Feathers in the Wind

FEATHERS IN THE WIND

Lynn Case

Copyright © 2017 by Lynn Case.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2017900891

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-5245-7746-9

                Softcover        978-1-5245-7745-2

                eBook             978-1-5245-7744-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 01/20/2017

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Contents

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2

3

4

5

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8

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For: My Grandfather, Emil

Thank you for everything in my life.

Special Thanks to:

My wonderful editing team of Mary Lasater,

Candace Salazar and Sherlyn Doege

for their honest feedback, support and editing.

Very Special Thanks to

Saviles Photography and to Joey of San Jose

for makeup and wardrobe.

1

Catherine sat back her chair in the emergency room waiting area of Saint Joseph’s Hospital. It had been more than two hours since she had rushed here with SJ, her husband of more than seventeen years.

They were just enjoying a wonderful dinner together on the candle lit patio when he started to feel ill. Taking deeper breath, not able to catch it, then he began sweating, a few moments later he was grabbing his chest in pain and laying on the tiled patio floor. While she quickly dialed for help. As she followed the instructions she was being given over the phone by emergency, she didn’t see the shadowy figure behind the hedge slip quickly out of sight.

Always by his side, SJ was the love of her life. He was twenty-five years her senior, but love knows no age. They had met when he came to her university to give a seminar for her economics class. It was love at first sight for SJ, Sebastian Joel Worthington II. Catherine had been assigned to be his escort around the campus for the day, just one of her duties on the student council.

He was taken with her almost as soon as their eyes met. SJ reached out to shake her hand and seemed to never let it go the rest of the day. At least it seemed that way to Catherine. He attached himself to her as much as he could, not letting her out of his sight for more than a few minutes at a time. He insisted that she allow him to take her to lunch and had convinced her to let him take her to dinner that evening as well.

Now Catherine sits staring out the window at the front garden area of the hospital from the third floor window. Papers from the hospital counselor still in her hand. She just sat watching her young life pass before her eyes. Her life seemed to have begun from the time she met SJ as she couldn’t seem to remember much about her life before that.

SJ was a financial genius, at least that’s what all his business partners called him. He always knew when it was the right time to buy or sell stocks, real estate or just about anything. He was sort of a fortune teller of finance. SJ was quite well off even before he came into his own. His family had a long history of financial luck. He was a child of old wealth, but when you met him you wouldn’t know it. SJ was a kind hearted down to earth humble soul, never acted or dressed to impress. He drove himself around in an old classic car. Not some fancy import from another country as most people of his social circle. SJ loved to fly fish and smoke a pipe at their summer cabin in Wyoming, Worthington Station he named it.

SJ had built the cabin on two hundred acres of lush pastures in northwest Wyoming. He used to escape there when he was married to his first wife, Lauren Rappaport of the paper mill Rappaport family. She was old money, and the marriage was a deal arranged by their parents to bring together a company merger that their fathers organized.

They agreed to marry but with certain personal arrangements. They would play the happy couple in the public and family eye, but go their separate ways the rest of the time. Lauren would religiously go to Paris in the fall, Spain in the summer and Monaco sporadically throughout the year. She always said it was to visit a dear college friend.

SJ had his cabin built on, what he considered to be, a small piece of land he had purchased through a real estate deal with a cattle company nearby. He built his rustic log cabin as his own personal retreat. He said Lauren never wanted to come there. She would rather spend her time in the city with her friends.

A nurse stopped by and tapped her on the shoulder. Can I get you anything? She asked Catherine.

"No thanks, not right now. Thank you. Catherine replied never taking her gaze from the window.

The nurse turned and walked back to her station with the other nurses. They seemed to be talking about her. Then just went their separate ways. There were other patients to tend to.

Catherine continued her gaze out the window. She was remembering the time after her and SJ married they took his three children, he had with Lauren, out to the cabin for a summer vacation. They were all young then. Maribeth was the oldest at fourteen. Then there were the twins Teresa Tessa and Sebastian Joel Joel the III, they were five at the time. Maribeth was a sweet girl even coming into her young teens she was very grown up and look at the world through the same glasses as her father. Tessa and Joel were different. They were always into trouble of some sort or another.

That trip was the first trip she had taken with them as a family and the twins made it clear that they did not like her. At least Maribeth was willing to give her a chance to be in their lives. Tessa and Joel always had some evil trick in their evil little child minds. Whether it was putting tacks in her boots or worms in her hats and coat pockets, all child stuff. All in all she learned to deal with the twins always watching her back when they were around.

A nurse came by and placed a cup of tea on the table in front of her and waited a moment, then walked away. Catherine still continued to stare out the window.

"What am I supposed to do now?" She asked herself as a tear ran down her check. "What am I supposed to do now with SJ gone?"

The hospital administrator walked up next to her and took a seat across the small table form her in front of the large window.

Catherine? He said softly as he placed his hand on top of hers that was resting in her lap. I will take care of everything. You won’t have to worry about anything. He assured her in a gentle voice. The administrator of the hospital was Paul Gillespie, a long time close friend of SJ’s from his college days.

Thank you, Paul. Was all she could say as she continued staring out of the hospital window.

Catherine? Paul asked. Are you alright? Would you like me to take you home so you can get some rest? Do you want me to notify the kids for you? Just let me know what I can do.

Catherine finally broke her stare from the window and looked at Paul, the tall thin well-dressed gentleman at her side. He had dark hair like SJ but grayling at the temples. So distinguished looking for a man of his age. He had a well-trimmed mustache with specks of gray as well. "Just like SJ" she thought to herself. Tears began to fill her eyes the more she looked at Paul. The more she looked at Paul the more of the reality of SJ passing became real.

Paul stood up and picked her up in his arms to hold her tight to comfort her. Just as he did this, the water fall of emotions began to drain from her eyes. It just hit her, there would be no more romantic cuddles on the beach, no more, quiet dark candle lit dinners on the patio. No more would she be able to snuggle up to him on cold winters night. No more would she see his smile at the breakfast table. No more would she make love to him and feel him inside her.

It was all too much for Catherine to take in for one day.

The next thing Catherine knew she was opening her eyes as she was lying on her sofa in her own living room. She was covered in a throw blanket, a pillow under her head and a glass of white wine on the coffee table next to her. She looked around for a moment not quite sure if it was all a dream, or a horrid nasty nightmare.

Catherine sat up and tried to clear the fog from her head. She reached out and picked up the glass of wine and took a small sip. Placing the glass back down on the table she got up and began to fold the blanket, leaving it on the sofa. Just then she heard a noise coming from the kitchen.

"Maybe it was all just a nightmare?" She told herself as she quickly made her way through the formal dining room to the kitchen. There, standing near the coffee pot, was Paul. He apparently was trying to figure out how it worked.

Realizing that it wasn’t SJ in the kitchen after all, the momentary excitement escaped from her face and her heart seemed to drop once again. The whole thing was reality and not just a nightmare as she had momentarily hoped deep in her heart. So that’s how I got home. Catherine said leaning against the entrance way looking at him.

Paul turned and smiled Thought I would make some coffee, but I can’t figure out how you work this crazy contraption you have here. He said flipping various switches up and down.

Catherine walked over to it and plugged it in to the wall. The coffee pot came alive and started making a gurgling sound.

Oh. Paul replied and smiled childishly.

When did I get home? She asked him as she opened the cabinet above the coffee pot and removed two cups.

Just a few hours ago. He said as he moved out of her way as she opened the cabinet for the cups. I placed you on the sofa and covered you up. I was going to be a gentleman and take you all the way upstairs to your room and lay you down in your bed, but my back isn’t what it used to be. He said with a laugh.

That’s alright the sofa is actually quite comfortable. Catherine replied, removing the glass coffee pot and quickly placing her cup in the path of the fresh brewed coffee.

Paul just looked at her funny. Can’t wait huh?

Nope, need caffeine now. She said laughing. Then removed her now full cup and quickly placed the glass coffee pot back in it place. She handed it to Paul as she reached for the other cup for herself.

No, that’s okay I can wait. He said with a laugh.

Catherine removed the caramel coffee creamer from the fridge and poured some in her cup. Then held up the cream for Paul as if asking if she wanted some. He shook his head no with a grimace on his face.

Catherine walked over to the breakfast counter and took a seat at one of the bar stools and took a sip of her sweet caramel coffee. Ahhh, blood of life. She said

Paul Catherine said in a serious voice. Tell me I was just having a night mare. Tell me SJ wasn’t taken from me so soon? she said in a begging tone of voice. "Tell me he’s just in the other room sleeping.

Paul turned away from the coffee pot and looked at her. He stared at her with a solemn look on his face. Catherine to could see it wasn’t a nightmare and that SJ was really gone. He didn’t need to answer her, she already deep in her heart knew it was real.

Catherine turned and looked out onto the patio. There was the patio table, still set with dishes and food from last night. Candles had burnt themselves out. There was a bird helping itself to the food that was left on their plates. It was all too real now. SJ was gone, really gone. "Now what was she to do? She asked herself as she held her face in her hands.

I guess the first thing I should do is call Maribeth and let her know. Then call George Putnam, SJ’s lawyer to see where and how he wanted to be buried. Catherine said to Paul then she began to cry again.

Funeral arrangements needed to be made. She knew that of course one day she might have to make these types of arrangements. It was only natural since SJ was so much older than herself. Catherine never thought she would have to be taking care of funeral arrangements so soon. She never thought that far ahead. Catherine figured they had plenty of years together before she needed to even begin thinking about that.

I can make the calls if you want? Paul piped in, knowing the dislike between SJ’s family and Catherine.

Thanks Paul, but I need to do this. Catherine told him as she reached for the house phone sitting on the kitchen counter.

She dialed Maribeth’s number and got her voicemail. Catherine didn’t want to leave a message telling her that her father had just passed away, she tried to leave an urgent but unalarming message for her to contact her immediately. Then she dialed Tessa’s cell knowing she would never take her call. SJ always called from his personal cell. That number she always picked up, but the house number she would always just let go to voicemail. She left a message for her to call her as soon as possible as she had urgent message regarding her father. Next on the list was Joel, SJ’s only son and twin brother to Tessa. Of course, she only got his voicemail as well. So once again she left a message to call her back immediately.

Catherine sat there looking at the phone in her hand. She took a deep breath and called George Putnam. The phone rang once, twice and a third time before someone picked up.

George Putnam’s office, how may I direct your call? Said the polite female voice on the other end of the line.

George Putnam please. Catherine replied clearing her throat choking back a tear.

"I’m sorry, he’s with a client at the moment. May I take your name and number and have him call you back as soon as he is free? The women replied.

Actually, this is rather urgent. Catherine said can you please interrupt him for a moment.

Can I tell him who is calling? Said the women.

Catherine Worthington Catherine told her. Not a moment later George picked up the phone.

Catherine what’s wrong? George asked.

2

The long line of black limousines stretched around the long circle driveway and part of the way down the street. The house was filled with family, friends, business partners and acquaintances. There seemed to be hundreds there at the funeral to pay their respects to SJ. Most of them seemed to be roaming around her home she shared with SJ for most of their married life.

Catherine felt disconnected, lost in a fog of well-wishers. Maribeth was right by her side most of the day. Tessa and Joel roaming around talking with this person and that person. A little too happy at they’re father funeral. Maribeth was almost in as bad a shape a Catherine. Together they were able to hold each other together.

Catherine’s lifelong closest and dearest friends we there on hand to help with coordinating the reception and keeping people away from her when she would have a weak moment or was beginning to feel overwhelmed by it all. Allison, Lillian and Gabrielle were her real friends. The four had been almost inseparable since their college days. Even though they lived far apart, they were only a phone call away at any time. She had met them in college and had been close ever since. Through all the trials and turbulent events of each of their lives.

Catherine seemed to have a well-balanced and happy life with SJ. The girls didn’t approve of him at first. They thought he was way too old for her and that she should date guys more her own age. Over the years, they had come to love and trust him just as Catherine had.

Catherine had held herself away in SJ’s home office for most of the day as the guests roamed around the house. She just wanted the day to be over with. The services were beautiful but long. The graveside service was long and very depressing.

The family was required to sit in the front row, of course, right next to the coffin. Maribeth to her right then Tessa and Joel. Right behind her sat Allison, Lillian and Gabrielle. They needed to stay close by and be her emotional support system.

Catherine seemed to be holding it together until the minister began to lower the coffin into its final resting place. The thought of SJ laying in that dark walnut, gold trimmed coffin, she couldn’t take it anymore. She began to cry hysterically. Maribeth and Allison had to carry her away to the car before all the rest of the guest had left grave site.

They got her settled down once they were in the back of the limo and began the long drive home. Back to her home she shared with SJ. Which was now empty, except for servants, but empty none the less.

The limo had pulled into the driveway and they all exited as Allison opened the front door for them. Catherine made her way to SJ’s office and took a seat at his desk. She inhaled the smell of his pipe that was soaked into the wood of the desk, the walls and the bookcases of books. "It smelled of him." She thought to herself. Never again would she smell his scent. Run her fingers through his graying hair or feel him inside her. Catherine laid her head down on his desk and began the weep softly.

Gabrielle poured her a drink from the bar in the office that he kept for business meeting, then placed it in her hand. Here, drink this. It will make you feel better. She said taking a seat on the dark brown leather sofa in the office next to Lillian.

Come on Catherine Allison told her. This time Gabrielle is actually right. Take a drink.

Hey! Gabrielle replied jokingly offended by that remark. What do you mean, this time? She said.

The girls are right Catherine. Lillian chimed in from where she was sitting