An Inheritance

Chapter 12

The bread baking in the oven smelled heavenly and again Lauren wondered about her relatives gathering around in the kitchen sharing a meal and talking about the day’s events.  It made her feel warm and welcomed.

Lauren went back into the living room and plumped some pillows and looked around for any stray piece of paper or dust bunnies.  She was satisfied that everything was presentable and that she had done a good job in cleaning up.

Lauren heard a high-pitched motor and peeked out the window just in time to see a mini-cooper drive up; bright red with a white stripe down the middle.  No sooner had the car stopped, when it was turned off and a woman seemed to bound out of the car.  She opened the car’s back door and pulled out a large handbag.  In no time she was up the steps and knocking on the door.

Ushering her in, Lauren took stock of Sarah.  She was of indeterminate age, possibly in her sixties, maybe seventies.  She was slightly plump and with her grey hair swept up in a coiled French bun in the back, she resembled a retired teacher.  Sarah was dressed in what Lauren would consider a leisure pant suit; pastel blue with a crisp white tailored shirt under the jacket.

“Oh, my dear, I have been on the go all morning, and it was fortuitous for you to invite me to lunch.  I probably wouldn’t have stopped to eat otherwise.  The bread smells wonderful.”  She had grabbed Lauren’s arm and pulled her down for a quick kiss on the cheek.

“You look so much like your mother, it is striking.  I see you’ve gotten to work on getting rid of all those boxes.  I told Alma many times to get rid of some stuff, but as I’m sure you’ve been finding out, she was such a pack-rat.” 

“I’m so glad you were able to come on such short notice.  The salad is made and the bread is just about done”  With that, the timer went off and Lauren moved toward the kitchen, with Sarah right behind.

Lauren wasn’t quite sure what to make of Sarah, for some reason she had expected someone more subdued and quiet, but she was anything but.  Sarah was all energy with quick steps and a wide inviting smile; Lauren liked her instantly.

Sarah helped to set the table, seeming to know where everything was, more so than Lauren.  The bread was pulled out of the oven, cut and the two women sat down. 

The conversation started with a bit of chit-chat with Lauren telling her about what she’d done since she had come down.  The thrill of having a green house, and how the garden could possibly be raised to help with drainage.  Sarah turned out to be a great listener too, nodding her head with encouragement as Lauren talked excitedly about all the things that could be done.

“… of course, that is if I plan on staying for any length of time.  But my visits will probably be just a week or so here and there.  I still have my position at the college; I’m only on a sabbatical for this one semester.”  Lauren ended lamely.

Getting off the subject of herself she questioned Sarah.  “How long had you and my grandmother known each other?” 

“Well, we met at a … social function, more years ago than I want to admit.”  Sarah smiled.  “Alma was giving a lecture on medicinal plants and how to grow them, in and out of a green house.  She was an amazing wealth of knowledge.  Studied plants and their uses constantly … you do know she had her doctorate in botany?”

Lauren felt her jaw drop.  “Doctorate?  I didn’t even know she had attended college.”  She remembered the crate of college books she had opened in the small bedroom.  She had just assumed they were from Armand or maybe even from another relative, but it never crossed her mind that they may have been her grandmother’s.

Sarah smiled brightly.  “Yep, she managed to get her bachelors in her 50s, then her masters in her 60s, and finally her doctorate right after she turned 70.  When we met she was pursuing her masters, so you can imagine how long ago that was.  And no need to try calculating, I’ll be seventy-three next month.”  She added with a twinkle.