Evergreen by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 16

After a few weeks, Tom was back in the woods felling pines. The tree that had previously unleashed its life-threatening horde had been patched and a wedge he had cut out from its side had been glued back in place with a heavy layer of tar, leaving the bees imprisoned inside. One might think that his teetering stroll near the doorway of death would have left him with crippling fear, unable to return to the woods. But, his experience brought to him an acknowledgment of the need to live his life. He didn’t find religion. Instead, he discovered himself and even though he was back at the routine of life, life had become anything but routine. He had realized the value of waking up every morning and seeing the sky, of feeling the breeze kissing his face, of hearing the uniqueness of his daughter’s voice. It seemed that as soon as he opened his eyes and looked out from his hospital bed, the entire world had changed - at least, his world.

As time wore on, Tom felt the need to repay a personal debt. Christine had willingly stepped up and looked after Katie almost as soon as his accident occurred. She had taken her in, drove her back and forth to the hospital and been there to give her a hug and a shoulder to cry on. But how does one even begin to repay such compassion? Perhaps an act of kindness should be rewarded with an act of kindness, without being overstated. He decided to offer his gratitude in the form of dinner. But there were several issues. The first, of course, was that most lumbering towns lacked the kinds of restaurants found in other areas of Maine and Evergreen was no exception. But every town needs a restaurant. It may not be something one would find in Portland, but in Evergreen, anyplace one could go out for a meal was called a restaurant. However, Tom wanted this to be a special event, without the need for a suit and tie. But he wanted very much for Christine to realize how grateful he was for everything she’d done. But there was something else. If she accepted, the word ‘date’ would be applicable and dating was something Tom hadn’t done since Janet was killed, roughly ten years back and as far as he knew, Christine had always been alone. But how would he approach her? Over the years, he seemed to have lost his confidence where the fairer sex was concerned. There was certainly no lack of opportunity. His appearance in the mill, during his recovery, had turned the head of every woman he encountered. He had become keenly aware of it but wasn’t sure how to handle it. In fact, it made him feel somewhat self-conscious. Yet by now, he had come to a place where he felt it was time to make amends with his grief. To keep his memories but leave his pain relegated to the past.

Shortly after returning to work, Tom was called back to the company truck. It was always parked at the end of the dirt road that entered from the highway. He answered over his radio, inquiring as to why he was needed. “You got a visitor,” a voice replied.

“Be right there,” he said.

He didn’t like to be disrupted while he was working. Distractions can be dangerous when cutting down trees and putting his chainsaw down and started back to the truck.

“This better be good,” he grumbled to himself.

But as he neared the tree line, he noticed the Sheriff’s blazer parked behind the company truck. His first thought was that something had happened to Katie and his sudden panic quickly led him to run out of the tree line and up to the blazer. Christine, already knowing how Tom might react to her unannounced presence, quickly assured him that everything was fine.

“Tom, Katie’s fine, okay?”

Tom breathed a sigh of relief but was immediately confused by her visit.

“I just wanted to see how you are doing,” she began. Christine tried to maintain her professionalism but broke eye contact several times during the conversation. “Last time I saw you, you weren’t looking so good. You had us kinda’ worried for a while.”

“Yeah,” he began. “The last thing I remember was waking up in the hospital. So, I guess I was a bit concerned too.” An uncomfortable pause passed between them as each momentarily struggled for words.

“Look,” Tom continued. “Sheriff, I want to thank you for what you did for Katie. For looking out for her.” His nervousness was obvious, as he also broke eye contact several times.

“It’s okay Tom,” Christine replied. “I’m glad to help out.” Tom’s response was a bit clumsy but immediate. “Actually, I want to thank you personally. How about dinner?”

Tom put a hand up guardedly.

“Just... dinner.”

He didn’t want Christine to feel obligated or awkward, and he certainly didn’t want her to feel that he had an agenda.

There was a brief moment of eye contact, accompanied by a profound silence as an internal message was transmitted. Christine had not been on a date in years and like Tom, her social skills were more than a bit rusty. But throughout Tom’s brush with the hereafter, she had come to realize something. She had become attracted to him.

“Oh,” she began. “You don’t have to do that.” Rumors travel fast in any small town. But for some reason, they seemed to spread faster in Evergreen - especially, when people are bored. The last thing Christine wanted for her career was controversy. She believed that even a simple date could undermine the respect she’d earned from the town. However, she also needed a life and it occurred to her that the job shouldn’t stand in the way of developing a personal life. She felt she was too old to have children. Or maybe, she felt that her career would keep her from a committed family life. But she had spent too much time alone, and she was at a place in her life where she knew it was time for a change.

She glanced around uncomfortably as she felt her face flush. Everyone else in the field was hard at work, so there were no staring eyes or curious ears nearby. “Sheriff,” Tom replied. “Christine after everything, you’ve done -- bringing Katie down to the hospital, checking in on us every once in a while and taking Katie in for a few days. Let me do this for you. Just dinner. What do you say?”

Christine let out a deep sigh. In her mind, she had already said yes, but on another level, she didn’t want to seem too excited at the opportunity to spend time with Tom. She genuinely cared but didn’t want it to become a public event. Having a personal life meant keeping it personal. “Well,” she answered. “Let me think about it a bit. Is that okay?”

Tom nodded his head, trying to hide his disappointment. “Oh, yeah. Sure,” he answered. “Take as long as you want.”

Another awkward pause passed between them. Over time, Tom had lost his touch when it came to reading behavior, but that moment spoke volumes, and he quickly realized that Christine was, indeed, attracted to him. She may not say yes to his offer, but at least she gave off the right signal.