ARROW - 227. Chapter 227

I had a project for Carl. Something was missing on the knoll.

Laying in bed reading James’s book, “I Marcel”, I thought about the paintings he wanted to enrich the book. I started to chuckle thinking of Marcel with his baton, a wooden spoon. He not only used it to cook but also to slap some fingers when the cooks would try and sample something without using the proper sampling spoon. As I was chuckling, Colin came to bed. Climbing in next to me,” I really feel tired tonight.”

He looked tired, I put my arm around him, a kiss and he was asleep. Laying next to him I realized we had been together for a long time. Forty years we have been together. Whenever I get in one of these moods, I always hear that rocking chair.

In the morning, Colin was still sleeping. I got up, showered, and dressed for the day. Charles and David were in the kitchen. David was telling Charles about his classes and a girl in his class.

I looked at David, and he blushed. “Tell us about this young lady.”

“There’s not much to tell. She wants to be a history teacher,”

“Where did you meet her?”

“In the library. I hadn’t noticed her in my classes. One of my friends said I was too intent on the lessons to notice anyone. I noticed him because he sat next to me and was always borrowing something.”

“You will have to invite her to the club.”

“Dad, I haven’t even spoken to her except the one time in the library.”

“Ask her if she would go out with you and then take her to the club. That is where Pop took me on our first date.”

I saw Charles smile, “Behave Charles.”

“Where’s Roger? Did anyone call him for breakfast?”

I headed to his room, knocking before I opened the door. What I saw hit me hard, Roger had a smile on his face but his face was drained of any color. Checking for pulse, there was none. Roger was now with Arnaud and Jean.

I was crying as I left his room. I met Colin coming out of our room when I was leaving Roger’s room. He noticed my tears, “What’s wrong?”

“Roger has left us.”

Colin went to check and then he made a phone call. 20 minutes later the coroner arrived with two police officers. While they were there, I went to the garden on our roof. There I cried, remembering Arnaud and Jean. Now Roger was with them.

I sat there for a long time when Colin came and said Roger left.

Colin sat with me, “I’m losing all of my friends. I’m afraid I’ll lose you.”

“I’ll be here, you needn’t worry about that. I still have a lot of work to do.”

With the sound of the rocking chair, I fell asleep with my head on Colin’s shoulder.

The boys stopped by the house that evening. They knew of all of my friends, Roger was the closest. He was my teacher and friend for more than 25 years, Carl also missed him as he was an important person in his life as well.

I hadn’t seen Carl for several days. Colin said he was working on a project for the knoll.

When the coroner released Roger, he was placed in his room at the knoll. Carl had painted an angel on his door.

I visited him every day. Sitting in a chair, I would talk to him. I talked about the times we would argue when I was his student, I talked about the various times we spent in Paris, and the time we were in Greece. He was alive for me as I spoke about these past events. I laughed, I smiled and I cried.

I don’t know how long I would sit there but Colin always came to get me and take me home.

Time is a great healer and GG helped by showing me Roger with Arnaud and Jean. I knew they were happy and that helped me to adjust to their loss.

Two weeks later, Colin wanted to show me the trailer park.

He had bought more land, expanded the park from 8 trailers to 10 trailers, and added a parking lot.

At the front were two of the old trailers, repainted and with a new roof. The first of these two trailers was an office equipped with a library. The second trailer was equipped with washers and dryers, a laundry.

The old area had 6 new trailers and the new area had 4 new units plus parking spaces.

“I want to show you the interior of these new trailers.” We walked to the last trailer on our left. Walking up the steps to a wooden porch, we entered into a kitchen. It was equipped with an electric range and refrigerator, A pass-through from the kitchen to the living room existed over the kitchen sink.

The living room was a large space with an electric log-burning fireplace. Walking down the hall toward the end of the home, on our left were two small. Bedrooms, a bathroom ending in a master bedroom. A cross from the bathroom was a back door to the outside.

“What do you think?”

“I like it. Do you want to move here?”

“No, but there are two people from the Home who are moving here.”

“Who?”

“Let’s say the fourth floor has two extra apartments.”