Strawberry Hill, Chapter 18

Recommended 10 and up. Raleia Pendle always wished she was from an old-fashioned family from a bygone era who would be involved in every aspect of her life, but instead, she has modern (for 1976) hippie parents who keep their distance.

Raleia gets a taste of the past in Tidal, ME which was hit by a Tidal Wave in 1911 and is a living museum to the event. She also meets Ian Rutherford a recluse who hasn't left his house since the tidal wave hit.

Transcript

This is A.

Le Fay of Silvanosity.

I'll be sharing an excerpt from Strawberry Hill.

Chapter 18 Did Rutherford love Calista?

Or didn't he?

He was so hurt by her death that he could barely talk about it almost seventy years later.

But he couldn't even go find her when she could have been hurt or alone.

He even admitted to marrying her just to get away from his parents.

Relia was so confused.

Her mind was doing backflips.

The room felt small and hot.

She had to get out of the house.

Leaving the bucket where she dropped it,

Relia ran for the bluff above the house.

The grassy hill leading to the bluff was steep.

She had to grab clumps of grass to pull herself up.

She came away with grass and wild violets between her fingers.

There was a worn path leading up to the bluff.

From the top,

The town looked like a train set village.

The ocean spilled out over the horizon.

The wind rustled the tall grass below and tugged at her clothes.

Relia felt that Callista had stood on the very same spot,

Admiring the ocean.

Did she wonder just how far the ocean carried a wave,

Like Relia did?

And what about Rutherford?

Did he stand in this spot to be close to Callista?

Cupping her elbows,

Relia mourned for Callista,

The person she really wanted to meet.

A woman who understood the value of a book,

Stood up for herself against silly rules and admired the beauty of things.

Callista was the one who loved that gate and admired the charm of the house,

Hidden away from view.

Ian Rutherford just wanted to hide from other people.

He didn't understand that the greatest joy of privacy was the way it made going out in public special.

Relia thought that the best thing about spending the whole day reading a book was leaving her room to tell someone about it.

But who could she describe a book to?

Tiny?

Her mother would rather be smashing vases.

Her brother Tick?

He was too interested in things that hopped,

Slithered,

Peeped.

Wasn't like Max had the time to talk about books,

At least not the ones that didn't have anything to do with biology.

Relia had been stupid enough to think Rutherford enjoyed good books.

But it was really Callista who would have stood there on the bluff,

Thinking about the way an author would describe the ocean.

And she was dead.

Turning,

Relia saw Callista's grave.

She was buried into the slow rise of a hill.

Her tombstone was embedded in the side of the shallow knoll.

It was a smooth grey stone adorned with vines,

Not the creeping kind that made Relia think of forgotten graves and abandoned houses,

But well-kept ivy that framed the words on the stone.

Callista May.

There were no dates,

No touching epitaph,

Just her name.

He hadn't even buried her with her last name.

The grave itself was a carpet of flowers,

Tiny white blossoms with deep red centers.

Relia didn't even know their name,

But she admired their beauty.

Without a fence to mark it,

The grave melded into the hill and became a part of it.

A kind gesture,

Relia thought.

But what did Callista know of her own grave?

Graves were for the living.

Something to make them feel better.

What did her sister,

Little Mayetta,

Care if she had a stupid lamb on her headstone?

She was dead and gone.

Things like that didn't matter to her.

Tiny always made such a big production of going to Mayetta's grave,

Washing the headstone,

Replacing the flowers,

Weeding the plot.

Tiny looked so foolish,

Down on her hands and knees,

Yanking up clover plants with row after row of tombstones surrounding her.

She was trying to do for Mayetta in death what she couldn't do in life,

Take care of her.

Old Man Rutherford was doing the same thing,

Pruning and preening the grave,

And his beloved Strawberry Hill,

Because he didn't do enough for Callista when she was alive.

It almost seemed like Tiny showed more affection for her dead daughter than for the living one right in front of her.

Raya was stuck picking up the pieces,

Taking care of Tiny,

Instead of having Tiny take care of her.

Raya felt like curling up in a ball and rolling down the hill.

But with her luck,

She'd strike a tree and knock herself senseless.

Instead,

She wandered away from the bluff,

Away from Rutherford's house and the town.

Walking through tall grass,

Raya thought about Tick.

He would love the place.

He'd be running around screaming about this bug or that one.

And there she was,

Brooding over some dumb thing she couldn't change.

Raya was stuck inside a maze.

Every time she thought she understood enough to get herself out of her little box of self-pity,

Another wall would pop up and she'd be scrambling for a new way out.

There had to be something she could do.

Maybe Rutherford had the answer.

Raya should live all by herself.

She'd have her house,

A garden,

And farm animals for food.

The rest of her groceries would be delivered.

The house could sit on a bluff and she'd paint the sea and send the paintings out to art galleries in New York.

They'd sell for thousands and thousands of dollars.

She could live on her secluded bluff forever.

No one to play loud music,

Cook dumplings until they turned into a kitchen-eating slime.

No one to ignore her when she was sick.

She wouldn't have to take care of anyone else when they were sad or scared or needed to go to a doctor.

She wouldn't be any lonelier than she was now.

It was perfect.

Perfectly stupid.

She was twelve and couldn't even draw a decent stick man.

Where would she get the money for a stupid house and a bluff?

Oh,

And a fool,

She thought as she dropped to the ground.

Rolling over,

She stared at the clouds until her mind started to blur.

Raelia!

Tick's voice sounded like a bird in the distance.

Raelia didn't realize he was calling her until he yelled again,

Raelia!

He sounded frantic,

Like he did when he got lost in a crowd at Disney World,

Afraid he'd never see his family again.

Jumping to her feet,

Raelia shouted back,

I'm here!

Where?

Raelia could hear him,

Charging through the tall grass.

I'm coming to you.

Stay still.

Tick didn't listen,

And the rustling of grass made Raelia lose track of him.

Stop,

Tick.

I'll find you.

It's tiny.

She's in labor.

She peed all over the floor and everything.

The baby's due date was still over a month away.

Raelia caught herself cursing God.

How could he let this happen?

Pushing through the tall grass,

She finally found Tick.

He was crying and shaking.

It'll be okay,

Tick.

I had to find you,

So I ran over to Zoe and Rick's.

Their mom is down at Mr.

Rutherford's waiting for us.

All right,

Raelia took Tick's hand and they ran for Mr.

Rutherford's.

They nearly took a tumble down the last hill.

Out of breath,

They stumbled into the yard.

Zoe stood by her parents' station wagon,

The engine running,

Trying to hurry them along.

Come on,

She shouted.

Rutherford stood in the middle of the front yard,

Staring.

As Raelia passed by him to get to the other side of the car,

He said,

Is there anything I can do?

That'd require leaving your house,

Raelia shouted.

He didn't even blink.

Zoe's mom put her hand on Raelia's shoulder as she opened the car door,

Saying,

I'm Mrs.

Glenford,

Raelia.

I'll drive you to the hospital.

Raelia nodded as she got in.

We'll be there in no time,

Mrs.

Glenford told them as she backed out of the driveway.

Rutherford didn't even take a step forward.

He stood fixed to the spot in his yard,

Watching them leave.

Raelia hated him for it.

In the back seat,

Tick told Raelia everything that had happened,

Or rather he shouted it.

I was helping Tiny clean the glue off all of her statues,

And she screamed.

I thought it was because I sort of chipped one of their arms,

But she grabbed her tummy and screamed again.

He gripped Raelia's arm,

And she peed,

Raelia,

All over the floor.

That wasn't pee,

Tick.

Her water broke.

The water that surrounded the baby came out.

So the baby can come out,

Too.

But it's too soon.

Tiny said it's too soon.

Raelia put her arm around him.

It'll be okay,

She said it,

And she repeated it,

But she didn't believe it.

Max wasn't there when they got to the waiting room.

Figures,

Raelia whispered,

Mad enough to break furniture.

She shouted at the nurse who came by.

Where's Max?

Baffled,

The nurse stopped to ask,

Who?

My mother,

Tiny Pendle,

Came in here to have her baby.

Where's my father?

You must be Raelia.

Your father said you'd be coming.

He's in with your mother.

You can wait right here.

I'll let them know you've arrived.

Raelia dropped into a chair.

Max was with Tiny?

And where had she been?

Off running around in some field of grass.

A lot of help she was.

Tick jumped in the chair beside her,

Grabbing her arm.

He leaned into her.

Look at him,

She said.

They'll let us know how things are going.

Why does it hurt so much to have a baby?

Babies are kind of big,

Tick.

So why don't they open up the belly and take them out,

Like they do for bulldogs?

How do you know that?

My friend Rae's got a bulldog,

And the vet said the babies are too big to come out the bottom.

So they had to open up the belly.

The mom dog slept through the whole thing.

Why can't Tiny sleep through it all?

She'll want to see the baby when it's born.

But what if it's too small,

Like Mayanna?

Raelia thought that would be all the more reason for Tiny to be awake.

It might be her only chance to see the baby.

But she said,

The baby will be big and strong.

Sending up a prayer,

Raelia tried to convince herself that she was right.

What if it's too big?

Tick asked.

There's no chance of that.

The baby is early.

Tick clung to her arm so tightly that her hand was beginning to tingle.

She wiggled it a little,

And Tick loosened his grip.

Watching the nurses and doctors walk by made Raelia angry.

How could they be so calm?

Why didn't anyone tell them what was happening?

Zoe sat with her mother,

Who held her daughter's hand and spoke softly to her.

It'll be all right,

Honey.

Babies are born early all the time.

You were three weeks early yourself.

What would Tiny do if things were flipped?

Zoe and her little brother would be balled up in a chair together.

Tiny would be sitting next to Raelia,

Or maybe across the waiting room reading a magazine.

No,

She wasn't that cold.

But she'd say something like,

There's nothing we can do,

Rael.

You've got to let God have his way with things.

Then decide how you're going to react.

But Tiny probably wasn't thinking that way now.

Raelia knew how scared Tiny was.

That only made things worse.

Raelia felt like she was back inside the root cellar again,

A terrible storm raging around her.

Things had to work out all right.

Raelia was ready to march up the check-in at the front desk and demand some answers when a nurse showed up.

She said,

Your mother's doing well.

The baby's heartbeat is strong.

It's looking pretty good.

Pretty good?

How good is that?

The baby will be born with no feet,

But good health?

Raelia asked.

How long will it be?

There's no way of telling,

But I'll keep you posted,

The nurse said as she went back the way she came.

Mrs.

Glenford leaned forward to say,

Maybe I should take the two of you home.

You can wait there.

No!

Tick screamed so loud,

Raelia's ear ached.

Mrs.

Glenford jumped back as if she'd been snipped at by a dog.

All right.

You don't have to stay with us,

Raelia told her.

The woman blushed.

Oh,

Well,

I couldn't just leave you two here all alone.

Raelia thought,

Why not?

My parents would.

But she said,

We'll be just fine.

We'll stay in case you need us.

Fine,

Raelia shrugged.

Everyone sat in silence for what seemed like an hour.

Mrs.

Glenford flipped through a magazine,

Looking up at Raelia and Tick every once in a while,

Just smiling at them as if it helped.

Zoe pulled at the fuzzy green ties around her ponytails until they looked like pom-poms.

Tick kept kicking the chair.

Raelia nudged him to make him stop,

But he just stood up again a minute later.

Putting the magazine down,

Mrs.

Glenford said,

I'll go get us all something to drink.

Zoe jumped up as her mother started to leave.

I'll go too.

The two of them had a whisper fight about leaving.

Mrs.

Glenford wanted Zoe to stay,

But Zoe was too scared.

What did she have to be afraid of?

Finally,

Mrs.

Glenford turned to Raelia to say,

We'll be right back.

Raelia watched them leave.

Tick gave her a squeeze.

Waiting made the inside of Raelia's head itch like she had a rash on her brain.

She held her breath,

Hoping it would help.

She felt dizzy.

If it's a boy,

I want them to name him Ben.

People won't tease a kid named Ben,

Tick spoke out loud,

But not really to Raelia.

She knew he didn't want her to answer him,

Especially if she thought of a nasty name people would call their little brother.

Other kids would probably tease him about his name.

They'd just razz him about having a brother and sister who sounded like they'd been named by a crazed rock star like Frank Zappa,

Who had a son named Dweezil and a daughter named Moon Unit.

At least Raelia's parents weren't that weird.

I like the name Calista for a girl,

Raelia announced.

Tick said,

It sounds like a character from a Wonder Woman comic.

Raelia laughed.

I guess it does.

Just then,

Max came running around the corner,

Sweaty,

Out of breath,

And shaking like a loose shingle in a strong wind.

They told me you were out here.

I couldn't leave tiny until now.

Raelia was on her feet.

She's okay?

Yeah,

Yeah,

He nodded,

Scared,

But okay.

The baby?

Tick shouted.

So far,

So good.

He gripped his hands together as if he was about to pray.

But Raelia knew Max didn't believe her.

Reviews

Oh dear… hope tiny will be ok! Thanks for the installment!