The Loft by Bette Lee Crosby

Author:Bette Lee Crosby
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bent Pine Publishing
Published: 2015-09-15T04:00:00+00:00

The First Night

Annie and Ophelia are already at the apartment when the moving van arrives. As the men carry in the odd bits of furniture, the apartment begins to look like a miniaturized version of Memory House. Ophelia slides the glass door open, and the fragrance of flowers floats in. Only the splashing of ducks in the pond is missing. Although it is a sound she has grown used to, it is something she can easily do without.

Once the movers are gone, the two women set to work unpacking the boxes. It is not a difficult job because there are only twelve cartons and a tall wardrobe box. The apartment is small with only one large closet in the bedroom, a tiny linen closet in the bath and a single wall of cupboards in the kitchen. With this in mind, Ophelia has brought only the things she needs: a handful of silverware, six dishes, two sets of sheets and a small stack of towels. The rest she has left behind at Memory House.

By five o’clock the towels are hung, the bed is made and all of the boxes have been emptied. Ophelia plops down on the sofa.

“Whew,” she says. “I’m bushed.”

“Relax for a while,” Annie says. “I’ll make a pot of tea then run out and pick up a few groceries.”

A tin of dandelion tea was one of the things Ophelia deemed necessary. The various teas, along with her jars of herbs and spices, fill the bottom shelf of the corner cupboard.

“That sounds lovely.” Ophelia pushes against the back of her leather chair, and the footrest comes up. She leans into the soft leather and closes her eyes. It is just for a minute, she tells herself, but when Annie returns with the tea she is sound asleep.

Annie quietly slips out and heads to the grocery store. It is less than a block away so she walks.

The store called Baylor Grocery is like a miniature supermarket. They have almost anything a person could ask for, but it is all pared down to single-serving proportions. Wheelbarrow-sized bins of fresh vegetables are nowhere to be seen; instead there are small baskets of fruits and vegetables. The tomatoes are bright red and the string beans a vibrant green, as fresh as they would be if pulled from Ophelia’s garden.

Annie goes up and down the aisles selecting what she knows Ophelia will need: milk, eggs, bread, cheese, a prepared dinner of baked meatloaf and another of roast turkey.

She leaves the store carrying three shopping bags filled to the brim, more than enough to last for several days. She will be back tomorrow, but until then she wants to make certain Ophelia has what she needs.

Ophelia is still asleep when Annie returns, so she leaves a note saying she has gone home and will be back tomorrow. She explains there are dinners ready to pop in the oven and at the bottom of the note she adds, “I love you and wish you a world of happiness in your new home.

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