Page 122 of The Shell Collector
“I can still feel the marker in my hand that night. My skin was so dehydrated from having laid in bed, trying to die—no food or water—that my skin sort of hung to the marker. That’s when I wrote, ‘I can’t wait to be with you, but until then know I’m gathering treasures and stories to share.’ ”
“So how did Becky get that shell?” Amanda leaned in.
“I honestly can’t say. I dropped it in the water. I watched it sink. But that one—for Jarvis and the first shell I ever deposited—like so many of them, came back. Not directly to me, but it was a sign of some sort. Maybe that all of our lives are intertwined.”
“Maeve, my life intertwining with yours has been a gift.”
“And you and Hailey and Jesse are gifts to me.”
Amanda let the story soak in. She held her hand to her heart. She ached for Maeve, and for her own loss.It is her. It’s always been Maeve.“The other shells? Were you behind them all?”
Maeve smiled gently and nodded. “Even the ones that you found. On the dune and by your mailbox.”
Amanda recalled the words from the shell that had been by the mailbox:“Interrupt worry with gratitude.”
“But, Amanda, not every shell I wrote landed where I thought it would. I did find that shell the day I made the decision to go to Judy’s; however, I didn’t write that one for me. I don’t really remember who I’d written it for or where I’d left it, but I think it was my handwriting. And I needed that message at that time.”
“Your advice has helped so many.”
Maeve shook her head. “No, Amanda, I wasn’t the messenger. I was just the shell collector. I found the treasures and shared them when I thought someone needed to be reminded of hope, but when and where those shells were found was out of my hands.”
“Those shells were your gift. It is truly amazing, Maeve. The note in Becky’s shell was so perfect for you to Jarvis—and Kimmy and her new twins. Does that make you wonder if it may have even had another stop somewhere along the way?”
“I’d never thought of that, but perhaps.” Maeve seemed intrigued by the possibility.
“The Havelock Ellis quote. The one in the shell we found. It’s become my favorite.”
Maeve nodded. “A lot of the shells have been specific to a situation. Something I wanted to say without being a busybody old lady, and never just my opinion. I used quotes and scriptures or a simple word or two. ‘Believe.’ ‘Have faith.’ ‘Hope.’ Just something to make people pause for that split second it takes to get back to the reality of a situation and find hope. It’s all about hope.” Maeve looked at her. “I did leave those shells for you.”
“I’m so glad you did.”
“I only hand delivered a few compared to the probably thousands I’ve cast into the ocean or left in flowerpots or along the dunes. And somehow they seem to land in the hands of people who need the message.”
“Did you ever hope that’s what would happen?”
“I never really thought about it until it started becoming a thing. Honestly, the ones I didn’t plant seemed to help as much as the ones I did. Like the one that Becky found.”
Amanda pressed her hand to Maeve’s arm. “Your wonderful gifts to so many. It’s going to be sad to think no one might ever find another.”
“Unless they keep recirculating. They could keep popping up for years. I kind of hope they do.” Maeve looked out the window with a smile on her face, rather quiet for the rest of the ride.
James must’ve been ready to be back in Macon, because it took less than four hours to get there.
“I think James may have sped.” Maeve flashed her a knowing look.
For some reason, that struck Amanda’s funny bone. “Are you planning to wage a citizen’s arrest on our driver?”
“That would be a first for me.” She giggled with a wicked look in her eye that made Amanda wonder if she might actually do it.
When they got to Judy’s neighborhood, Amanda worried about Maeve living in a subdivision like this. Not that it wasn’t nice. It was. Huge houses on big sloped lots. Old-timey lampposts lining the walking paths dotted by professionally landscaped beds, but it was nothing like Whelk’s Island.
“I guess this ride was a warm-up for the style in which you’re about to get accustomed to,” Amanda teased.
“I’ve never even seen a picture of her house. It’s more grand than I’d imagined, but that doesn’t impress me.”
“Maeve, call me every day if you want. Or not at all. Please call if you need me or want to talk to the kids. Anytime day or night. And if you want us here, we will be here. I promise.”
“Oh, Amanda, you are so special. I will remember that, and thank you for this trip. It’s meant the world to me. There’s not one thing that I want for now.”
