Passages - Chapter 8: Preparations

And a surprise revelation involving Jack

To start with Chapter 1, go here.

Elise didn’t appear to have gained much weight since she slipped, so Calliope went through her mother’s clothes from the decade before. Hopefully, she had something pretty general that would suit her. Papa hadn’t wanted to throw anything away, thinking she’d awaken one day. And although it had been a decade, she did wake up, along with quite a few others. Calliope felt deeply for those whose family members remained asleep, and for those who woke up without any loved ones to greet them. As people slipped, many weren’t aware of family members dying or also slipping. Papa had headed to the hospital each of the last three mornings to visit with those who awoke without family to celebrate their waking. Most knew him from before the pandemic, but even those who did not, appreciated his quiet presence and thoughtful explanations of what had occurred. The hospital staff overlooked the standard visiting hours for Papa because they understood the value of his visits. No one asked Papa to do it, but Elise hadn’t been surprised when he told her his plans. It was just like Papa to see a need and fill it before others even realized it existed.

Calliope had learned to sew as a teenager when Maggie, one of the ladies who lost her husband in a car accident during the pandemic, offered to teach her. “Sewing is a solid practical skill, Blu.” Papa told her. Calliope always wondered, but never asked, if Papa realized Maggie’s real intentions - to find a new husband. Even as a teenager, Calliope picked up on the meaning of the big smiles, hugs and offerings of fresh baked goods anytime Papa entered the room. Sometimes Maggie even made comments about how much nicer it would be to have a woman in the house. Many local women considered Papa a prime candidate for a husband. It didn’t take them long to realize that he disagreed with that plan. Still, Maggie taught Calliope to sew well enough that she mended clothes, made household items like simple curtains, and created casual clothes for herself, Papa, Henry and even Jack. Calliope stood in the middle of her mother’s old clothing imagining what she might sew for her mom.

A strong knock on the door shocked Calliope out of her reverie. With Henry playing at Thomas’s house, she also recalled that she was alone. Heading to the door, she called out, “Who is it?”

“It’s just Jack.” Swinging open the door with a smile, Calliope held it wide letting Jack walk through.

“Well, hello Just Jack.” Calliope said, recalling an old joke between them.

Jack smiled at her. “Daniel asked me to come by and check on your mom’s bed frame. He said it’s rather old, but built of solid wood. He just wants to make sure it’s safe for her to sleep on and I can repair it, if not.” Jack paused for a minute, “Whoa…that sounds so weird…speaking of your mom like that…I mean, she’s actually coming home.” Calliope grabbed Jack and hugged him.

“Thank you for sharing in our excitement, Jack. I can’t wait, but…I am a bit nervous. I mean, it has been so long.” Both of them stood silently for a moment. Then recovering, Calliope went on, “and there’s so much to do! I want her to be comfortable and feel at home in, well, in her home.” She laughed nervously.

Jack headed for Elise’s room with Calliope close behind. “I have a bunch of her old clothes on the bed. Let me move them out of the way.” As he entered the bedroom, Jack came to a sudden stop. Calliope almost ran into his back. “Jack? Are you okay?” Calliope realized he wasn’t moving and went around to face him. Jack just shook his head like he was clearing cobwebs, and then moving past her, started gathering up the clothes that Calliope had piled on the bed. “Jack?” Calliope asked again, taking the clothes out of his arms. “What’s wrong?” He stared at her with a pale face and watery eyes.

“Your Papa wasn’t the first person to ask me to check on furniture for friends and family who’d woken up. It’s crazy, but you can’t just go to the store and buy new furniture. Most places have long been looted. I appreciate helping and people give me what they can for making repairs and building new furniture. I just wish I was one of those people needing to double check furniture, find clothes and prepare for family coming home. I mean, I am still going home to an empty house every day. No one to share my day with, no one asking how I’m feeling, no one to make dinner with…” His voice trailed off.

“Oh, Jack.” Calliope whispered, tossing the clothes on a chair and putting her arms around him. “You know you have us. You can even come live here if you want…Papa would be thrilled to have another man around the house.” She said with growing enthusiasm.

“It’s not the same, Cali. I mean I appreciate you saying it, but I know I’m not actually family. I don’t want to be pitied or taken in. I want someone I love who loves me back.” He peered straight into her eyes.

Almost immediately, Calliope exclaimed, “But Jack, we do love you!” He continued looking at her, full in the face, as if trying to read her emotions. After a moment, he said,

“I know y’all care about me, Calliope, but that’s not what I mean. My family is gone and I need a new family…a wife and hopefully kids to fill my house. I don’t want to be ‘another man’ in someone else’s house. I want to be my own man in my own house. Can you get that?” Calliope just looked confused. She’d never heard Jack talk about a wife and kids. Jack started to walk out the room, as he said, “Don’t worry about it, Cali. I’ll be back a bit later to check on the bed frame. I need to get to some other houses before it gets dark.” Calliope stood still, baffled by what had just occurred. What was Jack saying? Had they not been kind enough to him? She hadn’t seen him with any women since she’d known him. How could he talk about a wife when he didn’t even pursue women? It made no sense.

Slowly, Calliope began to move again, pulling out a pair of jeans, a cotton button down shirt, some underclothes and a modest nightgown for her mom. Then she dug and hunted through the clothes until she found a robe and some socks. She’d need to find some shoes, and then an idea occurred to her. She dropped the button down shirt back on the bed and ran to her bedroom, Calliope pulled a blue t-shirt from her own dresser. Among her favorites, she thought her mom might appreciate the simplicity, color and softness of the shirt. She’d dyed it herself, with Russian sage flowers, using a natural dying technique she’d learned from several books she’d found on the subject. As she pushed her dresser drawer shut, she heard the back door open and heavy footsteps stop in the mud room. Heading out of the bedroom and through the kitchen, Calliope saw her grandfather pulling off his boots.

“I thought you weren’t due back until this afternoon, Papa. Is everything okay?”

No answer. Not exactly unusual as Papa appeared to be processing his own thoughts. Then he asked a question, “Was Jack here a bit ago?”

“Um, yes, he was, but he didn’t check momma’s bed frame. Something happened, and he just bolted out of the house saying he had to visit some other people before nightfall.” Calliope realized she was talking really fast. What was wrong with her? What was wrong with Jack?

“Ah, I see.” Papa said with a slight smile. Calliope looked at him, still confused.

“Tell me what y’all talked about before he left so suddenly.” Papa said knowingly, as if she didn’t really need to tell him at all, as if he already knew. But Calliope shared the conversation with him, and then ended with,

“I was so confused, Papa. I mean, I understand that he’s upset about not having his family around, but he’s been that way for a long time, and we have tried to be his family, haven’t we?”

Papa stood up and walked into the kitchen. Grabbing a glass of water, he sat at the table and signaled for her to sit too. “Blu, you are such a smart woman, except when you’re not.” He chuckled. Calliope looked on, wondering what he meant. “Jack has reached a point where he doesn’t just want a family…he wants his own family. And he wants someone in particular to help him start that family.” Papa paused and looked directly at her. Calliope swallowed hard, suddenly realizing what Papa meant. Then she pointed her finger to her chest.

“Me? Are you sure? I mean Jack has always seemed like a brother to me. I never really considered…I never really thought of him…” she stammered, then fell silent… and frustrated.

“Yes, I’ve realized that for some time, but Jack held out hope. I think with people waking up, the lack of a family hit him hard and he lost patience with you for a moment. I’ve recognized for some time that he feels more for you than just friendship.”

“You have?” Calliope asked, suddenly raising her voice. “He lost patience with me? What in the world? Why has he had to be patient with me? What have I done?”

Papa laid a hand on hers to calm her down. “It’s not what you’ve done, Blu. It’s what you haven’t done.”

Calliope looked right in his eyes and said, “I have no idea what you mean. What haven’t I done?”

“You haven’t responded to him when he’s been trying to tell you how he feels about you.” Papa explained. “I see now that you just haven’t noticed.”

“And what was I supposed to notice?” Calliope responded indignantly.

“He loves you, Calliope. But differently than a sister. And maybe differently than you feel about him.” Papa explained quietly.

Calliope didn’t speak. Could this be true? How had she missed it? Yes, Jack always acted protectively and helped with anything she needed. He was the person she usually called on if she needed someone to accompany her into town or forage in parts of the woods she hadn’t previously explored. He was always around, concerned about her, Henry and Papa. But that was just Jack being Jack. Did he treat her differently than anyone else or any other woman for that matter?

“Oh no.” She suddenly felt so silly, like she missed some obvious clues. “I didn’t mean to hurt him, Papa. I didn’t realize…I don’t know how I feel. It never occurred to me…”

Papa just smiled and sat quietly with her. After a minute or so, he said, “It’s okay, Blu. It will all work out. In your defense, Jack wasn’t exactly obvious, although he never showed interest in any other woman.”

“I did notice that, Papa. But I just thought he was busy…like I am. I haven’t time to think about that sort of relationship. We work so hard to survive and take care of each other. I just didn’t realize. I feel awful. What should I do?”

“I’m not sure you need to do much of anything. Give him space and time. He’ll figure it out and hopefully express himself better in the future. In the meantime, maybe give some thought to how you feel about him, just so you’re ready if he brings it up.”

Calliope sat very still, dazed from Jack’s behavior and from what Papa said. Then gathering up the clothes for her mom, she stood to leave the table. Pausing, she asked, “Why are you home early?”

“Oh, I’d left the hospital because they’d started physical therapy for most of the awakened patients. Then I saw Jack on the road and realized that something may have happened between the two of you. He looked pretty flustered and had difficulty expressing himself. I thought maybe I should come check on you.”

“Well, thanks,” Calliope spoke softly. Then she walked out of the kitchen to grab a bag for her mother’s belongings. She would think about it, but not now. She needed to focus on Momma and her homecoming. Although Jack stayed rooted in the back of her mind, Calliope headed to the bathroom to gather more items for her mom. Then she started planning a special homecoming meal.

The days passed quickly as they prepared for Elise to leave the hospital. She’d demonstrated with great strength that she would be healthy enough to leave the sleep center after the 72-hour test period. Surprisingly, most of the awakened patients did the same. Only those who’d been seriously ill or injured prior to slipping needed a bit more time and care before returning home. Patients without families stayed in the sleep center while volunteers prepared homes for them. Some families took in patients who didn’t have anyone waiting for them to wake up. The community worked together to make each of the awakened patients feel welcomed back to life.

Jack had returned and secured the bed frame, but Calliope didn’t see him. She’d been in the garden picking vegetables and he didn’t bother to come out back to find her, like he normally would. She did what Papa told her to do…she gave him space and time. Papa invited him to Elise’s homecoming dinner, but Jack declined. He said he had more work than ever, plus as he noted, Elise only knew him as the child he’d been when she slipped. Jack insisted that the dinner needed to only be her “actual family”.

Realizing that Mrs. Davies didn’t have family waking up, Calliope took an afternoon to visit her. “Ah, hello sweet neighbor,” Mrs. Davies smiled as she opened the door to Calliope.

“Hi there!” Calliope said cheerfully. “I was just stopping by to see how you’re doing. We really appreciated you watching Henry for us lately.” Calliope handed her neighbor a basket of tomatoes from their garden.

“How thoughtful!” Mrs. Davies responded, taking the basket. “Hold on, I have some zucchini and squash for your family. You’ve saved me a trip.” Then as she walked from the door to her kitchen, she called back, “Come in. Come in. Do you have time for a cup of tea?”

“I do!” replied Calliope, taking a seat on the couch. She always felt so comfortable in this home, she realized. One day, when she had her own home…then she stilled that thought. It made her anxious to think about leaving Papa and Henry. She wouldn’t…she couldn’t. Mrs. Davies interrupted her thought with a tray of tea and pecan tarts. She makes the best pecan tarts, Calliope thought as she happily bit into one. Thank goodness pecan trees grew so readily in their area. Calliope would really miss the tarts otherwise. Sometimes, she found, the smallest things made life so much better.

“So, I hear Elise is coming home soon. So wonderful! You must be excited to have your Momma back again.” Calliope noticed that Mrs. Davies seemed truly happy for her, not the least bit sad.

“Oh, I am. It’s sort of surreal, thinking of her being back. But she’s doing so well. I swear she hasn’t aged a bit.” Calliope gave a short laugh.

“I’ve heard that’s true about most of the people who woke up from the sleeping sickness. It’s quite interesting. Do they know why?” Mrs. Davies asked.

“I don’t think so,” Calliope answered. “But most of us are just glad they’re awake. I do feel bad for families whose loved ones didn’t wake up and also for those who don’t have family members to wake up, who have passed on.”

“This is a time to celebrate, Calliope.” Mrs. Davies stated emphatically. “It does no good to feel bad because something beautiful has occurred for your family. Enjoy what you have and that full heart of yours can help other families in need after your mom arrives home and settles in. I am sure, if I remember correctly, Elise will quickly find her own ways to connect with other families in the community. She was always so giving and I’m confident that hasn’t changed.”

“I have been trying to recall Momma from before the pandemic. I do remember some things about her - she often sang while working around the house, she loved to garden and to read and…”

“She loved being your momma.” Mrs. Davies interjected. “Remember, that even though you’re grown up now, you’re still her daughter. Let her be a mother to you…she has missed a lot and will enjoy being with her daughter again.” With that bit of wisdom, the two women just sat quietly and enjoyed one another’s presence. After another tart, Calliope made motions to leave, honestly noting that she still had much to do. Mrs. Davies wrapped up tarts for Papa and Henry, and with a gentle hug, sent

Calliope on her way. It was only on the walk home that Calliope realized that she’d gone over to check on Mrs. Davies, but it sure felt like Mrs. Davies had checked on her.

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Beth’s Notes:

My apologies for the lateness of this chapter post. I injured my back and it put me behind in most aspects of my life.

While I already had a dozen chapters written when I began publishing this book as a serial novel, I find myself facing some challenges in two areas: romantic relationships and antagonists.

I’m not a romance writer. In fact, I’m not a fan of romance novels or rom coms. Personally, I love romance in my own life, but I think that few novels and/or movies represent it properly. It’s just oversimplified for my taste. But I realize that in a practical sense, there are only so many pages and so many movie scenes to make it all work. Nevertheless, I will endeavor to include such relationships in my novels because they’re a natural part of life, They’ll just be more challenging for me to include. We’ll see how all of that plays out!

The same is true for antagonists, especially particularly evil ones. I am a stupidly nice person. I struggle with mean people. But again, I realize that my novel will just drone on without conflict or antagonists. Plus life includes mean people, and sometimes we have not choice, but to deal with them. So, that’s how I’m working this out.

Ironically, my favorite genres for reading are mystery and horror. I truly appreciate evil antagonists, maybe because I realize what it takes to create them. I recently read a wonderfully scary, fast-paced novel, The Substitute by fellow Substacker, David McIlroy. Miss Sparrow scared me terribly even while reading in the middle of the day. David enjoys creating bad guys (and girls), and apparently he’s talented at it. So, I’ll be staying in touch with him as I create my own.

If you’re a writer and have any advice about including romantic relationships in novels or creating antagonists, feel free to share your thoughts in comments. I am open to any and all ideas.

All that being said, I spent significant time while healing from my back injury to contemplate how to introduce my antagonists, which resulted in a twist I hadn’t originally planned to include. But that requires revision of future chapters so I’m in the midst of that work now so I can start the new year able to stick with my weekly publication schedule.

Thanks for reading, for commenting, for sharing. It’s means so much.

Curious about details of this serial novel or my writing process? Feel free to comment or dm me. I enjoy chatting with other writers and readers.

©Elizabeth Hempton 2024