“Yes. Miguel feels bad about the estrangement too.”
“Miguel told you about it?” Honey was surprised.
“Not in great detail. But he mentioned it.”
“You and Miguel seem to get along pretty well.” Honey peered curiously at her daughter, hoping to glean more information.
“The Oroscos are good neighbors.” Jewel carried her emptymug to the sink. “And it’s so great that Anna and Cooper are becoming friends.”
“Yeah, I think both girls were lonely.”
“Hopefully the friendship will help Cooper get used to living here.” She rinsed her coffee mug and set it in the dishwasher. “Now I’m going to check the irrigation system on the lavender field to make sure that leak is fixed. Want me to water your garden while I’m out there?”
“I already asked Cooper to take care of that.” Honey sipped her coffee. “I’m afraid you girls are going to turn me into a lazy old woman.”
“Fat chance of that.” Jewel laughed. “We just want you all better before you start trying to run the world again.”
Honey smiled. “Cooper barely let me work in my own garden yesterday. She was like a mother hen, making me sit in the shade while I told her what needed doing. She seems like a natural gardener.”
“Maybe your DNA got passed down.”
“I don’t know. But I do think you’ve raised a very sweet girl, Jewel. You can be proud of her.”
Jewel seemed surprised. “Really? Green hair and all?”
“I guess mothers are the last ones to know they did well, eh?” Honey lifted her coffee mug like a toast. “By the way, I’m proud of you too.”
Jewel leaned over and kissed her mother’s cheek. “Thanks, Mom.”
As she watched Jewel head out to the field, Honey resisted the urge to get up and get busy herself. She might as well enjoy this quiet moment while she had it. Because she never knew when craziness would break out again.
16
Jewel
As Jewel wandered through the lavender field, she wondered if some farmer DNA was latently sprouting inside her. She’d never appreciated agriculture while growing up, couldn’t wait to get away from this dusty, dirty place as a teenager, and despised the smell of cow manure. But something about the fresh morning air, the scent of green things growing, and the squish of cool fertile soil beneath her boots filled her with endorphins now.
Jewel wondered if this delightful new fancy, like other past interests, would last. What if this was just another whim? What if she grew weary or even bored with country living a year from now? By then, all her savings would be devoured by this wild dream. And who knew what kind of help her parents might need in the future? What if the farm became too much for them? Was she already in over her head and too naive to realize it?
Don’t think about that right now.She took in a deep breath of fresh air.Stay in the moment. Relish the here and now.She leaned her head back, enjoying the warmth of the morning sun on her face. She paused to listen to the magpies’ chatter and to inhale the lavender’s soothing aroma. And she wanted to enjoy the reverberations of her mother’s kind words earlier. Had Mom ever said she was proud of her before? Not that Jewel could remember. To be fair, Mom had never been profuse with praise. Her wordswere usually used to warn Jewel about decisions made in haste. Jewel attributed it to her being a no-nonsense school administrator with lots of problem kids to deal with. But maybe Mom had lightened up with retirement. A lot of people seemed to sweeten and mellow with age.
A chilling thought went through Jewel. What if Mom wanted to repair relationships because she wasn’t long for this world? It was an unnerving thought, but Mom’s short stint in the ER and her subsequent doctor visit might’ve instilled a new kind of perspective. She hadn’t mentioned anything, but knowing Mom, she’d keep bad news to herself. Still, the hospital doctor hadn’t insinuated anything too serious when she’d talked to Jewel. She’d acted like Mom should bounce right back.
Jewel bent down among the lavender plants to tug out a tall weed. Her mother had always been so strong and resilient and motivated. A bump on the head and high blood pressure wouldn’t slow someone like her down. Would it?Don’t dwell on it now, Jewel warned herself.Stay positive and hopeful. Remain in the moment!
Satisfied her recent fix was still watertight, Jewel headed for the barn. Already, she’d started to clear a corner to use as her studio. With a large southern window that she’d scrubbed clean, the light wasn’t too bad in here. And since the barn had electricity, she might even hook up some overhead lights in case she wanted to work at night. As she swept the floor and moved a few things around, clearing even more space, she heard engine noises outside and decided to go investigate.
To her surprise, a dump truck and other trucks carrying big earth-moving machines were parading down the driveway. She assumed they must be the excavators Aaron had said would come, although he hadn’t expected them today. But who was she to complain when the wheels of progress turned. She jogged toward the building site, excited and curious about what they would do to prepare for the new “temporary” dwelling. Already she’d been imagining shades of color she and Cooper would paint the smallhouse, window boxes they might put up, perhaps even shutters to give it a cottage-ish vibe.
She was almost there when she saw Dad emerge from the front door. With his ball cap on crooked and his arms raised, he was clearly upset as he fumbled down the porch steps, yelling something unintelligible about “interlopers.” What would he say when they started to dig up a corner of his alfalfa field? She’d tried to warn him of this upcoming event but like so many other things, he’d clearly forgotten.
Instead of greeting the workers like she’d intended, she detoured to cut off her father, hoping to prevent what could easily turn into a bad scene.
“Dad.” She caught up and securely linked her arm into his. “Isn’t it great these men are here to work?”
“Not here,” he declared fiercely. “Not today. Too early for harvest.”
“They’re not here to harvest, Dad. They’re here to work on the land.” She used a forceful tone, then decided to switch to the vague route. Don’t overload him with too much information. It sometimes worked. “They have to get it all ready.”
