by Denise Irwin
When he reached his apartment, he called his mother to let her know how he was doing. When she answered the phone, she said, “Ian, how are you?”
“I’m good Mum. Bob is going to take me shopping today for a Halloween costume because we are going to a party on Saturday night.”
“Ian that sounds like so much fun.”
“I hope so. Mum, I have a question. I volunteer with a very nice young lady. We eat lunch together, so I was thinking about asking her out. What do you think?”
“I think that you should ask her out for maybe coffee and see how it goes.”
“Thanks Mum, you always give me good advice.”
“You are welcome Ian. Give me a call and let me know how it went.”
Just as Ian disconnected the call with his mother, Bob called to say that he was sitting out front.
Ian ran down the stairs and through the lobby doors where he found Bob, just as he said, in front of the building. He climbed into Bob’s car and asked, “Have you thought of some costumes we might wear?”
“As a matter of fact I have. I was thinking that you could be Sherlock Holmes and I’ll be his trusted friend, Dr. Watson. What do you think?”
“By Jove, I believe it is a great idea.”
They went to a thrift store to shop for their costumes. They found everything they needed, so they made their way back to Ian’s apartment. During the drive, he asked, “Bob, would it be wrong to ask the girl that I volunteer with to go out with me for a cup of coffee?”
“I don’t think so. Tell me about her.”
“She is really nice. She is attending the University of Maryland School of Medicine to become a pediatrician. We have lunch together and I think that we get along, but before I asked her, I thought that I would ask you what you think.”
“Ian, the only thing that I can say is to ask her. If she says no, don’t ask again.”
“Thanks Bob.”
Ian got out of the car and thanked Bob again. He took the elevator to his apartment and called his mother to tell her about his costume.
<>
When the kids came home from school, Leona showed them their Halloween costumes. Jack said, “Looks like the Marksman family is now made up as pirates.”
“Jack, I’m not a pirate, I’m a captured princess.”
“That’s right and I stole you away from the King of England.”
Sam was pleased that the children were happy with they’re costumes.
After the kids went to bed. Sam and Leona met in the kitchen. As he poured his wife a glass of wine he said, “Looks as though the kids are happy with their costumes.”
“I thought they would be, because neither of them will need to wear a mask.”
“I guess it’s true that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
“In terms of costumes, it certainly appears to be the case.”
<>
The week blew by in a blur as Leona prepared for the Halloween Party. Her children helped to carve scary faces into pumpkins. Sam hung everything that was up near the ceiling and she was surprised when the dog did his part by collecting what he was sent to get. She stood and watched as Sam told him, “Vinny go get me that tape dispenser.”
She shook her head and then went back to work decorating the kitchen.
<>
Bob asked Ian if he could come to work early on Friday to help him decorate for Halloween. They spent the day putting up decorations, so Bob fed him some dinner before he started work.
It was a fast week for Pickles the tables and barstools started to fill earlier each day. Bob asked Ian if he could help each day of the week until Halloween.
<>
On the morning of her party, Leona fixed her family breakfast and then went to inspect her house. She was pleased with her handiwork and set about making appetizers. She’d purchased steaks and ground hamburger meat yesterday and both were in the fridge. She’d already checked and they had enough liquor to last all night. Sam ducked his head in and told his wife, “I’m gonna go get the ice; are the coolers ready?”
“Yes they are. I have three out on the patio and one here in the kitchen.”
After Sam left to get the ice, she layered beer into two of the coolers and set the white wine upright into the third cooler.
She helped him with the ice and then told her family, “It’s time to get dressed.”
Molly said, “Mom, we didn’t get a costume for Vinny.”
She looked at her husband to help. He said, “Go get dressed while I think of a costume for him.”
“Lee, did the vet give us his service dog vest when we adopted him?”
“He sure did. It’s in the mud room with his leash.”
He’d just snapped the vest onto Vinny when the house started to fill with costumed partiers. He ran upstairs and put his costume on and went down to the party. The star at the moment was Vinny and he appeared to love being the center of attention. Gregory asked, “Sam, where did you get this dog?”
Molly jumped in and answered the question, “Mr. BrIan, we adopted him from the ASPCA on Falls Road.”
“Molly, he appears to be very well trained.”
“He is Mr. BrIan. He was a service dog. He’s two years old. Come with me so I can show you something.” She grabbed his hand and walked him out the back door and to show him.
“Mr. BrIan, dad built this gility course and Jack and I are going to take lessons.”
Gregory didn’t realize that a group gathered behind them. Sam stepped forward, “BrIan, what do you think?”
“Molly just said that you built this. Did you build it or have someone come in and build it for you?”
“I built it. This poodle is a high energy pup, so he’s gonna learn the course and then compete with other dogs his size.”
“I gotta tell ya that it looks like fun. Does he retrieve well?”
“Jack, go get Vinny’s Frisbee.”
He brought it to his father, who handed it to Gregory. “Give it a try.”
Gregory threw it high into the air. Vinny jumped up with all four feet leaving the ground, caught it and brought it back to him. He said, “Sam, I want to go see one of these competitions. It looks like fun to me.”
The attention then turned to the costumes that each was wearing. Leona saw Hansel and Gretel walk by and next was Mickey and Minnie Mouse. She was most happy that everyone appeared to be having a good time. Sam put some dancing music on while he grilled the steaks and burgers.
Leona was just so happy that her guests were having such a great time. Her mother wandered into the kitchen dressed as Minnie Mouse. Leona said, “I guess that Dad’s Mickey Mouse.”
“He is, but I came over to tell you that I think your family’s costumes are just the best.”
“Thanks Mom.”
It was nearly dawn when the party finally quieted down.
<>
Bob picked Ian up at the front door. When he got into the car, Ian asked, “Bob, do you know how many people will be there?”
“I have no idea, but I’ve come to this party for the last two years and have really enjoyed it. A friend of mine, Joe Boswell, bought a house in the Gardenville area and he hosts the party every year.”
When Bob parked the car, Ian saw people everywhere. They were on the front lawn and the sidewalk. When he and Bob entered the house, it was crowded with people everywhere he looked. Everyone was friendly and introduced themselves to him. He also saw a lot of pretty women flirting with men. Bob handed him a cold beer and the two staked themselves against the wall, where they stayed until Joe turned the dance music up loud. A young woman, dressed as Wonder Woman came over and asked Ian to dance. He didn’t get the chance to decline because she took his hand and pulled him from the wall and she started to wiggle and jiggle. He tried to mimic her actions, but his body just wouldn’t wiggle or jiggle. She took his hands and pulled him in closer to her and then she put her hands on his hips and pushed them from side to side. When he had the
hang of it she upped the pace until he was jiggling. At the end of the song, he begged off and went through the crowd to find a beer.
There was an interesting conversation in the kitchen about political points of views. He found a beer in one of the coolers and drank it while listening to the conversation. It was apparently a hot topic about climate change. Several opined that it was due to the toxins in the air filtering out the sun. While others said that they believed that it was a natural change in the earth and one guy likened it to the dinosaur age.
Someone noticed Ian and instructed himself. “My name is Gary, do you have an opinion on this?”
“My name is Ian and my Poppa always said that we are akin to cancer that eats our clean environment.”
No one said a word about his comment, so it made Ian feel quite foolish for having said it. One of the other guys stepped forward. “My name is Alan, and I think that what you said is fucking profound.”
Ian wasn’t sure if that was good or bad, so he inched his way out of the kitchen. He found a place to sit and remained there until Bob came to get him.
As they walked to Bob’s car, he said, “Ian, please tell me that you didn’t sit in that chair all evening.”
“No I did not Bob. Some woman pulled me toward her to dance. That was a bit different to me. I went into the kitchen where a group of guys were talking about climate change. I said something that my Poppa always said and a guy named Alan said that he thought it was fucking profound. I did not know if that was good or bad so I went and sat on that chair to wait for you.”
“Ian what did you tell them.”
“Well, I just told them that my Poppa always said that we are akin to cancer that eats our clean environment.”
Bob laughed and then said, “Ian that really is a fucking profound thing that your father said. It is a good statement.
“Really?”
“Really.” Ian got out of the car and took the elevator to his apt.
Chapter Four
On Sunday morning, Sam nearly fell out of bed when he tried to get up. His attempt to get out of bed woke his wife. “Sam, what in the hell are you doing?”
“I need to get up to feed and walk the dog. Stay in bed and I’ll make breakfast when the kids get up.”
“I’ll come down with you and put on the coffee. Molly and Jack were up late, so I don’t expect to see them until close to noon.”
“You know better than to count on that.”
Leona sat at the table while Sam walked the dog. When he came into the kitchen, he took one look at his wife and told her, “Lee, just go back to bed.”
She chuckled as she asked, “Do I look that bad?”
“No, but you do look tired.”
“Don’t you mean that I look hungover?”
“I didn’t say that.”
After breakfast, Leona and Sam slowly picked up all the debris in the yard. The kids had gone back to bed, but Vinny came out with them. Sam told him, “Vinny take this cup and put it in the trash can.” Sam pointed to the can, and the dog took it over and dropped it in. The three of them worked together until lunchtime.
Leona made lunch and called the kids to the table. Jack asked, “Mom, can Molly and I come out and help you and Dad, clean up the yard?”
“Yes you can, Dad and I would really appreciate that.”
“Mom, it really was a great party. I don’t remember what time Molly and I went to bed, but it was late and the party was still going.”
The Marksman family worked on the cleanup effort until dinner time and when Sam came into the house, he said, “That yard doesn’t look like there was a party there. Everyone did a great cleanup job.”
Molly said, “Thanks Dad, but it was fun. Wasn’t it Jack?”
“I don’t think that it was fun, but it felt good to help Mom and Dad.”
<>
On Sunday morning, Ian felt as though he’d been run over by a Mack Truck. It was a fun party and he had enjoyed it, but he’d never consumed that much alcohol in one night. He only got out of bed to use the bathroom and get takeout food from the café. His mother called that evening. She asked him, “Ian, how was the party?”
His head was pounding, so it sounded to him as though she was yelling into the phone. “It was really fun Mum. I met a number of Bob’s friends who were all nice. I danced with a young lady and engaged in a debate on Global Warming.”
“Did you and Bob dress in costumes?”
“Yes, I dressed like Sherlock Holmes and Bob was my Doctor Watson.
“Ian, that sounds wonderful and I’m glad that you had a good time at the Halloween party.”
He did not tell his mother how much alcohol that he’d consumed and that he now had a hangover. He went back to bed.
<>
On Monday morning, Sam put the coffee on and then fed and walked the dog. Leona and Sam had breakfast with their children and after Molly and Jack left for school, Sam and Leona took turns napping until it was time for Leona to make the after school snacks. When the front door opened, they heard Molly and Jack run up the steps. Sam said, “Well, I guess there’s no more napping for us today.”
“I think you’re right, but I really am feeling better after that nap.”
“Me too. Leona when you throw a party, no one ever wants to go home.”
“I did not throw that party alone, I had an accomplice in the planning.”
Leona called her children for dinner and after dinner, they asked if they could watch some television before going to bed.
After Molly and Jack went to bed, Sam and Leona were too tired to stay awake for a nightcap, so they also went to bed.
<>
Ian reported to work a bit early on Monday evening so that he could have some dinner. He walked to the bar and told Bob, “Thank you so much for inviting me to that party. I had a great time.”
“I’m glad to hear that. You appeared to be having fun, but I’ve never been good at judging if people are having a good time.”
He had finished his dinner and then went to work in the kitchen; since it was Monday night the restaurant wasn’t busy, so he had no trouble keeping up with the trash bags. He also had time to help the prep cooks by clearing their work area. He knew that his mind drifted once or twice from his work to volunteering tomorrow when he would ask Ellie out for a cup of coffee. He worked until 3:00 am and then walked home to climb into bed.
<>
On Tuesday morning, Sam put the coffee on and then fed and walked the dog. When he returned from his walk, Leona was preparing breakfast. She asked her husband, “How was your walk?”
“It was good. There’s a nip in the air, so I believe that fall has arrived.”
“That’s great because I can now start planning for Thanksgiving.”
“Do you ever get tired of planning large events?”
“Nope. I doubt that you’ll believe me, but I truly enjoy it.”
Molly and Jack came into the kitchen for breakfast chattering about something that only they understood. When this happens, Leona’s just grateful that they aren’t arguing.
After they left for school, Leona gathered up dirty laundry. Vinny followed her, so she gave him a sock from the floor. He took the sock and put it into the basket. She reminded herself that he was trained as a service dog and he probably did that as a part of his training. It was okay with her that he could help her with the laundry. On their way to the laundry room, she wondered if he could fold and put clean laundry away.
<>
Ian walked to the Medical Center’s volunteer office to get his chart from Stella. He said, “Good morning Stella.”
As she handed him his chart of patients to see today, she said, “Good morning to you as well Ian.”
His first patient was a ninety-five year old man, who was dying from Emphysema. He entered the room to find the gentleman sitting in a chair reading the paper. However, Ian didn’t miss the oxygen mask. Ian checked the gentleman’s name on his chart before interrupting his r
eading. “Mr. Stonehearst, my name is Ian Macgill, I’m a volunteer here in the medical center. Is there anything that I can help you with?”
He took the mask off to say, “Mr. Macgill, while I appreciate the offer, I am not in need of anything. Do you smoke?”
“If you mean cigarettes, no I do not.”
Mr. Stonehearst started to laugh and that turned into choking. Ian hit the nurse’s bell. When she entered the room, Ian told her what happened. The nurse checked his gauges and then told him, “Mr. Stonehearst, after that laughter, you’re gonna need to rest.”
Ian followed her out into the hallway where he asked, “I didn’t mean to kill him.”
“You didn’t kill him. He laughed hard and that led to the blood you saw him spew. A little laughter is good. Who are you seeing next?”
He handed her his chart. “Ah, your next patient is recovering from hip replacement surgery. You’ll like her.”
Ian cautiously entered the room. A woman’s voice called to him, “Come on in and tell me your name. Ain’t nobody gonna do you no harm.”
He entered the room to find a heavy middle aged, African American. “My name is Ian Macgill and I’m here to see if you need anything.”
“Well Ian Macgill, the only thing that I need is to go home and you sure can’t do that. My name is Lucy and I’m gonna thank you for offering.”
Ellie was in the hall waiting for him. “Do you want to have lunch together?”
There were butterflies in his stomach when he said, “Sure. Lead on.”
While they ate lunch, Ian asked, “Ellie, would you consider having coffee with me?”
“I would really like that.”
“I work tomorrow night so would Thursday at say 7:00 work for you.”
“It would. Can you walk to the volunteer center? If so, I’ll meet you in the lobby.”
“I can do that. I only had two patients on my chart today, so let me turn this into Stella. I’ll see you Thursday evening.”
<>
Just after Molly and Jack left for school. Sam’s Office line rang. He grabbed the phone and answered the caller, “Marksman Investigative Services.”