Chapter 18 - Vertamus
“I want what you have,” Celia told Jim a few seconds later.
“You want a fur coat?” Jim replied.
“No Jim, the connection, the camaraderie. I watched everyone during breakfast. You are a family. I am an outsider. I want what you have,” Celia explained.
“This is a monumental decision to make, Celia, and it cannot be based on emotions. I did not have a choice. Rafe bit me and turned me into a wolf. Elmer’s change was by accident. Abby was born a wolf. Yes, Rudy decided to turn because of Abby, and Charles volunteered to turn to help the family. If Gracey and Stone change, it will be because they want what Abby and Rudy have.”
“So emotions, they will base it on emotions,” Celia argued.
“Touché Celia. Please think about a bit more. We can talk again. But, please think about it; the good and the bad,” Jim implored.
Celia did not reply. Her mind was made up. “This is just between you and me Jim, right?”
“Yes Celia, I will keep your secret,” Jim promised.
Elmer returned to the basement, and the trio finished setting up and putting Celia’s treasures away. She was truly happy to have her favorite possessions around her. She was even happier for help and companionship from Jim and Elmer.
“Guess I better put a light dinner together for everyone,” Celia announced.
“We can help,” Elmer offered, and the three went back upstairs to the kitchen.
“Looks like Charles put a few things together for a picnic,” Celia stated seeing the bread left out along with a few item items on the prep table. “I wonder where they headed off to.”
“If it were me; the bluff; I would go to the bluff. The view is magnificent from up there,” Elmer told her.
“I hope he doesn’t take Haley there,” Jim countered. “The meadow needs to remain private. I hope Charles had enough sense to pick an area between here and the bluff. There is plenty of privacy for miles.”
“I heard before the view from the bluff is beautiful. I would like to see it,” Celia remarked as she pulled a stack of steaks out of the cooler. “Can someone start the grill for me? I am thinking steak, stuffed baked potatoes, and salad.”
“Works for me,” Elmer replied and headed for the patio.
“I was also thinking a double peach cobbler for dessert. Check the freezer for vanilla ice cream, Jim,” Celia asked with less than a happy inflection.
Jim was a bit worried. He had watched Celia’s mood plummet and soar like a roller coaster all day. Celia was pretending as hard as she could manage to fake happiness, but she was descending into the valley again. How could he cheer her up? Maybe once the entire group arrived for dinner, she would cheer up? Maybe it would be worse? Jim was deeply concerned.
Jim returned with the news there was plenty of ice cream and helped Celia load the oven with large baking potatoes. Elmer had returned, and soon the three were chopping vegetables for the salad. The group was always hungry after a hunt, and they were preparing twice as much as normal.
The family joined them in the kitchen, and together they finished the preparations. “Inside or out?” Abby asked. It was the first day of September and still in the 90’s and humid. Everyone agreed, “Inside!”
“Kitchen or dining room?” Abby asked. “Kitchen!”
“Thank you,” Celia sighed. “I don’t need two rooms to clean up.”
“Abby and I cleaned up from breakfast. I think its Stone and Gracey’s turn,” Rudy announced.
“What?” Stone called out while everyone else laughed. Gracey laughed the hardest.
“Sorry, baby boy, but if I can have dishpan hands, so can you!” Rudy told his son.
“Yeah, check this out!” Elmer laughed and pulled out his cell phone with a photo of Rudy in an apron doing the breakfast dishes.
“I did hear you are supposed to be your dad’s apprentice, Stone. So, dishes it is!” Celia chuckled.
The salad was ready, and Stone made the homemade dressing he had been taught earlier in the summer. The potatoes were just about ready, and Gracey and Abby were helping with the potato toppings. Jim and Elmer carried the steaks out to the grill.
“Elmer, I want you to be extra friendly to Celia. She is having an extremely miserable day today. She needs us to be her friends, her best friends,” Jim asked.
“I am worried about her Jim. But if I know Celia, she will be okay. She just needs a little time. Watching her close and lock the boarding house was sad for me. I cannot even imagine what she is experiencing. Sixty years of living in the same house is a long time,” Elmer told Jim. “So what can we do?” Elmer asked. “And please don’t ask me to watch that stupid romance movie she likes so much.”
“We may have to,” Jim replied, shrugging.
Dinner turned into a free for all like breakfast had been. Celia managed to laugh and joke a bit with the group. Her peach cobbler was the hit of the night. Celia’s baking was legendary throughout five counties.
Everyone helped with the preliminary cleaning of the kitchen, and then Rudy approached Stone from behind and tied an apron around Stone’s waist. “I will let you use mine,” Rudy exclaimed laughing. Everyone was in tears from laughing so hard. Elmer pulled out his phone and got a couple shots.
“So want do you want to do tonight Celia? It’s Saturday movie night,” Elmer asked. “I can make some popcorn.”
“Maybe a walk in the garden for now,” Celia told him. “I think some fresh air and the smell of the roses would do me good.”
“A walk it is then,” Jim told Celia, and the trio headed out for a stroll.
“Man, I cannot wait for the cooler evenings,” Elmer whined. Jim smacked Elmer on the arm hard and leered at him.
Jim and Elmer walked behind Celia, as usual. She was walking slowly, often stopping to take in the scent of the different roses. “My grandmother’s roses, I forgot my grandmother’s roses!” Celia screamed in horror, tears flowing rapidly down her face.
“Celia, please don’t cry,” Jim told her, trying to comfort her. “Elmer and I can get them tomorrow when we pick up the dining room set. We will dig them up and bring them back to you. Please don’t cry.”
“I need to go back in,” Celia informed them. “Today has been too much for me. Maybe a long bath and a hot cup of chamomile tea will help. I think I will turn in early.”
Celia filled the teapot and put it on the stove. She set up her teacup and went into her bathroom to fill the tub with hot water. Upon return to the kitchen, she found Elmer and Jim on the couch watching her favorite movie. Strange, she thought. Celia finished preparing the tea and climbed into the tub. The tea helped a bit, but the water had no effect on her shattered nerves. When the hot water had become tepid, she gave up and dressed for bed. Celia placed the teacup on the night table and climbed between the covers. Despite her attempts to fall asleep, sleep failed to come. She could faintly hear the movie playing on the TV. Peeking out the door, Celia saw Elmer and Jim intently watching her favorite chick flick.
Jim noticed Celia out of the corner of his eyes and motioned for her to come over. Celia donned her bathrobe and walked to the couch slowly. As she sat down, Jim pulled her next to him. She lay against him without hesitation. Within minutes, Celia was asleep. Elmer and Jim looked at one other with sadness in their eyes and shrugged. They both knew Celia was truly sad and scared.
After the movie ended, Jim gently moved off the couch and picked Celia up into his arms. He carried her to her bed and placed her snuggly under her quilt. “It will get better Celia, I promise,” Jim whispered and softly kissed her on the forehead. “Sweet dreams.”
Jim reentered the common area and was prepared for Elmer’s jibes. Instead, Jim heard genuine concern. “Is our girl going to be okay?” Elmer asked sincerely.
“I think so. This is all too recent. Celia's nerves are raw, and she needs time to heal. All we can do is to be here for he
r,” Jim proposed. “Be her friend and try not judge.”
Elmer nodded in agreement. He cared deeply for Celia.
The next morning Celia appeared rested, and her mood was slightly more cheerful. Jim and Elmer left directly after a quick breakfast to retrieve the dining room set and Celia's grandmother’s roses. What they thought was going to be an easy task, turned out to be harder than they considered. They had no idea how deep the root ball for rose bushes over sixty years old could be. Even the added strength of being wolves did not help.
After digging up half a dozen different types of antique rose bushes, both Jim and Elmer were exhausted, sweaty and covered with dirt. With the root balls wrapped, they looked at themselves. “Before we get into my truck, we better shower first. We’re nasty,” Elmer announced. “Then we can move the furniture. If we get the dirt all over Celia’s dining room set, she will kick our butts.”
Jim nodded in agreement. Even has a human, he knew Celia could and would hurt him if provoked.
The men showered and changed into some clothes Elmer had left at the boarding house and then loaded the furniture into the truck. Elmer stood in the hall to the kitchen and looked around. “I lived here for six years. I was hired to watch over Gracey, but it was Celia who watched over me. She loved her garden. She loved preparing our meals and taking care of Gracey and me.”
Elmer looked back at the garden again devastated at its current condition. Dry, dead and destroyed. “Have you ever tasted Celia’s jams?” Elmer asked Jim who shook his head no. “You missed out brother.”
Then Elmer's eyes went wide. “Wait a minute, I have to check.” Elmer rushed to the pantry. “Wahoo!” Elmer called out. “Grab a box or two. We hit the jackpot!”
Jim followed Elmer’s voice confused. “What are you yelling about?”
“You have to taste this. You will think you died and went to heaven,” Elmer exclaimed as he opened a jar of Celia’s homemade three berry jam and grabbed a spoon. “Taste this,” Elmer told Jim as he scooped out a spoon full.
Jim tasted the jam and moaned out loud. “Celia made this?” Jim asked.
“You bet. See these blue ribbons? This jam won a blue ribbon every year at the fair. This stuff is worth its weight in gold. I know people who would give up their first born for a jar of this jam,” Elmer enlightened Jim. “Celia made it only for the county fair and for herself. She never gave any away. This is the stuff legends are made of.”
The two of them boxed up all of the preserves; all the jam, jellies, along with the fruits and vegetables. Elmer laid all the blue ribbons on top. He knew Celia would want them as well. “These go in the downstairs kitchen. They are Celia’s. We will bring them in and put them in the cupboards. I think she will like the surprise.”
Jim and Elmer arrived back at the mansion shortly past lunch time. Celia was in the main kitchen cleaning up after the last group who had come in to eat. As they entered the kitchen, Celia looked at them strangely. “Those aren’t the clothes you left in. You are too clean,” she proclaimed.
“So true,” Elmer confessed. “We got a bit dirty unearthing your roses. They were not easy to dig up. We were filthy, and I think I tore a pocket on my jeans.”
“Bring them to me,” Celia told him. Elmer went out the truck and retrieved the dirty clothes and handed them to Celia. “It is going to take me a lot of scrubbing to clean these,” she said walking into the laundry room, almost smiling.
“Elmer, that pocket wasn’t torn. What are you up to?” Jim asked.
“It dawned on me Celia is happy when she is taking care of others. And she misses being the head of the family and taking care of us. So I tore the pocket. Maybe a little sewing will be therapeutic,” Elmer suggested
Celia returned from the laundry room. “I have those clothes presoaking. I think I will be able to save them from the garbage. Now I can only guess how hungry you are.”
“Yes, starving,” the duo confirmed.
“I hope so because I am making you an old-fashioned Sunday dinner; fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, black-eyed peas, pan-fried okra and some corn bread. I have already laid out some bread and butter pickles and sliced tomatoes. If you have room, I have a chocolate cake in the icebox,” Celia announced. “Unload the truck and clean up. I will show you where I want the roses planted later. Put them in the shade and make sure the root balls are wrapped and wet. Don’t just stand there, move.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jim and Elmer replied and did just as they were told. They also unloaded the canned goods they had rescued from the pantry and put them in the basement kitchen cupboards. They prayed the surprise would be a happy one.
Jim and Elmer cleaned up and joined Celia in the kitchen. Despite their attempts to help out, she just smacked at them with whatever kitchen utensil she had in her hand at the time, a spatula, spoon, and even a knife and told them to relax. "You have had worked hard enough for one day."
Lunch was scrumptious. Elmer and Jim were delighted. Celia was overjoyed. After the three of them had cleaned the kitchen, Celia retired to the basement. Elmer and Jim checked on the roses, and Elmer decided to patrol for awhile. Jim found Celia sitting at her grandmother’s dining room table, looking over some books and catalogs about herbs. Celia was frantically looking in the catalogs for one herb which she could not find.
“Celia, what’s wrong?” Jim asked, sensing her panic.
“I cannot find this herb in the catalogs, and I need it.” Celia was trying to find one of the herbs Dr. Robertson’s colleague had recommended for Gracey and Stone’s potential fertility issues. Celia knew she could not reveal the reason for needing the herb but needed help finding it.
“Let me help you, Celia,” Jim offered. She gave him the name of the herb, Vertamus, and they searched the catalogs page by page to no avail.
“Do you have a picture of it in the book? Maybe the name is wrong in the catalog,” Jim suggested.
Celia opened the book and found a photo of the herb and showed it to Jim.
“I have seen it somewhere. I am pretty sure I have seen something which looks like this,” Jim exclaimed. “I am going to have to remember where. It will come to me. Please be patient while I remember.”
“I need to find it soon Jim. I cannot tell you why, but it is crucial I find it,” Celia stated anxiously. “I will keep checking catalogs and websites. But for now, I have lots of work to do. I need to check on those clothes of yours. I have never seen two grown men get so dirty.”
Everyone gathered for the preparation of Sunday dinner. Cooking for a large group made Celia happy, but it was a chore. Food for five men and three women, including her, was time-consuming. During the week, with the help of Ms. McFarlin and Ms. Davies, it was a breeze. The weekends were tiring. When the family entered the kitchen and asked how they could help, Celia welcomed the help. They were the family she did not have. Celia never had children and imagined this was what a house full of children and grandchildren would be like.
After dinner, Celia returned to her search for the last herb on her list. Jim was on patrol, and Elmer approached to see what Celia was searching for. “I am trying to find this herb. No one sells it. One website says it only grows in the wild. Where am I going to find it?”
Elmer looked at the herb. “I know where,” he answered nonchalantly.
“What?” Celia replied.
“It grows up on the bluff. I swear it is the same one,” Elmer told her.
Celia jumped up, grabbed Elmer’s arm and pulled him toward the door. “Let’s go.”
“Celia, we cannot go tonight. We need full daylight to get there. Some of the terrain is a bit dangerous even by four-wheel drive, and we do not have enough time to get there and back before the sun goes down. We can go tomorrow,” Elmer told her.
After a couple trips around the perimeter, Jim returned to the basement. “Elmer knows where the herb is. It grows up
on the bluff,” Celia announced. “We are going tomorrow to get it.”
“Excellent, why don’t we pack a picnic lunch and enjoy some time looking over the meadow? You said you would like to see it,” Jim suggested.
Everyone agreed it was a splendid idea. “I am just so excited,” Celia told the two. “I need some tea.”
Jim and Elmer looked at each other and watched Celia open the cupboard. “My jams, where did these come from,” Celia asked while turning to look at Jim and Elmer. Neither one said a word. They just stood there with happy smirks on their faces. “You guys are the best!” Celia exclaimed.
The next morning after a light breakfast, Celia packed a basket of snacks, and the three climbed into Jim’s Jeep. “The bluff is about seven miles away, and the trip gets quite bumpy in a few miles,” Elmer told Celia. “But once we are there, you will enjoy the view.”
“Celia, Elmer gave me a taste of your jam yesterday before we left the house. It was the best I have ever tasted. Are you thinking about canning any jam this year?” Jim asked, passing the time.
“I hadn’t actually thought about it. Buying all the fruit just gets too expensive these days. Sometimes I wish I had some berry bushes and maybe a few fruit trees. Maybe some apples, cherries, peaches and even some pears would be good. But where would I put them?” Celia asked.
Jim abruptly stopped the Jeep. “Look around you woman, what do you see?”
“Land?” Celia answered.
Elmer was in the back about to burst; trying to keep from laughing.
“Look in every direction. This is Emerald Knoll; one hundred square miles of land; most of it undeveloped. I am sure we can find an acre or fifty for some fruit trees.”
“Do you think Rudy will allow me to plant a few trees?” Celia asked, timidly.
“Give him a taste of the jam, and he will plant the trees with his own two hands!” Jim proclaimed confidently.
They spent the rest of the ride talking about Celia’s awarding winning jams, pies, and cakes. Elmer told Jim Celia was the best cook in the county if not the state. Celia was a bit embarrassed.
When they arrived at the tree line, Jim stopped the Jeep. “We have to walk from here.” Jim grabbed the basket and Celia’s hand while Elmer grabbed the bucket and shovel. The tree line was about fifty feet deep, but with fallen trees, one could trip if not paying attention.
When they cleared the wood line, Celia gasped. She walked toward the edge of the bluff and looked out over the meadow. “Omigod, this is paradise,” Celia exclaimed.
The three of them stood and looked out over the meadow. The stream added more tranquility to the scene. Jim backed up a few feet and laid a blanket on the ground. “We might as well enjoy the view for a bit while we are here.”
The three sat on a blanket and just looked out silently. After a few minutes, Celia took a deep breath. “This is just what I needed.”
A few minutes later Celia asked Jim and Elmer, “Do you come up here often?”
“We came up here before the last full moon to take a look around. But before then it had been years maybe a decade,” Jim told her. “There is not a lot of good hunting up here, but for just taking a run, it is perfect. I would come up here and just look out over the bluff. It’s peaceful.”
“If I were a wolf, this would be my favorite spot,” Celia proclaimed.
Elmer looked at Jim wide-eyed but did not utter a word. Jim shook his head gently as if to say, do not ask.
After sitting for a while and enjoying a light snack, Celia was anxious to find her elusive herb. She pulled a copy of the photo out of her pocket. “Let’s take a look, Elmer,” Celia said and stood up.
Elmer took another look at the photo and walked further south along the bluff. “I think this is it,” he announced. “Come take a look.”
All three looked at the photo and the wild-growing herb and agreed it was the one she was searching for, Vertamus. “What is it for?” Elmer asked.
“It is for a specific home remedy I am working on. That is all I can tell you for now,” Celia answered secretively. Celia was amazed that the most crucial of all the herbs was found just miles away. She knew God had answered her prayers.
Elmer started digging up the Vertamus. “Leave at least half of it,” Celia instructed. “We need to let some continue to grow wild in case the transplanting doesn’t take. This stuff is important, really important.”
Elmer did as Celia instructed, and they gathered up their belongings for the trip back. It was a successful hunt for herbs and a relaxing afternoon, or so the men thought.
Arriving back at the house, Celica picked a spot for the Vertamus. Needing to ensure it was not disturbed; she found an isolated spot in the garden and planted it. Then she pointed at the rose bushes sitting under the tree. “Sorry guys but we have to get those into the ground. They will be in shock for a while, but next spring I am sure they will come back as good as new.”
Remembering how hard it was to dig the bushes up, Elmer and Jim sighed in discontentment. But if it made Celia happy, Elmer and Jim would do it.
The family was already gathering to prepare a holiday dinner. Haley had a few hours before she had to leave to return to Nashville and was helping in the kitchen, as well. Celia pulled an assortment of meat out of the cooler and started seasoning it for a slow cook on the grill.
The men were chopping vegetables for the side dishes, and Haley was showing Charles how to make the perfect antipasto.
“Haley, you’re Italian, right?” Celia asked.
“Yes ma’am,” Haley replied.
“Your last name is Rose correct? So your father is not Italian?” Celia asked for clarification.
“Actually our last name is Rossini. My father anglicized it when he became an adult,” Haley explained.
“Rossini?” Abby asked. “Why is that name familiar?”
Haley just shrugged and went back to her antipasto.
Later that night Abby was lying in bed with the name Rossini was running through her mind over and over. It had her puzzled and worried at the same time.
“Just relax Abby, it will come to you. Let’s get some sleep. It is business, as usual, tomorrow,” Rudy told her.