The Opportunity
Sixteen year old Lavender's father had died four years ago in a land mine explosion one week after he had been sent off to war. She had begged him not to go, but he had gone anyway and now Lavender missed him terribly. She had been the closest to him out of all of her family. He had taught her how to fish, shoot a bow and arrow, and survive in the wilderness on nothing but one day's worth of food and water for a week. Lavender's father had been her best friend. She now lived with her barely sane mother Katherine, and her amazingly grown-up twelve year old sister Daisy. Lavender's life had been normal up until her father had died and now it was just getting worse.
Lavender had found this letter on her mother's dresser the day before Aunt Minerva arrived.
Dear Katherine, Daisy, and Lavender,
How are you doing? I will be coming to visit August 4th through August 14th to help you with the new renovations. Please have the guest room cleaned before I arrive. I also have a special opportunity to offer one of you.
Sincerely,
Aunt Minerva.
She was downright terrified of what her father's sister had to offer this time. Before her father had been sent off to war Aunt Minerva had offered to let them stay with her until he got back, and several times since he had died four years earlier. The minute Lavender put the letter down her mother walked in.
"Lav, what are you doing in my room and with that letter?" questioned Katherine.
Lavender then looked up from the letter and stuttered, "I-I was j-just getting the book I left in here last night and f-found this le-letter from Aunt Minerva."
Her mother was still astonished that her oldest daughter had found the letter she had so carefully hidden calmly explained, "Yes, sweetie your aunt is coming and I want you and Daisy on your best behavior for her arrival. Any one of us could be receiving this special opportunity."
"Mother you know she just wants us to move in with her once again, just so she can prove she's better than us!" yelled Lavender.
"Now Lavender, you know she just wants to help with the renovations that I have been making since your father died. Anyways your aunt just adores you and Daisy, so you'll just have to deal with it. Oh, and I would like you to pick up Aunt Minerva at the train station at noon tomorrow. Please take your sister with you so I can finish cleaning the house and pruning the garden for her arrival," said Katherine.
The minute the mother and daughter finished their conversation, Katherine snatched the letter from Lavender and huffed out the bedroom door.
Lavender silently thought to herself, "My life is so unfair!"
Later that night Katherine explained all of the details to Daisy over a dinner that consisted of Lavender's father's beef stroganoff, apple pie, and an ever so special lesson on manners from Katherine herself. For once Katherine had cooked the meal and had not just left the job to her daughters. Tonight's dinner had been served exceptionally late at eight o' clock sharp to get in the habit for dinners with Aunt Minerva.
Katherine had just finished explaining the final detail to her daughters and they were leaving the room when Katherine yelled, "Lavender no reading late into the night and Daisy no using your laptop! We have to get up early tomorrow to start cleaning."
As if on cue the two sisters said, "Yes, mom," in unison.
That night Lavender had trouble falling asleep, still dreading what her aunt's special opportunity consisted of.
The next morning at seven o' clock Lavender woke up Daisy and their mother from their deep slumber. They were astonished to find breakfast cooked and the living room, sitting room, dining room, guest rooms, and kitchen cleaned. They all sat down to a silent breakfast which when Daisy and Lavender's father was alive would have been filled with corny jokes and wistful stories only their father could create.
Once they had all finished eating they set off to clean their bedrooms, mowing the lawn, and cleaning the cars and garage. The summer before last Lavender had built herself an archery range so she could keep up on her skills in hopes of one day making her school's archery team.
When she found her equipment stuffed in the attic of the garage Lavender was furious and she stomped to the house to confront her mother on the matter.
"Mom, what is my archery equipment doing in the attic of the garage when I specifically told you to never touch my equipment!" Lavender said forcefully once she had found her mother in the garden.
"Honey, I almost forgot to tell you, Aunt Minerva just recently sent me a letter saying that she didn't want to see anything having to do with archery on the lawn. So, last night I went and picked up your things, after you went to bed, because you were sound asleep and I didn't want to wake you up!" shot back Katherine.
"Mom, why doesn't she want to see anything having to do with archery anywhere in the house or on the lawn?" questioned Lavender.
"Lav, the only thing she said was that it reminded her too much of your father," said Katherine, "Oh, and why don't you go and get Aunt Minerva with Daisy, her train should be at the station soon."
"Okay, mom," said Lavender all too grimly.
The ride to get Aunt Minerva was silent as Daisy was busy texting her friends and Lavender was busy thinking about their aunt's opportunity once again. As suddenly as they had left the house, they were at the train station. As Daisy and Lavender stepped out of the car just as Aunt Minerva's train pulled in and the whistle sounded.
"Lavender do you think Aunt Minerva will make me come and live with her so I can help her around the house as she gets older?" questioned Daisy sounding quite terrified at the thought of living with their aunt.
"No Dais (pronounced "Days") I think she'll want us to move in with her once again," said Lavender silently so that their fast approaching aunt wouldn't hear her.
Just as Aunt Minerva was approaching the duo, a large eagle pooped on her head and Aunt Minerva quite disgusted screamed, "You retched creature, do you know who I am!"
Before their aunt could make a scene, Lavender and Daisy quickly grabbed her and her immensely heavy luggage and pulled their aunt out of the train station.
"Aunt Minerva please don't make a scene in front of all of these people," said Daisy in a mumbled tone.
At the thought of all of the people staring at her, Aunt Minerva quickly stopped screaming and said that she was sorry to all of the people in the train station and finally said hello to her nieces. Then, Daisy took their aunt to the bathroom to clean her head while Lavender to the luggage to the car and waited for her sister and aunt to come back so they could head home after their exciting and amusing afternoon at the train station.
Once the threesome arrived at home they were greeted by Katherine who immediately told Daisy and Lavender to take their aunt to her room and help her unpack her things so Aunt Minerva could relax as soon as possible.
The next five days went quite smoothly until the sixth night when Lavender overheard Aunt Minerva telling her mother about her idea of putting Lavender in St. Veronica's Preparatory Academy for Girls and how that was the main reason she had come to visit.
Lavender burst out the minute Aunt Minerva finished talking and yelled, "No! I will not go to some snobby rich girl school where I'd stick out like a sore thumb."
"Lavender you know this would be very-"
"No, Aunt Minerva you heard me I won't go. Mom, please tell her she's crazy for thinking that you would let her make me go to this school, please," said Lavender pleadingly cutting Aunt Minerva off.
"Well, Minerva I'll need to think about it and Lavender why are you down here, I thought you were reading?" said Katherine as calm as someone could be in this situation.
"Thank you mom and I was only coming down to get my reading book when I heard Aunt Minerva talking about that school," said Lavender.
Katherine, thinking that it was a good enough reason not to question her oldest daughter anymore, said, "Okay sweetie, now please go back to your room while I speak to your aunt."
"Good night mom and Aunt Minerva," said Lavender still enraged at her aunt.
For the next few days Lavender kept pestering Katherine about her decision on the matter that had happened only a few nights before. Lavender did this until the night before Aunt Minerva was supposed to leave at dinner.
Katherine, with the help of Daisy and Lavender, had made Caesar salad, lasagna, and pumpkin pie for dinner. Once everyone had finished eating she decided to make the announcement.
"Minerva, Daisy, and Lavender, I have come to the decision not to send Lavender to St. Veronica's Preparatory Academy for Girls. I have decided not to accept this special opportunity because, I simply will miss my dearest Lavender too much and I think that Lavender likes the friends she has and the school that she goes to," said Katherine peacefully as to not cause a commotion between Lavender and Minerva.
A few seconds later there was a huff from Minerva and tears of joy from Daisy and Lavender.
"Oh, and Minerva I have arranged for a cab to pick you up tomorrow morning at ten o' clock to take you to the train station as Daisy, Lavender, and I have some celebrating to do!" yelled Katherine over the sobbing and screaming coming from her two daughters.
The next day at ten o' clock sharp, Aunt Minerva's cab pulled up to take her to the train station and they said their good-byes. Katherine, Daisy, and Lavender left to go shopping hoping never to see Aunt Minerva again.