Chapter 15: Together Times Two

Sunday Night

Drowsing in front of the television, Cutie was almost asleep.

Janelle's voice interrupted her almost-dream. "My Mom and Dad are going out to the lake. If you want to know whether this is real or a dream, you can see if I am telling the truth. Just wake yourself up and go out to the lake. If you are quiet, they won't even know that you are there.

Her Mom's voice interrupted her semi-dream. "Cutie! Your Dad and I are going out to dinner. Later, we may go to a movie or something. Will you be ok here alone?"

This time, Cutie really did wake up. "Oh, Mom. Sure, I'll be fine. Go, have a good time. I'll probably go to bed early, I'm tired." 'And I may have company when I go to bed, ' was part of her thought that she did not include out loud. She walked her parents to the door and kissed them before they left. Laughing, she added, "Don't be out too late, now. Remember your curfew. And don't make me call the police to come find you!"

All three laughed together. This was a family full of love.

A few blocks away, Janelle's Dad was talking with his children. "Danny and Donny, you are in charge. We won't be gone long, but I want to get Mom out of the house to try and help her get over losing your sister. She needs to get some fresh air. You are all old enough to take care of yourselves for an hour or two, so don't give Halee any problems; you are only in charge to take care of emergencies. We expect you all to be ready for bed when we get back, because tomorrow is a school day.

The first-born twin, Danny, replied. "Sure thing, Dad. You take care of Mom, and the three of us will be fine here for a couple of hours. Right, guys?"

Donny and Halee just nodded. They all were worried about their Mom, who had barely been getting out of bed since she heard about Janelle's accident. The whole family was upset about Janelle, but Mom was beyond upset.

Hector Delfin, Janelle's Dad, helped Maui Delfin into the car and made sure that her seat belt was snapped. Janelle's Mom did not even seem able to handle the seat belt. Before they left, he checked the trunk of their car to be sure that the blanket and towels were still ready. He even managed to get swim suits for him and Maui in without anyone seeing. If things went as he planned, the suits would not be necessary, but he was a believer in being prepared. He drove carefully up the old road to the parking lot by the lake, which was empty.

On a Sunday night, especially when school was still in, the lake should be empty, and it was. Now he could focus all his attention on his distressed wife.

Maui Delfin was a Hawaiian-born beauty. She was very short, especially next to Hector, but her dark skin and long hair made her stand out, even next to him, just for her beauty. Only now, the luster in her eyes was gone, and her hair badly needed brushing. Hector hoped that getting her away from the house for a while would help her recover some. He hoped that they could make love under the stars and swim in the cool waters. A little playing should be just the thing to bring back the woman that he loved from wherever she had hidden herself when their eldest daughter had been taken from them.

After he had parked in the moonlight at the lake, Hector walked around the car, opened the door for his wife and looked at her as she just sat there. He released her seat belt and helped her from the car, but she was zombie-like, only moving where he showed her to move. They sat on the blanket he had spread and he started to remove her clothes. When she was nude, he removed his own and laid next to her, whispering words of love and encouragement to her. After minutes of no response, he easily lifted her body and carried her into the water. The only indication that she felt anything was a small sigh when he lowered her into the water. A few minutes in the water, and a few minutes sitting on the blanket helping her dry off, and Hector knew that, wherever his beloved had gone, it was too far for her to see the moonlight and the stars surrounding them.

Without haste, but with little enthusiasm, Hector replaced the clothes he had removed from the both of them and helped her back into the car. As he drove them back homeward, he wondered what more he could do to wake her up to the fact that the rest of her family still loved and needed her.

From a smaller parking lot, behind a row of hedges, Cutie watched the pair as Hector tried to show his wife how much he loved her. She had followed them when they left Janelle's house and had pulled into the alternate parking area because it provided a screen where she could watch without intruding. It was clear to Cutie that Janelle's spirit had been telling the truth. Janelle's parents did go to the lake and skinny dip on occasion. It was also clear that Mrs. Delfin was so deeply gone in her grief that she didn't even recognize her husband's presence or her own nudity. Cutie left while Mr. Delfin was dressing them both and headed to Will's house.