“At the corner, she turned to the right and then the left, nodded haughtily to the Policeman, who said it was a nice day.”
~P. L. Travers
Patrick, just the person I was looking for,” Cordelia feigned surprise to see her future grandson-in-law behind Castor Library’s counter.
“Hello, Miss Cordelia,” he looked up from a ragged, aged book, “What brings you here today?”
“We needed to ask you a few questions,” she replied, and Patrick noticed Flora standing next to her.
“Why, hello, Miss Flora.”
“Hello, Patrick dear.”
“So, what can I do for you?” he asked them both.
They temporarily housed the Castor Historical Society at the library until they finished restoring their permanent space, a tiny outbuilding on the grounds of the Castor Railroad Station. Cordelia and Flora needed the name of the person in charge of the train station to make this wedding idea work while not upsetting the bride any more than necessary. They filled the groom in on their plan and waited for his answer.
Impressed with the idea, let alone the ladies’ gumption, Patrick wrote the name of the director of the restoration project.
“Wow, thank you for trying to figure this mess out,” he said.
“My dear, that’s what we do. We take care of family,” Cordelia answered, and Flora nodded in agreement.
Both women thanked the young man and walked out of the library into the sunny afternoon, continuing to the station two blocks away. It had been years since either of them walked through town, but they were on a mission to secure the perfect spot for the wedding.
They soon stood in front of the yellow and brown brick building draped in bright yellow caution tape and surrounded by imposing stone barricades. A few trucks littered the otherwise empty parking lot.
“It’s the calm before the storm,” Cordelia uttered as they both looked at the scene before them.
“Are we the storm?” Flora asked.
“Depends on their answer. Let’s go, chickee.”
The ladies walked along the sidewalk, steering clear of the construction barricades, towards the back of the building, which butted up against the still-active train tracks.
“Ladies! Careful!” a booming voice met them as they rounded the corner.
A man wearing a yellow hard hat, the color of the caution tape, and a bright orange vest moved in front of Cordelia and Flora, blocking their path. “You cannot be here. You’re gonna get hurt,” he grumbled.
Cordelia took a deep breath, ready to ask to speak to the director of the whole shing-ding, but Flora took a step towards the big, burly man.
“Is that you, Adam?” she asked, looking up into his eyes. “Oh, it is! How are your mother and father?”
The man, clearly surprised, looked down at the tiny lady and met her gaze. “Oh, my goodness! Mrs. Godfrey? Wow! I haven’t seen you in years. They are fin; thanks for asking.”
Flora turned back to Cordelia. “Adam’s parents were customers of ours. I believe,” she turned to look at the man again, “your last bike was a dark green mountain bike with those off-road tires and a cushioned seat,” she added with a warm smile.
“You’re right! That was a long time ago, though. Been working way too much to get out on any bike now. Besides, I long outgrew that one. I was much younger, and, well, I was much leaner,” he chuckled and patted his midsection.
“Well, come and see us for an upgrade,” Flora suggested.
“I will, but, Mrs. Godfrey, you ladies can’t be here roaming around.”
“I know, so you can help us find who’s in charge of this place?” Flora posed her suggestion as a question.
Adam sighed and appeared to think about Flora’s request. He finally held up a finger and said, “Wait here. Do not leave this spot,” and retreated into the building.
Cordelia and Flora stood where they were told for a few minutes before Adam returned with a woman who wore a hard hat like his and carried a clipboard.
She walked up to the ladies and said, “I hear you’re friends of Adam’s. What can I do for you?”
And so, Flora began her plea to provide the same magic for Hadley’s wedding that she felt every Christmas when she walked into the bustling train station. Adam and Cordelia could only stand to the side and watch Flora tell her tales of Nonna and their magical rides into the big city.
Cecelia and Lilia sat on the Hawthorne’s front porch and waited.
“These are comfy cushions,” Lilia broke the silence, patting the fluffy pillow.
“Yes, they are,” Cecelia replied.
Silence fell upon the porch again. A distant lawn mower and the occasional passing car were the only sounds in the neighborhood. Lilia sat on the wicker loveseat framed by the living room window behind her, and Cecelia rested on the chair to her side. They watched the horizon for any sign of two little old ladies chugging along the sidewalk. Lilia didn’t see anyone, but she swore she was being watched. She glanced at Reveena’s cottage, but it seemed quiet for the moment. Looking over at the Coppers’ porch, it, too, was empty. She could not shake the feeling of being watched, though. Slowly, she turned to look behind her. She was met with Bentley’s black nose smooshed against the windowpane. Condensation appeared on the glass with each breath. Lilia straightened herself to continue watching the street for her mother, now aware of the dog staring at the back of her head.
“Does he do this often?” she asked Cecelia, eyes still on the street.
“Yep,” Cecelia replied, her eyes also on the road.
The two women who were not used to being patient, let alone not being in control of the situation, continued to sit and wait in a strange silence. Ernie and Zelda left earlier to visit the candy shop with the gang, and Kevin was at the academy for the day. So, the house seemed even quieter without the hustle and bustle of family life.
“I swear I can hear your dog breathing down my neck,” Lilia mumbled.
“Thin, old glass,” Cecelia quipped.
They both saw the patrol car turn onto the street and approach the house, and they both jumped up and sprinted down the front steps as it pulled in front of them. They stopped at the edge of the sidewalk when they saw the two ladies they were waiting for sitting in the back of the police car. The officer got out of the driver’s side and walked around the vehicle.
“Do they belong to you?” he asked, hand resting on the back door handle.
“Yes, Robbie, they do,” Cecelia replied sheepishly. “Now, what’d she do?” she asked, eyeing up her aunt, who seemed to beam with excitement.
“Oh, nothing this time,” the officer laughed. “Saw them walking this way and offered them a ride.” He opened the door and helped each lady step out of the car.
“Thank you, Robbie. I’ll be sending a cookie tray your way soon,” Cecelia smiled and ushered Cordelia and Flora towards the house. Lilia followed them up the porch steps.
After getting Flora and Cordelia settled on the loveseat, Cecelia and Lilia pulled up chairs to face the women.
“So?” Lilia asked, unable to hold her curiosity back any longer.
“Yes, that was a fun ride! I asked if I could turn the siren on, but he said no. Regulations, blah blah blah. Then I asked if I could use the loudspeaker system to say hello to Ethel as we drove past her house; she was hanging her sheets out back. Oh, she would’ve been so jealous! A chauffeured ride home! But no, ‘disturbing the peace,’ he said. I tell you, Ceccy, tell Kevin he did well with his cadet training. Maybe a little too good if you ask me.”
They met her with stares from both her daughter and niece.
“What?”
“The train station! What happened!”
“Oh, yeah, we got it,” Cordelia answered.
“That’s it?” Lilia asked, her patience with her mother waning.
Flora, amused with the interaction, cleared her throat and said, “It was rather simple, really. I explained how important the station was to my family’s old memories and how this new family needs a special place to create their own fresh memories.”
“That’s it?” Cecelia echoed her cousin.
“That’s it,” Flora stated, “Although we will be responsible for the guests’ safety. I suppose new memories come with no-fault clauses nowadays.”
Silence fell upon the porch once again as everyone processed the answer to their prayers.
“Well, hot diggity! Wait till we tell the bride!” Lilia exclaimed; her smile spread from ear to ear.
The cozy Cape Cod in Trestle Cove once again buzzed with excitement. Boxes of finished favors lined the far wall of the sunroom while the garage’s deep freezer groaned under the additional weight of the cookie containers. Hadley was once again downstairs amid Wedding Central, having emerged from her upstairs cocoon upon hearing the good news of a newly secured location.
“Who would’ve thought August twelfth would be the busiest day of the year?” She threw out the question as she pulled out the rolls of ribbon from the nearby basket.
The ladies had convened that sunny afternoon to make the children’s favors.
“Exactly what are we making today?” Cecelia wondered out loud.
“It was really Miss Raina’s adventure in the woods that sparked the idea,” Hadley explained to the group and passed out the small wooden dowels.
“Wands, my dear?” Reveena asked.
“Kind of, Miss Reveena,” Hadley answered.
Making sure everyone had the dowels, she passed around small bells and placed the ribbon rolls in the center of the kitchen table.
“Cat toys?” Cordelia chuckled.
“No, Nanna. They’re fairy wands! Good fairies enjoy the musical sound the bells make, right, Miss Raina?”
“Right you are, dear.” Raina smiled brightly.
The multi-generations created their whimsical ribbon wands while discussing the flower choices available during the time of year. Hadley wanted to include as many flowers from Reveena’s garden as possible, and the older woman gladly said yes to the request. She and Raina quickly offered their services to make the bouquets and arrange the table centerpieces. Flora decided that she would teach Cecelia Nonna’s secret wedding soup recipe for the occasion, and Cordelia would whip up enough food in her magical kitchen for the entire crowd. Lilia only needed to calm Hadley and get her where she needed to be on time.
“Well, it’ll be here before you know it,” Raina observed, finishing her last wand.
“By the way, Miss Raina, thank you for staying until the wedding. It is such a treat to have you here,” Lilia said.
“How could I miss such a fun time?” Raina exclaimed. “Besides, I’m not quite finished looking for the fairies,” she added with a smirk. “I think someone still might need me.”
Reveena caught her sister’s glance and smiled.
“Well, we have one exact month until Operation Wedding Day. Let’s pray there are no more barricades to jump.” Lilia announced, lifted her cup of tea in salute, and led the ladies in a silent cheer to the adventure ahead of them.