Envy of Gardens

CHAPTER THREE

"What are we going to do?" Karl asked in desperation.

"I...don't know. I suppose I will have to patch it temporarily this afternoon until we can get somebody out to repair it."

Ingrid grabbed a large pot from the cupboard and took it to the wall next to the fireplace. The storm had continued to rage throughout the night and into the morning. As she feared it would, a small portion of her roof caved in, soaking half of the room. Luckily, the storm subsided not long after, so they were able to save all of the furniture. Only a small amount of water was leaking in currently, which could easily be caught with pots and pans. She sighed and positioned the empty one under the leak before rushing to make Karl breakfast before school.

Ingrid was beyond exhausted. The mess in her living room was stressful enough, but she also had to deal with the stranger in her bed—who started coughing again only a few hours after Ingrid had left her. There was good news, however. After a few more hours of cool rags, the woman's fever had finally started to break. Now, after another warm cup of the tea and whiskey remedy, she was sleeping soundly.

As Ingrid pushed eggs and bacon around in a pan, she wondered what would happen once her guest woke up. Would she be angry? Grateful? Would she leave right away, or allow Ingrid to make sure she was fit to travel first? Where was the woman even from? So many questions circled in her head, and she was dying to find the answers. Perhaps she was being a little over-eager, but it had been so long since she'd had company. It felt nice to have something different happen for a change. Her days had become far too monotonous.

She placed Karl's food on a plate then sat down for the first time in hours. Her feet ached and she couldn't seem to keep her eyes open. She'd give anything for a warm bath and an entire day of uninterrupted sleep. Hell, even a few quiet hours to relax and read a book would be a gift from the gods.

"Ma? Are you ok?"

She glanced at her son and saw the concern in his eyes. She'd seen that same look on his face a lot these days, and it made her feel terrible. She really needed to do a better job of hiding her burdens from him.

"I'm fine," she answered, patting his hand. "Just a little tired. Now, you'd better hurry up and eat before you're late for school."

He eyed her suspiciously while he chewed. "If you want, I could stay home today and help with the roof."

She shook her head. "I'll be fine. Once I get a cup of coffee in my system, I'll be up and raring to go. School is too important for you to miss."

He took a drink of milk then sighed. "I don't know why. I'm going to be a farmer. I don't need schooling for that."

She sagged her shoulders slightly. This conversation again? When would he start to see that she was only doing what was best for him? Then again, what child ever came to that realization? He didn't understand the importance of a good education in their rapidly evolving world, but she did. She had half a mind to run away and get a college degree herself, but that was much harder to do when you owned a pair of breasts. Still, more and more universities were admitting women these days so it wasn't an impossible dream.

"Karl, just go to school please," she said finally, giving him a stern glance. "Make your ol' mom happy?"

He smiled half-heartedly in response. "Ok. I'll be back as soon as I can."

After he was gone, she sat and enjoyed the silence for a few minutes. This day was going to be a stressful one. She was already tired and the sun had barely risen.

After she finished procrastinating, she downed as much coffee as her stomach could handle. She needed the energy to clean up the disaster in her living room. Thank goodness they'd put in wooden floors a few years back. She didn't even want to think about the awful, muddy mess that would have occurred if they hadn't.