It's Just Lola (55 page)

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I tried
but
you told me you didn’t want to be involved.  You said stocks were men’s work and told me not to mention it again.”

Juana sipped her tea in silence for several minutes.  Lola gave her time to think.  Lola still had hope that Juana would let Charlie know how serious this was so they could avoid the lawsuit.

“Does this mean you won’t let Charlotte come with me?”

“Didn’t you hear me say that I
am
going to sue your husband?”

Juana wave
d the words away
.  “That’s business.  I don’t
understand
what stocks really are.  All I know is that Charlie says they’re making us more money than the silver mines.”
 

“Does she want to go?”
 

“I didn’t ask her. 
You’re her mother,
I
just asked you
.”

Lola wanted more than anything to say no.
“
Charlotte’s
older than I was when I left home. 
S
he’s old enough to make up her own mind.
I love her very much, but
i
f she wants to go, I won’t stand in her way. 
But i
f she doesn’t want to go, I hope you won’t
try to pressure her
.
”

“If you think she’s old enough to make the decision, I’ll accept her decision.  Let’s call her in and talk to her.”
 

Charlotte was beside herself with excitement when she learned that Juana wanted to take her to South America.  “Can I visit the plantation where you
and Mama
grew up?  And see the silver mine in Ecuador?  Will I get to ride a horse?”  There was no doubt what would happen. 
Lola
poured another cup of tea to hide the tears that filled her eyes as Juana answered Charlotte’s questions.

“How long will we stay?  Will
we
be gone all summer?”

Juana gently stopped the flood of questions.  “Charlotte, we’re going home.  That’s where we’ll live.”

“You mean forever?” 

“
Probably
.”

“Oh, Auntie, I couldn’t possibly go forever.  I couldn’t leave my mother forever.  And I’m in high school, and then there’ll be college.  I
’m sorry, I
couldn’t go forever.”

 
Lola thought she’d never been happier. 
When the stock market crashed
a
month later,
she
barely noticed, until
she
got the letter from
the lawyer advising her to drop the
action against Charlie
in view of the current value of her stocks
. 

Lola had a moment of sadness, mourning the loss of what might have been.  Then her thoughts turned to Juana.  Juana had never lived poor.  Lola hoped she could cope.

“How’s my beautiful wife?” asked Sam as he came through the
front
door.

“I’m just fine,”
said
Lola.  “Now that you’re home, I’m better than fine.”  She threw her arms around his neck and pulled his face down for a heartfelt kiss.
  “Did I ever tell you that I’d rather have you than all the money in the world?”

L
ola finally achieved a life of peace and security with Sam.  The remainder of her long life was happily unremarkable.  She was beset by the normal heartaches of mothers everywhere.  She suffered with her girls as their early attempts at marriage were less than successful.  She suffered the tortures of mothers everywhere whose sons are exposed to the horrors of war—Herman served in World War II, and Donald served in Korea.  Thankfully, both boys returned intact.  In short, her major
joys
and sorrows became those of every mother
pleased with
the
thrills
of her offspring and griev
ed by
their sorrows.  Through it all she was supported by Sam and his constant love.  This life-long Quaker even tried to please his wife with his final breaths by asking a Catholic priest for last rites.

All of Lola’s children embodied her ideals that family is the highest priority.  She gave them a good moral foundation and a work ethic that saw them all achieve lives of solid comfort, despite a somewhat rocky start.

~ ~ ~

By the time I met Lola, she had outgrown her youthful beauty, but she still had her sweet nature and boundless love.  Sam, who was the only grandfather I ever knew, wore bright red suspenders and had a scratchy face.  He still worked for the Union Pacific Railroad and only shaved on Sundays.  I remember Grandmother’s room smelled of roses and talcum powder, and Grandfather’s room smelled of cigars.  I never
thought of my
Grandmother
as someone who
had once been young and beautiful.

It was only when I was sitting by my 95-year-old mother’s hospital bed that the tale began to unfold.  I pieced together the stories I remembered from my grandmother and my aunts with my mother’s narrative during the three-day talk in the hospital.  There were many blank spaces, and no one who could fill them for me.  Those blanks were filled with fiction.

Today I see the sunlight glint off the small sapphire ring I have put on for the occasion, and I am filled with awe and wonder as I look back on Lola’s amazing life.