The Bottle House
Lee Brown was a handsome young man. Standing six feet two inches tall he had a muscular build, sandy brown hair and blue eyes the color of the sky. He worked on his family's farm. Every day he would rise well before the sun peeked up over the edge of the hill and shone into his bedroom window. Stretching and yawning going to the out house he could hear the crunch of the gravel beneath his boots. On mornings like this he wanted to go back to the warmth of his bed and cover up with the tattered log cabin quilt his grandmother had made. He would return to his dreams of Molly. Instead he washed and put on his only suit and tie.
Lee spotted Molly at church that Sunday morning. She wore a yellow dress with a small blue flower print. Her long dark brunette hair was pulled back at the nape of her slender neck and tied with a blue ribbon. She was walking along the side of the church to the cemetery.
Following her with his eyes Lee watched as she stopped at a monument in the form of an angel. Her head bowed as she made the sign of the cross. She stood still several minutes praying then reached out and touched the statue and turned back toward the church.
Lee was at the end of the walkway near the corner of the building as Molly approached.
Their eyes met and he stepped to the side to let her pass. "Good morning, Molly" he said.
Molly stopped and extended her gloved hand to him and greeted him with a smile. The feel of her hand in his made him weak. "It's nice to see you at church, Lee." "How have you been?" she said. "I've been pretty busy since momma died. The house is showing it's age and I have been fixing it and working the fields and tending to business on the farm. There is a lot to do and I think we will have an early winter this year." He wondered if he was saying too much. He might scare her off. Molly politely listened and agreed. "Yes, I felt a chill in the air this morning and should have worn my jacket instead of this sweater. But, I think it's going to be a beautiful day. It is already warming up nicely." "Would you mind if I walked you home, Molly? You may wear my jacket over your shoulders to keep you warm." he offered.
"I would like that very much, Lee." Molly answered.
They took their time walking the dirt road that led into town. Wildflowers in hues of pink, white and yellow grew along the edge of the fence. Lee grasped a fist full of them and presented them to Molly. "These are my favorite flowers! My mother really liked them, too. She said they made her happy!" he said with excitement. "They make me happy, also" Molly said as she accepted them and put the bouquet up to her nose and took a whiff of their fragrance.
Stopping at the gate in front of a white clapboard house they stood and talked of their families. Molly invited him in. "I'll just be a minute!" she said while walking into the tiny kitchen and placed the flowers in a milk white vase. Lee took a seat in a rocking chair by the door. He surveyed the room. It was furnished with antiques. There was a delicate flower pattern in the wallpaper of yellow tea roses. The shade of the scrolled floor lamp was in the shape of a bell and had fringe. He saw a tea set on the sideboard that was white and had pink roses and gold trim. He had never seen anything like it. The tablecloth was lace and there were curtains to match on the windows. He was afraid to move in such a fine place. He felt like a bull in a china shop.
Molly returned with some sandwiches on clear pink plates and some lemonade in glasses that had circular indentations on the surface. "I thought you might be hungry, Lee. I hope you don't mind. I did not eat anything before church and I'm starving!" she said.
"No, not at all. I'm hungry, too! Thank you!" he told her.
They both felt comfortable telling each other stories of each other. Molly had moved to town after her grandmother had died and left her the house. Her parents had died a few years earlier of an illness. It was a shock to Molly and she relied on her grandmother for assistance but she was not in good health and died one night as Molly sat by her bed and held her hand. She told Lee she did not know how she would ever be able to live without them but that she was learning how to rapidly. Her grandmother came from a well to do family in Hampton, VA. She had married and had Molly's mother, Sara and another daughter named Rebecca. Sarah then married William Holmes. Sarah had several miscarriages but finally gave birth to their only daughter, Molly. She was the joy and light in their eyes.
Lee told her about his parents. They had homestead on the farm and scraped by for a living working the fields and raising livestock and selling fresh vegetables, eggs and milk to the grocer. Lee had twin brothers Charles and Thomas that had died at birth. His parents relied on Lee to help them on the farm before and after school. He did not mind the lifestyle. Work on the farm was gratifying and he loved being outdoors. He had what they refer to as a farmers tan. Face, neck and arms from the mid bicep to fingers were tan.
But when the clothes came off the rest of the body was pale in comparison. His daily attire was rugged. At the end of a long day he would bathe and leave a ring in the tub.
They both laughed at their stories and spent the afternoon having a wonderful visit.
cont'd.....
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