This first scene that I am posting is between Maxine and her grandmother, Esther. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Maxine is Anna's grandmother and mentor but this is way before the beginning of The Key to Her Heart. It is even before Maxine's family moves to Iowa. Like me and Anna, Maxine is also faced with losing her grandmother.
April 2, 1910
Esther carefully sat her five year old
granddaughter on Emily’s lap. The little
blue eyed girl looked up with a slight smile.
“Maxine, my child, I believe you are quite amused by all this aren't you?” At that the little child covered
her mouth with tiny gloved hands and chuckled quietly. Esther leaned back down to her granddaughter, looking deeply into her eyes. They
sparkled back at her reminding her of herself.
Quietly, she kissed her forehead, then decided to change her
granddaughters’ pose again. Looking up
to her patient Emily, she smiled.
“You will always take care of your sister, Sweet Emmy?” Emily nodded as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.
“Always Grandmother. I’ll do all in my power.” Esther breathed deeply and nodded.
“Then we will finish this painting, and at least I will have that to remember the two of you by.” Emily blinked away her tears and tried her best to give the most pleasant expression she had for her grandmother.
“I know things have been hard on you two and your mother since your father died. I understand why she is leaving.”
“You will always take care of your sister, Sweet Emmy?” Emily nodded as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.
“Always Grandmother. I’ll do all in my power.” Esther breathed deeply and nodded.
“Then we will finish this painting, and at least I will have that to remember the two of you by.” Emily blinked away her tears and tried her best to give the most pleasant expression she had for her grandmother.
“I know things have been hard on you two and your mother since your father died. I understand why she is leaving.”
“Please Grandmother,
do not talk about it. Otherwise I may
not be able to keep my smile.” Esther nodded.
“Alright. Maxine stand straight and tall.” The five year old child did as she was told.
“Emmy, place your hands over one another on your lap. Maxine place your hand on your sister’s shoulder.” Maxine did just as she was told as did Emily, and Esther was about to tell both of them to look at her when she saw Maxine looking to her twelve year old sister. She knew that was just the way she needed to paint them. It was so reminiscent of how the two of them were. Though there was close to eight years difference between them, she had never seen two siblings closer.
“Hold still, don't move at all.” She whispered as if she would ruin the moment. Both of them listened carefully, but one single tear fell from Emily’s lowered gaze. As much as Esther wanted to make this a happy picture, she knew she had to paint it as it was. Emily and Maxine’s sad departure. Of course that was what she would name it. For an hour her granddaughters stayed in the pose she had placed them in as she raced as fast as she could to finish her sketch. Their mother would return soon and she wanted to have some other time besides having them standing so still and scarcely breathing while she raced to capture their sweetness. These two granddaughters were all she had left of what her life had been. Her husband had died ten years ago, followed by her son and grandsons eight years later. She and her daughter-in-law had been doing all they could to survive since that time. Last month her daughter-in-law had received a marriage proposal from a wealthy gentleman. The thoughts were slowing down her progress, and so just as quickly as they had come on, she put them away. If this was the last day she was to have with her granddaughters, then she must hurry.
“Alright my girls…” She finally had the last touches on the drawing. Emily let out a long breath and relaxed her shoulders.
“Alright. Maxine stand straight and tall.” The five year old child did as she was told.
“Emmy, place your hands over one another on your lap. Maxine place your hand on your sister’s shoulder.” Maxine did just as she was told as did Emily, and Esther was about to tell both of them to look at her when she saw Maxine looking to her twelve year old sister. She knew that was just the way she needed to paint them. It was so reminiscent of how the two of them were. Though there was close to eight years difference between them, she had never seen two siblings closer.
“Hold still, don't move at all.” She whispered as if she would ruin the moment. Both of them listened carefully, but one single tear fell from Emily’s lowered gaze. As much as Esther wanted to make this a happy picture, she knew she had to paint it as it was. Emily and Maxine’s sad departure. Of course that was what she would name it. For an hour her granddaughters stayed in the pose she had placed them in as she raced as fast as she could to finish her sketch. Their mother would return soon and she wanted to have some other time besides having them standing so still and scarcely breathing while she raced to capture their sweetness. These two granddaughters were all she had left of what her life had been. Her husband had died ten years ago, followed by her son and grandsons eight years later. She and her daughter-in-law had been doing all they could to survive since that time. Last month her daughter-in-law had received a marriage proposal from a wealthy gentleman. The thoughts were slowing down her progress, and so just as quickly as they had come on, she put them away. If this was the last day she was to have with her granddaughters, then she must hurry.
“Alright my girls…” She finally had the last touches on the drawing. Emily let out a long breath and relaxed her shoulders.
“Grandmother, I want
to see your drawing.” Maxine immediately
hopped over to her. The little girl
gasped and covered her mouth as she looked at the drawing.
“It’s lovely!” Esther reached down to Maxine hugging her and then kissing her forehead once more.
“I am going to be an artist just like you. I promise Grandmother.”
“It’s lovely!” Esther reached down to Maxine hugging her and then kissing her forehead once more.
“I am going to be an artist just like you. I promise Grandmother.”
“I do imagine you
are, my little Maxine. I do imagine you
are.”
For the rest of the afternoon she played
with her granddaughters, and gave them little things that would not be
detected. To Emily a gold chain with a
locket she could hide under her dress.
To Maxine a set of ivory combs to pull back her long dark curls. They
were so much like her own locks before they turned silver several years
ago. “Do not tell anyone about the things I have given you. Your new father wants you to forget about me. So we can keep this secret. You can remember me because you have these small treasures, and I will paint the two of you and keep that with me.” Maxine smiled up to her grandmother.
“I will never forget
you, Grandmother.”
Esther could only
smile for response. If she had spoken
right then, she was quite sure she would have cried and not stopped. How could she allow her granddaughters to
leave? She had vowed at their birth to
raise them in the community and traditions she had been raised in, but how
could she ask them to remain penniless when there was someone whom was willing
to love them as his own and give them a future she could not give to them? So when her daughter-in-law returned with
teary eyes they hugged before she took her only future, two girls, with her. Esther instead painted her picture, making it
perfect. She hung it in her apartment
where they had all once lived, and day by day she worked on her art and sold it
to make a living for herself. Each
evening she sat by the painting of her two granddaughters and tears fell like
the single tear from Emily. But she let
them go so they could have better. It
was the right thing she knew. Fifteen
years passed that way. She did not try
to make it better. She did not try to
move on. In her life she had had the
best, and she had lost all. Now all she
had was her painting and a belief in a God quite different from the one of her
ancestors… She could pray for the best
for her granddaughters. She would pray
for their life to be better than her own.
She would pray for the families they didn’t have yet. And maybe, just
maybe, her many prayers would indeed be heard.
This is the beginning of Maxine's story. I began posting this before I published The Key to Her Heart, but then lost track of it. While I am working on Patrick's Rose I will try to post scenes from Maxine's story so you can understand the beginning-- even before Anna came into the world. In the meantime, if you would like to read The Key to Her Heart, here is the link:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Key-Her-Heart-Family-ebook/dp/B00FS6MYR8
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/566759
This is the beginning of Maxine's story. I began posting this before I published The Key to Her Heart, but then lost track of it. While I am working on Patrick's Rose I will try to post scenes from Maxine's story so you can understand the beginning-- even before Anna came into the world. In the meantime, if you would like to read The Key to Her Heart, here is the link:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Key-Her-Heart-Family-ebook/dp/B00FS6MYR8
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/566759
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