Chapter 9 - The Matriarch’s Wisdom
Lady Eleanor lived to be nearly a hundred,
In her final years,
She spent much of her time in the garden with Maria,
They would sit on the stone bench,
Watching the birds and the butterflies,
They didn't talk much about the past,
But when they did,
It was always about the importance of listening,
“We almost lost you, Maria,”
The old woman said one afternoon,
The sun was setting,
Casting a long,
Golden shadow over the lawn,
“We almost let a lie become the truth,”
“It haunts me still,”
Maria took the old woman’s hand,
Her skin was like parchment,
Thin and delicate,
“You didn't, my lady,”
Maria replied,
“You stopped and you looked,”
“That is all anyone can ask for,”
“Most people never stop,”
“They just keep running with the lie because it is easier,”
Lady Eleanor nodded,
“It is easier to blame the weak than to challenge the strong,”
“Isabella was one of us,”
“Or so we thought,”
“It was easier to believe she was right,”
“But the camera doesn't care about social status,”
“It only cares about what happened,”
“We should strive to be more like that camera, Maria,”
“Objective,”
“Fair,”
“And unwavering,”
Maria smiled,
“Perhaps,”
“But a camera doesn't have a heart,”
“You need both, my lady,”
“You need the truth to see,”
“And the heart to care about what you see,”
Lady Eleanor closed her eyes,
Enjoying the warmth of the sun,
“You are right, as always,”
“You were the best teacher this family ever had,”
When Lady Eleanor passed away,
She left a final instruction in her will,
The photograph of Maria was to never be moved,
It was to stay by the entrance as long as the house stood,
She wanted it to be a permanent part of the foundation,
May you like
A reminder that the house was built on more than stone,
It was built on the integrity of those who lived within it.
