Wildflower

by Prudence MacLeod

  A quick peek inside showed the refrigerator to be empty, but Mark had said it was working. The cupboards still contained all the dishes as well as some spices and other things that should have been discarded long ago. There was a distinct odor of decay in one of them. A small pantry was off the kitchen and a place for fire wood storage just inside it. Abby smiled warmly at this, no need to be cold in case of a power failure.

  Just off the kitchen was a more formal dining room complete with table, chairs, and two fully loaded china cabinets. From the dining room she made her way to the living room which was also fully furnished with some very old but elegant pieces that had obviously been refurbished not so very long ago. The drapes were still in place, the TV and stereo were still in the entertainment center, and the pictures were still hanging on the walls. The stairs went up and down to the basement as well. Abby decided to go up.

  There had been some rather nice renovations done up there as well. There were two rather large bedrooms and a well appointed bathroom between them. There was also what had been another bedroom, but it was small and had been converted to storage. It was piled high with plastic containers full of yarns. The second bedroom was also full of extra furniture and most of that was crammed full of old clothes, dishes, nick knacks, stacks of hand made doilies and other needle work, boxes full of old jewelry, purses, etc. Puzzled, Abby made a mental note to ask Mark the whole story on this place.

  She reached the main floor and found the entrance to the basement. Flicking on the light, but finding none, Abby made her way down the stairs anyway as there was plenty of daylight. The stairs seemed new and most of the basement had been finished. She found the laundry machines and a full sized deep freezer as well as tons of boxes filled with more clothes, curtains, baubles and beads as well as other hobby and craft supplies, and still more furniture. Shaking her head in bemusement Abby returned to the main floor. Again she poked through the living room, noting the large variety of books contained in the three large bookcases. She also noted the deep layers of dust over everything as well as the distinct odor of dampness everywhere.

  Abby poked through the closets and then returned to the kitchen where she found Mark sitting at the table waiting for her. “Mark, can you tell me a bit of the story about this house?” she asked as she took a seat across the table from him.

  “Well Miss MacKai, as you can guess by the way she faces the sea that she was originally built long before the road came through. Many years ago it came into the hands of Terry and Bride Murphy. They lived and raised a family here, and although Terry often had to work away, Bride never left. Once the family was grown and gone, Terry put every cent he could find into the house to make it easier for Bride as she got older. He insulated and upgraded the wiring as well as put on a new roof about ten years ago. They did a lot of work inside as well, but you can see that. They even put a solid concrete foundation under her.”

  “What about all the extra furniture and all the boxes of stuff?”

  “The two sheds out there are full of it too,” he smiled ruefully. “Terry died about five years ago and shortly after that his older sister from Trinity died as well. Bride inherited the works of it and she tried to store all of it in the house, planning to sort through it all sooner or later but she never did. A few months after it was all brought here, she had a stroke and wasn’t able to do a lot from there. Two years ago she had another stroke and they put her in the home where she died a few months later.

  “The place has been empty ever since and the heirs want to be rid of it. The way things are now it is costing them for upkeep and taxes. They really want it sold and as soon as possible. You can probably name your own price and they won’t even argue.

  “I’ve got the water all hooked up again, but it will take a day or two to get the power back on. Once that happens you can test the appliances if you want to.”

  “Thanks Mark, but I’ll take your word that they all work,” smiled Abby as she rose gracefully to her feet. “I want to walk around outside a bit now.”

  With a glimmer of hope in his heart he followed her outside. She used the front door, the one that opened toward the sea and the one originally designed to welcome guests. It even had stained glass in the window, but a steel storm door had been mounted on the outside to keep the winter winds at bay.

  Abby descended the stairs and walked toward the beach for a bit before turning to look at the house from there. From this view she seemed much more welcoming; not nearly as sad as she had from the road. It was almost as though the spirit of the old house was calling to Abby. “Come to me,” she seemed to sigh. “I will hold you gently in my arms and you can heal here. We will both heal together.”

  “Perhaps we will at that,” thought Abby softly. “How much land goes with it?” she asked, turning to address Mark who had followed her outside.

  “From the road to the shore,” he replied as he pointed, “and from the far edge of the driveway to the tall post over there. Beyond that is Keith’s place. Out the back here is where Bride kept her garden until she got so she could no longer tend it. Too late to set out anything this year, but next year could be good. The soil here is actually quite deep in places and not too rocky at all.”

  “Twenty thousand,” said Abby softly.

  “Excuse me?” he asked, turning back toward her, startled by the suddenness of her remark.

  “Offer twenty thousand,” repeated Abby. “This house needs a lot of work; she’s been neglected too long. The entire outside needs paint for instance, and it will take forever to get the smell of mustiness out of the inside.”

  “All right Miss MacKai,” he sighed with slumping shoulders. “We accept.”

  “We accept?” she asked arching an eyebrow at him.

  “Yes, I’m one of the heirs. I though of trying to do something with the old girl myself, but the others just want out, and I can’t afford to buy them out while I have three kids in college. You’ve got a deal.”

  “Very good sir,” she smiled softly as she turned back to look at the old house once more. “You make up the paper work and I’ll write a cheque.”

  “Shall we go back inside?” he asked, motioning her forward with a sweeping gesture of his arm. She nodded and preceded him back into the kitchen. “It’ll take about ten days to get all the paperwork settled out, but you can move in immediately if you wish.”

  “I have some other things to attend to,” replied Abby as she removed her cheque book from her purse. “Would you be so kind as to ask your friend to continue keeping an eye on the place until I can get moved in? I’ll pay whatever he requires once I am settled.”

  “I’m sure that won’t be a problem. Now I need you to sign here, and here, and I’ll get you a receipt for the cheque. Here we go and here’s the key to the castle Miss MacKai. As I said, move in whenever you wish.”

  “I’ll wait until the papers are all registered,” she smiled as she accepted the keys from his hand. “I want everything to be on the up and up with this.”

  “I assure you that everything will be done properly Miss MacKai,” he smiled. “The last thing I want is to have to take it back, and I don’t want to be sued. I have a certain reputation to uphold.”

  “And a very good reputation it is Mr. Pardy,” smiled Abby, passing the cheque across the table.

  “You checked me out?”

  “Right after we spoke on the phone,” she smiled. “I don’t get in a car with just anybody sir. Had I felt unsure of you at all I would have brought someone else with me.”

  “You take no chances, do you?” he asked softly, getting lost in those crystal blue eyes.

  “I take no chances,” she smiled in return as she rose to her feet, “and I am vengeful when I am crossed. Enough of this; take me home sir. I want you to stop somewhere along the way and I will buy you lunch.”

  “Oh Miss MacKai, there’s no need...”

  “Your gas, my sandwiches,” she laughed, taking his arm and steering him toward the car. �
��Come on.”

  As they exited the house a tall grey haired man was approaching. It was the handyman and Mark introduced Abby as the new owner. “Well, it will be a treat to see lights in her windows again,” he smiled as he shook Abby’s hand warmly. Abby liked this tall athletic man instantly.

  “It may be a while before I am ready to move in Mr. Pike.”

  “Keith please,” he smiled warmly.

  “Thank you Keith, I’m Abby,” she said returning his smile. “As I was saying, it maybe a while before I’m ready to move in. Could you please continue in your capacity as caretaker until that time?”

  “It would be my pleasure Abby. Is there anything else I can do in the meantime?”

  “I’d rather wait until it’s official Keith,” she smiled, “but as soon as that happens can you arrange to have the outside painted for me?”

  “Yes ma’am,” he grinned. “The Barnes brothers are always looking for odd jobs. They’re good boys as long as you supervise them closely.”

  “It sounds as though you have some experience with these fellows. Might I employ you as the supervisor?”

  “Not a problem,” he replied easily. “Got a pen? I’ll give you my phone number and you can let me know as soon as you want to get started.”

  Abby quickly wrote down the number then thanked him again and said goodbye. Mark chatted happily through lunch and all the way back to town, hardly noticing that his passenger had fallen completely silent. Had he taken a close look, he would have seen that she was exhausted.

  At Peace In The City

  “Look Hazel, I know you’ve only been here a few months, but you’re the only full timer I have and I need you to do this,” pleaded Lawson Dunbar, Hazel’s boss.

  “Lollie, I’m really sorry, but I have an apartment to keep up and I have to live. I know darn well the kind of hours this will take, especially at first. I’ll lose my other job and then I’ll be back to a bed sitting room, or something worse, and I’m not into it at all.”

  “Hazel, I’ll double your pay,” the tall lanky man sighed with a small note of desperation in his voice.

  “Are you serious? Why would you do that? You could easily get someone else cheaper.”

  “And I’d have to train them Hazel. You know darn well there is no time for that. I have to get the new place up and running, and I need someone here I can trust; that someone is you. Come on Hazel, double the pay. You could save up enough to publish that book.”

  “Alright Lollie,” she sighed, finally giving in. “When do I start?”

  “Today,” he exclaimed excitedly as he took her by the arm, “right now.” “Come on, I’ll show you everything that has to be done and I’ll get you a set of keys.” He darted into the tiny office, and the new manageress of the Foggy Morning Café followed him in.

  “Alright Hazel, here’s the list,” he declared as he finished giving Hazel the full rundown on the operation, “and here’s my cell phone number. Call me if you need anything.” With that he was gone and Hazel was left to fend for herself.

  Over the next few weeks she called him several times, but less and less as time went by. At the end of the month she was shocked at the size of her paycheque. Lawson had given her a small percentage as well as her agreed upon pay scale. Hazel grinned as she headed back to her apartment with a new batch of photos in her hand and an extra hundred dollars in her purse. Tomorrow was her day off and she was planning to pamper herself a bit. It was late in the season now and most of the wildflowers were all bloomed out anyway.

  Singing softly to herself as she worked, Hazel made herself a small vegetarian meal. She ate in front of the TV news before turning off the set and settling down to inspect her latest batch of photos which she had spread out on the futon beside her. She was still at it several hours later when the phone rang.

  “Greetings weary traveler, you have reached the telephone of Hazel Fillmore, please leave your message after the beep,....beep,” grinned Hazel as she answered the phone.

  “So when did you buy a machine Hazel?” asked Tommy.

  “Yesterday Mr. Smart Ass,” retorted Hazel, “what keeps you up at this time of night?”

  “Just wanted to hear a friendly voice.” He was putting up a brave front, but Hazel could hear the tremble in his voice.

  “There’s a friendly face that goes with it honey. Want to come over? Do you need a place to crash?”

  “Yes to both questions.”

  “Bring your sleeping bag sweetie; I’ll put the kettle on.”

  “Thanks Hazel, you’re the best,” Tommy sighed softly as he hung up the pay phone. He was at her door in a matter of moments.

  “Awe Tommy.” Hazel pulled him inside and hugged him fiercely. He broke down in her arms and she held him gently while he cried. “It’s Ok sweetie,” she soothed as she gently stroked his hair, “Hazel’s got you. It’s Ok.” She continued to hold him while great wracking sobs shook his body. When the emotional storm had passed, she settled him on the futon that doubled as her bed then she went for tea.

  “Sorry to be such a puss,” he murmured shyly as she handed him a mug of steaming liquid. “You are the only person in the whole world I have ever let see me cry.”

  “My big macho man, care to talk about it?”

  “It was truly ugly Hazel,” he sighed as he took a sip of the soothing brew. “We were having dinner with Jack’s sister and her husband. The husband had been drinking and he was making a lot of ‘fag’ jokes. Both Jack and I were getting pretty mad about it; then he made a crack about you and I freaked all over him. I said if he ever tried to put a hand on you again I would break his legs.

  “Well, as you might guess, that did it. She started screaming, wanting to know what I was talking about. I told her the truth, but he denied it and threatened to hit me. I said he was welcome to try so he did.”

  “Oh my god Tommy,” gasped Hazel.

  “Yeah, well, it sort of got really weird from there. I popped him one and he fell on his fat ass. She started screaming again and tried to claw my eyes out. I pushed her away then Jack hit me.”

  “Jack hit you?”

  “Keep your fucking hands off my sister or I’ll break your neck,” was what he said as he knocked me down. I got up and started to leave but she came at me again. I pushed her back, and when Jack came at me I decked him good.”

  “Oh god, Tommy no...”

  “Yeah, he was just coming to when I drove away,” sighed Tommy. “I’ve got as much of my stuff in the car as I could carry and I’ve already cleaned out the bank account.”

  “Tommy?”

  “Half the furniture and everything else there is mine. If he wants his half of the money, he’ll have to cough up the rest of my stuff.” He started to cry again and Hazel gathered him back into her arms, crooning soothing sounds as she rocked him gently.

  “Hazel, I’m so...”

  “Stop that now,” whispered Hazel. “You’re all right my darling boy, Hazel’s got you.”

  Finally the storm passed and he sat back up again. “I know I’m cramping your style here Hazel,” he sighed. “I’ll find myself a new place in the morning.”

  “Won’t,” replied Hazel as she pulled him back into her arms. “You’re staying with me until the dust settles. We’ll buy an air mattress for you in the morning and afterwards I can use it for camping. I’ve been wanting one anyway.”

  “I really appreciate this Hazel,” he smiled weakly. “In all the world you’re the only one I can turn to when I’m hurt. You’re the only one who really understands. I’m not a violent person, but I will not allow myself to be hit, not by anyone.”

  “Except by me,” giggled Hazel. “I remember the night you kissed me and called me a lezzie. I really tried to take your head off, but you made no attempt at all to stop me, you just protected your face.”

  “Aw, that’s just because you hit like a girl,”

  “That’s it for you Tommy Reid, you jerk,” she sniffed, pretending to be offended. �
��Just for that you’re sleeping on the floor.”

  “Yes Ma’am,” he said contritely as he sat back up again with a twinkle in his eye. Somehow, no matter what happened, Hazel always made him feel better. “Gods Hazel, Jack and I were together nearly three years, and in all that time he never once tried to hit me, heck, he never even lost his temper before this.”

  “Was Jack drinking too?”

  “He’d had a few beers with his brother in law, but I never suspected in a million years that he would not defend me. How can you do that Hazel? How can you pledge love to someone forever then turn around and hit them? My parents argued sometimes, but they certainly never hit each other or us. What about your family?”

  “You know better than that Tommy,” she chided gently as she rose to get more tea. “Dad is a stern man, but although I was always afraid of his temper, and his strength, I cannot remember a single instance of him actually hitting either Mom or any of us. All he had to do was shake one of those huge fingers and everybody went very still and stayed out of his way. No Tommy, that wasn’t Jack that hit you, it was the booze.”

  “Well, that’s it for me,” sighed Tommy. “It’s like your dad said, alcohol is a bad business and best avoided. I thought he was just being preachy, but I can see now what he meant. From this day on, little Tommy Reid is on the wagon.”

  “Welcome to my world,” smiled Hazel gently as she sat beside him again. “Remember how messed up I was on the booze and drugs in Toronto. Man, I never want to go back there ever again.”

  “Toronto or the booze and drugs?”

  “Any of them,” laughed Hazel as she punched the speaker button to answer the ringing phone. “Greetings weary traveler, you have reached the telephone of Hazel Fillmore, please leave your message after the beep....beep!”

  “Hazel, it’s Jack, I really screwed up badly tonight and I can’t find Tommy,” said Jack’s blurry voice. He had obviously been drinking heavily. “I know he will come running to you, so will you please tell him I’m sorry and need to see him?”