The Dancing River

Andre watched as his wife of fifty-three years stood on the edge of the river that surrounded their home. He called out to her from the porch. “Juliette! Juliette!” His wife seemed to ignore his call and began dipping her legs into the slow current beneath her. She leaned into the waters, allowing them to embrace and hold her as she waded deeper and deeper beneath its surface.

Andre grabbed a towel and her shawl. He made his way quickly down the front steps of their home and to the edge of the lake. Calling to her once more, he realized that she was not going to answer. Dropping the towel and removing his shoes, he began wading in after her. It had been quite some time since he’d been in the lake. He could swim, but he was not as strong as Juliette. His wife’s mother had literally given birth to her in the water. The family legend says that Juliette came out swimming and ever since that day water has been her natural state and second home. He could not remember a day that Juliette had not bathed in the waters. Whether before the dawn of day or by the dewy glow of the moonlight.

“Juliette Archameau! You get out of that water now!”

His wife’s hips dipped below her knees, and she pushed hard gliding across the Louisiana stream. She then leaned back arms extended on each side. Using broad strokes, she allowed the water to twirl her in lazy circles as it held her firm to the surface. It was as if she and the lake were one. There was no singular Juliette, no lonely body of water, just them, the two interconnected as one. She sang softly, her voice dancing and bouncing off the top of the water.

Andre flailed his arms. “Doggonit, Juliette!” He pressed his toes down in the sand and mud beneath him while trying to reach out to her as she floated by.

Juliette yelled out to him. “Oh, stop fighting. Just relax and let the waters carry you.” She pulled herself closer to him. “Roll on your back, Andre. Stop thrashing around like that before you drown yourself.”

Andre reached out to grab her arm, but she pulled away and remained just outside of his grasp. “I’ve had enough Juliette! Now, please, come out of the water before you catch the death of cold. The air is frigid tonight.” He reached for her once more but was unable to hold her and she floated even farther out into the distance.

Andre felt the water around his neck and his toes now dangled above the sandy bottom. He turned to the shoreline and quickly made his way back. “I’ve got to get help!” he said as he waded out of the lake. “Help! Please! Somebody help me! My wife…”

“Papa?”

Andre turned to the woman standing behind him. It was his daughter Caroline. She was holding an oversized towel and a hooded jacket.

“Caroline! Oh, thank God! Mother is in the lake! I can’t get her to come out!”

“Papa, listen…”

“Did you hear me, Caroline? Juliette… look!” He pointed at the dark waters. “I can’t even see her anymore. I can’t hear her singing. We need to get help!”

“It’s ok, Papa. Mother is not in the lake.”

“What are you talking about, Caroline? Oh, of course, she is in the lake! Can you not see?”

Caroline gently placed her hands on her father’s face and stared into his eyes. She could see his terror, and she stroked his cheeks to calm him. “Papa, Mother is not in the lake. She is not.”

Andre looked startled and turned around. He could hear no singing and the moonlight reflected the calmness of the water. He turned back to his daughter. “But, I saw her.”

Caroline continued drying her father with the towel and placed the heavy jacket over his shoulders before escorting him back to the house. Once inside, she removed his wet clothes, redressed him, and sat him in front of the fireplace to get warm.

“You know,” Andre said as Juliette handed him a warm cup, “your Mama made the best coffee. No sugar, no cream, just a good dark roast.” He sipped the warm drink and continued talking. “She made good tea too. Now and again, she did put cream and sugar in.” he laughed. “It was almost too sweet, like dessert.”

Caroline held her drink between her hands and listened as her father spoke of her mother. It was strange to hear him speak of her in the past tense when only moments ago he was holding conversations with her in the water. Although her mother had been gone for more than three years, it was still, at times, unsettling to hear him speak of her. Even small things that reminded her of the loss, a cup of coffee or tea, could still cause her pain.

Andre sat in front of the fire speaking in and out of time about Juliette. He could recall moments from years past and other times it was as if she were standing in the room. It was something that Caroline still needed to get used to. Her father was diagnosed only months earlier, but the progression had been swift and rapid. It was clear to her and her siblings that he would no longer be able to remain at the house alone. It was only a matter of time before a decision would be made as to where he would reside. Her sister Jolie and her husband had just had a baby, her brother Gabriel worked long hours, and her brother Charles was in medical school. Caroline worked from home as a writer and was the most well-off. So, it was decided that her father would live with her. She had made arrangements for a private nurse and caregiver to help. Her siblings would chip in on the cost and would take turns caring for him.

Andre sat up tall in the chair as he warmed his feet and hands. Caroline watched as her father spoke softly and whispered as if her mother were seated next to him. She wondered what they were saying. She was only privy to the smiles and nods of their private conversations, rarely the words. After her mother died, she did notice a difference in her father’s behavior, but nothing too drastic. He still had the ability to live alone. He still drove, still cooked his own meals, and still visited friends and family. Everything seemed mostly the same, but the quiet whispers and the daily trips to the lake concerned her. Her family took Andrea to the doctor and was told that he was in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s. The siblings had assumed they’d have more time, but Andrea’s condition swiftly advanced. Caroline moved temporarily to the island, and tonight was the last night that her father would be in his house.

Andre looked around at the boxes that surrounded him, but they did not seem to phase or bother him at all. There was no curiosity or questions about what they were. To him, it seemed as if they had always been there - parts of the furniture or fixtures in the house.

“Are you ready for your trip to see Jolie and the new baby tomorrow?” Caroline asked. The plan was to travel to Jolie’s home for the weekend. Her other siblings would also meet them there. They would spend a few days together and then continue to Caroline’s home where he would stay.

“Baby?” Andre looked confused. “Jolie has a baby now?”

Caroline nodded.

“Well,” he said, “I suppose we should go and see it.” He looked puzzled. “Jolie has a baby?”

Again, Caroline nodded and sipped her coffee. “A boy.”

“What? What’s his name?”

“Jacques Andre.”

“Andre? My name?”

“Yes, Papa, your name.”

He smiled and sat his cup to the side. “Well, I’ll be. And I get to meet the little fella?”

“Mmm-hmm, tomorrow after our trip. I’ll drive us down in the morning, and we’ll spend a few days with the family. Would you like that?”

Andre’s smile widened, and he looked over at the empty chair beside him. “Did you hear that, Juliette? Our baby has a baby!” He clapped his hands and laughed.

Caroline’s smile began to fade. They finished the coffee. She washed the dishes, and put her father to bed. Because the hour was late and he’d taken his bedtime meds before the lake incident, he was quite tired and gave her no problems regarding his sleep time. Instead, he welcomed the idea.

When her father was sound asleep, Caroline placed the alarm on the bedroom door and walked out onto the front porch. She listened to the water sing as it rolled back and forth in the twilight. For a moment, it almost seemed as if she could hear her mother’s laughter echo in the dark shadows. She stared at the lake, and although she knew they had made the right decision, it was still bittersweet.

When morning came, Andre was wide awake and ready to see the baby. Most of the truck was packed the day before. Her father ate his tartine and drank sweet tea, just the way her mother made it. The realtor came at 8:30 a.m. as planned. Caroline signed the last of the paperwork, and after the last walk-through, she locked the doors and handed over the keys.

Her father made his way to the edge of the lake and stood quietly. Caroline walked over and stood with him. There was no talking - just a long gaze. It seemed to her that even though they had not told her father that he was moving, she felt that somehow, instinctively, he knew. As they waited, Caroline could almost hear her mother’s voice as she rolled in lazy circles and sang her father’s love song.