Chapter 16: Chapter 16
The house was white and small, even by Los Angeles standards. It sat back off of the road quite a ways, and several tall trees dotted the ample yard. It even looked like there might be an orchard in the back. Ru stood in the driveway for quite some time, her feet rooted in place despite the chilly November breeze. Cutter hung back by the car, giving her time.
Ru imagined what it might’ve been like skipping up this driveway as a little girl, possibly bringing her grandmother a bouquet of fresh flowers, maybe staying long enough to bake cookies or learn to sew. She could envision herself as a small child in a long, flowing dress, bows in her hair, lovingly placed there by her mother, who told her to have fun and be back before dinner. Of course, those things had never happened. And now, she would walk into the home of this stranger and try to figure out how they were alike… and how they were different.
She turned her head slightly, though not all the way, which was enough to trigger Cutter. “You ready?”
“I guess so.”
The feel of his hand on her shoulder was reassuring. “It’ll be fine. I promise.”
Ru nodded and as he began to walk forward, her feet moved, too, his hand guiding her up the long drive to the two front steps and onto the porch.
Before they could knock, the door opened. A petite, though plump, woman, with hair the color of tinsel, though not as shiny, peered up at them through thick glasses. Her eyes were kind, and she wore a smile, though she was gasping in surprise. Her blue floral dress was partially covered by a light pink apron with lacy trim, and the messy bun atop her head sat slightly askew, as if she’d been hard at work in the kitchen.
Not knowing what to say, Ru just stood there for a moment, taking her in. In all of her twenty-five years, she never remembered laying eyes on another person who shared the same blood as she did. Now, here she was standing before her maternal grandmother.
“Oh, my!” Nana Sue finally said. “In all of my life, I never….” Tears began to cling to the corners of her eyes behind her thick, pink rimmed glasses. “Ru, you’re home at last.”
Despite having just met her, Ru felt perfectly comfortable stepping into the open arms of her grandmother who squeezed her much tighter than Ru’d expected considering her tiny frame. After what seemed like minutes, Nana Sue finally let her go. “Let me look at you, darling.” She extended her arms, forcing Ru to step back into the doorway, where Cutter held the door open for them. “Oh, you’re so beautiful. Just like an angel. Just like your mama.”
Mention of Sera made Ru’s heart catch. She’d seen the photograph of her mother Nana Sue had sent to Cutter, but she wondered if anyone else thought they looked the same. No one would know better than this woman. “Thank you,” she said, quietly, not sure what else there might be to say.
“Well, please, come in,” Nana said, finally realizing she’d been keeping them half in, half out of her house. “Cutter, you sure have become a fine young man. Look at you!” She reached out and embraced him as well as he made his way through the door, and Ru stepped aside, looking around the room as Cutter greeted their hostess.
The house was what Ru would consider a shotgun. The living room led straight to the kitchen, and there appeared to be two bedrooms off to the left and a bathroom. Her grandmother clearly preferred country décor. Even in the living room, there were colorful roosters and ceramic gingham cats on the window sills and bookshelves. An older model television sat at the front of the room before a well-worn recliner and an ample sewing basket.
“Don’t mind my mess,” Nana said, laughing nervously. “I like to have everything where I can reach it.”
“It’s not a mess,” Ru said, smiling back at her. “It’s… quaint. I like it. It feels cozy in here.”
Nana let out another soft giggle. “Won’t you two join me in the kitchen? I’m baking a pie for Mrs. Sanders. She fell and broke her hip, did you hear?” She looked at Cutter who signaled that he had not. “It’s just terrible. I hope she recovers quickly.”
Ru had no idea who Mrs. Sanders was, but she was obliged to follow her grandmother into the kitchen. She noticed she seemed to have a bit of trouble getting around, walking with a slight limp, and while she wanted to inquire after her health, she didn’t think it was her place yet. Someday, maybe she’d be able to ask whatever she wanted to know, but for now, no matter how comfortable the woman had made her feel, they were still virtual strangers.
The kitchen boasted more country décor, and as Nana took a seat at a round table covered with a red and white checked tablecloth, a meowing caught Ru’s attention. She stooped to see a black and white cat rubbing up against the one central leg of the table. “That’s Patches,” Nana said. “Best friend I ever had.” She laughed, and Ru understood completely what she meant. She dropped to a knee and offered her hand. Patches approached, a bit hesitantly, but then let Ru stroke her back.
“She’s beautiful,” Ru said, petting her a few more times before the cat scampered off, and Ru took a seat at the table. Cutter followed suit. “I bet my cat Piper would love to come and play someday.”
“Oh, good. You’re a cat person.” Nana smiled. “Cat people are the best.” Ru wasn’t sure how to respond since she also liked dogs, though she’d never owned one, so she just returned the smile. “Now this here is what I call armchair cooking,” Nana continued, rolling out the pie crust on the table. “Ever since I broke my hip, I ain’t been one for standin’ up long.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Ru said, realizing that must’ve been the reason for the limp.
Nana shrugged. “Could be worse. I’m almost seventy, you know?”
Ru didn’t know. She had no idea. She wondered how old her mother was, how long she’d lived here, if she’d ever return.
“Tell me about your life back in New York,” Nana insisted. “You were a school teacher?”
Ru looked at Cutter, a bit surprised at the directness of Nana’s line of questioning, but he smiled at her reassuringly. “Uh, yeah, I was,” Ru stammered. Had it only been last week when she’d told her class goodbye? “I taught fourth grade. I loved it.”
“I was a school teacher, too,” Nana said, catching Ru’s eyes briefly as she began to work the dough again. “Did you know that?”
Surprised, Ru said, “No.”
“I didn’t either,” Cutter admitted. When Ru looked at him for confirmation, he only shrugged.
“I taught on an emergency permit for a few years when there was a shortage of teachers where I grew up,” Nana explained. “Seems like a long time ago. Guess it was.”
“And where did you grow up?” Ru asked, the question flowing out naturally.
“Little town in East Texas,” Nana replied. “Still got the accent.”
Ru laughed. She’d noticed some sort of a twang but wasn’t sure what it was. Sometimes Rider tended to sound like he grew up in the south, so she was beginning to think it had something to do with the unique community, though she suspected in his case it was all an act to sound more laidback than most of his cohorts. “Did you like it there?”
“Oh, yes. Especially in the winter time. We didn’t have ten feet of snow like we get up here.” Clearly, she was exaggerating, but Ru nodded, giving a little laugh. “Summers were hot, though. We didn’t have air conditioning when I was growing up, you know?”
“That does sound hot,” Ru agreed.
“Even in the school house where I taught there was no air. We had fans. That helped. So… when your granddad showed up and swept me off of my feet, I was more than happy to move to a cooler climate.”
“How did you meet him?” Ru asked, wondering how a human usually met a Keeper.
“First, I met him in a dream,” Nana explained, dropping the bottom crust into a glass pie pan. “Then, I met him in person at a community dance when I was twenty-eight. By then, I thought I’d never marry. Assumed I’d be an old maid.”
“Really?” Ru had no idea she’d been almost thirty when she’d married. “So what was he doing in your dream?” Once again, she looked at Cutter, who had made an appearance in her own dream not that long ago. He gave her a crooked grin, as if to admit his guilt.
“Saving me from a Reaper, of course,” Nana replied, her shrug making the comment seem nonchalant. “I had no idea the other feller who’d been showing up from time to time was dangerous, just thought it was a regular dream. But when I saw your granddad in real life, I heeded his warning. Course, it didn’t hurt he was the most handsome man I’d ever laid eyes on.” Nana Sue gave a little giggle and finished with the pie crust, and Ru caught Cutter’s eyes, still not sure what to make of the woman.
“I guess it all worked out then,” Ru said, returning her attention to the older woman who was pouring the contents of a large mixing bowl into the crust. From the looks of it, the pie was cherry, though she couldn’t be sure; Ru had never spent much time in the kitchen, what with her affliction.
“Sure did,” Nana agreed, nodding, and setting the bowl aside. “I spent the best years of my life with your grandfather. When your mother came along later on that first year, well, I truly felt as if I’d been blessed by God.”
Ru nodded her head, though she wasn’t sure she knew exactly what her grandmother was getting at. Ru hadn’t ever felt truly blessed by God and had spent most of her adult life doubting He even existed. She continued to listen as Nana rolled out the top crust, talking about her mother when she was a little girl.
“I always put her hair in pigtails when she was younger. She was just so precious. So beautiful. And gentle-natured. She spent a good deal of time up in the orchard tending to the little animals. Course, she had lots of friends in town, too, and she’d run about with them. One thing about growing up in Los Angeles, no need to worry about your kids bein’ harmed. At least, that’s what I thought.” A shadow passed over Nana Sue’s face, and her countenance changed. Ru felt like leaning forward and placing a hand on her shoulder, but she didn’t. Eventually, she took a deep breath and managed a small smile. “Your mama was one of the gentlest souls God ever did make, that’s for certain.”
Through the thickness of her glasses, Ru could see small tears forming in the corners of her grandmother’s eyes and realized she’d been through quite the tragedy herself. Though she wanted to ask what had happened, how someone so kind and good ended up having a child with a half-demon, Ru said nothing, only returned the smile and waited as patiently as she could.
Nana finished the pie and slid it into the oven, setting a timer, and dusting her hands off on the apron before she untied it and turned back to face Ru. “Would you like to see her room?”
The question caught her off guard, but Ru was nodding before her mouth even opened. “Yes, I’d like to,” she replied. Nana tossed the apron over the back of the chair and headed through the kitchen doorway, Ru following. She noticed Cutter did not get up from the table, and she wasn’t sure whether to appreciate the space he was giving her or long for the strength of his presence.