Chapter 9 #2
“Then you know how exhilarating it can be.” Kiko shook her hair back in the breeze. As the two women continued walking, Kiko continued her story.
“My grandmother spoke of her time here with fondness, but beyond that, she was vague. She described the beautiful gardens, especially the greenhouse, but didn’t talk about her patients.
She described Amelia and her fortitude and mentioned how the war impacted even her.
Especially since she and her husband had been through wars in Europe.
The way Hana described Amelia’s evolving symptoms, today we might assume she had PTSD. ”
Or the beginning of her Alzheimer’s disease , Ivy thought. Or both. After all this time, she was still discovering Amelia Erickson’s complex past.
“What made you come now?” Tentatively, Ivy added, “Poppy mentioned something…”
Kiko laughed. “When I checked in, Poppy asked me why I chose the inn. Without thinking, I told her a psychic sent me. That probably sounds a little eccentric.”
“Not at all. We’re accustomed to all sorts of stories around here.”
Kiko’s mouth curved into a smile. “Here’s what happened.
After my grandmother died, I was sorting through her belongings when I found a letter she’d addressed to me.
And this gold pendant with her initials engraved on it.
She’d always worn it. She enclosed it in the envelope with her letter.
” She paused to touch the necklace she wore.
“In the letter, she enclosed a sprig of pressed jasmine and wrote, ‘Go back to Las Brisas for me. Visit the greenhouse. You’ll know why.’ She had also tucked some money inside for the trip, which I found so sweet.
She really wanted me to come here. But I had no idea what that meant, beyond the actual instruction.
Nor did my mother or any of her friends. ”
“That’s unusual.” Ivy was intrigued.
She secretly loved hearing these stories. Not that she pressed her guests for information, but she enjoyed listening when they wanted to talk. Confiding in a stranger they might never see again seemed to lighten her guests’ mental load.
Grinning, Kiko splashed in a wave. “Before you say anything, I’m a very practical woman.
I’m a trained graphic designer, and I grew up navigating my way around San Francisco.
But I had no clue about my grandmother’s message.
So when my best friend suggested this woman, I thought, why not?
On a Saturday morning, fueled with the courage of Bloody Marys, we decided to visit. ”
Ivy’s skin prickled. “And she said to come here?”
“More or less. Madame Leonie’s words sounded like what my grandmother had written in the note. Almost word for word, without my having told her anything. She told me my grandmother urged me to visit a house by the sea. I was to find a house of nature, and I would find my purpose there.”
“That’s a little uncanny,” Ivy agreed. “You think she meant the greenhouse?”
She spread her hands. “What else? I needed a break from the city anyway. I love that I have a skill, but I don’t always love what I do, if that makes sense. At the last minute, my friend had to work, so I came on my own. She’s dying to hear what happens, so I have to go through with this now.”
“Then I guess you need to look inside the greenhouse,” Ivy said.
Kiko laughed. “It’s not a treasure hunt.
I believe I’m looking for inspiration. About a year ago, I broke up with my boyfriend when I realized we weren’t a good fit.
I need a fresh start. I want more from life, but I’m not sure what.
I feel I have a destiny, but it’s just beyond my reach. Have you ever felt that?”
Ivy agreed as Kiko bared her soul, appreciating the other woman’s trust in her. “Many of us have those feelings, but not everyone searches. Fear holds people back. I had that fear once; I still do. Yet, despite that feeling, we’ve got to step out and embrace life.”
Immediately, she thought of her parents, living their best life.
Kiko’s eyes widened with surprise. “That sounds like what my grandmother Hana used to say. She encouraged me to do and be whatever I wanted. She raised my mother on her own, supposedly after her husband died in the war. However, we’d never been able to find out much about him.
It was only later that Hana admitted a marriage had never occurred.
So many people lost spouses in the war that no one questioned her.
Everyone accepted that she was a young widow. ”
“Did Hana explain what had happened?”
“She refused to speak of it. Not to my mother, and not to me. To have a child out of wedlock was considered shameful, so Hana did what she could to protect my mother. We understood. To bring back painful memories would have been very distressing for her.”
They left the beach and stepped onto the back patio, rinsing sand from their feet at the outdoor shower stand Ivy had recently installed.
Ivy angled her head toward the greenhouse. “You’re free to explore the old place. I’ll let Shelly know you’ll be looking around in there.”
“From here, it looks just as my grandmother described it,” Kiko said, pausing to look at the old structure. “At night the moon came through the glass, and it looked like—” She stopped.
“A magical garden,” Ivy said quietly.
Kiko turned. “How did you know that?”
“Because that’s what it looks like from my balcony. Do you want to look inside now?”
Kiko stood rooted to her spot. “Not yet. Maybe this afternoon. I don’t want to rush it, is all.”
“You want to feel pulled there.”
Kiko dipped her chin. “I’m glad you understand.”
“More than you know,” Ivy said. “Take your time. What will you do today?”
Kiko was quiet for a moment. “I think I’ll go to Java Beach to try the best coffee in town.”
“Be sure to ask for Mitch and tell him you’re from the inn. He’ll take good care of you.”
“I will. And maybe that’s where I’ll find my inspiration,” she added with a laugh.
As Ivy climbed the stairs to her apartment, she watched Kiko make her way back to her room. She paused to glance back at the greenhouse once more.