Mary dried her hands on a tea towel then stepped to the other side of the kitchen so she could look out the window to the road. An unfamiliar car was pulling up in the open area beside the cottage. Curious. Who it could be? Mary walked over to the side door and peered out at the car. The sun was on the other side of the trees and the light coming between the branches made it impossible to see inside the car. The driver's door opened and an elderly gentleman stepped out. How old was he? He was almost bald and his beard was nearly snow white. It was hard to tell. Mary had misjudged the age of people before, so she wouldn’t commit to anything. Besides, what was old exactly? Here was a man still driving so he couldn't be a cripple or senile.
Pushing the screen door, Mary stepped out on the stoop and held one hand up over her eyes. "May I help you?"
The man looked up at her. "Oh, hello." He took a few steps toward her. "I'm sorry to trouble you. I had no idea if anybody would be here or not." He looked up at Mary squinting. "My name is Robert Kent. I used to rent this cottage many years ago. I was passing by and thought to take a peek at the place. I didn't mean to disturb anybody."
"No problem." Mary still held her hand over her eyes.
"Would it be an imposition if I took a few minutes to look around and, well..." Robert chuckled. "Maybe reminisce a bit?"
Mary smiled. This Robert seemed like a likeable fellow. She came down the five steps from the stoop and offered her hand. Robert smiled, stepped forward and shook it. "Mary," she said.
"A pleasure, Mary." Robert cleared his throat. "My wife and I used to come here once a year toward the end of the summer, usually Labour Day weekend. We would rent the place then invite the kids over. They didn't necessarily come for the entire week, but they would make it for the long weekend. It was a nice time."
"We do the same thing with our family."
"Ah, the baton has been passed on."
Mary smiled.
Robert gestured to the lakeside of the cottage. "Would you mind if I took a few minutes to walk down to the lake? I was hoping to have a last look at the old place."
"By all means. No trouble at all. Keep in mind it's a little cool down there. The breeze coming in from the lake is a fall wind for sure."
"I'll zip up my jacket. Thank you."
Robert started down the path toward the lake. He turned back and waved to Mary. "Thanks again. Kind of you."
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