Old Photo

The leaves and grass looked fresh in their springtime hues of yellowish green. Later in the summer, they will again take on a look of yellow -green. The difference is that now they are the color of new growth, and later they will be scorched from heat. But being new to the region, she didn't know this yet. As she sat bouncing in the covered wagon, all she knew about the coming summer was that she was teaching, and that she was staying with a family in a small stone house in the woods. The sunshine, light breeze, and previously mentioned greenness of the grass created such a beautiful day, that after awhile she forgot her nervousness.

A little over 100 years later, on a similar day in Spring, a soon-to-be Sophomore in high school sat in the back seat of an SUV. After driving across the dam, and through the city of Branson, they turned off of the highway and began driving through a country road. The road began descending into a valley, and in time they reached the same stone house. It looked older, and the garden could use some work, and so could the yard, but other than that, the house was unchanged.

Beatrice and her parents went inside and greeted her grandmother. As the adults went into the parlor to talk, she stayed behind in the entryway. There, she picked up an old photo of her great-grandmother. Greetings, goodbyes, and the appropriate hugs were given until her parents left. While carrying her suitcase up the stairs, she nervously wondered what the summer had in store. What was she supposed to do all summer? At least her Aunt was staying there too. She was spending the summer at the Branson hospital to get experience, so that hopefully she could get into med. school.

But she wasn't here yet, for now it was just Beatrice. Beatrice sat thinking about what she was going to do with herself all summer (aside from a week at camp) when her grandmother called her downstairs.

"Beatrice, it's about time to eat. Will you help set the table?"

She walked downstairs, the smell of fried chicken and biscuits making her mouth water. Later that night, after post-dinner ice cream, she went back to her room and looked out the window. The moon shone brightly through the lacy curtains and she thought back to the picture of her great-grandmother