An Inheritance

Chapter 10

Lauren took inventory on what would be needed to make the cottage more comfortable for both her and Abby.  The bed in the back bedroom was only a double, but firm and still in good shape.  The pillows weren’t to Lauren’s liking and she was uncertain if she should use the linens and quilt still on the bed.  So those items went onto her absolutely needed list.  Towels and washcloths were next to be added along with a mat and bath soap.

Up to now, Lauren had eaten breakfast at the hotel and had picked up sandwiches or deli items for lunches.  Dinner was always bought at a fast food or diner.  So Lauren assessed what she would need in the kitchen.  Her grandmother had more spices than she herself had ever used, and most of them were freshly grown and dried.  Others, she knew, were still growing in the greenhouse and the thought of real fresh herbs was very appealing.  Lauren had thrown out many of the other staples like flour, oatmeal and sugar, so by the time she had gone through the entire inventory, she had quite a grocery list.

She called the La Quinta and informed them that she would be moving out, and agreed to pay through the next day.  “Abby, you’ll have to stay here while I run all of these errands.  I’m going to pack our things from the hotel, then stop at WalMart to pick up everything on my list.”

Abby had been sitting on the kitchen table as Lauren had been jotting down all that she needed to pick up.  And then as though she understood, Abby jumped down and headed for the back bedroom where Lauren knew she’d find the sunny spot on the bed.

It took several hours, but Lauren returned home with an hour or two of daylight to spare.  As she brought in the packages, Abby came into the kitchen and poked her nose into each bag to see if there was anything of interest.  Stopping at the bag that held her snacks, she sat and purred until Lauren noticed and put some in her dish.

Once all of the kitchen items were put away, Lauren headed towards the back bedroom.  Here she carefully took the linens off of the bed, folded them, and placed them in the trunk at the foot of the bed.  She quickly replaced them with all of the new items. 

Lauren turned her attention to the shift robes where she would have to put her own clothes.  Except for the one locked drawer, she hadn’t gone through any of the contents.  The first one contained some nice slacks, dresses, jackets and coats.  She was surprised to see how well made and the quality of each piece.  She was also surprised to see that her grandmother must have been about her height and weight as the sizes were pretty much what she wore.  Of course, most of the clothes were made for a much older woman, but there were a few jackets and one coat that were exceptionally nice and fit Lauren as though she had bought them herself.  She decided to keep those.

The second shift robe contained work clothes that Lauren figured her grandmother wore while tending the garden or greenhouse.  Many of these she also decided to keep especially the overalls and long sleeved denim shirts.

It took a little over an hour, but when Lauren was through taking everything out, she assessed the clothes lying on the bed.  First addressing the piles that she knew she wanted to get rid of, Lauren carefully went through all of the pockets and folded them and put them into large garbage bags identified as going to Goodwill.  Other things she threw into the garbage.  Those remaining items went back into the shift robes along with her own items she had brought from the hotel.

She had replaced a wind-up clock with an inexpensive clock radio and turned it on.  There weren’t too many stations she could get, but the strongest one was a classic rock station from New Orleans.  Lauren smiled as she remembered her mother dancing around the kitchen to the music she was now listening to.  It brought some good memories flooding back. 

Being close to dinner time, Lauren headed back to the kitchen.  Here she made a simple meal consisting of a salad, whitefish and rice.  It was much more satisfying to eat something she had actually cooked especially since she went through her grandmother’s spices and found some she hadn’t used in ages.  Everything tasted great, and Abby was also quite content with her portion of the meal.

After cleaning up, Lauren went outside to sit and watch the darkness settle over the bayou.  It was strangely soothing, but she was glad she had sprayed herself with insect repellent because the mosquitoes were out in force.  Abigail had curled up on her lap and Lauren absentmindedly stroked her fur, which was rewarded with loud purring. 

Looking around the porch, Lauren started to envision it enclosed with heavy screens to keep out the bugs and a couple of ceiling fans to circulate the air.  Right now in the fall, the warmth felt good, but she knew that during the summer, it would be absolutely repressive and humid.  Maybe not only screens, but enclose it with glass and maybe put a cooler out here.  Electrical outlets to allow a few lamps so that she could read out here at night could also be added.  She’d have to talk to that contractor, Fred Stanley, to see what could be done.

This would help with the resale, whenever I decide to sell Lauren rationalized.

Feeling tired, but not yet ready for sleep, Lauren went back in, grabbed a few of the plant ledgers and got ready for bed.  Sitting with her back against the wall, propped up with pillows, she read and petted Abby who had curled up next to her.  It was a pleasant way to finish the night.   

Within an hour, Lauren turned off lights and laid in bed listening to the sounds of the bayou with its inhabitants settling down for the night, or just starting up, depending on the species.  Hoot owls, bullfrogs and possibly alligators created a perfectly blended symphony.  It was very soothing and not at all scary.  Within minutes she was asleep.