as she’d done so many times in the past, huddling in the crook of perfectly placed branches.
The tears were warm where they tracked down her cheeks and for a moment or two she concentrated on the warmth and the comfort that came from the tree. In her mind she heard the oak sending her a message but in her distraught state it took a moment to tune in. And then it was clear. It wasn’t in words but the gist of it resonated inside her and she knew she was right about Fehin and that her parents were wrong.
“Airy!”
Airy reluctantly climbed down when she heard her grandmother’s lilting call. She didn’t know what to expect now that her grandparents knew about Fehin’s father and every other horrible detail of the past. If she lost their support too she wasn’t sure how she would manage.
At the house she climbed the steps slowly and then shed her soaked shoes and jacket before opening the door. But instead of stern faces, her grandparents and Fehin were sitting together at the breakfast table calmly talking.
“Come have breakfast, darling,” her grandmother invited, pointing to the empty chair beside hers. ”Fehin’s been filling us in on his history. And it’s really quite fascinating. He’s a special boy, this friend of yours.”
When Airy’s gaze met Fehin’s she breathed a sigh of relief and sank into her chair.
Once the rest of the family arrived the day turned into a blur of joyful greetings, wet dogs tracking in mud, snowball fights and snowman building, followed by a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. When it was time for dinner the younger generation trooped in, shedding wet gloves, hats, boots and coats in a pile at the front door. They found seats at the long trestle-style table, all of them red-faced from the cold.
Fehin got along well with Airy’s relatives, fitting in as though he’d known them his entire life. Airy watched in fascination as he conversed with them on subjects she didn’t know he knew anything about. His knowledge of building, growing vegetables and animal husbandry were the most surprising.
He’d be the perfect person to be stranded with on a desert island, she thought, her mind going to the television shows like Survivor and The Bachelor she’d watched since arriving at the college in Milltown. The student union had a wide-screened one of these devices and some nights were devoted to the student’s favorite shows. Airy had picked up a lot of slang from watching, as well as some swear words that she tried hard not to use.
A stab of pure happiness went through her as she gazed around at her cousins. With four sets of aunts and uncles the children ranged in age from six to twenty-two years old. The only people missing were her parents, making her wonder why they weren’t here. It would have been the perfect time for them to see everyone. And then she thought about the phone conversation and had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. They didn’t trust her. She’d never thought she would have such negative feelings about her parents. Right now she didn’t care if she ever saw them again.
19
Something woke him—a sound or a smell or maybe the dream that drifted away as he opened his eyes. Airy had been in it as well as Wolf, but the only thing that remained was a deep foreboding about the future.
He heard a soft knock on the door and then Airy’s whispered, “Fehin, are you awake?”
He jumped out of bed and hurried to the door, registering how cold the wood was beneath his feet and how warm he’d been under his down comforter. When he opened it Airy was standing there shivering in her thin nightgown, her eyes wide and frightened. “Can I come in?”
He nodded and then closed the door after her. “What time is it?”
“I think about five. I had a terrible dream.”
“Climb in here,” Fehin said, holding the covers back. “It’s warmer.”
Airy moved in beside him and pulled the covers over her bent knees. “I’m scared,” she said.
Fehin
The tears were warm where they tracked down her cheeks and for a moment or two she concentrated on the warmth and the comfort that came from the tree. In her mind she heard the oak sending her a message but in her distraught state it took a moment to tune in. And then it was clear. It wasn’t in words but the gist of it resonated inside her and she knew she was right about Fehin and that her parents were wrong.
“Airy!”
Airy reluctantly climbed down when she heard her grandmother’s lilting call. She didn’t know what to expect now that her grandparents knew about Fehin’s father and every other horrible detail of the past. If she lost their support too she wasn’t sure how she would manage.
At the house she climbed the steps slowly and then shed her soaked shoes and jacket before opening the door. But instead of stern faces, her grandparents and Fehin were sitting together at the breakfast table calmly talking.
“Come have breakfast, darling,” her grandmother invited, pointing to the empty chair beside hers. ”Fehin’s been filling us in on his history. And it’s really quite fascinating. He’s a special boy, this friend of yours.”
When Airy’s gaze met Fehin’s she breathed a sigh of relief and sank into her chair.
Once the rest of the family arrived the day turned into a blur of joyful greetings, wet dogs tracking in mud, snowball fights and snowman building, followed by a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. When it was time for dinner the younger generation trooped in, shedding wet gloves, hats, boots and coats in a pile at the front door. They found seats at the long trestle-style table, all of them red-faced from the cold.
Fehin got along well with Airy’s relatives, fitting in as though he’d known them his entire life. Airy watched in fascination as he conversed with them on subjects she didn’t know he knew anything about. His knowledge of building, growing vegetables and animal husbandry were the most surprising.
He’d be the perfect person to be stranded with on a desert island, she thought, her mind going to the television shows like Survivor and The Bachelor she’d watched since arriving at the college in Milltown. The student union had a wide-screened one of these devices and some nights were devoted to the student’s favorite shows. Airy had picked up a lot of slang from watching, as well as some swear words that she tried hard not to use.
A stab of pure happiness went through her as she gazed around at her cousins. With four sets of aunts and uncles the children ranged in age from six to twenty-two years old. The only people missing were her parents, making her wonder why they weren’t here. It would have been the perfect time for them to see everyone. And then she thought about the phone conversation and had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. They didn’t trust her. She’d never thought she would have such negative feelings about her parents. Right now she didn’t care if she ever saw them again.
19
Something woke him—a sound or a smell or maybe the dream that drifted away as he opened his eyes. Airy had been in it as well as Wolf, but the only thing that remained was a deep foreboding about the future.
He heard a soft knock on the door and then Airy’s whispered, “Fehin, are you awake?”
He jumped out of bed and hurried to the door, registering how cold the wood was beneath his feet and how warm he’d been under his down comforter. When he opened it Airy was standing there shivering in her thin nightgown, her eyes wide and frightened. “Can I come in?”
He nodded and then closed the door after her. “What time is it?”
“I think about five. I had a terrible dream.”
“Climb in here,” Fehin said, holding the covers back. “It’s warmer.”
Airy moved in beside him and pulled the covers over her bent knees. “I’m scared,” she said.
Fehin
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