“That’s wonderful,” Cindy was happy for her sister. “It’s good to get away.”
“It’s crucial,” Ann echoed as she bit into her crunchy sandwich.
“Yup,” Cindy agreed, biting into her sandwich as well. “Crucial to go and also crucial to come home again.”
*
They ate quickly and Cindy cleaned up, to free her sister to get ready to leave. Suddenly, Cindy felt upset by her sister’s departure. “I have an idea,” she said, as Ann rolled her suitcase into the living room. “Why don’t I drive you to the airport?”
“There’s no reason for it,” Ann seemed touched. “You’ve just taken a long trip yourself.”
“But I’d really like to,” Cindy objected. Ann had driven her so many times, she wanted to return the kindness.
“Thanks, sweetheart,” Ann replied, “but I’ve ordered a car to take me. It’s simpler.”
It was simpler, and it made perfect sense, but Cindy felt sad at the thought of her sister leaving so abruptly. They usually had more time together to catch up on things. Cindy needed those few extra moments.
“I’ll do it anyway,” Cindy insisted.
“No, really, it’s better this way,” Ann repeated. “I’ll feel better thinking of you settling back down, unwinding, taking the time you need. You run around too much as it is already.”
Cindy couldn’t bring herself to tell her sister that she just wanted a little more time with her now.
“And besides,” Ann said in a lighter tone, “Frank and I can stop back in New York after our trip on our way home. He always enjoys being here. It will round out the vacation. You and I can catch up then.”
“That sounds good,” Cindy agreed and hugged Ann as the car arrived. Ann spotted it through the window and waved at the driver. Then she turned around, blew Cindy a kiss and rolled her suitcase out the front door.
*
After Ann left the house felt strangely silent and empty. Cindy unpacked slowly, looking at the photos of her and Clint that were still up on the walls. Their arms were around each other, they were happy, carefree, looking forward to a bright life together. It was as if no time had passed, as if everything stayed the same forever, the way you had hoped it would be.
Chapter 2
Cindy slept lightly, waking early. She wanted to get a walk on the beach before the guests started arriving. She always felt balanced and centered when she was near water, as though she knew where she was, and what was coming next.
Cindy dressed quickly in sweat pants and a sweat shirt and took along a rain slicker, as the day was becoming cloudy and overcast. Then she jumped into her old car which was parked in the garage and drove to the town beach, just a few minutes away.
Cindy loved this beach, a little inlet on the Long Island Sound, which was almost always empty. It had both wonderful rock jutties to sit on and soft white sand. She parked the car under a tree nearby and then made her way there on foot.
As soon as she arrived at the water, Cindy lifted her face into the cool air and broke into a slow run along the water’s edge. As she jogged along the coastline, images of both Mattheus and Sean drifted across her mind. Cindy shook her head to brush the pictures away, as if dissolving cobwebs. There was no point in thinking about Mattheus. He was with Petra and Andrea now in St. Croix. It was obvious that Petra wanted to resume a relationship with him. She was a beautiful woman and could easily use their daughter as bait to do so. Would she weave a web around Mattheus that he couldn’t break away from? Cindy realized it was entirely possible.