Gathering Water Read Online Free PDF

have you.”
    “I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet ,” I said quickly.  “Could you take me there anyway? I really want to see the house, and it’s still early so I have plenty of time to get to a hotel or something if it’s really bad off.”
    “Della, I-“
    “Mr. McCay, I appreciate you giving me a ride and everything, but I’ve spent my entire life without anything at all. Everything I own is in the trunk of your car; I finally have something and I need to see it. I’m really not trying to be rude, but it’s important.” To my everlasting shock and embarrassment, my voice hitched a little on the last word.
    John McCay kept his eyes on the road and after a few minutes of awkward silence he gave a big sigh and pulled out his phone to tell whoever he called that he was going to be a little late. I figured that meant we were on our way to my house, but when he finally stopped the car it was in front of a small store labeled Lukes General.
    “Mr. McCay-“
    “John,” he insisted.
    “U m, this isn’t the right address.”
    “Of course it’s not the right address. You’re here to get supplies. We both know that you plan on spending the night in that place. You’ll need stuff, candles and food and whatever else. Let’s go on in, and I’ll introduce you to Luke so he can set you up.”
    Luke turned out to be an imposing older man. He was built like a football player, but when he came out to greet us his crinkly stormy-grey eyes were full of humor. His hair was white, and he was wearing a blue bowling shirt and a pair of jean shorts that probably started life out as pants.
    “John, nice to see ya , old man. What can I do for you?”
    “I’d watch who you call old man, if I were you , Luke. I’d like to introduce you to Della Deare. Della, Luke here runs the finest general store on the island. Anything you need, you can find within these walls.”
    “Deare? Did I hear you right, John?” His brows raised quizzically.
    “Yes, she’s Gabby’s little girl, come home to set up in the old house. Unfortunately her momma passed away a while back, but Della’s come home all the same.” John put a reassuring hand on my shoulder, which I quickly shook off.
    “Gabby’s gone? I always thought she’d come back. Where did she run off too all tho…“ his voice trailed off and he had a distant look in his eyes for a moment. “Well, I am truly sorry to hear about your loss, Della. I knew your grandma Anise very well, she was a good woman and I heard that her daughter was too, though I was away when she was growing up.” He leaned in a little, eyes roaming my face. “You have her look about you, around the mouth and the same color eyes, a blue as deep as the sea itself.” Luke seemed to withdraw into some inner place for a couple of minutes, as if he were adjusting to the news of Gabriella’s death, or maybe remembering my grandmother, who was obviously a friend of his.
    It was kind of weird to see a stranger mourn more for my mother than I did, though I guess I never knew her and I ’d always known she was gone. I didn’t really know what it was like to lose someone since I’d never had anyone to lose.
    “Thank you, I guess. Um, I actually just found out about all this, I mean I knew that my mother was dead, she died when I was born… but, uh, all the rest is new. Like, she was a Jane Doe,” I stuttered out.
    “Della was raised out in California in the foster system, Luke. Says that some police officer tracked down Gabby’s family and let them know everything that had happened a few years back. It’s funny that that kind of information didn’t seem to get passed along, isn’t it?” John and Luke seemed to forget I was there for a minute; it was almost like they were talking about something different. Either way, for an instant I saw Luke get mad, really mad, like oh-my-god-don’t-let-the-giant-kill-me type of mad. He seemed to swell in size, fists balled, with narrowed eyes and a red face,