Signs of Spring
Leaving behind her husband had been more difficult than Emelina had expected. She had just returned from being with her husband for two weeks. Being positive for Covid19 had been almost a blessing in disguise. It was a secret guilt that Emelina tucked away. The two of them had ordered their food in, taken early morning walks and snuggled in for the rest of each day. Emelina was glad to be back, not happy with having to leave Jeremy, but he did have to return to work at the hospital. “Em, it’s okay. We doctors are in short enough supply as it is, not to mention nurses, respiratory therapists, anyone that works in that crazy place. I’ll be extra careful. Don’t cry. We’ll talk every day.”
~~~~~
“Thank heavens the snow is gone….Oh, look Dez! The pussy willows are out. Aren’t they so soft and lovely? Jeremy will love to see them.” Her face, so happy and expressive one minute, was wiped clean except for tell-tale trickles of mascara. “Em, he really will be all right. The pussy willows are lovely and you‘ll tell him all about them tonight. Did you bring your cell phone with you. You could take a photo and sent it to him?”
“Oh heavens, I’m acting like a teenager. I know he’ll be okay. I just miss him so much. But what about you? How are you? Samuel tells me you’ve got quite a system to recover any Christmas decorations from the old garage that will be demolished soon.” She brightened just by asking Dez about the work she had been doing. “Did you find anything that was particularly antique-like?” Dez had taken more than just the one day off the previous week. Now she was back, but taking things much more slowly and steadily. “I’m afraid it’s been kind of disappointing, Em. None of the items on the list of things Digby gave me were in the ones we found. Oh, there are one or two that I was able to clean up and use next year. “ Slowing to avoid a puddle crusted with gray snow, they supported each other. Dez had regained her balance and strength, but was still cautious. “That really is too bad. I was hoping to have some kind of history revealed. Something that wasn’t just land values or how many apple trees we have. A little bit of the Christmas magic that we had in our house when we were kids, but part of this estate.” Emelina hesitated. “Have you seen or heard Sarah lately? Digby said that she might know some of the history.” Dez stopped and stared at her sister. “Sarah? Really? The little ghost? No, I haven’t seen or heard her for a long time. She’s been so quiet I had forgotten all about her. Now that you mention her, I’ve even almost stopped believing that this old place has a ghost.” The sisters laughed out loud as they continued on their walk around the track. “When the winter rains come, and especially if it snows, she tends to disappear. I don’t remember if she did last year. If we can get her to come out……” Emelina let her words drift away. “I’ll have to come back with clippers to get a little pussy willow twig for the kitchen table.”
~~~~~
The remainder of their walk was quiet. An occasional mention of the weather. Their great good fortune of living on the Island while the rest of the country was buried under cold and snow. The Island’s little bit of snowy weather had been an inconvenience. Beautiful, but inconvenient. They breathed a sigh of relief. “Should we feel guilty, Em?” Her sister looked amused. “Guilty? About what? That January on the Island has pussy willows peeping out at us and snowdrops blooming shyly at their base? We could try I suppose, but I don’t feel like it today.” Dez grinned. They climbed the few steps to the back door. A deep breath told them that it was Cook’s baking day ~ but then every day seemed to be Cook’s baking day “Let’s see what she has for us today.”
“If winter comes can spring be far behind?”
~ Percy Bysshee Shelley, Ode to the West Wind
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