Love, Helena

Chapter 16

It was raining cats and dogs by the time Helena set foot on the threshold of the old house in the countryside. Pushing through the rusting iron gate into the front garden, she looked at the shuttered windows and chipping paints. The little stone steps that led to the double french doors were now hidden underneath the overgrown brush that reached to the underside of her knees. 

It had been years since she had last seen this place- Two decades to be exact. She woke up with the urge to finally come back and see what had become of it for herself. In years past, she had her children to look after, a life so busy and different in ways she could have never anticipated. She could not find a single reason to revisit the place where she grew up... She had nobody left here after all.

The carvings on the door were buried under a lot of built-up dust that she hesitated to touch before she opened it with a bit of a struggle and stepped in. Instantly she was hit by the old smell of wood, moisture, dust and cobwebs. She was fifteen once again, skipping through the corridors, her stomach rumbling at the smell of whatever her mother was cooking, and if she listened carefully enough, she would hear the echo of her mother's voice telling her to wash her hands before coming into the kitchen. Now every corner of the house was cold and desolate, completely still and silent. All of the furniture had been moved away years ago, her belongings were kept at the house of her nanny. The old lady down the street who used to look after this place for a couple of years before she gave up the idea of anyone coming to stay again. She let out a long sigh and contemplated if this was the best decision.

Coming back here, she didn't know what to expect, but it was one thing to imagine things in her head, and another to actually see it with her living eyes. She probably should not have called for the cleaning service either. Maybe she should have just given up and sold the house long ago instead of holding onto it because of some unfulfilled sentimentality. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to give it away. It was the last unmarred piece of her family and childhood she had left.

"Uh... Miss Quinn, is it?" She heard a young manly voice speak through the open door and found it to be a young man barely a few years older than Alessandro. He was wearing a uniform with a chest pocket patch of the cleaning service she hired.

"That would be me." She gave him a little smile and stepped out to the front walk, seeing the rest of the workers maneuvering their tools out of the van they parked outside the garage.

"I'm Thomas Ma'am." She shook the hand he extended as he told her about their strategy and how much time it'd take them to get everything done. "I'd recommend you come back later when it's all done, Ma'am. This is no place for a lady."

She chuckled at his comment and wished him luck. Turning on her heel after much mental debate and following the path down to the last house on the road. She stood in front of the renovated place admiring the simple and well kept front, before steeling her nerves and knocking on the door.

It didn't take too long before it swung open and in front of her stood a young woman of barely twenty years old. They were both surprised as they stared at one another for a couple of seconds.

"Uh how can I help you?" The young woman spoke.

"Is this... By any chance, does Mrs. Jones still live here?" Helena asked unsure. She hadn't considered the possibility that the woman she sought would have moved.

The young woman cast her gaze down and fidgeted awkwardly, "My Grandma passed away a few years ago." She cleared her throat, looking at a shocked Helena again, "Why... Did you know her?"

Wren gulped down, feeling her chest tighten from the sudden feeling of sadness and guilt. She hadn't even checked in with the woman in all these years, and now she came looking for her expecting nothing to have changed. How insensitive and out of touch could she really be?