Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
I awoke later than usual the next morning, feeling well-rested and energetic enough to head toward the ocean for a brisk walk before I bothered to shower. Rita’s blinds were still closed, so I decided to let her have a little more shut-eye before I checked on her.
I saw others walking the beach, several with dogs on their leashes, but we didn’t stop to chat. We’d wave or remark about the pleasant fall day, then continue on our way.
When I headed back, facing Heather’s beautiful home just beyond the dunes, I wondered what was in store for her when she returned. Would her daughter remember the good times they had when she was a child at the shore? I hoped so.
As I crossed the dune bridge, slipping my feet back into my shoes, I debated about when to open Heather’s windows to let in fresh air before her return. For some reason, I thought Rita might want to help me with that task.
Her front blinds were open when I reached her house, but I knocked on her door anyway. She opened it hesitantly. Seeing me, she asked, “What’s the matter?”
“I’m checking on you.”
“It’s about time,” she groused. “I’ve been up for an hour.”
I laughed. “Do you have any coffee made?”
She looked at my attire and probably figured I’d returned from the beach. “Of course. Come on in.”
We sat at the kitchen table with our mugs of coffee and the sticky buns she’d bought the previous afternoon. “Did you talk to Brad last night?” she asked.
“I did, and I also spoke to Heather.”
“You called her in Morocco?”
I smiled. “No, she called me. How do you feel about driving with me to the Philadelphia International Airport today?”
“She’s coming home?” Rita put her mug on the table. “What happened? Is Wyatt okay?”
I knew she’d be concerned about her grandson, so I assured her that he was fine. “Her daughter isn’t feeling well, so Heather and Alicia are coming home.”
“Oh, my,” she exclaimed. “It must be serious.”
“Alicia may have a brain tumor. Heather would like us to open her house, then pick them up at the airport.”
“Wyatt, too?”
“No, he’s continuing their itinerary. Heather’s flight arrives in Philadelphia at about four o’clock today, so we’ll have to leave by one.” I gave myself extra time since I’d never driven there from New Jersey.
“Oh, dear,” she sighed, reaching for another piece of sticky bun. “I’ll be happy to help.”
“Good,” I said. “Do you mind if we postpone our shopping trip until Sunday? We can go after church.”
“Of course not, but we won’t have much time since you’ll be going home.”
I surprised myself by saying, “I think I’ll stay through the week.”
She grinned. “That would make me happy. I like knowing you’re upstairs in case I need you.”
I understood what she meant because living alone can be lonely. I needed the solitude after Tony and Chet died, but once I started to experience emotional healing, the emptiness could get overwhelming.
“People need people,” I said aloud. “I don’t know why that thought keeps coming to me, but it’s true. I, too, like knowing you’re downstairs in case I need you.”
We both laughed as we nibbled on sticky buns and drank our coffee. She poured another cup for herself, but I declined.
“I’m going to shower and dress, then I think we should go over to Heather’s house and open a few windows. The last time I visited her, she told me not to bother taking off the sheets in the guest room, so I’d like to change the bed for Alicia.”
“I might have a card and some trinkets to welcome her.” She giggled as she put her dish in the sink. “When I went to college, we’d decorate our friends’ dorm rooms for their birthdays. If we’d leave cards on the bed, one of the girls called them billet-doux.”
“What’s a billet-doux?”
“Supposedly, it’s a love letter. It makes me think of a star-crossed maiden who receives a romantic note under her pillow.”
“Maybe Cinderella and the prince,” I suggested.
“Definitely something like that,” she replied with a chuckle.
“Okay, then. I’ll meet you in an hour and we’ll put a billet-doux on Alicia’s bed after we make it up. You’re in charge of that.”
She looked happy to be involved.
Rita and I were ready to leave for the airport by twelve-thirty since we planned to stop for lunch at a fast-food eatery before we got on the Garden State Parkway. Basically, we each ordered a meal deal to eat in the car.
We were in no hurry because I didn’t expect traffic to slow us down as it would have during the summer months and I now felt comfortable driving the highways between Stone Harbor and Philadelphia. For me, it became more stressful once we crossed the Delaware River.
I showed her the map app on my phone. “All I had to do was tell it to take me from your house to the Philadelphia Airport. Voilá! I have three or four choices.”
“How do you know which one to choose?”
“I pick a route I’m more familiar with. Some people tell it to choose a road that doesn’t have tolls or something like that.”
“How do you get that on your phone?”
“Usually it comes with your phone, but you can also get one from the app store.”
“Do you have to buy it?”
“The one I like is free, but they probably have paid ones.”
She shrugged. “I don’t think I need that since I know where I’m going.”
“For the most part,” I said, “but you never know. I’ll check your phone sometime this week to see what you have, then I’ll show you how to use it. Won’t it be fun to learn something new?”
She didn’t look very impressed.
After we tossed our trash, I pressed the app and handed Rita my phone. “I have an older car, so I can’t connect to the screen on the dashboard.”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“Just hold the phone, and the voice will tell us how to get to the airport.”
As I turned onto a major intersection, the voice told me to turn left at route 9. That time, she looked impressed.
We made good time, arriving early, yet I found the maze of arrivals and departures overwhelming.
Rita may have sensed my discomfort because she kept quiet, which I appreciated, and a kind policeman told me where I should wait for Heather’s incoming flight.
Thank heavens, she’d texted the details earlier.
I turned to Rita. “Shall we wait in the terminal or the car?”
She looked at the mass of traffic and walkways. “I’m fine staying here, if you don’t mind.”
I understood completely. “Me, too.”
An hour later, Heather texted that their plane had landed, and they’d pick up their luggage at the baggage carousel. She’d notify me when I should drive around to meet them.
“This place is crazy,” Rita muttered.
I laughed nervously. “Yes, it is.” I had a feeling it was one of the reasons I didn’t want to travel to any distant destination.
Perhaps to take our minds off the organized chaos, Rita told me she could hardly wait to see Alicia. “She was a pretty child, with hazel eyes and a button nose. If she’s in her last year of college, she’s probably all grown up now.”
“I guess so,” I agreed. “Do you think you’d recognize her in a crowd?”
“I don’t know, although I imagine she looks like Heather.”
We both heard the ping on my phone, and I glanced to read the text. “Okay,” I said, starting the ignition. “Let’s get these girls home.”
I moved forward following the line of cars. Heather waved, and I flashed my lights to acknowledge her greeting. When I pulled close to the curb, I noticed the young woman next to her. Though I saw a slight resemblance to her mother, I would never have identified her as Heather’s daughter.
Rita audibly echoed my thoughts.