River's End (9781426761140) (35 page)

“Come on inside,” he urged. “I want you to see all of it.”

Anna felt like she was dreaming as he took her on the full tour. With vaulted ceilings, wood floors, and enormous windows in all the right places, it looked like something she'd seen in a magazine. It felt spacious, but not overly big. The space was well used. And the kitchen was modern yet friendly. But it was the view that took Anna's breath away. “You can see both the river and the ocean,” she said as she stared out.

“I call it River's End,” he told her.

“River's End,” she repeated happily.

“I thought that, if nothing else, it would be a place for us to escape to when the inn got too busy, or when it got too slow. A little getaway.”

“It's a lovely getaway.”

“But with Lauren and Brad coming to help. And with Jewel and Skip back. Well, maybe we'll want to spend more time here. Especially as we get older and don't have the energy to run Shining Waters.” He slipped his arm around her. “I hate to admit it, but we are getting older, Anna.”

She didn't say anything, just kept looking out at where the river met the ocean.

“Are you mad at me?”

“No, of course not.”

“That's probably the biggest reason I kept it a secret. I was worried you'd get mad. Remember how upset you were that first day I brought you up here? And I did try to sell it to the other guy, but then Sarah went missing and I got distracted. Finally, I decided to just keep it. I started plugging away on it, but it was slow going. Then Johnny got the idea that he and I could build it together. It seemed impossible at first, but I subbed some jobs out, and it all just started falling into place.” He looked at her. “You're really not mad?”

“No.” But now she frowned. “Except that I don't like how you lied to me, Clark.”

“
Lied?
”

“About going fishing every day.”

“That wasn't exactly a lie. Either Johnny or I would run a line behind us as we ran the river. Sometimes we'd even catch something. And when we had no luck, we'd stop by the docks and do a little
fishing
from the local fishermen.” He chuckled. “Those boys were always real glad to see us coming.”

“Oh, Clark!” She playfully punched his bicep. “So, tell me, what happened the day you fell and hurt your head? I'll bet you weren't fishing then either.”

“We were working on the dock steps. I wanted to get the railing up before I brought you up here. One misstep and I lost my balance and plunged down.” He rubbed the back of his head. “Johnny kept coming up here. He's the one who finished it.”

She looked around and sighed, wondering how she would've felt to know all this was going on. “Maybe it's a good thing I thought you were fishing.”

“So, what do you think of it?” he asked hopefully. “Could you be happy here?”

She laughed. “I'm already happy here. I absolutely love it. Everything—the floors, the ceilings, the layout, the fabulous view. I love it, Clark!”

And she did love it. Even without a single stick of furniture, it already felt like home. She wasn't sure how much time they would be able spend here, but she hoped it would be more than just a little getaway place. She could imagine a nice cozy sofa across from the fireplace. A breakfast table for two by the south window. A pair of rocking chairs out on the observation deck. It would be a lovely place, away from it all, for them to just to sit and relax together. And when they tired of each
others' company, not that she expected to, they could run back down to Shining Waters and enjoy the hustle and bustle of the inn.

But Clark was right, they were getting older. The day would eventually come, maybe it was closer than she knew, when they would need to slow down. What better place to do it than here at River's End?

An amazing fifty years had passed since Anna had returned to her roots along the Siuslaw River and the Inn at Shining Waters had been established. Hundreds of people had come and gone to the inn since those early days, many of them taking a piece of Shining Waters with them, and many of them leaving a piece of themselves behind. Anna had loved them all . . . guests and neighbors, friends and family . . . and, of course, her beloved Clark, who had passed on just two years ago.

Anna still missed Clark, still woke up early in the morning reaching for him . . . only to be reminded that he was gone. And with her ninetieth birthday nearing, Anna suspected it wouldn't be long before she joined him. But in the meantime, she intended to fully enjoy this day, and she would participate in the activities that her daughter and granddaughter had planned as much as these old bones would allow.

“Are you ready, Great-grandma?” Pearl called from the kitchen. Pearl was Sarah's youngest child. Sarah, despite her claim as a young person, had five children. Three boys and two girls. And Pearl had insisted on living with Anna this summer. Pearl said it was because she loved Babette's house, where
Anna had decided to move last year when the long stairs to the dock became too much for her, but Anna knew it was because her family was worried about her living by herself. And, no matter, for Anna loved the company of the energetic twenty-year-old—and thought it no coincidence that she was named for Anna's grandmother because they shared the same spirit.

“I think I'm ready,” Anna told Pearl as she reached for her old plaid Pendleton jacket. Like her, it was faded and gray, but the familiarity was comforting. And, according to Sarah, '49ers jackets were back in fashion again.'

Anna touched the back of her gray hair. She'd tried to pin it into a tidy bun, but her shaky hands sometimes betrayed her. “Is my hair all right?” she asked Pearl.

Pearl looked and made some adjustments then nodded. “You look beautiful, Great-grandma.”

Anna laughed. “Thank you, dear. But perhaps you should get your eyes checked.”

“Grandma and Grandpa are down at the dock.” Pearl hooked her arm into Anna's. “But they said not to rush you.”

“I'm ready,” Anna told her. And slowly they made their way down to the dock. Lauren, who still managed the inn, had sent out a couple staffers, two strong young boys from town, to make this walkway easier for Anna to use.

“Hello, Mom!” Lauren waved from the boat. Her hair was completely white now, similar to how Eunice's had been when she was that age. But Lauren's smile was sweet—and all her own.

“Ready for the big day?” Brad took her other arm, helping Anna into the boat, where she sat down next to Lauren and patted her daughter's knee. Lauren had put on a few pounds over the years, but it looked good on her.

“Yes!” she said eagerly. “Let the festivities begin.”

Within minutes, they were pulling into the dock at Shining Waters. Like so many other things, the dock had been enlarged and improved. Clark had “supervised” the project, but, according to Lauren, he usually rolled up his sleeves and helped as well.

“Grandma!” Sarah greeted her from the dock. Her face was lit up with a huge smile, and as usual her long dark hair was pulled back in a single braid down her back, and for a moment, Anna thought someone had turned the clock back. Surely, Sarah wasn't turning fifty! But there she was with a little dark-haired bundle in her arms—and Anna knew that was Sarah's first grandchild.

“Come and meet your first
great-great
-grandbaby,” Sarah said happily.

Anna knew that Sarah's oldest daughter, Silver, had given birth to a little girl less than a week ago. “I didn't think they'd be able to make it,” Anna said as Brad helped her off the boat and she went over to see the baby. Anna touched the soft dark hair and sighed happily. “She's beautiful, Sarah!”

“They finally decided on a name,” Sarah said as all of them began proceeding up to the inn.

“What is it?” Anna asked as she leaned on Brad's arm.

“Anna,” Sarah told her.

“Oh . . .” Anna smiled. “Well, isn't that nice.”

Now Sarah's husband Emery joined them, followed by their other children and their significant others. Everyone but Silver, who was resting, had come down. But it was a loud and boisterous crowd, and Anna marveled again that it was Sarah, the one who never wanted children, who had produced such a family. About halfway up, Jewel and Skip met her, along with some of their grown children and grandchildren. And then Marshall and Joanna and their children, along with a number of the other old staffers, joined the happy party. Everyone
talked at once, exchanging greetings and hugs and slowly making their way up to the inn.

For a moment, Anna paused and, looking up at the clear blue sky, wondered how this happy procession might look from Clark's perspective. Because she felt certain he was watching . . . along with her parents and her sweet grandmother and all those who had gone on before.

“Are you okay, Mom?” Lauren looked at her with concern.

“I am perfectly wonderfully fine,” Anna assured her. And then feeling like the queen of the parade, Anna led her tribe up to the inn, finally stopping at where a large number of people were already gathered around a large draped object out in front of the main building—the same building that was once a humble general store on the river.

“We have a chair for you here,” Lauren told Anna, guiding her to an old rocking chair near the draped object. Anna suspected that her son-in-law, Brad, had something to do with whatever was under that big canvas tarp and that it was probably a bronze sculpture, but everyone had been very mysterious about it. As Anna sat down, she was surprised at how tall it was. Most of Brad's work was table-size, usually of wild-life, and always lovely, but this statue looked to be nearly six feet high.

“As you know,” Lauren spoke loudly from the rustic podium that Clark had built decades ago for weddings, “we're here to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the inn. And we're all very happy you could join us today. Whether you're old friends or new friends experiencing the inn for the first time,
welcome!
” Lauren went on to tell a bit about the inn's history, as well as a bit about how their family acquired this land more than a hundred years ago.

“But to be fair, our ancestors—the Siuslaw—had dwelled along the river here for many, many generations, long before
my great-grandmother and her sister filed a claim for this piece. And back in those days, before our history was recorded—other than in the storytelling tradition—our people didn't believe in ownership of land. The land was for everyone, and our people used it and shared it—living in peace.” She turned to Anna. “And my mother understood this tradition. When she returned to the river about fifty years ago, she was determined to live in peace. It took some of us longer to learn how to do this, and some of us are still learning.” Lauren smiled. “But over the years, my mother has taught us—in the same way her grandmother taught her—to live in peace amongst ourselves and with the river.”

After Lauren's speech, Sarah came up to the podium. “I want to share an old story with you today,” she said, “one that was passed down from my great-great-grandmother, Pearl. I lived in her cabin for years and I plan to live in it again when I come to live here full time next winter.” She grinned at Anna. “Emery and I have decided to move home permanently in order to help with the management of the inn.”

Anna nodded her approval. She knew that Lauren had been hoping and praying that Sarah and Emery would give up their demanding jobs of teaching college-level classes at the university and return to the river.

Sarah cleared her throat. “This is the story of
When the River Stopped
. Long, long ago, Otter and Bear lived by the River. Otter watched over the water, and Bear watched over the land; and they had enough, and they lived in peace. But Sun grew hot, and the River grew small until it was only a stream. And then it was nothing. Bear blamed Otter, saying, ‘You did not watch River closely enough.' Otter blamed Bear: ‘You were too greedy and drank too much.' Then Bear said, ‘You stole River and took it to the Sea.' On they went fighting and fighting until Otter was close to death. And then Moon came out, and Otter
and Bear heard Coyote laughing, laughing, laughing. Moon told Otter and Bear that Coyote and Beaver had built a dam and that was why the River had dried up. So Bear picked up Otter and carried him up the dried riverbed, up the mountain until they reached the lake that contained River. Coyote and Beaver wanted to keep all the water for themselves. But Bear and Otter worked together and broke the dam, and River came rushing out, carrying them back down the mountain with it.”

Sarah set the paper aside. “I believe that story is about forgiveness and grace,” she explained to the listening crowd. “And my grandmother taught me long ago that forgiveness, like the river, must flow freely. I didn't understand it at first, and I selfishly held back my forgiveness. But like a river that's not allowed to flow, I began to dry up and die. It wasn't until I broke the dam holding back my forgiveness and grace that I began to heal.” She put a hand on Anna's shoulder. “Thank you, Grandma.”

Anna felt tears welling as she reached up to clutch Sarah's hand, but they were happy tears. Hadn't they all come so far! A few more family members and old friends got up to share words about the inn, the river . . . and how Shining Waters had changed them. And finally, it was time to reveal the statue. Anna watched eagerly as Brad pulled the cloth away. And what she saw took her breath away—a handsome Siuslaw woman wearing a cape that looked just like the one Grandma Pearl had given Anna long, long ago, and the beautiful young woman was standing proudly by a dugout canoe that looked just like Water Dove. Anna stood to get a better look, reaching up to touch the chin that was tilted up slightly. “Beautiful,” she told Brad. “Simply beautiful.”