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Sadly, that wasn’t the only reason.
My grandfather had been diagnosed with dementia. Things had started off rather mild, to the point nobody thought it was anything serious beyond general forgetfulness that came with old age or exhaustion after a hard day at work.
But it had progressed to a point that things he’d done day in and day out on the farm became a struggle. For his own safety and that of everyone else working on the farm, he no longer operated the heavy equipment. Depending on the day he was having, sometimes, he’d go out and get some lighter work and tasks done. Other days, he didn’t.
After he’d been taken to see a doctor and had gone through several evaluations, the diagnosis was confirmed. And now, we were never quite sure what we’d get from one day to the next. It was as devastating for us as it was frustrating for him.
Fortunately, today seemed to be one of his better days.
My dad and my grandfather urged me to continue my journey toward the kitchen ahead of them.
Once I was there, I saw both my mom and my grandma. They were busy getting the final bits of preparation for dinner completed.
“Hi, Mom. Grandma.”
“Hi, honey,” my mom replied. “How was your day today? It looked like the busiest of the year so far for you.”
My mom was referring to my ice cream shop, The Sweet Landing. Since we lived in Landing, Pennsylvania, and it had become such a huge part of our family’s legacy, I knew I wanted to incorporate it into the name. The sweet part… well, that was self-explanatory.
Nodding, I confirmed, “Yeah, it was. I think we’re turning that corner. Everyone has been couped up inside for so long all winter, and they’re just itching to get out.”
“Rhea has some news to share,” my dad declared.
Immediately, my mom’s eyes shot to my father. “Did you eat ice cream before dinner, Leon?”
I glanced up at my dad, saw the amusement in his expression, and watched as he made his way over to my mom. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and promised, “I wouldn’t dream of doing that, Danielle.”
My mom instantly melted, and my heart warmed. I loved the way my parents loved each other. Then again, it wasn’t as though they didn’t have a good example set with my grandparents.
I held up the container I brought with me and said, “We have some for after dinner, though.”
“Oh, what kind did you bring today, Rhea?” my grandma, Edith, asked.
“Strawberry.”
“That’s my favorite.”
“Why do you think I chose it?”
My grandma walked over, kissed me on the cheek, and took the container of ice cream from me. As she moved to put it in the freezer, my mom asked, “So, what’s this news you want to share with us?”
Though I knew I had to share this with them, I didn’t want to. Everyone was in such a good mood, and after all the stress they’d been through over the last two and a half years, they didn’t need to be tossed right back into it.
“Maybe we should all sit down first,” I suggested.
And that was all it took. The minute those words were out of my mouth, they knew. Maybe they didn’t know the specifics of it, but they knew it wasn’t good.
Needing to know what was going on, my mom hustled to finish what she was doing, so we could sit down to eat. Everyone chipped in, and within a few minutes of everyone loading up their plates, I had expectant eyes on me.
“I got a letter in the mail today,” I revealed.
“From who?” my mom asked. “I swear, if the local authorities are on us again, I’m going to lose my mind.”
Shaking my head, I assured her, “It’s not the town.”
“Who then?” my grandpa asked.
“Westwood’s.”
