The last week and a half has been a whirlwind of activity. The maze opened last weekend and I’ve been helping Dad and Sheryl welcome customers, in between doing my own work, of course. The sound of children laughing as they’ve tried to find their way to the middle and out again has been one of the few things to put a smile on my face.
Jonas has been in the fields with Zack, the farmhand he hired to help him with harvest. It’s been raining on and off, but the breaks due to the weather have given him time to finish getting the barn ready. He’s shifted all but forty of the hay bales and we’re hoping the weather will hold because, ideally, we’d like to have the screening outside. The hay bales will work as makeshift chairs for people who forget to bring their own—we plan to set them up in a semicircle this afternoon, facing the screen that the mobile cinema company is bringing.
Bailey has been such a star, pulling everything together. I’m so proud of her. She and I will be serving popcorn and drinks out of Bambi tonight—she’s hired machines for the purpose. The Airstream is not fitted out with furniture or cabinets yet, so we’ll use freestanding shelves and tables. It’ll be a bit crowded inside, but I’m excited to use Bambi at last.
Jonas sold a large quantity of the popcorn he’d harvested to a popcorn company, taking the rest to a factory where they packaged it up, ready for sale. He’s fulfilled his orders from the stores in Bloomington and others farther afield and he plans to sell what we don’t use tonight at farmers’ markets.
Yesterday evening, Peggy and Patrik arrived home while Bailey and I were at the farm. We’ve been helping Jonas sweep out the barn and string up lights, inside and out.
At the sight of his dad, I’m pretty sure Jonas drew a breath that he’s probably still holding, but Peggy was so happy to see her son, giving him the longest hug. Patrik was more reserved and a little dour, but he wasn’t unpleasant. Bailey and I left them to it, but we’ll see them today, of course.
I spoke to Jonas after I returned from Indianapolis. I wasn’t ready to talk, but he came calling for me, so I dragged myself out of the house and we went for a walk down to the river.
He wanted to know what had happened, and when I explained I’d met Laurie, his face fell off a cliff.
“I wish one of you had told me.” I tried not to let bitterness creep into my tone.
He apologized, but said he hadn’t felt it was his place.
“They may still be married, but they’re not really,” he said.
“How can you say that?” I asked with incredulity. “Theyaremarried, that’s the end of it.”
“What if he divorced her?” he asked, turning to look at me.
I blanched. “He will never do that and you know it.”
“But what if he did?” His eyes scanned my face.
“Stop it, Jonas,” I snapped angrily. “Despite what you said, hedoesstill love her, and he’d never hurt her parents like that.”
We walked in silence for a while, and then he asked, “What does she look like these days?”
“Why, when was the last time you saw her?” I replied out of interest.
“Not since she was in the hospital. Ma visited a lot at first, but she hasn’t been in a couple of years.”
“Why not?” I didn’t expect that of his mother, nor of him.
“When her eyes opened and it became clear that the lights were out and nobody was at home, I didn’t see the point.”
“That seems a bit callous,” I muttered, immediately regretting it when he got angry and defensive.
“She’s dead, Wren! Or as good as dead, anyway,” he added, his voice flattening. “But whatever, what the fuck, it’s not your problem.”
I walked away from him then, shouting over my shoulder that I didn’t want him to follow me.
We haven’t spoken of Laurie or Anders since.
Bailey is alreadyat the farm and I’m heading there shortly. The movie won’t kick off until sunset, which is around seven thirty, but we’re welcoming people from five thirty and it’s three thirty now.
Jonas is planning to barbecue burgers, and Bailey’s friend Tyler has arranged for a mobile bar to come from Bloomington. She works at an events company, which is where she and Bailey met when my sister was just an intern. When Bailey rang her, panicking that the permit to sell alcohol had not been granted in time, Tyler pulled some strings. She’s coming along tonight. It will be nice to finally meet her.
There’s a good chance Anders will come too, but I’m trying not to think about that. I’ll be too crushed if he doesn’t.
Dad is finishingup telling a family of four where to find the maze and the pumpkin patch when I pop into the barn to say that I’m on my way.
I smile at the family as they exit.
