Eddie and
smiled. "It's my job to find out all the facts, but I assure you I
keep an open mind."
"That's good to know." Eddie looked pleased
at her response. "Let's take a seat shall we?"
Ian held out a chair for Aubrey. The gentle
breeze brought the scent of the ocean air and dispersed the
fragrance of the flowers from the Greenes' potted plants situated
in the corners of the patio. Aubrey sipped her lemonade and sat
back, eager to hear the Greenes' story.
"I met Eddie the summer of 1962 at Muskingum
College in Ohio," Mrs. Greene told them.
"We both had joined the choir," Eddie added.
"The moment I walked in the door and saw Peggy, I knew she was the
girl for me."
"And was it love at first sight for you,
too?" Aubrey asked Peggy.
Her chuckle gave way to a smile. "Good
heavens, no."
Her response surprised Aubrey.
"She loves to tell people how she didn't
care for me the first time we met," Eddie said, and reached for his
wife's hand. He lifted it to his lips with a quick kiss. "But it
didn't take long for her to fall for my charms."
"No, it didn't," she agreed then looked at
Aubrey. "He had the voice of an angel and persistence of the
devil."
Aubrey couldn't help but smile at her
description of Eddie.
"He made excuses for us to practice the duet
we were supposed to sing at the concert, and each night he would
insist on taking me out to dinner." She looked at Eddie with
affection. "He claimed he had low blood sugar. He needed to eat and
didn't want to sit at a restaurant alone. After the second night, I
knew he was only trying to get me alone. But by then I didn't care.
We hit it off right away and I looked forward to our chats."
"I'm quite the charmer." Eddie puffed out
his chest and his wife nudged him with her elbow and chuckled.
"He can be at times," she agreed.
The story was a lovely one, but Aubrey
wondered what Mr. O'Grady's magic box had to do with any of it. She
took a sip of her lemonade and placed the glass down on the marble
tabletop. She glanced at Ian who mouthed to her, "Be patient.
There's more." He obviously sensed her skepticism of the Greenes'
story being anything but fanciful.
It was Eddie's turn to tell the story. "I
wanted to marry Peggy, and would have too, if circumstances hadn't
intervened. My parents couldn't afford my college tuition anymore
and my part-time job wasn't cutting it. I was going into the
service—drafted. I would ship out before the next semester
started."
"We promised to write," Peggy said. "And we
did for a while, but then his letters stopped."
Eddie looked solemn then. His lips pressed
together in a fine line and his eyebrows furrowed in thought. "I
was in a bad place back then. I couldn't tell her about what I saw,
what horrors…" His voice choked and didn't go on.
Eddie was drafted in 1962 and that would
mean the Vietnam War. Aubrey could only imagine what he'd gone
through and remained silent as he collected his thoughts to
continue his tale.
Peggy patted her husband's hand for
encouragement. His lips curved, giving her a glimpse of a smile. He
cleared his throat and took a generous swallow of his drink before
continuing. "I stopped writing letters to Peggy. I thought it was
for the best. I wanted her to be happy and I knew I wasn't the man
to make it happen."
"I wish I had known the reasons," Peggy
said. "I believed he'd lost interest in me…in us. I grieved the
loss, but with time a young heart mends. Even though I never forgot
Eddie, I moved on. I met a man, married, and had a wonderful
family. My Samuel was a good man, but he passed away five years
ago." She shook her head. "It's difficult to believe it's been that
long."
This time it was Eddie who offered the
comfort.
Peggy inhaled deeply and let out a breath
before she continued. "Two years ago, I decided to take a vacation.
You know, finally get out of the house. I always wanted to see
California. It was the first time I had traveled by myself. I was
so scared, but also determined to be independent."
smiled. "It's my job to find out all the facts, but I assure you I
keep an open mind."
"That's good to know." Eddie looked pleased
at her response. "Let's take a seat shall we?"
Ian held out a chair for Aubrey. The gentle
breeze brought the scent of the ocean air and dispersed the
fragrance of the flowers from the Greenes' potted plants situated
in the corners of the patio. Aubrey sipped her lemonade and sat
back, eager to hear the Greenes' story.
"I met Eddie the summer of 1962 at Muskingum
College in Ohio," Mrs. Greene told them.
"We both had joined the choir," Eddie added.
"The moment I walked in the door and saw Peggy, I knew she was the
girl for me."
"And was it love at first sight for you,
too?" Aubrey asked Peggy.
Her chuckle gave way to a smile. "Good
heavens, no."
Her response surprised Aubrey.
"She loves to tell people how she didn't
care for me the first time we met," Eddie said, and reached for his
wife's hand. He lifted it to his lips with a quick kiss. "But it
didn't take long for her to fall for my charms."
"No, it didn't," she agreed then looked at
Aubrey. "He had the voice of an angel and persistence of the
devil."
Aubrey couldn't help but smile at her
description of Eddie.
"He made excuses for us to practice the duet
we were supposed to sing at the concert, and each night he would
insist on taking me out to dinner." She looked at Eddie with
affection. "He claimed he had low blood sugar. He needed to eat and
didn't want to sit at a restaurant alone. After the second night, I
knew he was only trying to get me alone. But by then I didn't care.
We hit it off right away and I looked forward to our chats."
"I'm quite the charmer." Eddie puffed out
his chest and his wife nudged him with her elbow and chuckled.
"He can be at times," she agreed.
The story was a lovely one, but Aubrey
wondered what Mr. O'Grady's magic box had to do with any of it. She
took a sip of her lemonade and placed the glass down on the marble
tabletop. She glanced at Ian who mouthed to her, "Be patient.
There's more." He obviously sensed her skepticism of the Greenes'
story being anything but fanciful.
It was Eddie's turn to tell the story. "I
wanted to marry Peggy, and would have too, if circumstances hadn't
intervened. My parents couldn't afford my college tuition anymore
and my part-time job wasn't cutting it. I was going into the
service—drafted. I would ship out before the next semester
started."
"We promised to write," Peggy said. "And we
did for a while, but then his letters stopped."
Eddie looked solemn then. His lips pressed
together in a fine line and his eyebrows furrowed in thought. "I
was in a bad place back then. I couldn't tell her about what I saw,
what horrors…" His voice choked and didn't go on.
Eddie was drafted in 1962 and that would
mean the Vietnam War. Aubrey could only imagine what he'd gone
through and remained silent as he collected his thoughts to
continue his tale.
Peggy patted her husband's hand for
encouragement. His lips curved, giving her a glimpse of a smile. He
cleared his throat and took a generous swallow of his drink before
continuing. "I stopped writing letters to Peggy. I thought it was
for the best. I wanted her to be happy and I knew I wasn't the man
to make it happen."
"I wish I had known the reasons," Peggy
said. "I believed he'd lost interest in me…in us. I grieved the
loss, but with time a young heart mends. Even though I never forgot
Eddie, I moved on. I met a man, married, and had a wonderful
family. My Samuel was a good man, but he passed away five years
ago." She shook her head. "It's difficult to believe it's been that
long."
This time it was Eddie who offered the
comfort.
Peggy inhaled deeply and let out a breath
before she continued. "Two years ago, I decided to take a vacation.
You know, finally get out of the house. I always wanted to see
California. It was the first time I had traveled by myself. I was
so scared, but also determined to be independent."
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