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With grey curling hair, homely cardigan around her shoulders and a blue checkered apron tied about her waist, Sarah felt like she had entered some kind of time warp when she first set eyes on Betty. The older lady seemingly had all the quintessential traits of the stereotypical grandmother.
Betty had warmly greeted Sarah and Jamie as she’d opened the door of the bed and breakfast to them, welcoming the pair into her home. Jamie had leaned down and dropped a kiss on Betty’s cheek, bringing a flush to the older lady’s face. Shooing him out the door soon after with assurances to Jamie that she would take good care of Sarah, he had waved a goodbye to both women promising Sarah he would work on her car as soon as he was able to in the morning.
Sarah had followed Betty though the house to a room where Betty had opened a door, admitting entrance into what would be her room for the night. Pressing a large old fashioned key into Sarah’s hand, Betty had also kindly offered her a bowl of soup as a late dinner. Having only eaten the granola bar earlier, Sarah’s stomach growled happily at the prospect of more food and she gratefully accepted the generous offer. Leaving her small bag in the room she turned and dutifully following Betty back down the hallway to a large dining area, where the older lady began peppering Sarah with questions about herself. Sarah had found herself offering only brief answers, instead turning the tables to ask Betty questions about the town. Betty had warmly enthused to the topic, telling Sarah about the local businesses and some of the people who lived in it.
As Sarah sat and enjoyed the hot, thick pumpkin soup she had been given, together with a buttery slice of crusty homemade bread, the older lady had continued to chat, attempting to engage Sarah further in conversation. For the most part Sarah found she could simply just listen and ask a question here or there as Betty spoke, explaining to her that she had made the soup herself from pumpkin that she grew in her own vegetable patch. Sarah smiled politely and made appreciative noises as she slurped her dinner. Soon after finishing and now replete, Sarah had made her apologies, stating that she was extremely tired after the long day and needed to rest for the night. Nodding her understanding Betty collected up the empty plates and had left Sarah to herself.
Grateful to have escaped from the dining room and into the solitary confines of her rented room Sarah sat on the edge of the bed, and smiled as she gazed about her. The room was simply furnished. A double bed rested with its headboard against one wall. Two small side tables sat either side of the bed, with an identical lamp sitting like sentries on each. Resting under each of the lamps was a crocheted doily that had the appearance of being homemade. Sarah wondered if Betty had created them herself like she had the soup. Gently running her hand over the cover that sat on top of the bed, Sarah could see that a few corners of the patchwork quilt didn’t quite meet perfectly. Definitely homemade, she thought as a warmth spread through her body at the thought of the time and love it would have taken someone to stitch it together. Once more she pondered if Betty was the creator of the handiwork.
Looking around the room further Sarah spied a large chest of draws that sat opposite the bed. On top of the drawers sat a small television with the remote control resting nearby. Next to the television was a round silver platter that seemed to hold an assortment of sachets including tea, coffee, hot chocolate and various sweeteners to enable guests to make their own hot drinks in the room. Four homemade cookies sat wrapped in plastic cello tied at the top with a decorative bow. Made by Betty herself again, no doubt, Sarah guessed with a small smile.
Two coasters sat underneath the two china cups located on the platter along with a small handwritten card indicating to guests that the coasters were to be used under any hot beverages made in the room. The silver platter itself was resting upon a much larger version of the crochet circles that were situated under the lamps. A small bar fridge sat on the floor next to the drawers. Looking inside Sarah found a small bottle of milk. Deciding a hot chocolate would be the perfect thing to enjoy while watching a bit of television before going to sleep for the night, she set about finding a kettle to boil water in. A door tucked on the opposite wall to the main door of the room led to a small, but functional, ensuite bathroom. Inside the small cupboard under the sink in the bathroom Sarah found the kettle nestled on one of the shelves.
Filling the kettle Sarah prepared a cup of hot chocolate for herself. Turning on one of the lamps, she extinguished the main light of the bedroom before carefully walking over to the bed with her hot chocolate and setting it down on one of the coasters on the bedside table. Taking her clothes off, so that she was just dressed in her singlet and panties, she snuggled down under the soft covers of the bed leaning her back against the headboard. Remote in one hand and hot chocolate in the other, she flicked through the channels of the television, selecting a romantic comedy that was already half way through. She had a soft spot for these particular types of movies, in which the two lead characters inevitably ended up together at the end of the film despite all the odds and then seemingly going on to live happily ever after.
Finishing off the last mouthful of her hot chocolate as the credits began to roll at the end of the film, she snuggled further down under the quilt. With limbs heavy indicating her tiredness, Sarah felt happy and comfortable. Placing the mug down on the side table next to the lamp, she used the remote to turn off the television, before extinguishing the lamp. It almost feels like what a home should be like, she thought as she drifted off to sleep.
***
Waking in the morning Sarah opened her eyes to the grey of the pre-dawn. As she swung her legs over the side of the bed she stretched and yawned. Placing her feet on the floor she took the few steps over to the curtains which had a crack where they met in the centre, allowing a glimpse and promise of the new day outside. Sliding the curtains further apart to see better Sarah gasped at the sight that beheld her.
What Sarah had been unable to see in the gloom the previous night was that Betty’s Bed and Breakfast was located on a street that sat higher than the majority of the township of Mount Kiernon, affording the house a sloping view down over the town and the houses surrounding it. Directly outside of the window Sarah could see what looked to be a wooden wrap around porch that beckoned people to come outside and enjoy its protection from the elements. Sarah recollected with a vagueness of stepping under the porch last night when Jamie had dropped her off at her lodgings. But it was what lay beyond the houses and the porch that had made Sarah gasp. In the distance she could see the calm waters of the ocean. Near enough that even in the dull grey of the dawn she could just make out the whites of the small waves as they crested in, but far enough away that there were at least a dozen streets on a gradual slope down through the town between where she was and the water’s edge.
From the muted pastel colours that were just beginning to appear on the horizon, it quickly became clear to Sarah the sun would rise over the water. Holy moly. Pulling apart the curtains further to get the best view possible of the sunrise, she was ecstatic to discover that what she had thought was a window behind the curtains was in fact a glass sliding door.
Eager to get outside to make the most of the approaching dawn and the view, Sarah hurriedly searched through her backpack and pulled out a pair of jeans and quickly pulled them on. Unlocking the glass door, she grimaced at the noise the door made as it slid along its tracks. She didn’t know where Betty’s bedroom was located within the house, but she hoped that the noise of the door wouldn’t wake her host.
Stepping over the threshold and outside the chill of the morning air tingled against Sarah’s skin. Glancing along the length of the porch she spotted a porch swing to the far left of the undercover area. To the right of where she stood sat two rocking chairs as if they had been placed there for this very moment. Sitting down in one, Sarah rocked herself gently as she watched the sky.
Slowly the sky became imbued with hues of pastel pink and purple as dawn began to introduce a brightness to the gloom of the grey, the sun itself seemingly just below the horizon. Sarah loved sunrises, and knew that the changes in the colour of the sky meant that the breaking of dawn was only moments away. Pulling her feet up onto the chair, her toes dipped off the edge slightly as her hands caressed the grains of the wood on the arms of the chair as she continued to gently rock back and forth.
Silently Sarah sat in wonder as the sun finally made its appearance over the horizon. No matter how many sunrises she had sat through, they had always captivated her. No matter how awful life was, no matter what problems were pressing, it was this particular moment of the day that always brought her calm. For her it was the promise of a new start with each and every day. ‘A morning’s sunrise does not define itself by last night’s sunset’ her Nan had always said to her. As she watched the sun finish its rise over the horizon and herald the new day, she was surprised to find her face wet with tears.
Maybe today would be her new beginning. Her new sunrise.