A Blue Mountain Memory

LXII

Cora pinched her cheeks as she walked down the dirt path from the Call estate. She continually swept the dirt off her skirt and kept licking her lips. She occasionally let her hand wander to her head, making sure that not a single hair had fallen out of place.

She was going to meet with Elwood, of course.

It was around noon, and Henry knew she would be meeting her friend for lunch. What Henry did not know, however, was that lunch would be eaten in a small, abandoned cabin deep in the woods where the pair would be isolated and free to act as they wished. Cora was to wait for Elwood on the outskirts of town. She refused to wander into the town center.

As buildings emerged and the road became somewhat neater, Cora slowed her pace. She approached the tree where she normally met Elwood. She stood stiff beside the trunk, wanting to lean against it, but not wanting to stain her dress. For several minutes she stood alone, focusing only on the control of her breathing. Although she had been carrying out this affair for over a month, the thought of it still excited her. She had longed for Elwood for years, and now she finally had him once more. She felt as though it was too good to be true.

The sound of a shuffle in the dirt made Cora's gaze shoot up. Expecting to see Elwood, she felt disappointed when she realized it was just some other man. She anticipated the man to walk right past her, but as he approached, Cora noticed that he was headed her way. She nervously began shifting her weight, preparing herself to retreat. The strange man kept his gaze fixed on the ground and walked at a slow, lazy pace. Cora was desperate to see Elwood's outline in the distance, but no one else was in sight besides this man.

The man stopped several feet from Cora and looked up with a smile. He looked to be about ten years older than her, and his grin displayed a row of brown, rotting teeth. His face was scarred in some places, and his posture was weak, allowing his tall body to slouch. His clothes were stained with brown and red, and one of his toes poked out of a hole in his right boot. Cora felt oddly drawn to the man, as though she vaguely recognized him from somewhere. It was not until she met his gaze that she realized who it was.

It was his striking blue eyes that reminded Cora. But his blue eyes now appeared bleak, and the remnants of his once curly brown hair now sat matted against his sweaty brow.

"Hi Cora," Elijah Brooks smiled, his voice sounding the same as it did over twenty years ago.

"Elijah?" Cora responded, stepping forward to get a closer look.

"How've you been?" he asked, maintaining his warm, off-putting smile.

But Cora did not respond right away. Instead, she felt a surge of anger course through her body, burning her skin with spite. This was the boy who had insulted her. He spat harmful words in her face and revealed her affliction to the entire town. He had been the catalyst for her exile from the townsfolk. He had been the reason she could not find work. He had been the one to make her an outsider. Cora felt incensed by his audacity to address her in such a casual way after making her life so miserable.

"What do you want," Cora hissed.

Elijah's face fell, as though he was disappointed that Cora did not receive him with open arms and a warm disposition.

"I heard you were in town this summer... I've been looking for you everywhere, but I haven't seen you till just now!"

Cora wanted to step closer and slap his blemished cheek. She wanted to punch the rotten teeth out of his mouth. She wanted to tear out what remained of his hair. But suddenly, her anger subsided. She studied Elijah for a moment. He had fallen from grace. He was once like a Greek god, a statue, the image of perfect beauty. He had been impressively clever and rather charming. Now he stood before her as the mere remnants of his old self. Only his eyes had looked somewhat similar, and everything else had decayed around him. How could Cora feel anger towards him when karma had clearly done its job? She took a deep breath as her anger became replaced with pity.

"I've been avoiding town," she replied, pursing her lips.

"Why?"

"Oh, please, I'm sure you can guess Elijah."

"Everyone would love to see you though..."

"Everyone who spat at me twenty years ago? Everyone who shunned me? Everyone who let my family nearly starve?"

"I know," Elijah began with a sad tone, "we let you down then. But things have changed, Cora. Not everyone is as petty as they used to be. I think everyone feels kind of bad..."

"I don't care how they feel," Cora responded bitterly.

"Cora... I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am."

Elijah hiccupped and stooped forward some more. As his body drew closer, Cora could smell the whiskey seeping from his pores. He was drunk.

"I only talked to you because I thought you were pretty," he continued, "and I know now how wrong that was. I told everyone your secret. I truly hurt you Cora and I am sorry."

Cora paused, reflecting briefly on Elijah's apology. She wanted to accept it and move on, but his actions had impacted her life in some of the worst ways. Did he really deserve the satisfaction of her acceptance?

"You're hardly the first to do so I'm afraid."

And with that, Cora turned and made her way back to the Call estate. If Elwood wanted to see her, he could come get her. But for now, she needed to be alone.

❊ ❊ ❊

Lee stood in Scarlet's parlor, clutching a letter from Sidney Hendricks in his hand. Scarlet sat before him, eager to read Sidney's response.

Lee tore open the envelope and unfolded the paper. It was a brief note, followed by an address.

Lee handed the paper to Scarlet and as her eyes scanned it, a small smile appeared on her face.

"Well, will you write to her?" Scarlet asked frantically.

"I think it's the only thing that will get him out of our lives for good."

Without a moment of hesitation, Lee hurried over to the desk in the corner and began writing his letter.

He felt certain this would put an end to whatever dalliance his sister had with Elwood Lew.