Ivy was looking down at her ankle, it looked like it belonged to someone else, for months it had been in a cast, now it looked like it should be in a zombie movie. and it itched worse than when the cast was still on.
Della had been silent for several minutes and Ivy had the feeling that they were lost, but since she didn't know where Della's Aunt Lindy lived she thought it best to stay quiet and let Della drive, even though it made her uneasy to sit next to a quiet for too long Della. Ivy heard the turn signal flip on and tick,tick,tick, as Della eased the car onto the exit ramp. At the stop sign Della looked over at Ivy who was looking at her and quizzed "What?", Ivy replied "nothing", Della looked at the road, then back at Ivy and pulled out onto a tree lined narrow road, flanked by fenced in pastures, the grass was cropped closely and the scent of manure hung in the chilly damp air, "reminds me of "All Creatures Great and Small", Ivy said. Della replied,"it should remind you of Gus's field, or may-be his field hand?" Della grinned. Ivy blushed.
A few large farmhouses came into view. They made her think of Beans Cove, and how much she still wanted to go there, before winter set in. here and there a few leaves were already turning, it was the sort of day if she was at home she would be making soup, hardly the type of day you would expect for mid September after of one the the hottest summers on record. "Who did you leave him with?" Della asked, Ivy looked back at her, with a puzzled expression" Who did you leave Skye with?" "Oh replied Ivy with a mixture of relief and surprise" He's with little Cam, well you can't call him little anymore, he's going to graduate after this school year."
"Let's stop for some pie and coffee, I gotta call Vikki and see where she is, and I've been driving so long my butt is tired. there is a Dinor around here somewhere." they circled the business district, all three streets and finally found it. "Hasn't changed a bit. but I sure have." Della offered as she struggled out of the car. " We should have stopped before." Ivy cautiously pulled herself from the car and leaning on her cane said" Common old girl. Grandma Amosette McKoy "il Hep yuns." Della was not amused, and they made their way into the dinor and plopped into the nearest booth. "It's just like I remember it, only cleaner, and the people are older." Della's voice trailed off as she looked around, "Aunt Lindy used to bring me here for a lemon meringue pie almost every night when I stayed with her. I think it was her favorite. She and Uncle Del never had any children. her nieces and nephews were her kids. I think they used to stay up nights thinking up interesting things for is to do when we visited. I would have lived with them if Mom would have let me." Ivy was enjoying every particle of her nesselrode pie, and completely lost in thought and worry, how could she ever be of any help cleaning someones house. That poor woman could be coming home to a worse mess than she had when she went into the hospital. Della continued, not realising the Ivy was miles away in her own world. Ivy was still thinking about it when they arrived at Aunt Lindy's house, a small cottage with overgrown flowerbeds, reminded ivy of home and made her feel even more useless. During the last few months Ivy could do very little while she dragged the huge cast around with her, about the only thing good to come of this was that she became much more skillful with the computer. she spotted a very unsafe looking ladder propped up against the apple tree, and climbing up the ladder were morning glories, growing over old gravel screens that were leaning on the fences were sweet peas. "someone put some thought into all of this." she muttered to herself, as Della continued to talk
Once inside there was Vikki scrubbing away at the floor with an old scrub brush and a bucket of Pine Sol scented suds. Vikki looked up extended a wet , hot pink gloved hand and said " I have always want to meet the lady that my sister met waving to from her window,,,did i say that right?" Everyone dissolved into laughter.
ivy looked around, Aunt Lindy's house certainly looked much better swept and dusted than hers, but then she reckoned that at 87 Aunt Lindy didn't get very dirty, "Now wait, who tends the gardens?" she surprised herself when she heard her thoughts out loud. Vikki stood up and brushed a wisp of greying hair away from her face , leaving a glob of foam to tack it back, " Aunt Lindy, does a lot of the work, but the neighbors help her." "I have been telling you, that woman has more energy than all of us put together, you haven't been listening have you?" Della scolded. "I guess not", Ivy muttered back as she shuffled into the living room carrying a dust rag.
The large front room was plain and spare, a few books and a newspaper, a couple of framed photos , the light streamed in through the windows where an immense parlor palm and statuesque snake plants stood guard. Her thoughts floating gently through her head she was glad to have something to do, dusting was not one of her favorite activities, but this was pleasant, she carefully replaced the books and photos as she dusted them, but be careful not to disturb the basket of crocheting as she placed it on the chair, so that Della could vacuum. As she dusted the window frames she noticed that the tiny figurines were actually souvenirs from their travels. From there she moved on to dust the banister and and the turned spindles, this had been her weekly job when she was a little girl, and she did enjoy it. The stairs were and still are one of her favorite places to sit, to think deeply, and daydream, and to realise how quiet her world had become.
