Sarah's Legacy (5 page)

Then I figured I might as well stay at school for the rest of the day.

Somehow, though I'd just walked the very same route that morning, I managed to get lost on my way home that afternoon. As soon as I realized I'd taken a wrong turn I retraced my steps to the school and started over. When I finally got home the first thing I saw was a navy blue bookbag sitting on the table in the kitchen. I was leaning over it, wondering whose it was, when something rubbed against my leg, making me jump.

“Stupid cat,” I muttered when I saw that it was just one of Sarah's furry friends. A laugh in the doorway drew my attention, and when I looked up I saw David coming in from the next room.

“That's Arthur the Fifth.” He grinned, squatting down to pat the darned thing.

“The fifth?”

“Yep. I actually met Sarah because of this little guy.”

“He's not very little,” I observed as Arthur lifted his chin to be stroked. He was an enormous cat — grey with a white bandana and double paws that were also white. It looked like he was wearing a bandit-style scarf and mittens.

“Well, you didn't see him when he first got here. He was scrawny and pathetic; it was obvious that he'd been mistreated. Someone had even cut off his whiskers. My dad was on his way to work one morning and saw him being tossed out of a car on the side of the road. He brought him home but my mom is allergic to cats and we couldn't keep him.”

“So you palmed him off on my mom's great-aunt.”

“I guess you could say that. Everyone knew Sarah really loved animals, so Mom sent me here to see if she'd take him in. I was a bit nervous about coming over because a lot of people talked about Sarah as if she was a bit crazy.” David looked alarmed then, as if what he'd said might have offended me.

“And was she?” The idea sure fit with the little I knew about Sarah.

“Crazy? No. She was different, though.” He smiled. “The first thing she said when she came to the door that day was, ‘Well, I see that Arthur the Fifth has arrived. I've been expecting him.' Then she invited me in.”

She sounded pretty nutty to me but I kept that thought to myself as he continued.

“Sarah showed me all through the house and told me she'd been looking for someone to do some yard work and stuff. She hired me to take care of the lawn in the summer and shovel the driveway in the winter. Later, when her health started to fail, she got me to come over every day and help with the animals and other things around the place.”

I felt an unexpected pang of jealousy while I was listening to him. For some reason, it bothered me to think that she was my relative but I'd never known her and he had.

“Near the end,” he went on, “she told me that she was leaving the place to a great-niece who had a daughter — also named Sarah. And she asked me to give you a message.”

“A message? For me?”

“Yeah. She said to tell you that you're to have her hope chest.”

“What's a hope chest?”

“Some kind of old trunk, I think. I've never seen it and she didn't show me where it was. I guess it's probably out in the servants' quarters. And she made me promise that I'd tell you one more thing.”

I was curious by then and leaned forward the way you do when you're about to hear a secret.

“She said to tell you this: ‘Everything that matters is in the chest and I'm passing it on to you.'”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“I don't know. But Sarah insisted that I tell you exactly that. She even got me to write it down so I'd remember.”

Well, that made me even more curious and I wished I could find the hope chest right then and see what was in it. Maybe there were jewels or other valuables in there. My imagination started to come up with all sorts of interesting possibilities.

“Anyway, I have to get going now,” David said, interrupting my thoughts. “Your mother asked me to stop in for a few minutes so she could write down all the pets' names and get me to show her where the electrical panel is and a few other things. I was just leaving when you got home.”

“Okay, well, thanks for giving me the message and all.” I watched as he gave Arthur the Fifth a final chin scratch and then sauntered out the door with a quick backward wave.

“Nice boy.” Mom came into the kitchen with an armload of dishcloths and drying towels. She started sorting them into drawers, which I could see had been freshly washed too. “He really seems to have cared about my aunt.”

I nodded and filled her in on what he'd told me
about the hope chest. “Can we look for it?” I asked.

“We'll have a look on the weekend,” Mom answered, closing the drawers and getting out a frying pan. “I really want to get the rest of the house cleaned before tackling the servants' quarters. I had a quick look in there this afternoon and it's piled high with boxes and old furniture.” She broke some eggs into a bowl and beat them with a fork. “How was school today?”

“Okay, I guess.” I was disappointed that I'd have to wait to see the hope chest but didn't argue about it. Mom looked really tired. “I met a couple of girls, Ashley and Jamie. They want me to go to the mall with them after school tomorrow.”

“That sounds nice. And I'm glad you've made some friends already.” Mom poured some of the eggs into the frying pan and added a slice of cheese. “Wash your hands and make some toast, would you, dear? I've been busy all day, so we're just having cheese omelettes for dinner. I know it's early, but I forgot to eat lunch and I'm starved.”

That was fine with me. As I stuck two slices of whole wheat bread into the toaster I couldn't help thinking how great it was to have Mom right there when I got home from school.

We'd just finished eating and were getting ready to do the dishes when there was a knock on the door. Mom went to answer it.

“Evenin', ladies. I hope I'm not interrupting anything. Just thought I'd come by and see how everything was going.”

Looking across the room I saw that annoying Stan person in the doorway, smiling and nodding as usual.

I could see that Mom was as surprised as I was at Stan's appearance at our door. She told him hello and said that everything was going just fine, thank you. Then she stood there, looking a bit confused, as though she didn't quite know what to say next. She sure didn't invite him in. But did he take the hint and leave? Not Stan. He just kept smiling and nodding and remarking that he was glad to hear it and it was great that we were settled in and all.

“Big job, moving,” he said once he'd run out of the other comments. “I guess the little one is in school by now, then, is she?”

Little one!

“Yes, Sarah started classes today.”

“Sarah, that's right. Funny thing, that. I mean, that
there's another Sarah here now. And how do you like your new school, Sarah?”

“It's okay,” I answered without enthusiasm. I wished I could think of something to say that would give him a hint that maybe he should leave — like mentioning some pressing thing Mom and I had to do.

“And what grade are you in, Sarah?”

“Seven.”

“Seven, is it? Well, that's great, then.”

“Uh, come to think of it, I need you to help me with some homework,” I said to Mom, happy to have thought of an excuse to help her get rid of this bothersome man.

Mom grabbed at it quick. “Of course, dear,” she said to me and then looked apologetically at Stan. “I'd better give Sarah a hand with her lessons. You know how it is when you change schools; there's so much to catch up on. I'm sorry I can't ask you in.”

“I understand.” Stan nodded some more. “Didn't mean to intrude or anything. But I was wondering…”

His voice trailed off then and he looked at the floor, his face growing red.

I'd never have guessed that Stan could ever be at a loss for words, and yet, there he was, blushing and tongue-tied. When he finally spoke again, it was in a rushed jumble that hardly made sense.

“Well, I thought, you know, where you have no car and all, it might be nice, you know, for you and the little
one, uh, Sarah that is, to get out of the house for a bit. The movies I mean.”

Once I realized that he was inviting us out to a movie, I felt sorry for him. Mom almost never dates, and there was
no way
she was going to go anywhere with Stan.

“The movies,” Mom repeated. It looked like she didn't quite understand what he was getting at.

“For a bit of a break out of the house. The two of you.” Stan's face was even redder, if that was possible. I think at that moment he wished he hadn't come over at all.

“Well, Sarah has her homework,” Mom floundered.

“Yes, right.” He looked perplexed for a few seconds. “Oh, I see. No, I didn't mean tonight, of course. I thought maybe tomorrow or Saturday evening. If you're not busy.”

“That's very nice of you, Stan,” Mom said gently. I could see she was going to let him down easy. He knew it, too; his face was all red and embarrassed.

“It's just that we have so much to do these days.”

“Well, of course you do. Maybe some other time.” In spite of what he said, his tone made it clear he knew there wasn't going to be another time. He looked miserable.

“But you know, I think you're right. We
could
stand to get out for a bit. A person needs to take time to relax.” I couldn't believe my ears as Mom spoke up again. “We'd love to take you up on your offer, wouldn't we, Sarah?”

“Uh, sure.” What else could I say?

“Well, then, that's great!” He beamed from ear to ear. And nodded. “Which night would you ladies like to go?”

“I'm going to the mall tomorrow,” I said quickly.

“Saturday, then?”

The next thing I knew it was all arranged. When he'd gone I turned to Mom.

“Are you nuts? You're going out with Stan?”

“Now, Sarah, it's not really a date. After all, it will be the three of us. And you saw how terrible he felt. What else could I do?”

I could just picture it. This would only be the beginning. We'd be stuck with Stan constantly coming around with his smiling face and nodding head.

“We're never going to get rid of him,” I warned.

Mom smiled at that. “I think you're making a bit much of the whole thing. It's only a movie. The poor man is just trying to make us feel welcome in a new place.”

I wasn't convinced. I'd seen the way he looked at Mom, and I can't say I liked it one bit. We'd been on our own all my life and I saw no reason to complicate things by having some head-wagging guy hanging around.

On the other hand, I was probably worrying for nothing. After all, Stan wasn't Mom's type. Or, at least, I didn't think he was. To tell the truth, she hadn't really had a boyfriend for as long as I could remember. That suited me just fine. I had friends back in Ontario whose
folks were split up and I'd heard lots of stories about how things went when their moms started dating.

“The guys are always nice at first,” my friend Jasmine told me once, after complaining about her mom's new boyfriend. “Then they start telling you what to do. Besides, when my mom is seeing someone, she never has time for me. You're lucky that your mother doesn't date much.”

Well, I can tell you one thing: If my mom starts going out with this Stan creep, he's not going to be bossing me around!

Anyway, it would be weird for my mom to have a boyfriend. The thought of her kissing some guy was enough to gross me right out. I'd never liked it when she had the odd date before, but at least they hadn't stuck around. Of course, that was when she worked six days a week. She hadn't had time for a real boyfriend then. Things were different now.

I decided right then and there that I'd have to help Mom, sort of save her from her own soft-heartedness.

I'd figure out some way to get rid of Stan.

School went by quickly the next day. I had lunch with Jamie and Ashley again and we talked about our plans for the mall. Ashley's dad was going to drive us and I gave them my address so he could pick me up once I'd dropped my books off at home.

Mom was in the kitchen and she jumped up the minute I came through the door.

“I went to see Nicole Standing earlier,” she said, her face flushed with excitement. “She's given us an advance on the money to tide us over for now. You'll be able to shop for a few things when you go to the mall with your new friends!”

I couldn't believe my eyes when she counted out two hundred dollars and passed it over to me. I'd never had that much money to spend on clothes in a whole
year, much less in one shopping trip. The coolest thing, though, was the way Mom was so happy about it.

“Be sure to get yourself a new pair of shoes, too,” she added. “Remember the black ones you wanted last year, with the chunky heels? Maybe something like that.”

I felt so rich I could hardly stand it.

Once I was at the mall, Ashley and Jamie showed me all the best places to shop. They seemed as excited as I was and every time I was in a dressing room trying something on, they kept running back and forth, bringing me other outfits.

I don't know how I ever would have been able to choose the clothes I finally bought without their help. There were so many nice things! But they'd look each outfit over, making me turn around and telling me if something was too tight, too loose, not right for my figure, and so on.

“That's perfect!” Ashley would squeal when something met with her approval. She'd stand me in front of a mirror. “Just look at yourself. You look great in this.”

By the time we were ready to go home, I had new shoes, two pairs of jeans, a pair of black stretch pants, and four new tops. I thanked Ashley's dad for the drive and hurried into the house to show Mom my purchases.