expression touched Georgia’s heart. Miz Callie’s love for the sea creatures native to this coast went so deep. It was an act of faith for her, a part of her reverence for all that God had created.
Georgia made herself comfortable on the dune. This could take a while, and she knew better than to offer help. Miz Callie had never let any of the grandchildren touch the precious eggs. If the grandkids were lucky, they’d be roused from sleep some night and taken out on the beach. Huddled in blankets, they’d watch the babies struggle from the sand and make their run to the ocean.
Predators waited, ready to pounce on the hatchlings. The outer world could be a cruel place. Her mind flickered to Atlanta. If she’d known about the pain that waited for her there, would she still have gone?
The baby turtles didn’t have a choice. They made it to the relative safety of the ocean or they perished. She had choices. So why did she so often seem to make the wrong one?
At last Miz Callie sank down next to her, face brimming with pleasure. “A fine nest, filled with eggs. Let’s rest a moment, and then we can put tape up around it to keep the curious from getting too close.”
“Your first nest of the season. That’s reason to celebrate.” Miz Callie adjusted the brim of her sun hat and linked her hands around her knees, smiling a little. “Reminds me of the very first time Mary Lyn and I found one. We
couldn’t have been more than six or seven.”
This was the opening Georgia had hoped for. Now she had to figure out how to make the most of it. “Did Mary Lyn know Granddad’s brother, too?”
“Land, yes, child. We all knew each other. Mary Lyn and Richmond and I were the same age, and we three did everything together.” Her gaze softened, as if she looked back through time, seeing three bare-legged children running across the sand. “Ned was Richmond’s big brother, you see. Such a kind boy. He always had time for us. Loved teaching us about the tides and the sea creatures, taking us shrimping with him. We purely adored him.”
She patted her grandmother’s hand. “I know you loved him. But that doesn’t mean—”
“Sugar, I know all the arguments. I’ve had them in my head for months. That I saw him through a child’s eyes. That I didn’t know everything that happened. That even if he didn’t want to fight, that didn’t make him a coward.”
“That’s true, isn’t it?” She said the words gently.
“I can’t explain it,” Miz Callie said. “All I can say is the more Mary Lyn and I talked about those days, the clearer that last summer came in my mind. I knew Ned, just about as well as Richmond did. He was brave and good. He couldn’t suddenly turn around and become a coward. If he’d thought he couldn’t fight, he’d have found another way to serve.”
“Even so…” Even if her grandmother was right, it would be impossible to prove.
Miz Callie sighed. “I can’t just leave it, child. I can’t be like Mary Lyn, grieving for things left undone when she
was dying.” Her hand turned in Georgia’s, so that she gripped it tightly. “I believe God led me to those memories for a reason, and it would be wrong to ignore that. You understand, don’t you?”
She nodded. She understood that Miz Callie had a fierce need to do what she felt was right. She just hoped she hadn’t chosen the wrong grandchild to help her.
Georgia’s stomach fluttered as she and Miz Callie approached the Sullivan’s Island playground that evening, and not with excitement over the dessert that awaited at the fire company’s ice cream and cake social. She’d tried to beg off, but Miz Callie had looked at her as if she were crazy.
Miz Callie didn’t understand. It was highly likely that some of her other relatives would show up tonight, casually seizing the opportunity to check in. The last thing she needed was questioning from her folks about her nonexistent progress in changing her grandmother’s
Georgia made herself comfortable on the dune. This could take a while, and she knew better than to offer help. Miz Callie had never let any of the grandchildren touch the precious eggs. If the grandkids were lucky, they’d be roused from sleep some night and taken out on the beach. Huddled in blankets, they’d watch the babies struggle from the sand and make their run to the ocean.
Predators waited, ready to pounce on the hatchlings. The outer world could be a cruel place. Her mind flickered to Atlanta. If she’d known about the pain that waited for her there, would she still have gone?
The baby turtles didn’t have a choice. They made it to the relative safety of the ocean or they perished. She had choices. So why did she so often seem to make the wrong one?
At last Miz Callie sank down next to her, face brimming with pleasure. “A fine nest, filled with eggs. Let’s rest a moment, and then we can put tape up around it to keep the curious from getting too close.”
“Your first nest of the season. That’s reason to celebrate.” Miz Callie adjusted the brim of her sun hat and linked her hands around her knees, smiling a little. “Reminds me of the very first time Mary Lyn and I found one. We
couldn’t have been more than six or seven.”
This was the opening Georgia had hoped for. Now she had to figure out how to make the most of it. “Did Mary Lyn know Granddad’s brother, too?”
“Land, yes, child. We all knew each other. Mary Lyn and Richmond and I were the same age, and we three did everything together.” Her gaze softened, as if she looked back through time, seeing three bare-legged children running across the sand. “Ned was Richmond’s big brother, you see. Such a kind boy. He always had time for us. Loved teaching us about the tides and the sea creatures, taking us shrimping with him. We purely adored him.”
She patted her grandmother’s hand. “I know you loved him. But that doesn’t mean—”
“Sugar, I know all the arguments. I’ve had them in my head for months. That I saw him through a child’s eyes. That I didn’t know everything that happened. That even if he didn’t want to fight, that didn’t make him a coward.”
“That’s true, isn’t it?” She said the words gently.
“I can’t explain it,” Miz Callie said. “All I can say is the more Mary Lyn and I talked about those days, the clearer that last summer came in my mind. I knew Ned, just about as well as Richmond did. He was brave and good. He couldn’t suddenly turn around and become a coward. If he’d thought he couldn’t fight, he’d have found another way to serve.”
“Even so…” Even if her grandmother was right, it would be impossible to prove.
Miz Callie sighed. “I can’t just leave it, child. I can’t be like Mary Lyn, grieving for things left undone when she
was dying.” Her hand turned in Georgia’s, so that she gripped it tightly. “I believe God led me to those memories for a reason, and it would be wrong to ignore that. You understand, don’t you?”
She nodded. She understood that Miz Callie had a fierce need to do what she felt was right. She just hoped she hadn’t chosen the wrong grandchild to help her.
Georgia’s stomach fluttered as she and Miz Callie approached the Sullivan’s Island playground that evening, and not with excitement over the dessert that awaited at the fire company’s ice cream and cake social. She’d tried to beg off, but Miz Callie had looked at her as if she were crazy.
Miz Callie didn’t understand. It was highly likely that some of her other relatives would show up tonight, casually seizing the opportunity to check in. The last thing she needed was questioning from her folks about her nonexistent progress in changing her grandmother’s
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