My ex mother in law became very ill with the flu and I was asked to return to Savannah to nurse her back to health. So I did.  I left the yacht and returned home.

I knew about a lady who had worked for her for many years prior who cared for her youngest daughter when she was a toddler, but I had never seen her and I had never known what she looked like.  I knew her name, and that she lived in a small area outside of Isle of Hope called Sandfly.  This lady was poor as most of the help on the island were, with no husband, and children of her own to feed.  Annie worked for my ex mother in law and became part of the family until she was too old to work and eventually passed on. She was very similar to Daisy who worked for my family and became an integral part of our lives and our loved ones.

One night I got up to use the bathroom, and I think if my memory serves me correctly, it was around 1:30 am. It was a small three bedroom house that my mother in law lived in with cedar shakes on the outside.  Incredible thirst came over me and I wandered into the the kitchen, passing by the front door and the curio cabinet that held cherished items.

As I walked by, I saw a female figure standing there up against the wall and I said hello. It had not registered in my sleepy mind that I just passed Annie in the hallway heading into the kitchen. When i reached the kitchen it was a moment of where someone sucks in their breath and my eyes popped open wide, almost out of my skull. Now I was awake.

The next morning, I told my ex mother in law and my husband at the time about Annie and what I saw her wearing, which was a red checked apron. She was tall, around 5″10 and was there at the house that morning, to make her presence known. She wore a head piece and stood there silent as I passed her.  She was probably making sure I didn’t bump into the curio cabinet and break it.

I asked to see a picture of Annie. My mother in law pulled out a photo album and showed me a picture of her and she was dressed in the same outfit as I saw her in the night before.

It was Annie. She probably never left but definitely arrived to early for work that morning. I never saw her after that and I never broke the curio cabinet.

My mother in law was ecstatic to learn that someone she loved dearly was still there,  as we all should be when we lose someone we love.