Schmidthaus Writing

Rebeca

Introduction

Rebeca was a nice enough young lady. People thought well of her even if they considered her a little strange. Most put her strangeness down to her upbringing - not-too-wealthy parents dying when she was a teenager and leaving her in the care of an elderly neighbor, living on a trust fund created by their insurance and what money they had saved. Some attributed it to her habits, living in a big house by herself (unless you count the cats and other critters), rarely leaving home except for charity work and a few regular visits to favorite places. Still, however strange they thought she might be, everyone agreed she was quite nice, helpful to the community, and (perhaps the most accurate) merely eccentric.

All of this was true. Rebeca liked people well enough and specific people very much, but didn't feel a need for a lot of social contact. She saw who she chose to see and went where she chose to go. Being very frugal by nature, her accounts grew each year despite limited oversight on her part and the cost of maintaining the house. She made decisions about money rarely and, once she had the information she wanted, quickly. Still, when you have no mortgage, a home is relatively cheap to maintain, however large. The house rested on less than an acre and she did her own landscaping and maintenance for small things, so her expenses were small. She kept no staff, cooking her own meals and cleaning her own house. She shopped for her own groceries.

She was wealthy in the sense that she did not have to work, but not so wealthy as to attract undue attention. She donated noticeably to charity, but more because of how little others tended to give. She did not have the jet-setting sort of wealth that would allow her to travel the world, stay in expensive hotels, and eat at the best hotels. These things didn't appeal to her. She had simple tastes and the money to support them without work.

She not only donated to local children's and ecological interests but also gave her time for them. Some of her rare trips out were to speak or teach at the meetings of groups that helped children or protected nature, to advocate for others to contribute, and, occasionally, to help on camping trips. She seemed at her best in groups when they were on a camping trip.

Rarely was anyone invited to her home. Few people in the town considered her a friend and even fewer did she consider the same. A happy acquaintance, perhaps, but there were few she took into her confidence and none who knew her biggest secrets.

...which were considerable.

Continue?

Home > Writing
Copyright (c) 2008-2013 Mark A. Schmidt