An Inheritance

Chapter 29

He sighed; an old man’s sigh full of regret and loss.  Conrad then drew a deep breath.  “It must have been about three years or so later, I found myself on a bus with a ticket to Seattle.  I vaguely recall I was going to go visit someone I had met on the skids who had gotten himself cleaned up and was running a half-way house for drunks.  People on the bus must have been relieved when we stopped in a small town near Madison, Wisconsin, and I never got back on.”  He looked apologetic.  “I couldn’t take being without a drink for any length of time and the stash I had hidden in my coat was gone.  I got rip-roaring drunk in a dive by the station and the next thing I knew, I had been rolled and was in the gutter on a road out of town.” 

Lauren’s father gave a short laugh that sounded like a hoot.  “Best thing that ever happened to me under the circumstances.  I wandered around and eventually found a barn, made my way to the loft and hunkered down in the hay and slept it off.  The next morning, my wake-up call was a boot poking me in the ribs, none too gently I might add.  That was Helga; a real famer’s daughter.  Her father had passed away the year before and she was keeping the farm going with her mother.  Long story short, your mother may have been the love of my life, but Helga, she was my salvation.” 

Lauren smiled, she was glad he had found someone that cared for him. 

“Helga got me cleaned up and put me to work.  At first I worked to pay my way with room and board, and later as a hired hand and then as her partner and husband.  We had a good marriage; Helga accepted me and even partly understood my ‘gifts’.  We went to church regularly and the pastor there helped me to see these ‘gifts’ as something from God.  Between Helga and the pastor, I was able to accept myself as never before and allowed myself to have those feelings.  Not being trained and guided, I really couldn’t figure out much of what I was seeing, but at least I didn’t back down from them.” 

“But Helga died.”  A statement from Lauren. 

“Yes, about four years ago.  But we did have a daughter, another beautiful daughter.  You can imagine my reaction when Helga wanted to name her Gracie Alma.”  Another short hoot.  “I didn’t go against much of what that woman wanted, but I put my foot down on that name. Changed it to Gracie Ray.”  He smiled at the memory.  “Gracie’s the reason I’m here now.  She got a full science scholarship at Rutgers so I followed her here.”  

Her father paused.  “You’re staying in Louisiana now, aren’t you.  Do you plan on living there?” 

“Yes, I think I am.  I had no intention to when I first went down after I heard of Grandmere’s death, but now I think that’s where I’m meant to be.” 

“There’s someone there for you?” 

“I’m not sure.  I had hoped there was, but I’m not certain he feels the same.  You’d think with all of my ‘gifts’ that I’d be able to tell if someone really cares.  Seems pretty ironic to me.” 

“No, he’s a good man, I know it.  He’s like you … like us … right?”  Seeing Lauren nod her head, her father nodded confidently.  “Everything will turn out, including this young man; don’t you worry.  From what I’ve learned, believe what you feel, even if you can’t see or hear it.  Rely on that feeling.  Look deep into your heart and you’ll always know what to do.” 

A look of concern crossed his face.  “You will be here Monday, won’t you?”

“Yes, Daddy, I’ll be here.” 

“Danielle, too?”. 

“Yes, she’ll come, I’m sure of it.” 

Conrad’s face relaxed.  “It would mean so much to Gracie to have you both here.  She’s always known about you, you know.  She doesn’t have much of a family back in Wisconsin, and we had to sell the farm to help with medical bills.  Yes, you being here will mean a lot.  I hope you get to know each other.  Family is really important.” 

“She’ll always be welcome in Slidell, and I’m sure Danielle will feel the same way.  She won’t be alone.” 

“Good.  She’s a real smart girl, that one.  Did I tell you she wants to be a pharmacist like her old man?  She wouldn’t budge on that, and she’ll be a great one.  She got another full scholarship to continue next fall at the University of Wisconsin, which has a top-notch pharmacy college.”  He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. 

Lauren got up and kissed her father lightly on the forehead.  Conrad’s eyes flew open, and he grasped Lauren’s hand.  “Thank you, Alma.  I knew you’d come.” 

Lauren kissed him again and tucked his hand under the covers.  Her father’s eyes closed. 

Walking to the door Lauren turned to say a final goodbye, but Conrad’s breathing was slow and even, he was asleep.  She knew as well as he, that he would be dead by Sunday and his service would be held on Monday.  Danielle would be there and they would unite with their half-sister and remember only the good things, not the bad.