When Jess woke up the next morning, she smiled as she stretched and then kicked off her sheet. The early morning sun was already warming her room, giving a hint of the hot day to come, and she immediately thought of her visit with Marty after school. She smiled more broadly as she imagined telling him about her conversation with Annie. Today would be the first day she could see him free of any guilt, and she couldn’t wait. She knew he’d be just as excited as she was.
There was a quiet knock on her door, and then Annie poked her head in.
“Oh, you’re up already.”
“Yep,” Jess said, sitting up with a smile as Annie closed the door.
“It’s nice to see you looking so cheerful this early in the morning,” Annie said, returning her smile as she approached the bed. “I expect it’s because school is almost over.”
“Well, yes – but I feel better since we talked,” Jess answered, glad she could finally be honest with Annie.
“Well, I’m happy you feel better,” Annie said kindly, smoothing Jess’s hair. “You better get ready for school. I’ve got to get the eggs in the frying pan.”
“Okay,” Jess said happily, jumping out of bed.
When she entered the dining room, she found her uncle seated alone at the table, looking through a stack of mail.
“Good morning, Uncle Jonathon,” she said, sitting at her place.
“Jessica,” he replied, still sorting his envelopes.
She couldn’t help peeking at him as she put her napkin in her lap, imagining him as a young man, tied to the mine while his younger brother was free to do whatever he wanted in life. How did he feel, watching her dad enlist in the army as soon as he graduated high school, marrying and moving as far away as he wanted to start a new life? Was he really happy staying behind and taking on the responsibility of running such a large and important business?
Hearing footsteps behind her, she knew Doug was heading to the dining room. Her uncle raised his head expectantly, and then his face lit up.
“Douglas!”
“Hi, dad,” Doug said. He sounded subdued, and Jess’s heart sank, knowing he was still upset from their talk the night before.
“How was your weekend?” Uncle Jonathon asked heartily as he held his hand out.
“It was alright.” Doug put his hand in his father’s and Uncle Jonathon grasped his upper arm with his other hand, smiling up at him.
“That’s fine, son! Fine! It was a good time in the city with the boys, but I missed having you there.”
“You – did?” Doug said, sounding taken aback.
“I remembered when we went there for the Midwest Manufacturer’s convention a few years back and how much you enjoyed it.”
“Yeah, I had a swell time,” Doug said, smiling at the memory.
“If we take a trip again next year, I think you’ll be old enough to come along.”
“Really? Thanks, dad,” Doug said, beaming at him and Uncle Jonathon released his arm.
While his dad began talking about the night clubs and restaurants they’d visited, Doug sat and put his napkin in his lap. When he lifted his head, his eyes happened to fall on Jess, and she gave him a smile, wanting to let him know she was glad he was feeling better, but he quickly turned his attention to Uncle Jonathon without acknowledging it.
By the way he refused to look at her while he listened to his father, she began to wonder if he felt embarrassed that he still cared about his dad after what had been said the night before. Or maybe he thought she disapproved of him, but that wasn’t the truth. She didn’t want him to be estranged from his dad. For all his faults, it was clear Uncle Jonathon loved his son, and Doug should be able to love him back, but still choose a different path.
As soon as Doug had shoveled in the last bit of fried egg, he wiped his mouth and stood.
“Come on, Jess,” he mumbled without looking at her. “We don’t want to be late.”
“Okay,” she replied, setting her fork down and suppressing a sigh.
Once the two of them were alone in the car, Doug still seemed uncomfortable. Pulling out of the garage to follow James in the black car, he drove with his eyes straight ahead on the winding drive. When they reached the locked gate and James got out of the car, Jess couldn’t stand the silence another moment.
“Your dad seemed like he missed you a lot,” she said, hoping that would get him talking. He made a noncommittal noise in his throat, and she waited, but it was clear he wasn’t intending to say more.
“Doug, I think it’s okay for you to care about your dad even if you don’t agree with everything he does,” she said.
“You do?” he said, looking over at her with obvious surprise.
“Yeah! I know he loves you, just like my dad loved me. I don’t want you to lose that.” He opened his mouth, and then closed it as his shoulders drooped his blue eyes suddenly became sad.
“You know, Jess? You’re a swell girl,” he said quietly.
“Oh. Well, thanks, Doug,” Jess replied, smiling at the compliment.
By then, James had opened the gate and Doug pulled through. He was silent while they drove to school, but Jess didn’t mind. She felt better now that the awkwardness was gone. She knew he had a lot of thinking to do about his dad, and she let him be alone with his thoughts.
When they reached school and Jess got out of the car, Louise waved from the sidewalk and walked over to her with a big smile, her red curls gleaming in the morning sun as they bounced.
“Only two weeks of school left!” she said in a sing song voice. “And boy, am I ready for summer!” she added threading her arm through Jess’s so they could walk together. “No more homework! No more boring classes! No more tests! Sleeping in every day! Or at least until Jack wakes me. He’s still an early riser.”
“The way you talk about him, he sounds like fun,” Jess said with a grin, imagining what it would be like to have a wild little brother running around the big house.
“Fun, huh?” Louise scoffed. “You should feel lucky you’re not woken up every day by a five year old jumping on your bed.” Jess couldn’t help laughing as she pictured it.
Even though Louise often complained about her siblings, Jess knew she cared a lot about them and enjoyed being a big sister. Their house sounded like a lively one, and Jess envied her for having a big family. She was certain Louise never felt lonely, like she often did.
Once they were seated in Homeroom, Jess kept her attention on the door. Marty was going to come in at any moment, and she hoped to catch his eye when he did. She wished she could tell him the news right away, but that wasn’t an option. The best she could do was to give him a look and a smile to try to let him know everything was okay.
When he finally stepped through the doorway, she sat up expectantly, but he had his head down and turned to walk to the back of the room without looking up. Seeing the grim expression on his face, she knew he was still just as sad as when she’d last seen him. Turning to face Louise, she tried to hide her disappointment. At least she had two more classes with him, and two more chances to try to let him know things had changed.
In social studies class, she made sure to arrive early so she could be there before him. This time, instead of heading directly to the back of the class, he went to Mr. Miller’s desk to drop off his homework. When he turned around, she kept her eyes trained on him, willing him to lift his head, but he walked right past her, his face somber, and she slumped, feeling even more disappointed.
While she got out paper and a pencil to prepare to take notes, she tried to console herself. It wouldn’t be long before she’d be with him at the cabin. In just a few short hours, she’d finally be able to tell him the good news and he’d be just as happy as she was.
Time seemed to drag, and when lunchtime finally arrived, Jess gratefully walked to the small gym with Louise. At least half the day was over, and she was that much closer to seeing Marty. She and Louise joined the other girls at their usual table, and then Marty came into view, walking along the wall with his head down and his hands shoved in his pockets. He didn’t have a lunch. Fighting off an overwhelming sadness for him, she decided to focus on something else; how to tell her second best friend she couldn’t see her over the summer.
She knew it would hurt Louise’s feelings if she admitted her uncle wouldn’t approve of their friendship because she wasn’t rich enough. But she also didn’t want to talk about how poorly she was treated at home. It would be humiliating to admit her uncle hated her enough that he thought nothing of keeping her locked up for months at a time. Making up some excuse wasn’t something she wanted to do either. She hated lying to Louise.
With no idea what to say, she knew she was running out of time. Realizing it would be far worse if Louise brought it up first so they could make plans, she knew it was best to get it over with.
While pretending to be looking for her cookies in of her lunch sack, she said, “Louise, about this summer. I don’t think I’ll be able to see you.”
“Oh, I was going to talk to you about that,” Louise said, interrupting her. “I won’t be able to see you either.”
“You – you won’t?” Jess asked, gazing up at her with wonder.
“Yeah, summer is the busiest time for us since so many people come through town on their way up north. I have to watch my brothers and sister so my mom can work at the restaurant, and – I’m not allowed to have friends over when I’m babysitting,” she added with a pained expression.
“Oh, it’s alright,” Jess reassured her quickly. “I was worried you’d feel bad about it.”
“I was worried too,” Louise admitted, looking equally grateful. “At least we’ll get to see each other when school starts next fall. I hope we’ll be in lots of classes again,” she said with a smile.
“I hope so too!”
“I’m awful glad you moved here, Jess. It was a fun year because of you.”
“Thanks, Louise,” Jess said, touched by her words. “I’m glad I moved here too.”
And she was. After living here for a year, this now felt like home. She still missed her parents, but the pain of losing them had subsided to a dull ache. Even though dealing with her uncle wasn’t pleasant, there were enough good things about her new life that more than made up for it; Louise, Doug, Annie, and especially Marty. The memories of her old life would always be with her, but she finally felt like she was moving forward.
At the end of the school day, it was all Jess could do to keep from urging Doug to drive faster. When they reached the locked gate, much to Jess’s annoyance, James was just arriving on the other side. It seemed like he was deliberately taking his time unlocking the padlock and then unwinding the heavy chain from the bars. After opening it and stepping aside, Doug drove on. She avoided looking at him while she passed him, not wanting him to see how angry she was with him.
By time Doug parked the car in the garage, Jess was a bundle of nervous energy, but she forced herself to walk beside Doug to the kitchen door, instead of sprinting.
“Hello, you two,” Annie called out cheerily from the table in the middle of the room where she was rolling out a pie dough.
Seeing the basket on the counter already waiting for her, Jess smiled broadly and went up to hug her even though Annie protested, not wanting to get flour on her school clothes. Then she ran upstairs to get changed. Coming back down in shorts and blouse with her bathing suit on underneath, she went to get the basket.
“Do you have your watch?” Annie asked, looking up after covering a mound of sugared peaches with the pie dough.
“Yes, ma’am,” Jess said, holding her arm out to show it to her.
“Since your uncle was gone all weekend, I expect he’ll be running late at the office,” Annie said, wiping her hands on her apron. “You can come home a half hour later than usual, but no more than that,” she warned, seeing Jess smile with delight. “We don’t want to take any chances.”
“I won’t. I promise,” Jess stated soberly, no longer smiling so Annie would know she took it seriously.
Seeming satisfied, Annie turned her attention to fluting the edges of the pie dough, and Jess let herself out. With James nowhere in sight, she quickly walked down the drive, anxious to finally see Marty. When she reached the clearing, she wasn’t surprised the door to the cabin was still closed. Walking inside, she breathed deeply with satisfaction, taking in the aromatic pine smell.
After opening the windows, she headed to the back door. Once it was open, she heard footsteps and turned around. Marty was carrying his books with his head down, still looking just as grim as he had earlier at school.
“Hi, Marty!” she exclaimed happily, and his head snapped up. He studied her with a quizzical expression as she continued to beam at him.
“What are you so happy about?” he asked, his eyes guarded.
“Well” she said, drawing it out and practically bouncing as she walked towards him. “I talked to Annie last night. I didn’t tell her everything, but I talked about how I was feeling – about how I didn’t like having to lie about seeing my friends – and she agreed with me! She said I should be able to see whoever I wanted, and keep it to myself.”
“What does that mean?” he asked with bewilderment.
“It means I can keep seeing you, and I don’t have to feel guilty about it anymore.”
Marty’s body slumped, and his head hung for a moment before he looked at Jess, his expression a mixture of relief and sadness.
“That’s – good,” he said quietly. It was an odd reaction. He wasn’t nearly as happy as she’d expected.
“Are you okay?” she asked, coming closer to him.
“I am now,” he said, giving her a bemused smile, but the sadness was lingering in his eyes. She reached out and took his hand, instantly feeling the warmth of his soft skin.
“What’s wrong, Marty?” she prodded.
“I was going to tell you –.” He sighed again and looked away. “I was going to tell you I wasn’t coming back here.”
“Why?”
“I can’t see you hurt,” he said, dropping his head. “Because of me.”
She suddenly felt terrible as she understood why he’d looked so grim all day. While she’d been anxiously awaiting school to end so she could tell him the good news, he’d been dreading it, knowing he’d have to say good bye to her. Remembering when she’d come to the cabin for that very same purpose, she knew how much he had to have been hurting, and her heart broke for him.
“Oh, Marty,” she said, stepping closer and taking his other hand. “It wasn’t because of you. It’s because of my uncle.”
His head was still hanging, but he leaned forward a little, closing the space between them, and she knew what he wanted, what he was asking her to do. She didn’t hesitate to drop his hands and put her arms around him, pulling him close to her and he hugged her back tight, burying his face in her shoulder.
With his breaths warming her through her cotton blouse, she thought about what he’d just admitted to her. He cared so much about her, he was willing to walk away from her forever in order to keep her from being hurt. It was so selfless of him.
“I told you being friends with me would cause problems,” he muttered, and she tightened her hold on him.
“Don’t say that!” she said fiercely. “There’s nothing wrong with us being friends. If I’d met you when my parents were still alive, they wouldn’t have cared.” Feeling his breath hitch and his body stiffen, she could tell he was surprised by what she said.
“But – your dad. He was a Blackwell.”
“Yes, but he wasn’t like my uncle. He didn’t judge people because of how much money they had.”
In the silence that followed, Jess imagined what it would have been like to bring Marty home to her little apartment in Manhattan. Cora would make sure he was well fed as soon as she saw how little he had. Her mom would be friendly and warm, just like she was with all the other friends Jess brought home. There would be no sneaking around, no lies, and no secrets.
The two of them could spend their free time playing in the nearby park, or endless summer games with the other kids on her street. At dinner in the evenings, she could tell her parents about the adventures she’d had with him, and about the things he’d said and did that made her laugh. They would have grown to care about him when they saw what a good friend he was, just like she had.
“I wish I coulda met them,” Marty said quietly, interrupting her thoughts.
“Me too,” she replied, feeling the familiar ache in her chest that came along with her memories.
She began rubbing his back, wanting to comfort him as much as herself, and in the silence, she felt him relax against her. With his warmth surrounding her, she closed her eyes, concentrating on the peace she felt being so close to him. It was so nice, and she wished more than anything she could be in his calming presence always, not just in the few moments she managed to steal away.
When he finally released her, he looked visibly happier, and she smiled as she looked up in his warm brown eyes, knowing she’d managed to take all his pain away, just like he’d taken hers.
“I reckon we should start studying for our final tests,” he said.
“Okay, but let’s go study at the pond,” Jess suggested, excited her plans for today were finally coming together.
“What? It’ll be easier if we do it here – you know, at a table?” he countered, but the corners of his mouth were twitching. He was being difficult on purpose.
“C’mon, Marty!” she laughed. “It’s hot! We can have a quick swim to cool off and then study under the tree.”
“I don’t know about you, but I’m planning on getting all A’s,” he said, his eyes twinkling with humor.
“Then I’ll just have to work extra hard so I can beat you – after we have a swim.”
He laughed loudly, and she grinned, seeing the lightness in his features. This was the Marty she’d been missing for the last few days, the fun, playful boy who got so much pleasure from teasing her.
“Okay, okay,” he said, raising his hands in surrender. “Give me a minute to change.”
He went into the bedroom, closing the door, and Jess gathered their towels and a blanket, excited about how much fun she and Marty were going to have over the summer.
****
Phew! Jess and Marty have finally gotten past all their troubles. Do you think it's going to be smooth sailing for them from here out? What about Doug? Will he be able to find a way to love his father, but not follow in his footsteps? And how will his father feel about that? I can't wait to hear what you think about all of that, as well as what you think is in store for our three kids.
Thank you so much for reading! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! I can't tell you how much I appreciate each of you, as well as all your support with votes and comments. Because of you, The Boy in the Woods reached #3 in both the Historical Fiction and General Fiction Hotlists last week, the best overall ranking it's ever had. The video is Here Comes Summer by Jerry Keller.