"Hansen, Maxine Joy - The Letter" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hansen Maxine Joy)

"I'm fine. Just a stubborn stalk of celery. How are you coming along?"
"Just three more apples and we're all set to mix everything together."
"You're doing a great job, Jesse!"
The young girl beamed and set back to work with relish.
The small slice of celery seemed to stare up at Kathryn, disappointed at being falsely blamed for something it did not do. Kathryn's response was to pop it in her mouth and start again with a new stalk of the vegetable. There must be a safer subject. Covington Street! What was it like in the late 1940's? Anne must have felt safe traveling on her own to meet James Hazlett. And James felt comfortable letting her do so. It actually appeared to be a very quiet and safe area today. In fact, Clearwater itself seemed somewhat caught in the time warp of a simpler, less frantic era. At least Anne had probably been a better navigator than Kathryn was. She grimaced at the thought of getting lost yesterday. Still some good had come out of it. A look at Covington Street was like a peek back in time. Lacking the grandeur and stately appearance of Magnolia Lane, the gracefully aged homes on Covington Street appeared to be well cared for, with only one or two exceptions. Most had immaculate front lawns gently sloping to the sidewalk, the carefully painted houses bordered with colorful bouquets of flowers or well tended gardens containing plants and bushes of varying varieties. In some cases, magnolia trees teased the air with their fragrant white blossoms and beautiful willows played center stage, their branches tenderly caressing the blades of green carpet offering welcoming shade and a respite to the summer heat. Three of the larger homes were for sale and Kathryn wondered if one of them happened to be the former Covington Room & Board.
She had hoped to see a still-pristine sign but knew the chances of that after fifty years were slim indeed. She was right. Here and there children played, front doors were open to sumptuously inviting smells, and the occasional person purposefully went on his or her way to or from some errand. One or two cars drove the length of the street but didn't stop, turning the corner instead and disappearing quickly.
In her job Kathryn had learned to become an adept researcher and a pretty decent detective. Always a sucker for a good television mystery, especially those semi-challenging but neatly tied up one hour series that came in different packages, she was proud of her abilities. She knew if she could find a local library, even one further afield than the general area of Covington Street, it was a good bet they would have an old phone book from the 1940's and the early 1950's. It would be a cinch to look up Covington Room and Board. Of course, she could always ask James Hazlett. He would remember the address she was sure. Taking stock of the area she was in and scanning down the street once more, Kathryn noticed an elderly woman slowly making her way up the shallow steps of a nearby house. She struggled with a small shopping dolly on wheels that was packed with grocery bags. Thoughts of the library momentarily put aside, she went over to help. Approaching slowly and keeping her distance so as not to frighten the woman she offered her assistance. The friendly face, etched with the lines of age, seemed uncertain at first, tempted, and then making up her mind, relieved.
"Thank you, it would help."
Kathryn took the dolly from her and easily carried it up the remaining two steps to the front door.
"I usually don't buy this much, but my grandchildren are coming," the woman explained.
"I'm delighted to do it."
Opening her small white purse, the woman took out her door key and several one dollar bills, offering them to Kathryn.
"Absolutely not!" Kathryn told her. "It was my pleasure."
"Please..." the woman insisted.
Kathryn declined just as stubbornly. "I was here anyway and it was very easy to do."
Finally the woman put the notes back in her purse.
"That's so sweet of you dear. Are you a new neighbor?" she asked hopefully, her glance going to one of the nearby for sale signs.
"No, I'm just on vacation from California."
"My goodness, dear. A pretty girl like you should be at the beach dressed in one of those little... what do they call them...bikinis." She slid the key into the door and turned the handle.
Kathryn blushed. "Oh, I don't know about that. I might scare all those handsome beach boys."
"I doubt that, young lady. In fact," she sighed, "I probably would have worn one myself if they had them back then and I could have gotten away with it. I cut a pretty good figure if I do say so myself." The woman laughed and Kathryn joined in.
Kathryn helped her inside with the heavy load and took the bags from the shopping dolly, putting them on the kitchen table.
"Thank you so very much. Let me make you a cup of tea."
"I appreciate it but I should be going. I'm staying with... a family and I don't want them to be concerned about me."
"I understand dear."
Both woman walked back to the front door. On impulse Kathryn turned to her. "There is one thing."
"Yes?"
"Well, I don't know how long you've lived in this neighborhood, but I was actually looking for a place called Covington Room and Board. Have you ever heard of it?"
"Good heavens! Covington Room and Board. It hasn't been in operation since the late 1950's. Come... I'll show you."
They went outside and the woman, whom Kathryn learned was Mrs. Frances Milman, pointed to one of the homes across the street and three doors down. It was indeed one of the larger houses with a for sale sign prominent on the front lawn near the curb.
"I didn't live here at the time. My husband and I moved here twenty-five years ago, God bless him. I lost him two years ago this summer. But I was raised in Clearwater and I was friendly with Rose's daughter, Millie. She and I moved in the same circles. Rose and her husband owned the place and lived there with their daughter and son. At the time, of course, it was simply their private home. Then Frank, Millie's brother, joined the Navy. He decided on a naval career. Millie met Harris Johnson and married him. With both of their children moved out of the house, Rose and her husband were apparently toying with the idea of opening rooms to borders. Well, Sam passed away a few years later. Very sad; an accident. Rose went ahead, after some time, and established the room and board. She kept it up until, oh about 1957 or 58. Then she went to live with Millie, but she kept the property as a rental for extra income. She passed away just a few years ago. Lived well into her nineties. I see Millie at one or another function and she keeps me up-to-date. As a matter of fact, Millie's daughter has been living in the house for the past couple of years, but she and her family are moving, so they finally decided to put the old house up for sale."
Kathryn could have kissed Mrs. Milman and, in fact, gave her an exuberant hug. The two women parted and Kathryn looked at her watch. It was a little before 5:00PM. Colt was probably worried. She felt his attention and the thought brought a mixture of concern, pleasure, and a rush of confused ideas she put aside. Just a few more minutes she told herself. Then squaring her shoulders, she walked across the road to the former Covington Room and Board.
As it turned out, the gamble paid off. Nancy Cutler Johnson McKenna, Rose's granddaughter, was a petite woman who appeared to be in her late forties. She patiently heard Kathryn's story, shaking her head in wonderment.
"What an incredible adventure. Sounds like something I might have done before the kids came along," she mused.
"Grandmum closed the rooming house when I was a child, probably six or seven. Of course, my mother brought me over here often. I've always loved the place and I vaguely remember some of the boarders. Still, that's after the period of time you're interested in. I don't recall grandmum or my mother mentioning anyone by the name of Anne Kaufman or James Hazlett."
Kathryn was sitting in the cozy warmth of Nancy McKenna's living room. She declined a cup of tea or coffee, concerned for interrupting Rose's granddaughter so close to dinner and still feeling Colt's attention on her all the way from Magnolia Lane. Kathryn wished she wasn't so focused on the time. There was so much she wanted to ask. The house retained an aura and charm consistent with the 1940's. Nancy told her she had redecorated to some degree, still keeping much of the original furniture and fixtures of her grandmother's time.
"I was very fortunate. Grandmum kept most of her furniture and personal items either with mom or at my uncle's place. The various families who rented the house over the years didn't change it that much, and I had photos and memories, especially mom's, so I was able to piece things together again. I wanted my own family, my husband and my children, to experience some of the warmth that was so prevalent during my grandmother's time. It was always a very safe and comforting space then. I think that's why it was so popular to boarders. Grandmum had a way of making people feel at home."
Nancy went on to tell Kathryn that when her grandmother passed away, she had been the one to go through her personal papers, a job her mother requested of her. Hesitant to part with cherished memories, still raw with the loss of her beloved grandmother, Nancy kept almost everything, including a number of letters from friends and former boarders. Still "Anne Kaufman" did not ring a bell.
"That isn't to say there isn't something there. When I originally went through grandmum's possessions and papers, well it was a difficult and stressful time needless to say. Loss, no matter how expected, is always hard. The more love there is, the more difficult. At the time, I didn't read all of the thank you notes and some of the personal correspondence thoroughly. I have an idea. Give me a few days to go through some of the letters I've saved and let's see what I come up with. If you'll just give me a number where I can reach you."
Kathryn gave Nancy Colt's home phone number and thanked her profusely. Rose's granddaughter also promised to speak to her mother. It was just possible Rose had talked to her daughter about Anne and James.
Her drive home was easy. Nancy gave her excellent directions. Filled with hope and determination, she pulled up to the house shortly after 6:00PM. There she encountered an expectedly agitated Colt Riverton. She calmed him as best she could. And now, instead of walking away, she was in deeper than ever.
Dinner was a huge success. The roast Kathryn had lovingly cooked was done to perfection. Succulent fresh vegetables, her special seasoned roasted potatoes, and melt in your mouth homemade rolls were the perfect accompaniment. Hot apple pie, brought to the table by a proud Jesse, and served with fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt rounded out the delicious meal. Not for the first time today, Kathryn sent a silent message of thanks to her mother, this time for all of the wonderful cooking tips. Colt and James Hazlett lavished multitudes of praise on both girls and Kathryn and Jesse happily lapped it up.
"I haven't enjoyed a meal like this since Margaret did up one of her special celebration feasts. Perfect. Couldn't have been better!" James Hazlett beamed and raised his glass in a toast. "To two of the best cooks and may I add the prettiest chefs I have ever had the privilege of eating with."
"Here, here," added Colt.
Four glasses clicked and enjoyed the sparkling cherry water.
"And now I have a special surprise for you Kathryn Cartwright," Colt announced. It just so happens that the fabulous dish washing team of Riverton and Riverton is on hand to clean up."
"Oh, Colt, no!" Kathryn protested looking at all of the dishes on the table, never mind the pots and pans in the kitchen.
"Ah..." Colt raised his hand. "Jesse and I have this taped. Right Princess?"
"Right dad!"
"Now you two mosey into the den and before you know it Jesse and I will be done. Then I'll see if anyone wants another cup of coffee and some more pie. That is if Jesse and I don't eat the rest of it first. You've got to watch us Rivertons!" With that he hustled Kathryn and James out of the dining room.