“Oh…" she said with surprise, feeling a bit foolish, "I suppose… I guess I didn’t think you… I mean I didn’t realize…you know, Ashton is such a small town. I mean...you are...way up there… ” Stephanie was fumbling to find the right words. However, the harder she tried to get out of the embarrassing hole she had dug herself into, the deeper it got.
Armstrong seemed to understand her dilemma and chose to have a bit of pleasure from her obvious discomfort suggesting, “Believe it or not, way up here in the coal region we actually have such modern conveniences as running water, electricity and even flushing indoor toilets. Not to mention other amenities such as cable TV, cell phones, the Internet and yes, even caller ID.
"I'm so terribly sorry, Mr. Armstrong" Stephanie said when she heard the obvious sarcasm in his reply. She didn't mean to suggest Schuylkill County was akin to some sort of third-world country by any means, although she and many of her friends often did think of that part of the state as being a bit “behind the times”. The truth was she had not expected Armstrong to be in his office and was caught by surprise not only when he answered the phone, but also when he did so by using her name. She hoped the man had good sense of humor and had been simply offering the self-deprecating comment to break the ice. She couldn't be certain if she had genuinely offended the man by insulting his hometown but most definitely hoped she had not.
"You...you just caught me by surprise, is all," she said in a feeble attempt at explanation.
He replied, "No need to apologize, Mrs. Wright. I understand completely. You see, I have to admit I am actually a transplant to the area and not a native. I moved to Ashton some thirty years ago when I married my late wife, Margaret, and have been living here ever since. We met back when we were in college; she was born and raised in Ashton. After we moved here I realized there was something so inherently special about this area that I found very appealing and still do lo these many years later." He hesitated for a beat and said, "But then again, you didn’t call to hear my life story. No doubt you called regarding the inheritance you were bequeathed by my client, the late Mr. Emerson Charles Washburn."
For a moment, this statement also caught Stephanie by off guard. The document she had received listed the deceased man as Emerson C. Washburn. For some reason, she had never considered his middle name might have been Charles. Her older brother Chuck had been given the name Charles David Washburn. She wondered for a moment if Chuck's name might have come from the same family source as Washburn's middle name; perhaps an ancestor several generations removed. Once again, she found herself thinking and wondering about her genealogy and about a growing desire she was experiencing to do something sometime soon about tracking down her family history.
After a moment, Stephanie replied distractedly, “Um... Yes. That's exactly why I called. Sorry. I am a bit confused by all of this…you see…well, I have never inherited anything before…and I didn’t even know this Emerson Washburn existed… I guess it's just that I have so many questions...and absolutely no idea where to begin.”
“Not a problem at all, Mrs. Wright.” He said, “That's why I am here. If I do my job correctly, and I always do, I should be able to make all of this flow smoothly for you. I suppose the first thing we need to do is to get you and your husband up here to get started on the paperwork at your earliest convenience."
Stephanie held the phone against her chest and said to Jason, “He wants us to get started on the paperwork for the estate as soon as possible.” Armstrong was able to understand everything she was saying though it sounded a bit muffled yet nonetheless still audible. He heard Jason say, “Tell him we can come up tomorrow morning if he would like us to.” Then he heard Stephanie reply, “I can’t ask him that… He may not work on Saturday.”
Then she spoke into the cell phone again, “Mr. Armstrong?”
“Please Mrs. Wright. Call me Mason,” the attorney corrected.
“Very well.” She said, “Then you can call me Stephanie, and my husband's name is Jason. Um…well…we were wondering if tomorrow would be too soon for us to stop up to see you…that is…if you work on Saturday.”
The lawyer replied, “That’s not a problem at all. In fact, I was hoping you might be available tomorrow sometime. I set my own hours, and to be honest I am generally in the office on a Saturday morning catching up on paperwork almost every weekend. So if you both would like to stop by tomorrow that would be perfectly fine with me. What time can I expect you?”
Again, he heard the phone being muffled against her shirt as said asked her husband, “What time can we be up there tomorrow morning?”
“Ask him if eleven is a good time. It takes about an hour or so to get up there so we should be able to have everyone awake, dressed and ready to go by nine forty-five,” Jason quickly calculated.
Stephanie asked, “Mr. Armstr…I mean Mason. Would eleven o’clock be a good time or would some other time work better for you?”
“Eleven o’clock will be just fine. That will allow me to sleep in tomorrow then head down to the office after a brief stop at Maggie’s for a hearty breakfast.”
At first Stephanie wondered if perhaps Maggie might be a lady friend of Armstrong's, then she recalled something Jason had once told here. There was a small eatery at the top end of Ashton called Maggie's Restaurant, which he described as a quaint local gathering place; especially known for their breakfast menu.
“By the way," she mentioned, "we will have to bring our kids along with us. I hope that will not be a problem.”
The lawyer replied, “Absolutely no problem whatsoever. On the contrary, I was hoping you would bring them along. After we take care of all the legal paperwork, I plan to take you all out to show you around the Washburn property, which will shortly become your property. I think it would be great if your kids could see it as well.”
“Property?” Stephanie asked. “Oh, yes, the farm. What does it look like?”
“Well, I prefer not to get into too much detail over the phone, as there are a number of things we will need to discuss first tomorrow. However, I don't think it would hurt to give you a little tidbit to whet your appetite. What I was referring to was the Washburn family homestead. It is about a forty-acre or better farmette with buildings built by your great grandparents about a hundred years ago. When Emerson took ownership of the property, he put a lot of money into it and remodeled the living quarters as well as all of the out buildings. It is quite impressive and although I can’t wait to show it to you, I really don’t want to spoil the effect by telling you too much over the phone. But please allow me to simply say you will be quite surprised and pleased by your inheritance. I hope you will be kind enough to humor me on this. Let’s just save any more discussion on this subject until tomorrow when you all arrive.”
Stephanie said slightly stunned, “Alright then. We’ll see you tomorrow morning at eleven at your office. Is there anything special we need to bring along with us?"
The lawyer replied, "No, not really; perhaps just your driver's license and birth certificate for official proof of your identity. But honestly, all you have to do is show up, and we should be able to get our paperwork completed by noon. I would offer to buy you lunch, but I have another appointment at three o'clock and have to get you out to the property and back before then. Besides, I assume with three young children you will likely be stopping for fast food on the way here. Lord knows I have used a similar tactic many years ago on long trips with my own kids."
Stephanie saw Jason leave the kitchen, she assumed to check on the children in the living room. Things had become quiet in the room and the only thing parents feared more than kids noisily misbehaving and getting into trouble was when they were quiet. When there was no noise, there was likely real trouble brewing.
"But I will make a deal with you," he insisted. "After we finish our business, you and your family can take an hour or so to become familiar with the area. I will have a set of complimentary tickets to Ashton's main tourist attraction here
for you. We have a steam train ride, a coalmine tour and a state run coal museum. I think you and your family will enjoy all three; especially the mine tour. Then when you are finished, if you would consider staying around a bit longer, I will be more than happy to take you and your family out to dinner at one of our local dining establishments."
"Thank you very much, Mr. Arms.., I mean Mason. I greatly appreciate it. I think the mine tour is a great idea. And coincidentally, I was thinking about that very tourist attraction earlier this morning. It's almost like you were able to read my mind," Stephanie said quietly, not wanting the kids to hear. Then she experienced a strange unsettling feeling not unlike the one she had when Armstrong answered the phone earlier, calling her by name. She realized how ridiculous the thought was. There was no way this small town lawyer could be able to read her mind or even know of her interest in the Miner's Tunnel.
It had to have been simply coincidence. After all, she was quite certain the mine, the train and the coal museum, all located within a few hundred feet of each other were not only Ashton's main attractions but also likely the town's only attractions. The more she thought about it the more she realized it was all simply coincidence.
Then she became conscious of the fact that Armstrong's offer for dinner was one she had to decline. She apologized and told the lawyer, "Unfortunately, we will have to pass on the dinner invitation, as I'm certain the baby will be ready for a nap after the long day and will likely be getting cranky around dinner time. In fact, I suspect all three kids will likely sleep on the way home, as I suppose I will too."
"Not a problem at all," the lawyer replied. "Whatever works best for you and your family is fine with me."
Stephanie said, "Thanks again. But come to think of it, maybe we should be buying you dinner sometime since we are the ones getting the inheritance."
"That is certainly a generous offer," Armstrong said, "but keep in mind that I'm not only a lawyer but also a businessman and I have been well compensated for carrying out the wishes of your late uncle, my client. And I'm always looking for the next potential client. Since I hope you will consider hiring me to continue to handle your legal needs in the future, the least I can do is to attempt to make a positive impression on you and your family."
"Well, if it's any consolation," she replied, "you already have made a very fine impression. So we'll see you tomorrow morning then."
"Oh by the way," the lawyer suggested, "Please, remember to dress casually. You know, feel free to wear jeans and sneakers or comfortable shoes. We will likely be walking around out at the farmette and dress shoes won't cut it once we get off the walkways to look about the property."
"Farmette." Stephanie tossed the word around in her head. She thought about the rolling fields of Western Berks County and wondered if such land existed in Schuylkill County. Although she had not considered it before, she suddenly realized it must. After all, it was only fifty or so miles north and the area couldn't all be small towns and coal dirt. There had to be the possibility of at least some outlying rural farm area.
She always wanted to own a nice single home on a small piece of farmland, but realized she and Jason might never be able to afford such a dream. Yet, here was one literally being handed to her free of charge. When she first read the letter, she had envisioned the property as perhaps being run-down and in total disrepair, but now she thought about how Armstrong had mentioned the buildings had been refurbished. Then she recalled how he had also said it had been her family homestead built by her great-grandparents.
Suddenly the urge to learn more about her ancestry once again seemed to pop into the forefront of her mind. As she had just told Jason, she believed things in life happen for a reason and now she was beginning to wonder if all of the situations which had occurred that day and been some sort of serendipitous cosmic assemblage, the sum total of which was pointing her and her family in the direction of Schuylkill County; more specifically in the direction of Ashton and her family's past. First, she had received the notification of the inheritance, and then Jason learned of his job loss and potential promotion, which meant transferring to the Ashton facility. Then she learned from the attorney that the property in question was a farmette of over forty acres just outside of Ashton.
She had immediately thought of its potential resale value until she learned it had been her own family homestead. Suddenly resale was no longer the main thing on her mind. Learning more about the property was. Then finally Armstrong had explained how the property had been completely remodeled under the direction of Emerson Washburn. Stephanie realized the property apparently was not the rundown disaster she had feared it might be; instead, it was likely a nice and livable little piece of real estate. "Livable?" Stephanie questioned in her mind, "Where had that idea come from?" Up until a few moments earlier, she never would have considered entertaining the idea of actually moving north and living on the property. But now...
For the first time Stephanie was seriously thinking about the possibility, she might actually be willing to consider relocating her family to Schuylkill County. She of course understood such an idea was extremely premature, as she had not even seen the property. Yet it was as if a switch had suddenly been turned on inside her mind and an idea, which was once something inconceivable suddenly had some appeal to it.
“Mrs. Wright? Stephanie?” Armstrong called through the cell phone, “Are you still there?”
Startled back to reality, Stephanie said “Um…yes…sorry. I’m just a bit distracted…and as I said earlier, this is all so much for me to absorb.”
He replied, “Not to worry, Stephanie. I promise I will do everything I can to help you and your family deal with this. I would suggest you forget about it for now and get a good night’s sleep. Then we can take care of everything tomorrow.”
Jason walked back into the kitchen giving her the OK sign with his right thumb and index finger. He wanted her to know the children weren't killing each other in the other room nor where they destroying the house. Stephanie nodded back at him in unspoken understanding.
“Ok…you’re probably right,” she said into the phone. “We’ll see you tomorrow morning. Thank you again, and good bye.”
When Stephanie pressed the call end button, Jason could see she seemed to have a distant, slightly confused expression. “What did he say?” Jason asked with some urgency “What did he tell you?”
After a moment, she replied. “Well…he wouldn’t tell me much… he wants to save it ‘till we meet with him tomorrow in person… but we already know there is a substantial amount of land and some buildings as well.”
“Wow!” Jason said. “Ca-ching! That’s great to hear. Land always maintains it value, so it has to be worth a good deal of money; especially with a farmhouse and other buildings. This is almost too good to be true.”
She interrupted, “There’s more. He told me the property was actually built by my great-grand parents back in the early part of the twentieth century. It's our original family homestead. How strange. It's only an hour or so away and yet, I never knew anything about it. That place represents my family's past, my history.”
Jason was caught by surprise, realizing the significance of what Stephanie had just said. The property was now suddenly more than some unseen piece of real estate to be randomly discarded and sold for a profit. It had instantly been transformed into a significant part of Stephanie’s family history. Neither of them had known much about their ancestry. Jason had never realized something until that very moment, but a void existed in both of their lives, a lineage about which they were for the most part, ignorant. Although neither he nor Stephanie had discussed her recent desire to learn more in that regard, he was suddenly wondering if he should find some time to start researching his own family history as well. It was an unusual thought for him to have, one he had never even considered before, yet here he was suddenly thinking seriously about it.
Jason wasn't sure what was causing him to have such a sudden interest. Maybe it
was because he and Stephanie had created a new family, blending two families and then adding a new member to the mix. Since Sammy had heritage on both sides of their families, it suddenly seemed more important that Jason know more as well.
Then he heard Stephanie say distantly as if being perceived in a dream, “And that’s pretty much all he would tell me over the phone. He said anything else would have to wait until tomorrow morning."
“Um… well…” Jason said coming back from his distant thoughts, having not actually heard everything his wife had said, “I guess… we had better say something to the kids, since we will be coming along with us tomorrow.”
Stephanie replied, “Yes, it’s much too late to try to find a sitter to stay with them so I suppose since we’re taking them we should let them know." She was already preparing herself for the complaining she would surely hear. "But I was thinking. Maybe we should just explain that we have to travel north for some business tomorrow. We could tell them we are going to stop for some fast food and goodies along the way, but not mention anything else. The last thing we need is for them to get all wired and excited imagining we may have inherited untold riches. They would never get to sleep.”
Stephanie finished cleaning up the kitchen while Jason went into to further monitor the kids' activities while getting some work done on his computer. Every few minutes she could hear him saying something like "No, Sammy,” “Don't touch that, Sammy,” or “Here's your favorite toy, Sammy." She was grateful he had gone in to take over watching the herd so she could start to relax her mind.
About 8:30 that night Stephanie entered the living room and told the two older kids they were all going away on a day trip the next day and they had to get showers so they would be clean and presentable in the morning. She told Cindy to go first since she was the younger of the two and because she took the longest. Trying to stall she asked, "Where are we going tomorrow and what are we doing?"
Fallen Stones Page 10
