Lenny felt the car come to a stop in front a small house in a remote area. Evelyn turned the car off and Lenny unfastened her seatbelt, getting out of the car with her mother.
She slung her bag over her shoulder and gaped at the cottage like house in front of her. The quaint and irregular structure of the roof top left Lenny a bit perplex. The long chimney that sat on the roof looked a bit comical to Lenny. Did houses with these type of structures still exists? It was unbelievable.
Lenny followed closely behind her mother as they approached the front porch. The wooden floor creaked underneath Lenny's sneakers as they stood in front of the door. Evelyn knocked on the beige coloured wooden door and waited. Lenny gazed at the door curiously. Did this house have no doorbells? Lenny felt like she had been dropped way back into the 90s. Then again it was an old woman's house, so the structure was understandable.
Heavy footsteps were heard behind the door. It seemed like it was approaching the front door as it got louder with every step. The door unlocked and swung open.
A skinny old woman with shoulder length grey hair stared at Lenny and Evelyn with wide eyes. Lenny noticed her hands were trembling, no, not just her hands, her whole body. Her face was wrinkled and so was the skin on every part of her body.
"Im sorry, but who are you?" The old woman croaked.
Lenny blinked at her wide eyed and made a sharp turn to her mother. Evelyn's jaw was clenched, her eyes glistened with sorrow. Her own had forgotten who she was.
"Mom, it's me, Evelyn. Remember?"
The old woman looked to the ground, her mouth slightly agape.
"Evelyn, Evelyn...Oh!" She exclaimed and looked up at her daughter.
"Oh dear, it's been so long!" The old woman piped up as she reached out and cupped Evelyn face.
"How are you mom?" Evelyn asked, even though she knew the answer to that already.
"Im doing fine."
The old woman turned to Lenny. Her eyes were brown, with a hint of green fleeks around it. It looked nothing like her mother's.
"And you must be?"
"This is my daughter, Lenny. She came over once during Thanksgiving a few years ago."
The old woman reached out to Lenny and cupped her face. The feeling of her rough hands brushing against her skin sent goose bumps all over Lenny's skin. It was unpleasant and she had the strong urge to pull away, but refrained from doing that.
"Such a beautiful young woman! She looks just like you when you were younger!" The old woman beamed as she stared at Lenny with warmth in her eyes.
She withdrew her hands from Lenny's face and stepped back.
"How rude of me to keep you outside, come on in." She urged them.
Lenny walked in awkwardly. She cringed as the musty, damp air of the house hit her nose. The old woman waddled in front of them, leading them to the living room. Compared to the outside demeanor, the interior looked better, but still had the antique feel to it.
The entrance was directly opposite a long set up stairs. Adjacent to the long stair case was the living room. Lenny followed her mother as she gazed at the paintings hung up on the walls.
"Here, take a seat." The old woman said immediately they were in the living room.
The living room was quite spacious and didn't have too much furniture. It had three oxblood sofas, all facing a small tv that was placed on a stool close to the wall. The tv looked very old, one you wouldn't see in stores except an antique shop.
Lenny plopped down on the sofa and noticed that some parts of it were slightly torn. Her mother sat down beside her and the old woman sat on the sofa close to theirs.
"Would you like a drink? Coffee?"
"That's fine mom." Evelyn waved her off.
Lenny couldn't keep her eyes away from her grandmother. She was so skinny that Lenny feared that she would be blown away with the wind.
"How have you been dear? And how's your husband?" the old woman asked.
Lenny looked at her mom. Her eyes twitched as she exhaled.
"Mom, we got a divorce years ago. You forgot that too?"
"Oh." The old woman's shoulder drooped as her face turn solemn. "I'm so sorry dear, I didn't mean to hurt you. I just forgot, I..." she trailed off and sighed.
"The sickness is really getting to me." She said sadly.
Evelyn got up from the couch and went over to her mother.
"I know mom, it's not your fault." She said and wrapped her hands around her mother.
The old woman's eyes glistened with tears, but she quickly blinked them back. Evelyn pulled back and gave her mother a concerned look.
"Are you taking your medications?"
"I am dear, but sometimes the prescription is hard to remember." The old woman replied.
"But that's exactly why the doctor wanted you to stay at the retirement home, the nurses are nice and they'll take care of you properly."
The old woman frowned and shook her head.
"I don't want to live in a retirement home. You know how much this house means to me." She objected.
Evelyn sighed and shook her head.
"I know mom, I know."
Lenny watched both women chatter away, lost in their own world while she sat awkwardly, her eyes wandering anywhere but towards them. She was the one that agreed to stay with her grandmother during the summer holidays.
It was a good proposition to Lenny. She wasn't one to go to the beach or a party during the summer holidays. Lenny always spent her summer break cooped up at home, painting, and doing nothing else.
Staying here wasn't going to change anything. The change of environment and scenery would give her inspiration and it was a way to leave that neighbourhood. Lenny wanted to avoid running into Neil and this was the perfect opportunity for her. But what was this feeling she couldn't shake off?