Chapter Two: Second phone call, slightly less innocent than the first. Is a friendship blooming, or...?
Chapter three
I start to hum as I follow the path to the humanities building. A bunny hops out of a bush. Usually I’d mutter, but today I smile. I notice things: flowers, the smell of fresh cut grass. The world is so beautiful. Up the steps to the door, humming becomes song--Dean Martin's Standing on the Corner.
I enter the student lounge and they’re everywhere—munching muffins, studying for finals, chatting, flirting, gossiping. I’ll give them something to talk about. I belt out the song, I do a tap shoe routine—tap, brush, tap, tap. They stop eating, studying, talking. A girl—maybe one of mine—starts to giggle. I continue to sing and offer her a hand, pull her into my arms and uncoil her like a yo-yo to applause and catcalls.
“Alright, Professor Walburn.”
“Go, man. Go.”
“Strut that stuff.”
Released, she rejoins her friends with a huge smile on her face.
I shuffle and glide down the hall, passing door after door until I see ‘KJ Walburn’ on the door. Behind the closed door, hidden from young eyes, this old man collapses into my padded chair. The morning sun bathes my south-facing office in a warm amber glow. I scroll through my email inbox. Many names demand attention, but one name sings out above the rest—Darlene McDonald. I imagine hearing her angelic voice as I read, “I thought of you yesterday as I drove to work. You were there when I sang Kaede to sleep and when Ben took his first steps. You’re in my heart, you’re in my soul—every breath I take, every move I make, I dream of you. And I wonder, do you think of me?”
I type, “Oh, my dear, how can I not?” and press send.
Her reply is immediate. “We have to meet” is the subject line. The email contains one word. Where?
She lives on Vancouver Island. I live on the mainland. I type Mayne Island, but before I can press send, she sends me another message. “I know this cute little island between the mainland and Vancouver Island. Mayne Island is one of the Southern Gulf Islands. Maybe the oldest, or that might be just how it feels. I spend summers there. I have a house on Cherry Tree Lane. It’s old, but it means a lot, at least to me. I’d love to show it to you.”
A tryst...? Is he playing with fire? Will he get burned?
Chapter four
Sunday, July 27
4:40 (ish) pm PST
Books on Mayne Island...
Arleen Pare's book reading
I've been a fan of Arleen Pare's writing ever since I read
Leaving Now. (Please click on this link to read my review.)
In front of a packed audience on Mayne Island, Arleen read from her new book. Her eloquent words resonated in many hearts.
Encrypted (poems)
Arleen Pare
Published by Caitlin Press
While walking with my dog, I found...
