Chapter One, Episode 67 - Hungry - Situationally Theirs

Review, Edit and Update
Reviewing Hungry, there was only one missing end quote (") but many missing details. Mainly, this review has been adding those details, restructuring some sentences and in general, improving clarity.

Hungry

Emelina, at 47 years old,  had many questions about her home of the last twenty years. She had enjoyed her life with Michael. Parties, community activities, and family gatherings. She and Michael had shared day trips, evenings out or traveling the world with Elaine and Jeremy Crawford. Unfortunately, Emelina always felt as though she were standing on the perimeter of all of those activities, watching and listening. Here she was the last Beaufort wife with no children. Beaufort relatives were scattered to the four winds. She had not kept up with that family, too busy trying to feel like she belonged in this abundant and sometimes over the top lifestyle. When she and Michael were together, she felt strong and valued. Coming from a humble, but not impoverished home into a monied and abundant life, her young self never did feel welcomed. So, she decided to sweep away all the childhood chaff to find her centre. But it couldn’t be just about the Beaufort family. It must be about Emelina Eliot - the girl before the fairy tale marriage. Besides her parents, Dez, her younger sister, was the only person that had known her then. She knew that Dez would support her, but not let her get away with anything. Brigitte had been her rock for the last four years. A good, kind person, she had been hired into a role of Lady's Maid. Despite the silly maid uniforms that she insisted that Brigitte wear, she was firm with Emelina. There had been far too many days when Emelina could barely function sensibly and didn't want to. She knew that Brigitte would support and guide her with honesty and caring.

~~~~~

At the last minute, Brigitte had unplugged her tablet device, and slid it into her black leather shoulder strap bag. She was hoping Miss Emelina would let her use that instead of clipboard, paper and pen. It was awkward and too old school. And her tablet had a camera. She had no idea why she would need a camera, unless they needed photos of the orchard or garden or the land in general. Carrying a briefcase felt heavy and awkward.

Before closing her car door, she asked two important questions. “Miss Em…do you mind if I call you Miss Em?….. Would you prefer me to take notes on paper or may I use my tablet device? If I use the tablet, I am only carrying one thing and I can take any photos - that is if you need photos for your project.” 

“Great idea, Brigitte and, yes of course you can call me Miss Em. In fact I rather like it. Does a tablet have a voice recorder on it?”

“I believe so. I’ll have to check but if it doesn’t my phone does.” Brigitte breathed a silent sigh of  relief. She stowed her heavy, awkward briefcase safely in the trunk.

The two women started walking out to the toolshed where Samual was working. They hadn’t gone far when Cook called from the back door.  “Yoo-hoo ladies. Don’t forget the tea and Samuel’s lunch!” Cook was holding out a big basket with a large thermos of ice tea, three glasses and two thick sandwiches for Samuel. “He’s a hard working, hungry man. If you want to get anything out of him always take him some ice tea.” (Samuel said Elizabeth was the only woman able to make proper ice tea. Just like his mother for his old dad.) “And there’s some fresh baked cookies in there for you two. You just get along now.”

Samuel was wiping his hands on the red kerchief from his back pocket, when Miss Em and Brigitte arrived. “Cook sent out couple of sandwiches for you along with the tea.”

Sun warmed chairs awaited them. “Let’s the three of us visit first. I’ll get to that sandwich afterwards." Brigitte put ice in the glasses and poured the cold tea into each one. Passing them around, they sat down in the shade of the old toolshed’s overhang. Emelina began, very hesitantly, to ask Samuel about the Beaufort Estate and its history. “Samuel, I want to learn about the people that homesteaded on this land. Who were they? Why here? What did they want from it? Did they have any unfulfilled dreams?”

                   

“Yep, this place sure does have history. It’s nuthin’ grand, just a ordinary family lookin’ to plant themselves on the land. Benjamin Michael Beaufort brought his little family up here from the south. Split off from the wagon train when it got to California. A beautiful wife that could drive their wagon as good as any one, two spindly little apple trees and four little’uns………” and Samuel, this man of few words, was off. 

“Find people who will make you better.”

~ Michelle Obama