Chapter 5

The following characters appear in this chapter:

Sigrid

Retired cook, 5’-8’’ tall (1.72 meters), 155 pounds (70 kg), large breasts, 70 plus years old, gray hair in a bun, blue eyes

Kristin

Retired cook, 5’-7’’ tall (1.70 meters), 145 pounds (66 kg), medium breasts, 70 plus years old, white hair in a pony tail, blue eyes.

Nora

Maid, 5’-7’’ tall (1.70 meters), 135 pounds (61 kg), medium breasts, 32 years old, long blond hair, gray eyes

Astrid

Maid, 5’-8’’ tall (1.72 meters), 145 pounds (66 kg), large breasts, 30 years old, long brown hair, blue eyes

Carl Larson

Gardner, 5’-10’’ tall (1.78 meters), 175 pounds (79 kg), 40 years old, brown hair, gray eyes

Yvonne still has the Narrative

The kitchen, when we entered it, was a surprise. It was huge! I had seen kitchens in five star restaurants that were smaller and less well equipped. There were two six-burner stoves and three ovens. There was a huge commercial refrigerator and an equally huge commercial freezer. There was a small commercial dish washing machine and several sinks. There were several large food preparation areas. Everything was stainless steel or granite. Just off the kitchen itself, part of the pantry area was visible. It looked like a small grocery store in size.

The biggest surprise, however, was at the far end of the kitchen. It was a huge fireplace, like those used for cooking and heating back centuries ago in both Europe and America.

“My God! What is that doing in here?” I asked. “You could roast a whole pig or a side of beef in that,” I added.

“Yes, that’s what it has been used for in the past,” Yuryi admitted with a smile. “We don’t have many parties or gatherings like that anymore,” he added before we returned to looking at the more modern area of the kitchen.

“You could prepare a meal for a convention or a huge party in here even without the fireplace,” I told him, still amazed by the size of the kitchen and its equipment.

“We have had some large parties and dinners here in the past, but again not many lately,” Yuryi told me with a sad smile.

The cooks had glanced up from what they were doing when we entered but had returned to their work following that. We only stayed a few minutes more before returning to the breakfast room.

On reentering the breakfast room, we found two older women there to greet us. They were certainly in their seventies if not older. They greeted Yuryi on seeing him.

“Welcome home, Yuryi. Who have you brought with you?” the one asked. Yuryi went over and hugged and kissed the cheeks of both of them before bringing them over to me.

“Yvonne, this is Sigrid and Kristin,” he told me introducing both of them. “They worked as cooks here for many years. They are retired now and still live in the servants’ quarters in their old rooms. They chose to remain here rather than to move elsewhere,” Yuryi told me before introducing me to the two women. They looked at me and smiled brightly.

“You haven’t brought a lady home before Yuryi,” Sigrid said following that. “Is there a reason?” she added.

“Possibly,” Yuryi answered. “But we haven’t reached the point of discussing that yet,” he added but had a question for them.

“How were things here during the storm?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Frida was still off on vacation but was due to return a day or so after the storm started. She called that first day to ask about the storm here. Olaf told her to wait till after the storm was over and things here had been cleaned up before returning,” Kristin told us.

“The electricity went out shortly after she called. All of us moved over to the big house and had a party for a couple of days,” Sigrid told us with a big smile.

“A party?” Yuryi asked, somewhat confused.

“Oh yes, an old-fashioned party. The generator kept the refrigerator and the freezer running and the heat on, but we all remained in the kitchen most of the time and had a fire in the big fireplace. Olaf had plenty of firewood stored for it. We cooked in it and sat around and sang old songs by the light of several kerosene lamps. It was all very gay, but Gretchen wasn’t here to enjoy it with us,” Sigrid finished all choked up, and both of the older women sobbed and started to cry.

Yuryi was up from his seat immediately and went to them to console them. He started with Sigrid, and they were soon both in tears. I had risen with him and went to Kristin to console her, even though I had never met Gretchen. It was obvious that both women had been greatly affected by her death and still were even after forty some years.

I held Kristin and patted her back, telling her that I understood her grief, and that I had lost my husband some fifteen years ago. She appeared to be shocked by my concern for her and my revelation about my husband. Shortly, she began to whisper to me.

“Are you trying to take Gretchen’s place?” she whispered in an upset voice.

“I don’t believe that anyone will ever be able to take her place in Yuryi’s heart. He isn’t very outgoing about her death. He has been holding the grief in for so very long a time now. I only hope to keep him from grieving so much,” I told her.

“Is he interested in your daughters? They are both rather young,” she asked.

“No, he has only been interested in me since we met,” I told her. She seemed surprised by that.

“Gretchen wasn’t much older than your daughters when they met. We thought he would be interested in a younger woman,” she said before realizing what that sounded like.

“I meant no disrespect, but you aren’t very young. How old are you?” she asked.

“I’m forty-two,” I told her, and she appeared to be shocked again.

“Gretchen passed away forty-two years ago. Is that a coincidence?” she asked before we noticed that Yuryi and Sigrid were watching us.

“Everything okay?” Yuryi asked, still looking at us.

“Yes, just fine,” Kristin told him. “Just a little girl talk,” she added with a smile.

We all joined my daughters at the table then, and I introduced the girls. They had been standing near the door previously. They even managed to look up from their cell phones when Sigrid and Kristin were introduced. Shortly after that, Helga and Ingrid emerged from the kitchen with our snacks. One carried a tray with coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. There was creamer, sugar, and lemon slices on the side with a number of cups and saucers. The hot chocolate was in glasses for the girls.

The other one carried an even larger tray loaded with several types of sandwiches and fruit. There were plates for the sandwiches and bowls for the fruit. They set the trays down on the table so we could serve ourselves with what we liked.

“Enjoy,” they said before returning to the kitchen.

“Everyone help yourself,” Yuryi told us. We each took a plate and looked at the stacks of sandwiches. There were several kinds. There were sliced chicken and cheese, ham and cheese, and a few just cheese sandwiches with two different kinds of cheese. The fruit consisted of apples, grapes, and plums. I wondered where they had gotten the grapes and plums this time of year.

Yuryi had his usual coffee, black with no cream or sugar, and had a second cup after eating. Sigrid and Kristin had tea with a little sugar, and I had my tea with a bit of lemon. It was very good tea, and I would need to learn what brand it was and what type. Yuryi had a suggestion after we had all finished.

“I believe that you ladies should go up to your rooms and get your things put away while it’s still light out. You never know when the electricity will go out this time of year,” he told us.

“Has it gone out much here?” I asked.

“Several times this year. The lines are more vulnerable out here in the country,” he told me.

“Don’t you have a generator?” Julia asked.

“Yes, we do, but it isn’t a whole house generator. It keeps the refrigerator and the freezer running and the heating system. The lights in a few rooms are on the system also, but not every room is on the system. That’s why we have battery lights and kerosene lamps,” he told us.

“We’ll go talk to Helga and Ingrid while you are busy,” Sigrid told us, as she and Kristin left for the kitchen.

“I’ll escort you ladies upstairs, and we’ll see what rooms Olaf has put your things in,” Yuryi told us. We all followed him upstairs. The grand staircase emerged onto a hallway that ran most of the length of the house. There were doors all along it. Most of them were closed, but two were open part way down the hall.

“It appears that Olaf has put each of you young ladies in a separate room. They are connected by the bath that they share. If you would rather sleep in the same room, that’s fine,” Yuryi told the girls. They looked at each other before saying anything.

“We’ll see,” Ilene told him, before they went in to check the rooms.

“Your room is back the other way,” he told me, and I followed him back up the hallway to another open door. On entering the room, I was truly amazed. The bedroom was large ... very large with a more than king size bed, several chests of drawers, a vanity and a hope-chest. There was also a separate sitting room with its own fireplace and comfortable-looking chairs, a book case and a mechanical clock on the wall that would strike the hour, and as I learned later, the quarter hour.

On the other side of the room was the master bath. There were closets on the short hallway to the bath for hanging clothing in, one on each side of the hall. The bath itself had double sinks in a large cabinet with drawers and a large mirror above them. There was also a toilet and a bidet, a tub large enough for at least two, and a glass enclosed shower large enough for several people at the same time.

“My God, Yuryi! It’s like a separate apartment here in the house,” I told him after looking around. Actually, it looked like a woman’s apartment from the colors and the way things fit together.

“Gretchen designed this, didn’t she?” I asked following this.

“Yes, she was the one who saw to the colors of everything in the house from the wallpaper, to the rugs, and even the woodwork and the ceiling trim,” he told me.

“She had excellent taste,” I told him, but he changed the conversation, and it was some time before I realized why. He was uncomfortable talking about her.

“Her closet and her chest and vanity are all empty. I ... I couldn’t keep her things here after...,” and he just ran out of words and didn’t say anything for a short time.

“Yes, I understand. Are you sure that you want me to sleep in here with you?” I asked shortly.

“Yes ... it’s all right. If you’d rather not, there is another room connected to this one. It’s where the children slept when very young, and where she slept when they were infants and needed to nurse often,” he told me and led me to a door that I had missed. It went to an adjoining room that still held a bed, a crib, and other baby things. It hadn’t been used in a very long time.

“No, it’s alright. I’ll sleep in the main room with you, if that’s alright?” I told him.

“Yes, that’s fine. You should put your things away before we go down to dinner. You can shower or bathe before dinner, if you wish,” he told me.

My things from the store were sitting in the middle of the floor. I opened the bags and started getting things out.

“If you decide to stay, we can move your things from your apartment here when the streets and roads have been cleared,” he told me but continued. “Speaking of things being cleared, I’ll get in touch with a towing company that I know tomorrow and have them locate your car and tow it to wherever you want to have it repaired,” he told me.

“Do you think it’s worth it?” I asked.

“If nothing else, you can sell it after it’s repaired. The repair may be under warranty. I’ll need to check that for you,” he told me.

“Do I have time for a bath before dinner?” I asked.

“Yes, there is plenty of time. Shall I start the bath for you? The settings take a bit of time to become accustomed to them,” he explained.

“Yes, if you would,” I told him, as I gathered the underthings that I would need after bathing. On entering the bath, I was amazed. The tub had jets, water jets, around the sides and on both ends. The temperature of the water was just what I liked when I tested it with a hand, and Yuryi helped me into the tub after taking my soiled clothing to a hamper there in the bath.