Loving Neil

by Ronald Bagliere

  Oh no, Janet thought. I’m not going down there. She glanced at Tom. “Can you see what he wants?”

  Tom set his soda down and patted her shoulder as he passed.

  Ten minutes later, she heard Tom and Neil coming up the basement stairs. “Those porcelain isolators are a fire hazard,” Neil said. “They need to be ripped out and new 14/2 wiring run through conduit.”

  “You’re damned right,” Tom said.

  Janet blinked. Fire hazard?

  “How much you think to rewire it?” Tom said, stepping into the kitchen through the open basement door.

  Neil followed and shut the door behind them. “Depends on how right you want to do it. At a minimum, I’d say a thousand, maybe a bit more.”

  “I guess that ends the tour,” Janet muttered, closing her eyes. How am I going to come up with that, being out of work and owing everyone on the planet? She felt as if she’d been punched in the stomach.

  Megan’s face darkened and she let out an audible sigh. Neil glanced at his daughter and looked back at Janet in confusion. “What’s the problem?” he said.

  Janet stared at him; incredulous he could ask such a dumb question. “Isn’t it obvious?”

  Neil shrugged. “No.”

  “I can’t rent this out,” she answered. She looked at the ceiling.

  “Sure you can,” Neil replied. “I’d rent it.” He thumped the bay window casing next to him. “Foundation’s in good shape. Plumbing, too. There’s a well, right?”

  “Yeah,” Janet said. “Pump’s a bit cranky at times. But–”

  “But what?” Neil argued.

  They were all quiet a minute, until Janet said, “You’re serious: you’d still rent this, even with the bad wiring?”

  Neil cocked his head and eyed his daughter. “Sure. It’s been standing this long. I’ll make you a deal. I’ll get her straightened out for two month’s free rent.”

  Janet swallowed hard as the offer hung in the air. “I, I don’t know.”

  “What’s to know?” Megan said, brightening.

  Tom piped up, “You gonna do the work yourself?”

  Neil laughed. “Oh, no. Electricity and I don’t get along. I’ll find someone to take care of it.”

  This is going way too fast. Slow down, Janet thought. “Well, I guess I ought to show you the rest of the place.”

  Megan grinned, and Janet knew what that meant.

  Janet rolled the car window down as she drove along Highway 22 listening to the Beatles, ‘Hey Jude.’ The crisp autumn breeze carrying the resinous scent of pine tossed her hair. Well, I’m a landlord again, that is if I want it, she thought, and considered the strange turn of events that kept bringing Neil into her life. If she were religious, she’d have called it God Sent, Karma, or Destiny. She grinned as she drummed her fingers on the wheel. It was just chance, yet still–

  She put her foot to the pedal, and a half hour later Salem’s familiar skyline crept into view with its modern office buildings under dark threatening clouds. Tiny raindrops pelted her windshield. By the time she pulled into her driveway, it was a downpour. She rushed to the house, covering her head with a newspaper. When she opened the door, a wet tongue and wagging tail greeted her.

  “Hi Baby, how did you get out of your crate?” she said, bending down to pick her mail up. When she realized she had not latched the door to his crate, she took a deep breath and braced herself. “Okay, mommy screwed up. Now, let’s get you outside while I look around and see what you’ve been up to?” She let him out, then pulled the door shut behind her and glanced around, hunting for telltale signs of mischief.

  After finding there were no accidents, Janet kicked her shoes off and scooted to the bathroom. Her body cried for a hot shower, so she ran the water and skipped into the bedroom to peel her work clothes off. She threw a robe on and let Barney back in, then inserted a tape of Van Morrison into her cassette player. Suddenly, she found herself dancing around the room.

  For the first time since her aunt died, she breathed easier. Her father was moving out west and the dilemma with the house could be over. The only thing that remained was ramping up her starving practice again. Whether or not she should’ve taken the job Mick had offered her was a moot point now, yet she couldn’t help but wish she had.

  Twenty minutes later, she was showered and in the kitchen. As Barney dug into his chow, she set the teakettle on the stove and filched a couple of Oreos from the cookie jar. She was about to sit down and go through the pile of mail when the phone rang.

  “Hello?”

  “Skeeter. Dad.”

  She leaned back in her chair. “Hey, I was just thinking of you.”

  “Yeah? Didn’t do it!”

  “Do what?” she replied.

  He laughed on the other end. “Whatever you think I did. Anyway, ya hear about Belinda?”

  “No, what?” she said.

  “She’s pregnant. You’re gonna be an aunt again.”

  “That’s fantastic!”

  “Yeah. I’m flying down to see them next week if I can find a decent flight,” he replied.

  “I’m sure he’ll love that.” She grinned. “You’re becoming a real jet-setter.”

  “Don’t remind me.”

  “Oh, and I’ve got some news of my own. I might have found a tenant for June’s house.”

  “Really?” Her father said, his tone becoming cautious. “You sure about adding another tenant? Tom is someone you know, but a stranger–they could leave a giant mess. You have a lease, right?”

  Oh no, here we go again. But I’m not gonna let this get into an argument. Taking a deep breath, she fought off the urge to snipe back. “Of course there’ll be a lease.”

  “That’s good. By the way, what are you going to ask for rent?”

  “Four-seventy-five plus utilities. He says he can do some work on the place, too.”

  “You mean painting?”

  “That and other things,” Janet said, nibbling her lip.

  “Such as?”

  “There’s some electrical issues and I guess there’s a sag in the porch beam or something like that.”

  “Skeeter, hire a contractor. Get someone experienced. Last thing you want is a do-it-yourselfer working on your house.”

  “He’s an architect, Dad,” she argued.

  “And I’m a mechanical engineer,” he replied. “Doesn’t mean I can fit pipes together. Not saying he’s not capable. Just make sure if you rent to him, he can do what he says he can, okay?”

  Janet nodded. Her dad was trying to look out after her, and she couldn’t fault him for it. “Will do.”

  “Say, I’m starved, and I have a crap load of paper work to get through. Call you later in the week?”

  “I’m out of town on a shoot till Wednesday,” Janet replied, “then over to the house the rest of the week. How ‘bout I call you?”

  “That works.”

  “Love you, Dad.”

  “Ditto, sweetie.”

  Janet hung up feeling anxious and it got worse when she saw an invoice from the lawyers office sitting on the table staring back at her.

  6

  August 1, 1981 -

  From the front porch window, Janet and Barney watched Neil pull into the gravel drive. His long white truck was towing a trailer. The dog barked. She hushed him and made a last cursory glance around June’s empty house. The front room was freshly painted. The last of June’s items sat by the front door, waiting to be taken out. Tom was upstairs, whistling away as he put the final shine on the tub.

  He came down and joined her and the dog. Outside, Neil was unhitching the trailer as Megan and Brad dug boxes out from the back of the truck. Tom handed Janet a stack of letters. “Found these upstairs. Thought you might want ‘em.”

  “Oh, thanks.” She glanced down at them and seeing her father’s bold script, wondered what secrets they might hold. She tucked them in one of the boxes by the front door, made a mental note to look them over in the near future, and said
, “At least Neil has a good day to move in on.”

  “Right. I’ll take these boxes out to the car while you see ‘em in.” He gave her hand a squeeze and scooped up the last remnant of June’s effects as Megan appeared at the door. Barney jumped as Tom let her in.

  “Hey, you brat, you should’ve called me,” Megan said, looking around. “I would’ve helped if I’d known you were working up to the last minute.”

  “Don’t sweat it,” Janet replied as Megan stood and put her arms around her.

  “Looks bigger, somehow,” Megan said. She drew back and gave the empty rooms an appraising gaze. “I know I’ve told you a thousand times, but I’m really grateful.” Janet raised her hand to silence her, but Megan cut her off. “No, really. I was wrong to push my father on you so soon after…” She averted her gaze to the floor.

  Janet tagged her on the arm with a friendly jab. “Come on,” she said, “there’s a small supermarket in Junction Valley that has the best pastries in town. We’ll pick up some treats for the boys.” She felt Barney’s paw on her leg and looked down at shining brown eyes. “Yes, you too.”

  “So, are you coming to our company picnic this year?” Megan said, playing with the car radio.

  Janet shrugged. “Maybe. Depends.” She shot Megan a passing glance as she drove. “I have a couple of shoots next month.” She eased up on the pedal. The road gently wound around a cluster of Douglas fir and straightened out in a long inviting track. Tall rambling bushes and scraggly pine ran along the shoulder of the road. Speed-trap Alley! At last, she said, “You must be excited having your father out here.”

  Megan nodded. “Oh, yes. I’ve been trying to talk him into coming out since my brother ditched him for Germany.”

  “You never told me you had a brother,” Janet said.

  “Really? I thought I did,” Megan replied, her tone oddly cold and rigid. “He’s in the Air Force.”

  “Really? I don’t think I’d like being in the service.”

  “How’s that?” Megan said.

  “All the uprooting, leaving family behind and stuff. I couldn’t do it.”

  Megan was quiet a moment. “Well, yeah, I guess. Except my brother, Trevor, couldn’t have cared less. He lives in his own world. Everything’s about him you know … asshole! Sorry, but thinking about him pisses me off.”

  Janet was surprised at the icy hostility Megan had for her brother. She couldn’t ever imagine feeling that way about Craig. Hmmm … I wonder what that’s all about?

  The trees parted and the land opened up on both sides of them revealing careworn countrified homes that sat a hundred yards back off the road. In the distance, golden blankets of tall grasses pooled around silver silos.

  Janet slowed down and turned right onto the road heading towards Valley Junction. The radio chattered, softly filling the inside of the car with Casey’s Weekly Top 40. The number one song, ‘Bad Girls’ rattled the speakers.

  Megan tapped her palms on her knees to the beat and turned the radio up a notch. “Reminds me of the good ole days.” When Janet turned and cocked her brow, Megan cuffed her on the arm. “Okay, Okay … you’re not much older than I am, you know.”

  Her gaze wandered out the passenger window a moment, then turned back. “Oh, did you know Mick has a girlfriend?”

  “Really? That’s interesting,” Janet said. “She must be something else. Mick’s picky.”

  “Oh, yeah. She’s a real looker. From what I heard, she teaches up at the university–psychology or something like that.”

  “Oh, wow! He’ll have fun with her,” Janet quipped thinking of Mick’s modus operandi. She could see him now trying to order the woman around. There was definitely going to be some bloodletting in the near future, and it was going to be Mick on the short end of it.

  By five o’clock, most of Neil’s stuff had been set up or stacked in piles on the enclosed porch. Janet carried in the last box and set it on the kitchen counter as he pulled the truck ahead and parked. A few moments later, he pushed through the front door, keys in hand. “That’ll do ‘er. I’m starved. Anyone know if there’s a takeout joint around here?”

  “There’s a pizza shop down the road,” Janet said. “I think they might deliver, not sure.”

  “Is the phone still hooked up?”

  “Yes, ‘til Monday. I guess you’ll need a number,” Janet said. “I think I have one in my address book.”

  “Great, and now for something cold,” he said and went to the fridge and pulled out a beer.

  An hour later they sat in the back room munching slices of pepperoni and sausage pizza. Megan and her father sat on the sofa, Brad and Janet on chairs they’d pulled in from the dining room. Tom had already left.

  Janet set her Coke down and leaned back in her chair. “So, how was the trip out?”

  Neil wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Wasn’t too bad. Iowa and South Dakota were dicey. Hail, lot’s of it, and heavy rain.”

  Brad gulped a swig of beer. “You think you’ve seen rain? Wait a bit. You’ll see it here like you’ve never seen it before.”

  “But the mountains break it up,” Megan said, peeling a piece of cheese off her slice and popping it into her mouth.

  “Sometimes,” Brad added with a snort.

  Janet glanced around at Neil’s utilitarian furniture, trying to get used to the new trappings in her aunt’s house. “I remember my trip out with my mom. I’ll never forget the endless fields of corn and alfalfa. They went on as far as I could see. Sometimes the skies were so blue, they hurt my eyes.”

  “I know what you mean,” Megan said, setting her plate down. “When I came out, I felt the same way.”

  Neil licked his fingers and waved his hand toward the window. “Yeah, it’s a wide open country back there, and plenty dangerous when the weather kicks up.” He turned his gaze toward Brad. “In Iowa and the Dakotas, it’s twister country, and there’s nowhere to run to when they come roaring through.”

  Brad shrugged. “Guess you got a point there. We do get some nasty downpours though, some lasting for days.”

  “Days, Brad?” Megan said, rolling her eyes.

  Brad stretched and stood. “You know what I mean.” To Janet, he said, “This place is sweet. How far’s the property run out back?”

  “To the tree line over there,” Janet said, pointing out the window to a long thin line of hazelnut and pine. “It’s a fifteen minute walk depending on whether you cut through the meadow or take the footpath.”

  Brad surveyed the rolling landscape and aimed a finger at a stand of spindly sumac. “Is that a pond out there by those little trees?”

  “A small one, yes,” Janet answered. “It’s pretty low this time of year, but we’ve had a wet summer. It’s not much to look at.”

  “Mind if I check it out?”

  “No, go ahead.”

  Brad glanced at Megan. “You wanna come?”

  “Sure, why not?” Megan answered then looked at her father. “What about you, Dad?”

  “Oh, I’ll see it soon enough,” he replied. He looked at Janet and nodded toward the door. “Why don’t you go with ‘em?”

  “Oh, no, I’ll pass,” Janet said, spying the stars that were beginning to prick the sky. In the distance, the harvest moon was making an appearance within the fading blue above.

  After Brad and Megan went out, Neil knocked the pizza box down and stuffed it in the trash. “Umm … so how does trash work? Someone pick it up or do I take it to the dump?”

  “No, it’s collected Thursday mornings. Is there anything else you’d like to know before I leave?”

  He downed the last of his beer and started digging a fingernail at the corner of the bottle’s label. “I think that about covers it. Hey, I want to thank you for all you’ve done. Tom, too. Helping me move in wasn’t part of the deal.” He paused. “Life’s strange isn’t it? Who’d’a thought we’d end up here?”

  “It is a bit odd,” Janet agreed, wondering what he was thinking.

 
He raked his fingers though his hair. “Oh, the lease. You have it?”

  “Yes, out in the car. Be right back.”

  “Hold on, I’ll walk you out. By the way, here’s your last month’s deposit check.” He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled it out along with a business card. “My number at work,” he said. “Just in case you need to getta hold of me during office hours.”

  “I doubt I will, but you never know,” Janet said, tucking it away in her jeans pocket along with the check.

  The following week was hectic and Janet was glad Friday had finally rolled around. Between Neil’s moving into her aunt’s house and finishing off an assignment for Mick, she had been running ragged. She opened the fridge and took out the package of ground beef. As she pulled the wrapping off, she looked up at the clock. It was only four. “Screw it, I’ve earned a meal out.” She wrapped the hamburger back up and shoved it in the meat tender and coerced Barney into his crate. “Sorry puppy. But mommy will bring you home a treat, promise.”

  She grabbed her purse and opened the door to the garage.

  Inside, sat her brand new shiny red Mazda gleaming under the glare of a fluorescent ceiling light. She slipped into the leather-scented interior and thirty minutes later, pulled into the graveled lot of Jake’s and parked.

  Jake’s Steakhouse Tavern was a sprawling timber-framed building with a wrap-around porch. The joint was busy tonight, and the scent of barbeque made her mouth water. She walked to the front door and once inside, waded through the crowd up to the bar.

  First things first. She ordered a Jake-a-ria–sans the shot of rum. It was her favorite, created by Jake himself, and a popular choice of the locals. Made with a shot of red wine, brandy, club soda, orange juice and topped with a splash of Jamaican rum, a Jake-a-ria provided a hell of a kick if you had too many.

  “Janet?”

  She jerked her head around and found Neil behind her. “Oh, hi. I see you discovered Jake’s.”

  He pointed to a small round bar table with two tall chairs. “Wanna join me?”

  “Ummm,” she said, trying to buy some time to decide if she wanted to decline. She furtively scanned the crowd, looking for someone she might know and finding no one, shrugged. “Sure, why not?”