The Finding Tree

Chapter 5 - The Beginning

The evening was soft and quiet. The kind of twilight that brings fireflies. Those little incandescent bits of magic that make one wonder whether Darwin had ever really ever just sat and looked at the things around him.

The order, precision and timing required for the beauty those little bugs brought proved more than any theory, in Tom's view. Summer was here, the lake would ripple occasionally when a fish would surface or an otter would slap the water and make a ruckus.

Tom swirled his whiskey glass and looked at the melting ice cubes. He didn't even really like it anymore. It was just what got him through the day without making his chest tight, and hands shake. He hated that he needed it like his next breath.

He knew he was addict. But he also knew he wasn't strong enough to do anything about it. He would try, though. By God he would try. For Janey.

He couldn't even bring himself to remember what he'd done that godawful day, so he didn't try. Somethings were too painful.

He needed to be clear enough to remember the stories his grandma would tell him when he was little. Janey loved the stories, and Tom loved his daughter.

The world seemed so big and limitless then. There were no mistakes that were unforgivable. No decisions that made life-long impacts. Just playing outside with his brother, going to school. Tom missed those days...and he missed how his grandma loved him, before he became too selfish to notice her.

Tom closed his eyes in regret and ran his hand up and down the condensation on the highball glass.

Mabel had purchased the property sight unseen based on the location she'd heard about from hand drawn description of the area. The owner had assured her there was a proper well with sweet water and that she would need to have a road put in, if she wanted one. This arm of the lake was "boat access only". She'd asked her architectural and property department to confirm the claims and come up with a building plan.

Lawrence studied the topographical map that he was using for the design of the estate. His boss was a woman, a pretty woman no less, that made him blush. Lawrence chuckled at himself, and shook his head. He tried to remember the last time his face turned red, and couldn't remember. Maybe never. Mabel had wanted a large house, a boat house with three slips, two large docks, a ramp to the lake, a caretakers house, and the outbuildings and dormitory that would be needed to keep year-round staff along with the summer guests. This place was large enough to be a hotel if she wanted.

Lawrence couldn't imagine why one woman would want all of this, but he appreciated the work, and her forethought. He knew she was a thinker.

His life as a carpenter had finally come to an end when he'd been hired to finalize these building plans. The contractors he'd always worked for had ended up using his designs anyway and studying to be draughtsman seemed like a natural continuation of his father's legacy as a master carpenter.

Mabel had insisted that she needed him to be on site during construction. He supposed it was so that the builders didn't cut corners. He also wouldn't mind adding some carpentry work to the house, and working more closely with Mabel wasn't a bad side effect either.

He loved doing small detailed work, and using local wood to add to the beauty of a house. Mabel loved the newer Craftsman style architecture that took cues from nature and the outdoors. Lawrence was excited to branch out of his characteristically Victorian era detailed work to experiment with this new way of thinking.

He appreciated that about her, she wasn't afraid of the future. She was no-nonsense, strong but yet he'd never seen a more beautiful woman. She made his mouth dry, and throat tighten, and that hadn't happened in a very long time.