you couldn’t be with the one you loved to love the one you were with. Maybe not such bad advice for Harriet.
Love was a bit like those old choose-your-own-adventure books Catherine’s kids had enjoyed growing up. One choice took you down one road, another choice took you in a different direction. Remember that, she advised herself. Rudy was a lovely adventure for the moment. She didn’t have to feel badly that this adventure was bound to end. She’d get through chemo and radiation and then she’d choose another adventure, take an enrichment class at her local community college, learn to line dance. Surely her story wasn’t over yet.
“It’s so green,” Athena said to her father as the bus wended its way up a mountain road past pines, beech and elm.
“It makes me think of the Cascades,” Denise said to her. “Let me tell you, there’s no place like Washington.”
“Never seen much of it,” said Rudy.
“You’ll have to come visit,” Denise said. “We could show you around,” she added, and Catherine wanted to kick her. She was only making things harder.
“I’d like that,” he said.
“Me, too,” said Athena, and Denise rolled her eyes.
Yes, the guard dog. But after talking to her, Catherine understood. Athena was dedicated and loyal, and hopefully, whatever lucky woman her father wound up with would appreciate that and understand that father and daughter came as a set.
They finally reached their destination, which was nothing more than a few houses in the middle of nowhere camped around a huge tourist trap. But it was a pretty tourist trap, a large Alpine lodge that, on one level, offered an entire floor of cuckoo clocks and other souvenirs for purchase. The lower level held restrooms and a sort of cafeteria, which was where the visitors would see a Black Forest cherry cake being assembled and then have an opportunity to enjoy a slice.
First it was time to watch a demonstration on how cuckoo clocks were put together. Catherine wasn’t as interested in that as she was checking out the clocks for sale, and she eventually wandered off, leaving Athena and Rudy to listen.
The shopping area offered clocks of every imaginable size and price range. Catherine was almost overwhelmed by the selection. Many were styled to look like chalets, with figurines in traditional German garb coming out from inside the clock and circling the miniature balcony to go back in again. Some clocks were carved to represent sawmills, some to look like barns. But the one Catherine fell in love with was a simple, dark wood clock, embellished with carved leaves and birds, with heavy pine cone pendulums, a simple little cuckoo coming out of a tiny door to count the hours.
“I love this one,” she said to Denise, who had joined her.
“Sweet and simple.” Denise checked the price tag. “Not a bad price, either.”
“Do you ship to America?” Catherine asked the salesman.
“Oh, yes,” he assured her.
“Then I’ll take it,” she decided. Every time that little cuckoo popped out she’d remember this trip.
Rudy and Athena joined them. “Did you find something you like?” he asked Catherine.
“I did,” she replied.
“I wonder if you’ll like it as well as the clock I bought for you,” Rudy said.
“Oh, no,” Catherine began, horrified at the thought of him making such a large purchase.
“You’ll want this one,” Athena said. “He bought me one, too.”
The minute Rudy produced the little gift bag, Catherine knew what would be in it. Sure enough, it was another charm—a sterling-silver cuckoo clock with tiny, swinging pendulums. How could she refuse, especially when Athena herself was on board with her father’s gesture?
“Thank you,” she said. “It’s very kind of you.” Even though his daughter had warmed to her, Catherine still felt like a bit of a gold digger and decided she needed to curb the man’s generosity. “But you really don’t need to,” she added.
“I know. I want to.”
“Let’s make this the last one, then,” she said.
Silly thing to say. This was their last stop. The next day they would be disembarking and the magical adventure would be over. Catherine’s smile suddenly tasted bitter. Tonight he’ll talk about seeing you in the future. Tonight you have to tell him what your future holds.
* * *
After seeing the clocks, it was on to the cafeteria where the cake demonstration would be held. Sophie’s mouth was already watering as the group of friends settled at a long table near the stage up front where a thin, swarthy man wearing an apron and chef’s toque