Chapter 14

A week after I released my balloon, Doug got suspended from school for a couple days for getting into a fight with Michael Drake. Michael had gotten back together with Susan the day after Joyie's suicide, which proved my theory of his using Joyie to make her jealous; and the two of them were reenacting a "love" scene between Michael and Joyie -- making fun of Joyie. The group they hung with were laughing their heads off and having a field day until Doug and some of this team mates walked by and saw what was happening. The brawl ended up with six guys being suspended for a couple of days; and they would have to stay after school two weeks when they came back.

That afternoon, Doug came by the house. Brad and I had finished up our homework and were watching Jimmy Stewart in Harvey. He'd just introduced his invisible rabbit to one of his sister's friends when the doorbell rang.

When I opened the door Doug was standing there holding a blue helium balloon. I could tell it was my balloon because of the note that was still attached to the string.

I asked him in and got him a glass of orange juice and when I sat back down on the couch with Brad, I asked, "How did you get my balloon?"

He grinned and said, "I was gonna' ask you how you put it all the way up in the tippy top of the tree in our backyard. That branch wouldn't hold my weight and I had to bend it down to get the balloon."

I explained about releasing the balloon and after several minutes of discussion he decided that the wind, or fate, or maybe even Joyie took a hand and moved it to his tree.

"I was sitting at the picnic table and thinking about everything that's been going on and feeling sorry for myself when I looked up and noticed the balloon. I read your note and it helped me see things more in perspective, but I'm still messed up inside."

"Are you going to counseling?" Brad asked.

"I did for a couple of weeks. I thought everything was okay. I guess I was wrong. I was thinking about killing myself this afternoon." He choked up as tears filled his eyes. "The balloon and note changed my mind."

Getting up off the couch, I knelt down at his feet and wrapped him in a hug and he broke down. After he'd cried himself out, I got him some paper and a pen and told him about wanting to die myself and suggested that he try writing a note to Joyie.

"It helped me more than I can explain," I said.

When he was finished, Doug tied his note with mine and let the balloon go. We hugged, again, and he thanked me for helping him. He said, "I'll talk with Mom and Dad tonight and will get some more counseling."

He, Brad and I hung together the rest of the school year and skipped the prom. We spent the evening at the Mobley's house camping out in the backyard with the twins and Doug's siblings. We hunted treasure, played hide-n-go-seek, threw paper snowballs at each other, roasted marshmallows and hotdogs over a fire and then told spooky stories. Afterwards, we played cards and board games inside the tent until everyone went to sleep.

Things gradually got back to normal -- or as normal as they could be -- and we managed to reach the last day of school, which was on a Thursday. The next Saturday Brad and I went to the airport to see Doug off. He was going to spend most of the summer at his uncle's ranch in Montana. He usually only went for a couple of weeks, but this year he was going to stay gone most of the summer.

We grabbed a bite of lunch and then stopped back by the nursing home to see Granny Brown. When we reached her room, she was wearing a white dress and holding a bouquet of flowers. She smiled at us and said, "I'm getting married today."

"That's wondeful," I said, hugging her. "Who's the lucky fellow?"

"Gilbert Blythe. I'm his Anne-girl." She sighed and frowned. "He hasn't gotten here, though. I hope nothing has happened to him."

Brad waved at me and went out the door and I got her to tell me more about Gilbert. By the time she finished telling me about how he'd once pulled her red hair and called her carrots and she'd hit him over the head with her slate; and about the time he'd rescued her from drowning when her boat sprung a leak and started sinking while she was acting out The Lady of Shallot, a half hour went by and Brad came back in wearing a white dress shirt, a black suit jacket and vest and a black bow tie.

"Gilbert!" Granny exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him. "It's about time you got here!"

Brad gently tugged at a lock of her hair, that she was wearing down that day, and said, "Come on, Carrots, let's get married."

He winked at me and I followed them down the hall to one of the smaller sitting areas. Some of the ladies that Granny Brown enjoyed being with were there, and so was Mr. Hinkle, a former minister. He performed the wedding ceremony and the ladies cried and Granny tossed her boquet which I caught. We then danced while Mrs. Whitmore played the piano and then ate cake and ice cream outside on one of the garden tables. Brad then took his bride on her honyemoon, which was a ride around the town in a buggy drawn by a horse, which belonged to a man who lived down the road from the home. He came twice a week to give rides to any of the residents who wanted to ride. When they got home, he helped Granny to bed and kissed her cheek and he stayed with her 'til she fell asleep for her afternoon nap.