The Orphan’s Last Goodbye, page 21
‘It was easier than I expected,’ she said. ‘Thanks to his affair, it’s all over between us. It hurts to be betrayed, but I am relieved it’s over.’ Kitty gave a soft sigh and rubbed her temples to ease her headache. ‘We realise now what love we had has died – had already fizzled out. I pursued him because I felt I needed to make it work. We live in a time where women are graded by their level of wifely duty, and I tried my best.’
‘You did your best, and never forget that,’ Stanley replied firmly.
Kitty let his words settle. Praise and comfort in one sentence.
‘By the way, I have asked him for some form of funding to help me, as I never expected to be in this situation. I’ll soon be out of your hair,’ Kitty said. She was glad Stanley couldn’t see the sadness in her face. It was moments like this, when they moved into each day, comfortable in each other’s presence, that she enjoyed the most. Not having that gave Kitty a fresh sense of impending loss.
‘Coffee?’ Stanley asked.
Kitty turned from the window and shook her head, then winced. Stanley laughed and Kitty picked up a pillow and threw it in his direction.
‘I’m going for a swim, then I’ll have some. Poor Saahkómaapi will need attention today.’
Stanley threw the pillow back at her.
‘He’s had it. I’ve turned him out into Mim’s pen and explained the situation to her. I didn’t know what the right thing to do was, but I felt you might need someone else – a woman – to talk to, so she’s coming over shortly. I’m going to hers to help Ted saw wood, then I will be back for the afternoon,’ Stanley said and went downstairs.
Kitty listened to his uneven steps, and a wave of sorrow came over her. There was so much to miss about Stanley at the start of a new day, but she would have to get used to it when she found her own place.
She shook herself free from the melancholic thoughts and changed to go swimming. She pulled on her new bathing suit, which was in the same shade of red as her beret. It gave her a sense of closeness to her mother. When she saw it in the store window, Kitty recalled a day at the beach the summer before her parents died. Her mother had worn a red swimsuit and a straw hat with a red ribbon. Kitty’s guess was that red must have been her mother’s favourite colour. Without hesitation, Kitty bought the bathing suit and declared it to be her new favourite colour too.
Armed with her towel, and hiding her tired eyes behind large sunglasses, she took a slow and steady walk to the river, enjoying the warmth on her skin and the freshness of the air. When she reached the river’s edge, she stood a while watching it drift past, mesmerised by the sparkling ripples. Kitty imagined it was washing away her fears and her past, and that eventually there would be a moment when there were only crystal-clear, refreshing moments remaining in her life. In the privacy of the pool area, she jumped in and switched off the world.
After her soul-soothing swim, Kitty went back to the house, changed into a loose dress, drank coffee and then began baking. It was hot work, but she persevered; they had to eat, no matter the weather. Slowly, the headache eased, and by the time Mim arrived, a refreshed Kitty was singing softly to herself, kneading dough.
‘Stanley said you might look trampled and unkempt. Hungover was the other word he used.’ Mim laughed, and Kitty joined her. ‘But here you are singing and looking as pretty as they come,’ Mim said as she stepped inside the kitchen. She pulled out a large piece of beef and laid it in the sink.
‘For salting,’ she said. Kitty gave her a blank look in return.
Mim studied Kitty’s face and then looked at the meat. ‘I take it you have never salted meat before.’
‘I’ve never preserved anything before. My aunt used to pickle and preserve fruit and vegetables, but I can’t recall her salting meat.’
Mim rolled up her sleeves. ‘Well, there’s no time like the present, and I will soon have you bottling fruit and vegetables for winter. You’ll have a pantry full, that’s for sure.’ She set Kitty to work.
When Stanley returned home, all the chores were done, and Kitty had new skills under her belt.
‘It’s good to see you coping well, Kitty. I like seeing you happy again – and hangover-free,’ he said as he rinsed his hands and face in the sink. Kitty threw him a towel.
‘I am both hangover-free and happier because I have an outcome. Anything else I have to deal with will be a doddle,’ she said.
A few days later, Mim took Kitty on a foraging walk through the forest. Mim’s hair was plaited and feathers woven into it. Her ankle-length, sleeveless dress was made from soft hide and had a fringed hem. It was decorated across the neckline with polished glass beads, and painted symbols adorned the back. On her wrists, she wore a woven bracelet with animal teeth dangling from it, and on her feet were moccasins. She walked with confidence and was light-footed as they moved amongst the trees.
‘I notice you’re more traditional in your ways and clothes since I have been here, and you met with your uncle again,’ Kitty said as they collected pine needles to crush and make a poultice, and other medicinal aids.
‘I feel close to them now, and my aunt accepts me back too. Like I am teaching you, she is doing the same with me. They will soon return to the chief and main tribe to celebrate Ookaan, the sun and summer season. I will miss my daily visits,’ Mim said as they were greeted by the children when they walked towards them.
Kitty watched Mim interact with everyone, looking so at home and relaxed. It never mattered how many times they visited, Kitty was always in awe of the close-knit community. Today, she was to have her hair braided by one of the young girls, a promise made on the last visit, and Mim was making a ceremonial headdress. Kitty treasured these days, and she was secretly pleased Michael had never shared this side of her life. It was her discovery and way of learning to live off the land, rather than him leading the way and her following dutifully as his wife. Fate had given them both a second chance at finding happiness in peace.
On the return walk home, Mim was quiet. Too quiet. Something had upset her, but Kitty felt it was not the time or place to intrude on her friend’s thoughts. She walked a little way apart from her, admiring the scenery and recalling the names of the berries and bushes they brushed past.
‘They want me to go back to the reservation with them,’ Mim suddenly said, ‘and for the first time, I feel I belong, and want to be amongst them. Our people have lived and travelled for food on this land for thousands of years, and my mother took away my birthright to remain part of a wider family. Yes, I would never have met Dan had we stayed, but he was taken from me, so he was never meant to be my life for ever.’ Mim barely drew breath as she spoke. Her voice was softer, more girl-like than that of the feisty, independent woman Kitty first met and had grown to love. Their friendship was new and fresh, but it felt as if they had been kindred spirits for a lifetime. Kitty felt honoured that Mim had trusted her enough to share her troubles.
‘You do look as if you belong back with your people, Mim,’ said Kitty. ‘It must be hard for you. Maybe go and try it for a month, then stay longer if it works out. After that, organise the cattle business into your life with your family. I’m sure Ted will run things for you and Vern; he’ll help. Stanley and I can definitely do our bit in some way. Do not turn away what’s in your heart until you know if it is not right for you.’
‘Like you and Michael. There is a change in the air for us both, Sinopa,’ Mim said wistfully, almost whispering as she looked skyward through the sun-dappled pine trees. Kitty doubted she realised she had used her native tongue when saying Kitty’s gifted name.
‘We are strong women. Both of us have adapted and overcome. I hope you can decide what is best for you, and find happiness again,’ Kitty said and waited for her friend to compose herself. Her vulnerability was on full show, and she needed patience and time.
Kitty sat beside the river, watching its flow and listening to its song, while Mim sat quietly chanting a few feet away. Kitty relaxed and sat back, then began to reflect on things from her past. She recalled eating her first doughnut and enjoying a coffee from Jo’s Donut Dolly van, when the American crew had a British driver. She remembered treating the injured Canadian lumberjacks in Scotland. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she would drink fresh coffee, learn to make her own doughnuts and see lumberjacks work tirelessly in Canada. She recalled the day Michael gave her a jade ring and had a Scotsman play the pipes just for her. She remembered when Stanley arranged picnics and parties for her birthdays, and how she held him after Jenny died, and he whispered his thanks.
She had been through tough times and deserved better days. Once Mim was ready to head home, Kitty would write to Michael, requesting him to formally organise the divorce and to make payments to Stanley for her travel and board, as well as a payment she could use to rent a property when one became available in Cochrane. She was not foolish in her thoughts. Kitty knew it would not be an easy life, nor a wealthy one, but Mim had taught her how to value riches in another way. Life was about becoming rich – not in money, but in the spirit of friendship. Kitty planned to earn enough from her baking to stay in Canada; it was time to settle, and this was the place she wanted to set down her roots.
Chapter Forty
‘Michael wants to see me,’ Kitty said to Stanley, one day at the end of July, as they hoed a large area where they intended to plant winter vegetables. The soil looked rich and fertile. They had already worked a plot for potatoes.
‘Do you think it is the settlement agreement this time?’ Stanley asked. He leaned on his garden fork, stretching himself upright. ‘He must be paying over the odds for his solicitor to work so fast on this divorce.’
‘I think it might be. He promised me a substantial sum for me to purchase my home rather than renting one. I think the letter from my uncle shook him up a bit and reminded him of the promise he made to my aunt and uncle when we first got engaged.’
Kitty’s uncle had written a harsh letter of disappointment in response to her letter home regarding Michael. It had arrived quickly, with a large “URGENT” written across the front. It came at a timely moment, when Kitty and Michael were discussing how much he was prepared to pay towards a rental property and for how long.
Kitty had signed one set of divorce papers and returned them to Michael, following an invitation to visit his home. Both she and Stanley had put on what they referred to as their Sunday best and ventured to the edge of Calgary to an estate of brand-new houses. Large affairs with driveways for modern, shining cars loomed towards them as they drove Stanley’s new truck along the streets, searching for Michael’s home, which he said was the largest on the estate and set back on its land. When they turned a corner, they saw a sprawling building with enormous windows. Kitty quipped that she was lucky she didn’t have to clean them. Stanley, however, was not impressed with the modern architecture, and said he preferred the rustic rawness of his house or the graceful ageing of Fell Hall. He also refused to go inside, insisting Kitty needed to be alone with Michael to discuss private business.
Slightly uncomfortable, knowing Stanley sat outside waiting in the heat, Kitty kept her visit brief. During it, she signed more papers to dissolve her marriage to Michael, refused a cocktail from Alexandrea and agreed to take the grand tour. Alexandrea showed off her new electrical hoover and made Kitty think it was time she bought a new broom, as the head on hers was wearing thin. The showing off of newfangled domestic items did nothing to make Kitty feel envious. Not even the sparkling new electric oven. She had mastered the art of a wood-fired one and had no desire to own something cold and glistening in a kitchen with no personality.
Nothing in Michael’s home made her think of him; it was stark, ornament-free, and the walls were filled with modern artwork. Kitty knew it was no use offering anything from their home in England; it would not have a place in Alexandrea’s décor. She gave them a set of napkins with a maple leaf that she had embroidered. Michael accepted them with good grace, and Alexandrea placed them in a cabinet drawer.
While she listened to Alexandrea boast about the parties she hosted for her neighbours and where she purchased dainty pastries, Kitty noted that neither Michael nor Alexandrea had approached Stanley and invited him inside.
Slightly annoyed, but keeping her opinion of their rudeness to herself, she said her goodbyes.
A few days later Kitty was thinking about Michael’s first visit.
‘What did he say to you the day he found us? I’ve never asked you, but when you refused to step inside his house and he did not rush to show it off to you, I am guessing there was something said between you, and it has upset you,’ Kitty said. ‘I wanted to ask before, but it never seemed the right time.’
Stanley stabbed his fork into the soil and turned it over. ‘It was nothing. He got off his chest what he wanted to say, and we’ve chosen to keep our distance from one another. I do not want to get involved with him and his new ventures.’
‘Ah, I see. He wanted you to invest in something, but was annoyed when you refused,’ Kitty said and returned to weeding the plot.
‘Something like that,’ Stanley said, closing down the conversation and pointing to Ted walking their way. ‘It looks like the post has arrived.’
A letter with Jo’s scrawling handwriting and another from Meryn had arrived from England, along with one from Michael’s solicitor. Stanley walked away with Ted, asking his advice on when to plant for the Cochrane weather, and Kitty was grateful for his discretion as she tore open the solicitor’s envelope.
The divorce agreement was official. Also inside was a notification of a final figure, which Michael would not pay out if she contested it. He considered that the money was enough for Kitty to purchase a home of her own. She stared at the figure and realised how wealthy Michael had become. She would not refuse the money; it was generous and more than she would have received had they still lived in England. She lay on her back and looked at the sky. A few clouds headed towards the mountains, but the sun still bled across the land. Allowing herself to breathe and release the past, Kitty rose to her feet, walked to a shady spot and tore open Jo’s letter.
Dear Kitty,
How are things? Have you found him? Do you need me? How’s Stanley?
He’s a good man. Heart of gold to put up with you. Does he get a medal after you and Michael are reunited?
Things are good here. Gina says hi.
I have no intention of leaving America and have applied for my permits to become a citizen.
The same will happen for you one day. I am convinced Canada will capture your heart, and I think it is a country which will suit you.
Chin up, old girl. Hello to Stanley.
Your friend,
Jo x
Kitty smiled to herself. Jo was never a letter writer, but her humour was always welcome, and Kitty was grateful she had made the effort to write. She opened Meryn’s, hoping the news was good and life was treating her fairly.
Dearest Kitty,
We hope you are well – that’s me, Kedrick, Pots and Wenna.
Everything is going well, both health-wise and business-wise. The weather is unpredictable, but tourists are slowly returning, and no one minds the weather; they are grateful to be returning to a life without the war hanging over them.
My upsetting news is that Bobby has returned to America. He couldn’t settle in Cornwall because he needed to see his family again, and I understood. The war brought him here, and they will want to celebrate that he survived, and he needs to hug his mother again. I suggested he return to them and see how he feels about us when we are not always together, then make up his mind. I am willing to go and live there with Kedrick, but it will be up to Bobby, and I will honour his decision. It will break my heart, and sadly, something tells me we will not see each other again. I will continue writing to him for Kedrick’s sake, and to remind Bobby of his duty to his son back in England.
I am resigned to the thought that I may never be a wife and may be unlucky in love, but I am happy enough to be a mother. Kedrick is my world, and I am always grateful to those who supported me and helped raise him.
Your news about a horse and visiting an Siksika reservation is quite different to what I was expecting, but then you have always led a fascinating life. I’m pleased Stanley has a new home, but I do find it difficult to imagine him working the land after having a gardener for most of his life.
Keep me updated on you and Michael if you find him. I still cannot believe that he left you. Thank goodness you have Stanley for company or I would worry more about you than I already do. I have enclosed a photograph of us all. Bobby took it before he left, so there’s a copy in America and now Canada.
Please send us one of you on the prairie, and Stanley gardening!
Take care, my dearest friend.
Much Love from Meryn x
Kitty walked back to the house and laid the letters down on the table. She sat down and, rather than immediately writing replies, read through the payment agreement from Michael and thought about what to do next – how to go about finding somewhere nearby that was similar to Stanley’s home. The five thousand dollars Michael had arranged to be placed into a bank account in her name would undoubtedly help her find something decent, but it would have to be somewhere between Cochrane and Calgary. She wanted something ready to live in immediately, and within easy travelling distance of Stanley and Mim, on foot or by cart. She still wanted to help Stanley on his land, and doing up a place for herself would take all of her energy.
Outside in the yard, she heard Stanley say goodbye to Ted, and placed the kettle on the stove. She cut large slices of fresh bread, buttered them and laid cold beef with pickles beside them on a plate. Stanley had a stomach with a routine switch, and Kitty knew by the clock in the kitchen that she had four minutes before he walked in to eat. She covered everything with a cloth, then took a tin from the pantry with a fresh-baked apple pie inside and cut two wedges.
