A Beeautiful Legacy

By every considerable societal measure, the Jefferson family had it all, the perfect life. They truly were the picture-perfect image of the upper-middle class family, living in a small suburban town with all the luxuries and conveniences one could wish for. They lived in a beautiful million-dollar home. He drove a Tesla. She drove a Lexus. The lawn was perfectly manicured and the whole family was always dressed in the latest of fashion. However, as we all know, while pictures may be worth a thousand words, a book shouldn’t be judged by its cover. Unfortunately, today’s society is under the impression that humans are pictures rather than a collection of books, each 365 days long and growing by day. The Jefferson’s family had attained a collection of 15 of those books and while they may appear to be filled with fairy tales to someone looking in, most were filled with pages of pain, suffering, heartbreak, betrayal, resentment and some even with hate. That’s not to say that there weren’t chapters of joy, happiness, and love. Mrs. Jefferson could be quoted saying; “Life’s like a roller coaster, sometimes you feel like you’re on top of the world, other times you feel like you’re going to throw up. However, the ride doesn’t stop, it doesn’t wait for anyone, it just keeps going. So, when you feel like you’ve hit rock bottom, remember it’s about to go up.” She was an optimist like that.

Ted and Susan Jefferson’s story began as a cautionary tale parents tell their little girls. When they met, Susan was barely old enough to drink and a junior in college. Ted on the other hand was in his mid-thirties and going through a divorce. To say that they were worlds apart would be an understatement. At the time, the only thing Susan cared about were her aspirations. Susan’s dream was to travel the world. With the world markets expanding, Susan found a way to do just that, and on someone else’s tab while getting paid. She was majoring in International Business with a minor in Finance. She had a plan for her life and nothing or no one was going to stand in her way. Or at least that’s what she thought. However, she was naïve and believed that life goes the way we want it to. As if that ever happens. “Dating” was something Susan did for fun. There was never any emotional attachment, ever. At first sight of any indication of attachment or talk of future it was time to bolt, which is exactly what she’d do. She’d never been in love before. Susan, however, was a hopeless romantic and she believed that there was “The One” and that someday she would get around to all the things she’s “supposed to do.” Little did she know that that time was now.

Ted on the other hand was in a totally different place in life. At 34 years old Ted owned a house, multiple cars, and multiple businesses. If there was a way for money to work and make more money, Ted was doing it. Even post-divorce Ted retained his house, cars, businesses, his multiple real estate properties, and other investments. He’d never traveled or left the country before. Perhaps it was faith, perhaps a cosmic joke, that brought these two unmatched souls together.

Susan was putting herself through school and worked on top of her ambitious school-load. Fortunately, she had a job that fit her busy life perfectly. She worked at an ice cream store. Summers, during which she only took 6 credits, were busy and she got to meet everyone. The store remained open during winter even though business was slow. It worked great for Susan, as her boss didn’t mind if she studied during work. It was the ideal situation. It was Thursday, early October. She was studying for her World Religions class when the door opened, and Ted walked into her life. As she looked up, he gave her the most mesmerizing smile when he said “Hello.” For years she’ll say she fell in love with him right there, on the spot. He was lost and looking for directions. Over the next few weeks Ted would find himself “lost” in her neighborhood on more than one occasion, although he’ll claim that he came back for the Pralines and Cream. It took him a whole month of weekly visits to finally ask her out. Although he was older, the thought of dating someone who’s not broke was appealing. He was handsome for an “older” guy, and it was just for fun after all.

It was a whirlwind romance that seemed to take on a life of its own. From meeting the parents at Thanksgiving, to Christmas & New Year skiing trip at the mountains, to a week at the beach for Valentine’s Day. The two of them had become inseparable. If they had a spare moment, they were spending it together. Ted was unlike any other guy she’d been with. Life with him was fun and exciting. On the weekends when she had a lot of studying to do, he would take them for long drives someplace completely random. She would study while he drove. Occasionally, he would say “Left, or Right?” They would end up spending the weekend in the most beautiful place. Ted’s 35th birthday was coming up and she decided to surprise him with a trip to Niagara Falls. They had a great night of drinking, gambling, and partying. It was the best birthday ever. That is until a few weeks later when Susan called, in panic. She’d realized her period was a week late. She was too busy freaking out to notice how nonchalant Ted was about the whole thing. He offered to get the test and told her to come over after work. They will find out together; everything will be fine. However, by the time that stick showed two lines, the wheels of fate had already started to turn and there was no going back.

15 years later, Susan found herself consumed by life she never pictured herself having. She’d completely forgotten about that girl with aspirations. That was until one random, and completely insignificant Sunday when her world came crashing down. In a blink of an eye, her life was changed forever. It was mid-August 2020. It was a beautiful day. She was enjoying the rare pleasure that comes with cleaning the house without anyone around to mess it all up as she went. Ted drove the kids and his dad up to the cabin for the next two weeks. He was coming back that evening and Susan planned a romantic dinner for the two of them. She made his favorite meal. She did her hair, put on make-up, and even shaved. Life’s been hectic, and they needed this. As if on que, Ted walked in just as she pulled dinner out. He was cold as usual when she walked over to great him. He didn’t say anything about her appearance. She didn’t notice though; she was excited to tell him about the dinner she’d planned. He told her he needed to wash up and he’d be right there. Ted looked serious when he joined her. He held an envelope in his hand. He sat down, took a sip of his wine, took a deep breath and before she could say anything, in a few very calm words he laid out some very deep truths that he’d been keeping from her for a long time. What seemed like out of nowhere, Ted informed her that he had been unfaithful for years. He also told her that he cannot have children. 3 different doctors told him so. Susan was speechless. He took another sip of his drink, opened the envelope, and pulled out some papers. He informed her that he filed for divorce. He told her that he met the ‘women of his dreams’ and that she had next two weeks to get out. He gave her a check for $100,000 and told her that if she didn’t take the money, sign the papers and get out, he’ll file for full custody. Her heart was breaking with every word. Susan could barely breathe at the thought of losing her kids. Before she could even say anything, Ted finished his drink, got up and on the way out told her he’ll be staying with Karen for the next two weeks. He’ll see her when he brings the kids back. She was in shock. Susan spent the rest of the night just sitting there staring at the papers and the check in total bewilderment. That night, after hours of reflection, meditation and prayer, Susan finally crawled into bed around midnight.

If humans had superpowers, Susan’s would-be compartmentalization. Next day she woke up, without feelings. There was no breakdown. She was numb. There was only action, fueled by unexplained energy that burned in her core. Life doesn’t stop. It doesn’t wait. She read the papers. $100,000 was nothing given the fact that Susan had resigned from her job to cyber-school the kids due to the COVID pandemic. The only other thing she had was an estate she inherited two months ago; from an aunt she didn’t know existed. The estate consisted of an old Victorian-style brick farmhouse and 105 acres of land. Susan was shocked. Not as shocked as when she discovered that it was all overgrown and deserted. On top of that the aunt was a hoarder. She’s been cleaning it out ever since she got it. For the next week she spent every waking second of the day cleaning. The last room she cleaned was the master bedroom. When she pulled the nightstand out, she noticed a black notebook sitting on the trim against the wall. She picked it up and flipped through it. It was filled with drawings of flowers, plants, hand drawn maps, charts, and other information. On the first page were words “Bee-Bright” and a drawing of a bee. She didn’t know why but she decided to keep it and look through it later that night. As she shifted her balance to walk away from the wall, she noticed a floorboard was loose under her foot. She lifted it and laughed out loud when she noticed some envelopes, pieces of random papers as well as a dried-out bouquet of flowers covered in dust. She was astonished to find the envelopes were full of cash. A total of $20,000 was just sitting there in the floorboards collecting dust. She gathered the contents including the notebook, poured herself a glass of wine and read through everything. The notebook contained detail and specific information on beekeeping, flowers, herbs, old style medicinal recipes, as well as map of the property with markings. The next day Susan spent the day walking the property. She discovered that her aunt had 15 beehives on the property and that she’d planted specific flowers for each of them. As everything else however, it was overgrown, deserted and the hives had been abandoned.

The hopeless optimist, Susan was overwhelmed with the possibilities she saw for herself, she realized she wasn’t even angry with Ted. She felt relieved. She felt free. She signed the papers under the condition that Ted agrees to shared custody and be involved in ‘his children’s’ lives. She spent the next year cyber-schooling the kids, learning everything she can about bees, replaced all the hives and by August of next year she honored her aunt’s legacy by establishing “Bee-Bright Apothecary” which sold organic soaps, washes, lotions, oils, teas, honey, and more. Ted honored their agreement and remained in all their lives. Karen however, broke up with Ted 6 months later. The day of the grand opening, Susan handed Ted an envelope. She’ll never forget the look on his face when he read the paternity results confirming that both kids are his.