Spring Clean Up

Charlie secured his hearing protection, tugged on his work gloves and with one pull brought the small engine to life filling the neighborhood with the rumbling purr of an idling motor waiting to be put to work.

He nodded with satisfaction before turning to the pile of brush nearby.  One by one he extracted branches from the bunch introducing them to the opening of the chute, pushing them in until the whirling blades deep inside the metal throat grabbed the wood pulling it in and chipping it down to tiny pieces of mulch before spewing it into the attached bag.

After

After several days of overcast skies and rain, lots of rain, the sun rose above the eastern horizon into a cloudless sky.  It shone down on a wet world.  Sunlight glinted off the surface of puddles enticing birds to come bath and play in the temporary ponds.

A screen door banged shut.  Two young children, released from their indoor confinement, headed for the water.  The bevy of small birds took to the air leaving the pools to the stomping feet.

“Stay out of the water.”  Their mother called out.  “You need to stay dry for our visit to grandma’s house.”

Plans

“Thirty minutes!  That’s all I have to do.  Just thirty minutes!”

I kept repeating the words to myself like a motivational mantra designed to get me into my running shoes and on the treadmill.  So far it wasn’t working.  I was sitting at the kitchen table, chip bag open in front of me, playing solitaire on my tablet.  The day had started with a boom of thunder followed by a torrential downpour.

Not one to brave the elements I changed my plans from outside to inside convinced I would get my workout in, not taking into account my capricious nature.

Bristol Lane

Once a month, like clock work, the elderly lady from 1734 Bristol Lane would step into the salon at noon.  The girl behind the receptionist desk would greet her with a smile and a welcome, inviting her to take a seat in the lounge.  For an hour she would sit browsing the magazines, oblivious to the comings and goings of patrons and staff, sipping a glass of water.

At one o’clock she would get up, nod her head once and walk out the door, turn to the right and make her way back down the block to 1734 Bristol Lane. 

The Inheritance (10)

“Mike.”  Tom said extending his hand as Mike and his family approached the group relaxing at the picnic tables.  “It’s good to see you.”

“Tom.  It’s been awhile.”  Mike said shaking his hand.  He nodded in the direction of his sisters.  Lisa smiled back and touched Lilly’s arm, whose back was to him.  She leaned across the picnic table clearly telling his oldest sister of his arrival.  Mike watched as Lilly sat up straighter before glancing over her shoulder at him.

Lisa stood up, came around the end of the table and walked over, greeting him and the rest of his family with hugs, welcoming them.

“Hey you came.  I’m glad you did.  Debbie, need help with anything?  Matt, Beth your cousins are down on the beach with your uncle Brad.  We were just getting ready to start grilling.”

A dark shadow swept across the group of picnic tables drawing Mike’s attention away from his sister.  He looked around the park noting the various groups of people, one group was busy setting up a volleyball net, and another was unpacking and setting out snack food, all seemed normal.  Not seeing anything amiss Mike scanned the trees before glancing up at the sky.  Above him drifted a large gray cloud, more foreboding than the cotton patches of cloud surrounding it, blocking the sun’s rays.

Mike dipped his head at Lisa’s words thinking he had timed their arrival just right, with everyone focused on preparing food there was less chance of conversation becoming any more serious than the standard query of ‘How do you want your hamburger cooked?’  He made his way over to the picnic table as Lilly stood up and turned around to greet him.  For the briefest period of time the two siblings were still, meeting each other’s gaze with an open, frankness in their eyes.

“Lily.”

“Mike.”

Lily tipped her head and a slight rise of the corner of her lip drained the tension from the air.  She closed the gap between them with one step and embraced Mike with a hug.  At first Mike didn’t respond, unsure of the cyclone of mixed up feelings swirling through him blocking out the sounds of his surrounding family and park.  The musical warble of a nearby Robin penetrated the fog of emotions bringing Mike back to himself.  He reached up returning Lily’s hug with warmth neither of them expected.  Overhead the dark cloud moved past taking the shadow with it leaving the family group bathed in the speckled pattern of light and shade from the tree limbs spread above them.

The two siblings stepped back from each other uncertain what to do or say now that initial contact was made.  Mike felt a presence at his side and glanced down to see his daughter standing next to him.

“This is Beth.”  He said to Lily.

Lily’s eyes widened as she glanced down at the slim girl.

“Oh.  The last time I saw you, you were just starting to walk.”

“Beth, this is your Aunt Lily from California.  Matt, do you remember your aunt?”  Mike called over to his son.  “Come say hello.”  Not getting a response, Mike looked around for Matt, spotting him by the far end of one of the picnic tables talking to a teenage girl the spitting image of Lily.  The two cousins had spent the first seven years of their lives doing everything together and had felt the separation caused by things they didn’t understand, along with the move of Lily’s family, profoundly.  Now they stood together appearing as if no time had elapsed since their last moment together.  Beyond the two, coming up from the beach was Brad and the rest of the kids with dripping wet hair and swimsuits.  They descended on the group, pulling towels out of bags, greeting the new arrivals, bringing a level of chaos and energy to the uneasy greeting.

To Be Continued…