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“For now, yes.” Ever replied with thanks as she turned to leave. Suddenly a thought struck her, so she turned back to Ms. Lynette. “You knew my dad when he was younger, right?”
“Sure did! We grew up together, went to the same schools as well.” She offered.
“Did you know my mother?” Ever asked hopefully.
A look of sadness and regret covered Ms. Lynette’s face. “I did,” she answered simply. “Such a tragedy. She was so wonderful, and your dad loved her so much!”
“Can I ask you about her?” she inquired; eyes eager to know more. “Dad would never share anything, and honestly until recently I had no idea she died from cancer.”
Smiling up at her with kind eyes, Ms. Lynette put her hand on Ever’s and spoke. “I thought you would never ask. How much time do you have, Darlin’?”
* * *
Returning home after the discovery of the afternoon, papers in hand, she noticed Ben was unloading feed from the back of his truck. Seeing her walking up the path, he stopped, removed his cap, and wiped the sweat from his brow.
“Hey Sweetheart. Where have you been?” he inquired curiously.
“I made a quick trip into town to see Ms. Lynette,” she responded, waving the papers in her hands.
“How is that old girl?” he laughed as he picked up another bag of feed and heaved it onto his shoulders, carrying it into the barn.
“Worried about you, apparently!” she shouted after him. “Your love-life has been of great concern to her!”
Reappearing through the barn door, he let out a deep baritone chuckle. “Yes, she has told me that before.”
“Ms. Lynette is something else!” she laughed as she shook her head.
“So, I assume you were doing some investigating if you were at the library?”
“Yes, I found some info on my parents, actually.” she said, taking a seat on the tailgate.
Ben, taking out a bandana, wiped his face and took a seat beside her. “What did you find out?” he asked, taking off his work gloves and setting them down beside him.
She handed over the papers she had printed out and Ben perused them. Eyebrows raised; he handed them back to her.
“Ms. Lynette also shared a lot of info with me. She grew up with my parents and apparently, they used to double date with Ms. Lynette and her late husband Fred. As she put it, they were the best of friends."
"Wow!" Ben exclaimed. “Did you ever know this?”
“Kind of. I mean, I knew my dad and Ms. Lynette knew each other from childhood and she and her late husband would come around to visit with us from time to time. But honestly, I had no idea they were so close.” she shrugged.
Nodding, Ben glanced toward her, wanting to know more.
“She told me that my parents were married very young and were completely head over heels in love.” she smiled thoughtfully. “They waited to start a family because they were so young, but a few years later, they started one. Apparently, they tried for a long time and finally after eight years, I came into the world.”
“That is a long time.” Ben commented.
“Yeah. Shortly after I was born, she got sick and was diagnosed with Uterine Cancer. After surgeries, they thought she was in remission until about a year later, when she got sick again. The cancer had spread to other organs and by then no treatment could be done. She passed away shortly thereafter.” she shared, staring off into the distance. “I was only about 18 months old.”
Glancing at her with sad eyes, Ben took her hand in his to encourage her to continue.
“Ms. Lynette said my dad was devastated and literally shut everyone out. For a year, my mother’s parents, my grandparents, had to step in to take care of me, as my father could hardly take care of himself. Apparently, during this time, he almost lost the farm. Only with the kindness of neighbours was he able to keep it going.”
Letting that info sink in, Ben ran his hand over his face and beard. “Depression?” he asked, giving her a concerned look.
“I don’t know, exactly, but yes, it sounds like it was,” she answered truthfully. “Ms Lynette said it was not until my grandparents threatened to take me home to live with them permanently that he finally stepped up again to take on his responsibilities.”
Ben shook his head in disbelief. “I guess you were too young to remember any of this.”
