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“Because she hasn’t been back since Gramps died. His ashes are in the waterfall. As much as it holds a lot of good memories, I think some were hard. Plus, I think she thought she had more time. I know I did.”
I sighed. “Yeah. I get that.”
Beck was quiet for a while. “My grandfather proposed to my grandmother at the waterfall.Twice.”
“She said no the first time?”
He shook his head. “Nope. She accepted his proposal twice. Once when they were twenty-two, and the second time when they were sixty-two.”
“You mean he asked her to renew their vows?”
“I guess technically that’s what they did. Though Gramps thought he was proposing for the first time. Gramps had early-onset Alzheimer’s.”
“I knew he died from Alzheimer’s, but I didn’t realize he’d had it so young.”
Beck nodded. “He was only fifty-eight when he was diagnosed. By the time he was sixty-one, he was living in a facility because Gram couldn’t watch him twenty-four-seven like he’d needed. He would wander off and leave their apartment in the middle of the night when she was sleeping, or leave the stove on. Gram visited every day and took him out often. When the fortieth anniversary of the day he proposed arrived, Gram took him up to the falls again. He no longer remembered that she was his wife, but he still enjoyed her visits. He used to tell people at the nursing home that she was his girlfriend.” Beck stared off with a smile on his face. “Anyway, when she took him up to the falls, he told her he’d fallen in love with her. Then he got down on one knee and proposed.”
“Oh my God, Beck.” I held out my arms. “I have goosebumps. That is the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.”
He smiled. “I was only eleven or twelve at the time. But I remember Gram inviting all her friends and family up to the cabin the next day. She had a minister come, and the two of them got married in the gazebo in the yard. Gramps had no idea he was marrying his wife of forty years, but he didn’t stop smiling the entire day.” Beck chuckled. “I thought the whole thing was kind of strange at the time. Years later, I realized how special the day had been and how incredible their marriage really was. A man who didn’t remember his wife fell in love with her a second time.”
“Wow. That’s an unbelievable story. Though if anyone could make the same man fall in love with her twice, it would be Louise. She was very special.”
Beck nodded. “Yeah. She was.”
We arrived at the cabin a little while later. It was rustic and small, actually made of logs, which I hadn’t expected, but anything more would have felt out of place among the babbling brooks, tall trees, and lush surroundings. Beck said it had been a while since anyone had visited, which explained the shutter dangling from the house, two toppled rocking chairs on the porch, and a collection of vines starting to grow over the front door. The driveway was made of small pebbles, and it crunched beneath us as we pulled in and parked.
I took a deep breath of fresh air into my lungs. “It smells incredible up here.”
Beck looked around and nodded. “I forgot how off the grid this place is.”
Inside looked like something out of a movie. There were sheets over furniture and cobwebs growing from some of the tall beams. A giant stone fireplace took up almost an entire wall of the living room, and a ladder led to a second-floor loft.
“Guess it really has been a while,” Beck said. “Are you up for going to see the falls today, or would you rather rest and go tomorrow morning?”
“Let’s go today. Maybe we can take off the furniture coverings, wipe away the dust and cobwebs, and leave the windows open so it can air out while we’re gone.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Beck and I went to work. When we were done, we piled back in the car for the short drive to Watkins Glen State Park. It was a good hike from the parking lot to the waterfalls, but worth every step. I’d expected a waterfall, not waterfalls. Nineteen separate falls plunged through a breathtaking natural gorge. Stone steps wound their way to the bottom, and natural bridges connected different areas. It looked like something out of a fairytale.
“How you feeling? Do you want to stop for another rest?” Beck asked. He’d already insisted on two along the hiking trail to get here.
I wasn’t tired, but I checked my heart rate on my Apple watch anyway. “I’m good. We can keep going.”
Down at the bottom of the gorge, Beck pointed to a natural alcove. “There is where Gramps proposed the first time. The second time was up at the top. He couldn’t make it down anymore.”
“I see why this place is so special. It’s magical, Beck.”
He looked down at me and took my hand, weaving our fingers together. “It is. I’m glad we came.”
I squeezed his fingers. “I am too.”
“Come on.” He motioned with his head. “Let’s sit over there for a while.”
We sat side by side on top of a stone wall, watching the falls and pointing out all different things to each other—until Beck looked at his watch.
“We should probably start the hike back,” he said. “It’s going to get dark soon, and I have no idea how late that little store in town stays open. We need to pick up something to eat.”
