Margaret was taken aback by that description of their life. “Yes, that tornado was scary for sure. It sounded like a train coming across the mountain, tore trees from the ground, and carried away Mama’s favorite rocking chair.”
Jolyn nodded. “That’s the same way Dad described it. He said after the tornado killed his daddy and destroyed the house, the family broke apart with each of the kids going to stay with a distant relative, neighbor, or friend; wherever there was room. That’s when Dad came here. He sometimes sounded sad talking about how everyone was separated. I don’t think he ever really got over that part of it, and I couldn’t help but wonder if there was something more to the story.”
Margaret paused. “He never spoke about Pennsylvania?”
Jolyn shook her head. “Dad never lived in Pennsylvania, at least not to my knowledge.”
A light clicked on in Margaret’s head. She realized Oliver had kept the secret after all. If that was what he wanted his daughter to believe, she would not say differently.
Giving a lighthearted laugh, she said, “It was something our daddy used to joke about. He worked there for a while and was always saying if we kids didn’t behave ourselves, he’d bring us to Pennsylvania and leave us there.” She saw the confusion on Tom’s face and ignored it. Instead, she asked about Lois, Oliver’s wife.
“I lost both parents that same year. When Dad died, Mama gave up on living.” Jolyn absently brushed back a strand of hair that had fallen onto her forehead. “We begged her to come and live with us, but she wouldn’t do it. Mama loved their old house the same as she loved Dad and couldn’t stand to be separated from either of them. The doctor said it was pneumonia, but we knew better.” She gave a sad smile. “Mama used to say, ‘Marry a man like your daddy, and you’ll never regret it.’ She certainly never regretted marrying Dad.”
“Your mother sounds like a wonderful woman,” Margaret said.
“She was. Both my parents were. I was truly blessed to have a mom and dad like those two, and they were blessed to have each other.”
As the two women sat sharing stories of the past, Jolyn suggested she bring out her photo albums.
“I’ve a thousand pictures of Mom and Dad,” she said, “and I really think you’d enjoy seeing them.”
“I certainly would,” Margaret replied.
“I’ll leave you ladies to enjoy yourselves,” Walter said. “I’d like to show Tom the workshop I built in the basement.”
Jolyn laughed. “Don’t be fooled by the term workshop. Walter has his radio down there and spends more time listening to ballgames than working.”
“Guilty as charged,” Walter said with a laugh as they disappeared down the stairs.
After the children went to bed, Margaret and Jolyn sat side by side on the sofa poring over albums filled with pictures capturing the happy moments of their life. Oliver and Lois on their wedding day; the house they’d lived in for over 40 years; Lois, young and pregnant; Oliver holding an infant to his shoulder, his smile brighter than any Margaret could ever remember. As they went from one album to the next she saw Oliver age and Lois grow plumper, but the happiness on their faces never changed. On their 25th anniversary they’d celebrated with a wedding cake and a room full of friends, a very pregnant Jolyn and a young Walter whose hair had not yet thinned standing by their side. Several times Margaret had to brush back tears, but they were tears of happiness. After they finished going through the albums, Jolyn handed Margaret a stack of photos.
“These are some extra copies. I thought you might want to have them.”
It was after midnight when they said their goodbyes and left. Once the house was gone from view, Margaret turned to Tom. “Sad as I am to know Oliver’s gone, I’m glad to know he had a happy life.”
Tom stopped for a red light. “A very happy life, according to his daughter.”
She nodded. “What Oliver told her about his coming to Wheeling right after the tornado wasn’t true. We did leave home not long after the storm, but we were all still together when we moved to Pennsylvania and we stayed there for two years. Daddy wasn’t killed by the tornado. He wasn’t even there when it happened.”
“I suspected as much. It was nice that you didn’t say anything.”
Margaret hesitated a few moments before she spoke again.