5. Laurie - The Frenchman
Chapter five
Laurie - The Frenchman
A fter frigid relentless winters, Spring was Edie’s favorite season so she spent afternoons on the bench under the budding maple trees in the courthouse yard across the street from her apartment. She loved those little helicopter leaves that dropped from the maples. She would situate them on her tongue to make a whistling sound mimicking the screeching cicadas. Who needs more cicadas? She would wake me up whistling those things when we spent nights together. The grounds were manicured like a pristine park with crocuses and tiny lilies stretching their faces toward the sun. The fresh new grass smelled organic.
Several days in a row, she noticed a very handsome young man walking around the grounds. He nodded at her and she acknowledged. She didn’t recognize him so he must be new in town. Each day, he came a bit closer like she would expect a wild animal to do deciding if she was trustworthy. He finally approached her. His smile was gorgeous, his voice melodic and his accent was French. Oo-la-la.
He was tall and wispy, straight as a string. She loved great posture since her back was as crooked as a road map. His hair was nicely styled, with a slight ginger tint to it. His light sweater was an argyle pattern that appeared to be some exotic wool, recalling it now, it was probably Cashmere. Classy and elegant, well-spoken and yummy. His shoes were polished to a perfect spit-shine and he wore an interesting gold ring on his right hand where he carried an armload of textbooks.
He looked friendly and as he approached, he gently spoke in a shyly romantic tone, his voice rich and silky. “Bonjour, please forgive me for being so bold, but I’ve noticed you here every day for nearly a week. You have piqued my interest and I was wondering if we could visit.” I knew this was something interesting when Edie began talking about this guy. There was excitement in her voice that I’d never noticed before.
Edie’s love for men was just beginning. Their approach is as unique as their DNA and they always have a plan when it comes to approaching a female. She often said she didn’t know how many decades it took to recognize her fascination with men was probably more than the raging hormones of her teenage self; she needed her father but he never intended to be a dad. He missed an opportunity to know a girl who wasn’t just an average girl but one who took every opportunity presented to her. She’s always been a risk-taker. Some risks paid off; others didn’t. Such is life. C’est la vie.
She was still considering her answer to this handsome well-groomed young man standing in front of her. Finally, she motioned and welcomed him to sit on the bench with her. His smile overtook his face and before he sat, he stretched out his hand. “My name is Laurie and I’m from Canada and you, excuse me for saying…are gorgeous.” Her hand fit nicely in his warm soft palm. She smiled and blushed a bit but compliments were welcomed especially since she never felt special.
“I’m Edie and I’m from right here. I live across the street in that building there. What are you doing in this little farming town?”
“I’ve watched you enter there. You probably think I’m a stalker but you’re so beautiful and I don’t know many people here. I’m a student at the Bible College over on Third Street. My father is a preacher and he’s been a great example to me so I’d like to honor him hoping I can be half the man he is.”
“That’s noble and ironic. My mother is becoming an ordained minister and I used to travel with her as her organist. We’re not very close but I respect her efforts.” She crossed her fingers and bit the inside of her cheek for telling that lie because she didn’t have much respect for either of her parents but she had nothing to compare them to so she was being unduly judgmental.
“Can I assume you’re in high school? I notice you are usually reading,” he said.
Oh, that accent had her at Bonjour. She vowed then and there to learn French. “Finishing up my sophomore year, studying for finals. How long have you been here, Laurie?”
“Classes started in September but I haven’t been out much. My brother Trace is attending college here as well so we spend most of our time studying together. Now that spring has arrived, I’m enjoying everything about this beautiful setting, especially the river.”
That statement pushed a button in her heart. “I love the river and have spent most of my fifteen summers watching it meander past my cabin. How long will you be here?” she asked.
“We plan to get jobs during the summer and begin the Fall semester. Perhaps we can see each other. Do you still play the organ? I’m a musician myself, guitar mostly but I love keys. Can you play Somewhere Over the Rainbow? It was my mum’s favorite song.” A sadness filled his eyes.
“I’ve never tried to play it but I could probably learn it. I play mostly by ear. It is a beautiful song; I can’t imagine anyone singing it but Judy Garland.”
He slowly nodded, looking into the distance. “Mum passed away last year and she wanted to hear that song as she breathed her last breath.”
Edie didn’t know what to say; she hadn’t dealt with death on that level so she let it slide and continued asking about his goals, studies, and what kind of job he’d be looking for during the summer. Nearly every day they would meet on the bench and share their experiences of the day. He had a wicked sense of humor. Laughter is lovely and he was witty and quick. Her comebacks to his lively quips were slow and long after he was gone she thought of something clever she wished she had said. When the last school bell rang each day, she hurriedly walked to the bench to meet Laurie.
She began learning to play Somewhere Over the Rainbow so she could invite him to their apartment and play it for him. I wasn’t sure where this was going but I was concerned about Edie. I wanted her to be safe and she really didn’t know this guy. Despite my warnings, when she was confident she could play it to perfection, she asked him in. He stood in near reverence as she played it for him. There was no apology for the tears that moistened his face as he peered upward. He wiped them away with his hands, slowly bent toward her, and gently placed his lips on hers. She had never experienced a kiss like that. It touched her soul. There are kisses and then, there are KISSES!
“Edie, I think your beautiful music summoned my Mum. I feel her presence. It probably sounds crazy but I think passed souls can sometimes visit us. Thank you for playing it for me. It touched me so deeply.”
Spending as much time together as they could, summer was upon us and Laurie and his brother got jobs working for DelMonte in the fields. It was long, hard hours, and blistering hot days but he never complained. She didn’t spend as much time on the island at the cabin since she wouldn’t see Laurie on those days. If she was on the island, she’d watch the clock to start the four-mile bike trip to town so she could spend time with him. She loved the way he made her feel. I didn’t see Edie much that “Laurie Summer”. She was too busy being in love with that beautiful young man who was so attentive to her.
He took rolls of pictures of her in every setting and made her feel like a movie star. Feeding a tiny chipmunk became a big deal; he soaked her with a hose and caught the perfect rainbow framing her face. His camera was always aimed at her and he managed to create the right setting for an interesting picture.
His gentleness wove strands of emotion into her heart, his sincerity touched her. He brought his guitar and they played music together laughing and singing slightly off-key. They wrote silly songs together, cooked outrageous food, and fell in love. At her young and innocent age, this was love.
Summer slipped by so quickly that she dreaded its end. In the early evenings, they’d walk, hand-in-hand to the local creamery for freshly made peach ice cream. In the cooling Autumn air, they sat at the parlor tables outside the store licking their cones and laughing. Though they kissed frequently, something changed when she didn’t notice a drip of sweet cream on her lip. He leaned in and licked the dribble from her lip and chin. A fire ignited that she hadn’t experienced and she had no idea what was happening. Her body had surely changed and she had this desire that she couldn’t identify. Perhaps she was becoming a woman but chose not to acknowledge it, not even to herself. There was no one she could discuss those feelings with except for me and I didn’t know how to answer her questions or how to deal with the changes.
Fall and winter brought school and college back to our schedules but Edie and Laurie managed to spend time together. Her mother had gotten to know Laurie so she didn’t mind that they spent evenings together while she was gone. She invited him to have Thanksgiving dinner with them which was surprising. Edie couldn’t remember her cooking a family meal in years. Her dad was coming down from a five-day drunken binge so after hitting his head on a parking meter outside their apartment and enduring five stitches, he spent the day sleeping it off.
On Christmas morning the security buzzer rang. Running to answer, she hoped it was Laurie. Hearing his voice over the intercom filled her with delight. She watched his strong nimble body sprint up the three flights of stairs with a colorful package in his hand. She couldn’t imagine what he was bringing but she didn’t care. Seeing his gentle face was all she needed. Her parents were both at the bar serving Tom & Jerry’s, a tradition in our area.
Laurie bent at the waist to catch his breath and flashed that familiar smile that she couldn’t get enough of. He wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck. “Merry Christmas, my beautiful girl. I have something to tell you.”
Hoping it was good news, she waited until he spoke. Very slowly and deliberately he accentuated each word when he whispered, “I…Love… You.” Her heart burst into flames and melted simultaneously.
They sat near the Christmas tree as he handed her the beautifully wrapped gift. She, too, had something for him. He was anxious, slightly nervous and she was more than curious. She carefully untied the perfect red bow and unwrapped the gift. She gasped as she understood the amount of effort he had put into this symbol of his love. A small album was tied with a gold ribbon and affixed to the ribbon was a solid gold heart ring engraved with the word, Forever. Inside the album were dozens of pictures he had taken of her over their time together. She cried as he held her and kissed away her tears.
She felt her gift couldn’t compare to his but she had crocheted a soft woolen scarf and mittens for him with a small hand-embroidered tag that read, Love, Edie.
They were going to spend New Year’s Eve together. Her sixteenth birthday was in a couple of weeks and she was feeling adult-ish. She made some finger sandwiches that she had seen at a wedding shower and baked some oatmeal raisin cookies. She made a pot of Swedish coffee which was all the rage. It had whipped raw eggs in the grounds which supposedly took the bitterness out of the coffee. She went to our neighborhood creamery to get a bottle of heavy cream because what is coffee without it?
They played music, ate snacks, and then watched the celebrations on TV when they came on. They snuggled together on the sofa and at midnight when it was time to kiss, they did. The kisses became more intense and their hands began to explore each other’s bodies. She had a decision to make and though she didn’t want to stop, when he asked if he could make love to her, she tearfully refused.
Adjusting themselves to a more proper position he sadly looked into her eyes. “Edie, I’m so sorry. I should never have given in to my desire for you. I will not disrespect you. I promise.” He gently kissed her, held her tightly for several minutes, and walked out the door. She wished she had given him her virginity.
And just like that… Laurie was gone. Decades passed when he came back into her life.