Legacy of the Dreams

Chapter 28 - The Meaning of Easter Eggs

Greg and Susan arrived at their hotel with their family, thinking about the days ahead.

"How long did you tell them we would stay?" Greg asked, nodding his head towards the desk clerk when they walked past the reception desk.

"I booked our suite through next Thursday. I wasn't sure if you might want to stay through next weekend, so I asked about a room for you in the event you'd like to stay longer," Susan said.

"Didn't you say you plan to be in Escondido next weekend?" Greg asked when they stepped into the elevator.

"I do ... but we'll be celebrating Easter and cleaning out Mom's house. That won't be much fun for you ... or the children either I suspect," Susan said as the doors closed and they rode up to their floor.

"I like Easter, Mama," Jessie told her while they all got out.

"Except, if you're going to Hebrew School, you're probably not supposed to celebrate it with us this year," Susan reminded her, just as they came to their room and she let them all in.

"Papa does," Jessie protested.

"Not exactly, Jessie. I honor Mama who does celebrate. But I don't celebrate Easter for myself. It is a Christian holiday," Greg reminded her as Susan closed the door to their suite behind them.

"It's the day Jesus rose from the dead," Zack said.

"Do you want to come to Escondido with me?" Susan asked Zack.

"Who else is going to be there?" Zack asked. "Will Chris?"

"He might be helping us clean out the house," Susan said. "We'll be working most of the time, Zack," Susan said.

"Why? What are you going to do to Grandma's house?" Zack asked.

"We'll probably sell it. That's what she and Grandpa asked us to do in their will. We're supposed to divide up the capital gains from it amongst the grandchildren," Susan explained.

Zack blinked. "You mean us?"

"Yes; you, Matt, Jessie, Melody, Chris, Lisa, and Amber ... all of you," Susan said. "Greg and I don't need it. Stephen and Jenny are getting an inheritance from Grandma and Grandpa's bank accounts, so that will help them."

"Didn't you get anything Mom?" Zack asked.

"I did. Mom left me mostly personal things ... family things she's already packed away for me. Grandma and Grandpa thought this was the best thing they could do with the money from the house: invest in your future, all of you," Susan explained.

Zack looked at her in surprise. "How much will we get?"

"That depends on how much we can sell the house for. They had their mortgage paid off, so we'll have the sell price minus commissions to divide between you," Susan said. "But we need to get it ready to sell first. We can get more for it, if it's in good shape."

"You mean getting rid of all of Grandma's furniture and stuff," Zack realized.

"And probably painting and fixing it up some. But the first step is to figure out what to do with all of their belongings ... yes," Susan said.

Zack frowned slightly. "Mom ... maybe Matt and I should help. It's going to be a lot of work moving everything out of Grandma's house."

"Yes, it will," Greg agreed. "Susan, I agree with Zack. Maybe we should all go down to help."

"If you're sure," Susan said doubtfully.

"I am. Alan and Cindy will need time on their own at home this week. I'm sure they will enjoy our visits for a few hours at a time, but we will wear out our welcome rather quickly if we spend every day there," Greg said. "I propose instead, we all check out on Thursday and drive to Escondido together. We can be there on Friday and over the weekend. That gives us three days to help your family."