THE COTTAGE

THE COTTAGE

and a soft cool breeze

~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~

Bridget sat at the small square table in the kitchen of the old cottage.

“Brige, are you really sure about this?” Ryan asked for what seemed to Bridget to be at least the hundredth time.

She reached across the corner of the table and grasped his hand. “Ryan, will you please stop! Yes, YES, a thousand times yes, I’m sure.”

Ryan, Bridget’s husband of three years, inherited the old cottage which was in desperate need of repair and upgrading. Yet, Bridget loved the house with its thatched roof and thick wooden, red door.

Although Ryan loved the cottage that once belonged to his great grandmother, looking around, he was still skeptical.

Bridget stood, walked to the antique wood-burning stove, and set the kettle on the burner to make tea. She took two mugs from her travel bag and set them on the table.

“You know Ry, to ease your mind, I really feel I must say how much I’m looking forward to moving in and making this house our home.” She no sooner said those words, when she felt a soft, cool breeze brush against her arm. Looking around for the source of the breeze and finding nothing, she continued, “I know it’s old and in need of work but with a lot of love and a bit of elbow grease, we can make the house perfect. Absolutely perfect!”

Ryan smiled, pulled his wife on his lap, and said, “One correction, honey. With a lot of love and a whole LOT of elbow grease!”

The old kettle whistled, and Bridget left her husband’s warm lap to pour the hot water into the mugs.

Ryan looked at her hesitate and asked, “Brige, what’s wrong? Having second thoughts?”

She turned and brought the mugs with the steaming tea to the table, “Oh, no, honey, not at all. I was looking at the tea bags and wished we’d have thought to bring our loose tea. The bags are okay in a pinch but well, I really just prefer our loose tea. I think it tastes better. That’s all.”

Before she sat, she reached for her large bag and took out a pad and pen and set them on the table.

Ryan couldn’t help but laugh. “Looks like we’re making a list.” Bridget smiled, picked up the pen and said, “You want to write?”

“No, Baby. Your handwriting is much neater than mine, but I’ll put the kettle back on the stove. I have a feeling this is going to be a long night.”

He checked the wood in the stove and as he added two small logs, said, “Item one: get rid of this stove and put in a new gas one!”

He heard Bridget gasp. “But Ryan!” She sounded so forlorn. “It has such charm and it’s so beautiful.”

“Brige, do you really want to spend your time cooking over wood?”

He saw the crestfallen look in her eyes and quickly added, “How about this? We keep the stove but only its shell. We have the inside converted to gas. Won’t that be easier to cook on?”

“Can that really be done?” she wondered.

“I don’t see why not and if it can’t, we’ll just work around it. We’ll figure it out.”

Again, Bridget felt a cool breeze brush against her skin. And again, thought it was just a breeze that found its way through the thatched roof.

They sat and as they made their plans, Bridget suddenly asked, “Ry, I just had a thought. I know we’ve been saving for a house and shouldn’t have any problems financially upgrading this house, but as I look around, I realize that we’ll also need to expand the building at some point. Will we have enough for that? And we also need to consider the fact that we’re moving to Ireland. It’s an entirely new life for us. Yes, we already work from home, but still, I’m thinking of the time difference, as well. Do you think, with all the work we want to do, that we can find locals who are looking for extra money and are willing to tackle our projects?”

Ryan laughed out loud and said, “Geez, Brige! One question at a time! But I’ll try to keep up. Yes, there is a lot of work to be done. No, we won’t encounter any problems living and working in Ireland. And as you pointed out, we work from home and have been doing so for two years. Easy peasy! The time difference? We’ll adjust. And finally, for our home improvements? I’m sure there are many local businesses that are more than willing to help us out, not just with the labor but also with the suggestions we’ll need to get things done right. I’m sure they’ll be a huge help in everything we want to do.”

Bridget’s smile grew to a grin. “Oh Ryan! You’ve made me so happy. I just know I’m going to love our new home – even more than I already do! Uh, Ry? Did you feel that?”

He picked up the pen Bridget laid on the table and began making some notes of his own. “Humph! Feel what?”

“I just felt a cool, soft breeze on my arms. Almost as if someone were hugging me.”

“Sorry, hon, never felt a thing but since we already agreed to spend the night here, I’ll just add more wood to the stove and then I’ll light a fire in the hearth in the other room. That should warm the house.”

As he walked out the back door to the wood bin, Bridget looked around and once again smiled and she softly spoke, “Grandmother, I hope you can hear me and hope you don’t mind if I call you Grandmother. We never met and I know Ryan doesn’t remember you very well, but I want to thank you for this beautiful home you’ve given us. We’re going to take good care of it. I promise.”

Another cool breeze swept in but this time, Bridget felt not just the breeze but the arms around her. She heard the faintest of whispers. “Thank you, my granddaughter. I’m sure you will.”