A Seed Planted

by Cat FitzGerald

  “Please, eat something. I know you must be hungry,” Marley said politely.

  “And how do you know I’m hungry?” Julia retorted.

  “Because you’ve had nothing but a bowl of cereal since you got here yesterday.”

  Julia remembered the bowl and spoon she’d washed and left in the drain rack.

  “How do you know I didn’t have other food in my luggage?” Julia wasn’t giving in, even though it was a ridiculous conversation.

  “Because your luggage sat in the front room for about three hours yesterday, and if there’d been food in it, Coco would have gone crazy. And she didn’t. So there wasn’t.” Marley looked at her with grim satisfaction. Julia glared.

  “And, as you well know, Miss Jean never allowed food anywhere else in the house except, on rare occasion, hot chocolate and popcorn by the fire. So, I’m guessing that force of habit would have led you to put any food you might have had in the kitchen as soon as you unpacked your bags. But you didn’t. So there.” Marley couldn’t help the slight smirk that pulled at his upper lip.

  “Well, aren’t you just Mr. Smarty-pants?” Julia replied as she reached for the bread and butter.

  Marley moved the strawberries within reach without speaking or looking in her direction. They ate in silence as Coco watched hopefully from a nearby corner. She was quite partial to bread and butter, but she knew better than to whine. She did, however, let out a soft snort that caught their attention. Marley stood up and walked to the door, speaking as he went, “Hey, girl, are you still hungry? Or do you just want a treat this morning? That’s what you want, isn’t it? Yeah, I bet that’s what you want,” Marley baby-talked to the dog as he grabbed a piece of buttered bread from his plate and dropped it in her bowl by the fridge. Coco gulped down the food so quickly Julia wondered if she even tasted it. That thought brought back memories of other dogs and other times in this very room. She shook them off.

  “You okay?” Marley asked.

  “What? Oh, yes, I’m fine, thank you,” Julia answered shortly as she got up to get more coffee. Rather than returning to the table, she walked over to the door and gazed into the backyard and the fields beyond.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” Marley spoke quietly, sensing his possible intrusion into something private.

  Julia didn’t appear to have heard him. She sipped her coffee then answered without taking her eyes from the outside view. “Too many thoughts for a penny to cover.” Marley heard the sadness in her voice and remained silent.

  “This place was my refuge when I was a girl,” Julia spoke softly as she opened the door and stepped onto the porch, glancing over her shoulder as if to invite Marley to join her. He did, and they settled in the old rocking chairs that had been in the same spot for more years than anyone could remember. Coco came out with Marley and curled up on the wood floor next to his chair, careful to keep her thick, furry tail safely out of the rocker’s track, experience having taught its lesson well.

  Several minutes passed as they rocked, only the squeaking of the old chairs breaking the silence. A few crows cawed in the distance, but nothing else disturbed the shimmering heat.

  Marley watched Julia out of the corner of his eye, seeing how the memories transformed her expression, pensive to painful. He sipped his coffee quietly, giving her time.

  “I loved it here,” Julia spoke as if only to herself. “When things got too hard at home, I’d run across the road, and as soon as I set foot on the drive, everything bad just melted away. Grandma Jean would be on the front porch swing knitting, or in the kitchen baking something amazing. Sometimes she’d be right here in this rocker, shelling beans or peas for canning. Always busy, hands never still. They were rough from all the work, of course, but somehow they were still gentle. She would hold me, not speaking, just rubbing my back, patting my head. Letting me empty all the hurt straight into her. She was alone by then. Grandpa Will died when I was about two. I never thought about it, her being alone all those years. I was just glad she was here for me, and I never once thought about her loss. Her disappointment in her son and daughter-in-law. It was always about me.” Julia’s voice cracked, and Marley reached over to touch her arm. Julia jerked and stood up, glaring down at Marley.

  “I wasn’t looking for your pity,” she spat.

  “I wasn’t offering pity, but excuse me for showing a little sympathy. I cared about your grandmother, too, you know. She was a wonderful woman and always good to me.” Marley returned the glare.

  “You didn’t know her at all! You have no idea who she was and what she meant to me. Don’t even try to pretend you do.”

  “What is your problem? You invite me to come out here, you share about what this place meant to you, and then you bite my head off!” Marley stood up, hands clenched at his sides.

  “I did not invite you to come out here,” Julia retorted.

  “Well, it sure seemed like it, and you didn’t tell me to leave, and you’re the one who started talking first. And you ate my breakfast!”

  “Your breakfast? Well, excuse me. Here I was thinking you might be a nice person after all, but that was obviously an error on my part.”

  “Oh, good grief, you are crazy! I don’t have time for this. Some people have to work, so if you will kindly pardon me, I will get to it.” Marley threw open the screen door and stomped down the stairs, Coco close on his heels.

  “Fine! But don’t get too comfortable. I’m selling this place as soon as possible, so you’d better be looking for another job!” Julia yelled at Marley’s retreating figure, but he gave no indication he’d heard.

  Mad as a hornet, Julia stomped back upstairs and stood at the door to her old room fighting back angry tears. What a jerk! Who does he think he is? I have got to sell this place, get out of here and away from him. She drew in a deep breath to calm herself and opened the door. A slight musty smell greeted her, while the dust coating every surface caught her eyes. It was obvious no one had been in the room since her grandmother passed.

  Despite the lack of care, everything looked the same. The twin bed was still covered with the pink chenille spread Julia picked out at the general store in town. A white-handled mirror and matching hairbrush sat on top of the small chest against the nearest wall. At the foot of the bed was a cedar chest with a folded multi-colored quilt, and next to the bed was the tiny nightstand her Grandpa Will made.

  The white lampshade was yellow with dust and age. Julia caught her breath and backed out of the room, moving down the hall to the linen closet where she knew Grandma Jean kept her dust rag and furniture polish. Armed with supplies, she returned to the room ready to work. Grabbing the bedspread and quilt, she headed downstairs and out to the front porch where she shook them until she was surrounded by a cloud of dust. She hung the items over the front porch railing to air out before going back inside. Her grandmother had agreed to install a washer in the downstairs bathroom but would not even think about a dryer. She was a firm believer in letting clothes dry in the sunshine and fresh air. Julia remembered hanging clothes on the line out back and bringing them in after several hours in the warm sun. It was a smell she would never forget. Today was plenty warm and sunny, perfect for bedding to soak in the fresh air.

  It only took her a couple of hours to vacuum the floor and polish the furniture. She opened the window and turned on the ceiling fan, and in no time, the small room was neat and clean. Julia ran back to the front porch and gathered the bedspread and quilt. She shook them once more for good measure, stopped in the kitchen to get a glass of iced tea, and carried everything upstairs.

  After remaking the bed, Julia took a long look around the room. Memories flooded over her as she lowered herself to the bed.

  Oh, Grandma Jean, I miss you so much. I wish you were here. You always knew what to say and what to do about everything. How did you do that? Was it just because you lived a long time, or what? You didn’t have an education beyond high school, so how did you get so smart? I have so many questions, Grandma J
ean. I wish I could hear your voice just one more time.

  Julia sat still and let the tears flow, washing away the anger and hurt. Emotionally spent, she reached for the drawer in the nightstand and opened it. Inside was her small white diary, a Christmas gift from her grandmother when she was twelve. The small key lay beside it along with a white pen with a pink feather in the end. Julia chuckled to herself. Everything had to be pink and white when she was a girl, and Grandma Jean lovingly indulged her. She picked up the diary, turning it over in her hands. Was she ready for this? Would it help or make things worse? How could things possibly be worse? My life is a mess, no career, nothing to look forward to, at least not until I’m out of this sorry little town. She took the key, opened the diary, and settled back against the pillows.

  **************************************************

  December 25, 1960

  Dear Diary,

  Today is Christmas, and Grandma Jean gave me this. It’s the best present I got. Mama and Daddy gave me a pretty necklace and a stuffed bear I named Teddy. I can’t wait to show them to my friends at school. I’m going to keep my diary here so no one else will see it.

  December 28, 1960

  Dear Diary,

  I’m so sad. I lost the necklace somewhere and Daddy got so mad at me. He yelled and yelled and called me stupid. I’ve looked everywhere, but I can’t find it. Grandma Jean said she’d find it or buy another one and not tell Daddy.

  Julia stopped to catch her breath. She remembered that as if it were yesterday. She’d thought Malcolm might actually beat her to death. Thankfully, he’d passed out drunk shortly thereafter and seemed to have forgotten about the necklace. Taking no chances, her grandmother went into town, found the same necklace, and bought it. She’d put it on right away and told her dad Grandma Jean found it, which was not technically a lie. It was self-preservation. The first necklace showed up weeks later when her grandmother was sweeping the kitchen. The chain was broken, so she threw it away.

  Julia continued reading, smiling to herself as she read the silly notes she’d written about some boy in her sixth-grade class. Other entries detailed school projects and friends’ birthday parties. It was good to be reminded that some of her childhood had been positive. Of course, she’d written mostly about the times she’d spent in this very house, playing games with her grandmother, reading together, or just sitting by the big fireplace.

  **************************************************

  May 15, 1961

  Dear Diary,

  Today I won the school spelling bee championship. It’s not the first time because I win every year, but it’s the first time I had a diary to write about it in. Mama and Daddy smiled at the end. I did something good.

  September 5, 1961

  Dear Diary,

  I’m in seventh grade! I’m in a whole new school on the other side of town. It makes the bus ride longer, but that’s okay because my friends are on there with me, too. Ricky Thomas rides the bus, too. He’s so cute, but he never looks at me. Maybe one day he will.

  Julia’s breath caught in her throat. Oh, how she wished Ricky Thomas had never looked at her. She could remember every detail without the need to read her diary notes, but she flipped ahead anyway.

  September 8, 1963

  Dear Diary,

  Ricky Thomas said hey to me this morning on the bus! Oh my gosh! He got on and when he passed the seat where me and Becky were sitting, he stopped and said hey and smiled right at me! I didn’t see him at school the rest of the day, and he didn’t ride the bus home, but, oh my gosh. I had on my new pink blouse with the matching pink plaid skirt. Oh, what am I going to wear tomorrow?

  Julia remembered exactly what she’d worn the next day, a new sweater from her grandmother.

  September 9, 1963

  Dear Diary,

  I wore the pretty light-green sweater Grandma Jean gave me this morning with my green and yellow skirt. She says it brings out my eyes. Ricky stopped again at my seat and said hi, and he said it again in the cafeteria when he walked by our table! Oh, Diary, I think I might die.

  September 24, 1963

  Dear Diary,

  Ricky came up to me in the hall today and grabbed my books out of my arms! Right in front of everybody! I was so embarrassed and excited at the same time. He walked me to math class and told me to save him a seat on the bus. Becky was mad at me for not sitting with her, but I told her I’d call her later and tell her everything. Ricky got on and sat with me and just looked at me and smiled. He said he liked my sweater and asked what was my favorite class. I told him English, of course. He said he knew I was real good at spelling and remembered me winning the spelling bees. I didn’t even think he knew I was alive!

  October 31, 1963

  Dear Diary,

  Ricky asked me to go steady with him! I can’t believe it! A football star wants me to be his girlfriend. He’s so popular and gorgeous he could have any girl. But he picked me. Oh, Dear Diary, I’m so happy. Mama and Daddy don’t like it, of course, but they don’t like anything, so what’s the big deal? Grandma Jean just keeps telling me to be careful and not give my heart away. I think it’s too late.

  December 25, 1963

  Dear Diary,

  Ricky gave me the most beautiful necklace for Christmas. It has a little heart on it, and I think it might be real silver! He also invited me to a New Year’s Eve party at his house. I’ll probably have to sneak out because Mama and Daddy won’t let me go to parties until I’m sixteen. They are so old-fashioned!

  Julia remembered that party well. She had, indeed, snuck out of the house and walked a half mile down the road where Ricky waited in his car. He’d been in a hurry to get back to the party before the clock struck midnight, and as she slid across the seat to snuggle beside him, she’d caught a whiff of something familiar and unpleasant.

  New Year’s Eve, 1963

  “Ricky, have you been drinking?” JuJu sat straight up, looking at him crossly.

  “Well, yeah, it’s New Year’s Eve! What else would I be doing?” He pulled onto the road without looking at JuJu and headed back in the direction of his house in town.

  “Ricky, you know how I feel about liquor, and please slow down!”

  “Look, JuJu, if you’re going to be a party pooper, I can turn around and take you right back to Mommy and Daddy,” Ricky gave her a challenging look as he replied. “I don’t care if you drink or not, but you’re not going to ruin the party for everyone else by being a stick in the mud.”

  JuJu was stung by his remark and turned away before he could see the tears that rose up in her eyes. He reached over and pulled her close.

  “Come on, baby, don’t be upset. I want you there with me, okay? You’re my girl, and I want to show you off. I want you to have some fun for a change.”

  JuJu melted into Ricky, all forgiven. She sighed and laid her head on his shoulder as they drove through the last night of 1963.

  **************************************************

  Julia put down the diary. She couldn’t handle any more right now. The memories were too overwhelming. Leaving the book on the nightstand, she gathered the cleaning supplies from the room and headed off to tackle another part of the house. Marley was not a good housekeeper. He wasn’t terrible, but everything definitely needed a good scrubbing, polishing, or vacuuming. Once he was gone, she could set about staging the property for sale.

  Chapter 25

  July 1972

  “You can’t kick me out,” Marley calmly stated.

  “I most certainly can. I told you when I came in June that you needed to start looking for another job, that I would be selling the farm,” Julia shot back, fire in her green eyes.

  “Yes, you told me, but that is not considered formal notice. You are required to give me six months’ notice in writing with specific dates as to when the property will be listed as well as an end date for my services.” Marley was determined to not let her get under his skin and was gritting his teeth t
o stay in control. He held Julia’s stare. “Perhaps you should read your grandmother’s will again. It’s all laid out very clearly.”

  “I don’t need to read it again!” Julia was struggling to maintain her composure. She knew what the will said, and she was furious at herself for not having dealt with this issue immediately. Instead, she’d allowed herself to become distracted with memories and sentiment. Now, she would be stuck with this man for another six months at least.

  “Fine. I will contact the realtor, and you will have your formal notice by the end of the day.”

  “That’s actually not necessary. I have something for you if you’ll hold on a minute.” Without waiting for Julia’s reply, Marley walked out of the kitchen towards his living quarters. Julia heard his boots echoing down the short hall and back again. He reappeared carrying a large manila envelope which he handed to her.

  “What is this?” Julia asked suspiciously.

  “Open it,” Marley replied nervously.

  Julia thumbed the small brass clasp, opened the flap, and removed several sheets of paper. Marley watched intently as her expression went from curiosity to surprise to full-blown shock. She looked up in disbelief. “You want to buy the farm?”

  Marley smiled. “Yeah. Yes. I do. As you can see, I’m already approved for a loan. That amount should be more than enough to cover your asking price, so you can get your money and be on your way.” As Marley said the words, he felt something unexpected. He wanted this woman out of his hair. Do I? Yes, he did! She was a pain in the rear, and he couldn’t wait for her to be gone, so he could relax and start making the place his own. He had lots of plans. He realized she was staring at him, those emerald eyes like glowing gems against her white face and flushed cheeks. He’d never noticed the shape of her lips before. Not thin, but not too full. He didn’t like lips that looked like they’d been stung by a bee. Hers were perfect. Stop it! Oh, man, where did that come from?

  Marley shook his head as he asked, “So, what do you think?”