The herbalist - Short story - chapter 3

Image source

The dinner that Susan prepared was superb and everyone was impressed with her again. Ted announced that they would be hosting a banquet at the firm and they wanted Susan to do the catering. Susan was quite surprised at the suggestion and gladly accepted the offer.  She had no idea what changed his mind, but she was nearly certain it had something to do with the old lady's herbs. She went to bed with a song in her heart and couldn't wait to go and visit the old lady the next morning.  

Susan got up early to bake some scones to take with her to the old lady's house. It was just after nine when she stopped in front of the little cottage. The cottage once again made quite an impression on her.  It felt magical, and when she opened the gate, she saw the old lady peeking through the window.  She waved at her and the old lady opened the door.  

They greeted each other like old friends, and Susan followed her into the kitchen.  They had the most amazing tea that Susan had ever tasted and ate the scones with some delicious jam and cream. 

They sat chatting for a while at the kitchen table and the old lady introduced herself as Mrs. Brown. She was a widow, and she had no children. Susan was more interested in the greenhouse, and after tea they walked outside. 

Much to her surprise the beautiful flower was now standing in the other corner.  Mrs Brown just smiled when she asked her about it, and started showing her new herbs that she had never heard of.  The herbs had some extraordinary names. There was the herb of persuasion, the herb of entrancement, and the herb of excitement. 

Mrs Brown made her smell each of these herbs, and gave her a little seed to plant for each kind of herb. For the above-mentioned herbs, Mrs Brown gave her a little plant of each so that she could use it in her cooking. Each time Susan smelled the leaves, she became more and more relaxed and excited.  

For the next week, Susan spent half of the day with Mrs Brown, learning about the different herbs. One evening when she asked Ted if they could build a greenhouse, he said yes, before she even finished talking. Something was changing and she had no idea what it was, but it was wonderful and seemed magical. 

Susan was no longer bored and even Ted seemed much more open to some ideas than he ever was before. Susan spent as much time with Mrs Brown as possible. She was intrigued by everything she had learned. 

One day Mrs Brown seemed more tired than usual. Susan wanted to take her to the doctor, but Mrs Brown refused.  She just drank some of her special herb tea and looked instantly better. By this time, Susan's greenhouse was well established, and it nearly looked like a copy of Mrs Brown's greenhouse.

She invited Mrs Brown over for tea, and Mrs Brown was ecstatic when she saw the greenhouse. 

"I knew you were the one when I saw you in the shop." was all Mrs Brown said when she climbed into the cab to take her home. 

Susan had an eerie feeling when the cab drove away. She had a faint feeling that it would be the last time that she ever saw Mrs Brown. She was worried and  phoned a bit later, but there was no answer. She had a dinner to prepare and decided to go and check in on Mrs Brown the next morning. 

It was just after five when the doorbell rang.  Susan thought that it was guests arriving early, but when she opened the door,  the magical and beautiful plant was standing right in front of the door.  She carefully picked it up and saw that there was a note attached.  

This is a miracle flower. It will bring you happiness and strength. Look after it wisely, and it will make all your dreams come true. With love to you...Mrs Brown.

Tears ran down her face as she read the words, and she knew that Mrs Brown was gone forever.  She placed the flower in the furthest corner of the greenhouse and closed the door behind her. 

She made herself a cup of Mrs Brown's magical tea, and she felt better instantly, and when the guests arrived Susan was her old self. 

The evening went much better than usual, and afterwards when they were lying in bed Ted said something that she would never forget in her life. 

"I've been thinking....perhaps it is time for us to have a baby."

She was overwhelmed, but tried not to show her excitement to Ted. All she could think about was the magical flower in her greenhouse.   

A few months later,  Susan drove over to Mrs Brown's house, but for some reason she couldn't find it. At first she thought she had take a wrong turn but when she retraced her steps she still couldn't find the house.  When she typed in the address on the GPS it gave an error of address not found.  

Susan drove away smiling, and rubbed her tummy. They had an appointment at eleven o clock at the gynecologist and she didn't want to be late for her first ultrasound. With a baby on the way, she was going to decline the offer for silent partnership.  Ted promised that he would open her own shop for her once the baby was old enough. 

The end