The house was close to the river and about a five-minute drive from town and the elementary school where my mom taught. The backyard faced a forest full of pine trees. For as long as I could remember, Mom had talked about how much she loved this house. How when her and my dad were looking for their first home, she walked into this one and knew immediately.
Mom let out a sigh, her eyes scanning the exterior. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “It’s more than I need, that’s for sure. Some days I think it’d be nice to downsize, but then other days I want to stay.”
“I’m happy to help you with whatever you need as long as I’m here. I don’t know how long that’ll be for, but…at least a few months to start.”
“And that’s exactly why I don’t want you to feel like you have to help me whenever you come up. You’re in the area, and you should enjoy it, whether that’s visiting or enjoying your day off. Don’t worry about all this.” She waved her hand toward the house. “It’ll get done.”
I knew it’d get doneeventually, but I could also see the clogged gutters and other needed maintenance from a mile away.
“Let’s walk around and see what needs to get done and see what we can get to today. I’d like to take care of your gutters today at least, especially since we’re supposed to get a goodamount of rain the next couple of weeks. I can also drop the boxes off at donation on my way back to Golden Falls.”
“We’ll see,” Mom said cautiously, which I took as a yes. “Let’s start with walking around, and you can tell me all about the menu you created. Wasn’t this weekend the grand menu kickoff?” she asked, her eyes sparkling.
I let out a chuckle at her use ofgrand. “It was. The place was packed, and people seemed to really enjoy the food. It’s been nice to meet everyone, too.”
As Mom and I walked the perimeter of the house, I told her about the menu, the food, and the people in town I’d met so far. Mom not-so-subtly asked about Eliza, what she’d been up to, and if we’d spent much time together. I downplayed how much I saw her at work. I wasn’t sure why, but I didn’t want to give Mom the wrong idea.
As I filled her in on my week, I realized more had happened and it’d been busier than I expected.
“I’ve enjoyed it,” I admitted. “More than I thought. I think this’ll be good experience, because I like being the one creating the menu and talking with customers just as much as I like cooking.”
“That’s great. See where this takes you, but it sounds like a great stop,” Mom said as she pulled open the front door.
After doing a quick walk through of the interior, Mom and I sat at the kitchen table with a list full of projects that she’d written down on a notepad. We were taking a break for lunch and then planned to work on a few tasks outside before I drove back.
I turned the paper toward me, my eyes scanning what she’d written and what we’d discussed. “There’s…more here than I’d expected.”
“But there’s no rush in getting it done,” Mom reminded me again, and I wanted to tell heragainthat I knew that. But I alsowanted to help her, and that was easier to do while I was in Golden Falls.
Ultimately, though, she was right. There wasn’t a rush, especially if Mom decided not to sell and stay here. Nothing that needed fixing seemed to be unsafe, although I wanted to get a contractor out here to be sure.
I felt Mom’s observant eyes on me, and that was never a good sign. I pushed the chair back and opened the fridge to see what I could make us for lunch.
“Nope. You sit back down. I’ll take care of lunch.” Mom shooed me away.
“Mom, it’s really not a problem. Let me prepare something for us.”
I towered over my Mom, but my height or age didn’t matter when she leveled me with a scowl. “Leo Rivers, you will sit down at that table and relax. End of discussion.”
It was theend of discussionthat did it.
“Okay, okay,” I conceded, stepping away and sitting down. “I was just trying to help.”
Mom turned to face me, her expression softening. “I know, and I greatly appreciate it. But it’s also okay for you to take a step back, to notalwaysbe helping and to also be enjoying. Relaxing. To do things for yourself. You’ve spent a lot of time putting me and your brother first. Your career is cooking for others. I want yourlifeto be foryou.”
I watched in a trance as my mom pulled ingredients out from the fridge, her words playing on loop in my mind. Helping those close to medidfeel like I was doing things for myself, but the way my mom had said it made it sound like I had it all wrong. Did I?
I liked making things easier for others, because it often made them happy, and I enjoyed making people happy, whether that was through food or other means. I liked to be useful.
My lifewasfor me. The entire reason I was in Golden Falls was for me and to get to the next level of my career.
It wasn’t like I was holding back or not going after something I wanted.
At least that was what I kept telling myself.
9
ELIZA
