Hope's Imperfection

Chapter 19: For the People

My mother made a date for me at the doctor’s office and there was just enough time to attend the appointment before school was to begin. I had one more trip left to make on my summer calendar and that was to the town of Gettysburg, just an hour’s drive north of Baltimore.

Before leaving town I called Lizzy McIntosh. I wanted to fill her in on our findings from San Francisco and the Civil War piece I had uncovered since I had been home. I sent her an email at first, and then we followed it up with a phone conversation. As always, when speaking with Lizzy, I did most of the talking and towards the end of the conversation she would startle me with one of her famous twists. Lizzy was captivated by the growing story and legacy of Richard Stanhope’s family.

“Are you going to Gettysburg alone?” Lizzy inquired.

“No, I am taking my sister with me,” I replied.

“How about Sarah?” Lizzy countered.

“No, she can’t make it. She’s moving down to the University of Chicago this week. Her mother is bringing her to campus, but don’t worry, she is with us every step of the journey, doing the research behind the scenes,” I explained.

“No doubt,” said Lizzy, with a hint of a smile on the other end of the phone.

“You know Sarah,” I countered.

“Strangely enough I will be in Pennsylvania that same weekend,” Lizzy replied.

“We have to stop meeting like this,” I cautioned.

Lizzy snickered.

“After you finish in Gettysburg, I’d like to you to pop by and see me,” Lizzy stated. “Can you meet me in Williamsport where I’ll be staying? I’ll send you the address.”

“I’ll try to work it into my schedule,” I replied, with a chuckle. “But don’t try anything funny or I’ll be forced to tell Sarah.”

Lizzy chuckled but there was a hint of caution in her voice.

“She’s coming to visit me down in Baltimore, at Thanksgiving,” I offered.

“Thanks for the warning, Phillip. I’ll steer clear.”

Olivia and I had begun to grow close over the final weeks of the summer. I allowed her to plan our route to Gettysburg and threw her off completely when I told her that we had to make one additional stop in Williamsport to meet the legendary Lizzy McIntosh, apparently a long-lost relative.  Olivia recovered quickly and reworked the schedule, allowing for the additional stop.

What was in Williamsport? And why was it so important for Lizzy to meet me, I wondered…

Olivia and I departed on the 26thof August at sunrise. It was a one-day excursion, entailing a one-hour trip to Gettysburg first thing in the morning to see Rupert’s gravesite and walk the land on which he’d fought, then a visit to Williamsport in the afternoon to see Lizzy, followed by a return to Baltimore in the evening.  I was with Olivia so I knew the schedule had been tested.