As they started out next morning, Sam offered to continue his history-geography lesson. Emma was receptive. "There wasn't much going on in Garrett County before 1880," Sam began. "Then, some men from Wheeling, West Virginia, started looking around for a place to start a Chautauqua. Do you know that term?"
"I think so. That's a big tent meeting where everybody gets together to hear lectures on religion and the arts and sciences?"
"That's pretty much it. The first gathering was in Chautauqua, New York, which is where the meetings got their name. Ours turned out to be one of the bigger ones, with a lot of permanent facilities - arenas and halls and theaters, as well as the big tents where families could live while at the gatherings. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad brought daily excursion trains all summer. When it was clear that our Chautauqua was going to be around for a while, a lot of hotels were built for families who wanted nicer accommodations than tents. Quite a few of the hotels are still standing, and are preserved in historical districts in the county.
"I'm not sure if your hotel - the Paradise - was built during the heyday, or if it was a little later. There were at least two generations of Paradises before your father and mother, so maybe it was an early one. That could probably be checked pretty easy in the town deed books.
"Anyway, the Chautauqua was quite a going concern until about 1920, then interest seemed to cool quite a bit - in Chautauquas in general, and people sought other kinds of vacation experiences. We still got quite a few summer visitors, and there was a lot of summer home building, but the dreams of a major, permanent tourist trade went awry. We got some big fancy train stations, but the trains quit coming, and we got parking meters, but not the tourist cars to 'feed' them. Garrett County settled back to just being a nice, quiet place to live, work, and raise a family. I didn't arrive until after all the hoopla, so I just know it as it is, today. I like it a lot."
From Sandusky, they had followed Interstates 80 and 76 for about three hours, past Cleveland, Akron, and Youngstown, until they crossed over into Pennsylvania at Pittsburgh. "Here we are, at your home town. Do you recognize anything?"
Emma just stared at him. "What do you mean, 'home town?' Don't I live in Garrett County, near you?"
It was Sam's turn to stare back at her. "I'm sorry, Em. I plumb forgot that you still don't remember much of this stuff. Yes, you have been a full-time resident of Garrett County for several years, but for most of your life, you were just a summer resident - you, your mother and brother coming to open the hotel at the start of the summer, then coming back to Pittsburgh in the fall. All of your early schooling was here.
"Your dad and mom didn't start coming to Garrett until they inherited the hotel. Your dad had a business, or was part of a business, here in Pittsburgh, and wasn't interested in moving and going into hotel management. As I understand it, your mom was the one who wanted to run the hotel, so your dad pretty much turned it over to her, and he only came to town occasionally, when he could get away. Of course, you lived with him all winter here in Pittsburgh.
"Even back before your dad died, the hotel wasn't doing much hotel business. Your mom kept it going with her cooking which, as you have so frequently bragged, was the best in the county. She had a large local clientele, because it put to shame fancy places like the Silver Pear. It was so good that people who knew about it would come and stay at the hotel for a few days, just for the food. Still, I doubt there were half a dozen rooms rented at one time, in all the years I've been here.
"When your dad died, your mother was able to realize some money by selling his share of the business here in Pittsburgh, but it wasn't enough to keep the hotel going for very long. When it had about run out, she found Lola Davidow. Lola didn't know anything about hotels - and I don't think she cared much - but she had some money to invest, and she loved to party and drink. You had to put up with the awful Ree-Jane, but the Davidow money did keep the hotel barely afloat for a few more years."
"Ree-Jane? That's Lola Davidow's daughter, right?"
"You remembered somebody else."
"I'm not sure I wanted to."
Sam laughed. "Yep, you do remember her. She was pretty awful. She was several years older than you - and she was kind of pretty in the conventional way - but she pictured herself as the belle of everybody's ball. She wasn't. She tried to make your life miserable, partly because you were a 'little kid,' but I think she was also pretty jealous."
"Jealous, of me? Why?"
"Because you were 100 times smarter than her, and also I think she realized that - even though you weren't even a teenager yet - you were on the way to being 100 times prettier than her, too."
"Me?"
Sam just smiled. "You. Say, we said we were going to take this remembering business slow. I've dumped a lot on you, all at once. Is that okay?"
"Yes, it's fine. Actually, I'd like a little more. You keep talking about Garrett County, but we must live someplace in particular within the county. Where is 'home' when we're at home?"
"Good point. Well, we're down in the southern part of the county. Spirit Lake, where the Hotel Paradise is located, is now - since the tourist boom ended, and the main road was rebuilt to bypass it - a sleepy little village about two miles from La Porte, where I live and have my office, and where Maud works at the Rainbow Cafe, Shirl's diner. I guess Maud's house is still within the La Porte city limits, but is on a lake just to the east of town. The lake is where the last of the county's rich folks have their fancy houses and motor boats. Maud's house - where you have been living during school months in recent years - is not large or fancy. Hers is on the poor side of the lake - kind of like living on the wrong side of the tracks. She likes it.
"La Porte is big enough - a couple thousand people - to have most of what local folks need. If they want more - like big department stores - Morgantown, West Virginia, is about an hour's drive west, and Cumberland, Maryland, is a similar distance east."
"Okay, I think I get the general picture."
They stopped for lunch at one of the fast food places before they left Pittsburgh, then continued their drive south. There weren't too many high hills or deep hollows, but the terrain had definitely become hilly, with a mix of farm fields and woods. Emma had started dozing soon after leaving Pittsburgh, and was fast asleep when Sam pulled off the main highway into a shady little community. He pulled the truck into a parking area in front of a large, obviously deserted building, and turned off the engine. Emma stirred, and looked around.
"Just taking a little breather," Sam explained. "Want to get out, and stretch your legs?"
She did. They both climbed out of the truck, and stood looking over an expanse of rough meadowland to a lake beyond.
"Pretty nice spot," Sam observed. Emma nodded in agreement, but was still too groggy to focus too much on the view. She stretched, then turned to look at the building behind them. She let out a little shriek, then started to cry.
"Sam, it's still here! They didn't tear it down!"
Sam walked over, and put his arm around her. "No, they didn't. They meant to - they were all ready to - but the reason they were in a hurry was so they could sell building lots in the meadow. They haven't had one taker on the lots, so as it costs about as much to tear something down as it does to build something, they've just abandoned the project for the time being."
"Could we go inside? I know it isn't ours, anymore."
"Well, I put the 'no trespassing' sign on the door, and I have a key, so I don't see why not." He unlocked the door, and they went inside.
All the furniture and fixtures were gone, of course, and it was just one big bare room that they entered. Even so, Emma could remember it as "home." It was a nice feeling, in her still shaky world between her two identities.
"It feels good, Sam. Thanks for stopping. What will happen to it, now?"
"Good question. As I said, I don't think the new owners will put out the money to tear it down, until they have some buyers for the lots. I don't see that happening in the near future. They could try to sell the property to somebody else, but anybody who might buy it would have the same aspirations. I don't see anything changing for a while. We'll keep a close watch to make sure the building isn't vandalized, or taken over by squatters. If it should start to seriously deteriorate, or if the owners failed to pay the property taxes, then the county might step in. But, as I say..."
Emma asked if they had time for her to walk down toward the lake. "I won't go far. I'd just like to feel it, again." Sam waited by the truck, while she wandered across the meadow toward the lake. She stopped when she could just see the outline of the old Devereau house on the far side, almost obscured in the trees now. The sun was in the wrong place to give good light on the house, but she still realized she was squinting, maybe hoping to see The Girl there on the lake edge, again. She was surprised to have her thoughts go so quickly to The Girl. That was a long time ago. She didn't mention those thoughts to Sam, when she returned to the truck.
Sam drove into La Porte on the two miles of original road - road that Emma had walked many, many times in the past. In La Porte, Sam pointed out the Rainbow Cafe, the courthouse and sheriff's office, and a few other places that Emma remembered. He didn't stop, but went on through town to the lake, beyond. He parked by a modest house on the lakeshore. Maud met them halfway to the door.
"Dear god, Emma!" she exclaimed as she took her into her arms. "You're a grown woman, and even more beautiful than when you left. I can't believe how good it is to hold on to you, again!"
Emma returned the hug, with feeling. "Hi, Maud. It is good to be home. For a long, long time, I wasn't sure I'd ever find 'home,' again."
Maud turned her loose, and stood looking at her. Maud and Sam hadn't even glanced at one another, yet. Emma took the initiative. "Maud, we obviously have a lot to talk about, but suddenly I'm nearly asleep on my feet. I think I want to lay down for about two hours."
Emma hoped her words had the emphasis she wanted to convey. Apparently, they did. "Your old room is ready. Go lie down, and we'll see you in two hours."
Emma gave her another hug, hugged Sam, then disappeared into her bedroom. Maud turned to the one remaining in the room with her. "Hello, Sheriff DeGheyn. It's nice to see you."
They shared a long, deep kiss as they stood in the living room together. When they finished, Maud reached for Sam's hand, and turned toward the bedroom. "Come on."
Sam hesitated. "Maud..."
"Dammit, Sam, come on. I'm not kidding, and I'm not taking 'no' for an answer."
Reluctantly, Sam went with her into the bedroom. They sat on the edge of her bed. "Maud, I'm still married..."
"Shut up a minute, and let me talk, because this is the only time I intend to. First, you are not married. Your name is on a piece of paper, but there's another name there, too, and she hasn't given a damn about that paper in ten years. She's been screwing everybody in town but you, and not making a secret of it. People who don't like you, and probably a bunch of people who are just mean-spirited, think you deserve it, or should be man enough to do something about it. Others feel sorry for you, but a lot of them think that you and I have been screwing for the last ten years, so things are kind of even in their minds.
"So, the consensus is that either I'm stupid to wait around for you, or we're not waiting around, and I'm getting all the loving I want. Unfortunately, I'm not getting all the loving I want. I'm not getting anything, but some vague promise that in the future you can - both legally, and in your own mind - get out of this sham marriage. I'm tired of it.
"When we first started getting interested in one another, I respected your moral stance on your marriage. I loved that you were so committed to your commitment. That respect is long gone, when I think about what she has done to you, and what your 'commitment' has done to us. For years, I have lusted for you in my heart - also more pertinent parts of my body. I can't believe that you don't have the same feelings."
"Maud..."
"No, not yet. I'm almost finished. Maybe your current legal attempt to get your marriage ended by her abandonment of you will work. If it doesn't, and we're still together, I demand that you file for a regular divorce. You can cite her infidelity and abandonment, or you can blame it on us. Either way, it's going to take some time for the legal process. I'm not waiting. I don't think you're married. God doesn't think you're married. The town doesn't think you're married. Even if somebody did, so what? This is all your show. You're the only one holding things up.
"Emma very nicely gave us two hours to get to know one another, again. We've used up about half that time. If you love me - and want me - as much as I want you, then we're both going to be in this bed fairly quickly. If you can't handle it, you should leave now, and let us both get on with our separate lives."
The look on his face showed both his desire and his torment. "Maud, I do want you..."
"Sam, do you want me to get undressed?" He nodded, but not entirely happily. "Do you want to help?" He did, and then she helped him. They stayed under the covers most of the next hour.
"I feel very good," Maud said, later. "I think you do, too. I'm probably going to spoil the mood, but I need to say one more thing, so let me, please. I know that I forced you into this situation. I'm not sorry I did. We had to move one direction or the other, forward or backward. We couldn't keep on in this almost ten-year limbo.
"I hope this isn't the start and the end in one afternoon of a new relationship. I don't want a short story; I want an epic novel. But if after we get out of this bed, you feel any remorse or regret, then I think we really need to end our long-term beautiful friendship. You're either married just to me, or we're on our own. I wouldn't mind having my name and yours on a marriage license - and maybe a nice ring to go with the license - but it'll be a while before that can happen, and I don't really need documents and rings. I just need you, fully committed to me. So, give it some thought, and let me know."
When they got back out to the living room, they found Emma on the couch, reading a book. Well, really, just turning the pages of a book, as she waited for them to reappear.
"I see you decided to take a nap, too," she said.
Maud giggled, as she plopped down on the couch. "Well, it was kind of a noisy nap, I suspect."
"Well, what I heard sounded very nice. I can remember wondering when I was 12 years old, what was going on with you two. You fought an awful lot. I don't think you've been fighting this afternoon."
"Maybe still a little bit," said Maud. Sam didn't say anything.
***
Afternoon had turned to evening while they were taking their naps. Maud made up a meal of cold cuts and salad, then they spent a little while reminiscing. Emma told Maud a little more about her life as "Andi," but all three were pretty talked out and tired out. Sam had been planning to go home, but changed his mind, and they all retired early.
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