Viki's Place: Mary #19

If anyone does Saturday Centus you might somewhat remember this story started as a centus. In June of 2010, I wrote a few chapters on Mary and then stopped. I had so much to write about her, writing weekly for centus wasn't enough. I then wrote and wrote until I had over 30,000 words so far. In writing it though as I got further and further my original premise somehow got blown out of the water, ha, ha. I stopped writing her story in March of 2011. I still haven't quite figured out how I'm going to work this out but I thought I would put out what I have so far. Please remember this is a really rough draft and when I wrote it, I had no chapters. Before I decided to put this on the blog I had to go back and figure out where I could make them. I would suggest this is a terrible way of doing it lol. The first chapter started on March 23rd, 2012.

Mary decided she would pamper herself until Eli came with supper. She lit the fire in the fireplace. She went upstairs and turned the water on in the bathtub and poured some of the lavender bubble bath in the water. She pulled her hair up in a ponytail and got in the tub. She thought when I get done, I'll wash my hair in the sink and maybe I'll keep my hair down tonight. Maybe I'll even curl it a little she thought.

Her thoughts turned to Sherry. She wondered what it would have been like to have grown up with a sister. It was strange now when she thought back, it always seemed like something was missing but she always pushed those thoughts away. Maybe she would talk to Eli about it if she could work it into the conversation. She would have to play it by ear.

After she was done bathing, she put on her robe and washed her hair in the bathroom sink. She blew her hair dry. Lulu was standing right by her feet and she took the blow dryer and put it towards Lulu. Lulu ran away and Mary laughed.

Mary went into the bedroom where Lulu was laying on the bed. She went up to her and petted her and said, "Sorry, Lulu, I just couldn't resist" and kissed her on the top of the head and Lulu purred. Mary looked at her watch and it would still be awhile before Eli came. She went and got out a pair of jeans, a long sleeved white sweater, underwear, and socks putting them all on the bed. It was too early to get dressed. She then noticed the jewelry box. She took it to the bed and started taking all of her grandma's jewelry out. She noticed a little broach with pink roses and thought it would look lovely on the white sweater. She put all the jewelry back in the box and left the broach on the dresser.

She went down the steps and the fire had finally taken the chill out of the house. She went into the kitchen and got some dishes and set them on the table for later. Mary then looked out the kitchen window and saw it was still drizzling.

"Lulu, looks like this rain is going to be here for the rest of the day. I can tell fall is here.”

She remembered she had packed away some votive candles that her Ma had. She went to one of the boxes in the dining room and there were four votive candles, pumpkin flavored. Mary pulled them out and set them on the mantel and lit them. She sat on the couch bundled in the afghan and she could smell the air fill with the pumpkin scent and remembered. She always loved fall on the farm the leaves on the trees turning red and gold. Her Ma's mums getting so high and she would bring them in and put them in vases all over the house. The fresh, crisp cool air and her Pa filling up the hay wagon for rides and the kids all bundled in quilts laughing. Her Pa would build a bonfire and they would roast wieners and marshmallows.

Mary looked at the time and Eli would be there soon. She got up and went upstairs got dressed and put on her grandma's broach. She looked at her hair and decided to just put it in a ponytail. This isn't a date she thought, we're just going to have supper and talk.

She went downstairs and she could see Eli's truck pulling in around back. She went to the back door and held the door open for him.

"Hi" she said.

"Hi yourself, it's nasty out there. Are you hungry?”

"I'm starving" Mary said.

Eli put the bag with the cartons down on the kitchen table.

"Are you baking pumpkin pie?”

Mary laughed. "No way, Ma had some pumpkin candles so I lit them. I’m sorry to disappoint you.”

"Oh, that's okay. I got enough Chinese food that will fill us up.”

"Let's fill our plates and sit in the living room" she said.

They filled up their plates and Mary sat on the chair with the plate on her lap. Eli sat on the sofa with his plate on the coffee table.

"This is good" she said. "Would you like a glass of ice water?”

"That would be great" and Mary got up and returned with water for Eli, wine for herself.

"I hope this rain stops. I'm about ready to harvest the rest of my crop and take it to market. I will be forever grateful to your parents for helping me. They don't know how much it meant to me. I wish I would have told them when I had the chance" Eli said.

"I'm sure they knew and don't forget you were helping them too.”

"Your dad taught me everything I know about farming. Your mom would listen to me talk about Rachel and Andrew and cry right along with me for hours. She said she knew how it was to lose a child but I never asked her about it.”

This was just the opening she was looking for and she said "Did Pa ever mention it?”