An Inheritance

Chapter 14

Lauren woke a little unsettled.  The dreams she had had that night were just beyond the reach of her consciousness, but she knew they would probably not be the last.  Her dreams always started off gently, without her remembering much of anything, but often, within a few nights, they would become prominent in both her sleeping and waking hours. 

It had been years since she had had ‘these dreams’.  It wasn’t as though they were scary or frightening.  Mostly they were just a jumbled or skewed version of her past and present life.  But more often than not, they caused Lauren some confusion and apprehension.

Mentally shaking herself out of her uneasiness Lauren jumped out of the bed to begin her daily routine. 

Abigail wound herself in and out of Lauren’s legs as she was climbing into her work clothes.  “Okay, kiddo.  After last night’s treat fiasco, you’ll get dry food for breakfast.  And just to be fair, I’ll be eating oatmeal, I want to make sure I can still wear my clothes when I finally go back home.”

In less than forty-five minutes Lauren and Abigail were headed toward the back yard.  This time they stopped at the back garden and Lauren stooped to weed and pull out dead plants.  She now identified carrots, beets, Brussels sprouts and radishes as additional remnants of her grandmother’s crop.  

It felt good to feel the soil and tend to a garden again.  Lauren hadn’t known how much she had missed her own garden, even if it was no where near the size of this one.

Between the garden and the green house, Lauren spent several hours puttering around.  With a start, she realized that Jerry would soon be over to return the Range Rover.  With reluctance, she headed back in to get cleaned up and changed.

Lauren had just finished showering and dressing when she heard a motor outside.  Stepping out onto the porch, she saw a green Range Rover had just parked, and a small jeep came in behind it.  A man pulled himself out of the Rover and Lauren went down the stairs to introduce herself to the man who must be Jerry.

“Hi, you’re Jerry?  I’m Lauren.”  She held her hand out and Jerry grabbed it with a hand that could have easily engulfed her entire arm.  He was very ‘woodsy’ looking … big … very big … with dark curly hair that couldn’t be contained under the cap he had placed on it.  He had a wide, contagious smile with extremely white straight teeth that peaked out between a generous mustache and beard.  Lauren could tell he had cleaned up, he was wearing bib overalls but there wasn’t even a speck of grease on them.  His hands were also scrubbed, but the deep inlaid grease around the cuticles gave evidence of his lifelong job as a mechanic.

“Yes, ma’am.  I’m Jerry and this here’s your grandma’s car.  There wasn’t nothing really wrong with it, just gave it an oil job, checked it out thoroughly and gave it a good cleaning.  One thing your grandma hated was a dirty car.”

“Thanks, I appreciate you driving it over here.”

“No problem.  It’ll be good to go for another 3,000 miles or so.  Those tires may need to be changed around that time too.  I’d be very happy to take care of it for you, just like I’ve done with all of your grandma’s cars.”

“Thanks, I see no reason to do anything differently.  I’m afraid I have no idea of how these things run, except give them gas and change the oil.  I’ll be happy to turn over all of my car worries to you.”

Jerry appeared actually embarrassed as red splotches climbed up his neck and onto his face, or at least that’s where Lauren imagined they must have gone to beneath all of that hair.   When he saw Lauren put her hand in her pocket, Jerry shook his head.

“No, ma’am, everything’s been paid for, don’t need nothing more.  Your grandmother saved my hide a number of times when I was a young kid.  I wouldn’t have my garage if it wasn’t for her.”  He headed for the jeep and spoke over his shoulder.  “Anything you need, car-wise or not, just give me a call.”  As soon as he climbed in, the driver reversed the jeep and spun around heading out the drive.

Lauren watched them go, then pulled her attention toward the car; her car.  She stood contemplating what she should do with it, jiggling the keys Jerry had given her in her hand. Finally she opened the door, and with a little help from the foot rail, climbed inside.

The interior was tan leather; to complement the green exterior.  Although not posh, it had all of the newest gadgets including a GPS system and connection for a cell phone.  And that is where she saw her grandmother’s phone, still attached to the port as though she would return at any moment.  It gave Lauren a sad, lonely feeling.

Lauren climbed out and locked the door, more out of habit than anything else.      

Climbing up the stairs, she thought about the lockbox key.  It was time she found out more about her grandmother’s finances, especially if the cottage was to be remodeled as her grandmother had wanted.