How Far the World Will Bend

How Far The World Will Bend - Chapter 1

Lily met Meg at the top of the stairs. "Mother has spoken of nothing but this journey the entire day. She is so happy at the thought of returning to her home town," her aunt exclaimed, fluttering her hands in a nervous gesture. "Thank you for agreeing to go with her, Meg," she added as a distracted afterthought.

"I am very happy to accompany her," Meg responded promptly. Indeed, she had long desired to see this manufacturing town in the North that was so dear to the older woman.

Several weeks ago, Gran had expressed a strong desire to see her hometown once more before she died. Lily opposed the trip at first, thinking her mother too frail to endure a train ride and the ensuring excitement, but Gran was adamant that she wanted to go. Furthermore, Gran insisted that Meg accompany her. She was quite attached to the young girl, and informed Lily that she would take Meg or no one. Lily eventually agreed, secretly relieved that neither she nor Amelia would have to go to the destitute little town her mother loved so well. It was enough for Lily to know that Meg would care for her mother, and that she and her daughter would not be inconvenienced by the trip.

Seeing the anxious look on her aunt's face, Meg clasped Lily's hand comfortingly. "I will take very good care of her, I promise you."

Lily patted her hand affectionately. "I know you will. You have always loved her as if she were your own grandmother." As Lily hastened downstairs to prepare the evening meal, Meg stepped into the spacious bedroom and smiled at the petite woman seated in a wing chair near a large window.

"Are you ready for our big adventure?" Meg asked.

Gran put down the cup of tea she had been sipping, and returned Meg's smile. "I am ready to leave now, if you can arrange to whisk us away," she replied with a wink.

Meg laughed. Gran was a spry woman in her eighties with a keen intellect and zest for life. Unlike her no-nonsense daughter, she took an avid interest in everything Meg did, and loved to listen to Meg's stories about her work in the hospital or involvement in the burgeoning woman's suffrage and peace and prosperity movements. Meg loved Gran with all her heart, and regarded her as her savior. After all, it was Gran who had brought Meg home from the orphanage and decided to adopt her.

Stepping into the cozy, bright room, Meg saw that Gran's well-worn valise was perched on the end of the bed. "What would you like me to pack?" she asked.

Gran shrugged. "Since we are staying two nights, I don't think I will need much. Why don't you choose what you think I should bring?"

Meg went through Gran's closet and dresser drawers quickly and efficiently, selecting what she thought the older woman would need for two days and nights-undergarments and nightgown, toiletries, a warm robe and slippers, a skirt and blouse, and various other items deemed necessary for the older woman's comfort and appearance. The small bag was packed in a matter of minutes, and Gran heaved a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, my dear. Now I truly feel as if we will go tomorrow." At Meg's puzzled look, she explained, "Until my bag is packed, I always believe something might occur to prevent my departure. Seeing that bag reassures me that we are about to venture forth on our adventure."

Meg sat down on the corner of the neatly made bed. "What is it you wish to see in your hometown? From what I understand, it is by and large deserted."

Gran gave her a sad and wistful look. "That is true. After the demand for cotton dwindled, most of the mills closed. But in my day, it was a bustling and busy place. It seemed that everyone was involved in making cotton. All of my friends and neighbors worked in the mills. I was the only one in my family who chose not to work in the mills there-I found other means of earning a wage."