Shadows in the Storm- Part 4 of 5: Corrine and Sharon Find Each Other

Next they went to visit Bill’s family in Iowa. When he went to visit his mom, Bill found Dorothy Johnstone and Karen Simpson having a friendly visit in the garden taking in the warm Sunday afternoon sunshine. The four of them, Karen, Dorothy, Sharon, and Bill, went to lunch and Dorothy remembered how much Bill liked craft beers. She suggested that he try either a local craft beer called Delight or an ale called Awesome. Bill kept looking at the waiter wondering where he knew him from. He looked way out of place. When he read the name tag, he had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

Dorothy asked him what he found so funny.

“Is that Sam Andrews?”

“Why yes it is. He was convicted of embezzling from his employer and spent a couple of years behind bars. He lost his job, his house, and his wife left him. Poor thing.”

Bill thought about saying something to Sam but then decided that it would be pointless.

While they waited for the check, Karen and Sharon went to the gift shop to look at baubles. Even though Cory had been going to visit Mrs. Johnstone regularly since Bill had gone to live in Manitoba, she had forgotten about Cory until Bill said how much he liked the beer.

Following their visit with his mom, Sharon and Bill were having a typical Iowa dinner. He was generally quiet until she spoke to him but after the visit with his mom he seemed particularly distracted, replying with only short single words. Sharon knew something was on Bill’s mind. After she probed a bit deeper Bill knew he had to explain the situation to Sharon.

“Mom told me that Cory is living here in a farmhouse owned by her family.

“Would you mind if I or we go see her?”

“Cory? She’s living here.

“Bill, I would mind if you didn’t. You loved her. And maybe you still do.

“If you want me to stay out of the way or if you want me to go, I will do whatever you want me to.

“But it would be an absolute mistake to not go visit someone who was or is such an important, central part of your life.”

Back at the hotel, Bill asked Sharon to go with him to visit Cory and they planned that as soon as possible they would go to the farmhouse. A bit after noon Monday, Cory was sitting on a swing on the front porch shelling purple hull peas when she saw a silver vehicle turn onto the shell driveway leading to the house from the main road. Bill stopped the SUV on the driveway and got out.

Recognition was instantaneous.

Cory grabbed her mouth,

“Oh my god!”

She jumped off the porch, met Bill about halfway between the driveway and the porch, and threw her arms around his neck. Bill put his arms around her in such a tight bear hug that Cory thought she might pass out.

Not wanting for him to see her cry, she turned her head until the shock passed, kissed his cheek, and whispered.

“I never stopped loving, Bill.”

“And I never stopped loving you.

“But things have changed.”

Cory used her hands to rub her eyes, blinked, and turned away with her eyes closed. Between deep breaths, glances to confirm that Bill was actually there, and not just something she was imagining, she composed herself a bit and managed a reply in a trembling, breaking voice.

“It’s been a good amount of time.

“A good amount of time?

“No! It’s been a long time.”

Bill thought she had finished speaking and was about to say something but then she continued.

“Some things have changed very much, some have changed but not too much, and some others?

“Well they are practically the same.

“I’m not surprised.

“How are you doing?”

“Fine. I’m doing fine.

“There’s someone with me, I need for you to meet.”

Sharon had just walked around the front of the vehicle.

“Hello.

“You must be Cory.

“I’m glad to meet you.

“My name is Sharon.”

“I’m glad to meet you Sharon.

“Would you like to come up to the porch and have a glass of lemonade?

“And Bill, I have cold beer if you would prefer.”

Sharon thought she would enjoy a good cold beer instead of lemonade.

“Could I have a cold beer also.”

“Of course.”

Bill asked,

“Do you have Delight? I think it might be called Des Moines Delight.”

“I should be able to come up with a bottle or two but here I call it The Devil’s Due.

“Where did you hear about it?”

“I went to lunch at a restaurant my mom picked out yesterday. She suggested that if I wanted to try a locally made craft brew to have a bottle.”

“Did you happen to read the label?”

“I must confess that I didn’t.

“I just assumed that since the chalkboard at the restaurant said it was a local craft beer that it’s made here in Des Moines.

“I was so glad to see my mom and then to hear that you’re living here knocked me for a loop.”

Cory went to the kitchen, came back with three bottles, handed one to Bill, one to Sharon, and kept one for herself. Bill read the label, looked up at Cory, and then read the label again.

“Brewed and bottled in Des Moines, Iowa by Cory Waters Johnstone.

“How long have you been making it?”

“That particular one?

“Probably only three or so years.

“I make some others. Would you like to try a different one?”

“Maybe the next one. How long have you been brewing beer?”

“Probably close to ten years. I started a year or so after I started living here on the farm.”

Cory had just about managed to regain her composure.

“After I came to live here on the farm, I started doing a lot of small craft type things. At first it was just to stay busy and not think so much.

“But then I started really enjoying it.

“So now I do some different things.

“Brewing. Sewing. Gardening. I raise a lot of my own food here on the farm.

“I started out to save money but then I came to enjoy the taste better and then there is the pride thing of doing for yourself instead of paying others to do for you.

“I like putting things together that by themselves aren’t very spectacular but when you combine them most of the time you get something that is pretty darn good.

“Like sewing. I make some clothes for the women living at the rest home where your mom lives. They pay for the materials and I make the clothes.

“They’re really grateful and it’s kind of like brewing. You come out with something pretty nice that you can’t get just anywhere. And then there is the gardening.”

The three of them had been talking about gardening, food, and the weather for over two hours. To Cory it seemed like a few minutes. Bill stopped talking, shifted his eyes down, looked up at Cory, turned to look at Sharon, and then turned back to face Cory directly.

“Cory, I need to tell you something.”

“You seem a bit nervous, Bill.

“We go back a long way, so I hope you feel you can tell me anything.”

As Bill told Cory about he and Sharon meeting and their plans to get married, Cory knit her eye brows together, slid her lower lip over her upper lip, sat up straight with her shoulders back, and squared her mouth.

“I am so glad for you and Sharon.

“Really I am.”

Bill thought he would try to lighten the conversation.

“Have you met anyone new?”

“No. No interest.

“But, really I’m very glad for you. Both of you.”

Sharon focused her eyes on Bill’s face and turned back to look back at Cory hoping to see a little more happiness instead of just sad resignation and acceptance. Cory hadn’t been able to meet Sharon’s eyes since Bill began telling Cory about them meeting and she asked Cory if she and Bill could be excused to talk for a few minutes. It was already mid afternoon and since it was already warm, Cory suggested that they use one of the rooms in the house. Bill looked at Sharon wondering what she wanted to talk about. Cory led them to a spare bedroom on the opposite side of the house and closed the door behind her. Sharon stood looking out the screen covered windows at the flowers in the garden for several minutes before Bill joined her. He spoke first.

“I forgot how pretty the flowers here can be.

“I’m a bit in the dark.

“What did you want to talk about?”

Sharon took a deep breath.

“I needed a few minutes to make sure I want to say what I’m about to say.”

“Okay. Are you sure now?”

“Bill, I can see that Cory still loves you.”

“And I still love Cory. I hope you can understand that I have room to love you and her at the same time even if I love you in different ways.”

“I do understand that and since you love us both and we both love you, I don’t see why you or either of us should be apart from the each other.”

Bill’s necked snapped around so that he could look directly at Sharon’s face.