44
Paul had been looking through as many history books as he could find that included older photographs of the Natural Bridge. He found many but none were as defined as the one both Helen and Kate were certain they saw William in. Paul was alone in the library. Helen and Kate had been helping over the last three days but had found nothing of great interest. Consequently, Paul convinced the pair to spend some time with Kate’s girls and promised to call them as soon as he found anything of interest.
After nearly three hours of leafing through books, Paul decided to take a break and head toward the cafeteria. He desperately needed a coffee and by now he was getting used to the muffins that were delivered fresh every day first thing in the morning. It was that time. The library was busy with students researching and preparing themselves for exams that concluded the summer semester.
As Paul took the escalator down to the main floor, he could see that more people than usual were seated at the study carrels on the main floor. Most of the microfiche monitors that usually sat darkened in the mornings were turned on, and students were winding newspaper articles up and down and sideways looking for information that could help them make their papers more complete.
Paul stepped off the escalator. As he did so a thought came to him that caused him to remain frozen in his tracks. He turned to his left and stared at the microfiche carrels, and it occurred to him that he needed to study old newspapers to see if any sign of William could be found. Paul completely forgot about his craving for the coffee and muffin and headed directly to the librarian who was managing the microfiche desk.
“Can I have a copy of the Daily News-Record for the entire year of 1922?” It only took the librarian a minute or so and she returned with six small boxes each containing two months’ worth of Harrisonburg’s daily paper.
“Here you go, sir, please return them to my desk when you are finished, and if you need any others do not hesitate to let me know. I will be happy to get them for you.”
Paul searched through the entire 1922 issues of the News-Record. After three hours of non-stop scanning and loading and removing reels of microfiche, he finally sat back and decided that perhaps he should have taken the coffee break when he needed it earlier. In all of 1922, he had found nothing about the Natural Bridge, let alone any articles about William. He stood up and collected the microfiche boxes but then just as Paul was about to return them, he thought of something. Paul had scanned only front-page articles and any other editorial text contained in each issue of the paper. He had ignored the classifieds. What if William had left a message in the personals? Paul had not scanned the personal ads at all. He knew he would have to look at each issue again. His coffee break would have to wait. Paul commenced at the beginning of the year and moved forward. This time he was able to go through the two-month reels faster than before since he was targeting only one section of the paper. The personals were in the same place in each issue so they were easy to spot. For the first seven months Paul found nothing. On a few occasions he stopped to appreciate the news and the ads displayed in the eighty-year-old newspaper. Things like an ad for a Victrola for $37.50, a lady’s silk lined Bolivia wrap for $7.85, men’s suits for $10.00 and Columbia Motors Company Detroit, U.S.A. advertising their touring car for $1,475.00. Paul started reading some of the ads in the personals out loud but not audible enough for anybody to hear him. “Widower wishes to place 9-year-old girl with Catholic family; willing to pay reasonable board and room.” He slowed the pace of the reel to glance at each ad in that day’s personals, occasionally stopping to read something that caught his eye. “Gent’s bicycle for sale:Reason for selling, owner leaving town. Apply 324 Pine, between 6:30 and 7:30 $10.” When he reeled through the first week in August of 1922, he almost missed what later would become the most exciting news Kate would hear since William disappeared.
“Helen, is Kate with you?” Paul was whispering into his cell phone. He ignored the legible sign that no cell phones were allowed in the library and called Helen as soon as he saw the posting in the August 24th issue of the News-Record. “I need you and Kate to come to the library as soon as possible.”
“We will be there in fifteen minutes!”
Kate heard Helen say over her cell phone. She was there when it rang but she did not know who it was at first.
“Was that, Paul? Has he found something? Is he still at the library?”
Helen knew one statement would answer all of Kate’s questions.
“Let’s go Kate, get the girls, I will have the carready in front of the door.”
It did not take Helen long to get to the library. Paul had told her to join him at the microfiche carrels when she arrived. With Kate and the girls behind her, Helen was running through the library totally ignoring the stares of people interrupted by the vision of two adult ladies and two small girls flying by.
“Slow down, Helen, what did you do, take a rocket to get here?” Paul had heard the sound of the stampeding feet, and he walked toward the arriving ladies.
Kate moved forward past Helen and placed her hands on Paul’s shoulders. “Paul, have you found something? We got here as fast as we could…”
“I can see that. Hi, girls, did your mom and aunt run over any elephants trying to get here so fast?”
“Aunt Helen drove through a red light!” Nicole was quick to rat on Helen.
“I did not Nicky! The light was still yellow.” Helen spoke loudly and quickly turned to see if she had disturbed anybody nearby.
“Never mind that, Nicky. Helen, please take the girls over to the magazine area? Paul what have you found?”
“Well…”
Before Paul had a chance to answer, Helen interrupted.
“Kate, I almost killed us getting us here. I went through a red light and stormed into a library and now you want me to take the girls to the magazine area?”
“I told you she went through a red light!” Nicole was happy to hear her aunt admit she did something wrong.
“Ladies, how about you all follow me? Please keep your voice down before we get kicked out of here.” Paul picked Tara up, turned away from Kate and Helen and headed toward the microfiche carrels.
While Paul was waiting for them to arrive at the library, he had obtained a printout of the posting in the classifieds that caught his attention. With Tara still in his left arm, he picked up the eight-and-a-half-by-eleven sheet of white copy paper and handed it to Kate.
“What year is this?” she asked.
“It is 1922, and it was placed just two days after the date of the photograph William is in.”
Helen was surprised that Paul for the first time spoke about the photograph like he had accepted the fact that it was William. As she started to say something to Paul she stopped.
“Kate, what’s wrong?” Helen noticed her sister had dropped to a chair beside her as ifher legs had given out from under her.
Kate quickly saw the bold circle Paul had made around one of the ads in the classifieds. The words in the ad were more than her emotions could bear:
KATE I AM NOT LOST. I WILL RETURN TO YOU. IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME NOW. TEN YEARSFROM THIS DATE, I WILL POST A MESSAGE TO YOU AND EVERY TEN YEARS AFTERWARDS UNTIL I KNOW I AM ONLY HOURS AWAY FROM BEING WITH YOU, WITH NICOLE AND WITH TARA. LOVE WILLIAM.
Kate started crying. She could not help herself. Nicole stepped closer to her mother and hugged her. “Please don’t cry, Mommy.”
Helen did not know what to do next. She looked at Paul and begged with her eyes to be informed as to what he had found. She did not dare interrupt Nicole while she was with her mother. Finally Kate, realizing Helen needed to see the paper as well, held it up in her direction. Helen took the paper and quickly saw the highlighted ad. As Helen finished reading, she looked up at Paul and smiled at him.
“You see, Kate, I knew Paul could do it. He has found a direct connection with William in the photograph at the time it was taken. Although I must say that I am hurt that William does not mention me at all.” Helen laughed and hugged her sister and the girls. “Paul, what does he mean ‘every ten years’?”
Paul handed Helen a number of sheets of copy paper he had on the tabletop. Each was a photocopy of a page of the classifieds and had the date and one ad boldly circled. Kate heard Paul’s voice, but to her for a moment it seemed she was dreaming.
Paul was speaking to Nicole and Tara, the girls made so much noise upon hearing the news that a librarian nearby was moving in to evict them. Paul’s words stuck with Kate: “Girls, your father will be back at the Natural Bridge next Tuesday afternoon!”