Chapter Twenty Seven

Henry drove slowly up to Jenny’s home and parked the car. After all these months, he still could not call the home he purchased his. It just didn’t seem that it rightfully belonged to him. He had come across this home in such an extraordinary way and always felt a twinge of guilt walking in and taking control of someone’s life. It just never sat right with him. At least now he knew who the house really belonged to and it explained so many of the strange feelings he had when in the home.

It was uncanny that Marjorie turned out to be Jenny and that I actually bought her home! Truly an angelic occurrence.

Henry got out of the car and made his way up the winding walk. What a difference from the first day he and Jeremy went to look at the house. Snow was piled at least two feet high on the sidewalk and today most of the snow had melted, revealing the amazing landscaping that was hidden under the winter blanket. Either Jenny was a gardener in her own right, or she came across someone that really knew his craft.

It was nearing the end of April and an early spring was definitely in the air. The landscaping was starting to come alive. Most of the junipers looked green and he could see as he stopped near the front door that some of the perennials were beginning to peek through the soil. Henry could only imagine how beautiful the front yard was going to look when everything was in bloom.

Henry fumbled with the lock until he realized that he had inserted the wrong key. Finally, he opened up the front door and walked inside. The fragrance of lilac was especially strong. He detected it right off despite all of the other scents in the room. It was as if Jenny had been there and just left.

He gazed at the round table which housed the diary. He shook his head and marvelled over the way he had found Jenny’s diary and the manner in which his dear wife had led him to it. He was going to sit on the chair beside the table and relive that moment of discovery, but was drawn to the kitchen and then to the window that looked out to the back yard.

The first thing he noticed was that some of the plants in the kitchen had been moved. He was certain that he hadn’t touched them. Several of the herb plants had been stripped of some of their leaves… especially the thyme plant. Its odour was strong and competed with the lilac scent for his attention. The lilac was definitely the one that still drew him.

He looked outside. Most of the snow had melted and just traces of snow remained under the low branches that were shielded from the sun. A glare at the very back of the yard caught Henry’s attention. The rays of the high sun bounced off the white, marble angel near the gazebo. It glistened and appeared as if ready to walk through the garden and collect more flowers.

“Are more flowers in the basket?” Henry whispered under his breath.

The angel’s basket definitely seemed fuller than the day before.

He was drawn to them.

He made his way to the patio doors and stepped out into the warm air. He took a deep breath and immediately smelled the thyme. He looked down the path and saw that many leaves of the herb had been strewn on the stone path. A puzzled look grew on his face. He partially turned to go back and check the plants again… and then decided to do that later. He walked down the steps and followed the winding lane to the back where the gazebo was. His eyes stayed focused on the angel’s basket the entire time. Unbelievably, there were more flowers in the basket! He looked from side to side to see if there was any evidence of someone coming into the yard… but there was none.

He stared at the basket overflowing with wildflowers, but where did they come from? There were some peeking through the ground, or so he thought. The fresh odour of the herbs was growing stronger as if coming from the gazebo. He glanced over and he noticed a pile of thyme leaves on the swing inside the gazebo. The statue was hiding part of the swing. He leaned over slightly and was shocked to see what looked like Jenny’s diary, laying on the swing. His heart nearly stopped…

Is that Jenny’s diary?

It couldn’t be. How on earth did it get here?

He slowly made his way over and picked it up. A pencil was between the pages at the very back. He noticed an entry…It had today’s date on it. An eerie feeling crawled up and down Henry’s spine. The hair on the back of his neck began to rise. Something so strange had happened and his mind was blocked as to what it was. He felt frustrated, as if he were standing in front of a door that housed secrets and he didn’t have a key to open it.

It was Jenny’s handwriting, he recognized it right off. The eerie feeling returned as he read the entry. She wanted to make her son aware of her daughter, Camilla. That she was his step sister and that it would be so wonderful if they met and she became part of the family. It would be so fantastic for him to have a sister and for Camilla to know she had a brother.

In the second paragraph, Jenny asked for J.J.’s forgiveness for the way the marriage of his parents went and for the breakup of the family. She hoped that someday he would understand and find it in his heart to forgive her.

Oh Jenny, you had such a heart of gold. No wonder after all these years, I still loved you so dearly… But, how on earth did the diary get here? He was certain it had been in his SUV… Henry shook his head in awe of what he was seeing. And he still couldn’t figure out why he was not despondent and in tears over Jenny’s passing. He wondered if a miracle could have possibly happened to her, as well. But she had been dead for hours.

Wasn’t she?

Her lips had felt warm when he kissed her, yet it wasn’t the same when she was awake and he gazed into her blue eyes. He could taste and feel her tender lips just at the thought of it all.

It made him think of Father Engelmann and that he should phone him.

It was the thought of the phone that brought Henry out of his reverie and he realized that the phone in the house was ringing. He ran to get it. He thought for sure the caller would hang up, but whoever it was, was as determined as Henry to communicate.