New Love (6 page)

Ann laughed from behind Tessa, “I took those covers off when Fred passed away and never put them back on.”

“Rebelling are you?” Tessa laughed.

“Aren’t we all dear?” she handed Tessa a cup of tea and patted the couch next to her.

Tessa laughed and sat down, “I suppose.”

“Your Grandmother called after she saw you at Maggie’s and was very upset,” Ann took a drink of her tea and peered over the cup waiting for Tessa to respond.

“Yeah
, that was a bad night,” Tessa whispered.

Ann laughed, “I guess it was. You’re going to be just fine
, dear one.”

“Things are a mess Aunt Ann,” Tessa closed her eyes.

“I want to hear all about it, let’s grab some blankets and cuddle up on the deck. Remember your…” Ann started.

Tessa held up her winter hat and smiled, “My hat?”

Ann laughed and grabbed hers.

Tessa and Ann sat on the deck

“Are you sure it’s not too cold out here for you?”

Ann laughed, “Mr. and Mrs. Balen passed away a month apart. They donated the house to our church. Do you see
that young man over there? He’s a smart man. He has a hat on keeping his ears warm and using the heat that would normally escape from his head to keep him toasty on this cold winter day. He’s not in a house staying warm wasting the day playing games or watching TV. He’s out here in the cold enjoying the sunshine. Using his hands and able body to take care of what may someday be that man’s home, a place to live his life. He is tearing down that old house, and I really think he is going to rebuild it. I’ve watched him save the wood that was not rotted as if he plans to reuse it. It’s not too cold out here for him.”

Tessa smiled.

“He’s very nice to watch Tessa,” Ann laughed.

“He’
s handsome; do you have a crush Aunt Ann?” Tessa laughed.

“I’
m too old to have a crush. And he’s very young. I don’t even buy green bananas anymore. I do however still have my eyes,” Ann laughed, “Okay… tell me everything Tessa, about this Lucas.”

Tessa gave her the PG v
ersion of her last few months. She tried not to cry but failed, and Ann cried with her. She left out the part about the two girls on New Year’s Eve but did tell her he kissed someone, and she saw it.

The man walked down the ladder and waved at Ann, and she waved back.

“Well let’s go inside, even he’s smart enough to know when enough is enough,” Ann said as Tessa helped her up.

They made dinner, and Ann made an extra plate.

“What’s that for?”

“The n
eighbor, his light’s still on. I assume he’s working hard in there. We have plenty; you want to take it over to him?”

Tessa giggled, “I wouldn’t want to intrude…you go ahead.”

“Nonsense, you go. I will be fine.”

It was dark as Tessa knocked on the door knowin
g he wouldn’t hear her with the saw going. She knocked harder and then opened the door and set the plate on the floor inside the door.

She told Ann that she had set it inside as they ate dinner together.

“You’re doing the right thing Tessa and besides kissing that girl the other night, so is he. Getting over your first love is never easy, I know this,” Ann said with sadness in her gray eyes.

“I’
m sorry; you must miss Uncle Fred terribly.”

“I miss
Fred; he was my best friend and partner for most of my life. He wasn’t my first love though. My first love, my first husband, the father of the only child I ever carried, was killed during the war. I was wild about him, and he was about me. We married after a two month courtship. It was either get married or have premarital sex,” Ann laughed.

Tessa smiled at her, “I didn’t know.”

“Oh we don’t talk about it, but Joseph was beautiful. Tall and well built, very well built. He had copper hair and blue eyes. We butted heads and made up every day. We had passion, he was…my Joe. He looked an awful lot like my new neighbor,” Ann giggled.

There was a knock on the door and Ann went to answer it.

“Thank you for supper,” Tessa heard a man’s voice say.

“My great niece brought it over for you. We watched you working on t
he house and saw a light on. We figured you were probably hungry,” Ann explained.

“I was
, thank you ma’am.”

“It’s Ann,”
Tessa could hear the smile in her voice.

“Well thank you Ann,” he said in the same tone.

“May I ask what you plan to do with the Balen home?”

“I plan to rebuild it. T
hey owned the lot next to them as well so I’ll be expanding. I hope to use it as my main home. I’ll be traveling a lot. It's peaceful here, I like it,” he shared with her.

“Well then it’s good to meet you finally,” she gushed.

“The pleasure is mine, Ann.”

Ann sat next to Tessa and smiled.

“First date?” Tessa laughed.

Ann rubbed her hand on Tessa’s cheek, “And what a perfect date it was.”

“I loved Fred very much, but I understand how you feel about your Lucas. Young love is amazing. I often wonder what life would have been like had Joe not passed. But I know that wasn’t God’s plan for me. You’ll get over this Tessa. I’m not saying it’ll be easy. Fred asked me to marry him at least five times over three years before I finally said yes. But I waited and did so with no regrets,” Ann smiled.  “There is no rewind button in life Tessa. What hell we walk through has to be learned from as we continue moving forward. If we sit and wallow the hell will consume us. Fred showed me that, it took a little longer than he expected, but we had a great life, one with no regrets.”

“Thank you,” Tessa
smiled.

“Don’t let it consume you. P
romise me Tessa that you will walk through without looking back. We make mistakes throughout life and that’s what we are supposed to do, but we have to learn from those mistakes. We can’t change the past, but your future is beautiful you just have to let yourself see it,” Ann looked at Tessa, “Ready for bed, you look tired.”

Tessa ran the next morning and made breakfast before Ann got out of bed. They looked at scrapbooks and listened to old music. Ann and Tessa took a walk after lunch, and before dinner sat on the deck and watched her neighbor work. Ann took dinner over to him that night, and he hugged her and kissed the top of her head after thanking her. Ann was still blushing when she came back in
the house.

Before bed
, they talked more. Tessa loved to hear Ann’s stories from an era she secretly wished she was raised in.

“I’
ve had the best two days with you Tessa. The best days in many, many, years. Thank you for coming to visit,” Ann hugged her.

“Aunt Ann, I love and admire you I always have. I needed you, and you were here as always. Thank you for having me,” Tessa said
, returning her hug.

Ann smiled and rubbed her cheek as she al
ways did. A loving term of endearment that only Aunt Ann gave.

Tessa woke in the morning and ran in the cold with her hat on her head. She felt so close to God when she ran and even closer as she looked over the beautiful ocean. She walked closer to the water and stood there and squatted down hugging herself as she thought about the wisdom she had gained during the past two days. God had given her a beautiful family, and for that
, she was thankful.

She stood up and turned to walk towards the house and saw the neighbor, Ann’s
“Joe”, drinking a cup of what she assumed was coffee. She waved to him. He nodded and waved back, Tessa giggled and looked down.

She made toast and smiled at the browning banana’s. She boiled water for tea and looked at the clock. She walked into her Aunt’s room, and she was still asleep.

Tessa made tea and took it into Ann’s room. Ann had a slight smile on her face.

“Aunt Ann,” she whispered.

Ann said nothing.

Tessa reached over and gently rubbed her arm.

“I made you some tea,” Tessa said a bit louder.

Ann didn’t wake up.

Tessa shook her shoulder, and Ann’s arm fell to the side of her body.

“Aunt Ann
, wake up!” Tessa said louder.

“Aunt Ann,” Tessa cried as she lifted her up and held her.

“No! No! NO!” Tessa sobbed.

She held her Aunt’s lifeless body against her as she dug into her pocket and grabbed her phone and dialed 911.

She laid her down and unlocked the door as the operator instructed and then went back into Ann’s room and snuggled up to her and sobbed.

The ambulance pulled in, and Ann’s Joe ran to meet them.

“What’s going on?” he asked as he followed them into the house.

“Not sure, do you know the owner?” they asked him.

“She’s my neighbor,” he answered.

They followed the sound of Tessa’s sobbing into Ann’s room.

“Please wake up Aunt Ann, please wake up,” Tessa cried.

Tessa
laid crying and holding her beloved Aunt.

“Miss you need to get off the bed and let us work,” the paramedics instructed.

“No! Aunt Ann please, please wake up,” she cried and shook her, “Please!”

“Miss
--- now,” they instructed urgently.

“Come on ,” Ann’s Joe said softly as he picked her up and carried her out of the room as she cried.

He sat her on the couch, and she stood and started to run towards the room.

He grabbed her and held her back, she tried to pull away, and he held her
tighter.

“You have to let th
em work, they’re trying to help her,” he said soothingly.

Tessa sat on the floor outside Ann’s room and called her mother.

“Mom,” she sobbed quietly, “I need you.”

Ann’s Joe grabbed the phone when he realized she was not able to talk.

“Hello. I’m Ann’s neighbor Collin,” he said as he looked in the room.

T
he paramedics had put Ann on a stretcher and covered her with a sheet.

“I’
m very sorry,” he said as they wheeled her out.

“NO!” Tessa
screamed, and he held her against him as she fought to run out after them.

“LET ME GO!” she screamed.

He sat on the floor with his one arm wrapped around her restraining her and the other holding the phone as he whispered “Shh,” in her ear trying to soothe her.

“What hospital?” he yelled after the paramedics, and they answered him.

Tessa now sobbed silently, and he was able to tell Maggie what was going on. He hung up and put his other arm around her and sat against the wall.

“Your Mother is calling your Aunt’s Pastor. He should be
here soon,” he said softly, “I’m going to sit with you until he gets here. Your Mother is going to be here as soon as she can.”

“Thank yo
u.”

“Are you cold?”

“No,” her voice squeaked and she began crying again.

He pulled her closer to him
and held her head against his shoulder and let her cry.

They sat there for over an hour before Tessa fell asleep

She woke up and walked to the bathroom when she came out his back was to her and his arms were crossed over his chest. He was looking out the door towards the ocean.

“Thank you and so
rry. I’m going to shower,” Tessa said and quickly walked back into the bathroom.

She was embarrassed, sad, and angry.

While dressing she heard two men talking in the kitchen.

“Her mothe
r should be here soon, I guess. It was all a bit chaotic, Pastor Lou.”

“I’
m glad you were her for her.”

“I wish I could stay
. She was so sad…is she going to be alright?”

“Of course, and praise be to God that she was here and that you were here. Ann
wasn’t alone.”

“I’
ll miss my flight if I don’t go now.”

“Go, she’
ll be fine. Stay safe son.”

“Always.”

Tessa walked out of the bathroom slowly and immediately recognized Pastor Lou from a summer VBS as well as past trip to visit Ann when they had gone to her church on Sundays.

He opened his arms, and she ran into them and cried, “Oh Tessa, it’s you.”

The family arrived, and calling hours were held. Ann had chosen cremation and wished to be buried in Syracuse with Fred and her siblings. It was a small service. Everything happened so quickly.

~

At home, few people knew about Ann’s passing. She hadn’t lived in the area for years and aside from Maggie and her siblings no one ever really got to know Ann. She was an angel. Anyone who took the time to know her would immediately be able to see that. Tessa replayed their last conversations over and over in her head and took comfort that, as Pastor Lou had said to Ann’s Joe, ‘she wasn’t alone when she passed’. Maggie shared in his sentiments and Tessa tried to as well.