Time After Time

Time After Time

The front door opened and as Gordie came in, he heard his mother’s voice. “Gordon? “Is that you?”.

“Yes, Mom. Sorry if I woke you.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I wasn’t asleep anyway. Come here a minute after you lock up. I have something for you.”

Curious, Gordie locked the door and went to his mother’s bedroom. She was sitting on the edge of the bed fully clothed and not even ready for bed.

“Are you okay Mom”, Gordie said, a little bit worried.

“I’m fine” his mother replied. “I was just going through some things that belonged to your father and would like you to have something to remember him by. You were so young when he passed away, so I saved this for you now that you’re older”

At that point she reached into a shoe box and pulled out a pocket watch which had Gordie’s Dad’s initials engraved on the back. Gordie had seen this before a long time ago on his mother’s dresser but hadn’t noticed it wasn’t there anymore. He reached out and took it from his mother. He felt a slight tremor as he grasped it.

“Thanks, Mom” is all he could say as he felt a sudden choking in his throat stopping the emotions of the moment from coming out. The memory of his dad had somewhat faded as he got older but now visions of his dad and his remembrance of him flashed before him. He would treasure this item that once had been so close to his dad, something his dad would have touched multiple times a day. Indeed, it was a treasure.

He was wearing a vest as part of the band’s outfit he was playing in. His dad’s watch was in the vest pocket with a fob attached to his belt. He went to the canteen to get a drink during a break. She came up to the counter chatting with her girlfriend and noticed him and his sparkling blue eyes.

“You’re a good drummer”

“Oh yeah”, he said. “And how would you know that…”  he paused wanting her to fill in with her name.

“Sarah” she said reading his mind. “Cuz I’m a dancer and I know rhythm when I hear it”

It was instant karma. They exchanged teasing barbs until he went back to work. She waited for him at the end of the evening, and he drove her home. Dates followed and before long they were together every night. Then he had to go away to college. On their final night together, they had some very heavy petting, and Gordie was so anxious to make love to Sarah but knew he couldn’t force her. They kissed so passionately, and he thought for sure she would consent. But no. Sarah wanted a symbol, a keepsake to hold to represent their time together and their future time together.  A letter, a book, a poem, a diary. Something that he would want to come back to her. Without hesitation he gave her his treasure – his dad’s watch. She had admired it from that first night. He would come back especially with that incentive, and it was a perfect symbol to mark time.

Gordie wrote to her every week and Sarah replied. He was in Halifax. She was in Winnipeg. Slowly her letters diminished and then one week there was a ‘return to sender” stamp on the letter. Gordie’s mind was confused. “No longer at this address” was the message under return to sender. He waited two more weeks, but nothing came. He went home for Christmas and tried to find out what happened. No one seemed to know. None of their friends or her friends. Just one simple clue. Her family moved back to Toronto. Gordie was devastated. He had lost his love, and he had lost his treasure. For months he agonized and wished some miracle would happen but alas, no. He dropped out of college and returned home. Months turned into years and life went on. Gordie never forgot about his lost treasure or his lost love, Sarah.

Life is unpredictable. Gordie had married, had children, retired and lost his wife to a car accident. His kids were on their own and he saw them about every two months as they lived in Calgary and Thunder Bay. Now with the benefits of the modern age he was going to track down the mysterious Sarah Miller and his treasure.  He started by googling every Sarah Miller in the country, in the whole world, actually. He used Facebook the same way. How many are there he wondered. It’s been years. I’m sure she’s married with kids and grandkids of her own. How in hell would I know her married name? Then it happened. A clue. A Facebook posting gave the name of one of her friends. Gordie clicked on it and recognized her friend. He sent that friend a message and waited. Sarah’s friend, Lucy, wasn’t sure but the last time she’d heard from Sarah was about ten years ago. Sarah was indeed married and still living in southern Ontario near Oakville she thought. Her married name was Wallton.

That night Gordie burned the midnight oil trying to find any Sarah Wallton on the internet. The best he could do was a Cheri Wallton in Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto. He tried every platform imaginable to see if he could contact Cheri Wallton. The double L had narrowed that field considerably. He went to bed finally about 3 AM. Maybe he will have an answer tomorrow.

He woke to the phone ringing. It was 10 AM. He checked the phone and saw it was his son in Thunder Bay. He picked up the phone.

“Hi son. How are you?”

“I’m fine Dad. How about you? Just getting back to you on when you’re coming to visit us and look after Smokie.”  

“I was thinking of leaving on Monday and spending a few days with you guys, especially the kids before you go. Is that okay?”

 “Of course. No problem, Dad.”

“Oh by the way, son, I want to pick your brain on some computer platforms. I’m working on a project trying to trace someone down I used to know but I’ve hit a brick wall. I’ve tried Facebook, Google, Tik Tok, Instagram, Twitter or I guess X and a partridge in a pear tree. What am I missing?” He could hear his son laughing.

“Oh Dad. You’re doing all right. Are you just searching a name or a location or background or what?”

“Yes. All the above” was his dad’s reply.

“Well, you hit the major ones. You might try ancestry.com or any of the genealogical sites or is this person still living?”  

“I don’t know but I’ll try some of those. This has become an obsession of mine, and the journey looks like it’s just starting. So, keep your computer warm for me. Bye for now. See you all soon. Love to all of you.”

“Same here, Dad. Drive safely please.”  

He was alone again, and his thoughts turned to what he had said. This is a journey in search of my treasure and the answer to the mystery I’ve thought about for years. He thought about his quest as he drove from the flatlands in Manitoba into the beginning of the Canadian Shield. He made Thunder Bay and spent a few glorious days with his grand kids. The family left on Saturday heading to the east coast, and he was alone with his buddy, Smokie. He walked that dog every day, sometimes twice a day. There were many interesting shops in the older part of town. The sign caused him to pause as he walked along. A secondhand jewelry store called Walton’s Excellent Used Conditioned Jewelry. Could it be or just a coincidence?  He entered the shop and found the proprietor to be very friendly and talkative. No, he didn’t’ know of any Walltons with a double L. Gordie asked him if he ever gets old fashioned pocket watches complete with watch fobs.

The gent, who looked as old as Gord did, maybe older said, “Oh yes, I do have some, but you don’t see those too much anymore.”

He reached under the counter and pulled open a drawer revealing six pocket watches. Gordie’s heart skipped a beat as he saw a watch looking like his turned over in the pile.

“May I look at that one there?” he pointed to it.

“Of course,” the man said

He passed it to Gordie who took it with slightly trembling hands. He brought it up close and stared at the back to see the engraving. His dad’s initials would be very small at the bottom of the back. His heart sank as the only markings were the manufacturer’s hallmark. He walked Smokie back home with a broken heart.

I guess that would have been too coincidental to find my watch here by accident, he thought. He took a deep sigh, still resolved to find his treasure and the love who has it. His thoughts flashed back to that time when they were so much in love over 55 years ago. That night he decided he was going to continue his journey, not really knowing where to go. He had travelled this route before after dropping out of college and knew the drive was rough but spectacular along north Lake Superior. Yes, he was older now, but he would take his time. He wouldn’t tell anyone where he was going. Hell, he didn’t even know himself.

He left his son and family the Monday after they got back. The journey continues, he thought but this time I won’t stop until I find that treasure and my lost love. First day out he stopped at Marathon and bunked in a mama/papa motel. He was tired and felt, yes, this is a marathon I’m doing, and I don’t know where it will end. He found his nostalgia radio station on his tablet and listened to some old songs which he and Sarah used to dance to.  He woke up the next day with his tablet on his chest. He showered to wake himself up and then had a great breakfast with his hosts. As he got back on the Trans Canada, he marveled at the beauty of the ruggedness of this part of the country. White River, Wawa, Sault Ste Marie. The journey was long but beautiful.

A few days later he turned south at Sudbury heading for Toronto and the only clue he had of a Cheri Wallton in Scarborough. Needle in a haystack he thought as the miles disappeared beneath his car wheels. A few days later he found himself in Collingwood, a favourite resort town a couple of hours out of Toronto settled in the Blue Mountains on the Georgian Bay.

Gordie was worn out. He decided to stay here a few days. It was an attractive spot, lots of interesting places to eat, shop, or just visit. He slept well the first night he was there. Road travel is very tiring at his age. The next few days he walked around town poking his head in places, eating at some nicely appointed outdoor cafes where he liked to people watch.  He felt rested and decided to move on the next day. He went to get some groceries as his car snacks and water supply were running low. He parked the vehicle and was walking towards the entrance. An older gal was putting her groceries in her car when her purse slipped off her shoulder and out came some of its contents. He bent down to help her. As he picked up a business card, he read it.  

Sarah. A. Wallton, Attorney at Law.

He dropped everything in his hands. The woman turned around, and they were face to face. Gordie was speechless. The woman was getting weak at the knees.

“Sarah?” Was all he could get out as his voice cracked with emotion.

“Oh my God. Is it you? Are you Gordie? What are you doing here? Where did you come from?” the words were tumbling out of her at a rapid pace.

Gordie moved closer. He opened his arms, and she fell into them immediately. She was crying now, sobbing really. He felt his emotions rise and soon tears of joy fell from his cheeks. Passersby asked if they could help or if everything was all right. Both Sarah and Gordie kept holding each other and nodding their heads.

They arranged to have dinner that night at his hotel. Sarah went home with her groceries and said she needed to compose herself. She was still shaking a bit when she left even after Gordie offered to drive her home.

Gordie was already in the dining room when she entered. He watched her cross the floor towards him, slightly smiling and with that floating on air step of hers. It was all coming back now. He held the chair for her as she slipped on to it

 “Always the gentleman, huh, Gordie”.

They sat there for a few seconds staring at each other. Some small talk came and went

And finally Gordie blurted out ‘What happened?” It was as if only a week had passed by.

“Gordie, remember that last night when we almost made love, and you were so anxious?”

“Of course I do”. 

“Gordie, we were so young, so naïve, so innocent. We never talked about love even though deep down I’m sure we knew we were in love. But at that time, I needed to know. I needed a commitment from you before I gave myself to you.”  

Gordie’s head dropped. He looked at the table for a long minute. Then he looked up directly into those beautiful eyes of hers.

“How did I miss that. It seems so simple now doesn’t it. You’re right. I was the naïve one. You’re the one with your head on right even back then. Wow, Sarah. I’m so sorry. But why didn’t you write me, phone me, whatever.”

“That’s on me, Gordie. I thought I’d let things cool down and then I’d tell you, but life got in the way. Now it’s my turn to say I’m sorry.” Their hands were now together across the table. What was that feeling moving through each of them?

The rest of the evening was spent catching up, remembering old friends and old times. Talking about families (her husband had died from a heart attack. His wife in a car accident), jobs, vocations, retirement, travel, music. It seemed to go on and on. It was around ten and the wait staff was hinting about closing.

 “Did you drive over here, Sarah?”

“No, I thought I’d be having a drink or two, so I took a cab.”

“Okay then I’ll drive you home”.

“Always the gentleman, Gordie” They walked out to Gordie’s car, their hands slipped together so comfortably. He opened the car door and she slid in. It wasn’t far and soon he was pulling up her driveway. He walked her to the door and as she put the key in the lock he heard a dog bark. She opened the door, and her German Shepherd greeted her lovingly but was weary of this stranger with her.

“Rebel, it's okay. He’s a good friend of mine.” The dog eased back a bit as she invited Gordie in.

“I really shouldn’t but I admit I could talk all night especially after meeting you again”.

 “C’mon. I’ll put on the coffee, and we’ll chat some more. You’re leaving tomorrow, aren’t you?”

 “No, there’s no need for me to go any further, Sarah. I’ve found you.” It sounded so conclusive. Was the journey over or just beginning?

The night wore on and the two of them were laughing, crying, teasing, smiling, just as they used to those many years ago. Gordie apologized for keeping her up so late and got up heading for the door. She slipped her arm through his and stopped him at the door.

 “Come with me my handsome fellow. Let’s see if we can recreate that final night” Gordie paused, and he smiled his wide smile. “What!” she uttered.

“I’ve found it. My treasure. I found it. It’s you. You are my treasure.” Her smile spoke volumes.

When he woke the next morning in a strange bed, he glanced over at the night table and there it was - his pocket watch.