Girl with the Blue Hair Ribbon (eBook)

Chapter 1

They say love at first sight, and lasting, is far and few, but it does exist.

How long ago it was that first experience of her heart fluttering wildly for the first time ever. Although it was long ago some believe the heart maintains more of the memory than the mind.

Rose had begun her teen years the summer of 1978 when life still moved somewhat slowly in the world. It was a simple time and children knew the rules and still understood the word respect; or at least the McGinn children understood. Families still had meals together, people played board games and children knew how to use their imaginations. Her life was simple, her dreams big and she lived in what she thought was a protected world with her parents and five brothers.

The heat was blistering that July 4th morning and Rose could feel it radiating from the large stone and brick that built the antique shop more than one hundred years earlier. She chose to stay outside of the shop while her mother and aunt shopped for various items. The young thirteen-year-old was bored and unlike her brothers she had to shop with her mother instead of frolicking in the ocean on that hot day. When she was younger her mother allowed her to stay with her brothers at the ocean, but now she was told that she was a young lady and she was to learn to be with the older women of the family at certain times. After shopping they would stop and have a cup of tea together and her mother insisted that Rose learn how to be a well-groomed young woman and not act like a tom boy and cavort like one.

Since getting her monthly calling in early spring, as her mother called it, her mother treated her a little differently. Rose was always a beautiful child and she’d blossomed into a young lady with long slender legs. Her face was lovely with features that excelled far beyond most young girls. Her large doe eyes mesmerized a person and you couldn’t help but fall in love with her kindness and joyful personality. Although she was petite she was already more mature than most girls her age back home; many thought she was at least fifteen because of her intelligence and her mature attitude.

As Rose stood burning from the heat, she closed her eyes and felt a slight breeze, but not enough to cool her. It was quiet at the shops on the side street. Casually she peered at the sailboats across the street along the four docks. Two local women walked by and she smiled at them and they said hello. The delicate smells coming from the restaurants that were preparing for the lunch crowd in a few hours were lovely she thought. Her eyes were observing the expensively owned boats swaying in the small breeze and she just knew the water would be flapping up against the sides of the boats making that splashing sound in the silence of the lazy late morning. The docks were quiet because most people that lived there and the visitors were in town getting ready for the parade and the barbeque at the park. Rose knew not to wander off or her mother would be disappointed that she hadn’t listened. She wanted a peek at the sail boats and hopefully embrace a cooler breeze and overcome her boredom, but she had no idea that this particular summer vacation would be her last and it would be many years before she would once again see Williams Port.

She embraced the slow summer days of childhood. Looking down at her favorite book she had no desire to read and couldn’t concentrate due to the heat; her neck was sweaty and she pulled her blue ribbon off of her wrist and tied her hair back. Peering into the shop she wanted to see where her mother was and thought that if she were in the back of the shop she could make her way down at least one pier and look at the boats and possibly get the fresh breeze she was longing for; it was far better than holding up the hot brick wall.

Each summer her family traveled from Tennessee to New York. From New York they caravanned in three cars with her aunts and uncles and many cousins to go camping. Her mother’s favorite town to visit in New England was William’s Port. Rose always thought it reminded her family of their former home in Ireland, which they had left only a few years earlier.

Her mother and Aunt Lucy would spend hours looking at the shops from early in the morning until it was time for the big Fourth of July parade. They looked for bargains to decorate their homes, gifts for Christmas and for birthdays. Her mother was thrifty, but she had to be with a large family.

The coast was clear! Rose skipped across the street, dash between the parked cars to the first pier on her left. She strolled past the boats one by one as if she were in a museum; boats that would take not only her father’s income, but that of her five brothers once they were all working. At the end of each dock she walked back quickly to see if her mother had finished shopping. After the third dock she walked back across the street to the antique shop just as her mother appeared in the doorway. It was a relief she hadn’t seen her on the dock because her mother didn’t tolerate the children being disobedient and Rose never wanted to disappoint her parents.

Her mother’s face was beaming as she carried a box with an old cast iron fireplace set. “Rose darling, be a dear for mother and put these in the car. Auntie and I are goin into the fabric shop.” Although their father had recently purchased the 1978 Chevy Suburban, her mother insisted on calling it a car while her father called it a lorry. Carefully she took the long box with the poker sticking out at one end and walked it a few yards up the street to the suburban. The box was heavy, but she managed to unlock the back of the SUV and placed it into the spacious back end. Walking back to the fabric shop all she could think of was that parade with the band playing, the throwing of the candies, and then she spotted her mother waiting and handed her the keys. “Thank you dear. Rose,” she turned, “Yes mother.”

“Do ya like this material for some drapes in the bedroom?”

“Which bedroom Mother?”

“Your father’s and mine.”

Rose reached out and touched the soft ivory colored material, “Why yes, I do Mother. It’s lovely and I’m bettin that father will like it too.” Her mother smiled. It was a known fact that her mother would be in the shop for a rather long time because she made everything in their home; the drapes, curtains, their clothes and whatever else she could make. Her father made furniture for their home and they both were frugal about everything they bought. Most of Roses clothes were either handmade or second hand. But all in all, their home didn’t look like that of people that bought used and refinished furniture and did their own decorating. Her mother had her own great sense of style and wisdom beyond that of others and, she like Rose’s father, were both quite educated; Rose was proud of her parents.

There was one more dock that hadn’t been explored. The warm air was blowing lightly across her face and she could smell the scent of the ocean across the street. She slipped off her flip-flops and pranced across the street to the last pier. It felt good to be free and she began to twirl down the middle of the dock doing spin cycles, arms outstretched and slowly she soared gracefully making her way down the wooden planks of the dock like a perfect ballerina. Rose had no idea she was being watched by someone, but she was too busy enjoying the moment of freedom. Reaching behind her head she grasped the end of her blue ribbon that tied her hair back and pulled it off; it suddenly blew out of her hand! She stopped twirling to chase it, giggling and running after it she stopped dead in her tracks looking up at a boy standing with the blue ribbon in his hand. She felt a prick on her foot, “Oh that hurt!” She gasped.

Suddenly, he spoke, “Are you alright,” he said with a grin across his face. Standing frozen in her tracks she saw a tall boy and stumbled slightly from her injury and smiled, “Hello, how do you do.” Her blue sun dress was softly blowing in the ocean breeze along with her wavy dark brown hair and their eyes were focused on one another. Rose’s heart skipped a beat for the first time in her young life when her eyes met his. He was taken aback by her as well and spoke again immediately, “I believe you dropped your ribbon.” His voice was deeper than boys her age and he had a British accent, his hair was a light brown and his eyes were a brilliant hazel color like Rose’s. His smile was pleasing and seemed honest and genuine. “Did you lose your ribbon?” She stood staring at the boy as if she was the only person on a deserted island and he’d suddenly appeared and then she limped towards him, “Yes…I did,” she stammered showing her embarrassment for staring. “Do you have a boat?” the boy asked. “No, we don’t own a boat, but we have a dog.” The boy laughed out loud, “You can come on my boat if you’d like.”

“What’s your name,” she asked.

“Sam, I’m Samuel Bennett. You know you’re limping?

”Yes, I believe I’ve gotten a splitter in me foot.”

“I have a first aid kit on the boat. Stay there and I’ll be right back.” He ran onto the sail boat and disappeared beneath it. Retrieving a small first aid kit he returned to the deck and jumped onto the dock where Rose stood motionless. He took her hand in his and his heart began to beat quickly as he led her to the edge of the dock. “Here, come sit and I’ll help you.”

Rose sat next to him on the edge of the dock and he reached for her foot and she slightly pulled away from him as he reached again for her foot and placed it into his lap...