by Debbie White
“Mary’s tried too. She’s young. She’s doing the best she knows how,” Patty said to her sister.
“I suppose,” Grandmother grunted.
“She loves you both,” Annie said, agreeing with Patty’s statement.
“It’s five o’clock somewhere, right?” Grandmother rested her hand on the doorknob.
Annie giggled. “Yes, Grandmother. But please—”
Grandmother held up a finger to shush her.
“Don’t drink and drive,” Annie said.
“Now, that’s better,” Grandmother said, blowing her a kiss.
Annie stood in amazement as she watched her two favorite old people in the world hobble out of her house and down the stairs. “Never underestimate a McPherson,” Annie said just above a whisper.
“Mommy,” Ashton called out.
He’d been so quiet coloring Annie almost forgot he was in the room.
“Yes?”
“Look at my picture.”
Annie wandered over to the couch and sat, picking up the coloring book. “This is so nice, Ashton. You’re doing so well with staying in the lines.”
“That’s Lady Powell,” he said, using a blue crayon as a pointer.
“And you colored it very nicely. Daddy will like that.”
She rolled her wrist to take a look at the time. Carolina would be waking up soon. Two hours went by so fast.
After Annie fed Carolina and started dinner, Jack came waltzing back inside. Whistling a catchy tune and grinning ear to ear, he dropped a quick kiss on Annie’s forehead. Lifting the lid to the pot on the stove, he took a long sniff. “Yum. Seafood gumbo.”
“I had fresh shrimp to use up,” Annie said, giving the soup a stir.
“How’d things go with the young-at-heart ladies next door?” Jack sniggered.
“Actually, you’ll be very pleased. Pour yourself a glass of wine and take a seat. It’s pretty interesting.”
“Care to join me?”
“Just a smidgeon,” Annie said.
Jack set the table and poured their wine. He washed Ashton’s hands and set him on the booster seat in the chair. He’d recently announced that highchairs were for babies, and Carolina could have his.
Annie spooned out pieces of shrimp and potatoes for Ashton, then ladled soup into bowls for Jack and herself. Carolina dug her fingers into the smashed potatoes and veggies, licking them and then diving in for more. Annie joined Jack at the table, and in between slurps, filled him in.
“Seriously? They came to the conclusion on their own it was better for them to stay in the cottage? I wished I had been a fly on the wall.” Jack picked up his wineglass and swirled the contents.
“I think Auntie was the defining moment. She flat out told Grandmother she liked it here. Didn’t want to move.”
“Do you think they’ll sell the place?” Jack forked a large shrimp.
“I think so. But it won’t happen overnight. We have a lot of stuff to go through. That house holds so many memories, both physical and mental.”
“I’m happy to help. I know Danny and my brother-in-law, Richard will, and even my mom and dad. It will be a concerted effort.” Jack reached across the table and held his hand open. Annie slid her hand into his. “We’re in this together for better or worse, remember?” He winked.
“I love you, Jack. It’s going to be pretty dramatic. I know for sure I will need them to make the first move in all of this. It has to be on their terms. Whatever they say, we do.” She tipped her chin.
Chapter 5
It was two months to the day when they had tea, and Grandmother and Auntie decided to stay on at the cottage. Two months and no more had been said. Mary was hounding Annie constantly, wanting to know when she and Danny could move out. Annie didn’t have an answer because nothing was ever planned. Caught up in motherhood, she let it sit on the back burner. But now it was nearing fall time, and a great time for cleaning out closets and sprucing up places, and Annie made the decision to approach them about things before Mary did it. And everyone knew Mary had no time for fluffing feathers. Her approach would be anything but soft.
The temperatures had dropped, and so had the leaves of the many trees on the property. The vivid green and glossy leaves of the stately magnolia added a splash of color among the yellow and red leaves of the various oaks and native varieties. Annie drew her sweater close and pulled in a deep breath of the clean, refreshing air. “Here goes nothing,” she said, stepping down from the porch.
Rapping on the door, she waited for them to respond.
“Hello,” Annie said, closing the door behind her.
“Is it that time?” Patty asked, grabbing her shawl that had been draped over a chair.
“Where’s Grandmother?”
“In the little girl’s room,” Auntie said, wrapping the end of her shawl up over her shoulder.
“Listen, Auntie Patty. Have you and Grandmother discussed anymore about the Charleston house?”
Patty shook her head. “I’ve tried to approach the subject a few times. She was so for it before. I don’t know what’s happened.”
“Is she still considering moving back into it?”
“No, I don’t think so. She may not want to admit it, but she knows we’re better off here. And now that Jack’s dad is coming once a week and taking us into town, it’s been nice.”
“Yes, I think it’s very sweet Robert is doing that.”
Just then, they turned their attention to the clipping noise of Grandmother’s cane.
“Hope you have a good appetite. I made lasagna,” Annie said.
“As long as you have a nice red to go with it.” Patty smirked.
“Yes, Auntie. I always have a nice bottle of red in the rack.”
She tried not to mother them too much, but she stood by as they walked over to the main house. Annie watched carefully, and Grandmother appeared to be pretty stable on her feet. As Annie stared at her shoes, her jaw dropped. Grandmother had on orthopedic shoes. For as long as she could remember, Grandmother and Auntie wore the latest designs and matching shoes to go with them. They’d never be caught in orthopedic anything. But times were changing, and no matter how hardheaded Grandmother was, she also knew when she’d lost the battle.
She couldn’t help herself and offered a hand to the ladies as they ascended the stairs. Surprisingly, neither of them opposed her gesture.
“Something smells wonderful,” Patty said, making her way to the couch to join Ashton. She held out her arms, and he climbed onto her lap.
“Hello, Jack,” Grandmother said, slipping into a chair at the dining table.
“Good evening, ladies,” he said.
Patty smiled and then went back to talking to Ashton.
“Fall is in the air, isn’t it?” he said as he popped the cork to the wine.
“Perfect time to clean out garages and closets,” Annie said, taking the cue.
“And painting. Well, any type of repair or maintenance to property. I’ve got a few things to do here,” Jack said.
Annie’s gazed bobbled from Grandmother to Auntie and back to Jack. Had he said too much? Nothing got by these two.
“What sort of things do you have to do here?” Grandmother said.
“The front porch needs a coat of paint, for one,” Jack said.
Annie listened as this conversation went on and on. Finally, convinced that either they were not getting the big picture, or they were trying to string poor Jack along, Annie put a stop to it.
“Have you spoken to Mary, Grandmother?” Annie asked as she took out the casserole dish from the oven and set it on a trivet to cool.
“No.”
“Oh,” Annie said, leaning her back up against the counter. “Is something wrong?”
“No. Why would you think that?”
“I don’t know. Maybe because it’s been a while, and you haven’t reached out to her about the house.”
“The house?” She cocked her head. “What is it that I need to dis
cuss with my flighty granddaughter regarding my property? Please enlighten me.”
Jack poured more wine, lifting his glass and drinking. Annie kept her gaze on him before turning her attention to Lilly. “You don’t have to discuss any financial things with her, but you did say she could move out. She’s waiting for that day.”
“Ahh,” Grandmother said. “She can move out whenever she wants. We’re not stopping her.”
“Grandmother Lilly. Stop playing games. You said you would consider selling the property. You can’t just drop it on us one day. It takes planning. The house needs some repairs, we have stuff to go through, and it will take weeks if not months to do all of that. The weather is nice now, and we can get a lot accomplished.”
“It’s overwhelming to think about it all,” Grandmother said, lowering her gaze.
“I know it is. But we’re here to help,” Annie said, moving to Grandmother’s side.
Finally speaking up, Patty offered some advice. “We’ll start with the closets. Then we’ll move to the furniture.”
“We?” Grandmother sneered.
“Yes, we. It’ll be fun. Annie, Mary, you and me. We’ll get out the boxes of pictures and memorabilia and go through them. It will help with the process. The girls might want some of it too.”
“Give me the phone,” Grandmother demanded.
Annie moved quickly and obeyed, handing her the cell phone.
She moved the phone in and out as she adjusted her sights. “Oh, just call her,” she said, handing Annie the phone.
“It’s ringing,” she said as she handed it back to Grandmother.
While Annie served up the lasagna, they listened on as Grandmother spoke to Mary. It was short and sweet, but Grandmother got her point across. She gave Mary permission to start looking for places to live, and also about the idea of going through the boxes.
“Satisfied?” Grandmother said, tossing the phone down. “It’s all settled. Danny and Mary will start looking for a new place, and we’ll go through the decades of memories and get it ready to sell.”
“Grandmother. It’s not me who you have to satisfy.”
“Lilly. It’s time,” Patty said.
“All right. I reserve the right to wait on my satisfaction until I hear the amount we’ll receive for such a historical property.”
“I’m sure you’ll fetch a very fair price. It’s a beautiful house, Lilly,” Jack said.
“I guess we might as well enjoy you all appreciating your inheritance while we’re still around to see it,” Lilly said.
“It’s not about inheriting money, Grandmother. It’s about letting you have a voice in how things are done before you’re gone. It has to give you some comfort to know that your wishes will be honored because you’re around to see it done.”
“My real wishes were to keep the house in the family. But that’s not to be.” A tear bobbled on her lower lid.
“I’m sorry it didn’t work out that way. Jack and I have our place here on the island. We can’t move into Charleston,” Annie said.
“It would be closer to the bakery,” Lilly said.
“Yes, but I’m not even going there very often. In fact, I’ve been considering letting someone take it over.”
Patty gasped. Grandmother snarled.
“Jack’s wood business has taken off. He can’t even keep up with the orders. He needs help.”
“How are you going to help?” Patty asked.
“Bookkeeping, taking orders, marketing, that sort of thing.”
“That would be a great help to him, I’m sure,” Patty said.
“Well, isn’t this just dandy. Everyone’s life is being uprooted. We’re selling our family home and destroying the last historical artifact we have of the McPherson name; Annie is going to hand over her business she started from the ground up, and we’ll all just be happy as clams.” Grandmother snorted.
Annie’s gaze wandered to Jack. Nodding once toward the wine, he picked up the bottle and topped everyone’s glass off.
Chapter 6
Annie should have known that nothing happened quickly concerning Grandmother, but taking another thirty days before she’d agree to a trip over to the house was a tad much. But being sensitive to the matter, Annie and Mary both agreed that giving her the time she needed was better in the long run. So, when Lilly broached the subject while rocking on the back porch, watching long-neck cranes searching for food, Annie almost fell out of the chair.
“Okay,” Annie said
“I know you and Mary must be chomping at the bit.” Lilly rolled her neck toward Annie and smirked.
“Now, Grandmother. That’s not fair. We’re both trying to be sensitive regarding this. We’re just waiting for you to tell us when.”
“Mary never calls to see how we are doing,” she blurted.
Annie sighed. “I don’t know what to say. She’s a newlywed.”
Lilly narrowed her brows. “What’s that supposed to mean? That they can’t come up for a breath from rolling in the hay to call and see how Patty and I are doing?”
Annie’s mouth dropped open. “No, she does ask. She asks me.”
Lilly waved off Annie’s excuses with a brush of her hand. “Anyway, let’s get it set up for this weekend. I’d rather it be just us. No Danny.”
“I’ll tell her.”
Answering the door in a silk poncho in a paisley design of green and orange on a cream background, Mary ushered them inside. She pecked Grandmother’s cheek, then turning to the other, gave her another quick kiss. She repeated the same with Auntie Patty.
“Those colors are gorgeous with your hair color, Mary,” Patty said.
“Why, thank you, Auntie.” Mary glowed.
“I have tea and biscuits in the living room. Please, come in.”
Grandmother and Auntie made their way into the living room where boxes and containers were stacked on either side of the room. Annie’s gaze drifted around the room.
“I see you’ve been busy,” Annie said.
“Yes, I had Danny go up in the attic and bring down boxes. Thought we could start there.”
Grandmother and Auntie sat on the couch and clasped their hands in their laps.
“I know it seems overwhelming, but we’ll take all the time we need,” Annie said, reassuring them this did not have to be completed today.
“Let’s start by opening one of the boxes, sip some tea, eat some cookies, and just search through the contents.” Mary tugged one of the boxes closer to them and opened the flaps.
Annie poured the tea, sitting opposite of Grandmother and Auntie in a chair Mary had borrowed from the dining room.
Mary pulled out a stack of papers and tossed them on the corner of the coffee table. Lilly leaned forward and flipped through them. “These have no value. We can toss these.”
“Are you sure?” Annie asked.
Grandmother tipped her forehead.
Mary leaped from her chair and hurried to the kitchen. Upon her return, she held a large black plastic bag. She reached for the bundle of papers and threw them inside.
They went through one box in about fifteen minutes. This was going better than Annie or Mary could have hoped for. Breaking down the empty box, Mary set it up against the wall and lugged another toward them. She peeked inside. “Pictures,” she said, lifting out several photo books, loose pictures, and a few boxes of slides.
Each woman took a photo book and began to scan through pages.
“Oh, I remember this picture.” Annie turned the book around and shared the image.
“Your first day of seventh grade,” Auntie said.
“You remember it was my first day of seventh grade?” Annie shrugged.
Void of happiness, eyes wet and dull, Patty said, “I do. It was a very emotional time for you. For both of you girls.”
Annie dropped her gaze back to the photo. The memories came rushing in. Her mother had recently passed away after a long and courageous battle. Annie felt alone and lost. Her father and
grandmother, along with Auntie, tried to carry on with as much normalcy as they could. Mary was just five years old. Their dad, a military man, standing tall and brave, never shed a tear in front of them. Years later, he’d tell her he would bawl like a baby behind closed doors. Thank God for Grandmother Lilly and Auntie Patty.
“It’s coming back to me. I remember the outfit now. I didn’t want to wear it, but you insisted that Mom had picked it out for me. She’d hoped to see me in it, but that wasn’t to be.” Annie placed the picture in a pile, turning her attention to the box.
“Your father was so strong,” Grandmother said. “My heart broke for him.”
“I remember that day too. It was my first day in kindergarten,” Mary said.
All eyes turned to her.
“I didn’t want to go to school. Dad told me that Mom would be watching over me that day, and if I didn’t go, she’d be all alone there.” A small giggle escaped her mouth. “So, I went because, of course, I didn’t want to disappoint her.”
“Your mother was a very courageous woman. She fought the tough battle with that C-word,” Patty said. “Is there any alcohol here? I think I need a drink.”
“Wine. Would that work?” Mary soared out of the chair.
“Let me help you,” Annie said.
Mary popped the cork on a merlot. “I don’t want today to be a sad, Debbie Downer sort of day.” She took a wineglass out of Annie’s hand and began to fill it.
“I think it’s good to go down memory lane. We don’t talk about Mom and Dad enough,” Annie said, handing her the next glass.
“For the longest time, I couldn’t. I had so many emotions and feelings about it all. One minute we have her, and the next we didn’t.” Mary took two of the glasses and held them by the stem.
Annie reached for the remaining two wineglasses. “I know, Mary. And I know Grandmother, Auntie, and Dad sheltered us from the real pain. She was dying before our eyes, yet, as children we probably didn’t know the extent of it. But I bet he sure did.”
“This house holds a lot of memories because after Dad was killed, we moved in here. Our entire life was disrupted.”