believed if they ever found one another, a wave of happiness would sweep over them and wash away the missing time. Now here they were together, and the only thing she could feel was the terrible ache of losing him all over again.
Ellen lifted Dewey’s hand from hers and stood. “You two haven’t seen one another in such a long time. Come and sit by your brother. You have a lot to talk about, and I really should help Claudia in the kitchen.”
Margaret sat next to Dewey, slid her arm through his, and leaned ever so lightly on his shoulder. If she only had this one evening with him, she was determined to make it something he could remember. Instead of asking what he remembered, she began to reminisce about the memorable moments she’d held on to.
“I loved that big old house in Barrettsville,” she began. “I remember how we used to sneak out to chase fireflies and that girl from across the street—Mary Ellen, I think her name was—the minute she saw you out there, she’d come running over. Oh my gosh, she had such a crush on you!”
As she spoke a soft chuff came from Dewey, and the corner of his lip curled ever so slightly.
Segueing into a tale of her life with Albert, she said sadly they’d never had children. “He was just starting out, and we were barely scraping by. Then we left Charleston and moved to Georgia. I didn’t know where you were, so I left word with Mrs. Mulroney at the boarding house. I said if you came by to give you my new address. I guess you didn’t come back to Charleston because…”
Dewey patted her hand. “She died.”
“Mrs. Mulroney died? When?”
He stayed quiet for several seconds. “Before the end.”
“She died before the end of the war?”
He nodded.
“That’s why you never got in touch with me.”
A short while later, Claudia called them to dinner. Margaret sat next to Dewey with Tom and Ellen directly across from them. The more they talked, the more Dewey remembered. It was mostly the early years in Coal Creek and Barrettsville. He remembered very little about his time in the army but could easily recall the Markeys’ barrel door and laughed when Margaret said she’d crawled through it a few days earlier.
“I scared Aunt Caldonia out of her wits when I pushed the inside flap open and came in.” She laughed as she described how the bowl of sausage gravy had splattered all over the room. “Aunt Caldonia’s the one who told me you’d become a doctor. She said someone you’d met in France helped you get started.”
Margaret noticed how Ellen never took her eyes off of Dewey. When he looked puzzled or bewildered, she’d jump in with some clue to jolt his memory. At the mention of the doctor in France, Dewey frowned in thought.
“Yes,” Ellen said, “it was Dr. Somme. He’s since passed on. Dewey was in the medical transport team at the Battle of Liege. When Robert was injured Dewey carried him back to the field hospital, which saved his life.” She smiled across at Dewey. “Sweetheart, you remember Robert, don’t you? You were working together when we met.”
He gave an obligatory nod.
There were times when Dewey would join in the conversation and laugh along with everyone else and other times when she could see he was lost in his own thoughts. Ellen helped him remember the later years, and Margaret helped him remember the early days. Making a choice not to upset him with the harder times, she stuck to the good things and the times worth remembering.
Shortly after ten, Ellen said she and Dewey had to be leaving. She hugged Margaret as if they were lifelong friends and pressed a folded notepaper into her palm.
“Here’s our telephone number and address. Come and spend the day with us tomorrow.”
“We’d love to, if you’re sure we won’t be an inconvenience.”
“Inconvenience?” Ellen laughed. “Why, it would be a blessing. Dewey and I have both enjoyed this evening more than you can possibly know.”
“Me too.” Margaret leaned in and brushed a kiss across her new sister-in-law’s cheek.
Before she and Tom left a few minutes later, Oliver thanked them for coming and said he hadn’t seen his dad this happy in months.
“If you can stay in the area until Saturday, Claudia and I would like to have a family cookout in the backyard.”
Margaret looked at Tom; when he nodded, she said they’d be delighted to come.