Juliana – Chapter 116 The Lighthouse

Time in Willow Creek: 1 year, 11 months

Juliana had been interviewing for a month. She needed the help right away but didn’t want to rush the process because hiring another Trish could not happen. Taking advice from Kevin, she requested and contacted references for each candidate she considered a good fit. Not only did she want people who would actually work, but also she wanted people who were passionate about the job for she would be leaving Harriett’s legacy in their hands; she couldn’t mess it up. Traditionally, two people ran Community Library, but Juliana wanted a third person. Small libraries only needed two, but a third person would make it so the schedule wouldn’t be stressed. If someone needed to go home or wanted to go on vacation, they could do it with no problem. That was the first thing Juliana would do after she hired and trained her staff. She wasn’t sure if she would actually go anywhere, but she deserved some time off and had no qualms about taking it.

Speaking of time off, Kevin ditched work one Monday to go on a mini road trip with Juliana to a nearby coastal town called Brindleton Bay about three hours east. The river which ran through Willow Creek, Newcrest, and Oasis Springs ended in Brindleton Bay and dumped into the ocean. Kevin never forgot how excited she was about the lighthouse on their first date and had always planned to take her there. But, of course with the work drama, they never had the time until now.

“If you think that lighthouse is awesome, wait ’til you see the one in Brindleton Bay!”

Apparently, they wouldn’t have been able to see the one in Willow Creek anyway. It wasn’t worth looking at anyway, according to Kevin. “It’s like a really tall lamp with a big gate around it. This lighthouse is legit!” She couldn’t wait to see it.

When they arrived, Juliana noticed immediately why Kevin advised her to wear a sweater, and it gave new meaning to the phrase “cool breeze.” They arrived early–around 8:30–and got breakfast to fuel themselves for the great adventure ahead. After breakfast, they walked around the area, taking in the sights before heading to the lighthouse. Brindleton Bay was beautiful. It seemed to have its own unique color palette. Dark greens, blues, and browns peppered the area, forming the most serene picture. There were so many trees, and it was hillier than Willow Creek and the surrounding flatlands. Everywhere she went, the saltiness in the air tickled her nose. It reminded her so much of home, and she missed the ocean.

The lighthouse wasn’t far as they could see it just off the shore in the distance. As they waited for their time slot to arrive, Juliana grew excited about the boat ride. Her first and last experience with boats was her journey to Willow Creek. It wasn’t a good experience, but she had always been fascinated by boats. Probably because boats represented going off to a faraway land. Maybe that’s why she read so much for she always went away somewhere in her mind. Maybe she was always meant to leave home and move far away.

Juliana expected the boat to be fast, but it took nearly a half hour to get to the island. She beamed with excitement the closer they got. Her stomach felt like a bee’s nest. Kevin smiled and laughed at how bouncy she was when the boat slowed and came to a stop. Once on land, they walked slowly toward the lighthouse. It was so tall and majestic! Too bad they couldn’t have come at night to see it all lit up. Then again, all lighthouses probably look the same at night.

“Oh look,” Kevin said. “There’s a museum. Wanna check it out first?”

She didn’t but felt like she should. Her mind was at the lighthouse, but the museum was actually pretty cool. It must have been the city’s historical museum. A beautiful, expansive 3D replica of Brindleton Bay greeted them as they walked in. Paintings of important townspeople filled the space along with models of famous ships throughout history. Two paintings caught her eye. One of a sea captain and his dog who lost their lives at sea, and another of the first female professional scuba diver.

A cottage annexed the lighthouse; it was a gift shop. She didn’t want anything, but maybe a snowglobe or something would be nice. Juliana wondered if old people visited the lighthouse much. There were so many stairs, naturally. She couldn’t imagine Harold attempting it. Perhaps Harriett could have made it halfway maybe.

Once they reached the top, Kevin paused and smiled at her. “Are you ready for this?” She beamed and nodded. He opened the door and allowed her to step out first. Water, water everywhere! The Bluffs in Windenburg had amazing ocean views too, but somehow the ocean seemed so much bigger from so high up. It was amazing.

The white, fluffy clouds were narrow and stretched across the sky so perfectly as if God had painted them there. The ocean sprawled as far as her eyes could see, but she still tried to see beyond the horizon although she knew it was impossible. What was there beyond that line? More ocean? Home? The world was so big!

“Juliana…”

How cool would it be if Monte Vista was just across that line?

“Do you ever think about going home?”

How did he know? Maybe it was true what they said about getting closer to a significant other. “Of course.”

He turned toward her. “Do you want to?”

She smiled and felt like crying. “Of course.”

He nodded and went back to the ocean. “You should do that.”

As if it were that easy. She knew what he meant, but sometimes his simplistic solution to everything frustrated her. He probably thought all she had to do was buy a plane ticket and go. She only wished it could be that simple.

After the pair had their fill of the ocean, they trekked downstairs to explore the island a bit. Hand in hand, they walked along the shore in a comfortable silence until Kevin began laughing.

“What is it?”

“Oh…” He let her hand go and walked toward the water. “Not here, but I was just remembering how me and Marq and our friends used to skinny dip at the beach after hours.”

“Skinny dip?”

He opened his mouth to answer but turned away and laughed nervously. “Yeah, uhhh…that’s when you get in naked…fully naked.”

She covered her mouth and giggled. Kevin had so many crazy stories about him and this Marq. He was obviously important to him so why hadn’t she met him yet?

As if they hadn’t exercised enough, Juliana felt like jogging and trotted ahead of Kevin when they went back to their excursion around the island. One moment, she was surrounded by patches of green grass and the warm covering the sun. But, in a blink of an eye, tall, dense trees and an eery coolness replaced the warmth of the sun’s covering. Still, she forged ahead, hoping she didn’t get lost. Up ahead was a stone wall, and on top of the stone wall sat a cat. It startled her. Why would a cat be way out there? The island was hardly “the wild,” but it was hard for her to imagine there being cats on the island. How did they even get there? The boat was too small for them to be stowaways.

Kevin was not far behind her and caught up quickly. She stopped running when she realized what the stone wall enclosed.

Hundreds of tiny graves were strewn across the lot. The scene was as confusing as it was sad. Juliana never had any pets, but her friends did. When they died, she felt bad for her friends and attended the funerals to say goodbye to their furry companions. In a way, she took pleasure in seeing someone cared enough about the four-legged family members to give them a graveyard, but why so far away? And why the island? It was so strange.

“It’s getting late.” He sounded uncomfortable. “I think we should go back to the boat.”

Their island adventure–and the fact they didn’t have lunch–worked up an appetite, and they stopped at a food stall on the docks for a quick bite. A heavily pregnant served them, and Kevin made a point to congratulate and flatter her. He was such a charmer. Too bad he didn’t see it. His charm wasn’t some ancillary part of him that came and went as he needed it. It was part of him, and he used it for good. He never said anything he didn’t believe, and he certainly never used his charm to have his own way. She loved that. It’s part of what made him Kevin, and she hoped soon he would learn to be happy with himself just as he was.

He ordered lobster rolls for them. “You should always order seafood when you go to a coastal town like this. It’ll be the freshest you’ll ever get.”

She knew that, of course, being from a coastal town. Ironically, she had to travel all the way to Willow Creek to try lobster and shrimp for the first time because they weren’t able to afford it back home.

Her mind was still in that graveyard. “Did you have a pet?”

He shook his head and finished chewing the bit of food in his mouth. “But, if I did, I think I’d get a cat.”

“A cat?”

He chuckled. “I take it you’re not a cat person?”

She shrugged. “They’re so…how do you call it?”

He nodded. “You don’t like the ‘cattitude,’ as some call it. I like them because they’re independent. They come say hi and then go on about their business. I take it you’re a dog person.”

“Puppies are cute! They play and love you and–”

“Pee in the house and chew up your stuff.” He snorted. “It’s like having a two-year-old that never grows up.”

Despite the fact that she was disappointed he didn’t like dogs, she wondered if they would ever have pets if the two of them ever lived together or got married. They continued the pet discussion through dinner and on the way back to the car. She was indifferent to cats, but he didn’t seem to like dogs at all and wondered why. Maybe he needed to meet the right dog.

Every now and then, she considered moving out. She wasn’t at the point to make actual plans, but she thought about everything moving and living on her own would involve. It would be cool to have a little furry friend to keep her company in the solitude of her apartment. She did have concerns about living alone, but maybe after a month or two of getting used to living on her own, she would consider adopting a friend.