The Ex Files

Peace Offering

Eleanor took a deep breath before she rang Susan's doorbell. She had no idea what kind of welcome she would receive. She was the Black Sheep Daughter, refusing to rush to Gananoque when her parents were in need. Three days ago, she had received a curt e-mail informing her the Susan was back home.

Am I crazy to want to make things right? Susan and I have been playing the same roles as long as I can remember. I was the ugly duckling, and she was the swan.

But now that I know what she went through behind closed doors, I want to reach out. I want us to be close, the way sisters should be. No more finger-pointing and labeling.

If she doesn't want things to change, there's nothing I can do. But I have to try. I don't want to spend the rest of my life in a family cold war.

And I do have a peace offering – a certified cheque for four thousand, two hundred and nineteen dollars and thirty cents. Everything I owe her. If she starts complaining about losing bank interest, I'll give her that too, just to let her know how much I appreciate her willingness to share with me when she could just have let me slide into bankruptcy.

Eleanor had not planned this visit. She was anticipating a quiet day at home, enjoying her time off. But Belle had a dreadful cold, and had cancelled her Feng Shui consultations. Kelly had done some re-booking and completed two small cleaning jobs in the morning. She had come home and crawled into bed after drinking hot lemonade spiked with brandy. When Eleanor went upstairs to see how Belle was doing, Belle offered to let her use van for the afternoon.

Eleanor ran all the errands she could think of, and stocked up on cold remedies at the pharmacy. Then the van seemed to develop a mind of its own, like the legendary Volkswagen Herbie. Eleanor missed her turn and found herself on the way to Leduc. The newly-minted certified cheque was in her purse, so she decided to deliver it personally, just to see Susan's face. Maybe, just maybe, there would be a hug or two and the ice would melt.

Now the moment of truth had come. Eleanor rang the doorbell. It seemed forever until Susan appeared. She looked exhausted and her nose was red.

"Should I go home?" Eleanor asked. "You look awful."

Susan opened the door. "No. Come on in. You can help me feel sorry for myself. That is, if you're not afraid of catching this cold."

"There's one going on at home too. We can exchange microorganisms and create a superbug."

"I'll make some chamomile tea with lemon."

"Sounds great."

They settled in the living room. Susan reported that both parents were doing as well as could be expected. The move had gone smoothly and there had been two offers on the house, both of which Len had rejected, saying they were unreasonably low. "I get the feeling that he wants to hang onto that house more than Mom does."

"Or maybe he's a savvy businessman trying to get the best price possible."

"Time will tell. If it's still unsold when I come for my next visit, it will be handy to have, provided the furniture is still there. Len has a guest room, but it's full of junk. A real pit. I stayed at Mom and Dad's house and loved the freedom. I could stay in bed as long as I wanted."

Eleanor told Susan that she loved her new job and described Kelly and Belle's business venture. Then she handed Susan the cheque with a flourish.

Susan's eyes grew round. "You could use that to put in a bathroom downstairs."

"No need. I'm selling the house."

"Really? Why?"

Eleanor paused for a moment, trying to decide whether this was the time to break her big news to Susan. No time like the present.