A Fresh Start
Adam’s death reveals his secrets, but it’s a gesture from someone close to him that steals Lucy’s heart
THE washing basket was full. Lucy had run out of mourning clothes and she’d need something appropriate for Adam’s funeral. Last year Lucy had been full of hope and optimism. She’d got a pay rise, passed her driving test and Adam had hinted at buying her a ring.
But that was last year. Lucy had been so happy then. Adam had been promoted and, although it meant more money, it also meant longer hours and trips abroad to secure foreign deals.
Then, one Sunday afternoon, they were out for a walk, a car lost control, mounted the pavement and pinned Adam to a tree. The paramedic said it was so quick he would have felt nothing. Ironically the driver walked away with nothing but a hangover.
Lucy sighed and reached for a tissue. The box was empty. How many had she got through this week? Her boss had been very understanding but sooner or later she’d have to face everyone – and return to work.
Her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen . . . Adam’s mom . . . again.
What did Lucy care if he had this song or that piece of music at his funeral? None of it would bring him back.
Eventually her phone stopped, but almost immediately it rang again.
“Yes, Jane, what is it?” Lucy snapped.
It was Adam’s mother, once more. “Just to say Phil will pick you up on Thursday at 11. We’ll see you at the crematorium. Unless you’d rather he came earlier and brought you here?” “Whatever,” Lucy said. “Eleven is fine.” Phil was Adam’s brother. He’d emigrated years ago. She’d only met him once before when Adam’s father died.
ADAM’S funeral was a blur, but at least it was over. It had been an awful shock to lose the man she loved, but even worse to discover, at his graveside, that he’d been living a double life. Another woman stood there, claiming to be his girlfriend.
Phil had called her a gold-digger who was just after Adam’s money. She did admit to knowing about Lucy.
Eventually Lucy returned to work, but without her smile.
She felt she had little to show for her 30 years. She’d not excelled at school but she’d never been unemployed. She’d never earned a fortune, but she was happy, and had friends.
Adam always worked long and unso
ciable hours, so Lucy had taken a second job, caring for the elderly. The additional money meant she could pay for driving lessons, not that she could afford a car. One step at a time, she’d told herself.
Of course, buying a car was the least of her worries now.
She didn’t think she’d ever be the same again. How could she ever trust anyone, or let them get close? And where was she going to live once the flat was sold? She wasn’t able to afford the repayments on her own.
Only today her boss, kind though he was, had suggested she either pull herself together or make a doctor’s appointment.
For six years she and Adam had been dating. In the early days she’d worked shifts and they could only see each other at weekends.
But then her hours changed and Adam bought a flat. He’d asked Lucy to move in with him, not that he was there much.
“Oh, Adam,” she cried as she patiently waited to get through to the surgery. The piped music, which presumably was meant to calm her, had also been playing as they welcomed guests at the funeral. Lucy could feel her blood pressure rising as she threw the phone across the room. It rang again, catching her unawares. She answered it before she realised it was Adam’s mother, Jane. This was the last thing she needed.
Adam had died without making a will. This meant the flat and all his possessions would automatically go to his next of kin – his mother. Surely she wouldn’t expect her to pack up and leave immediately?
“May I pop over this evening?” Jane asked. “I won’t stay long, I promise.”
They’d never been close. Jane had always been polite, but she saved her warmth and love for Adam.
Under different circumstances Lucy could have accepted this, but coming from an orphanage, she desperately wanted a mother.
LUCY was shocked at Jane’s appearance. She looked awful, as if she’d aged 10 years. Lucy didn’t remember her looking so ill at the funeral, but then Lucy had kept her head down for most of it.
For the first time Lucy realised she wasn’t the only person who was grieving for Adam. His mom’s heart was broken too. Somehow, his mother had found the strength to hold it together until he was buried. Perhaps she’d been in shock? Clearly now the loss was sinking in.
Jane wobbled and reached out to steady herself. “I feel so strange, so weak and light-headed.”
Jane collapsed into a nearby chair and Lucy rushed to fetch a glass of water.
When she returned Jane was struggling to breathe. Lucy wondered if it was an asthma attack. She knew her sort-of-mother-in-law carried an inhaler, but never used it. It had been a family joke that she was never able to find it in her bag, and it was probably long out of date.
Lucy rushed to the hallway where Jane had left her bag. She always chose large holdalls that carried everything but the kitchen sink. Jane was always searching around in her bag, unable to find what she was looking for.
Lucy noticed a letter in the bag, a large, official-looking envelope. Perhaps there had been a will after all? Maybe everything had been left to the stranger by the graveside?
It made her feel sick, but now she had to be strong and keep her head. She had to help Jane, to get her to breathe.
Lucy found the inhaler and passed it to Jane, speaking calmly and reassuringly. It made no difference. Jane was really struggling.
Lucy helped to loosen her clothing, but Jane’s arms were flying around. Her eyes were wide with panic.
It dawned on Lucy that something serious was going on here, and that she ought to call an ambulance. Maybe Jane was having a stroke or a heart attack? Could that be brought on by grief? Or by shock? From the reaction at the funeral, no one knew of Adam’s other life.
Often, at work, Lucy had attended first-aid courses and she’d once wanted to be a nurse. Now she remembered the importance of acting quickly, especially if it was a stroke, and immediately called for an ambulance.
PHIL, Adam’s brother, was still in the country, and met her at the hospital. The doctors would only speak to him because he was family. “Will she die?” Lucy asked. “She’s not out of danger yet. It was a stroke. You did well, acting so quickly,” Phil said. “We don’t know the outcome yet, but I know she’s strong.”
Phil was standing near the drinks machine and fed in some coins. Soon he handed Lucy some hot, sweet tea. “Was it before, or after?” he asked. Lucy nearly choked on the hot drink. All she could think about was the will in Jane’s bag. It would still be there when she returned to the flat.
Surely his will would leave everything to Jane. Or maybe he’d left it to Phil or to the other woman?
Lucy was confused. She wiped away a tear, buying time and trying to work out what was going on.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I just can’t think straight. First Adam and now your mom . . . it’s a shock. My head’s in a muddle.”
“But at least you know the flat’s yours, so there’s no need to worry. You’ll have a roof over your head. Mom was adamant about that.” “She was?” “Mom wanted to give you all the paperwork as soon as possible,” Phil continued. He smiled sympathetically and finished his drink. “She’s already spoken to the lawyer to get them to transfer the deed to you.” “Are you sure?” “Mom was horrified to learn how Adam’s treated you. Looking back, he often acted strangely, but none of us questioned him. We trusted him, and he’s let us all down. Mom says this is something she can put right.”
Lucy went pale and sank down into the waiting room chair.
“She thought the world of you, you know,” Phil continued. “I rang her every Sunday and without fail she’d sing your praises, saying you’d cooked this, or arranged that.” “I had no idea.” A doctor in a white coat approached them and asked Phil to step into a side room.
Lucy paced up and down but she’d already made her decision. Regardless of Jane’s prognosis, she’d care for her sort-of-mother-in-law.
They would grieve together, and gradually get to know each other, as they should have done years ago when Adam was still alive. Maybe it wasn’t too late to find a mother figure.
‘MOM SAYS THIS IS SOMETHING SHE CAN PUT RIGHT’
THOUGH the Ancient Egyptians lived in a desert area, the mighty Nile River provided enough water and fertile soil for them to prosper. Every year, the river would flood, leaving fertile silt (a fine deposit of mud) behind. This enabled farmers to cultivate enough crops – including wheat and barley – to feed everyone in the pharaoh’s domain. Most Egyptians who lived in small settlements were farmers. There were farmers in the cities too, as well as craftsmen, merchants and other workers and their families.
PLOUGHING AND SOWING
Ancient Egyptian farmers didn’t need heavy equipment to plough. The fertile silt left behind after the annual floods was soft and only needed to be lightly tilled using a wooden plough fixed to the horns of an ox. Often, the farmer would pull the plough himself or use a hoe to till the soil.
Seed was sown in the tilled soil. Once the crops started to grow, tax collectors showed up to calculate the value of the harvest and how much would go to the pharaoh (king) as taxes.
HARVESTS
Harvest time was from March to May. Long-stemmed plants such as wheat, barley and flax were cut with a scythe (a curved blade) and tied in bundles so they could be carried from the fields. Women and children followed behind the harvesters, picking up any fallen ears of wheat from the ground.
The farmers used oxen to trample the harvested wheat to free the grain from the ears. Then, the wheat was winnowed – thrown up in the air so the wind could separate the grain seeds from the chaff (husk), which was lighter and would be blown away.
Then the grain was ground by women using an oblong stone called a saddle quern and a smaller hand stone to make flour for bread.
Barley was used to brew beer. The Egyptians used the fibre of the flax plant to make rope or linen for clothing.
Other crops included onions, leeks, cauliflower, cucumber, beans, lentils, lettuce, melons, figs, pomegranate, dates and grapes. Fruit trees and flowers were planted in gardens. The olive tree was important because apart from eating the olives, oil could be produced for cooking and to light lamps. Plants were also used as medicine and in religious rituals.
The papyrus plant was valuable to the Ancient Egyptians. Though it grew wild on the banks of the Nile, papyrus was also cultivated. The roots of the plant could be eaten, while the bark was used in making boats, sandals, rope, carpets and most importantly, paper.
The Ancient Egyptian farmers kept animals such as oxen, goats, pigs, ducks and geese. In the Ptolemaic Period (332–30 BC), the Egyptians learnt from the Greeks to add chicken to their diet. The Egyptians kept bees for their honey (because they didn’t have cane sugar) and for beeswax, which had a variety of uses, such as face cream, adhesive for bandages and waterproofing for boats.
IRRIGATION
The Egyptians used the annual ebb and flow of the Nile to their advantage.
Farmers dug canals and built levees to keep the flood waters away from settlements and redirect them to the fields.
An ancient implement that was useful for irrigation was the shadoof. The crane-like tool consisted of an upright frame with a long pole or beam suspended on it. A bucket was suspended on one end of the pole and a counterweight on the other end. The Egyptians could use the shadoof to scoop water from the river or a well and transfer it to the canals and irrigation trenches to water their crops.
SEASONS OF THE NILE
In Ancient Egypt, agricultural activities were structured around the annual flooding of the Nile. The three seasons were:
SSSAkhet: The annual flood season (June to September) arrived after heavy summer rains in the Ethiopian Highlands. The Nile flooded its banks, covering the fields in 1 to 2m of water. During this time, no farming took place. Instead, farmers would work for the pharaoh building temples and pyramids. They also repaired their tools, tended to animals, fished or hunted in the desert to supplement their diet.
Peret: The growing season (October to February) followed when the water had receded, leaving behind the fertile black silt. That’s when farmers could plough the fields and sow crops. Shemu: The harvesting season (March to May) was when crops were harvested and seeds were collected for the next year’s planting. During this time, grain was stored in large silos and farmers prepared their canals and levees for the next flood.
ASWAN HIGH DAM
The Egyptian government built the Aswan High Dam in the Nile, about 800km south of the capital city of Cairo, to provide year-round irrigation and so increase crop production. The dam was completed in 1970 and has controlled the annual flooding ever since. The dam’s hydroelectric power plant generates a huge amount of electricity for the country.
Unfortunately the fertility of the soil has declined because there are no annual silt deposits anymore, so farmers have to use artificial fertiliser. The Nile River Valley and Delta aren’t receiving more silt, so they’re slowly eroding.
MODERN AGRICULTURE
Only about 3% of Egypt’s surface area is suitable for agriculture. These areas are still limited to the Nile River Valley and Delta, as well as a few oases. Despite this, agriculture is an important sector of the Egyptian economy, employing a quarter of the workforce.
Egypt’s main modern agricultural products are cotton, sugar cane, corn, rice, wheat, potatoes, fruit and vegetables. Due to a lack of natural grazing, livestock farming is dependent on imported feed. Oxen and water buffaloes serve as working animals, while sheep and goats provide milk and meat.
The Toshka Project is aimed at creating another river valley by making areas of the Western Desert (part of the Sahara) suitable for agriculture by building irrigation canals.