Page 14 of The River in Spring
I lift my glass of Rombacher Cabernet Sauvignon in a toast. He responds in kind. Apparently, this is good wine. It would take a better palate than mine to discern the difference. My lightweight status as a drinker is not debatable.
“To weak tree branches.” I giggle.
“And to the woman in the river,” he adds.
A sip later, I look up at his eyes. Oh God, he hasn’t looked away.
“So tell me about how you ended up being raised by your grandparents.”
As he goes back to his meal, I fill in some of the blanks.
“My mother was a single mom. I was about a year old when she passed.”
Nobel’s eyes soften with my words.
“She was diagnosed with breast cancer while she was pregnant. When she died her parents took me in and cared for me until I went out on my own.”
He puts down the utensils.
“I’m so sorry, Dove.”
“It’s okay. I never really knew her, but I so wish I had. My grandparents kept her memory alive.”
“What was your mom’s name?”
The question hits me square in the heart.
“No one has ever asked me that. It was Rosalie. Her name was Rosalie.”
He just scored major points, even though I don’t think he was aiming for that.
“Pretty.”
“Her parents became responsible for me and they didn’t ever make me feel they didn’t love the experience.”
“The fact their love song was “Wild Thing” tells me a little about them. Did they teach you to fish? Is that where you got your love of the outdoors?”
“Oh yes. They were old hippies from back in the day.”
“That’s cool. What were they like?”
“My grandmother kind of looked like Janis Joplin. Even when she was eighty, she had hair down to her waist. Before my mother came along, they lived in a commune if you can believe that. But once they had a child, things changed. They decided to have a more stable lifestyle.”
“Did they live here in Montana?”
“Yes. They eventually bought the house I live in now. They were wonderful people. Lived simply, spoke gently, and made their own fun. I feel privileged to have been raised in that environment. We made most of our clothes, and we had a big garden of fruit trees and vegetables.”
“It sounds idyllic.”
“Many times we fished for our dinner. In fact, my grandfather fished on your land. Right at the spot you found me last week.”
Eyebrows knit and his head tilts to one side. “Did your grandfather have a big white beard and a bald head?”
“Yes! How did you know?”
“I think I saw him once. He impressed me because he was older at the time and he was obviously still able to make the trip down.”
“He was as strong as a bull.”
