and, coward that she was, Clen left her father to be the comforter.
By second semester, Clen was no longer getting demerits. That meant no more summonses to Thomasina’s office. She’d enjoyed matching wits with Thomasina and she missed their meetings. On a whim, she stopped by to see the nun.
When she knocked on the door frame, Thomasina looked up from her work. “Clen, how lovely to see you. Do you have a minute? Come, sit down.”
Clen took a seat in the chair she’d sat in as a miscreant, still debating whether the impulse to tell Thomasina about Josh was the right one.
“Did you have a good Christmas?” Thomasina asked.
The perfect opening, but still Clen hesitated. “Mom fussed about my hair.”
“Well, it’s a good thing she didn’t see the first version.” Thomasina’s eyes glinted with amusement. “You looked like you’d been attacked by a demented wombat.”
“That could hurt my feelings, you know.” Instead, Thomasina’s comment had made her smile.
“This second attempt is very becoming. I expect your mom is sad to see you growing up so fast.”
Clen shoved the words out. “My brother’s sick.”
Thomasina’s smile immediately faded. “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yes. Well. He’s getting better. At least Mom and Dad keep saying he is. He has leukemia, and the treatments make him so ill. Sometimes I feel guilty about being here instead of at home, but Mom and Dad insisted I come back.”
“Oh, my dear, what a difficult thing to bear.”
“I don’t know what I should do.”
“Nobody can tell you what’s best, Clen. Just that whether you choose to stay or go, there will be consequences.”
Clen fiddled with a loose thread on her blouse, thinking about that. Consequences. Always the rub.
“You can come see me anytime,” Thomasina said. “I’ll keep you and your family in my prayers. What is your brother’s name?”
“Joshua. He’s ten.”
“Oh my. God will watch over him, Clen. Have no doubt.”
But she did.
Chapter Six
1982- 1984
Seattle, Washington
Jeannie stood silently beside Gerrum in the Joyful ’s cockpit. He’d called his sister shortly after dawn to invite her to spend the day on the water and, without hesitation, she’d said yes.
“The engagement’s off.” He didn’t expect to speak so bluntly, but once the words were out, a weight lifted.
“Oh, Gerrum, I’m sorry to hear that. What happened? You both seemed so happy yesterday.”
“Yeah.” They were, and then, abruptly, they weren’t. “I told her I want to take a leave this summer.”
“Your timing could have been better.” Her tone was mild and held no reproof, one of the many qualities he loved about her.
“She was going to be upset no matter when I told her.”
Jeannie placed a hand on his arm. Fierce as a child, she had matured into a serene woman. “Perhaps with good reason. You are changing the rules.”
But what happened with Pam was more than bad timing or rule changing. If that were the whole of it, he’d right now be seeking her out, trying to reconcile. “Winston took me aside yesterday. He wanted to make sure I knew the Palmers were concerned about me taking a dip in their genetic pool. He said seeing you reassured them.”
“But surely Pam didn’t—”
“Yes, she did, although she was willing to overlook my ancestry, as long as I kept my job.”
“Can’t you work it out?”
That was the dilemma. After all, how could a single quarrel be enough to end a relationship that twenty-four hours ago he’d expected to last the rest of his life? Except, unfortunately, or fortunately, that single quarrel revealed something so essential, so divisive, something he’d never even suspected...
The Joyful ’s bow dipped, then came up as they bounced across the spreading wake of a container ship headed toward the port of
By second semester, Clen was no longer getting demerits. That meant no more summonses to Thomasina’s office. She’d enjoyed matching wits with Thomasina and she missed their meetings. On a whim, she stopped by to see the nun.
When she knocked on the door frame, Thomasina looked up from her work. “Clen, how lovely to see you. Do you have a minute? Come, sit down.”
Clen took a seat in the chair she’d sat in as a miscreant, still debating whether the impulse to tell Thomasina about Josh was the right one.
“Did you have a good Christmas?” Thomasina asked.
The perfect opening, but still Clen hesitated. “Mom fussed about my hair.”
“Well, it’s a good thing she didn’t see the first version.” Thomasina’s eyes glinted with amusement. “You looked like you’d been attacked by a demented wombat.”
“That could hurt my feelings, you know.” Instead, Thomasina’s comment had made her smile.
“This second attempt is very becoming. I expect your mom is sad to see you growing up so fast.”
Clen shoved the words out. “My brother’s sick.”
Thomasina’s smile immediately faded. “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yes. Well. He’s getting better. At least Mom and Dad keep saying he is. He has leukemia, and the treatments make him so ill. Sometimes I feel guilty about being here instead of at home, but Mom and Dad insisted I come back.”
“Oh, my dear, what a difficult thing to bear.”
“I don’t know what I should do.”
“Nobody can tell you what’s best, Clen. Just that whether you choose to stay or go, there will be consequences.”
Clen fiddled with a loose thread on her blouse, thinking about that. Consequences. Always the rub.
“You can come see me anytime,” Thomasina said. “I’ll keep you and your family in my prayers. What is your brother’s name?”
“Joshua. He’s ten.”
“Oh my. God will watch over him, Clen. Have no doubt.”
But she did.
Chapter Six
1982- 1984
Seattle, Washington
Jeannie stood silently beside Gerrum in the Joyful ’s cockpit. He’d called his sister shortly after dawn to invite her to spend the day on the water and, without hesitation, she’d said yes.
“The engagement’s off.” He didn’t expect to speak so bluntly, but once the words were out, a weight lifted.
“Oh, Gerrum, I’m sorry to hear that. What happened? You both seemed so happy yesterday.”
“Yeah.” They were, and then, abruptly, they weren’t. “I told her I want to take a leave this summer.”
“Your timing could have been better.” Her tone was mild and held no reproof, one of the many qualities he loved about her.
“She was going to be upset no matter when I told her.”
Jeannie placed a hand on his arm. Fierce as a child, she had matured into a serene woman. “Perhaps with good reason. You are changing the rules.”
But what happened with Pam was more than bad timing or rule changing. If that were the whole of it, he’d right now be seeking her out, trying to reconcile. “Winston took me aside yesterday. He wanted to make sure I knew the Palmers were concerned about me taking a dip in their genetic pool. He said seeing you reassured them.”
“But surely Pam didn’t—”
“Yes, she did, although she was willing to overlook my ancestry, as long as I kept my job.”
“Can’t you work it out?”
That was the dilemma. After all, how could a single quarrel be enough to end a relationship that twenty-four hours ago he’d expected to last the rest of his life? Except, unfortunately, or fortunately, that single quarrel revealed something so essential, so divisive, something he’d never even suspected...
The Joyful ’s bow dipped, then came up as they bounced across the spreading wake of a container ship headed toward the port of
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