KEYS

Chapter 4: The Gardener's Tale

Ross woke up the next morning and felt a strange knot in his stomach. He still was not used to the idea that he would not be looking out the window at concrete buildings or busy streets anymore, but would instead be looking at a beautiful view of the lake next to their new mansion or the snow-covered hills hiding far away in the mist. The sun was shining brightly in the sky by the time Ross got out of bed. The mist cleared almost instantly. It was as if the weather wanted them to enjoy their first few days at their new house in Germany. He got out of bed the instant he heard someone moving in the hallway. He grabbed his bathrobe and headed through his bedroom door towards the kitchen.

At the foot of the stairs, he could smell the aroma of bacon, eggs, and toast coming from the kitchen. He walked a bit faster, and when he reached the kitchen door, he saw a skinny woman in front of the stove, busily making breakfast. She had on a tight fitting black dress and a stained apron. Her face was aged and her dry hair was a pale blonde color. Ross went closer to the counter with his nose slightly lifted from smelling around the kitchen.

Without hesitation, he started speaking. "Good morning, ma'am. I am so sorry, I didn't know we were expecting someone this early, or I would have dressed more properly." His cheeks turned a light shade of red.

"Oh heavens no, my dear. No need for apologies! Come, sit down. Breakfast will be ready soon," said the woman in a sweet, high-pitched voice. "I am Mona King, my dear boy, and I gather you are Mr. Victor's son. I am one of your daddy's workers. I do the housekeeping and cooking for you all." Mona turned away from the stove to face Ross and smiled. "You and your father look so much alike," she whispered.

Ross grinned at her and then slowly walked toward the fridge as Mona turned to the direction of the stove. Ross wanted to start a conversation with her, but knew his dad would not want him to bother the help while they were working.

"You are quite a handsome young man, just like your father. Your dad said he has a daughter as well. Where is your sister, if I may ask?" Mona commented as she looked over Ross's shoulder.

"She is probably still in bed, ma'am. She never sleeps well the first night in a new house. She gets too excited, to be honest." Ross took a sip of his orange juice.

"Let her sleep a few more minutes. Like I said, breakfast will be ready in a few. So I heard you graduated from Luyt's School for Gifted Musicians. What instruments do you play?"

"Piano, ma'am. My mom taught me to play when I was just five," he said, and then took another sip of his juice.

"Do you have a piano somewhere in the house? I would love to hear you play sometime, my dear boy," Mona squeaked and turned to face Ross once more.

"I used to have a piano she left me right before she died, but when we moved to New York a few years ago, the moving truck rolled off a cliff, and we lost a few of our possessions, including my mom's piano," Ross said sadly.

"I am sorry to hear that my dear. Oh my goodness, you have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. My daughter would freak out if she saw them," Mona said, looking at Ross's emerald green eyes. Taking a picture from her apron pocket, she showed it to him.

"This is my daughter Lourissa; I would love for you to meet her when she comes to visit me from her dad's house in America next month." She showed Ross the picture of Lourissa. She was quite beautiful he thought and she did not look anything like her mother.

"She is very beautiful ma'am." Said Ross and took his eye away from the picture and back at Mona. "Just let me know when she gets here so that I do not make any other plans that day or at least have something better on. I am just going to go now and see if Rochelle is awake yet." He turned his back on Mona as she placed the picture back into her apron pocket and disappeared into the hallway.