ATOP Chapter Eleven

The last evening before the wedding was a glorious one. The sun was sinking low in the sky, spreading purply-orange rays across the horizon. It seemed as if every bird in Jefferson was gathered in the Stewarts' yard to sing and a lovely chorus of joyful sound was the result thereof. Most of the women were still at the house, finishing up last-minute preparations involving potato salad and coleslaw and lemonade and most of the men had mysteriously vanished... very likely doing something that would make Mac mad. That seemed to be their specialty these days. They thought it great fun to rile him, apparently. 

Ronnie was the only one, in fact, who had not disappeared, and everyone else being busy, Katie had wandered out to confide in him.

"My last night as Kathryn Stewart," she sighed as she watched Ronnie start the fire. "It's kinda... well... yes. I'm sad. Sad-glad, sorta. It's a strange feeling." She sat down on a haybale with a long, drawn-out sigh. "I'm... leaving home forever, Ronnie."

He didn't answer for a moment, focused on carefully stacking the logs. A few minutes more of silence and a merry blaze was dancing in the twilight. Sitting back on his heels, he regarded the fire with a look of satisfaction and then turned to Katie with a grin.

"Gonna miss you round here, little sis. Don't know how we'll all get along without our little songbird."

"Aw, don't make it harder," Katie ducked her head to wipe away a tear. "I've looked forward to tomorrow for so long and now that I'm standing on the threshold, the thought of leaving here is almost more than I can bear. It is... hard... to close a chapter, Ronnie..."

"Don't I know it." Ronnie sighed, moving to sit beside her. "I've closed a few myself."

"Crazy, isn't it," Katie murmured, staring into the flames. "Time moves so fast. And before y'know it, it's time to move on... go ahead to something new and leave something else behind... I'm almost... afraid of it. Life's just rushing on forward... like a river current... it's so big and I am so small... and I have no choice but to be swept along with it... and looking at the big picture... everything seems so short, so insignificant, so... so temporary... it feels like... like being forgotten..."

"Mmm..." was as much of an answer as she got and so she stopped talking. For a long, long time it seemed that they sat there in silence. 

"It only takes a spark," Ronnie added softly.

"Huh?"

"Just a spark. And... look how it starts a raging fire..." he nodded at the campfire. "Just one little spark, and see what a difference it makes."

"What do you mean?"

"That's how our lives are," he smiled thoughtfully. "They do seem short, don't they. And temporary, and insignificant. But... each one of us... we're like a spark. And our lives make more of an effect than we think we do. Ripples, too." he laughed. "That's another image. Cause and effect, right? Everything we do, every little action, every word we say... it means something... to somebody. And is remembered by somebody. And makes a difference in somebody's life. So don't you ever think you're just rushing along in obscurity, little sis, you have more of an impact than you think you do. It's never for nothing, y'know?"

"Never for nothing," Katie smiled back and reached to squeeze his hand. 

"You've given us so much, Katie-girl. All your smiles and sunshine and music and sweet little ways... Guess I never really said it, did I, how much you mean to me... And I'm gonna miss you. We all will. But the blessings you've given us... they stay. Forever and always. And life just wouldn't be the same without you and the memories of you in it. So... thank you... for being a perfect little sister."

"You're making it harder," Katie laughed, choking back a sob as she threw her arms around her brother. "I should be saying all this to you, though, 'stead of the other way 'round... thank you... for being a perfect big brother. And you promise me, right now, that you and Rachel and Benjie will come out to see me as soon as possible, kay?"

"I promise," Ronnie grinned, hugging her back. "And hey... just for tonight... let's not think about tomorrow, eh? Let's just be like old times and be happy and have tons of fun. And we'd better get in the mood fast, cuz here comes the Cavalry, and on the run."

♡♡♡

"I have a legitimate question," Josh spoke contemplatively as he slid another marshmallow on his roasting stick. "What is the max amount of marshmallows a man can eat before he explodes?"

"Let's see..." Mac frowned, counting on his fingers. "How many marshmallows did I eat, Lintie?"

"Fifteen, give or take," she giggled. 

"There's your answer, Torpedo," Mac groaned. "I'd say fifteen is the max amount then, cuz if I have one more, I will explode!" Holding his stomach dramatically, he got up from the straw bale he had been sharing with Katie and flung himself headlong on the grass.

"Now he's done it," Ronnie shook his head. "We'll have to cancel the wedding. It's a pity too... what'll we do with the cake?"

"Oh, stow it." Mac rolled over on his back. "I'm fine, tell them, Lintie."

"He's fine," Katie repeated obediently. "I... think."

"Notice all the stars up there?" Mac added dreamily. "Beautiful, isn't it? Betcha I could find all the constellations... I know there's one up there who's supposed to be the most beautiful woman in the world, right? Yup, there it is. Princess Katie."

"Silly." Katie grinned, flopping down on the grass beside him and resting her head on his shoulder. "There aren't any constellations called 'Princess Katie'. The one you're talking about is the princess Andromeda."

"Phooey on Andromeda."

"Y'know what this reminds me of?" Josh said absently, resting his chin comfortably in his hands as his forgotten marshmallow burned slowly away to a crisp. "All those campfires we had over in Africa, 'member Cat?"

"If you remind me too much, you'll get coffee in the face again," Mac called from the grass.

"Sounds like you have more stories to tell," Emma grinned, standing and stretching. "And speaking of stories, it's a good night for spooky ones..." her voice grew soft. "The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees, the moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas. The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor..."

"Enough with the Shakespeare or I'll toss you in the pond," Josh hollered in protest. "We need some good American stories, eh Mac? You got any?"

Mac didn't answer. He was staring up at Emma, something flickering in the back of his memory. He could barely see her... just a silhouette against the firelight... but something about seeing her standing there... what was it? He shook his head, trying to clear it. There was something back there... whatever it was, it must explain why she had always seemed so familiar...

Emma moved closer, looking down at her sister disapprovingly.

"Katie, you're gonna ruin your hair down there, you'll get it all full of grass and ticks... and you getting married tomorrow!" she shook her head. 

"Oh, it doesn't matter," Katie answered lazily, making no move to get up. "Mac'll save me from the ticks, won't he?"

"Wait a second..." Mac frowned, starting halfway up, so abruptly that Katie's head rolled off his shoulder and hit the ground. She pulled herself up, rubbing the side of her face ruefully, and prepared to scold Mac... but he was staring at Emma in shock. 

"I get it." Mac went on, realization dawning on his face. "I remember... Emma... your voice... you... you..."

"I what?" Emma grinned, sinking down on an empty straw bale. 

"You... prayed for me..." Mac murmured in awe. "I remember..."

"I did?" Emma asked, bewildered. "I mean... what are you talking about?"

"I'll never forget it," Mac fell back on the grass, staring up at the sky. "When they took off my leg. I remembered the nurse... who held my hand and prayed for me... Her prayers were the last thing I heard when I passed out... I remember... seeing her face fade into blackness... and hearing her prayers still..."

"I think... I remember too..." Emma leaned forward, her eyes wide. "There were so many soldiers... and they kept coming and coming and coming... and then that night... they brought Scout..."

"Lucky for me," Josh interrupted, laughing.

"Yup. Lucky for all of us," Emma laughed back. "But I remember, I do! The surgery... and how... afraid you were..." her voice dropped. "I was afraid too. All day I was afraid... the entire time I was there, I was afraid. It was so awful, so awful..." she hid her face in her hands. "I remember but I don't want to remember."

"Then just remember this..." Mac grinned. "That I'm grateful... more than I can say... as I'm sure everyone you helped is... and... God bless you for it." he chuckled. "Looks like I found the perfect family, eh, Lintie?"

"Meant to be."

Katie's adamant answer earned a smile from Mac and he leaned forward to kiss her. But she scooted out of his reach so fast it nearly made his head spin.

"Oh no, mister, you're not getting any of that, not till tomorrow after the wedding."

"What?" Mac cried indignantly. "Y'mean I never get to kiss Katie Stewart again?"

"Never," Katie declared emphatically, scrambling up to shelter behind Emma. "Next person you'll be kissing is Mrs. Scott."

"You're asking for it," Mac laughed, but he never got a chance to do anything more, for a flying cannonball side-swiped him. Or perhaps it would be better termed a flying torpedo.

"Grand finale!" Josh whooped, jumping on Mac with such force that the both of them lost their balance and toppled into the pond with a grand splash. Benjie, sitting on his Daddy's knee, shrieked with laughter and clapped his hands, crying for "More, more!".

"More, you are not getting," Rachel laughed back, leaning forward to sweep him into an impulsive cuddle. "It is time for my little schatzi to go to bed, think of the long day we shall have tomorrow!"