An Inheritance

Chapter 9

Although not finished with the desk, Lauren put everything away and decided to put on some water for tea.  She walked out to the porch and sat on the bench and watched the road where it bent coming into the clearing.

Within a few moments, a pick-up truck rounded the bend and stopped.  Sam got out and waved.  “Hey.  I have a few classes open, so I thought I’d just drop by."

“Now that’s real neighborly of you.”  Lauren replied in her best southern drawl, which actually, was really pretty bad.

Sam smiled.  "I wasn’t sure if you knew there was no garbage service out here, you being a city dweller and all.  I expect you have loads of garbage bags just crammed with things you’re ready to throw out by now.  I didn’t think your Honda could handle it all.  I will happily act as your personal trash man.” 

He did have such a sweet teasing manner, Lauren couldn’t help but smile.  “Well, I do have some, but not as much as you’d think.  It seems I keep getting distracted every time I turn around.  Come on up, I would appreciate it if you could take them off my hands.”

Taking the stairs, two at a time, Sam was on the porch in seconds.  “Your grandmother used to wait for me on the porch, just like you are today.  She’d have a pot of water on for tea or fresh squeezed lemonade during the summer.  It didn’t matter what time I told her I’d be here, or even if I had told her at all, she’d be waiting.”

Lauren was uneasy.  “Well, I didn’t know you were coming, but I’ll put on some water.”  The kettle whistled in the background and Lauren could feel her face redden with embarrassment.   “Um, well actually, I do have some water on for tea, would you like some?”

“Sure.  She had some blackberry pekoe that is really great, if you haven’t tried it yet.”

Lauren thought of the small tin of tea she had taken down from the cabinet; blackberry pekoe.  As though to disregard what Sam had said she headed towards the front door.  “Sure, I know I’ve seen it.  Just wait a minute and I’ll bring it out.”

Walking into the kitchen, Lauren brow puckered as she picked up the tin. Well, that was odd, it wasn’t as though she had been drinking it previously.  Mentally she shrugged her shoulders, prepared the tea ball and placed it in the teapot, then poured the hot water into the pot. 

She had bought a coffee cake at the local bakery on the way over, so she cut a few good slices and placed them on one of her grandmother’s serving plates then placed two mugs, small plates, napkins and utensils on a small bamboo serving tray.  Surveying the light nosh, Lauren smiled, My first visitor in my new home.  Managing a balancing act, she walked back through the living room and used her hip to open the screen door. 

Sam rushed over to help.  He took the tray and placed it on the small table between the bench and cane chair.

Nice Southern gentlemanly manners.  Lauren approved.

Sam sat back down in the chair, and Lauren returned to her seat on the bench.  “How did you end up in Slidell?  Were you brought up here?”

“Born and bred, as they say.  Actually, my family has always been part of the ‘city dwellers’ and fairly recent, compared to some other families; we’ve only been here about 150 years.  But prior to our move to the Slidell area, we lived around New Orleans.  In fact, we still have a lot of family out that way.”

Lauren reached over and checked the tea pot, then poured some into the mugs.  “I hope you don’t mind, but I don’t have any cream, sugar or lemon.  I haven’t really stocked up on any of the niceties yet.”