Chapter One, Episode 81 - Cottage Life - Situationally Theirs

Review, Edit, Revision and Update
Revision seems to be what is most needed in the last many Episodes. This Episode is no different, except that it is out of order. Yesterday, after I had completed the Revision for Episode 82, I realized my misstep - Episode 81 had been left behind. Consequently, I backed up and have done it today. A brief review of Episode 82 today, assured me that I hadn't over revised it. 

For today's revisioning of Episode 81 - Cottage Life - detail was added, some sentence structure altered, and some dialogue broken up to provide the clarity of scene setting.

There were only one or two typos that were repaired - that has become the easy part of this very storied writing exercise.

Cottage Life

“There was a community here once, you know.” She was a tall lady, erect and proud. Dressed in a deep plum pantsuit with a crisp white linen shirt, she was style itself. Her gold bangles with hammered gold earrings and pendant were understated. Plum coloured flats kept her from towering over James. Graciola Manorly met Digby at the cottage he and Samuel had spoken about the day before. 

“A community you say?" James had purposely arrived before Martha, so he had a moment to speak with Ms. Manorly, but he barely had a chance before he saw Martha coming up the walk. "By the way, my fiancée will be meeting us here shortly. She had some work to finish up and couldn’t come right away………There she is coming now.” James felt his face grow warm when he said ‘fiancée’.

Martha had been walking at a good pace, suddenly stopped, shaded her eyes and exclaimed “Graciola Manorly!….Is that you?” 

Graciola looked in the direction James had pointed and exclaimed "Well, I'll be!" She turned away from Digby and began walking towards Martha. “It certainly is, Martha Haverstock. Are you the finacée we’re waiting for?" She looked back at Digby. "Mr. Digby, if Martha is ‘the one’ then you are a very lucky man - and pretty smart as well!"

James almost felt out of place. He had been nervous about introducing Martha and Ms. Manorly, but now he just felt like an intruder. The two women were already on the veranda at the front door of the quaint little cottage. Martha turned, walked the length of it, and found it wrapped around to a side door. She called out “Gracie where does this door take me?”

In a combination of the chatter of old friends and the patter of a Real Estate agent, Gracie walked with Martha around the veranda, stopping at the side door. From her heavy ring of keys, she checked a few then found the one she wanted. Gracie unlocked the side door and invited Martha inside.“To the kitchen, Martha and you will love it." Gracie called out to James "Mr. Digby, come in this way. We left you standing at the front door." Excited that Martha was her client and not waiting for Digby, she continued. "The previous owners, a young couple, made everything new again. They did extensive work in here……took a wall out, added an extra room and in the master bedroom an ensuite bathroom. They painted and drywalled and……well I think we’d better wait for your Mr. Digby before I tell you anything more…..So why haven’t you told me about him before. My goodness he’s good looking. I knew you had worked with man named a Digby for years, but never thought that’s who you were all ga-ga about.”

Long time friends, Gracie and Martha went to church together. At least they had gone to church together before the pandemic restrictions closed everything. They sang in the choir and had set up for family gatherings, church group functions and community raffles. When James still had not come in, Martha stuck her head out the door and called him. “James, we’re around here.” She began to retrace her steps to the front looking for him. They met half way. Martha steered him towards the kitchen door, talking all the way. "Gracie and I have known each other for years. I like to keep my work life separate from my community life, so I never thought that, when you talked about the nice Real Estate lady, that it would be Gracie."

“Come into your new home, lovebirds!” Graciola open the side door in a sweeping motion. "I was going to go through the cottage and usher you in through the front door of the house, but here you are at the kitchen door." Gracie suddenly got serious. "It's part of my responsibility to tell you the Real Estate board guidelines for showing. Use this hand sanitizer while you’re still outside. Don’t touch anything - not a thing. If there’s a door you want opened, a light you want on please tell me and I will do it for you. Originally only one person could come in for a showing, however because your ‘bubble’ now includes James, Martha, I can allow you both to come in. There. I think that’s all. Just don’t touch anything……Now welcome and enter in!”

“Ooo, that will be hard, Gracie, but I think we’ll manage. It will be harder for me than for James. And Gracie, watch you don’t try any of your sale tactics on me. You know it won’t work. Remember that rummage sale and all the things you wanted me to buy? Well, if you’re not careful the same thing will happen here……..Oh, my…..” Martha, looking past the kitchen to the open area of the cottage, was silent for a long time.......“James, look. This cottage is perfectly charming.” Finally. James had been noticed. “It does seem very comfortable. Let’s let Ms. Manorly show us the whole house, not just the first thing that we see.” 

“Well, of course.” Martha was all business again and took in the room. A fireplace, delicate crown molding around the ceiling that continued down a hallway. Three bedrooms, a full bathroom and a closet at the end of the hall. The little cottage was emptied of furniture. Martha was already imagining their favourite pieces of furniture in place. She walked over to stand at the front door, another 'Oh, my' escaping her mouth when she saw that the first view was of the back garden. A large window, bordered by richly coloured stained glass panels, welcomed everyone into the cottage. 

Graciola's voice pulled Martha back into reality “Before I take you back into the kitchen, and through the rest of the house, let me take you into the back yard. Prior to the young couple's renovations, there was not much but grass and some rock. They got one of those TV show couples in here to help them start a yard. I think you’ll quite like it. You do get a view of it when you come in the front door, but what you couldn’t see was this deck. This is all brand new. There had been a full wrap around verandah, all the way from the front, but the wood at the back was rotting so had to be replaced. They did retain the roof, extended it to cover all the deck and replaced the supports.”

Soon, Digby spoke up. “Can we get back to the kitchen and the rest of the house, please? I have another appointment in Hartley in a couple of hours, so really should be going as soon as we’re done here. This is an absolutely beautiful little cottage.” James was very impressed with his wedding gift to Martha. He didn’t want to proceed further with financing until she had seen it and liked it. 

“Martha  - and Mr. Digby - let me show you all that the kitchen has to offer. The appliances are all brand new, including a dishwasher. Because this is an old house, there weren’t sewer hookups in the early days. Now this cottage, and I’m guessing the Beaufort estate, are part of the sewers fanning out from Hartley. All the appliances are brushed stainless steel - or at least looks like it. There’s not much that isn’t made of something synthetic any more. The kitchen is separate from the living room by an island, with added cupboard space below the counter top, for a very open plan." Graciola then took them through the remainder of the house, James alway one step ahead of Gracie and Martha. Gracie, noticing that he seemed to be rushing, turned her attention to him. "I can see you are ready to go, Mr. Digby, so let’s step out on the front veranda to talk."

Digby interrupted Martha’s ongoing reverie about which room would be her sewing room, what pieces of furniture would go where and what she would plant in the flower beds out front.  “I can leave you here with Ms. Manorly, or you can walk with me back to the Estate, which ever you prefer.”

Before Martha could reply, Graciola spoke up: “Why don’t you stay here with me? I’ll show you more of the back garden and all around the cottage.” Graciola and James had exchanged meaningful looks, while Martha was looking out the kitchen window towards the Beaufort Estate, aware that this cottage was to be a wedding gift

“Ms. Manorly, why don’t you tell her about the community that was here so long ago? That story is really part this home. I’m off now, Martha, I’ll see you probably tomorrow morning. You can tell me what you think then.” James gave Martha a kiss on the cheek and set off to the Global Grand Bank before it closed.

“What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?”

~ Vincent Van Gogh