to join him. She stood up willingly enough. He tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow and stepped slowly off the patio. He watched her as they strolled around the brick garden path. He wondered if she even noticed the abundant roses on the bushes she once had so lovingly tended. The warm summer sun warmed the roses and there was just a hint of fragrance on the breeze that ruffled Clifford’s hair.

He halted near the center of the garden, lost in thought. It was hard to believe they’d been together for 42 years. He released Ruby’s hand and drew a small pocketknife from his pants pocket. He carefully cut a yellow rose, then removed the thorns and handed it to Ruby. He smiled when she lifted it up to her nose and inhaled deeply.

He started them walking again as his thoughts drifted back as he tried to pinpoint when Ruby had first started forgetting things. The incident in town a year ago had brought the situation to a head. Ruby had gone into town to shop for some new walking shoes. She’d gone into the mall and into the shoe store. Then she just stood there and started crying. It really scared the clerks in the store when she couldn’t remember who she was or why she was there. They’d finally check her cellphone and was able to call him to come get her. By the time he’d arrived she’d recovered. She was very indignant at first, but after they got home, they had a serious talk. They realized they couldn’t ignore the situation any longer.

Ruby made a doctor’s appointment and she’d gone in for a checkup. He recalled the horrible day when the Doctor had confirmed their worst fears with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. It would be only a matter of time the Doctor said until Ruby would slip away into oblivion.

Realizing he was standing in the garden, not walking, he gently tugged Ruby’s hand and they continued their stroll in the warm sunlight. He made an effort to keep walking as his thoughts drifted. His thoughts turned to their last trip. Ruby had wanted to hike Big Bend again while she was still able. They had hiked their favorite trails in the national park. Trails which they had first done as Volksmarches so many years ago. On this special last trip, they had hiked alone.

This last trip to Big Bend had not just been a hiking adventure though. Ruby had come up with the idea of creating a treasure hunt for their six grandchildren.

It will be an event for the kids to do after I’m gone, she’d told him. "I’ll be leaving each of them an inheritance, but they will have to work for it. Like in the movie National Treasures. Our grandchildren will have to follow the clues I’ll leave behind in order for the to receive their inheritance from me."

He’d been leery about the treasure hunt idea. He told Ruby he didn’t think their city bred grandchildren were athletic enough for a hiking trip. But she remained enthused about her idea and he couldn’t dissuade her. So, they had made up six boxes to hide with the clues inside. They had hiked six trails and left behind the clues. Being out on the trail had seemed to clear Ruby’s mind and she had totally enjoyed the trip.

Before they had headed out to Big Bend, they had visited the trust officer at their bank in town and set up a trust fund for each of their grandchildren with the treasure hunt clause in it. If they didn’t do the hike the would have to wait until their 25th birthday to receive their inheritance.

Ruby brought an end to his reverie as she abruptly stopped walking and wilted onto the garden path. Clifford swept her up in his arms before she reached the ground and hurried back to the patio where he gently placed her in her chair. He called loudly for the nurse.

While the nurse checked on Ruby and revived her some ice tea, Clifford’s mind again when back to the trust funds for their grandchildren.

We don’t know how to contact two of our grandchildren, he’d had to explain to the trust officer. Our son, Phillip, was married twice and both marriages ended in divorce. He had a daughter from each marriage. We tried to contact them at the time of his death, but the address information we had wasn’t good any more. We searched through his files but we could find no records of his ever having paid child support to either wife. So, we have no contact information for those two girls.

The trust officer had quickly assured them it wouldn’t be a problem. The bank would simply hire a private investigator to find them when the time came.

Clifford turned to check on his wife. She still held the yellow rose. Every once it awhile she’d lift it to her nose and sniff which made Clifford smile.

His thoughts returned to the Big Bend inheritance clause in his wife’s will. He’d contemplated removing it, but had quickly discarded the idea. Her would honor her wishes.

The six scrapbooks they had created together had been a labor of love. They had made one for each of their grandchildren as a keepsake. He had helped Ruby sort through pictures stored in shoeboxes in their closet. They’d made several trips to Walmart to make copies of photos that Ruby thought should be included in every album.

That activity had seemed to have slowed her memory loss for a while, or maybe it was the drugs her doctor had prescribed. In the end it had been a losing battle.

Clifford and Ruby’s oldest daughter, Roberta, her husband William and their two children Flint and Crystal had driven up from San Antonio when Ruby had been hospitalized with pneumonia. They were staying in the guest room at the home place with Clifford. They were still there to help him through the funeral arrangements when Ruby didn’t recover.

Roberta sat out on the back patio gazing at her Mom’s rose garden. She reflected on her kids. Flint her firstborn was an independent 18-year-old high school senior. He had just gotten his own pickup to drive. She would miss him when he left for college next fall. She knew he was looking forward to going off to the University of Houston where he planned to study graphic art.

Thankfully Crystal will be around for a couple more years, she thought. Roberta dreaded the empty nest that would soon be her future. She gave herself a mental shake. She wouldn’t worry about that just yet; she had her Dad to worry about now. Crystal was just a sophomore after all and she kept everyone busy with her gymnastics and cheerleading activities.

She grew depressed again as she thought of her baby brother Phillip. He’d been gone off in the Air Force even when he was alive. She remembered taking care of him, trying to teach him to ride bike. But when he left to go join the Air Force he didn’t look back.

Roberta thoughts moved on to Phillip’s two ex-wives. She’d been the one who had undertaken the job of purchasing their airplane tickets and typing up the letters informing them of Ruby’s death. She hoped that the addresses the bank’s PI had provided were current.

She focused her gaze back on the beautiful roses in the garden. She visualized her mother working out there in the sun with her wide brimmed straw hat protecting her face. She’d always worn a special apron with big pockets for her gardening tools. For the last couple years, a lawn service came once a week to tend to the garden.

Her eyes shifted from the roses to the roadway beyond. She was looking for her older brother’s car. Richard, his wife Alice, and their son Mica should arrive at any time. She’d called Richard to let him know of their mother’s passing. He and his family were driving in from El Paso. The roadway remained vacant, and she began to worry. They should have arrived by now.

Her mind returned to fond memories of growing up in this house