Elizabeth Ely

CHAPTER ONE begins . . .

 

It was mid-September and the leaves had begun to

turn. A few had already fallen to the ground. Looking

up, all thirty-two-year-old Leanne Porter could see

was a mosaic of gold, red, and stubborn chlorophyll green.

Ever since she had been a little girl, she had loved autumn

and welcomed the falling leaves that formed a crunchy

carpet through which to shuffle. There was something so

restful about meandering along, allowing the best clumps

of leaves to be her guide.

 

But as she grew up, Leanne felt a little guilty for the

childhood pleasure she’d kept into adulthood. How was it

right to look forward to the end of life for all those leaves?

Why did she feel joy after they had died?

 

Then she realized, it wasn’t joy that she felt, but peace.

Life was not ending. It was simply carrying on, albeit in

mortal cycles.

 

Since that realization, Leanne had allowed herself to

fully enjoy the seasons, trying not to think too hard about

what each passing one meant. She may not have been as

time limited as a leaf, but each year lived was still another

year gone.

 

She had lost her parents some years earlier, a few years

apart. There was nothing like that to drive home the point

that all life was too leaf-like.

 

And while she had been close to them both, Leanne

had always been more of a loner. She’d felt isolated from

those around her, as if everyone knew some grand secret

they were keeping from her.

 

While she wasn’t exactly awkward or ill-equipped to

deal with people, doing so never felt the most natural to

her. Given the choice, she usually preferred to be by herself.

Sometimes that meant the company of books or TV,

and other times, a thoughtful shuffle through the leaves

as her mind wandered along with her feet.

 

Understanding her daughter’s big need for privacy and

solitude, her mother, Maggie, had once suggested Leanne

keep a diary. That way, she’d still have an outlet to express

her deepest, innermost thoughts. But after a month or so

of near-daily entries, the diary was cast aside.

 

“It’s too much like work,” Leanne had said at the time.

Having to try to remember the high or low points at the

end of each day began to feel like a chore. So what if years

down the road it might be fun to read what she did or felt

in the past? She’d resent writing it down now.

 

But Leanne definitely liked to analyze all her feelings.

That became yet another way she felt disconnected from

other people who seemed content to let things lie without

so much questioning. Perhaps she was wrong in ascribing

that to strangers, but it was how her insides looked to her

compared to other people’s outsides.

 

And as for documenting the interior view of herself

with that diary? Her inward analysis concluded it was like

stopping an enjoyable moment to take a photograph, instead

of just living it. She discovered she’d rather remember

something than capture it. But in trying to be fair and

honest with herself, and always doing a complete analysis

whenever possible, she did allow for one contributing

factor for her diary distaste—laziness.

 

And today, that attribute had led Leanne to set aside

work for the day. One of the big advantages of working

from home was that she could determine her own hours.

As long as she got her clients’ bookkeeping done, they

didn’t much care whether she did it at noon or midnight.

Leanne liked the balance that seemed to give her. No two

days ever had exactly the same schedule, even if the work

itself was on the repetitive side.

 

When she woke that morning, the world outside had

beckoned. The first big leaf drop of the year was waiting

for her. Unbeknownst to her, that’s not all she would find

as she strolled through Jonathan Park.

 

Across town was Jay Hanson, a doctor, who, with some

settlement money, had just recently retired to Clementine.

The slower pace of his new West Coast locale suited him

better than big cities ever had. When circumstances led

to his premature retirement, he moved his thirty-six-year-old

self to the kind of quaint place he’d always imagined.

Although he’d only practised medicine a short while, he

was weary and more than ready for a calmer existence.

 

Jay’s mother and father were supportive in their own

far-off way, literally. As soon as their only child had gone

away to university, they had set off for their own adventures.

At eighteen, Jay had lost his family along with his

family home, or so he felt.

 

His parents were in Europe now. Presently in which

country? He wasn’t sure. The odd letter, or the even rarer

phone call, was the only way he knew it was time to update

his address book again. But he had happy memories

of his childhood. They had been a close family then.

So Jay focused on those times when he felt lonesome for

his family.

 

He had some good friends, but most of them had married

and started families, or were at least seriously thinking

about it. Jay didn’t fit into that reality anymore. And

so he found himself looking forward to the peace and

quiet of Clementine, his new home town. This was his

home now.

 

Wanting to get better acquainted with the little burg,

Jay had spent the better part of the day on his bike. The

people were friendly enough, offering directions as he

explored and periodically got lost or, as he preferred to

think of it, when he got a mite confused, to paraphrase

Daniel Boone.

 

Although he appreciated their kindness and the warm

welcome he received when they learned he was new to

the town, it wasn’t the people he most craved. He was in

Clementine to more feel like a part of the place itself. It

could have been anywhere really, as long as it was filled

with trees and mountains, and was near the shore. Yes, it

definitely had to be near some water. He’d already spent

too much time sequestered in concrete skyscrapers, away

from the earth and its oceans.

 

As Jay rounded the next corner, there was Jonathan

Park. It was the perfect blend of wooded trails and wide-open

spaces. He could see the Pacific Ocean not far off

in the distance. Eager to explore and feel his feet on the

ground, he dismounted and locked his bicycle to a nearby

tree. He didn’t want to be suspicious of his new neighbours,

but old city habits died hard.

 

Setting off down a secluded trail, he was looking all

about. His eyes were everywhere except in front of him.

That’s when it happened. That’s when he met her. Well,

bumped into, and nearly knocked down, one rather startled

Leanne.

 

Book Details

Trade Paperback: 318 pages
Publisher: Barbauld Publishing
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0987790803
ISBN-13: 978-0987790804
Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches