For Amiya, touring Grandpa Lee’s property was like going back in time.
Grandpa Lee—he insisted that he call her by that name, as if she were already a member of the family—kicked off the tour by taking them inside his house. It was a true shotgun house, so named because shooting a gun through the front door would carry the buckshot all the way through to the back: the residence had only two rooms, with no door, wall, or partition separating them. The front room contained a double bed in a weathered oak frame, a tall bookcase packed with hardcover volumes, and an oak writing desk with a Mason jar full of pencils, a folded newspaper lying in the center. A kerosene lantern stood on a small table beside the bed.
A stacked-stone fireplace dominated the wall opposite the bed. Cords of firewood were stacked in a neat pile in a wire bin.
The back room had a wood-burning stove fashioned from cast iron. A kitchen table with another kerosene lamp, and four wooden chairs gathered around the table. A big wash basin stood in a corner.
Nick had warned her that his grandfather eschewed modern conveniences but seeing it in the flesh amazed Amiya. It was as if she were on a tour of a historic home from the early nineteenth century.
The floors, comprised exclusively of hickory hardwood, glistened underneath her feet. The interior of the entire place was immaculate. Amiya had grown up in a spacious home where regular maid service was commonplace, but the cleanliness of Grandpa Lee’s house far surpassed her experience.
“This is amazing,” Amiya said. “Can I take a photo?”
Grandpa Lee smiled, shrugged. Amiya asked him and Nick to pose together in front of the stove. She snapped the picture, checked it, found it looked good, and then frowned.
“I don’t have mobile service,” she said to Nick.
“Welcome to the backwoods, baby.” Nick slipped out his iPhone. “I don’t have service, either. No surprise.”
Uneasiness tightened her stomach. She glanced at Grandpa Lee. “Is that common, out here?”
“I couldn’t tell you, young lady. I don’t have one of those gadgets. Ain’t got no need for any of that mess.”
“But, living here, do you ever miss television?” she asked. “Or the internet?”
“I’ve got plenty of books.” He indicated the bookcase with a sweep of his arm. “I get the local newspaper delivered each day. What else do I need for entertainment and information?”
“No distractions, right, Grandpa?” Nick said.
“No landline telephone, either?” Amiya looked around.
“That’s what the mail is for, isn’t it? Anyone who wants to contact me can send me a letter, like my grandson here did, telling me y’all were coming for a visit today.”
“But what would you do in case of an emergency?” Amiya asked. She was genuinely concerned about his safety. GrandpaLee appeared to be in good health, but he was ninety years old and lived alone, miles away from civilization.
“If it’s my time, then it’s my time.” Grandpa Lee shrugged.
Amiya glanced at Nick, and he shrugged, too—his movements almost eerily like his grandfather’s. In the short time that she had watched the two men together, she had picked up on little nuances they shared: the way they shrugged their shoulders, how they put their fists on their waists, their facial expressions when they laughed. They were fifty years apart in age but more alike than she could have imagined.
Will Nick also someday tire of modern living and decide he wants to live totally off the grid like his grandfather?Amiya wondered. What was in the future for Nick—and how did she fit in it?
She knew Nick was eager to marry her, but she had concerns about his reasons for wanting them to walk down the aisle together. She felt as if she merely matched some predefined list that he had created—her physical attributes, education, career path, and family background—and that his desire was less about who she really was as an individual, and was more about hisideaof her. She had grown to love him, but she couldn’t commit to a future together until she believed he truly saw her, and loved her, and not some romanticized ideal.
She’d wanted to learn more about his family, too, which was partly why she had anticipated this trip to meet his grandfather. From her studies in psychology, she had learned that the past often repeated itself, in cycles, throughout generations. Learning about Grandpa Lee would grant her more insights about Nick.
Her suspicion so far was that Nick didn’t want his grandfather to sell the land. He seemed proud of how his granddad lived, of what he had accomplished living off the land using his bare hands and his intellect. She was increasingly convinced that external factors were driving Nick’s intent.Perhaps business troubles or debts, or some soaring ambition to go into a capital-intensive enterprise. She hadn’t pushed for an answer.
Eventually, the truth would reveal itself.
“Let’s keep on moving, y’all.” Grandpa Lee opened the door at the back of the house.
Amiya filed outside. A green shed-like structure stood about twenty feet away from the back door. Her stomach curdled.
“The outhouse?” she asked.
Grandpa Lee grinned. “Uh-huh. You need to use it?”
“Grandpa, she made me stop,twice, on the way here so she could use the ladies’ room,” Nick said. “She has no intention of going in there.”
