Missing Memories Page 3

  “So,” Ruth said once they were on the interstate, “Tell me about your trip to Colorado. Denver, right?”

  “Yes, we were in Denver most of the time. Both of his sons live within a few blocks of each other, but their lives are completely different. I think you met John when he was here. He’s a criminal lawyer and has a nine-year-old son, Jimmy. John’s wife, Donna, is quite a bit younger than John. He introduces her as his ‘trophy wife’ but not in a derogatory way. He says it with such love. They seem very happy.”

  “David isn’t married, is he?”

  “No, but he’s been seeing a delightful woman. Stephanie’s a good friend of Donna’s, and the three of us had a shopping trip to die for while the men were touring the countryside on snowmobiles. Stephanie took us to this historic downtown area where they have trendy shops and chic runway fashions. It was cold, but we didn’t care. We window shopped, poked around in boutiques, and even tried on a few outrageously expensive outfits.”

  “Did you bring any of those outfits home?” Ruth asked.

  “I only bought one thing, a scarf. Well, it’s more than a scarf. It’s more like a fashionable shawl. It’s cashmere, and I wore it with my black dress to a very elegant cocktail party at John’s firm the night before we left.”

  “So, you had a good time?”

  “I did. There was lots of sightseeing that I won’t bore you with now, but I will later at the hotel. I brought pictures.”

  * * *

  “They gave us a prime location,” Ruth said excitedly when she found her assigned spot.

  The convention center had provided three six-foot tables and Ruth had arranged for two more, all with white covers that hung to the floor. They pushed two of the tables together end to end along the back divider, creating a table space twelve feet long. Then they placed one table perpendicular on each end, forming a wide U-shaped booth. Sarah pulled the remaining table a few feet in front of their booth to be used as a cutting table.

  Once the two women had the tables placed, Ruth cocked her head to the side and surveyed the new arrangement. “This looks good,” she finally announced. “We’ll use the two in the middle for bolts and the ones extending on the sides for pre-cut pieces, and Tessa’s kits.”

  “What about the wooden shelves that Nathan built?”

  “We’ll set those side by side on the back of the center tables, and that will give us a twelve-foot long shelf for displaying fabric.”

  “I like that,” Sarah responded, “except we need more space here to allow for the traffic pattern. You and I are already bumping into one another,” she added laughing. They pulled the cutting table farther away from their merchandise tables and finally agreed that they were pleased.

  The boys Ruth had hired to unpack the trailer weren’t due for another hour, but the two women had brought enough items in from the van to begin setting up the booth. They placed quilts across several of the tables and hung the rest on the dividers which had the effect of completely encompassing their space in quilts. Sarah placed baskets in an appealing arrangement on the side tables and began unpacking the fat quarters and arranging them in and around the baskets. “When the boys bring the rotating display rack in, let’s put it over here and fill it with patterns and books.”

  “Good idea,” Ruth responded from under one of the tables where she was storing the boxes of extra pre-cut fabrics. By the time the young men arrived to unload the trailer, they had the booth ready. Ruth asked them to bring the two wooden shelves in first so they could place all the bolts right where they wanted them as they came in.

  By 8:00 o’clock that night, Ruth and Sarah stood back and looked at the booth with pleasure. “Perfect!” Ruth announced. “I think we have a very appealing booth.”

  “What time are you expecting Tessa?” Sarah asked.

  “She said she’ll try to get here an hour or so before the show opens at 10:00. You never know about traffic coming in this direction, though. As long as she’s here for the opening bell, I’ll be happy.”

  “I’ll stick around until she arrives,” Sarah offered. “My first class isn’t scheduled until mid-afternoon. I plan to spend the morning strolling around looking at quilts, and I might stop in the lecture hall for Marian Braydon’s presentation.

  “Good plan,” Ruth responded. “If we’re not too busy, I might leave Tessa in charge and sit in on that one myself. I love her work.”

  “Let’s get some dinner and go to bed early,” Sarah suggested, wanting to get to her room and call Charles before he went to bed. Both women were exhausted by the end of their very busy day but agreed that they were probably too wound up to sleep.

  “I brought my electronic reader just in case.”

  Chapter 4

  “I thought Tessa would be here by now,” Ruth was saying apologetically. It was Friday morning, and the show had been open for an hour. Sarah was standing by in case she was needed, although they'd only had two visitors so far and neither one made a purchase. “You go on and have a good time. I can manage until she gets here.”

  Sarah looked at her watch and said, “I’ll stay until she arrives. I have three days to enjoy the show, and you’re going to need help. In fact, it looks like there’s a customer headed this way right now.”

  Ruth looked up and gave out an excited squeal. “Henrietta!” Ruth hurried over and wrapped her arms around the elderly woman who was slowly heading their way with the help of an expensive-looking carved cane. “I had no idea you’d be here,” Sarah heard Ruth saying. “Do you have a booth?”

  “No, but my daughter does,” the woman responded, “and I just came along to help out. I was so excited when I saw your name on the program,” the woman continued, “and I had to find you. How long has it been anyway?”

  “Over ten years, at least,” Ruth replied, offering her arm and walking the woman over to her booth where Sarah had set up a folding chair. “Sarah, I want you to meet a very dear friend of mine. This is Henrietta Kirshner. Do you remember when I told you the story of how I happened to purchase the quilt shop? This is the wonderful lady that owned it before me. She taught me everything I know about running a shop,” Ruth added, smiling down at her friend who was now sitting. “And Henrietta, this is my friend, Sarah Parker. She’s teaching in the shop like I used to do in your shop.”

  Noticing that Henrietta appeared to be somewhat winded, Sarah offered her a bottle of water, which she gratefully accepted. “So Ruth worked for you in your shop?” Sarah responded.

  “Yes, she was the best employee I ever had, but after my husband died, I decided to move up north to be close to my children.”

  “That’s when I purchased the shop,” Ruth interjected.

  “I managed to go six months without a shop,” Henrietta continued with a chuckle, “and that was all I could endure. I love being surrounded by fabric and having quilters coming and going all day. I opened a small shop up there and had it for another fifteen years. My youngest daughter, Adele, recently took it over.”

  “Do you miss it?” Ruth asked. She had pulled up the other chair and was sitting across from her old friend.

  “I help out now and then. Oh, and I teach a couple of classes for Adele like you used to do, Ruth. We had fun, didn’t we?” Before Ruth could respond, Henrietta stood up and said, “I’ve got to get over there and check out your fabrics. I see so many pretty things that I want to touch…”

  While the two friends visited, Sarah handled a couple of sales and noticed that another group of women was heading for their booth. She also noticed that Henrietta looked pale. “Why don’t you two go across to the café and have a cup of coffee,” she suggested. “I can handle things here for a while.”

  “Wonderful idea,” Henrietta responded. “I could use a shot of caffeine.”

  “And perhaps a small sugar fix?” Ruth added mischievously, remembering her younger days when she would run across the street to the café and bring back delicious pastries while Henrietta made fresh coffee. But then a mo
re serious look crossed her face as she said, “Are you sure this is okay, Sarah? I’m sure Tessa will be here any minute.”

  “Of course it is. I’ll be fine.”

  “If she’s not here when I get back,” Ruth said, “I’ll call her cell again. There was no answer earlier, and she’s probably on the road and hasn’t noticed my message.”

  Several groups of quilters stopped at the booth while Ruth was gone, but Sarah was able to answer their questions and ring up their purchases. She was reminded how much she enjoyed retail, having worked for many years at Keller’s Market before the children were born and again after their father died. Sarah didn’t see herself as outgoing, but she enjoyed helping people figure out what they were looking for whether it was an ingredient in a recipe or a fabric for a pattern. She surprised herself when she realized she knew a lot more about quilting than she had realized.

  When she saw Ruth returning alone, she asked about Henrietta. “Her daughter called and suggested that they get a wheelchair and stroll through the show before it gets busy. They invited me to join them, but I wanted to get back.”

  “You could have gone,” Sarah assured her. “I’ve been getting along just fine.”

  Ruth thumbed through the credit card receipts and responded, “You certainly have!” About that time, a petite woman in her early forties came limping toward the booth calling out her apologies. Her right arm was in a sling.

  “Tessa, what happened to you?” Ruth said as she carefully hugged the newcomer and turned toward Sarah. “Sarah, I want you to meet my dear friend, Tessa.”

  “I’ve heard so much about you,” Sarah responded, extending her hand, but then pulled it back when she realized the woman had her purse in one hand and a sling on the other.

  “I hope she told you I’m usually more dependable than this.”

  “Tessa, tell us what happened,” Ruth repeated. “Are you okay?”

  “There was an accident on the interstate early this morning. I had just stopped when I was rear-ended by this kid who had been on his cell phone. I was slammed into the car in front of me and my airbag slammed into me. The medics fixed me up with this contraption and offered to take me to the hospital, but I’m fine. It’s probably just a sprain. They said nothing seemed to be broken.” Turning to Ruth, she again apologized. “I’m so sorry, Ruth.”

  “There’s nothing to apologize for, Tessa. I’m just glad you weren’t hurt any more seriously. Are you sure you want to stay? Why don’t you just walk through the show and go on home.”

  “Absolutely not! I’ve looked forward to this all month. Now, show me around the booth.”

  They had left one of the side tables empty for Tessa’s kits, and she seemed pleased with the arrangement.

  “I’ll run out to the car and get the kits,” Tessa said as she slipped her good arm into her jacket.

  “No you won’t,” Ruth responded. “Just grab your keys and I’ll follow you to your car. Sarah, can you manage here okay?”

  “Of course,” she replied. “Take your time. In fact, I’ll bet Tessa could use a cup of coffee.”

  “Good idea. We’ll make a quick stop at the café. Call me on my cell if you have any problems.” When they returned, Sarah helped Tessa get unpacked, and her kits pleasingly displayed. Tessa seemed to be doing fine with one arm and was even able to ring up her customers with just a little help getting things into the shopping bags.

  The three women had a steady stream of customers throughout the morning, and around noon, Sarah grabbed sandwiches and sodas for the three of them. “There are tables set up by the food vendors if you two want to take a break. I’ll stay with the booth.”

  “Isn’t it about time for your class?”

  “I’ve decided to skip this first class,” Sarah responded.

  “Why would you do that?” Ruth replied frowning. “Isn’t that the class on paper piecing? You were looking forward it.”

  “I don’t want to leave you two. It looks to me like a lot more quilters have arrived. One of the vendors told me there were a half dozen buses unloading out front.”

  “We might get busy, but we’ll just take one customer at a time. We can handle this, Sarah, and actually, it’s to my advantage for you to take this class.”

  “How’s that?” Sarah asked with an eyebrow raised.

  “You said you wanted to learn paper piecing so that you could teach it at the shop, and I think that’s a fantastic idea. My customers will love it. So, you need to learn how to do it,” Ruth said firmly. “And besides,” she added in a playful tone, “it’s already paid for, and I can’t write it off if you don’t go.”

  “Okay, I’m convinced,” Sarah chuckled. “I’ll go, but I’ll check with you two later and see how it’s going.” She reached under the table for her purse and tote bag containing her class materials. “

  * * *

  After the class, Sarah took a short cut across the showroom to get back to Ruth’s booth. She tried to do it without looking right or left, but she found tunnel vision to be impossible when walking down aisles where quilts were pleading for her attention from all sides. She was able to keep moving most of the time, but occasionally one reached out and grabbed her and insisted she stop.

  She did come to a complete stop when she saw the sign about an Alzheimer’s exhibit in one of the side rooms. According to the sign, the exhibit featured twenty-three quilts, mostly wall hangings, made by a local group of caregivers. Sarah paused to read the sign, and wondered if she should go ahead and see the exhibit, but she decided that the quilts deserved more than a cursory look, and she vowed to set aside a block of time and return the next day. She picked up a couple of brochures for Ruth and Tessa.

  Arriving back at the Running Stitches booth, Sarah was shocked by the number of customers milling around. I knew I shouldn’t have left, she admonished herself, as she hurried toward the booth. There were at least a half-dozen women waiting by the cash register, and several others were lined up at the cutting table. Tessa was helping a customer choose fat quarters for a class project, and Ruth had obviously just finished cutting a piece of fabric and was listing the charges on a piece of paper that she handed to her customer with a friendly smile.

  How can she look so relaxed, Sarah marveled as she headed straight for the cash register, smiled her apologies to the women who were waiting, and began ringing up orders and processing payments.

  Once they had caught up with the customers who had been waiting, Ruth began straightening up the cutting table while Sarah and Tessa talked with the few remaining customers. Sarah was able to answer most of their questions and turned to Ruth or Tessa for help when she needed it. Ruth was returning the bolts to the fabric table and tidying up the fat quarter baskets which had been emptied by people searching for particular colors.

  When the last customer left, Sarah asked, “So, how are you doing, Tessa? Is your arm hurting?”

  “I’m doing just fine. I’ll admit that I considered turning around and going home after the accident, but I’m so glad I didn’t. I love being here and I’m looking forward to taking in the show when we slow down.”

  “I’d be happy to take care of the booth this afternoon. Why don’t you both take a look around? There are some wonderful quilts on display.”

  “This was supposed to be your time to relax and have fun,” Ruth objected, but realizing that Sarah seemed to enjoy working at the booth, she added, “Perhaps Tessa and I will take you up on that offer later in the afternoon or tomorrow. How was your class?”

  “Fantastic.” Sarah reached into her project bag and pulled out her nearly finished sixteen-point Advent Star. “Paper piecing is a miracle,” she announced as she spread her four blocks out on the cutting table. “I never could have gotten these points so perfect on my own.”

  “Oh my,” Ruth exclaimed. She examined the blocks carefully and shook her head. “Neither could I, at least not in the few hours you were in class.” The blocks each had four long, slender overlapping spike
s. Once the four blocks were sewn together, the sections would form a sixteen-pointed star.

  “And, you’re practically finished.”

  “I know,” Sarah responded excitedly. “This process makes it possible to create very intricate patterns in a short time. I think your customers will love it.”

  At the end of the day, as the doors were closing and the last customers had left, Ruth and Sarah began tidying up the booth for the next morning while Tessa checked into her room. “Saturdays can get pretty hectic,” Ruth said as she replaced a bolt of batik. “Sunday afternoons, too,” she added. “I sure hope Tessa can work without too much pain. You have classes scheduled on both days, don’t you?”

  “I do, but I thought that perhaps you could get your money back if you talk to the instructor before the class. There might even be a waiting list.”

  “I don’t want to do that, Sarah. If Tessa seems to be in too much discomfort, I might be able to get Henrietta to help out for the few hours you’ll be gone.”

  “Standing would be hard for her…”

  “I thought of that, but she could sit and collect money and run credit cards, and she could always answer questions and make fabric suggestions. She’s great at that.”

  “She just might enjoy it,” Sarah responded, realizing too that it would give Ruth time with her old friend. “Okay, let’s put that down as Plan B.”

  “What’s Plan A?” Ruth asked, looking perplexed.

  “You’ll agree that I should cancel my classes and stay here and help.”

  “Plan A isn’t going to happen. I’m looking forward to offering these new classes at the shop.”

  Chapter 5

  The next morning the three women had agreed to meet in the coffee shop for breakfast before the show opened. Sarah and Ruth arrived first and had found seats overlooking the lake. “It looks more like the ocean,” Sarah commented. She hadn’t had a chance to enjoy the view since their rooms were on the front side of the hotel.