But now she was renting a room at Margaret’s house. Julie barely ever saw the woman because she worked late hours and slept late during the day. But Margaret liked tea in the afternoon when Julie got up. Julie was usually not in any rush to get out the door, so she sat and talked with Margaret as a way to start her day.
It was the perfect situation for Julie, although she had a feeling that Margaret’s son, Edmund, had hoped that having Julie live there would relieve some pressure off him to hire a visiting nurse.
It hadn’t. Julie wasn’t a nurse and she worked very long hours at the Red Wolf Casino. There wasn’t anything more she could do beyond being a companion for Margaret, which she had tried to be.
She knew that Margaret didn’t approve of her working at a casino bar, but she had the feeling Margaret genuinely liked her. She didn’t focus on Julie’s work or pry into her past. After a day in town with the visiting nurse, she would always come home and tell Julie a boy she’d met at the market or the doctor’s office who was the sweetest boy and would be a nice “suitor” for her.
Julie would always laugh and tell Margaret that she was too busy to date a “boy.” And Margaret always insisted she was holding out hope to find her a husband.
Well, Julie was ruined where men were concerned. She hadn’t fully recovered from the last man she’d loved. How could she possibly open up to love from another?
She heard Margaret on the phone with someone while she packed up the rest of her belongings. It had been hard telling Margaret she was leaving, but the sweet old woman understood. Family was family.
As she’d told Caleb, she didn’t have much. She had a box that she’d moved from place to place that remained sealed with duct tape. Another rubber container she kept her shoes and boots in because it was easier than searching for them in the bottom of the closet or under the bed. And then another box with things she’d taken from home when she’d left. It was mostly pictures and yearbooks. The last time she’d moved, she’d shed many things that didn’t mean anything to her. The old wall decorations she’d had in her other rooms were secondhand items she’d picked up at a tag sale because she couldn’t stand the empty walls.
She glanced around the room just as Margaret appeared in her doorway. She walked with a walker and leaned on it as she looked into the room.
“I’m going to miss having you here,” Margaret said with a warm smile. “You were the perfect boarder.”
“I was just thinking the same thing. I enjoyed being here. I feel like I’m running off on you.”
Margaret waved her off with the flick of her hand. Then put her hand securely back on the walker. “You’re moving on, not running away. There is a difference, you know.”
“Is there? I’m glad you can see it.”
“You’re living your life.” Margaret laughed. “My son is not so good with letting his mother live her own life.”
“Is that who you were on the phone with?’
She nodded. “Edmund is not comfortable with me living on my own. I think he’d rest easier if I were living in an old age home, if you want the honest truth of it.”
“He worries. He loves you. Besides, you’ll get someone else to move in and take my place.”
She shrugged. “Maybe. I like to do my own thing. I don’t think I’ll ever be old enough for one of those old age homes he keeps talking about. I do like to putter around my own home.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that.” Julie looked at Margaret and wondered what she was getting at.
“He wants to put an ad in the paper right away. But I think I’ll keep this room empty just in case you need to come back. Even if it’s only for a visit.” She winked at Julie with affection.
Julie sat on the bed and felt the weight of tears behind her eyes. “I can’t thank you enough for giving me a safe place when I needed one. I feel like I’m abandoning you.”
“You’re moving forward,” Margaret said, relieving Julie’s burden of guilt. “That’s what you young women are supposed to do these days.”
“Yeah?”
“In my day very few women went to college. Most got married right after graduating high school, if not before.” Margaret put on a brave face. “Look at this as a new adventure. Everything is brand-new ahead of you. Even if you think you’re looking over your shoulder, keep your eyes ahead. You’ll find your way.”
Julie wondered how Margaret could know that what she said was so fitting. They’d talked about many things over the past six months but she hadn’t confided in Margaret about living in Montana. Julie had kept to places she’d visited and jobs she’d had on the West Coast.
Perhaps when you got to a golden age as Margaret had, that sixth sense was part of wisdom. Regret filled her as she sat there with her hands in her lap. She was going to miss Margaret.
“Make sure you send me a postcard or letter to let me know where you land. I’d like to keep in touch and hear about your adventures.”
Julie chuckled. “You make it all sound so romantic, Margaret.”
“It is!”
Julie sighed, squashing down emotion before she spoke. “May I come back and visit?”
Margaret smiled. “I’d like that a lot.”
* * *
“That’s all you have?” Katie asked, coming out of Caleb’s apartment as Julie climbed the stairs with a box in her hand.
Julie’s eyes widened as she looked up at her old friend for the first time in years. “I didn’t know you were going to be here, Katie!”
Katie smiled and then rolled her eyes. “Is that all
