Circumstantial Connections

By Patricia Apelt

Samantha Matthews has just abruptly resigned from a well-paying job. Now with her life turned upside down, she heads out of town during a rainstorm for a getaway that she hopes will clear her head.

When a series of unexpected events leads her to the home of Edith Bradley, she finds the elderly grandmother in the kitchen pinned by a large tree that has fallen through her roof. As Sam calls for help, she mistakenly believes she is just in the right place at the right time. But as she is about to discover, fate has led her to rescue Edith from much more than just a fallen tree. As Sam, three other women, four men, and Edith are all brought together by a variety of strange happenings that include a runaway wife, a kidnapping, and a shooting, they form strong bonds that lead each of them to realize that even in the worst of circumstances, it truly is possible to create happy connections with complete strangers.

Circumstantial Connections shares the heartwarming tale of nine strangers brought together by unusual twists and turns who learn to trust that life will always lead each of them in the right direction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Oct 27, 2016
• ISBN: 9781480838239

Patricia Apelt

Patricia Apelt is an avid reader who is blessed (or cursed) with an active imagination. Although she has been making up stories in her head since she was a little girl, Circumstainal Connections was the first story to be committed to paper. And now it continues.

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Copyright © 2016 PATRICIA APELT.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Archway Publishing

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Bloomington, IN 47403

www.archwaypublishing.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4808-3822-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-3823-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016916769

Archway Publishing rev. date: 11/29/2016

Contents

Acknowledgments

Section One

SAMANTHA

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Section Two

RUSSELL

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Section Three

ABIGAIL

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Section Four

JEFFERY

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Section Five

WILLIAM

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Section Six

MELISSA

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Section Seven

KATIE

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Section Eight

KING

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Section Nine

FAMILY

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Section Ten

NEW BEGINNINGS

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

To my family.

They are my inspiration

and my cheerleaders.

Acknowledgments

S PECIAL THANKS TO THE LADIES who read the many drafts and offered suggestions for improvement.

Laura and Kathy Apelt, Wendy Matheson, Patricia (Pat) Darby, and especially the ‘Literary Wenches’: Cecelia (Sis) Ambrose, Krista Forrest, Patricia (Pat) Green, Linda Hartmann, Patricia (Pat) Kimsey, Carole Nozynski, Josie Parisher, Joy Rezek, Penny Schindel, Debbie Scott, Connie Sledd, and Sara (Sally) Stephens. Also, a very special thanks to Edward Hartmann, who shared a lot of technical information.

William Curry, Gwen Ash and the rest of the team at Archway Publishing, your help and support was very much appreciated.

Section One

SAMANTHA

EARLY SPRING—CURRENT YEAR

Chapter One

S AMANTHA ANNE MATTHEWS, YOU HAVE got to be crazy. Certifiably crazy! Normal people don’t just walk away from a reasonably well-paying position without having another job lined up. But you didn’t think about that, did you? Nooooo. You just let your temper rule your head, and walked out. And then you ran away. Ran away! Just plain crazy. Don’t you agree, Charlie? Charlie? CHARLIE! Wake up and listen to me. Just like a male! Asleep! Just when I need you to listen to me gripe about how stupid I’ve been.

Charlie opened one eye and looked at her. Giving Sam a disgusted look, he settled himself more comfortably in the car seat and went back to sleep.

Sam sighed at the lack of interest and went back to thinking about her last three days. In that short time, her life had been turned upside down, and she wasn’t sure what to do about it. No matter how often she repeated the self-critical words, and how often she called herself all kinds of a fool, it didn’t lighten her spirits or change anything. Granted, she was in the same general geographic location she would have been anyway, had things not turned out as they did, but that was about all that remained the same. She was still out of a job. And she was still running away.

She had a bit of money saved, but it wouldn’t last long. Hopefully, she could find another job fairly quickly, even without a reference. She was sure she couldn’t count on one to be coming from the job she had just walked out on in the middle of a work day. And it was all Steve’s fault! If only her fiancéé hadn’t been such a jerk!

Life had been good. Great, actually. She had a super apartment, which she shared with her college friend Melissa. She had a job she loved working for a well-known advertising agency, and had recently gotten engaged to one of the other Graphic Artists in the same firm. She had worked hard for the last five years, always turning in her work on time, even when it meant a lot of overtime hours. She was very proud of the assignment she had just completed. It was her first as Project Head, and for a very important client too. And that is how the trouble began.

Everything had gone well with the bulk of the work, with ideas coming almost too fast for her to capture on paper. Good ideas. New and forward-thinking. She was sure it would make a big hit with the client, and had been scheduled to present the final package at 2:30 last Friday afternoon.

Having used her lunch hour to make sure the boardroom was set up properly and all the audio visual equipment needed was in place, she took time to relax a little and refresh her makeup. When she arrived at the boardroom at precisely 2:15, she found Steve just FINISHING the presentation! HER presentation! Using HER work, HER ideas, and copies he had made of HER artwork, he was claiming the project as completely his own. The Chairman of the Board, who also happened to be Steve’s father, was agreeing wholeheartedly and talking about what a talented person he had assigned to the client’s new advertising campaign.

Sam had stood just inside the door, her mouth gaping open. After she finally realized just what she was hearing and seeing she shut her mouth, turned on her heel and walked out. She went back to her design table and sat on the stool in shock for several minutes. She then began grabbing her personal items and stuffing them into the large tote she had brought to work. That finished, she left the building and began walking.

Sam lost track of time but finally realized she was still walking around aimlessly, and that it was getting dark. The dampness she had thought were tears on her face was actually rain, and she had been so caught up in her dark thoughts she hadn’t put up her umbrella. Wet and cold, she headed for the nearest bus stop and went home. Thank goodness, she had left her aging car in the parking garage today, and taken the bus to work. Otherwise, she would have to go back to the office to collect it, and she was in no mood to get anywhere close to that building.

Unfortunately, the empty apartment that greeted her did nothing to help her mood. It was then that she remembered Melissa had left that morning on another of her photographic assignments. Melissa had, as usual, left the apartment clean and tidy. Dishes were washed and put away, and all the magazines stacked neatly. Her usual note on the refrigerator said she had already contacted Mrs. Cooper to come over from across the hall to water the plants while they were both gone, and Sam should not forget to pick up Charlie.

Wait! Both gone? Pick up Charlie?

Oh, yeah. Sam had been planning to leave on a camping trip with Steve the next day, and they had agreed to give Charlie a lift back to his home. Well, THAT wasn’t going to happen. Not after the way Steve had very obviously given her the wrong time for the presentation so he could take over.

But as she thought about it, the idea of giving up her vacation because of Steve did not sit well. Why not go anyway? Oh not with Steve of course. Sam didn’t want to ever see him again. But there was no reason she couldn’t drive up to the campground by herself, and give Charlie the promised ride home at the same time. She would leave tonight, just in case Steve thought she might actually still want to go with him tomorrow. With that in mind, she hurriedly took a hot shower, throwing the now offensive engagement ring onto the top of her dresser. She quickly finished the packing of her camping gear and left to pick up her passenger.

Now here she was three days later, still hating Steve with all her being, still without a job, and still driving in the dark. And it was still raining, the necessarily slower pace adding hours to her trip. Instead of stopping yesterday, as the weather report said it should, the rain seemed to be coming down harder than ever before. The wipers were not able to keep up, and she could barely see where she was going. She should have stopped hours ago, but hadn’t seen any lodging on this road in the last several hours. She might have missed one hidden behind the heavy downpour, but she really didn’t want to spend her limited cash to stay overnight when she was so close to getting Charlie home.

And Charlie was no help. He was asleep again! He usually complained bitterly if she got too close to the right-hand side of the road, but just now he wasn’t concerned with her driving skills. So not only did she have to keep a lookout on that side, she needed to search the left for the road that led to Charlie’s hometown. This was only the second time she had brought him this far, and was beginning to think she had missed the turn because of the poor visibility when she finally saw the road to her left.

She turned in, and was breathing a sigh of relief when her car suddenly hit something and came to a sudden stop. Charlie stirred in his sleep, grumbled a bit, then went back to snoring softly. Sensing she would not be getting any other response from him, she struggled into her raincoat, grabbed her flashlight, and climbed out of the car to see what had caused the problem. The problem was far worse than she had anticipated. Not just a blown tire, not just a huge pothole, not even something blocking the road. Nope. Far worse.

With all the rain the last few days, a large section of the pavement was caving into the ditch. Her car had slowly begun to follow the pavement down, but had been stopped by a large tree limb the wind had blown into the ditch. Her car was now straddling it, being held up by the limb. The entire right side was hanging in mid-air, balanced partially by the pavement and partially across the limb. No way was she going to get THAT fixed by herself. Cursing her fate, Steve, Charlie, and her bad luck in general, Sam climbed back into her car. Which was very difficult now because of the way the driver’s side was higher than the passenger side.

Sam huddled down, trying to get warm, and to think of what she should do. She couldn’t get a signal on her cell phone and didn’t expect any other cars would come this way so late in the day and in this weather. She finally realized she had a long night of waiting ahead.

After sharing the last of her leftover dinner sandwich and bottled water with Charlie, she tried to get comfortable. Crawling into the back seat to stretch out was not an option. It was full of her camping gear and the cooler of food. The original plan had included taking Steve’s much larger, and much newer, vehicle for this trip. That had been especially necessary for the two sets of camping gear, since the trunk latch on her much older model was iffy. She never put anything into the trunk since she never knew if she could open it again. Now she was paying the price of putting off that particular repair. Every time she hit the steering wheel with her knee or cracked her elbow against the window, she regretted not getting it fixed. Just another thing to berate herself for. The list was getting very long.

Chapter Two

S AM WOKE UP TO THE sound of birds singing just outside her window. And the sound of something bleating close by. Wait! Bleating? Here in the city? When she finally became awake enough to be aware of where she really was, she felt like crying all over again. The wait had indeed been a long one. All night, as a matter of fact. After the rain finally stopped a little after midnight, she had opened a window just a half inch to let in some fresh air, and settled in as best she could for the rest of the night.

Now the morning light revealed not only was her car firmly entrapped by tree branches, but she was not even on the right road! Instead of the intended state road, she was halfway on, halfway off of what looked like the paved driveway to someone’s home. The home she had not even been able to see through the rain and darkness the night before. Turning off the main road into the driveway on her left, her headlights had not caught the house on the left of the ditch. The bleating, or cawing, or baaaaing came from behind the house, which was about 15 feet away from her car! She could swear there had been no lights anywhere around last night to indicate anyone lived so close by. She might have been able to sleep in a real bed!

And Charlie was gone. How could that be?

Gathering her strength to push up on the door, she slowly climbed out of the car, putting her feet into mud deep enough to cover her ankles. Thinking Charlie had gone on to the house, probably looking for food, she hurried as best she could in that direction, slipping and sliding with each step.

Reaching the front porch, Sam was about to climb up and knock when she heard a noise coming from the side of the house. It didn’t sound like it could be Charlie, but she started around to check it out. It could be the owner of the house, and maybe they could tell her if they had seen her missing companion. What she saw instead gave her quite a shock! Sometime during the night lightning had hit a large tree, toppling it through the roof of the farmhouse, crushing a portion of the roof into the first floor. The thunder had been really loud at times, but surely she should have heard this! She must have been more tired than she thought, to sleep through that noise! Or maybe it had happened before she even got here.

Then she heard Charlie, crying out as if he might be in pain. Surely he had not gone into someone’s home and gotten caught when the tree crashed. And how did he get out of the car anyway, without crawling over her? But that could wait. Right now, she had to see if he was OK and get him back INTO the car. She also needed to see if anyone in the house was hurt.

Picking her way carefully through the downed branches, Sam called out to Charlie. Surprisingly, he answered, but not with the note of distress she had heard before. This time, it sounded more like Well, it took you long enough! Then there was another sound, what seemed to Sam like a very weak Help me. Hurrying as much as she dared, she climbed up and walked along the trunk of the tree into what had once been a kitchen.

There was Charlie, sitting next to an elderly lady pinned down by a large branch, both of them half under the table. Rushing to them, she crawled into the branches and knelt down to take the small hand of the lady into her own. Trying to sound soothing and not in the least panicky, Sam started by asking the lady if she was OK. That was stupid; of course, she wasn’t OK! Before Sam could draw in another breath to say something more intelligent, the lady began talking.

Oh, I am so glad you heard me! I came down to get my usual bedtime snack, and all of a sudden that Blasted Tree fell on the house. I didn’t even have time to get my glass of milk. Would you get one for me now? I am so thirsty. The pitcher is on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, and I keep a glass on the counter top right next to it. If it got broken in this mess, there are others in the cabinet. I thought the rain would never stop. Careful you don’t slip on the wet floor. I can’t seem to move my leg. What time is it anyway? My bones are tired from being on this hard floor for so long. And I am rambling, aren’t I? Let’s start over. Hello! My name is Mrs. Edith Bradley, but most people call me Aunt Edith. What is your name?

Sam gave her full name, and quickly, before Mrs. Bradley started talking again, asked for a phone number of someone she could call for help. Aunt Edith gave her the number from memory and added, That one number will do. Now half the county will be here within the hour, to help if needed.

Sam dialed the number, thanking the Gods of Emergency Service that her cell phone now made a connection. On the fourth ring, a sleepy male voice answered. Sam told him where she was, and what had happened. He did not even take the time to say goodbye, just, I’m on my way., and was gone. She tried to get more comfortably settled, determined to stay with Mrs. Bradley until help arrived, only to jump up again when she was reminded of the glass of milk.

Making her way cautiously through the branches, she pushed one out of the way and opened the refrigerator door. There was a half full pitcher of milk right where she had been told it would be. Getting a glass out of the cabinet over her head, she put the pitcher back exactly where she had found it, then started to make her way back to Mrs. Bradley. A sniff of the milk made her pause. It was very strange, but not the sour smell of milk gone bad.

Mrs. Bradley, how long have you had this milk? It smells odd.

Mrs. Bradley laughed. I guess you have never smelled goat’s milk before. You should try some. It is very good for you. Now please, bring it here child.

Scooting in under the table, she held out the milk, but Mrs. Bradley did not take it. Alarmed, Sam leaned in closer to see if the lady was still conscious. At that point, Mrs. Bradley said, Oh, sorry. I must have been woolgathering. She held out her hand for the glass and downed half the contents. She then put the glass on the floor.

Now tell me about your Charlie. That is what you called him, isn’t it?

Sam laughed quietly. Yes, that’s what I called him, but that is not his real name, and he is not actually mine. You see, Charlie is short for CHAMPION Arthur Richard Lesley Irving Earl, and he is a registered Flame Point Himalayan cat. He belongs to my roommate’s grandmother, and she named him with the initials of all her ex-husbands. Charlie stays with Melissa and me sometimes, and has been on a stud service visit close to us. I was just giving him a lift back home on my way to a vacation in the mountains.

Well, I knew he was a cat, certainly, but I didn’t realize I was spending my night with such notable company. Speaking of company, it sounds like we have more arriving.

Sam couldn’t hear anything, but evidently, Charlie did. He made the sound he always made when a siren went by their apartment, and then did the usual run and hide routine. He almost always stayed hidden until being tempted out with a bit of canned tuna. She was getting untangled from her spot under the table when she heard noises in the yard. A lot of voices and a great many car doors slamming.

Mrs. Bradley said, You are right to move back, dear, and leave room for Dr. Simmons. He will be the first one through the front door.

Right, as usual, Edith. Now, what have you gotten yourself into this time? David, give me a hand with this table, will you? Then please go to the barn and tell Russell what has happened. He surely did not hear the tree come down, with all the thunder and lightning crashing around. He would be in here by now if he had heard it.

As the two men lifted the table, Sam noticed that Mrs. Bradley picked up the glass and downed the rest of the milk. She then put the glass as close to her as she could manage without actually rolling to her side.

OK, let’s see what we have here. Dr. Simmons got down on his knees beside his patient and took her pulse, then felt her head carefully for injuries. He then turned his attention to her leg, at least what he could see of it under all the branches.

We are going to have to cut you out of there, Edith, before I can see how badly you are hurt. It’s going to get pretty noisy in here for a few minutes, but try to stay calm and not move around. And let me have that glass you are hiding before it gets broken. We don’t need cuts on top of everything else.

Taking a quick sniff of the empty glass, he exclaimed, I thought so! Still drinking this vile goat’s milk, I see. If you are going to insist on drinking the nasty stuff, at least get the right kind of goat! David, get as close as you can with those chainsaws but stop if she starts to panic. We’ll do the rest with hand saws. As the chainsaw crew started their work, Dr. Simmons motioned Sam into the next room.

Are you the young lady who called me? I don’t think I heard a name.

"My full name is Samantha Anne Matthews, in case you need it for any reports, but most people just call me Sam. With initials like I have, and the name Samantha also, I was stuck with the nickname from day one.

Sir, now that you are here, am I free to go? I really need to look into getting my car pulled out of that ditch. I also need to find Charlie so I can get him home to his owner.

Your car is being taken care of as we speak, and if Charlie is the cat that passed me as I came up the porch steps, you will not see him anytime soon. He flew by me at the speed of light, headed for the barn, or maybe even the pasture behind it.

Oh no! I hope he will come back.

Not to worry. I’m sure he will when he gets hungry. Anyway, I think it’s best if you stay a little longer and help me with Edith. She will, of course, have to go into the hospital. I will want to keep her for a while, probably overnight, and she will need a few things to take with her. I know she would prefer a woman to gather them up, and will probably want you to go with her as moral support. Would you do that for her please?

What could she say? To refuse would be rude, and if Charlie had truly run away, she could not leave yet anyway. As the sound of the chainsaws ceased, they both turned to walk back into the kitchen. Russell had come in, and he and David were clearing the last of the branches away from Mrs. Bradley. With most of the tree now gone, even Sam could see that Mrs. Bradley’s leg was badly broken.

"Well, Clifford, what do you think? Can you fix a broken leg? I know you will want to take me to the hospital to put the cast on, but there are things to take care of first. Russell, I know you will remember to milk my goats and feed the chickens. I hear them complaining that their breakfast is late. And you can probably carry most of the eggs to Angie today.

Samantha, you will go with me surely, and there are things I will need. I know this horrid doctor will not let me come home tonight. Get the purple nightgown from the third drawer down on the right side of the dresser by the South window in my bedroom. Thank goodness, my room is on that end of the house so that Blasted Tree missed it. My slippers are under the bed, and don’t forget my toothbrush and toothpaste from the bathroom. There is a small suitcase in the upstairs hall closet. Now Richard, can you and Russell put me into your ambulance, or do you plan to just stand there? Get a move on, boys!

Dr. Simmons chuckled. Since the patient has made the diagnosis, and recommended the treatment, I suggest we all get a move on. Sam, if you will get her things together while we get her loaded, you can ride in with me.

Sam was trying to catch up with all that had just been said. When she finally did, she just smiled and went to find that suitcase. It was quite obvious that Mrs. Bradley knew her own mind, and got her way simply by not giving the other person time to think. By the time Sam had gotten back downstairs, Dr. Simmons was already buckled into his car. The motor was running and he was waiting on what was left of the driveway. She put the suitcase into the back seat, and climbed into the front.

Dr. Simmons saw her looking at where her car had been, and said, Keith pulled your car onto his flatbed trailer with his winch, and took it in to be checked for damage. We can go by there later.

How do you know that is what happened? You have been in the house the whole time!

I didn’t have to see it happen to know it happened. That is just the way things work around here. Now strap yourself in and hold on. I aim to be there at the same time as my patient.

Chapter Three

W ITH THAT COMMENT BARELY OUT of his mouth, he roared out of the driveway, and was soon tailgating the ambulance, both of them going much too fast for Sam’s comfort. They pulled up at the emergency entrance just as Richard was getting out of his driver’s seat. Sam was as breathless as if she had run the whole way. Then she realized she had not taken a normal breath since clicking on her seat-belt.

Mrs. Bradley was whisked into a small room, and Sam was led into the waiting room. When a teenage volunteer showed her the coffee machine, Sam remembered she had usually downed at least two cups by this time of the morning. She immediately went over to pour herself a cup. Then she sat down in one of the hard plastic chairs so common to hospital waiting rooms. It was several hours, three more cups of bad coffee and five out-of-date magazines later when Doctor Simmons came back.

Just as I thought, the leg was broken in two places. Clean breaks though, no bones poking through the skin, so she should mend with no problems. She will be in a cast for about six weeks so that in itself will be a problem, but we’ll save that for later. I definitely will be keeping her overnight, just to be sure a broken leg is the only thing we have to worry about.

I’m sure she will not like that very much!, Sam said.

No indeed! But right now, she wants to see you. Keep it short. I have ordered a sleep aid, just so she will rest. When you two finish chatting, ask any nurse to page me, and I’ll take you home. Now I have another patient to look in on, so come with me to the desk and I’ll have one of the staff show you to Edith’s room

And he was off, halfway to the desk by the time Sam gathered her wits together enough to follow. The same volunteer that had shown her the coffee machine was happy to show Sam to Mrs. Bradley’s room.

Sam arrived in the doorway just in time to hear the patient telling the duty nurse a whopping big lie!

"Of course, Samantha is family, and therefore allowed to visit at this hour. You just have never met her, that’s all. Ah, there you are dear. Come close and listen quickly. That horrid doctor has given me something to make me sleep, and there are things you need to know. I want you to collect your things out of your car and take them to my house. Make up the guest room, which is directly across the hall from mine. Clean sheets are on the second shelf in the closet where you found the suitcase. Russell will not have to be reminded to feed the goats and chickens and collect the eggs.

There is canned tuna on the bottom shelf of the cabinet inside the tack room of the barn, third door down on the right. I give it to my barn cats as a treat sometimes. Maybe a little of it will help you get Charlie back into the house tonight. My cat’s bowls and food are there too, so pour out a little of their dry kibble into each one. Be sure to give them fresh water. I will be home tomorrow, so not to worry about having to do this long. I am beginning to feel a bit woozy, so the rest will have to wait. Come give me a hug, then go find Dr. Simmons so he can take you home.

Again, Sam found herself left speechless by the rapid-fire delivery of directions. In a daze, she walked over to the bed and gave Mrs. Bradley a hug. By the time she stood up the lady had already closed her eyes. Sam turned around and walked out to the nurse’s station to ask for Dr. Simmons. When he arrived ten minutes later, she was still standing in the same place, staring at a spot on the floor at her feet.

He chuckled and observed, Ah, you have just been hit by Hurricane Edith haven’t you?

What? Oh. Yes, that is a good description of what happened. I just can’t seem to take it all in.

Tell you what. Your phone call this morning woke me out of a sound sleep, and things have been so hectic, I haven’t had any breakfast yet. Suppose we go down the street to Rosie’s Place, sit down, and have a good meal. That will give me a chance to tell you about Mrs. Edith Bradley

Feeling the hunger pangs in her own stomach, Sam figured this just might be a good idea. At least this time, she might be able to get a word or two of her own into the conversation!

They settled into a booth at the back of the diner, and Rosie herself followed them to the table, coffee pot and two large mugs in hand.

Morning, Doc, want your usual?

Yes, thanks. Rosie, I’d like you to meet Samantha Anne Matthews, the young lady that rescued Edith this morning.

Well, I’m honored. I heard all about it from Richard. Said he had just delivered Aunt Edith to the hospital. He said that this lady was very cool and collected during the whole thing and that Aunt Edith sang her praises the whole way into town. Thank you for looking out for her, Miss. She is rather special around here. Now, what would you like for breakfast? Ham and eggs? Waffles? How about a nice big omelet?

Please, just toast and coffee. And I really didn’t do anything. I was just there.

Sometimes that is just what is needed. I’ll bring your toast right away. On the house. Yours, too, Doc, this time, but don’t get used to it!

As Rosie left, Sam turned to Doc Simmons with a puzzled look on her face.

Rescued? I just happened to be at the right place at the right time, and made a phone call. You and the other gentlemen were the rescue team.

Being at the right place at the right time is a good way to put it, but there is more. I did not use the term ‘rescued’ lightly. To explain that will take some time, and stop me whenever you wish to ask questions. I know you will have a few.

He stopped talking and sat back as Rosie came to place a huge plate of blueberry pancakes and bacon strips in front of him. She placed Sam’s toast on the table. She also put down a small bowl of jam, and another bowl piled high with real butter, filled their coffee mugs, and left with a smile for each of them.

Still looking at him rather strangely, Sam said, "You sure know how to grab a girl’s interest, Dr. Simmons. But I admit I would like to know what you meant by ‘rescued’.

Chapter Four

"K EEP IN MIND, THIS IS not a story I would relate to just anyone. I respect Edith’s privacy too much to share her problems with just any stranger I happened to meet. But I think, under the circumstances, she would not mind if I told you. But let me begin at the beginning, shall I?

Edith Melrose and her twin sister, Clarissa, were born 73 years ago, to a wonderful couple living in the house that just had That Blasted Tree" fall into it. And yes, you DID hear me put capital letters on those words. That is what Edith has called the tree for the last two decades or more. She claimed it put too much shade on the very window where she had her favorite easy chair. She never got around to having it cut down, and now it seems Mother Nature has done it for her.

Anyway, to get back to the story, Edith and Clarissa lived there happily, with a normal childhood, until Clarissa married me as soon as I was out of medical school.

At this, Sam choked on her bite of toast. When the coughing stopped, she gaped at Dr. Simmons.

So, you are Mrs. Bradley’s brother-in-law?

"Yes, I am, as well as being her good friend. Of course, everyone is her friend around here. But let me continue. Soon after Clarissa and I were married, and moved into my present home, Edith married her old college sweetheart, Eugene Bradley.

"Unfortunately, Eugene was the very spoiled younger son of a mid-western wheat farmer. They moved out there, Eugene thinking he would get at least a portion of the farm when his father died. When that did not happen, and the farm was left entirely to the older brother, Eugene decided that what he really wanted was to be a missionary. He and Edith packed up and moved to the wilds of Peru.

Peru! I didn’t know missionaries were still allowed there."

"Remember, this was about forty years ago, so the group from their church had no problem getting in.

Soon after they arrived, Edith became pregnant. She had a difficult labor, and was very ill after giving birth to their daughter Eve. Eugene said he didn’t think it had anything to do with the birth, but was something in one of the local dishes Edith ate for dinner just before her labor started. The baby was fine. Eugene was able to find a native woman as wet nurse and Eve did well. Edith however, kept getting worse. She had an extremely high fever, and the only available doctor was the village medicine man. One of the brews he gave her caused a violent reaction. Eugene found out later that this quack did not want them there, and had given her a poison on purpose. Whatever it was, the high fever made Edith’s hair turn snow white within days, and the poison caused total and irreversible blindness.

Again, Sam choked on the last of her toast.

She is blind? She does not act like it. I mean–wait; she knew me when I walked into her hospital room. How did she know that if she could not see me?

She smelled you.

At Sam’s shocked look, Dr. Simmons roared with laughter. Heads turned, but he just waved to them, and again focused his attention on his breakfast. After a bite, he turned back to Sam.

"Oh I don’t mean you stink. I mean she recognized your perfume. It is the same one her daughter used, and that may be why she has developed such an instant fondness for you.

"Anyway, let’s get back to the story. Eugene was numb with shock to find himself a new father and with a suddenly blind wife. As soon as Edith could travel safely, he packed up and brought them all back to the Melrose farm.

"By this time, Eugene’s brother had found out that he needed help on the farm, and had been pleading with Eugene to come back there for some time. Almost as soon as they were settled in with her parents, Eugene boarded a plane, leaving his wife and daughter here until he could find a house close to his brother’s farm. The plane crashed in a thunderstorm in the mountains just past the state line. Everyone on board was killed.

Sam’s hand flew to her mouth, and tears came to her eyes, but this time she did not stop the telling of the story.

Dr. Simmons continued. With her parent’s help and encouragement, Edith learned to cope nicely with her loss of sight. She never let it slow her down from anything she really wanted to do. She learned to keep things in the same place all the time, and…

Sam interrupted, That is why she told me to put the milk back exactly where I got it, and where to find just what she needed to put in the suitcase.

Right. And her sense of touch, her taste and smelling abilities, and her hearing have all gotten much more acute. By using those enhanced abilities, she can appear almost sighted.

Dr. Simmons sat back, lifted his mug for a drink, then grimaced. Waving Rosie over, he asked her to heat up his coffee. He took a long drink, then continued.

"Between the Melrose family helping and Edith’s own determination, they did a marvelous job of raising Eve. She grew up to be very popular, a very vivacious young lady. She married a nice boy from the village, and had a son, William, about two years later.

"About three years after his birth, the family left on a vacation, a car trip to Upper Maine. My Clarissa went with them to baby-sit William occasionally. Because she had never been up that way, I encouraged her to go. She was about six months pregnant at the time, so I felt she should have a vacation before being tied down with a baby. They were returning and were about fifty miles from home when a drunk driver hit them head on. Both Eve and her husband were killed instantly. William and Clarissa were injured. William survived, receiving only a broken arm and a few bruises. My Clarissa’s injuries were