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25
Peggy
AUGUST 1946
I couldn’t stop smiling as I unpacked my belongings in one of Mrs. Barnett’s spare bedrooms on Monday. The room was pretty and feminine with pink rosebuds on the wallpaper, ruffled organza curtains on the windows, and white chenille spreads on the twin beds. I kept thinking that I must be dreaming. If I was, I hoped I never woke up. I decided to wait before telling Pop and Donna where I was living, afraid they would spoil my happiness by accusing me of pestering Mr. and Mrs. Barnett. I simply wanted to enjoy my new job and my new home for a little while before thinking too far into the future. I hadn’t even slept one night in this room, but I already felt like I had a real home, with people who cared about me.
The only dark cloud in my sunny new world was my concern for Jimmy. His empty bedroom down the hall was a continual reminder that he was lost to us. Sometimes I thought it might have been easier for his mother and father if he had died in the war instead of losing him to this living death. But I refused to give up hope that he would recover.
On my first evening with the Barnetts, I was sitting in the living room with them, listening to Jack Benny on the radio, when the telephone rang. Mr. Barnett went to answer it, and I figured one of his animal patients might need him—and me. He was smiling when he returned. “It’s for you, Peggy. Paul Dixon asked to speak with you, but it has nothing to do with Blue Fence Farms.”
“H-how did he know I was here?”
“I told him earlier today,” Mr. Barnett said with a wink.
I had been laughing at Jack Benny’s jokes a moment ago, but my mood sobered quickly. What must he think of me? How could I ever tell him how sorry I was? I picked up the receiver and started stammering my apology, but he wouldn’t let me finish.
“It’s okay, Peggy. I’m calling to let you know that I understand. I’m not mad.”
“Then can we go on our picnic tomorrow night after we both finish work so I can tell you the whole story?” I was making a date with him! I couldn’t believe I was being so bold. But if Barbara Symanski could take a bold step, then so could I.
“I would like that,” Paul replied. “In fact, our picnic lunch is still in my refrigerator.”
The Barnetts could probably hear my sigh of relief all the way in the living room. “Good. I’ll pick you up at six, just like we’d planned.” My hands were shaking when I hung up the phone. But I was happy. Nervous, but happy.
Nothing got in the way of our picnic this time. We drove up into the mountains and I parked my car near the trailhead, then led Paul and Buster down a short path to a spot that I loved, overlooking Lake Minnewaska. I spread the picnic blanket Mrs. Barnett had loaned me on a huge, flat boulder and we sat down to eat. The summer evening was perfect, the lake as still as glass below us, the warm air scented with pine. Paul opened a brown paper sack. “I bought sandwiches and potato salad at the deli in town. Dill pickles, too. I hope that’s okay.”
“It’s perfect.”
He apologized for forgetting paper plates, but I just smiled as we dug into the same container of potato salad with our forks. Buster lay between us, his head resting on Paul’s knee.
“Your dog is very friendly, isn’t he?”
“He’s hoping you’ll feed him if he cozies up to you. He already knows that I won’t share my dinner with him.” I took a long drink from my bottle of soda and swallowed. I couldn’t delay my apology any longer. “Listen, Paul. I need to tell you why I broke our date.”
“You don’t owe me an explanation, Peggy.”
“Well, I still want to tell you because it’s a good story with a happy ending. And it might help you understand me a little better. But I need to start at the beginning, so here goes.” I drew a deep breath as if about to dive into the cool lake. “Mr. Barnett’s son, Jimmy, is my oldest friend. He’s never been my boyfriend or anything like that, more like a big brother. The apartment where I grew up is across the street from the clinic, and it was Jimmy’s idea to try to save Buster after he got hit by a car. His father didn’t think Buster would live, but... Anyway, I’m getting off track. Jimmy came home from the war with battle fatigue. He’s in the veterans’ hospital after he tried to kill himself.”
“I heard about Mr. Barnett’s son from the farm manager. It’s a real shame.”
“The only day we can visit him is on Sunday. That’s why I go running off right after church instead of taking time to visit with you properly.”
“I understand.”
“So... the guy who drove me to the farm on his motorcycle the day Tyche was born is one of Jimmy’s Army buddies. Joe has battle fatigue too, but he helped me contact Jimmy’s friends to try to figure out what happened to make him so depressed, and Joe became my friend, too. He had broken up with his girlfriend back home in Ohio, and I wanted to help him, so I snooped in his bag one day and found his girlfriend’s address. I called her, and she hopped on a Greyhound bus and rode all the way from Ohio to tell Joe that she still loves him. I had to pick her up at the bus station as a surprise for Joe at the same time that we were supposed to have our picnic. But the story has a happy ending because they got back together and went home to Ohio to work things out.”
I felt like I had been rambling but Paul was grinning when I finished. “That is a great story. You have a good heart, Peggy. That’s why Persephone and Tyche trust you. Horses are very good judges of character, you know.”
“Thank you for giving our picnic another chance and—” He burst into laughter, interrupting me. “What’s so funny?”
“I like you, Peggy. And I’m not the kind of guy who gives up when there’s something I really want. I would have asked you out a second time. And probably a third, if you made excuses. And if that motorcycle guy had been your boyfriend, he would have been in for a fight.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This was too good to be true. Once again, I was afraid that I was dreaming, and I didn’t want to wake up. I stared at Paul, my mouth hanging open in surprise. He laughed again. “So what are some other things we can do around here when we aren’t working?”
“Um... do you like to walk in the woods? There are hiking trails and carriage roads that go up to Mohonk Mountain House. It’s a beautiful, famous hotel that has had lots of famous guests. It’s much too expensive for anybody I know to stay there, but there are miles of trails on the Mohonk Preserve. We could go up to the ice caves or Awosting Falls or Sam’s Point or Gertie’s Nose.”
“You’re making up those names.”
