Chapter Five

It is in our lives and not our words that our religion must be read- Thomas Jefferson

 

 

Lorna was smiling when Cadence walked in at quarter to twelve in the afternoon. Cadence regarded her suspiciously as she took off her light jacket and tossed it behind the faculty desk; faculty being Lorna, herself and two delivery men who also manned the store part time. Denton and Morgan. Both guys had been highschool friends, had dropped out and become notorious pot heads but Lorna could care less, they worked for dirt cheap.

“What are you all smiley about?” Cadence asked timidly.

Lorna planted her meaty hands on her hips, “I am a genius.” Her grin oozed conceit. “Amateur artist week.”

Cadence placed her house keys in the top drawer of the desk, “Am I supposed to know what you’re talking about?”

Lorna sighed impatiently, “I’m assuming you are aware of what ‘amateur’ means.”

“You would assume correct.” She said flatly.

“For one week, I am going to allow any amateur artists to display their work here,” She paused, considered, “possibly only artist’s pre approved by myself. Anyway, we’ll get newspaper publicity to help out, post a flyer up on our door, have registration take place here in the store for anyone interested in taking part.” Cadence saw Lorna’s eyes brighten, “We could charge a small fee for people to sign up, think of the business we’ll bring in.” Cadence could practically see the dollar signs scrolling through Lorna’s vision.

 

“I think it’s a great idea.” Cadence meant what she said; she only wished her superior’s motives weren’t merely to swell profit.

“I know it is. What I need you to do is publicize, make the flyers, hell maybe even hand out those coupons we never used at Christmas. I’m putting you in charge of registration with Denton to help out if you need it.” Lorna’s eyes turned stern, “Do not, I repeat, do not screw this up.”

Cadence flipped through a stack of art order forms, “Sure Lorna.”

“This could bring in a lot of customers. If you want to keep your job, you’ll do all you can to make sure this is a success.” The threat in her tone was no more subtle than a pickle on a pizza.

“Why wouldn’t I help? I already said it was a great idea.” She flipped to the most recent order form- placed on Friday. “I think it will be good for community involvement and to bring awareness to the creativity living within the city.”

Lorna stared blankly, “Whatever. Just make it good.”

“When are you looking to start this ‘Amateur Art Week’?”

“As soon as we have enough interest stirred up. Two weeks from now is the goal. Make it happen.”

Cadence sighed but forced out a smile, “I’ll start right away.”

 

Lorna seemed satisfied enough, she decided to take lunch and leave Cadence with the store for a half hour, something to which Cadence would never object; the peace in the shop was such a soothing thing. A rare thing.

 

When she had left to hit Mr. Hyle’s Sandwich Hut, Cadence pulled up a fresh spread sheet and made four separate columns along the top, name; phone number; e-mail address and age. Below each she created twenty spaces to fill out information. She would let anyone sign up, after that Lorna could decide how many people (and which people) she wanted to use for her beloved Art Week. Cadence saved the file under AAW Registration and closed the window.

 

In the bottom drawer of the faculty desk Cadence found the rather large stack of dusty Christmas coupons;

 

Lorna Eve invites you to come awaken your artistic side with this coupon for ten percent off any tasteful piece of your choice.

Lorna Eve’s, art you won’t believe!

 

The fine print informed the coupon carriers of the December thirty-first expiry date. Cadence would run a sharpie over the outdated period before handing out the mound of coupons to the citizens of Cambridge. As for the sign for the door, maybe she would collaborate a few amateur paintings she had come across through customers coming into the store.  A few young artists had shared some of their techniques with her although she never revealed her own background. She preferred to listen with a warm smile.

 

Whenever she spoke to these people who talk about art with a gleam in their eye her mind goes back to that same dream of hers to open up her own art school, to teach these same budding artists some of the things she had learned through years of schooling herself and through experience thereafter. One day she would. Once the kids were grown and she-hopefully-had some money put away.

 

The store phone rang on the desk in front of her, causing her to jump in alarm. She snatched up the receiver, still on edge.

“Lorna Eves, Cadence speaking.”

“Hey Caddie...”

Cadence felt her heart lurch into her throat, “Jeremy? What’s wrong? The kids-“

“Are fine.”

She let out her breath relieved, “Then what?”

There was a pause, “I know you’re at work, I’m really sorry to do this to you you but I need to drop the kids off early.”

“Jeremy-”

“Rachel’s mother is real bad; doctors say she doesn’t have much longer...”

Cadence squeezed her eyes shut and inhaled carefully. Rachel had been her best friend nearly all her life and she knew how close she was with her mother. She cried with her when her mother was first diagnosed with cancer, went with her to the hospital during her mother’s first chemotherapy session. Now she was on her death bed. Although the wretched woman had been the one to tear apart her marriage, she couldn’t help but feel her heart ache for her.

 

“Cadence?”

“I’m here.”

“...So?”

She sighed, “I’m not supposed to be off work ‘till six.”

“I can’t bring them to the hospital with us.”

“I know.” She glanced up at the clock and rubbed her right temple with her free hand, “Lorna should be back soon. I can see if she’ll let me have them here.”

“What about Genevieve?”

Cadence shook her head although he was blind to the gesture, “She’s at dad’s.”

“I’m sorry Caddie.”

She sighed again, “I’ll make it work. Bring them by the store.”

“I owe you one.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Thank you, really.”

 

She hung up the phone and dropped her head to the desk, banging it softly against the hard wooden top.

 

“So this is what I pay you for when I’m not here?”

Cadence looked up to find Lorna standing in front of the desk with a large coffee in her hand.

“Lorna I have a huge favour to ask of you.” Cadence thought she saw the corner of her mouth twitch.

“And what’s that?”

Cadence stood up and moved around the desk, “I need to bring the kids here.”

Lorna scowled, “absolutely not.”

“Lorna, I don’t have many options here, please.”

“No.”

‘They won’t touch any of the paintings, they’ll stay right here and behave.”

“I said no Cadence, don’t push me. You can finish up your shift and go home if it’s so pressing.”

She knew she was testing thin ice but she couldn’t afford to lose the hours, with whatever added repercussions Lorna would undoubtedly add, and there was nowhere for her kids to go. “They can work while they’re here, they can break down boxes in the back, or clean the windows, or sweep the floors.”

Lorna seemed to consider, “If I allow this, you owe me big time.”

Cadence nodded furiously, “Of course.”

She was pleased, “and they do not touch a thing. They can clean while they’re here.”

“Yes.”

“Fine. Keep them out of my way.” She warned as she briskly walked towards the back.

 

Cadence sunk back into the chair, realising she had been practically holding her breath. She caught a lucky break, Jeremy owed her... Rachel owed her.

 

A half hour later the kids were escorted inside by their father who looked five years older than he had that morning. His clothes were wrinkled and his eyes were puffy and raw.

“Mom!” Jaydon bounded forward and wrapped his arms around her.

“Bye dad.” Kaylie said, hugging her father before joining her brother.

“See ya kiddo, have fun Jay.” He turned to Cadence with soft eyes, “Thanks again.”

 

Cadence smiled weakly, “How long?”

“A day, maybe two.”

She nodded.

“I’ll send your condolences.” He turned to the door, “Goodbye.”

 

She watched him walk to the side of the road where the truck was parked, Rachel was in the passenger seat sobbing, her hair was a tangled mess, it had grown since the last time she had seen her. Jeremy climbed in the driver’s side and pecked her lightly on the cheek before pulling on his seat belt. Cadence turned away and smiled down at her children who were watching her.

 

“Well. We have some work to do.”

Jaydon frowned, “Fun work?”

Kaylie shoved him, “Who cares, don’t be such a baby.”

He looked at her appalled, “I’m not! I was just asking-“

“We can make it fun mon précieux.”

“What do we have to do?” Kaylie asked after sticking her tongue out at her brother.

“Well, you can help me do some cleaning up. First let’s go break down some boxes in the back room okay guys?”

“You’re going to do it with us?” Jaydon asked concerned, he didn’t like being alone somewhere unfamiliar.

She held his chin in her hands and smiled before pecking him on the nose, “Of course.”

 

Denton and Morgan had worked the morning shift and so it was only the three of them in the storage room where all the un-priced or lower priced art works were kept until Lorna decided to rotate the merchandise. It was a pretty large room with three small iridescent light bulbs casting a pale white glow over everything. The art was all covered to keep them in good condition, the colours un-faded, they were stacked on metal shelves; cardboard, bubble wrap and thin sheets of Plexiglas separated each piece.

 

There were a lot of empty boxes that had been thrown in messy mounds along the whole one wall of the room, the two boys had been adding art to the shelves, removing them from their careful packaging and, as always, hadn’t bothered to clean up afterwards.

 

The kids bounded inside and scanned the mass of boxes to be broken down with gloom.

“This is going to take us forever.” Jaydon whined.

“Which is why I am so thankful for your generous help.”

He took the hint.

She sat on the ground that had a thin layer of cardboard dust and grabbed a rather large box from the pile.

“Grab a box.” She instructed, the kids did as they were told and joined their mother, creating a small circle between the three of them. She clearly showed the children what to do with the boxes, they weren’t the taped kind so no knives were needed, all it took was a little muscle to break the box flaps free from the industrial staples and unfold them. They followed directions easily after watching her break down a few herself.

 

“So how was your visit today?” She asked while starting a pile.

Kaylie shrugged, “it was okay, Aunt Rachel was on the phone for a long time when we got there, after that dad told us to go play outside for a while.”

The kids had called Rachel their aunt ever since they were born; she was Kaylie’s godmother while Genevieve was Jaydon’s. Rachel had not left her side since the beginning of both pregnancies and had been a great help when her and Jeremy had needed a break. She wished to God they could still be friends but after she jabbed that blade in her back and stole her husband she knew it could never be. She could forgive Rachel for falling in love with her husband; you can’t help who you love but she would never be able to forgive her-or him- for keeping it a secret, for sneaking around behind her back. She had been like family.

 

She noticed Jaydon had been speaking and he now looked to her waiting.

“What was that sweetie?”

He groaned, “You didn’t hear anything I just said?”

“I’m sorry.”

He rolled his eyes, “I was just saying how quiet everyone was when we went back inside.”

“Aunt Rachel was crying.” Kaylie added.

Cadence nodded sadly, “Aunt Rachel’s mom is very, very sick.” The kid’s had met the woman only once before and she was sure they were too young to remember the memory.

 

“She has cancer.” Kaylie told Jaydon.

Cadence was surpsied. “How do you know?”

“I heard them talking about it when we were getting our shoes on, they were in the kitchen talking about it. They didn’t know I could hear.”

“Kaylie, I’ve told you before not to listen to adult conversations that don’t concern you.”

 

“Does it hurt?” Jaydon asked concerned.

She drew in a deep breath, “she has had cancer for a long time sweetie.” She looked at his wide, sympathetic eyes and smiled softly, “it won’t hurt her much longer.”

“Is she going to die?”

She nodded, “But that’s okay, death is not a bad thing.”

“Does dying hurt?” He asked while picking at the corner of cardboard.

 

She put down her own box and folded her hands in her lap, “It’s like your swimming in the ocean all your life, far in the distance you see land where everyone is happy where there is no pain, no sadness and everyone you have ever loved is there smiling, waving to you but you can’t get there. You swim and swim, sometimes the waves carry you closer but sometimes they drag you farther away. One day when you’re body grows tired of swimming and your muscles ache you discover you don’t need to swim, that you can lie on your back and float, that’s when the current will carry you to the island where everyone waits.”

 

“So dying is good?” kaylie asked.

She smiled, “Living is good.”

“Is God on the island too?” Kaylie asked curiously.

“Everyone you have ever loved will be there. If you love God then he will be too.”

Jaydon grew serious, “What about Isaac?” Isaac was Jaydon’s best friend, him and his family shared in the Buddhists beliefs. “He doesn’t love our God, so God won’t be on his island?”

Cadence laughed lightly, “He does love God, he only calls him by a different name, you don’t need to worry hon. People may have different beliefs, different religions and different customs but we all have one thing in common, we all love our God, no matter what name we call them or what image we see them as.”

It was Kaylie’s turn, “But some people don’t love any God, what about them?”

She considered, “I don’t worry about them either, I have faith that God is a fair being who loves everyone equally, even if they don’t love him back. God’s own island is filled with everyone he loves just as yours will be too, and he has love for every one of his creations.”

Jaydon smiled, “It doesn’t sound like such a scary place.”

 

Cadence nodded, she had always raised her children to be open to all kinds of religions. She did not isolate them to the Christian beliefs; she showed them the good aspects from each, the good morals and valuable lessons that each organized religious system held. She let them choose which one was best for them, if any at all, and she felt they were still making that discovery and probably would be for their entire lives. She herself hadn’t fully designated herself to just one belief structure either, she liked parts of them all and she liked to think all Gods were really one and the same and so it didn’t matter in which manner you chose to honour him. Rachel was a strict Christian and often shared those teachings with the kids but she also respected Cadence’s choice and didn’t push anything too strongly onto the children. It was the least she could do after destroying their family.

 

“If it’s not a bad thing than why is Aunt Rachel so upset?” Jaydon asked.

“Would you be upset if I died even though you know I would be going to such a wonderful place?”

He picked at his sock, “Of course.”

“And so is Aunt Rachel. She’s sad because she won’t see her again for a long time, not until she is ready to go to the island herself and she is going to miss her mom until then.”

“Makes sense.” Jaydon mumbled.

 

Cadence looked at her children for a minute then smiled, “What do you say we go rent a movie when we’re done? For all your hard work today.”

Their eyes brightened, “really?”

She nodded, “I’ll even make popcorn.”