DIARY OF GEORGIA MY LIFE MY LOVE 4
DIARY OF GEORGIA MY LIFE MY LOVE 4
"I'll get rid of her, honey, can I borrow some of your clothes ? "
Georgia told him that was fine but wondered what he was up to this time. After the Club left Allen was in the kitchen helping Georgia tidy up and Georgia informed him that Beatrix had declined the offer to join the Garden Club. " I know, honey I did my best to help her decide not to join and those pink high heels were too tight for my big feet ! " "Oh, Allen you didn't, but yes you did oh, I do love you my friend I really do. "
"Georgia you should have heard me I put on such an act that even Sarah Bernhardt would have applauded me. " The two school chums giggled and toasted each other with a glass of wine.
The seafood and the other items arrived from Seattle on Friday afternoon along with a big pot of basil and a beautiful wreath made of fresh rosemary and a red ribbon with an attached pair of scissors for snipping. A note card attached to the rosemary addresses to Georgia. Inside the note said;
'Rosemary is for remembering
to my Sweetheart Georgia
my love forever your Frederick'
The party went well for Allen and the barbershop quartet Art had hired were a great hit. There were tears in both Allen and Arts eyes when they saw the painting Georgia had created for them.
Georgia was true to her promise to take Betsy on a long country ride in the Tucker whenever Betsy asked. They drove out in the country on long rolling roads with Betsy's aide Madeline and had a glorious ride. Georgia found a picnic table on the sunny side of the road and making sure Betsy was covered and warm the trio had a nice picnic. Madeline had packed sandwiches and mugs of tomato soup and coffee. She even had some little tea cakes for dessert. Madeline got up and walked to the edge of the woods and turned around and started singing " Amazing Grace "
Madeline was standing in a patch of wild violets looking like an angel. Georgia was out on the patio when a susurrous breeze flowed through the trees.
She felt a slight chill while reaching for her sweater but stayed at the table to enjoy
her morning coffee and croissants laden with orange marmalade. Bebe and Frito scampered around playing with falling leaves. Fall was early this year. The woodpile needed to be tidied because the playful chipmunk's had been scurrying around on top of of the logs and a few had tumbled from the neat stack. She made a mental list of the fall chores including to check if the summer tools were still workable and to bring out the snow shovels.
Sam and Anita drove up in their 1958 Chevy Apache Cameo Pickup Truck. She invited them for breakfast. They accepted and sat and chatted a while. Sam
was bragging about Anita's preparation of food while Anita said she owed it all to her great teacher Georgia. Then Anita asked Georgia if she could teach her how to make baby food.
"Baby food?"asked Georgia. Sam blurted out "we're having a baby in May !" "How wonderful" happily replied Georgia. Sam said they had come over to look at Georgia's car but both the women knew he just wanted to bring the good news about the baby. Georgia and Anita just smiled and chatted about the new arrival. Anita and Georgia set a date to go shopping for baby furniture the next week. The weather was starting to cool off in the evenings so Georgia started a big pot of navy bean and ham hock soup for dinner then finished packing some paintings for clients.
She had gone to Paris studying painting right after Berkeley while I went to Vietnam. Our letters to each other were few and far between but each never forgot the other. I had been flying helicopters with uncle James and learned many skills as a young man that many grown men did not know. Uncle James was a stickler for safety and I learned to fly with accuracy. Staying only four years in service to my country to me it was a lifetime seeing the horrors of war. I had been wounded having muscle damage to one arm. When I returned to the states I drifted for a while roaming from state to state seeing the beauty of my country and often thinking of my lost love Georgia.
©Julia A Knaake