Chapter One, Episode 99 - Sister Talk - Situationally Theirs

Review, Revision, Edit and Update
The first draft of this episode was written and posted on Canada Day. In this episode Sister Talk, I noted some typing errors that I consistently make. Certain very simple words that I almost always misspell, but because the misspellings are still a word, just not the one I want, spell check doesn't catch them, and neither does grammar. They are:  thought (I leave the 't' off making it though), misspell of 'and' (an d - constant since I learned how to type) and 'that' (my fingers always tap out than). I have found each of these in this episode - all corrected. If one can't depend on spell check who can one depend on?

Otherwise, my review revealed the usual gaps of unsupported dialogue, and a need for more fleshing out in certain areas. One example of more fleshing out would be the very first paragraph.

Sister Talk

Dez spent the next day walking the perimeter and the rows of apple trees on the five acre plot. She had her cell phone with her. She would stop every now and then, take a picture, checking to make sure she had gotten the image she wanted, then move on. Counted the number of trees and, with Samuel's help, which trees were in need of some help. Matt Hamilton, an friend of Dez's and an orchardist would also be a huge help to her while she tried to organize the project Emmie had granted her.

Dez had been up before Emmie, and Cook had not yet arrived. Dez found a note addressed to Emmie by the coffee machine from Cook “Miss Emelina, I’m taking this Canada Day off so won’t be in. Chicken salad for sandwiches is in the refrigerator. You know where everything else is. I’ll be in tomorrow. Cook” Dez put the note back where she found it and set about making her breakfast. Cook had chastised her in the past for not eating a good enough breakfast before going out to the orchard to work, so it was scrambled eggs, toast and grapefruit, a glass of milk and a cup of coffee. Crunching on the last crust of toast, Dez cleaned up her dishes and left them in the drying rack. She picked up her cell phone, slipped her tablet, notebook and pencil into a light backpack and headed out to the orchard. The sun was gilding the tops of the low rock outcroppings and filtering through the trees. The air was cool, grass still glistening with dew. Seagulls cried in the distance. Songbirds twittered awake and busy. Dez looked at her orchard, as she had looked at one of her half finished paintings, with an artist’s critical eye. Each time she learned a bit more about the trees, she could see places where, here and there, a touchup seemed necessary, but was often not sure about just what was needed. At one time an apple tree was just a tree with apples on it. The apples arranged in the produce department had no connection to where they came from even though, intellectually, Dez knew they grew on trees. Once in a while she stopped, put her cell phone in her back pocket and pulled out the list of apple varieties Digby had given her. There were only four varieties on the five acres of trees. The ones at the back were old heritage apples - she only variety she didn't recognize was the name Bramley. Cook seemed to think everyone should know Bramley's. “After all”, she said “they make the very best applesauce!” Cook's applesauce was legendary winning blue ribbons at the fall fair which was not to be held this year. Dez had to focus and get back to work. The list: All the varieties seemed set in squares or blocks. Each variety - McIntosh, Granny Smith’s and Red Delicious apples, and of course, Bramly were distinctively different in colour and shape. Talking aloud to herself, with only the trees to hear her she asked  “Ripening time? Had Digby given her that information? Did she lose a piece of paper or should she just look it up? Talk to Matt?”

Emmie's voice interrupted her pocket search for another scrap of paper. “Dez! Lunch time.” Dez looked up at the sun, then down at the digital display on her cell phone. Lunch time? Already? No wonder my stomach is growling at me. Dez was surprised that so much time had elapsed. Although she had been looking at her cell phone frequently while taking pictures of the orchard, having the camera prevented her from noticing time passing. She suddenly understood Samuel’s penchant for looking up at the sun on clear, or even semiclear days. Discovering these nuances of her friend Samuel Forrester and the natural world fascinated her. “On my way, Emmie!” 

Dez met Emmie at the toolshed. She already had the chairs out, the lunch basket on the stump that served as a table and was getting plates and napkins out. Emmie looked refreshed and rested after her exhaustion of the previous night. While she was setting things up she said “I found the note Cook left and made up the chicken salad sandwiches. There was fresh tea in the fridge and a couple of pieces of rhubarb pie left. Will all that do?” 

Dez had taken out a sandwich, had big drink of tea and settled into one of the chairs outside the toolshed. “You had a good sleep? And now you have a day off too, Emmie. You told me you’d been working at the shelter every day for the last couple of weeks.” 

“My ‘brown bag partner’ at the shelter told me that I was looking pretty awful - she was much nicer than that - so I said I’d take some time off. A day or two. I don’t think I’ve worked that steadily at an outside job for years. Guess I’m not used to it. It’s pretty different than attending the fund raisers with the gentrified classes. I know the fund raising is important, but I feel much more satisfied with passing out food to the people we raise the funds for.” Emmie stopped, looked thoughtful and then up at her sister. “We’ve both come a long way in these last few months, Dez.”

Dez licked her fingers of chicken salad and began on the rhubarb pie. Setting the plate on her lap, she grinned and said “I do remember being told by that police officer that I’d have to stay with you or sent up island to some motel. I didn’t know which was worse. Going with a sister I didn’t know any more or being shipped off like so much baggage that needed stowing. Before I could decide, the sergeant - and believe me he was eye candy - had you on my cell phone making arrangements with you to come pick me up.”

Emmie laughed at the memory. “It was when the pandemic lock down restrictions came into force. I was half asleep that night. I didn't know it but, Digby, Martha, Cook and Brigette had left me that morning. Digby had slipped me a note under my bedroom door. There were arrows drawn on the hallway floor in chalk and a lot of sticky notes in the kitchen fluttering at me with more instructions. I guess they were worried I wouldn't know what to do. I hadn’t taken complete care of myself for the five years since Michael had died, they did it for me. I did take the CRV out for a drive often so knew I would be able to pick you up. But, I had to scramble looking for the keys - it was about 3 o’clock in the morning wasn’t it?”

“Hmm…” Dez was in the middle of a bite of pie, swallowed hard and replied “that’s about right. Did you have time to think about the  whole situation on the way into Hartley?”

Emmie took a sip of her iced tea, and thought a moment. “I did! I just about turned around and went back home. Once I was on the way, I suddenly remembered where the call had come from. The city jail! What had my sister become? Would I be in danger? I had no back up anywhere. But I just kept driving believing that it must have been some kind of mistake.” Emmie took out her pie and got them each a glass of tea. 

Dez, finished her lunch and turned to Emmie with a smile. “Look at us now. Mom would never believe it - especially me and this orcharding and studying about bees. Dad would though - I was always outside with him when he was gardening. And you, Emmie, you always acted like a princess, but you were the one always bringing a stray kitten or puppy home.” Dez brushed the pastry crumbs from her lap, folded her napkin and stood up.

“Have you got much more to do out here, Dez? It is a lovely day and I thought we could drive into Hartley for some ice cream.” Emmie finished her tea and packed up the basket. “Dez, look over there. At the cottage. I can’t make out who it is but there’s some people over there. I thought Martha and James had gone for a drive up island. It can’t be them.”

Dez shaded her eyes. “They’re too far away for me to tell for sure, but it is Digby’s car. If it’s not them, I’m concerned.”

“I brought my binoculars with me. Should we spy on who ever it is?” Emmie sounded a bit excited with the prospect. She already had them out, looking through them. “Dez - Look. It is Digby and Martha. Look who’s with them.”

“Samuel……and who’s by his side? It’s Cook! And there’s someone else there too. I don’t recognize him.” Dez, feeling like a guilty child, handed the binoculars back to Emmie. “Let’s go get that ice cream.”

“Our real discoveries come from chaos, from going 

to the place that looks wrong and stupid and foolish.”

~ Chuck Palahniuk,  Invisible Monster