Love's Legacy

LOVE’S LEGACY

By

Nancy-Lee Noell

“Ummm, Th-thanks.” The scent of carnations and lilies clogged my lungs and my heart hammered as I hung up the phone and just stared at it. I grabbed the counter as the room took a slow turn around me.

Ruiz came in from the back of the shop. “Maggie, was that the order for the Rodriguez wedding? Maggie, what’s wrong, you look so pale?”

It took me a minute to gather my thoughts. “Remember Ruiz, last month when I got that letter from a lawyer in Seattle.”

“Si, he said you inherited something from a total stranger.”

“Well, I didn’t tell you and Maria everything when I came back from Seattle because it was all so weird.”

Ruiz gave me his fatherly expression, “You look like you have bad news. Let’s close the shop early and go home, Maria will have dinner ready and she always cooks enough to feed an army.”

I went up to my studio apartment above the flower shop to grab my purse and the black book from my bedside table that I had gotten from the lawyer the month before.

Ten minutes later we were walking into Maria’s kitchen. It smelled like frijoles and enchiladas. My stomach did a joyful leap because nobody makes enchiladas like Maria. The colorful kitchen looked as bright and beautiful as one of Maria’s flower arrangements. Since my parents died two years ago this has been home, and to think I never told them the details of my visit to that lawyer and the strange will.

“Maggie, you are so pale, come sit, dinner is almost ready.”

“Maria,” Ruiz put his hand on Maria’s shoulder. “Maggie got a call from that lawyer in Seattle, she needs to talk.”

Ruiz got 3 beers out and we sat at the kitchen table while Maria put dinner on hold. After a long swig of beer, I looked at Ruiz and Maria. “Last month I didn’t tell you everything about the visit to that lawyer in Seattle because I thought it was nothing, but now I need to tell someone.”

I took another drink of my beer for courage.

“When I got to the lawyer’s office he told me a man named Seamus Flynn had left me something in his will.”

“Who is this Flynn?” Ruiz asked.

“Shush, Papi, let Maggie talk,” Maria said as she picked up her beer.

“Seamus Flynn left a package with the law firm over 50 years ago with instructions that upon his death they were to contact my Great Grandmother Bridget O’Shay Daley’s daughter or her nearest female relative. Mr. Flynn died 6 months ago at the age of 102 and it’s taken them this long to find me.”

I took another swig of beer. “In the package was this black book. The front half of the book is filled with drawings. Seamus Flynn was some kind of an inventor. Towards the back is a dated entry written by Seamus Flynn. I opened up the book.

January 12, 1971

Today I buried my Rosie. She was a good wife, helpmate and an amazing mother, but she was not the love of my life. Rosie knew when she married me that my heart would always belong to another, and she loved me anyway.

Bridget O’Shay was the love of my life. We met when she was 19 and I was 24. Her eyes were deep blue like sapphires, her skin white and soft as rose petals and her hair was black as a moonless night. We met innocently at a park in Seattle and my heart was lost at first sight of her.

We would meet as often as we could to walk and talk and take pleasure in each other’s company. No one ever understood me like my Bridget.

After only 3 months I knew she was to be my wife. I went round to her house to speak with her father. I introduced myself to James O’Shay and told him I

wanted to marry his daughter.

The man’s face turned red as a beet and he screamed in my face that no daughter of his would marry a lying cheating Flynn. I tried to reason with the man but he’d have none of it and threw me out of his house.

Apparently, back in the old country Flynn’s and O’Shay’s didn’t get on. But that was no matter, I was determined to marry Bridget anyway.

We sent secret messages to each other and arranged to elope the very next Friday. When I arrived at out rendezvous who should be there but James O’Shay with two police officers. He had me arrested on the spot and thrown in jail.

When I was released three days later I found out that he had married Bridget off to his employee Thomas Daley. Then he put them on a train for San Francisco to look after his business interests there.

My heart was broken and eight months later it was crushed entirely when I received news that Bridget had died giving birth to our daughter. A child I would never meet, never hold, never sing lullaby’s to.

I only hope that someday this book finds its way to our daughter or granddaughter, that they may know the love I had for Bridget.”

When I finished reading I looked at Maria and she was wiping away tears with the corner of her apron. “Fathers can be so cruel,” she said.

“Achh, Fathers try to do only what is best for their children,” Ruiz said as he drank more beer.

“So,” I continued, “I’m the only female living heir of Bridget O’Shay Daley and Seamus Flynn.

“While the lawyer and I were talking I dropped the black book and some papers fell out of the back of it. I picked them up and unfolded them, they were stock certificates for a company named Acme Tool & Die. Each certificate was for 10 shares of stock.”

“Is the stock worth anything?” Ruiz asked.

“The lawyer wasn’t sure but said he could look into it for me. According to the will all fees would be paid by the estate so I said sure. Well, the call today was from the lawyer with the information he had gathered. The company that issued the stocks went out of business in the 40’s but another company, Whitney Air, bought them out. The stock certificates were given to Seamus as payment for several inventions he made while working for Acme. But, the lawyer said the stock certificates were honored by the company that bought Acme. So, the stock is worth $20,000.00.”

“Madre de Dios,” Maria whispered.

“Exactly,” I said finishing my beer.

“So this money is yours?” Ruiz asked.

“Yes, and the taxes on it are being paid by the estate so I get the whole $20,000.”

Maria jumped up and ran around the table to hug me while Ruiz smiled and patted my arm.

“We should celebrate; I’ll get a bottle of wine” Ruiz said as he got up from his chair. “Then you can tell us what you are going to do with your new found wealth.”

When we were all settled with a glass of wine I looked at Ruiz and Maria. They were like parents to me since my own mother and father died two years ago in a car accident.

“I’m going to be 23 next month, it’s probably time I did something with my life. So, I was wondering if you guys were still looking for a partner in the flower shop so we can grow it bigger?”

“Ieeeeeee!!” Marie squealed.

Ruiz grabbed me in a hug, “you are like a daughter to us, I could not wish for a better partner.”

“Thank you Seamus Flynn, and may he meet your Great-grandmother in heaven and be together at last.” Maria said as she pulled me into a hug.