The Phone Call

I borrowed the body of this short story from my late Aunt's own handwritten narrative.....this is my condensed version.

                                                      THE PHONE CALL


A phone call can change one's life in an instant. Such was the case on Feb. 15th, 1981 when the telephone aroused my Aunt at 9:15 pm. in her senior's apt. in Shelburne, Nova Scotia.

My mother's eldest sister was my Aunt Marjorie who was born in 1900 in Barrington, N.S. She loved it when our many cousins from Mass. arrived in the summers to spend their vacations with us. Others arrived with their families as well and she made new friends, one of them named Charlie Knowles, when they were both just 10 years old.

They became good friends and corresponded by mail and lived for summertime. At aged 17, they admitted to being in love and promised to wait for one another. He sent her his class picture and she sent him a blue silk Japanese handkerchief, thus sealing their vows.

The following summer, Charlie had to stay in Mass. to work and she missed him. But she stayed busy working and assisting in raising funds for the Red Cross. World War 1 was upon them and life was all about effords to raise money.

The following summer a new bank clerk came to town and all the girls set out to get him; only my Aunt Marjorie was successful. They married in 1921.

She and Uncle Lawrence moved to Mass. in 1923 where she began a career with a major bank until they retired in 1969. Then they moved back to Canada after my grandparents death when Marjorie inherited the old homestead.

Their marriage was a rough one but held together for nearly 60 years; they had adopted a 2 year old girl and raised her in Mass. Aunt Marjorie had maintained a correspondence with Charlie's sister, Grace and knew of Charlie's three marriages.

In Sept. 1978, Uncle Lawrence suffered a stroke and died in his sleep at home. That Christmas was a very lonely one for my Aunt who sent out few cards but one to Grace, mentioning she was now a widow.

All during her married life, she had not forgotton Charlie; his memory was always very precious.

But it was quite a surprise when the phone rang on Feb. 15th, 1981 and it was his voice which she recognized immediately (tho she did not let him become aware of that fact). She trembled like a foolish teenager while her racing heart skipped a few beats!

The night was a sleepless one as she grappled with so many conflicting thoughts going thru her head. At aged 81, she never dreamed this might ever happen.

He had invited her to Fla to look over the situation and to consider starting in where they had left off. Eight days later she arrived in Tampa!

One day shortly after her arrival and before her mind was made up, Charlie called her into his bedroom where he was clutching the corner of a blue Japanese silk handkerchief. "Don't tell me you have kept that hankie after all these decades and thru three marriages?" she asked.

How could she do otherwise but to accept his proposal? He proudly wore it in the lapel pocket of his coat on their wedding day, March 7th, 1981 (exactly 71 years since they had first met on summer vacation).

Aunt Marjorie was truly in love with her Prince Charlie! And he her! They made sweet music and shared many wonderful months together but sadly, the Grim Reaper paid his visit to dear Charlie on Dec. 3rd, 1982, ending their storybook romance. Their love, which lay buried for so many long years, came alive and the mystery of a deep and abiding devotion, encircled them.

Aunt Marjorie moved back to Barrington where she resided until her death at aged 94. At her request, half of her ashes are buried in Shelburne, N.S. with Uncle Lawrence and the other half with her Charlie in Fla.