Ready or Not (Aggie's Inheritance)

by Havig, Chautona

  Tina says: A lie?

  Aggie says: No really… they are not mice. They’re RATS!

  Tina says: You are a sick, demented woman. Where’d you get the names?

  Aggie says: Well, Bonaparte was so named so that his cage could be named “Bonaparte’s Retreat”…

  Tina says: GROAN. Wellington?

  Aggie says: Well, Laird’s trying to figure out a neat way to make something “Wellington’s Beef.” I’m not sure how he’ll do that unless he builds a cage that looks like a cow!

  Tina says: What about a gargoyle on the cage… but instead it’s one of those little plastic cows?

  Aggie says: I’ll go get one tomorrow! That’s cute!

  Tina says: You will NOT! You will sit there and figure out how to get housekeeping service for Tuesdays and Thursdays through the month of May. You can use the move in June as an excuse not to continue after that.

  Aggie says: The move!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  Tina says: I’d be there if I could. You know that, right?

  Aggie says: I know.

  Tina says: Meanwhile, it’s late. I’m tired; you’re rebuilding tissue, GO TO SLEEP!

  Aggie says: Nighters Tina…

  Tina says: Poofs!

  Chapter 7

  Help Unwanted

  Sunday, May 5th

  Aggie woke for what seemed like the millionth time. This time, it was Ian squirming on her chest. She sighed. After almost dropping the little tyke as she pulled him from his playpen, she had decided that he could just sleep on her chest. Ian slept wonderfully, but Aggie thought the whole cuddling with your baby thing was definitely overrated. Well, least it was when you’re snuggling all night.

  Tavish was up early and came tumbling downstairs. Within seconds, Aggie saw him sprawled out at the bottom of the stairs with an antique book broken at his feet. “Oh, noooooo!”

  Aggie fought to sit up, concerned that the boy was hurt. “You all right?” Tavish’s sobs were heartbreaking, but they didn’t sound like cries of pain.

  “I ruined Dad’s book. I wasn’t watching where I was going, and I dropped it.”

  “Well, Tavish, I know it was your dad’s, but it is just a book. Perhaps we can try to fix it?”

  “It’s a first edition Oliver Optic that belonged to Dad’s granddad. It was very special to Dad, and I ruined it.” Tavish was almost inconsolable.

  Aggie sat on the couch trying to get Ian safely put down to go comfort the boy. Before she could get to her crutches, Ellie came down the stairs and gathered up the book. Looking carefully at the pages, the spine, and the cover, Ellie set the book aside and comforted Tavish. Aggie hadn’t seen the twin aspect of these two very often, but Ellie seemed to know just what to do and say to console her brother. A moment later, the book was put away, Tavish was playing with Ian, and Ellie was mixing a new bottle for the baby as though the earlier histrionics hadn’t happened.

  When Zeke arrived, the children were eating their breakfast. Excited children rushed from the table and surrounded the elderly man. “Awww, now, kiddos, you go back and finish your breakfast. There’ll be time enough to talk after you’re done with the food.

  “So, missy, how is that ankle feeling today?” Zeke’s smile always reached the corner of his eyes and made them wrinkle up like a department store Santa Claus.

  “I haven’t tried to stand on it yet, but it hurts--badly. I think I need to rewrap it. This wrap thing makes it itch!”

  “Don’t you be trying to stand on it yet, young lady! It’s too soon!” Zeke shook his head in disapproval. “I’ve sprained my ankles many times, stickin’ ‘em in snake holes when I wasn’t looking, and I’m telling you girl, you don’t want to mess with pushing yourself.”

  Aggie laughed and asked how much she owed for the intercom. Zeke assured her that he hadn’t spent a dime yet. “I just realized that you might need a good nap, and the children might like to go to Sunday school with us, so I came by to see if you would let me take them to church for you. I didn’t think you should try to get in that big old van again. Driving home last night wasn’t exactly legal you know.”

  Aggie remembered sitting wedged between the rows of bench seats and the van’s doors, praying that the doors wouldn’t fly open and spill her into the road. “I don’t know if the kids can be ready…”

  Vannie piped up, “Oh, can he drop me off? Our class is having a special collection, and we’re boxing up care packages and having chips and salsa for Cinco de Mayo. The high schoolers are going to take the boxes to Mexico the week after school lets out.”

  Aggie looked into the face of her eager niece and thought about how the child never asked for anything for herself. Acting like it was a huge imposition, Aggie groaned and moaned and sighed, then said, “Oh, all right!”

  A cheer rose from the children while Aggie sent them packing. “Get shoes from the new ankle wren-- er-- shoe box! Girls, clean dresses! Boys, no jeans! Come on! Let’s get some buttoned up shirts, or at the very least, polos without holes!”

  “Now, missy, my Martha is working in the nursery, and she’ll take care of the little tyke here, the little girlies can go to their class, and you can just lay here on the couch and rest. After church, we’ll take everyone to that new hamburger place over by the freeway that has all the gizmos. They can play ‘til they’re half dead, come home, and take a nap.”

  “I really appreciate this, Zeke. I shouldn’t let you do it-- you’ve been so good to me already, but I really need a nap!”

  “After church, my nephew is going to come over and put in that intercom. It’s pretty easy, I think-- shouldn’t take him long. I’ll leave the door unlocked, so you don’t have to get up to let him in.”

  Though she felt funny about it, Aggie decided that there was nothing else she could do, short of locking up the children until she could walk. She really was at everyone’s mercy, and she didn’t like it. She barely moved her foot, and it screamed in pain. Yes, everyone needed to go. She needed to breathe again.

  Aggie didn’t rest while the family was gone as intended. First, she surfed the Internet, perusing every site she could find on the subject of sprains and the best way to heal them. Aggie hoped that there was some vitamin C in the house-- it was supposed to help heal tissue.

  She tried to ding Tina on the messenger, but her friend was obviously at church. Knowing Tina, she’d invite the entire Mullins family out to dinner, so she could pick Priscilla Mullins’ brain on recipes and food preparation.

  Lastly, Aggie searched furniture sites, hoping to find a style that would fit her, the kind of family she had, and be sturdy. What she discovered was that she did not like the showroom type furniture groups. She found rooms decorated in only one style to be too sterile. She really liked the rooms that showed a lovely mixture of different periods, giving an eclectic aesthetic. A new thought occurred to her as she remembered the furniture she’d seen in the attic of the “new” house.

  With no regard for day or time, Aggie picked up the phone and dialed Mr. Moss. Getting an answering machine at his office, she contorted until she could reach her purse and grabbed Mr. Moss’ card from her wallet. “May I speak to Robert Moss, please?” Aggie hoped she wasn’t interrupting anything important.

  “Hi, Mr. Moss, sorry to bother you, but I just had a thought, and I wanted to know when I can look over the new house. There was a bunch of old furniture in the attic, and I’m curious to know if it’s salvageable.”

  “If it wasn’t Sunday, I’d say to come in and get the key now. However, I don’t have it at home, so you’ll have to pick it up next week if you like. It was delivered to my office on Thursday.”

  “Sunday. I called you at your home on a Sunday. I’m so sorry. I forgot what day it is.” Aggie’s voice was flat. She was so excited; she’d called her lawyer on his day off!

  “Aggie, are you ok?” Mr. Moss’ voice seemed concerned.

  “I sprained my ankle yesterday and am on bed rest for several days. I’m going stir crazy already. I�
��m sorry. I’ll bother you next week. I can’t drive out there anyway. I can’t drive! What was I thinking?”

  Aggie said goodbye and hung up abruptly. The strain and pain of the last two days caught up to her, until she finally collapsed on the couch sobbing. Aggie wasn’t an overly emotional woman, but she’d held onto the frayed end of her rope for weeks now. She finally let go and cried. In minutes, Aggie slept.

  Luke Sullivan walked through the door, knocking gently as he entered. “Aggie? Hellooooooo?” Entering the room, Luke saw that the young woman was sleeping, albeit fitfully. Her face appeared tearstained, and the silence of the house was occasionally broken by her muffled sobs. A glance at her feet deepened his sympathy. Luke knew just how painful a sprained ankle could be. Wait until she started feeling antsy! The poor girl would drive everyone around her crazy. Luke was very experienced in that department.

  “Poor little momma. She’s having it rough. Help her, Lord. Please heal her ankle quickly and be Aaron’s arms to her, Lord. Hold her up when she’s ready to fall. I’m sure she’d love to sense Your help.” Luke whispered his prayer as he began installing the intercom system his uncle had requested. He felt foolish. The children could have installed it in minutes. It was wireless and needed only a place to mount and a nearby outlet. His uncle had been adamant. He was to “install that system,” and Luke had wondered if Uncle Zeke was growing senile.

  Aggie heard his prayer. In her exhausted state, she thought she was seeing things. She thought she saw the physician Luke, of the New Testament, hovering over her couch and praying for her healing. A fleeting question ran across her mind as she wondered if she was hallucinating, but Aggie drifted into a perfectly peaceful sleep before she could make sense of her thoughts.

  Luke thought he saw the woman visibly relax as he finished setting up the intercom next to the couch. Answered prayer was a wonderful thing, but he marveled at observing it answered so quickly and so visibly. Whistling “Sweet Hour of Prayer,” Luke marched up the stairs to install the second unit. He found an outlet in the middle of the hallway, and in moments, had the intercom mounted to the wall.

  He started to leave, when he noticed Aggie’s crutches by the couch. She’d be hungry when she awoke from her nap. Luke put down his things and walked to the kitchen; smiling, he opened a refrigerator covered with pictures inscribed to “Aunt Aggie.” Pulling out condiments, lunchmeat, and vegetables, Luke made a whopper of a sandwich and put it on a plate. He rummaged through the pantry and found some crackers and a small bag of chips. Grabbing a banana from the fruit basket on the counter, he brought the food and set it near her on the coffee table.

  A thought occurred to him, and he went back into the kitchen. At the back of the pantry, he found what he was looking for. A good quality thermos would work beautifully. Luke boiled water and mixed a thermos full of the “imported coffee stuff” mix that he’d seen sitting on the counter. He grabbed a paper towel and scribbled a note on it.

  Aggie (Sorry, I don’t know your last name),

  The intercom system is up and running. I thought you might wake up and be hungry before Uncle Zeke got back, so I left you a sandwich. I hope that ankle feels better soon. Having had a couple myself, I can attest to the fact that the longer you rest in the beginning, the sooner you can really move around.

  Praying for you,

  Zeke’s Nephew

  Wednesday, May 8th

  Aggie pressed the intercom buzzer for what seemed like the fiftieth time. “Girls, come downstairs, now.” Aggie didn’t know why she bothered. She was getting the hang of the crutches, but going up and down stairs was still impossible--and the twins knew it. Lorna would likely have come had Cari not been in one of her moods. Getting Lorna to go against Cari’s wishes was like getting a mule to volunteer to carry heavy packs up a steep mountain in the rain-- wearing heels.

  Aggie nearly screamed in frustration. After three days of having the twins run wild all over the house, she realized that Tina had been right. She would have to call for help. Picking up the phone, Aggie swallowed her pride and called Zeke. Again. This was becoming a terrible habit of hers. “Zeke? This is Aggie. I’m so sorry to keep bothering you, but you’ve lived here a while, and I thought maybe you might know where I could get some help.”

  Zeke chuckled. “What kind of help do you need, missy?”

  Aggie realized that she was not making sense. “I need to hire two people for the next two weeks. I need a mother’s helper type person. Someone who can come in and take care of the twins and Ian for two weeks, so they don’t run wild. I can’t control them!”

  “And the other person? What is this other person going to do?”

  “I need a cleaning service or something. My friend Tina told me to call someone, but I forgot and the house is already a mess. Please, if you can think of anyone who can do either of these, I really could use the help. It’s so hard to get the baby in and out of his playpen. I re-injured my ankle last night when I was getting him up for an impromptu midnight feeding. I whacked it on the coffee table.” The defeat in Aggie’s voice showed the strain this enforced bed rest was causing her.

  Zeke was silent for a moment before speaking. “Oh, I know! There is a lovely woman in our church. Her husband just got laid off, and they’re cutting it pretty close these days. Why don’t I call her and see if she’s available? If she is, I’ll give her your phone number.”

  Aggie sagged in relief. “What could she do? Cleaning or watching?” Aggie was praying that it would be watching as she heard yet another loud thump upstairs.

  “Why, I imagine she’d be doing both. I’ll give her a call.”

  Aggie says: Mom? Are you there?

  Martha says: I’ll get her.

  Aggie says: Hi, Dad!

  Martha says: She’s coming. How is that ankle?

  Aggie says: Healing, but slowly.

  Martha says: I’ll bet. Here’s mom. If I don’t talk to you later, take care.

  Aggie says: Night, Dad.

  Martha says: Hi Aggie! How are you? Are you sick of that question yet?

  Aggie says: Yep, but I’ll live.

  Martha says: What is wrong, young lady? I can tell something isn’t right.

  Aggie says: I can’t do it.

  Martha says: Can’t do what? Last I read, Paul promised we could do all things through Jesus.

  Aggie says: humph

  Martha says: I’m waiting.

  Aggie says: The twins won’t listen, I can’t lift Ian, and I’ve had to give up and hire help to do what Doug and Allie thought I could handle. I’m a failure.

  Martha says: Hogwash. If you don’t quit this pity party, I’m going to drive down there myself and spank you.

  Aggie says: As if.

  Martha says: Do not sass me!

  Martha says: Listen to your mother. I don’t need her up fretting half the night.

  Aggie says: Yes ma’am/sir.

  Martha says: That’s better. Now, let me get this straight. You’re pretty much stuck on the couch all day, is that right?

  Aggie says: bingo

  Martha says: Furthermore, you have small children that need attention, but you are physically incapable of providing it. Do I have the situation described correctly?

  Aggie says: Yes, Mother.

  Martha says: Well, when Allie was unable to move around at the end of her pregnancy with Cari and Lorna, if you’ll remember, she hired an assistant to do the housework and keep the children from killing themselves and each other.

  Aggie says: How did I miss that? When--

  Martha says: I think it was your second semester at college. You were probably sleep-deprived and didn’t remember. I remember you spent the whole trip to see the babies in the hospital studying child psychology or something and drove us all insane with your new-found knowledge.

  Aggie says: Oh, yeah, I think a woman brought the kids to the hospital that day. Was that her?

  Martha says: Yep.

  Aggie says: Why do I feel like su
ch a failure?

  Martha says: Because when you’re curled on the couch, it’s much easier to stare into your own navel than it is to see reality.

  Aggie says: Gross, Mom.

  Martha says: I call them like I see them. Did you find someone to hire, or did you just realize you’d have to?

  Aggie says: Zeke says he knows someone. Sigh.

  Martha says: We’re proud of you, Aggie. You know that, right?

  Aggie says: I know, Mom. Thanks

  Aggie says: Am I crazy not to move to Yorktown?

  Martha says: I know your dad thinks he’s being sneaky about suggesting you keep far enough away that I can’t drive, but as much as I don’t want to admit it, he’s right. I’d try to come, it’d be too much for me, and you’d have nine kids to take care of until he could rescue me. Staying close to Rockland gives you a broader support base, and even though you’ll have a new church, the old church will be close enough to help out if necessary. It’s a good decision, Aggie.

  Aggie says: I guess.

  Martha says: Aggie?

  Aggie says: hmm?

  Martha says: Is Jesus big enough to handle this?

  Aggie says: yeah

  Martha says: Then give it to Him. Your dad is giving me slicing motions across his neck. I’d better go before he grabs a knife. Night.

  Aggie says: Night, mom. Love you.

  Martha says: Night, Aggie. Love you too.

  Chapter 8

  Discovery

  Thursday, May 9th

  The children rushed out the door the next morning, just as a car drove into the driveway. Vannie looked curiously at the woman but rushed past, trying not to miss the bus. The woman counted the children as they dashed out the door. Kenzie tripped over her shoelace but was up and running again before the startled woman could try to help.

  Aggie called out with a welcoming, “Come in,” as she heard a knock at the door. A smiling woman, with beautiful russet hair piled on her head in a bun and jolly green eyes, hesitantly entered the room. “Are you Aggie? Zeke didn’t give me any other name, just Aggie.”