Untitled

Chapter Forty Two

The sleek yellow convertible crawled up the narrow winding road that emptied into Chandler Estate. Lisa pushed a button on a hand-held electronic device. The huge white, wrought-iron double gates opened in an inward direction allowing entry. She drove up the circular driveway and parked in front of the red brick walkway that led to the house.

"Wake up sleepy head, we're here." Lisa reached across the seat and gave Christine a gentle nudge. Christine opened her eyes, stretched her arms, and yawned. Then she glanced to the right and caught a clear view of the magnificent Chandler Mansion. The house and grounds were lit up in anticipation of their arrival.
"Where are we?" she said in a sleepy voice.
"This is home," Lisa happily announced.
"This is where you live?"
"Yeah, this is it."
"Wow! I can't believe it. You gotta be kidding." One of two, large, oak, double front doors swung open. Bernice, wrapped in a beautifully embroidered silk robe, waved a quick hello and pranced lightly down the walkway toward the car. Lisa got out of the car and went to her and they met in the middle. A warm embrace followed.
"Where have you been? I've been worried sick about you."
"Oh, I'm sorry Bernie, we had a few problems along the way. I'll tell you all about it later." Standing on the walkway with one arm around Bernice's waist, she motioned to Christine to hurry up. Christine stepped out of the car and walked toward the two with hesitant steps. She looked up at Bernice and gave a shy, guarded smile and then looked questioningly at Lisa.
"Bernie, this my friend Christine."
"Hello, dear. You are every bit as beautiful as Lisa described. Welcome to our home."
"Thank you, Mrs. Chandler," she said, shaking Bernice's extended hand.
"Please, you may call me Bernice. If you're a friend of Lisa's, you are a friend of mine." Christine was astonished that such a wealthy, sophisticated lady was so down to earth and treated her with such genuine kindness. She detected no sign of the "better than thou" attitude she would have expected from a lady of Mrs. Chandler's stature. 'I guess all rich people ain't stuck up after all,' she said to herself.
"Come on, let's go in the house and get you guys settled. I bet you could use a bath and a bite to eat. I'll ask Richard to bring in your luggage. He's Roberta's grandson and has been staying with her awhile. They have been waiting up too."
Lisa walked between and held the hands of both of her friends as they went into the house. "Lisa, you know where your room is. I will take Christine to hers."
"After you freshen up, I'll see you in the nook." Bernice gave her friend another hug. "I'm so happy you're home dear."
"Me too." Lisa smiled broadly.
"Come along Christine." And they proceeded up the winding staircase. "This will be your room, dear. There's some pajamas and under-clothes on the bed. Hope they fit OK. We'll get your and Lisa's clothes washed up tomorrow. If you need anything else, just push this intercom button. I will be right downstairs waiting. I'm really anxious to hear about your trip."
"I don't know how to thank you Mrs. Chandler," Christine said politely.
"Remember, it's Bernice, and no thank yous are necessary. You go get in the bath now and we will see you downstairs."

The door closed, leaving Christine in the room alone. She scanned the room with excited eyes. Against one wall was a queen-sized bed with antique white night stands on each side. The pink and blue flower print lamp shades on the night stand lamps matched the velvet bedspread and coordinated pleasingly with the pretty white laced window curtains. She admired the small white based, glass top table that was ringed with three velvet upholstered low-back chairs. There was a settee adjacent to a door that led into a large walk-in closet. On the other side of the room she observed the entrance to her own private bathroom.
She walked over to the window and closed the shutters. Spontaneously, she ran over and jumped in the air landing on her stomach in the bed. "All right! This so cool!" she said aloud in her teenage slang language. She rolled over, and staring at the ceiling, she let her thoughts go. 'Man, this room's bigger than our living room and kitchen put together.'
From the corner of her eye, she noticed the phone on one of the night stands. It caused her to think of her mother and their recent telephone conversation. The anguish she felt when her mother told her that she should get an abortion and come home, returned. Then she recalled Lisa once saying, "There are all kinds of bad memories trapped in our minds that we can dredge up and entertain, if we choose to. But why?"
Trying to take Lisa's advice, to not dwell on the unpleasant, she abandoned that train of thought and directed herself to the bathroom where a warm bath awaited her.

Lisa was first to join Bernice in the nook. "Turkey sandwiches and tea OK?"
"Yeah, that sounds great, thanks a lot Bernie."
"Well now, tell me all about your trip." Since Christine had yet to join them, Lisa started by relaying the details of her young friend's background, the fact of her pregnancy, and an evaluation of her character. She also told Bernice of Christine's fervent desire to locate her father.
"We must do something to help that poor child," Bernice said compassionately. Lisa happily nodded her head in agreement.
Barefooted and stepping quickly, Christine finally came down the stairs. She was wearing the pink terry cloth robe and white cotton gown that Bernice had given her.
"Come. Come sit and have a sandwich," Bernice ordered, but in a benevolent tone of voice. The warmth of this greeting made Christine feel comfortable enough that she wasted no time devouring her sandwich.
"Here, have the other half of mine." Lisa pushed her plate over to the young girl. "After all, you are eating for two." Lisa and Bernice exchanged matronly smiles. Christine looked up, sent them an innocent girlish grin and continued to eat.
Bernice listened attentively as Lisa spoke. She gave her a day-by-day recap of events. When the part about Christine pulling off the road, saving their lives, came up, Bernice thought of her recent visionary experience with John. She stared introspectively into space as she listened to the story of the accident and the old Indian woman.
"Not a dull moment, huh? You said you wanted this trip to help you get your head straight and your mind off your problems. Sounds like you got your wish, dear." Bernice's words were followed by a motherly chuckle.
Her comment ignited a spark of truth within Lisa and she momentarily expressed it with a surprised look on her face. "I guess I did get what I asked for."
Bernice had not exposed her true feelings. Actually, she was terrified at the prospect of what could have happened to her friend and companion. "I know you two must be tired, so I should let you go to bed. We can talk more in the morning."
Bernice hugged Lisa goodnight and then approached Christine and granted her the same show of affection. Then Lisa and Christine hugged. It was the start of a happy ritual for the three of them.

That night, for the first time since early childhood, Christine knelt beside her bed with hands folded and said a prayer of thanks.

The aroma of fresh brewed coffee titillated Lisa's keen sense of smell. Still not fully awake, for a second, she thought she was home with Mama. She sat up in bed and, for a another minute, gave herself the gift of embracing a cherished memory.
Soon she was downstairs, sitting in the nook with Bernice. She immediately observed that Bernice was visibly disturbed over something. "What's the matter Bernie? You look like you lost your best friend."
"I hope not," she replied, with a twinge of stress in her voice. "I've been holding something back from you. Something I should have told you two weeks ago."
"Told me what?" Lisa asked curiously.
"I told you that Lieutenant Ben completed his investigation. What I didn't tell you was that we're not going to get the convalescent home."
"I don't know why, but I thought that might happen. Bernie, if this means you want to forget about the whole thing, I want you to know that I understand," Lisa said, expressing her infant wisdom. "It will still work out for the greater good of all concerned. Doc Summers taught me that and I'm beginning to believe it. And the more I believe it the more I seem to see and experience it."
Bernice brandished a relieved, yet tentative, smile. "I believe it too, dear."
"Out of curiosity, just what did Ben find out?"
Bernice's smile faded, to be replaced with a straight face. She proceeded to tell Lisa the results of the investigation, about her subsequent trip to New York and how she confronted her son.
"How could he do that to you, his own mother?"
"I don't excuse his actions but at the same time I don't blame him entirely. I could have been a better mother. God knows that I love my children. But I guess I didn't outwardly demonstrate it very much. I was too tied up in myself and absorbed in my frivolous social activities to spend quality time with my children. There was little communication of love between us when he was little; and I regret that. Why should it be any different now? Given the circumstances, he probably did what he thought was best.
"I also think this is why he doesn't pay lot of attention to me when I visit. And why he handled the convalescent home issue with such indifference." Bernice's sorrow showed in her eyes.
"You're being too hard on yourself, Bernie."
"I have been asking myself, why did it take me so long to figure this out?" Lisa started to offer an opinion, but Bernice cut her short.
"On the lighter side, I'm glad that we lost the home because it preserved the lives of a lot of people. And I will see to it that my son lives up to his commitment." Lisa smiled, acknowledging her friend's course of action.
Bernice continued to speak. "I'm not done yet, I've got more to tell you."
Lisa placed her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands. She looked across at her friend, with anticipation.
"Lisa, do you remember that couple on the ship that Ben thought may have stolen my necklace?"
"Yeah," she said with a puzzled look.
"Well, they got married and now own a real estate business. They helped Ben out with information pertaining to his investigation. And right now they're trying to find another place for us. And I have another idea, and I want to know what you think."
Lisa sat back and sipped her coffee, waiting to hear Bernice's next words.
"I got the idea when I was talking to you on the phone the other day. When I said, regarding Christine, that we would just have to start a little earlier than we anticipated, it struck me. Why don't I open up my house to the girls?"
Lisa shook her head. "You can't do that Bernie, this is your home."
"That's part of the point. When we get going on this project I am going to want to spend a lot of time on it. I don't necessarily want to commute and I definitely don't want to move. There's too much of John here."
Lisa experienced instant recall of her feelings about Mama's house and her discussion with Doc Summers on the subject of spiritual imprints. She decided to defer discussion on the matter and simply said. "I can understand that."
"This house is perfect, Lisa. We have seven extra bedrooms and they each have their own bathroom. John designed it that way. When he was growing up, his family only had one bathroom, and he had two older sisters who were always using it. When he was in the bathroom, they were always yelling at him to hurry up. So he insisted, when we built this home, that everybody would have their own bathroom.
"We could easily accommodate up to fifteen if we had to. And I have plenty of acreage to add on a few more little cottages later. The kitchen and dining rooms are certainly big enough. And with a few modifications, there will also be plenty of space for a recreation room."
Lisa opened her mouth in a halfhearted attempt to argue Bernice out of her generous proposal, but never got the first word out.
"Lisa, it's not just your dream anymore, it's mine too. I just thank God that I went on that cruise and that you stole my necklace. It has given me another chance at life."
"Oh, come on now," resounded Lisa in factious disbelief.
"I know you've heard this, but it bears repeating. When I boarded that ship last April I was a pretty miserable person. I was lonely. I really hadn't gotten over John's death. And I know now that I never will, for love does not die. I've been shown that he is alive in spirit. He came to comfort me the night he died. And the other day he came again, in a vision, as I lay half asleep on the veranda. I truly love him. Trouble is, I took him for granted. I believe that someday we will again be joined and I'll have another chance with him, too.
"A new sense of awareness was revealed to me one day while at sea on that cruise ship. I realized that I had to get on with my life, but I wasn't sure how. That was the day I met you. The day I awakened. The day my attitude changed from one of less selfishness to one of more selflessness. Do you remember?"
"How could I forget? That day was a turning point in my life too," replied Lisa in a voice that expressed her earnest feelings.
"I remember you were sitting in the back of the lounge with dark sun glasses on and your feet propped up on one of those little cocktail tables. I don't know what possessed me to go to you because I never approach strangers. It was a compelling urge, and you did remind me somewhat of my daughter.
"I don't recall exactly all that transpired during the course of our conversation. However, I do remember walking away with a very satisfied feeling. I thought I had helped you and I felt good about it. I remember thinking about it later in my stateroom. It occurred to me then, that my indifferent attitudes had previously prevented me from lending a true listening ear or helping hand. It had been my loss.
"My experience with you made me see that clearly. I allowed myself to be defenseless, vulnerable, to let my emotions go. I found that I had been going about the process of self-gratification the wrong way; my social life had always been infested with competition; I was constantly competing with my friends, and people I didn't even know, on matters of appearance, social stature and material things. I worked on charity committees and stuff like that but my heart really wasn't in it.
"In the quietness of my stateroom I pondered these things over and over in my mind. I remember feeling small and insignificant as I looked out the window at the endless sea. I tell you, honey, it was quite a revelation to admit to myself that social status and power, money, and material things had never really made me happy. That day with you was different in that I was genuinely delighted that I had helped someone.
"And then I had such a good time with Ben's wife, Louise. She would say funny things that would make me laugh and I, being totally out of character, in turn came up with antics that made us both laugh. She was down to earth, funny, and basically good-natured. I was comfortable just being around her.
"The climax of the trip was the blissful feeling I got inside when I was with you in that courtroom and the judge let you off with probation. It had been a long time since I experienced joy like that. Tears were coming from both of us."
With a contented look on her face, Bernice watched Lisa blot the moisture from her eyes with a napkin. "Yes indeed, that cruise was a turning point in both our lives. Lisa, I don't need this big house. And I won't leave because there are too many memories of John here that I still hold close to me. In my present state of awareness of what truth and fulfillment are to me now, the next best thing is to share it. I will gain as much from that as those who will be aided by staying here. Actually, I am grateful for the opportunity."
"Ohhh, Bernie, John would be, or should I say John is, proud of you. What more can I say? I'm speechless."
"That's a blessing," Bernice said dryly. Familiar laughter again rang through the big mansion. Then Lisa and Bernice began to eagerly discuss policy, house rules, and remodeling plans.
Their animated and sometimes rather loud conversation and intermittent laughter eventually penetrated Christine's slumber.
When she finally arrived in the breakfast nook, still sleepy-eyed and full of awe at her new surroundings, Bernice took over.
"How far along are you, dear?" she asked.
"About three months, I think."
"Have you been to a doctor?"
"No," replied Christine, after a long pause.
"Well, you're going to see one today. Prenatal care is an absolute must as far as I'm concerned."
Christine gave her hostess a stubborn glare and turned to Lisa for support.
"She's right, Christine and I think you know it. We've talked it over and want to make you a proposition."
Christine's face took on a frightened, suspicious look.
"We want you to contact your mother once more. You need to tell her that it's too late to have an abortion and that you are going to have your baby. You can tell her that you are being taken care of and have a place to stay.
"If she insists you return home we will re-evaluate the situation. If you haven't committed any crimes we will do everything possible to enable you to stay here. But it has to be within the law."
"I'm sure it'll be OK with my mother. She won't want me back in this condition. I'll call her this morning." Christine was confident and relieved.
"And there's one more thing. You have to take a home study course and then eventually take the GED test to get your high school diploma."
"I can agree to that, because I wanna do it anyway. I can't believe you're doing all this for me. I'll pay you back someday, I promise."
"I believe you will, my dear," said Bernice with a tender smile.