The Tangled Hedge
“Whatcha lookin’ at Miss Dez? I wondered where Brewster had got to. I called for her, whistled. When she didn’t come I decided to take a walk.” Rain dripped from grey skies and from Samuel’s old hat. He looked up at the sky and shook his head. “Hope this rain stops soon so I can get to my outside work.”
Dez was standing stock still looking off down a grassed over trail leading away from the garden. Rain dripped from her umbrella. Brewster didn’t seem to mind the wet, giving a good shake every now and then. She ran down the old trail, splashing in grassy puddles, and ran back to Dez. When Samuel walked up, she changed directions and went to him. He squatted down, his raincoat dipping into the wet grass, scratched her ears and let her go off to run. Dez turned to him. “What’s down that trail, Samuel? I’ve been out here many times, but usually just to the orchard and the house. Out walking the track everyday, I’ve been noticing things. How many acres does this land cover anyway? This place is huge!”
Samuel grinned. “C’mon with me, Miss. All the bush hides what’s back there. Good thing too. It’s the ugliest part of this place. Never have time to take care of it, until days like this. I can do some work inside of it, but not tearing it all down.”
Her curiosity aroused, she was on the trail before the gardener could stand up. The trail lead up to an unkempt hedge where only a narrow opening could be seen up close. “Samuel! And here I thought you took care of every growing thing on this place. Just look at this hedge. It’s all tangled and overgrown.” Dez folded up her umbrella and was wedging her way through the hedge. “I’m going around this way, Miss. There’s an easier way over here right from my old shack.” Dez didn’t hear him, or even wondered where he might be. She had to use the folded umbrella to push aside the stubborn branches and when she got through, she leaned on it and stared. Muttering to herself she said, “It’s not what I expected, but it’s the perfect place. If Samuel could save one side of it, trim the hedges back………”
~~~~~
When Dez stayed out with her sister upstairs, and now when she was down in the Martha’s old office she always felt just a bit uncomfortable. It was more of a squirming when there were moments of silence. The discomfort vanished when she was with her sister or Cook and especially when she was out at the orchard. Her life with her sister was really quite expansive, but that amorphous discomfort was like a stone in her shoe. She even felt a bit guilty having been given so much. The odd coming and going of these feelings troubled her. When she was at home, in the quiet and comfort of old family surroundings, she relaxed. While recovering out at Em’s, she had to be outside as much as possible. When her sister asked her if she could live out at the Estate, she didn’t want to answer. Not because she would have to say no, but because she couldn’t say no or yes. She had thought of how she could satisfy herself and her sister. Since her accident she’d watched more television than usual. Bored with all the usual political chatter about Covid, binging on old movies, one documentary caught her eye. ‘Tiny Houses, A Better Life’.
~~~~~
Samuel had finally caught up to her. “Miss, you’re getting soaking wet!” Dez was leaning on her umbrella, a smile on her face. “What? Oh, Samuel. This is perfect. I wonder if Em will think it’s perfect. Probably not. Too….too…..dirty, unkempt. She wouldn’t know what to do with it. But you would, wouldn’t you?”
“Now, slow down, Miss. If I’m to be mixed up in this, you need to tell me what I’m mixed up in.” He was half amused and half wondering what Miss Dez was talking about. Brewster was scratching at the old garage doors. A ray of sun escaped the greyness, lighting up the bit of cleared ground in front of the dilapidated building. “I’m not sure yet, Samuel. And you don’t have to be involved in this at all, unless it’s part of your job. But what I’m going to propose to Em will involve this perfect spot. I can’t tell you anything more until I talk with Em.” She sighed with relief, looked down at the ground. She took a deep breath, straightened up and said “I’m going back to the house. Em should be back from the city. Just don’t knock this place down until I can tell you more. It might be a pie in the sky idea, Samuel, but I have to see what I can do.”
~~~~~
“Cook, I’m glad you’re here. I’ve finally dried off after a good walk out on the track.” Dressed in warm sweats, Dez was towelling off her dark hair. “I’ve put the kettle on for tea. I’ve had enough coffee for today. Cleaned out the coffee maker and the pot’s upside down on the draining board. Can you have tea with me while I wait for my sister?” Cook had hung her wet things in the mudroom while Dez was talking. “Of course I can, Miss Dez. I’m a bit chilled myself. A hot mug sounds good.”
They were just sitting down when Em came in the back door. She came into the kitchen, walked past the two of them and set her brief case on the far end of the table. “Look at you two, all warm and with your tea. Is there enough left for me?”
Tapping her fingers on the table, Dez said quickly “Yes, Em, and there’s something I want to talk to you about.” Em looked at Cook. Cook barely shook her head. “I haven’t said anything to anyone else yet. And it’s just an idea anyway.” She poured herself some tea and sat down by her sister. “What is it, Dez? You look kind of strange.”
She took a very deep breath. “Ok, here goes. It’s about the old garage.” Her sister looked puzzled. “What old garage?” It was Dez’s turn to look puzzled. “You don’t know about the garage? The one Samuel wants to get working on?” Still no look of recognition. “Behind the tangled hedges?”
“Discomfort may be a doorway; don’t run from it.”
~ Joseph Deitch, Elevate: An Essential Guide to Life
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