“Please, do come in and sit down,” an older woman called out from the master bedroom. “I will be with you shortly.”
Penny’s first reaction when Marie came out, was that in appearance, she bore a striking resemblance to Crystal, her granddaughter.
She was a spunky, but fragile-looking, elderly woman with long, dark hair and brown eyes. Marie was so petite that she almost seemed to get lost in her huge wheelchair. Her arthritic hands, knees and feet were gnarled and swollen, but her smile was warm and welcoming.
“Thank you for coming upstairs,” she said to Penny. “I wanted to meet you, so that I would know who Crystal is visiting, when she goes downstairs. She told me that a nice lady had moved in.”
“Thank you for inviting me for tea,” replied Penny, with an understanding smile. “You have a lovely granddaughter, who looks very much like you.”
“Crystal, plug the kettle in, please,” ordered Marie. “Then, take Tippy out for a walk.”
“I will, Grandma. Keep your blanket over your knees, so you stay warm,” Crystal ordered, as she headed out the door with their dog. She obviously enjoyed his company. “You are such a good boy!”
“He certainly is sweet,” said Penny. “But, so tiny!”
“Too noisy, but he protects us.”
“I have never heard him barking,” said Penny. She hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
“Marie, tell me about Crystal.” Penny knew that if she was going to assist Crystal and her family in any way, it was important to understand their world.
“Crystal is a twelve-year old, Indian princess,” replied Marie. “She helps my husband take care of me, as I can barely walk, now.”
“An Indian princess!” replied Penny, with amazement. “That is wonderful!”
With Crystal’s petite frame, long, dark hair and brown eyes, Penny could picture her as an Indian princess, a very beautiful one, at that. “May I help you with the tea?”
“We will have our tea in the living room.”
Marie made tea in a China teapot and then carefully manipulated her wheelchair into the tiny, sparsely furnished, living room, where she served the tea and cookies to Penny. In spite of her disability, she was very gracious and in control of her own world.
“We are of French Canadian and native descent, hunters and gatherers, from way back,” she told Penny, as she quietly sipped her tea from an elegant, flowered, China teacup. “Hunters and gatherers never stay any place for very long.”
“I understand,” said Penny, waiting for Marie to continue.
“Crystal’s mother is my only daughter. She and her husband abandoned Crystal, when she was just five years old. They left her behind in our northern community, expecting some people to take care of her, after the local mine closed. My daughter and her husband were forced to leave the community along with many others, as no one had work and our people were starving to death.”
“How tragic that must have been for everyone!”
“I am French Canadian. My husband, Ron, who is the native Chief in the community, found her in a broken-down cabin, in the back woods. Whoever was taking care of Crystal had left, too. She was alone, cold and starving. We decided to bring her here with us, when we moved to this area. We both needed regular medical care, as I have severe arthritis and Ron has a bad heart.”
“I am so sorry,” replied Penny. “How can I help?”
“We are getting old and trying to raise Crystal as best we can, but neither my husband nor I will live forever” said Marie, sadly. “Crystal’s parents are nowhere to be found. We only want what is best for her.”
“I see,” said Penny, knowing it was probably not easy for Marie to confide in her. She had a lot to think about, as she graciously thanked Marie for the tea and cookies and then headed downstairs to her apartment.
Little did Penny know that while Marie was ‘playing’ on her compassion, Ron had not attended a Council meeting at all, but instead, he was busy ransacking her apartment.
Penny discovered the broken lock on her filing cabinet later, but had no idea who was responsible.
"That probably happened before I moved,” she thought to herself. “Maybe I should be more concerned about the lock on the door?”
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