Village Squire, 1973-09, Page 12JEWELLER1
He started back up the slope toward home. He kept
on waking right past his house. He walked past his gate,
past the next house, and stopped in front of the white
swinging gate of Mrs. Seymour's - or rather where Mrs.
Seymour used to live. He stood there by the gate looking
at the crocuses and the daffodils drooping their heads as '
the night came over them, remembering the cookies, the
broken window, the cheery hellos, the questions about
school.
If only he could do something. Adults could send
cards or visit the funeral home or go to the funeral. But
not children.
There was a light in the livingroom window and once he
saw a face look out.
He just stood there. If only there was something he
could do.
After about 10 minutes the face looked out the window
again and then a woman opened the door.
"What are you doing out there little boy? Go home!
Get away from here. Don't you know someone's died
here? Go away."
Yes, he knew someone had died there. He knew as
much as that woman did, or his parents, or any of the
neighbours. Why couldn't adults realize that just becau-
se you were young didn't mean that you couldn't feel
sorry or miss someone just as much as if you were grown-
up.
But how could he tell anyone? You're just a little boy,
they'd say. If he told the reasons why he was sorry they'd
just laugh at t'iem. A broken window.... ha ha.
He turned away from the gate. He walked two houses
down the street and when he got home he went sraight
upstairs and undressed far bed. But before he got into bed
he knelt. He prayed. Sometimes He was the only one
Robbie could tell what he felt. When no one else would
listen he could always get down on his knees.
It wasn't a peaceful night for Robbie. He had many
dreams about windows and flowers and cookies and stones
on the beach. He woke up before the sun had even
cleared the horizon. Today was the funeral, he knew.
Today they would put that old lady's body in the ground
and nobody would ever see her again. Her soul would go
to heaven but no one would ever see that either, not here
anyway.
He had to do something to show how he felt. But what?
He went to school although he wished he didn't have to.
And all day in class he wondered what he could do. To-
day wasn't a good day in school. He was lectured for
daydre a ming .
When he came home he went straight to his room. He
didn't undress, he just stared at the ceiling. After a
while his eyes scanned the rest of the roo n. He saw his
bank on the desk and•it flashed to him. He grabbed the
bank, opened the hole in the bottom and watched the
coppers, dimesand nickels spill across the bedspread. He
set them in piles and counted them off.
He was eight cents short.
For a moment he worried. Then he remembered the
pop bottles he was collecting in the basement. He
scooped the coins into his marble bag and bounced down
the stairs. At the corner store he cashed in two pop
bottles. That should be enough.
Farther up the street he stopped at the florist shop. He
had read the sign in the window on the way home from
school. "Special, long-stemmed roses."
When he came out he held the little tissue paper bundle
as preciously as if it were a baby. He marched resolutely
back toward the river, and on the river's bank, the cem-
etery.
It took several minutes to find the right grave. There
were so many. The earth had been covered in now and
bouquets and wreathes rested against the headstone.
Tenderly he unwrapped his gift. He lay the red rose
on top of the other flowers. Red was the colour of her
favourite roses in her garden. His was the only rose
there.
He knelt and whispered a quiet "thank you".
12 VILLAGE SQUIRE/SEPTEMBER 1973
SCHMID'S
AND CHINA
OWNERS — W. JOS. and DEAN E. AGNEW
Lucknow
Diamonds — Watches — Clocks — Silver — Bone China
Spode, Wedgewood
Royal Crown Derby
Royal Albert
Royal Doulton, Paragon
WATCHMAKER — DIAMOND SETTER — JEWEI.I.FR
FOR EVENING APPOINTMENTS CALL STORE 528.3532
OR RESIDENCE 528-3940
J
SALE
ZS % Off
• GERMAN CLOCKE
'• JEWELL BOXES
• MUSIC BOXES
• CLOISONNE
• GORDON FRASER
TRAYS
10 % OFF
• ALL OTHER
ITEMS
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524-6661