A Late Christmas Card
“Elizabeth, there’s a letter in here for you from England.” Digby had come into the kitchen from picking up the mail. His office, at the other end of the Downstairs, had yet to be opened for the day. He always stopped in the kitchen long enough to get his coffee before getting work started. His work days had been reduced to mornings only. There were times when he only spent an hour or so keeping the books up to date. “For me? Who would be writing me? Lily’s been gone at least a year, could be getting closer to two years. I don’t hear from Charley, even though he said that he would keep in touch. Just put it on the table and I’ll get to it when I stop for tea. Martha said she’d be in around ten thirty. Did you see the sisters on your way in? They were going out to watch that old garage being taken down.”
“Yes I did see them and cautioned them around that old place.” Digby chuckled “Both of them told me to stop treating them like children.” He finished filling his coffee mug, hesitated and picked up Cook’s letter. “The writing on this letter isn’t familiar to me, or the return address, Elizabeth. Let me know if it’s anything you need help with.”
~~~~~
Dez and Emelina were still talking about Digby’s comments to them when they saw him that morning. “My goodness, he almost sounded like he was our father! I didn’t want to listen to dad, and it gave me the same feeling.” Her sister smiled. “You were pretty stubborn and I think that you still are, Dez. He was just being kind. He is a kind man, you know.” There were still bits of snow caught in places where the sun hadn’t sought them out. The growl of the light equipment Samuel had hired to take down the old building got their attention. “Were the trees and hedges to be saved roped off?” Dez nodded as they walked. “Yes, Samuel, Digby and I went over the old blueprints. That old hedge? Wasn’t one of the original plantings so will have to be taken out. The pine trees on either side will be saved.” Emelina frowned. “That really is too bad. I was looking forward to seeing it all trimmed up and ~ what do they call it ~ ‘pruned?’. Samuel’s so good at that.” Watching the old garage being torn down was quite an experience for Emelina. Usually involved in charity fund raising, worrying about whether she was doing the right things for the Estate or going into Hartley to be with her husband, she had little time for land and gardens. She left all of that to the rest of her staff and her sister. “Well, Em, once we get that space all cleared up and a little house on it, we may be able to put a new hedge in.” Dez was looking more forward to getting a tiny house built on it that whether there was a hedge or not. But, if was her sister’s land and if she wanted a hedge, she would get one.
~~~~~
Back in the kitchen, Martha had just come in for her morning’s tea with Elizabeth. “What’s this Elizabeth? A letter from England?” Cook washed her hands, hung up her apron and came to the table with her tea. “Here. Let me open it, Martha.” Cook slipped a knife under the flap and slit the envelope open. “It’s a Christmas card, Martha.” Just an ordinary card with a Christmas tree in a town square, the small town covered in snow, the sky dark with a few stars. When she opened it a letter fell out. Elizabeth picked it up, and started reading it. Her frown turned to a soft smile and then a tear fell. Hurriedly she brushed it away. “It’s from Charley, Martha! You remember, Lily’s husband. He writes that he has sold their house and moved to a small flat in a different town.
“Dear Elizabeth, so sorry I haven’t written until now. Lily wanted me to keep in touch with you. I been remiss in my duty to her memory. The house that we shared for so many years was too big and lonely for me. I seldom saw our daughter and our little grandson which made it lonelier. Elspeth finally convinced me that selling the house would be what her mother wanted. She also convinced me to move closer to her so I could spend more time with little Charley. I could almost hear Lily telling me to ‘get a move on!’. I’ve enclosed a picture of the two Charley’s.”
Elizabeth sat down heavily, dropping the letter on the table. Reaching for the envelope, she opened it wide and turned it upside down. A little square fell out. The picture was one of those taken at a photo booth in a store or mall. “Oh, Martha. My heart has been so sore and worried that I would lose all contact with Charley, my niece and her little one. The last Christmas card I sent was returned ‘no longer at this address’. Now I know where Elspeth and Charley are.” Martha had watched and listened to her friend. She had been aware of Elizabeth’s heartache, no matter how much she tried to hide it. She missed her sister and the letters they had shared for so many years. “Well then, Elizabeth, let’s just get a fresh pot of tea and have another cuppa for Lily, Elspeth ~ and the two Charleys.”
“The opening to reality, as it really is, is beauty.”
~ Byron Katie, American speaker and author
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