“I have plenty of reason, my dear lady.” Uncle Harrison looked around the small living area and then to the door Susanna’s folks had just come through. “I presume that is a bedroom.”
Susanna nodded. “And on the opposite side is another small room where Gary stays.”
“But we will soon change that and get him to stay at the hotel with you. Honestly, Herbert, you lack all sense in letting your widowed daughter live there alone. What were you thinking? As I made clear, the hotel was where you and Gladys were to live.”
“I cannot abide that place. I simply cannot. It’s much too hot, and I will faint if I have to stay there even an hour,” Susanna’s mother said, shaking her index finger at her brother-in-law. “You are heartless, and I wonder what your wife would say if you imposed the same on her.”
“My wife understands her station and has never put on the airs that you do, madam.”
“Oh!” Mother huffed.
“As I was telling Herbert at the hotel, the entire idea of you coming here was to learn how to work for your living. To see the value in going at an investment from the inside out. Learning to appreciate what you have, rather than constantly trying to get what you don’t.”
Mother took out her fan and began to wave it rapidly. Susanna feared she might decide to faint for dramatic effect and jumped in.
“I’m sure Gary won’t mind coming to the hotel, Uncle. There’s room enough for both of us to stay there quite comfortably.”
“Hardly,” Mother said, pausing the fan. “There was only one main room with two tiny bedrooms. Jail cells are bigger than what you sentenced us with.”
“And your husband could just as easily end up in one, if he doesn’t learn to manage his money better,” Uncle Harrison responded. “Do you realize the conman who robbed you is being hunted by the government? He is responsible for criminal acts against the government. What if he chooses to implicate your husband as a partner in his acts?”
“He wouldn’t dare. Herbert has never done anything criminal.”
Susanna saw her father’s face pale. This meeting was getting worse by the minute. Thankfully, Lia was setting the table with food.
“Oh, look. It would appear lunch is served.” Susanna touched her mother’s shoulder. “We should be seated.”
It was such a different life than what they had known. In times gone by, a bell would have chimed or a servant would have announced the meal. They would have come to the table, where servants would have helped them into their chairs and then served them from a sideboard. Now the food was placed on the table, and it was more or less a free-for-all.
Pushing her mother toward the table, Susanna helped her into a chair and then quickly took the seat to Mother’s left. Father and Uncle Harrison joined them, but the looks on their faces suggested great reluctance.
“Would you like me to say grace?” Susanna offered. She realized she was doing anything and everything to keep some feeling of normalcy, but it was the normalcy from her own world. Father and Mother didn’t pray over meals.
Father nodded, and she bowed her head. “Lord, for what we are about to receive, we thank You. Bless this food to our bodies and bless the hands who have prepared it. Amen.”
“Amen,” Uncle Harrison replied. Mother and Father remained silent.
Susanna picked up her plate. “Uncle, Lia has made pork tamales for us. They are her family’s recipe. She always fixes us something from her heritage so that we can experience food from the Mexican culture, but without the strong spices. Would you care to try them?”
“I would. It sounds rather intriguing.” He gave her a smile.
“The rest of our fare is recognizable enough. Salad and chickenin cream sauce. Tonight we’ll have more of the same with a dessert added. We try to be frugal with our food budget.”
“It is appalling to have to eat the same things day after day,” Mother muttered. “I have a boiled egg and toast every morning for breakfast.”
“On Sunday we have ham or bacon as well, and some mornings oatmeal is served, so Mother does have options,” Susanna said.
“It’s a terrible way to live,” the older woman snapped.
“Better than starving,” Uncle Harrison said as Susanna handed him a full plate of food. He smiled down at the fare. “Looks positively delicious.”
They ate in silence for a few moments, with Mother and Father actually sampling the tamales. Susanna thought them delicious and could tell by the way her father ate that he too enjoyed them. Only her mother picked at them as if they would bite her.
Lia headed for the door a few minutes later with the promise to return later in the day. Susanna was more than grateful for her friend’s help and started to comment on the meal, but her uncle spoke up before she could say anything.
“What do you pay her to work here?”
“That is hardly any of your concern, Harrison,” Mother said. “Go ahead and go, Lia. We’ll see you later.”
