An Inheritance

Chapter 30 - FINAL

Lauren's excitement was contagious as the other sisters agreed.  Even though months away, they started planning places they'd like to visit, including New Orleans and the gulf coast.  Gracie's enthusiasm was sparked by all of the places her father had told her about, and now she would be able to see for herself.     

"It's really getting late, I have a class late tomorrow morning and my professor is known for his Monday quizzes, so, I need to brush up."  Gracie smiled and reluctantly started to gather all of the albums she had laying around. 

Phone numbers and addresses were exchanged; Lauren could tell that Gracie wanted, no, needed this family connection and both she and Danielle would give her whatever it was she needed. 

Once Gracie had left, Lauren poured two glasses of wine then sat back down on the couch.   

Danielle accepted one of the glasses.  "I still don't know why you want to go back to Slidell, this is where you've always lived.  I thought you loved your classes and the college, why give it all up to go back there?"  

Avoiding her sister's eyes, Lauren took a sip of wine and replied "I don't know how to explain it, it just feels right somehow, much more than whatever I've felt here." 

"Is it that guy, Sam?  From your descriptions, I guess I'd want to find out how far that'd go, too." 

"Sam?  I'm not so sure.  At times I think we might have something special, and others ... well, I just can't tell.  Daddy thought ..."  Lauren turned red and distractedly took a sip of her wine. 

"Daddy thought what?  That he was the one for you?"  Shaking her head Danielle sighed and put her hand on her sister's arm.  "In our family, I knew I was the odd one out.  Don't you think after all of those years, I knew the three of you had something I didn't?" 

Lauren narrowed her eyes.  "But you never said anything, you never talked to me about it." 

"Hell, no one talked about it.  It was the elephant in the corner, taboo for anyone to say anything about."  Danielle leaned back and tilted her head.  "I was only three when you were born, but I heard Mom and Dad talking, wasn't sure what exactly it was all about, but I knew it had to do with you.  And as the years went by I could see both of them watching you like a hawk, but it seemed for different reasons." 

"Yeah, Mom wanted to make sure I didn't say anything to upset Daddy.  And Daddy was always watching me to see if I showed any signs of being other than a 'normal girl'." 

"You used to do these 'parlor tricks'; deciding the sex of pregnant ladies babies.  I remember in the beginning everyone thought it was so cute, but later on some of those ladies would talk about you behind Mom's back.  They thought you were very strange, and some were actually afraid of you."

"Yeah, I guess they would be.  I didn't know at that time that I was the only one who could really see these things.  I just remembering sensing things, just knowing ... it's hard to explain."   

"So, what exactly is it you have?  What makes you so different?" 

"I'm not even sure, but I've found out so much about myself, just by learning about Grandmere Labeaux." 

"I knew you were been holding so much back from me each time you called.  Why don't you start at the beginning of this 'trip to enlightenment'."  

So, Lauren began at the beginning.  Danielle had already been filled in on their grandmother's money, lecturing and even her 'healing way'.  But she had always left out the things that were foretelling, like the letter her grandmother had left with her name on it, Sarah, Odilia and the group of friends who were Seers, the pictures of the 'Almas'; mothers and daughters on their twelfth birthday.  Her own knowing what people wanted or needed and the training she had started with Sarah and Odilia.  And finally, the letters that her mother had written, explaining the life they had led with their father.