"Good afternoon my babies. Marie, I have charentais melons for dessert tonight." Dahlia handed over her loot from the university experimental farms and swooped on the twins.
"Oooh...excellent, I love charentais. My father brought seed from France." Marie traded the babies for the cantaloupes which she took to the kitchen and placed in the icebox.
Dahlia took the twins outside to get some more air and sunlight. It had been foggy all morning and well into the afternoon. They were starting to crawl and explore. When Albert Jr. roamed too far afield, Dahlia started an admonishment. Little Albert turned around and looked at her. He started to cry. She had never tried the gifts with the children. She thought she was protecting them.
That evening sitting alone after the twins and the rest of the house was down for the night she sat in her and Albert's room to be present with him. She wanted him to understand about little Albert. He already knew. He had been visiting with them for some time. She was laughing and weeping. She ached from missing and wanting him. She could barely to remember to breathe. Nights were an ordeal. Hard work in the veterinary school made the days fly by.
The weeks passed. The autumn weather in the Bay Area is always purring cat. Warm, comfortable, and a fiesta of color. The days feel into a comfortable routine.
"Dahlia, shall we take the twins down to the embarcadero and walk around? We could buy some fish for supper." Marie always looked forward to walking with Dahlia and the twins. She loved her niece and nephew above all else.
"I would love to. I think places like the embarcadero gives them a lot of experiences with sight, smell, and noise." Dahlia busied herself getting the twins ready for a day about town. A light breeze was blowing in from the bay rustling the ash and eucalyptus leafs on the bayfront. The twins drew much talk and attention. They were aways ready to entertain the crowd.
"Dahlia, they had sand dabs just caught this morning. Do you know of sand dabs.?" Marie had a package wrapped in old newspaper. They took their time walking home. Marie gave the fish to the cook.
"These are delicious, they're so mild and crispy." Dahlia loved the juvenile flounder known locally as sanddabs. While they were eating desert, the front door chime rang. One of the girls on staff brought a telegram on the silver salver to the dining room.
"Excuse me Madames. I do not know who to give this to. it is addressed to Mrs. McKinley." The maid turned red with embarrassment.
"For the convenient future, hand all correspondence to Miss Dahlia as she is the head of this household." Marie was smiling and nodded with serenity and grace toward Dahlia.
Dahlia was now the one turning red in the face. "I'll take it. Thank you." She was used to thinking of Marie Therese as the head of the household. Dahlia grabbed at her heart and fell in her chair. "Oh, Marie...no....no...", She crumpled the telegram. "Oramil has died of the same ailment as Robert Sr. He passed yesterday morning."
"Who sent the telegram?" Marie was teary-eyed but not weeping yet.
Dahlia looked at the crumpled paper in her hand. "It is from my father, BJ. You certainly did not expect notification from the other two Mrs. Mckinleys."
"We will not be informed of nor invited to the funeral. What will happen to us with Albert away?" Marie was afraid of the bigotry pain of the McKinley rejection.
"They are odd people. Robert Sr. knew how odd. He left this house to me. He left an investment account for you. I intend to deed this house to you. I have my own investment account and know how to invest in commodities futures." Marie was weeping and cried on Dahlia's shoulder. Dahlia was standing tall.
YOU ARE READING
Mystics of the Tuolumne
ParanormalA boy and a girl communicate through telepathy. The boy is from a rich powerful white family. The girl is a half-breed. They are outcast but for each other. Will they fall in love? Will his parents accept it if they do? Will they overcome their...
