Chapter 9 - The Island Again
May arrived on Lake Erie with warm breezes, blooming lilacs, and bright blue skies.
I stood on the deck of the nine o'clock ferry to Kelley’s Island, holding a warm cup of coffee, feeling the cool spray of the lake water against my face.
Beside me stood Ryan, Megan, and my six-year-old granddaughter, Chloe. Behind us sat Marcy and Leah, laughing as they shared a box of fresh bakery donuts.
We were returning to the cottage—not to escape, not to hide, but to celebrate.
Over the winter, Marcy, Leah, and I had purchased the tiny lakefront cottage together, turning it into a summer sanctuary for our families, a place where music, laughter, and honest conversation were the only rules.
Chloe ran up to me, pulling on my sweater jacket. “Grandma Claire! Look! Seagulls!”
I knelt down beside my granddaughter, pointing out at the white birds soaring gracefully over the glittering wake of the ferry.
“They’re beautiful, aren't they, Chloe?” I asked softly.
“Grandma,” Chloe asked, looking at me with her bright, clear blue eyes. “Daddy said you wrote a book about Great-Grandpa’s music. Is that true?”
I smiled, pulling my granddaughter into a warm embrace.
Two weeks ago, a national music magazine had published a ten-page feature story on my father’s legacy, complete with photos of his original sheet music, his Gibson guitar, and the story of how his daughter had fought through federal courts to preserve his life’s work.
“I didn't write a book, sweetie,” I said, looking out at the green shore of the island rising in the distance. “I just made sure his song kept playing.”
Ryan stepped up beside me, laying his arm over my shoulder. He looked down at me with a pride so deep, so sincere, that it brought warm tears to my eyes.
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“You look amazing, Mom,” Ryan said. “I haven't seen you smile like this since I was a little boy.”
“I haven't felt like this since I was a little girl, Ryan,” I admitted, leaning my head against his shoulder. “It turns out that when you stop carrying someone else’s lies, your hands are completely free to hold your own happiness.”
