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Storms to Weather

Paulette Seitz

Ref. No. 610003ms
Length 93900 words

Summary

Erica Pahlberg thought her life was set on the comfort track when Wayne Cabot returned to Schoon Falls offering marriage and escape. But her happily-ever-after life ends abruptly when Wayne is killed in a freak accident.

Numb with grief, penniless and alone, Erica struggles to survive and learns the uplifting power of friendship and discovers love is not necessarily fireworks and brass bands. Sometimes it enters one’s heart soft as a whisper yet strong as tempered steel.

From The Book

“I came back.” The voice was strong, resonant and male and startled Erica. She was in the far corner of the card and gift shop, dusting the display of large wind chimes. She was stretching to reach the back ones and stumbled in surprise and tried to grasp some of the cylinders, but they gave to her touch with a jingling and a jangling. Strong hands grasped her about the waist and upper arm and steadied her. She turned around to see Wayne grinning at her. “Did you wait for me? I told you I’d be back.”

That was five years ago, she thought a little sourly. And who in the world takes teenage holiday promises seriously?

“I don’t see a wedding ring.” Wayne’s grin faltered. “You didn’t go and marry someone else, did you?”

“No, I’m still single.” Erica finally found her voice.

“So you did wait for me.” The grin returned to Wayne’s face.

“Not exactly,” Erica managed to laugh. “I just haven’t found anyone I cared enough about to marry.”

“That’s because I’m an impossible act to follow.” Wayne was as outrageously cocky now as he was when he and his senior class came to Schoon Falls for winter sports all those years ago. At that time, Erica was a sophomore in high school and worked part time in the shop. Wayne came looking for a trinket for his mom and his sister and walked out with a date with her and she fell head over heels in love with him with an intensity only a sixteen year old girl can realize. And now, five years later, she felt her throat begin to tighten again and she swallowed to try and relax it; her stomach felt jittery and her belly hot. The basic attraction was still there, and getting stronger by the second.

“And you?” Erica was surprised at the calmness of her voice. She had expected it to be squeaky and breathless. “Are you married?”

“Nope.”

“Does that make me an impossible act to follow also?” She looked him dead in the eye and raised an eyebrow and Wayne burst out laughing.

“That’s what I remember best about you, Erica. You could always make me laugh. Really laugh,” he said.

The door buzzer went off and Erica looked in its direction.

“It’s Mr. Muller,” she said. “He ordered a figurine for his wife’s birthday. It hasn’t come in yet. This might take a minute.”

“What time do you get off work?” Wayne asked.

Erica glanced at her watch. “In a couple of hours,” she answered. “Six o’clock.”

“Will you have dinner with me tonight?” he asked.

“Ok,” she said. “Where shall I meet you?”

“How about the Grotto? Say six thirty?”

Mr. Muller was walking in their direction.

“I’ll be right with you, Mr. Muller,” Erica called out; to Wayne she said, “That’s fine. I might be a couple of minutes late. I don’t always get out of here at exactly six.”

“I’ll wait for you,” he said and stepping in close to her, he lifted her chin with the tips of his fingers, lowered his head and gently brushed her lips with his. Then he stepped away and went towards the door.

“How’s it going, Mr. Muller” he said cheerfully as he passed the old man. “Fine day, isn’t it?”

Muller wasn’t happy the figurine was not in yet and Erica could not assure him it would be in in time for Mrs. Muller’s birthday. She persuaded him to choose another from the display cabinet. He grumbled he could not remember which ones his wife already had in her collection, but Erica skillfully guided him to the more recent castings. She offered to box and gift wrap the chosen figurine and attached a pretty matching bow and card to the package.

When the old man left, she returned to her dusting, but her mind was not on it. When she started her day this morning, the last thing she expected was Wayne walking back into her life. Sure she had fantasized about him on lonely nights and week-ends and when she broke up with yet another boyfriend; but Prince Charming did not return to the likes of her. And a Prince Charming he certainly was in her eyes. The ten days he spent on a school trip in Schoon Falls were the brightest of her life. His big city sophistication, his casual ease in restaurants Erica never dreamed she would enter, quite simply bowled her over.

And now, Wayne was back, asking if she had waited for him and in a way she had because every other man since him did not measure up and she was not prepared to compromise. Wayne had returned cocky, then less self assured, then back to cocky again. He was not completely certain of her reception of him. What did he want with her? And what did she want with him? Deep in her subconscious she knew the answer, had known it since she was sixteen. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. Did he feel the same way? Is that why he came back? For her? Dared she hope?

The door buzzer went off pulling Erica out of her reverie. It was the delivery man bringing in some late afternoon packages. Erica went to the register counter and slipped her duster under it. She checked the packages and signed for them. Mr. Muller’s special order was not amongst them. She stayed at the counter after the man left and watched as his van pulled out of the small strip mall and waited at the exit for the light to turn green.

Yes, she thought, Wayne had been an impossible act to follow. She had dated and broken up with many of the young men of Schoon Falls and its environs. She would go out with them with an open mind and low expectations but always they were lacking. Or was it she who was lacking? Or were her standards too high? What were her aspirations?

Wayne had tainted her. He had filled her with feelings and sensations just by being there. Feelings and sensations her other dates were incapable of eliciting. Most of her classmates were married now and had children, at least those who had stayed on in Schoon Falls. Some were even divorced. Sometimes she had the feeling she was being left behind. No, that was not so, she remained single by deliberate choice, though she had come very close to marrying Joe Knox.

The door buzzed and Mona Greeley came in. Erica glanced hurriedly at her watch. It was six o’clock and she had spent over an hour mooning by the counter.

“Hi,” Mona greeted her.

“I didn’t realize how late it was,” Erica said.

The packages were still on the floor by her feet. She had neglected to unpack them. She bent down and picked them up. They were small and light.

“You can leave those if you want,” Mona said. “I can take care of them.”

“Would you? Thank you so much.” Erica gratefully placed the little boxes on the counter and went to the stockroom in the back to fetch her jacket and pocketbook.

Erica drove to the Grotto straight from work. She would not have time to go home and change. Well, she might, but she didn’t want to deal with her mother’s thousand questions and complaints. She was not concerned that she might arrive early. She was sure that Wayne was already there.

He was waiting for her at the bar, nursing a beer and chatting with Warren Rosenweg, the bartender. She sighed. It would have to be Warren on duty this evening. By this time tomorrow the entire county would know of her date with Wayne. Warren had been in her class at school and he had been a bigmouth already then. She stopped next to Wayne’s stool. He turned and looped his arm around her waist and squeezed her to him.

“Would you like to have something to drink before we eat?” Wayne asked.

Erica would have preferred a plain cola but her stomach was in knots and her legs felt like jelly. She needed to calm down so she asked Warren for a rum and coke. He bobbed his head in her direction and went to prepare her drink.

“I came directly from work,” she said suddenly feeling self conscious. “I was afraid if I went home to change I would be late.”

“You’re perfect as you are,” Wayne said.

Warren placed Erica’s drink on the bar and she took a couple of sips.

“Do you want to stay here or do you want to drink that at the table?” Wayne asked.

“I’d like to sit at the table,” Erica said, glancing at Warren who was hovering about fiddling with ashtrays and bowls of beer nuts.

They found a booth by a window overlooking the parking lot. There were only a few cars huddled close to the entrance doors of the restaurant. The sunny day had turned cloudy and the evening sky now promised snow.

“Did you think I would come back?” Wayne asked with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.

“Honestly?” Erica said. “No, I didn’t.”

He smiled at her, not the least bit troubled by her bluntness; in fact he was pleased by it.

The waiter came with menus and for a while they concentrated on ordering.

“I’m a day late,” he said when the waiter left.

“I don’t understand,” she said.

“I wanted to be here yesterday, on Valentine’s Day but it was a Sunday and I knew the card shop would be closed.”

“How did you know I still worked at the shop?”

“A friend of mine came here on a ski break over the Christmas holidays. I asked him to look you up.”

She did not recall anyone approaching her saying they were friends of Wayne. But then she saw so many people at the card shop. Over the holidays the town was crowded with vacationers come to enjoy the winter sports. Perhaps a friendly repartee with a customer had garnered enough information from her to identify her.

The waiter returned with their entrees. Erica had ordered Cajun shrimp after being assured it was very mild. It smelled delicious and she realized she was quite hungry. The waiter placed a grilled T-bone steak with a baked potato and a side order of corn in front of Wayne and left.

“So what have you been doing with yourself these last five years?” Wayne asked. “Besides missing me that is.”

“I finished high school,” she said. “Then I went to Westmount College in Lake Placid for a couple of semesters but my mom ran into some problems and money ran out. I began working at the card shop full time a couple of years ago. I’m saving for a computer and hope to get my degree online.” Erica toyed with the shrimp. It was a little spicier than she liked and she ate a forkful of herbed rice instead.

“What were you studying?”

“I want to be a teacher,” she said quietly.

Wayne nodded and paid attention to his steak. For a while they ate in silence. It was a comfortable silence and she remembered this about him. There was no need to fill the quiet with words when she was with him and she remembered this too was one of the things she liked about him. The rum and coke and the food had settled her down, but little spasms still twitched around in her belly. She looked at him now, sitting opposite her in the booth and eating his steak with open enjoyment. He had the capacity for living in the moment and appreciating every second. He brought the whole of himself to the present, conscious of the past and anticipating the future but not permitting either of them to colour the here and now. He fascinated her and she felt a strong feeling well up inside her. She wanted to be like him, to be with him, share his hopes and dreams, walk through their lives joined together, working to achieve these dreams

“You’re probably wondering what I’ve been up to,” Wayne said and not waiting for her to answer, he launched into his story. “After graduating high school I went to Harvard Business School. I earned my degree last June but I wanted to take some additional courses and finished them this Christmas. My uncle has lined up a position in New York City. I start next month.

“Erica, I’m not going to pretend I didn’t date these past five years. I did and I didn’t always go home alone. But there hasn’t been a day I didn’t think about you. It’s like you’re a part of me...a twin...a clone. I don’t understand it. All I know is that I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Erica, will you marry me?”

“Yes,” she said without hesitation and she was quietly delighted to hear his exhalation of breath. He was not so sure of himself after all.

He reached into the inside breast pocket of his jacket and withdrew a small box and opened it. A single brilliant cut diamond shone against the black velour. He placed the box in front of her, but she did not reach for it. With a soft laugh he took the ring from its case, lifted her left hand with his and slid it on her third finger.

“With this ring I pledge my love,” he promised softly. “Forever. Till death do us part.” He cupped her face in his hands and leaned across the table and kissed her lips.

“I want you to meet my family,” he said. “How about next weekend? I can come back and fetch you.”

“I can drive down myself,” she said. “Just give me directions how to get there.”

“I thought I’d come up for the weekend, say Friday night. We can spend Saturday together and drive to Jersey to meet my folks on Sunday. I can drive you back afterwards.”

“Wayne, you’ll be driving up and down four times over the weekend.”

“That’s no problem,” he said. “I want to spend the time with you.”

He followed her home afterwards and wanted to see her inside, but she put a hand against his chest to stop him.

“I’m staying at the Belmont Inn,” he said. “I’ll be leaving in the morning. Any chance you’ll join me for breakfast?”

“What time?” she asked.

“How does eight o’clock sound? Is that too early?”

“No, that’s fine. Will that be in their dining room?”

“Yes.” He pulled her against him and held her close. She could feel his heart beating where she rested against his chest. He lowered his head and kissed her.

“I’m the happiest man on earth right now,” he said. “I’m so glad you waited for me Erica.”

The house was quiet when Erica let herself in; the living room was empty, the ashtrays were full. She tiptoed down the short hall and hesitated by her mother’s bedroom door. She heard soft snores. The mattress creaked and a man coughed. Toby Tegeler was home. She continued to her own bedroom and quietly shut the door. Maybe it was just as well her mother was asleep. On the one hand she wanted to share her news with her mother, share the joy and excitement she felt; show off her engagement ring. On the other hand, Lisa Pahlberg’s reaction to anything was never predictable. It depended on her mood. Perhaps with Toby here, she might be in a receptive one, a positive one, but Erica didn’t want to take the chance. Perhaps it was best she shared her news in the morning and she continued quietly to her own bedroom door.

She wanted to take a shower but decided against it. Toby was a light sleeper and she didn’t want to risk waking him. She was not afraid of him; actually he was one of the better boyfriends her mother had brought home over the years. But Toby had eagle eyes and saw everything and he’d notice the ring on her finger right away and want an explanation. With a small sigh, she changed into a cotton cami and drawstring pajama bottoms and slid into her bed.

She lifted her left hand and wiggled her fingers. The diamond caught the dim light from the streetlamp shining through the window and sparkled.

She smiled to herself remembering she had almost refused to go out with Wayne because just the day before she had fought off a sweaty bright eyed Bobby Maxwell groping where he was not allowed. Bobby had taken her out for burgers and a movie and afterwards when she slapped his hands away he had muttered, “The guys told me I was wasting my time and money on you. Don’t know where you get to be so goody-goody what with your mom and all.”

Wayne had come into the shop the next day. It was the first day of his vacation and he was looking for small gifts for his mother and sister.

“Nothing expensive,” he said. “Something like a key chain will do. I want to keep my money and spend it on showing you a good time.”

Erica had met many brash and brazen city youths come to enjoy the amenities of Schoon Falls, be it the winter snowy slopes or the summer lakes and streams, and she usually deflected their advances with a shrug and a laugh. But there was something different about Wayne. She felt drawn to him immediately. She wanted to be with him. And it seemed he wanted to be with her. He had sought her out every moment he was not on the slopes skiing or snow boarding. For the first time in her life, she felt special, treasured, appreciated. They wandered around the village, went into neighbouring fields and made snow angels, went to a movie and to restaurants and on the last night of his vacation, to a dance sponsored by the Kiwanis for the under twenty-one crowd. Here they found a private place and he wanted to touch her in a manner which made her uncomfortable. She gently but firmly pushed him away and said she did not do that.

“Is it because I’m not from around here?” He had pulled away and looked at her carefully, brows knit.

“No,” she had answered. “I’m just not ready. Not for you or any boy.”

They had gone outside then and sat on a bench under the overhang of the hall. Snow had begun to fall and he pulled her close to him and she nestled against his side. They listened to the delicate rustling of the settling snowflakes. She felt the weight of his head as he rested it on hers and she snuggled closer to him. And she felt at one with the world, she felt complete. When he walked her home that night he had held her close and hugged her tightly.

“Wait for me,” he had whispered. “I’ll be back when I am able to take care of you. Please, wait for me.”

She remembered running across her porch to the front door and then running to her room. She did not switch on the light but went to her window and watched Wayne as he slowly walked down the road. She was certain this was the last image she would have of him. She would need to engrave it on her memory. They had not taken photographs.

And now, Wayne had kept his promise; he had returned for her. Her stomach jittered and her heart faltered. He was back, something she had never dared to believe. There was little substance to teenage promises made in the make believe ambiance of a winter wonderland vacation. Yet, he was back and he had asked her to marry him.

All her life she had wanted to escape Schoon Falls, escape the small town prejudices, escape her childhood baggage. It was why she had worked so hard in school and gained acceptance to Westmount. The first day she went to college, she felt as if it was the first day of a new life. She was going to be a teacher; someone respectable; someone people looked up to. And when she graduated, she was going to go as far from Schoon Falls as she could. Then the furnace needed replacing and her mother didn’t have the money; and her dream was put on hold. For years now.

And now Wayne was back, offering her escape and a future; an alternative to a life in a dead end job, a life with little chance of advancement. He said he had a job waiting in New York, one his uncle had found for him. New York City. She had never been there. Images from television and magazines flashed through her mind. The Empire State Building. The Statue of Liberty. Fifth Avenue. She heard the door of her mother’s bedroom open and light footsteps in the hallway. She knew it was Toby because her mother was heavy footed. She turned on her side to face the door, her back to the window. She heard the toilet flushing in the bathroom. She snuggled deeper under the covers. The diamond twinkled momentarily before she tucked her left hand under her pillow and rested her head on it. In minutes she was asleep.

About The Author

I have lived in Belgium, South Africa and France. I worked for many years in the fashion industry in Paris and New York. I now live in north-eastern Pennsylvania with an assortment of poultry, two cats, two dogs and an Appaloosa gelding. Storms to Weather is my fourth novel.

Copyright 2006-2007, Paulette Seitz (Expires October 3, 2008)

To request information on this author or a manuscript contact the listed agent or e-mail: dbooth@authorlink.com

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Author Reference Number	610003ms
Author Name	Paulette Seitz
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