WE GATHER TOGETHER by Edward L. Woodyard

We Gather Together Chapter Fifty-One

Sam McCulloch had been a founder of the Castlebury Chamber of Commerce, along with Madeleine Carter and Bob Lundgren. The three of them persuaded other community volunteers and business leaders to get behind its organization; Barry Romano donated the legal work involved while Susan Cornelius designed the logo which featured the historic Castlebury gazebo. While Sam represented the larger business interests in town, it was Will and Madeleine Carter, as well as Helen and Bob Lundgren, who represented the "mom and pop" stores that provided Castlebury with the group's commercial heart and soul. All of them lived in town, worked in town, educated their kids in town, played in town, shopped in town, and worshiped in town.

At the organizational meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, Madeleine had addressed the twelve people who assembled at the Castlebury Luncheonette by saying, "No one is getting a salary and everyone will be donating their time. Volunteers have the secret of life. They are truly good people because they only want to give and not ask anything in return from anyone, except maybe to see a smile on their faces. Volunteers are the extraordinary ones. They make life happen."

While Madeleine was the group's first leader and public persona, Sam and Bob did most of the behind-the-scenes administration of the chamber's events to raise funds and awareness. Bob especially needed the involvement in order to get his mind off of Doug's death. It had been Bob's idea to start the Christmas parade, which would eventually honor Doug, his only child.

When Doug Lundgren was a boy, he and Bob had put together a lighted snow village in their family room on a large plywood sheet placed atop two sawhorses. It was laid out to resemble Castlebury in winter, with a gazebo in the middle and skaters playing hockey on a frozen duck pond of aluminum foil. Miniature porcelain figures of townspeople, skiers, shoppers, and carolers were placed among the lighted houses, shops, churches and schools of the snow village. In the hills behind the village, porcelain lumberjacks split logs with their sons in front of log cabins while liverymen shod horses next to stables and carolers sang in front of a snowman by a small country church. The secret to the charm of the Lundgrens' snow village was that there could be no automobiles; all transportation in the village was by foot or hoof. Porcelain horse-drawn carriages and coaches were on fabric cobblestone and brick streets that Helen had sewn, while horse-drawn sleighs were crossing cotton laid down to represent a snow-covered meadow. It was as if Currier and Ives had been made into a three-dimensional miniature village, complete with a twelve-piece marching band.

Doug had loved the lighted snow village and asked his parents if such a place was real. He thought that it existed only in the imagination. Bob Lundgren told his son that such a town did exist and he lived in it. When Doug said Castlebury didn't have a parade with a marching band, Bob started the Christmas parade so his son wouldn't make a liar out of him. The first musicians Bob Lundgren got to participate in it were a twelve-piece marching band to join the homemade floats, local groups and decorated fire engines in the parade. Bob could never forget the smile on his ten-year-old son's face when he saw his snow village come alive in his own hometown. After Doug died, the parade was dedicated to him; however, for Bob and Helen, the pain was too great, so they made sure they were out of town for the festivities. Helen had told Julia that she thought she'd never stop crying.

Sam crossed Main Street in front of the bank and entered the camera shop. Most of the merchandise was digital and electronic, but it still carried used cameras and boxes of film. Even though Bob Lundgren had also branched out into computer and cell phone repair, he was too old-fashioned to change the name of the store. It'd be Castlebury Camera until he sold it or retired.

"'Morning, Helen, Bob," said Sam as he heard the shopkeeper's bell when he closed the door.

Helen Lundgren was rearranging a shelf of old Leicas, Hasselblads and Kodak Brownies behind her as she stood at the front counter. She turned when she heard Sam enter. Helen Lundgren was gentle, soft-spoken and quietly attractive. She carried herself with dignity and was always groomed tastefully. Even running a small store in a small town, she radiated a regal quality about herself. She admitted she was proud of her wrinkles and gray hair, having earned each crease and strand honestly.

"Some of those cameras belong in a museum," Sam said.

"Along with me," answered Helen.

"That makes two of us," Sam said. They smiled warmly at each other.

"We may not be ready for a museum yet, Sam. We're only in the third stage of life. Young. Middle-aged. And 'Are you still?'" she said. "And yes, Bob and I are still here."

Helen grabbed Sam's hand across the counter and held it briefly in both of her hands. They were genuinely glad to see each other. Sam thought she had to be one of the most lovely and gracious women he had ever known -- outside of Julia.

"How can we help you today, Sam?" she asked.

Sam retrieved the digital camera from his front coat pocket and showed it to Helen as Bob entered from a short hallway behind the counter. His workroom was in the back of the store. Bob Lundgren was a couple of years older than Sam and had kept himself in shape by running through his neighborhood most mornings and a twice-weekly tennis game at an indoor tennis operation, its building having once been a riding academy on the Pleasanton side of town.

"Aren't you ever going to retire, Bob?" Sam asked.

"What would I do with myself?" Bob answered. He shook Sam's hand; they were glad to see each other. "Remember when we wanted to change the world? Now that we got to this age, the only thing we're changing is the oil in our car, a burned-out light bulb and our clothes."

The two old friends shared a warm laugh while Helen tried to ignore their banter. She asked, "Are you and Julia having the whole family for Thanksgiving?"

"Just about.  Emma too."

Both Bob and Helen knew the strained relationship between Sam and Scott. Helen offered positively, "I guess Scott will call."

Sam responded quickly, "I hope so, for Julia's sake. You never know with Scott."

Bob saw that Sam was uncomfortable and changed the subject. "Helen and I go to my sister's."

"The one upstate?" Sam asked.

"She's the only sister I've got," Bob answered.

Helen added, "She has a large family."

Bob interjected, "She has six grandchildren now."

Helen continued, "Bob and I think of them as ours too. I'm baking my pies tonight."

"We have a nice time. We'll leave in the morning and come back sometime on Monday. Avoid the traffic and crowds that way," Bob said.

Sam knew Bob didn't want to be in town for the Christmas parade, but instead suggested, "You and Helen are always welcome at our house for Thanksgiving. The invitation is always open. You know that."

"We thank you, Sam," said Helen. "How many grandchildren now?"

"Just the four."

"We heard about Drew and Cara's second little girl," Helen said.

"She'll be at the table too this year," Sam said. Sam felt blessed to have grandchildren, remembering the despair Bob Lundgren felt after Doug was killed. He had told Sam at the time, "Helen and I won't have grandchildren. Our lives no longer have any meaning. We've become useless." It was after hearing that statement that Sam encouraged Bob to involve himself more with the town, persuading him that his legacy would be the good he would do for others in Doug's name.

Bob noticed Sam's hand still on his digital camera. "What seems to be the problem?"

"It's the computer screen at the back of the camera. I can't get it to work."

"Let me have a look," Bob answered, taking it with him into his back workroom. "We heard about Drew and the plant expansion with Worldwide."

"It only happened yesterday, Bob."

"Small town, Sam. Heard it this morning from Molly Johnson getting coffee. It'll be good for the town's economy. I'm sure the chamber will be all over it soon enough."

Bob then closed the door to his workroom.