Page 55 of A Fowl Match

“It is. I want to spend the rest of my life here on this farm.” He looks heavenward. “If you’d like, you can spend it here with me too.”

It was a sweet thing to say. It warms my heart. But, I still have lingering doubts in the deep confines of my head. They have nothing to do with the man sitting next to me, looking at me like I’m his whole world.

“That would be nice.” I say.

I just don’t know if I deserve it.

“What do you have planned for the rest of today?”

“I’m going to check on the plants in the greenhouse. Then I’m heading straight to the Valley Harvest to interrogate Henry. I keep forgetting to talk with him; I’ve been so busy. I’m making it a priority today.”

“Poor Henry.”

“I’ll take it easy on him, I promise.”

“I can come with you. I’m sure my grandpa will be pissed. But I don’t care. If you need me, I’ll be there with you.”

“No, I’m good. Please don’t piss off George, I already broke their fine china. I don’t need anything else to add to that list.” She gives a half-suppressed laugh. “Besides, I need to do this on my own. Now that I know it’s Henry the hard part is already figured out. You fulfilled your end of the bargain.”

“I didn’t even do anything.”

“You helped me figure out who it was, that was more than enough.”

Chapter 39

Violet

“Hi,Henry!”

“Good morning, Miss Vivi! Come in, have a seat.” His smile beams at me when I knock on his office door. “Is that for me?”

“Of course it is. Olive whipped up an extra dark roast for you.” His eyes crinkle with delight as he accepts the white paper cup and takes a huge gulp.

“Mmm. This is just what I needed this morning. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

I look down at my feet, suddenly feeling shy. I know this isn’t my place, but curiosity is itching at my bones. I am dying to know why she wrote secret letters to him for so many years. Did they have a grand love, or did she hide these confessions without ever expressing her true feelings with him? Dementia is something that takes such a catastrophic toll on a person. She’s still at an early stage, but it’s hard to ask these questions. It hurts her to remember, and I can’t stand making her upset. When I talk to her and she gets a frantic look in her eyes I know that she’s pretending to recall something she doesn’t. I don’t want tobe the cause of that. I’d rather ask Henry than make her upset or confused.

“Is everything alright Vivi, dear?” Henry’s husky voice breaks me out of a trance.

“Yes, yes everything is alright. I had a few questions about this.” I pull the notebook out of my purse and slide it onto the varnished wood desk, hoping to see a glimpse of recognition on his features. There is none, to my dismay.

Does he not know?

“What’s that?”

“It’s a notebook I found in the NSSG.It was Darcy’s. She wrote entries almost every day to someone whose name starts with H.” I keep a hold on the notebook as I continue, “I was wondering if that was you?”I know it’s you.

“It has to be me. Darcy and I have been best friends since we were teenagers. Did you know we were as thick as thieves back in the day?” Henry’s eyelids droop but a coy smile appears on his face. It’s almost as if he’s sad yet filled with love at the memory.

“I didn’t know.”

“If you want, I can tell you stories about us.” I nod in agreement, eager to find out more about younger Darcy. “But first, can you read one of her entries? If it’s not too personal; it’s okay if you don’t want to. I would love to listen to something she wrote years ago.”

A huge grin tilts the corners of my mouth. “Of course, she said I could read them. I don’t see why I couldn’t read you at least some of them.” I flip to one of the last pages choosing one that I haven’t read yet and begin.

“Dear H,

I never knew what love was until I met you. Most people say it feels as if you are falling in love. But I don’t want to fallinto something that is so effervescently perfect. I’m trying to think of a word that could describe it. Float! I want to float into love. Just like butterflies appear to float through the air. Flapping their wings and flying so gracefully. A breathtaking creature that only lives for a few days. Prepossessing things like that don’t last for eternity, but that’s what makes it subjective. Love, though, defies all odds and lasts for eternity.

---