Second Chance November 12

The story starts here.

Karin watched the road as they headed north on Lakeshore Drive. She watched the mailboxes fly by and thought about the Bennett’s house. There was a time that she’d secretly hoped that she would be able to buy it, but that didn’t seem possible now. She remembered what Troy had told her about Gayle’s advice. Someone from Chicago was looking to buy a lake house here in Dunewood. Was it Jay, she wondered. Was that where he was taking her? No, the house wasn’t even officially on the market yet, she realized as they passed the mailbox for 1020 Lakeshore Drive.

“You look like you’re involved in some pretty serious thinking,” Jay said. “Want to share?”

“Oh, I was just thinking about Mrs. Bennett,” Karin said. “That was their family home that we just passed back there.”

“When you live in the same place for your whole life, the place becomes filled with memories, both good and bad.”

“Hmm, that’s really profound,” she said.

“I can’t take the credit. It’s something my grandfather told me.”

“He sounds like he was full of wisdom.”

“It’s too bad you never got a chance to meet him,” Jay said.

“Your family didn’t really seem to like me,” Karin said and then wished she could take it back.

“That wasn’t entirely their fault,” he said. The mailboxes along Lakeshore Drive gave way to sand dunes as they drove through state land. Karin wanted to just enjoy the view, but there were unresolved issues between the two of them. She wanted to say that after ten years, she was over it, but the in same way that the emotions she’d felt when she was with him had come rushing back the moment she saw him again; the pain that she’d felt when he left her was still there too.

“No?” she said. “Was it my fault?” she tried not to let her emotions show in her voice.

“No,” Jay pulled over on the side of the road near a break in the dunes where people had worked out a trail through the sand between the road and the shoreline. “It wasn’t anyone’s fault, it was just the circumstances.”

“What circumstances?”

“Karin, I’ve always wanted to explain this all to you,” Jay said.

“Why not try now?” she said, silently hoping that he would say something that would make up for everything that had happened, but she couldn’t imagine what those words might be.

“Ok, I will,” he said. He got out of the car and took the blanket from the trunk. “Come on.” Karin followed him up and over the sand. She slipped off her shoes and enjoyed the way it felt on her feet as she sunk down into the sand with each step.

“Do you remember this spot?” he asked as they reached the top of the dune. Karin looked out over the beach on the other side. It looked just like the miles and miles and white sandy beach front that lined the western coast of her home state of Michigan. She looked for a distinctive marker that would make this spot different from the other stops along Lakeshore Drive where people had forged trails over the dunes. She shook her head no, she didn’t remember this spot.

“This is where you brought me to see my first sunset over the lake,” he said. Karin smiled. She remembered that night. After seeing her first sunrise over the fruit groves of his family farm, he’d told her that he’d never seen a sunset on the lake. It is something that everyone should witness, she’d thought. So, she’d offered to show him one. She hadn’t picked this spot for any reason other than that there hadn’t been any other cars parked there so she thought they might have the spot to themselves.

“You remember this exact spot?” she asked.

“Yeah, I came out here a lot after that night,” he said.

“Why?”

“It was where I felt closest to you.”

“Jay,” Karin said, reaching out and touching his arm, “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“It will,” he said. “Come on.” He carried the blanket down the hill and laid it out on the sand a few feet from the water’s edge. They sat down on the blanket together facing the western horizon.

“It really is a gorgeous spot,” she admitted, but then she sat quietly and listened while Jay explained his family’s history.

“I’ve been hearing the same stories my whole life. Something like two hundred years ago, one of my great, great, great grandfathers was swindled out of his fortune by an evil woman who tricked him with her charm and beauty. His parents had warned him about this woman and told him to stay away from her, but he didn’t listen and he married her anyway. After she ran off with all his money, he swore that he would rebuild his fortune and never allow his descendants to make such a foolish choice again.”

“Interesting,” Karin said. “And, how exactly did he manage to do that?” she asked, suddenly quite curious.

“First, he rebuilt his fortune through hard work and determination. Then, he married another lady, one that his parents approved of and he wrote in his will that if any of his children were to marry someone other than the spouse chosen by the parents, that child would be cut off completely from the family.” Jay said. “So, the story goes that this worked so well, that his children did the same with their children and every generation since has continued this tradition.”

“If you’ve been hearing this story your whole life, you must have known it when we first met,” Karin said.

“I did.” He admitted. “But, when I met you, I didn’t think about any of that.”

“So, did your parents choose a wife for you?”

“They had someone in mind,” Jay said. “Linda was the daughter of a family that my grandfather knew very well and thought highly of. She had her own fortune and so would be unlikely to try to take ours. My parents were hoping that she and I would marry and they went to great lengths to get us together, always attending family functions and social events as a couple. But, I didn’t have to marry her, I just had to marry someone that they would approve of.”

“And, that was never going to be me,” Karin said. “My family is much too poor to meet their standards.” She bit her lip as she knew that her anger was showing.

“That’s true, Karin, and you have every right to be angry, but none of that changes how I felt about you.” Jay said.

“But, it doesn’t explain why you just left. You stopped calling and whenever I went out to the house, your parents said you weren’t there, you never returned my phone calls.”

“I know it sounds dumb now, but it seemed like the best thing to do at the time.”

“Why didn’t you tell me all of this then?”

“I really don’t have a reason. Linda was always going out with whoever she wanted and I knew I wasn’t going to marry her, but I couldn’t tell my parents that. When Grandfather decided to retire and wanted to teach me to take his place as head of the board at his Chicago office, it was a great opportunity. I had only ever worked on the farm and didn’t really know how to do anything else. He offered to send me to business school and teach me everything he knew, but my parents said that if he knew about you, then I would be cut off. I guess I’d always thought it was just a family story, until it was actually happening to me.”

Karin took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. She looked out at the sky filled with blues and pinks and oranges and purples. It was hard to be angry under such a majestic scene.

“Karin, I’d never known love until I knew you, but I was young and selfish and I couldn’t be put out on the street. I knew I wouldn’t survive.”

“So, obviously, you ended up working in Chicago,” Karin said.

“Yes.”

“Did you ever marry Linda?”

“No.”

“Did you ever get married at all?”

“No.”

“I wish I could say that I would have understood if you had told me back then, but I wouldn’t have. I’m not sure that I understand it all even now. One thing that I do understand is how we sometimes have to make decisions based on who our parents are.” Karin’s life was full of choices that were influenced by her mother’s personality and lifestyle. She couldn’t blame Jay for who his family was.

Jay put his arm around Karin and she leaned into his chest. They colors in the sky gradually grew bolder as they sat and talked and tried to catch up on the ten years of life that they’d missed together.

Find out what happens next here.