In the summer of 1992, Bonnie, Jake, and Leah's worlds collide as they search for love, hope, and their dreams one last summer at a small Wisconsin lake. Take a little jump back to the glory days of 1992, a magical time before smartphones, social me...
"Wait," said Jake, suddenly shocked, "he was? ... "
"Yes, he was. Elizabeth and Daddy had a falling out the summer of 1894, and she ran off. It broke Momma's heart, and she didn't speak to Father for three months after she left. She came back a year later, six months along, and Mama arranged for her to stay with extended family up near Canada. The winter Solomon was born, there was a bad train accident, and two of Mother's extended family were killed in Canada. The doctor was a friend, and the birth certificate read the names of a family member who had passed. Momma made sure the legal arrangements declared her guardianship of Solomon."
"How did she pull that off?" asked Jake.
"Though my mother had married a Glass, she was always and forever a Key. The Keys were also a very powerful and progressive family. Am I curious, as you all did visit Solomon's daughter and her family out near Minneapolis. Did you have any questions after the visit?"
"Yeah," said Jacob, " But I wasn't sure how to ask it. I remember trying to find any pictures of Solomon when we got back, and I couldn't find any except one in an old album dated 1922 and you were in it Aunt Edith."
"And...?" said Edith.
"Solomon was black. I asked Dad about it, and he sharply asked me if I had a problem with it. I said no, and that was the end of it. He said Solomon had been adopted into the family, and family was family." said Jake
Edith continued, "So, I lived in the house with Lizzie and Solomon until Father found a small house and set Lizzie up for a place of her own. A few years after, she met Neil Connor, and they married, and she had Laura, Carrie, and Emmit."
"Grandpa said once that he was one of the kindest people he had ever met." said Jake
"Yes, he was, and he and I were thick as thieves growing up. He was accepted for the time within our family, and thankfully within our community. He was so caring and my defender, even when my mouth deserved the trouble I got into. He had the warmest smile, and his eyes were so bright and similar to yours. To let anyone wonder, he truly was a Glass."
"Why is that?"
Edith smiled. "Because he had grey eyes, just like you."
"Wow," said Jake.
"Yeah, Lizzie became my mother in all respects, and Solomon and I kind of had our own lives. Her children with Connor were all seven or more years younger than us. I got along okay with Neil, but Solomon and he clashed as Solomon became a young adult. Lizzie's said her heart broke a second time when he went to Minnesota. She would visit him whenever she could."
Jake sat quietly as he stared at the grave of his great-great-grandmother, and he starred at the engraving.
"The Rose, was that her nickname?" he asked.
"Yes," said Edith, "she was the Rose."
"But why isn't there a rose on her gravestone?"
"But there is, Jacob. Have you ever seen a wild rose? Come, let's get back in the car. I could use some air conditioning," she said.
As they drove, she had him head to a local community garden she knew. He helped her out, she had him wheel her to a section with prairie roses in whites, reds, and pinks. As he wheeled her through the gardens, Edith pointed out other plants, as they talked and enjoyed the afternoon. They returned to the manor, where he joined her in her room, sitting in a chair as she made herself comfortable sitting on the bed, as she was getting tired.
"Jacob, in the drawer to the left, there is a velvet bag. Could you grab it for me?"
Jacob reached in and handed the velvet pouch to Edith.
She opened it and pulled out a letter and held it up.
"Before I was born, my mother shared with my father and sister that she had decided to pass her family line of the Rose to me."
"The line of the Rose?" asked Jake.
"Yes. Within the Key family, there has been a tradition of the ever other generation of giving a certain rose name and a blessing of the Rose to one child each generation, my Aunt Patricia told me the tradition dated back to at least the 1500s. My mother, before she died, had my father write a note letting me know I was the carrier of the line. The letter was sealed and given to me by my father on my 18th birthday."
"As you know, Jacob, I've never had any children who lived to adulthood. My Rose was also a flower that faded far too soon," she said quietly. Jake's heart ached as he held her hand.
"I have had many years to think, Jacob, and choose who I should give my gift to, who will keep the line alive. Jacob, I have chosen you, which is why I asked Alvin for you to help me this summer. So I could give you that gift, to take it with you and share it with your children, and your children's children." She handed him the velvet bag, gave him a hug, and said, "I've always cared for you, Jacob. You've always took time with me over the years, and even when you were little, you would come and spend the afternoons. What sealed my decision was watching you with Darla. That truly showed your heart. Most of your cousins treat her differently or are unsure how to be with her. You didn't. You accepted and loved her with all yourself as she was. So within your heart is a rose that I hope you find to give." She leaned out toward Jacob as he leaned in and she kissed his cheek and hugged him. After their goodbyes, he headed out to the Oldsmobile and into the afternoon.
Jake was torn within himself as he sorted all that he had heard; he didn't want to go back to the house. He turned until he was on 167, heading toward the lake. He reached the turnoff, a small grove of trees, and the little road ended at a small parking lot, empty that afternoon. He parked the car and headed past the small trails until he reached a park bench that looked out over the expanse of Lake Michigan.
He fished the purple velvet pouch Edith had given him out of his pocket, unzipped it, and his heart stopped. Folded within the yellow parchment was the rose.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Jake carefully placed the brooch back into the pouch and unfolded the letter.
"My dearest Edith,
I love you with all my heart, but fate has seen to it that my life must be exchanged for your own into this world. I know there will be times you will look back on this day with questions this world can never answer, but I beg you not to look at this day in anger. Though you shall never see me in this life, may you feel my love within your spirit, and may it grow within your heart as you blossom into the beautiful woman you will become. I give you the promise of the Rose, for I was the first to carry it in this new world. May you find within your line the one to keep it. I give this from my heart as a promise to know that you are not forgotten, and I in turn will live on in your heart and in the hearts of those who carry the name.
With all my love in life and in death,
Rosalind Key Glass August 20, 1897"
Jake folded the letter back and sat, watching the water and sky move with the motions of his heart.
