Writers Note
Chapter seven is about healing and how someone who had no reason to do so, helped me get through the darkest time of my life. The time period is from the end of November 1981 and runs until June of 1982. I can never thank you enough Elizabeth.
T
*
Elizabeth called me at the store on Friday and we talked for a while. She wanted to know how I was doing and reminded me that I was going to be her guest the next weekend. Sunday was cloudy and cool, but I still went back up to the State Park with the waterfalls and stayed there for a few hours. The next week passed by quickly but the nights were still very lonely and cold. The beer in my refrigerator seemed to be disappearing about as fast as I could buy it. She called me again on Thursday to give me the directions to her house and to find out what time I would be there.
I got there on Saturday evening at 6:00 PM. She lived in an older two-story house in a small rural town. There was a driveway on the right side that led back to a small garage and she had told me just to pull in there behind her car.
I walked over to the front door, rang the bell and a minute later, she opened the door and said, "Come in Tony."
I walked in and we had a quick hug and kiss in the hallway. Elizabeth was dressed simply in a yellow blouse and a pair of brown slacks. The kitchen was at the rear of the house, the living room was on the right and there was a dining room on the left.
We walked back there and she said, "Supper is ready, I just have to get it served," and then asked, "Why don't you open and pour the wine."
I said, "I can do that."
She got the wine out of the refrigerator and a corkscrew out of the one drawer, then handed them to me. The corkscrew looked exactly like the one that Katie had.
Elizabeth saw me looking at it and said, "That is Katie's. Would you believe that I didn't have a corkscrew? We never drank much wine and if we did, it didn't have a cork in it."
I said, "At least it will get used." I was in a funny mood at that point and to be honest I felt a little weird being there. It wasn't that I didn't like Elizabeth, just the opposite. But the pain of Katie's passing was still very strong and to be here in the house were she grew up, just didn't feel right to me, especially for the reasons why I was there. It took a few seconds but then I decided that I would make the best of it. I opened the wine, went out to the dining table, and I asked her, "How much do you want?
Elizabeth answered, "Might as well pour me a full glass," then she laughed and added, "Since I don't have to worry about being a good girl tonight." I filled both glasses and she carried out a pot to the table and said, "I should have asked but I hope you like beef stew."
I replied, "Yes I do."
She went back to the kitchen and brought out some French bread and butter to go with it. We sat down, touched glasses in a silent toast and started eating. Supper was delicious. I ate more than I should have, but after all the fast food and throw together suppers that I had been making for myself the past couple of weeks, it was nice to have a real meal again. We talked the whole time but it was mostly about what had gone on the past two weeks in our lives and nothing about Katie. I had finished off my first glass of wine and had poured myself a second one while we ate. After we were done I asked if she wanted any more wine, as her glass was empty as well.
Elizabeth thought for second and replied, "Just a half." I poured it, emptied the bottle into my glass and she said, "Go make yourself comfortable in the living room while I get things cleaned up."
I said, "Thank you for supper Elizabeth. That was great."
She replied, "I just want you to feel comfortable here and I know that you could use a good meal."
I just smiled and got up and walked over to the living room. The furniture was older but it was in good shape. Katie had always taken pride in how her house looked and I could see where she had gotten that from.
I sat down on the couch and Elizabeth called from the kitchen, "You can turn on the television if you want."
I replied, "Thanks, but I like the quiet."
She answered, "Okay," and I sat there listening to the sound of her washing the dishes.
Elizabeth came into the living room around about ten minutes later and sat down next to me.
I said, "Thank you again, Elizabeth. I am so full and that was delicious."
She asked, "Was that the right wine? I don't know anything about all of that."
I answered, "It was fine."
"Katie was the real expert there," she said and I nodded my head in agreement. She went on, "I don't know if she told you this or not, but her last waitress job was at a fancy restaurant and the owner really liked her. He taught her about wines and a little about cooking as well." Then she laughed and said, "Katie took me there for Mother's Day the year after her father died and I met the owner." She got this funny look on her face and finished with, "He seemed to be the kind of guy that, well likes to go to bed with other men."
I laughed and said, "There are plenty of them out there."
Elizabeth replied, "I asked her about it afterward and she told me that he was like that. And then," she said with another funny look, "She told me that he likes to dress up in women's clothes. Oh my! That is why I kind of looked at you funny when I asked about the other pantyhose in her drawer."
"I am not that type," I said, "It was just something we did for fun."
"I know," she said, "I did keep the stockings. I still have my garter belts and even my girdles. Who knows, maybe some day I will wear them."
I answered, "Stockings do look sexy."
Elizabeth smiled and said, "I'm just an plain and simple girl at heart and I never thought of underwear being sexy. It was just something that you had to wear. But Katie on the other hand liked all that fancy stuff." I started thinking about Katie and my face got sad as I did. "I didn't mean to upset you," she said.
"No Elizabeth," I replied, "You didn't upset me. I just was remembering, that is all."
She reached over, took my hand in her hands, "Memories make us who we are Tony," she said softly. "One day the pain of all of this will pass and you will remember the good times most of all."
I looked at her, then I reached around and we hugged for a long time. I pulled my head back, looked her again in the eye and we kissed. It was gentle but it was still passionate. We sat there for close to an hour quietly alternating between hugs and kisses.
Finally she said, "Why don't we go upstairs. It will be a lot more comfortable," and she smiled and said, "And I do have to use the bathroom."