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Summer Memories

By Martha Rogers

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Chapter 1
The more things changed, the more they stayed the same. What did that really mean? Lauren Philipps shook her head. She’d heard that phrase for many years, but never understood it. In the twelve years since high school graduation, little had changed little about the countryside through which she now drove. The green and white sign welcoming drivers to Pinemont, Texas had stayed the same as it had been when she left for college. Only the number for the population had grown.
No matter how many people lived there, Pinemont would always remain the small town in East Texas where people knew all about each other. Lauren furrowed her brow as she drove down Pine Tree, the main street. The stores appeared brighter, and some even larger with a new discount chain store added. The saw mill even seemed to larger, and more traffic filled the streets. Maybe things would be different this time. She had changed, so maybe the town had, too.
Since college graduation, her visits home had been what one might call sporadic. Not that she didn’t love her family, but life in the city got in the way and kept her far too busy for even short trips home. One night at Christmas and Thanksgiving had been all she’d managed. After all, retail business thrived during those two holidays.
Her career as a buyer for a prominent department store in Dallas demanded a majority of her time and kept her travels home to a minimum. Granted, she had spent a number of her vacations with her family on cruises or extended car trips across the country, and she’d loved all them, mainly because they never required any time in Pinemont.
Now she’d come home because of her mother who would be facing extensive treatments for her cancer before surgery scheduled for the end of July if all went well. Her brother, Jason, had called and begged Lauren to come and stay with Mom during her treatment. With two children already and another one on the way, he and his wife Pam didn’t have the time. With nothing but her job holding her in Dallas, she’d been quick to respond. Leaving the bad memories in Dallas behind would be the best way of getting over the hurt of the past year, and give her time with her mom.
Mom’s strong faith would see her through, but having Lauren home to help by taking care of Dad and the house would make the treatments and the side effects easier for her to bear. With Houston and the medical center only an hour or so away, they had access to the best treatment to be found in her dad’s opinion.
Lauren turned onto the street where she’d lived most of her life. Trees that had been a nice size when they moved in twenty-five years ago had grown into shade trees that lined and overlapped across the street. They had survived through hurricanes that blew up from the coast and tornadoes that plagued Texas in the springtime. The houses varied from two story brick to one level bungalows with brick and siding combination.
She passed one house that sent memories flooding through her head and heart. Mr. and Mrs. Castella, now in their seventies, still lived there or had the last time Lauren had been home. The red brick, white columned southern style home still looked the same with the roses and azaleas filling the flower beds.
Every summer, Derek Castella and his older sister Amanda had come to visit their grandparents while their parents served as missionaries in South America. Those memories crowded her head now. Such fun times they’d had. Derek became good friends with Jason, and Lauren developed a crush on Derek. He’d been three years older, but they had dated a few times that last summer he’d come for his annual visit—that last time before he went off to college.
She’d been barely fifteen and going into her sophomore year and Derek graduating. Too young for real romance, but it had only deepened her feelings for him, and her fifteen-year-old heart had been in love with the handsome boy with blue eyes and sandy brown hair. A smile tickled her heart even now as she remembered the way he always liked to cut his hair short for the hot Texas summers.
After he and Jason had left for two different universities, she’d lost contact. From what she’d gleaned from her mother’s conversations with Mrs. Castella, Derek had become a lawyer like his grandfather instead of following his parent’s ministry. He’d always said he wanted to follow his grandfather’s footsteps, and he had.
Summer romances never last, so she shouldn’t have expected anything more, and now, with a broken relationship she had thought to be real behind her, she didn’t look for love. Still, her heart danced now with the memories of the joy and fun they’d had during the summers all those years ago.
Lauren shook off the long ago images and drove up behind her dad’s car in the driveway. She glanced at the dashboard clock and grinned. She’d arrived just in time for supper.
She honked and popped the trunk lid. Before she had time to close the car door, her mother raced from the house with her arms wide open.
“Lauren, my girl, you’re home.” She wrapped Lauren in a bear hug and Lauren hugged right back.
She had to admit, she’d missed her mom’s hugs. “Yes, and I’m here for as long as it takes to get you well.”
“Oh, honey, I wish it didn’t have to be under these circumstances. What about your job?”
“Like I told Dad on the phone, I’ve taken a leave of absence for at least three months and longer if necessary.” No need for them to know she’d actually resigned her position and no longer had a job. With very few expenses in Pinemont, her savings would take care of her needs until she found something else and could move her things from Dallas here.
“Well, come on in. Supper is about ready.” She wrapped her arm around Lauren’s waist. “Your father will get your luggage and bring it in.”
“I sure will.” Her dad strode across the lawn followed by Noah, their black and white spaniel who jumped up on Lauren soon as he spotted her.
“Looks like he’s glad to see you.” Her father stopped long enough to give Lauren a hug and a kiss on the cheek before proceeding to her car and retrieving her bags.
She bent down and scratched behind the dog’s ears. “I missed you, too.” He’d been a puppy from a mother dog at the vet clinic run by her father when they got him ten years ago.
When she entered the front door, her heart raced. Home. It hadn’t changed although she spotted a few new things scattered around like the pillows and two new lamps on either end of the Early American style sofa. The same pictures adorned the wall, and Dad’s recliner sat across from the television set.
“Your old room is all ready for you. I figured you’d still want it since it’s closer to the bathroom.”
“Thanks, I do appreciate that. And I won’t be fighting Jace for it every morning.”
Mom laughed and waved her hand through the air. “Oh, that brings back a few memories. And also reminds me, Jace and Pam will be over with the children after supper. Jace stayed to close up the office so Dad could leave early.”
Her brother, always the thoughtful one. He would never have asked her to come home if it hadn’t been necessary. “It’ll be good to see them.”
Lauren entered her room, set her make-up bag on the dresser and turned to her mother. “When do your treatments start next week?”
“Monday, I’ll have blood tests and then, if all is okay, we begin on Wednesday. We’ll have to leave here by eight or a little before to get to Houston and check in by nine-thirty. We have to allow for any traffic tie-ups.”
“Okay, that sounds good. I look forward to the weekend with you.” She hugged her mom. “I’ll get washed up and be there to help finish up supper in a few minutes.”
“It’s all done, so take your time. I had begun to set the table when you arrived. I’ll finish that, and then you can help me carry in the food.” She blew Lauren a kiss and headed for the kitchen.
That little gesture brought a smile to Lauren’s lips. Though they’d both changed in many ways, that one little kiss had stayed the same. Maybe that’s what the old saying meant.
She breathed deeply and soaked up the memories in her old room, still the same over a decade later. The pictures and souvenirs sent memories through her mind like those slide shows they’d watched years ago. She hadn’t been an athlete, so her trophies were for debate and speech and still lined the bookshelves above her desk between the windows on one side.
She grabbed up her make-up bag for a trip to the bathroom to wash up. She’d come home.
~~
Derek finished the last page of the will he drew up for Bob and Edith Wilson, two members of the church he attended. The seminar he and his uncle had held on the importance of wills, trusts and power of attorney had paid off with a number of new clients seeking advice.
With his grandfather serving as a county judge and planning his retirement, and his uncle handling criminal cases, the family law practice now rested on Derek’s shoulders. A fact he didn’t mind a bit.
He closed the Wilson file on his computer. Tomorrow he’d have the documents printed and ready for signatures. After stowing his computer in his bag, he reached for the tie discarded earlier and stuffed it in his pocket. With only his receptionist and his legal aide sharing his office space, he didn’t see any need for a tie, but his uncle and Grandpa had insisted on his wearing one when seeing clients.
He locked the door and thought about the evening ahead. Grandma invited him to share dinner with him whenever he wanted, but tonight he’d go on to the house he’d bought last year. It still needed work to really be a home, but it belonged to him.
He tossed his bag onto the seat of his car. Who was he trying to kid? The house needed a woman’s touch. His sister already nagged on him about not being married at age thirty-three, but he’d wanted to establish himself as a lawyer and save money for the house. Both had been accomplished, but no woman attracted him even though several from church had tried.
When Derek arrived home, he clicked his remote and pulled into his garage. His phone buzzed and vibrated in the phone cup. He grinned at the number. His old friend, Jason Philipps’ name and number appeared on the screen. He exited the car and answered the call
“Hey, Jace, what’s up? Pam having that baby?”
Jace’s laughter exploded over the phone. “No way, at least not yet. I just wanted to let you know my sister is back in town.”
“Lauren?” Derek’s heart skipped a beat at the name. The one girl who could make his house a home. At one time they’d dated, and he even had thoughts of something more, but college and law school got in the way. He hadn’t seen her since that last summer at his grandmother’s, but he’d never forgotten her or the love nipped in the bud by time and distance.
“Duh, how many sisters do I have? Anyway, I wasn’t sure she’d be able to come and help take Dad take care of Mom while she’s having her treatments, but she is. Mom just called to say Lauren had arrived, and that she took a leave of absence to be here as long as needed. Wanted to give you a heads up, so you wouldn’t be surprised to see her in town.”
“Thanks, pal. That would have been a shock. It’s good she’s here for your mom, but I remember her saying she couldn’t wait to get out of Pinemont and start her career in the city.” And that’s just what she had done.
“Don’t know how long she’ll actually stay, but I thought you might give her a call or something.”
Or something was right. Only Jace knew how much Derek had cared about her back then. He hit the remote to close the garage door and headed for the house. “I might do that after she gets settled in and knows what to expect with her mom’s treatments.” No might about it. He’d definitely be getting in touch with her.
“I’m glad to hear that. Pam reminded me when I called to invite you over for dinner again. The kids really like it when you come to visit.”
Derek let out a whoop of laughter. “Nothing like a four-year-old and a two-year-old to remind me how old I’m getting.” They wore him out, but he loved every minute of it.
“Yeah, I hear you. Pam’s calling me to supper, so I’ll talk with you later.”
Derek ended the call and laid the bag with his computer on the counter in the kitchen. All that Derek wanted, Jace had now. Could he have that with Lauren? He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water.
Maybe if they’d been closer in age, he would have come back to see her during those college days. College men didn’t date high school girls back then. He hadn’t been back in the summers after that because he spent break time with his parents in South America and their mission home.
If Lauren came to stay for the length of her mother’s treatments, she could be in Pinemont for several months. The old attraction seeped into his heart. She had been something special at age fifteen, and he regretted not doing more to keep the relationship going.
He’d give her call and ask her out for coffee and see where that might lead. She might have someone in Dallas, and she might turn him down. Enough of “might.” They were as bad as “what ifs.” He had nothing to lose if she said no but if he didn’t call, then he could end up not knowing and miss out on God’s plans for his life.

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