All Roads Lead Home (Bellingwood)

by Diane Greenwood Muir

  But now, it was time for Polly to walk up to a stranger's door. No one ever went in the front door when she lived on the farm. It seemed like everyone knew you went to the back door. But Polly had been away for a long time and she had no idea if that was still the right thing to do. She sat in her truck for a few minutes trying to figure out the lay of the land. If she went in the front door, they might think she was trying to be too formal, but she didn't want them to think she was too forward by going to the back door. Oh, she hated this part of getting to know people.

  As she put her hand out to open the door of her truck, the back door of the house opened and a young woman walked outside. Polly pulled the latch and stepped out of her car.

  "Are you Polly? Polly Giller?" asked the young woman.

  "Yes, I am." Polly said with more than a little relief.

  "Brad's in the barn. He told me to keep an eye out for you. It’s this way," the young woman said. "By the way, my name is Lee. I hope you like these boards. I think they're beautiful, but Brad says there is no reason for us to keep them. This old house already has nice wood floors, so I guess I don't need them."

  Lee had shoulder length blonde hair and her eyes were already smiling. Before they got to the barn, Polly’s heart jumped when Lee let loose with a shout, "Brad! Brad! She's here!"

  There was some rustling in the barn as the two women entered. A good looking young man in jeans and a plaid shirt glanced up from a pile of hay he seemed to be arranging.

  "That stupid cat had kittens in here last night, Lee."

  "Well, if you wouldn't feed that stupid cat, she might not think you were hers," Lee retorted.

  She turned to Polly. "He likes us all to think he hates small animals, but we know better. He's a big softy. He'll be out here every night making sure they're warm and safe. What do you want to bet he builds a pen around this pile of hay so nothing can get to them."

  Polly smiled at the two and leaned over to look inside the space Brad had been working on. There was a mama cat with five tiny balls of fur gathered around.

  "Oh, they are adorable, aren't they? I haven't had cats in years!"

  Lee got a hopeful look on her face, "Would you like one or maybe two when they're old enough to be weaned?"

  Polly laughed. "Let me think about it, but I bet they'd be wonderful at the old school house. I'll let you know."

  "Alright, alright, Lee. Leave her alone. Cats come and go so fast around here we don't even bother naming them," Brad said.

  "Oh, don't let him kid you. He named mama cat the first time he saw her." Lee responded.

  "I don't think 'stupid cat' is actually a name, Lee." Brad said.

  "No, it's not. But Snuffles is and she loves you." Lee poked her husband in the arm and he yanked it away.

  "Whatever."

  Then he said. "The barn boards are over here." He walked to the other side of the barn and there were a number of beautifully grayed and weathered boards propped against the wall. Polly gasped. "Those are gorgeous!"

  Lee said, "I know. They really are. When we pulled the barn down and I saw them, I thought they'd be perfect. A little work and they'll be even more beautiful."

  "I want them all,” Polly said. “ I need to get someone down here to pick them up, but I want every single one of them. Anything I don't use on my floors will be used somewhere else."

  She reached in her jeans pocket for her checkbook. "I'll write you the check today, but it might take a few days for me to round up a truck and some guys to move these. Is that alright?"

  "That will be fine," said Brad. "I won't need this space for a few weeks or so. Call when you're coming to get them and we'll get you loaded and ready to go."

  Polly wrote out the check and before Brad could put his hands on it, Lee took it. "I'll make sure this gets in the right account, honey. I don't think you need to put it in one of your little savings accounts. We can use this in other places."

  Brad shook his head and smiled at his wife. "She's always telling me what to do. Thanks a lot Miss Giller and if you want a couple of cats, I'll gladly bring them up. Both of us would like to see what you're doing with that old school house. It was sure a shame when it closed down and even more of a shame to see it sitting there all boarded up."

  "I'll call later this week and I will think about those cats. But, you two are welcome to come any time. When the floors get laid, I'll let you know so you can see where your boards are living!"

  Lee and Polly walked out of the barn while Brad went back to work, setting up the home for the kittens.

  "Would you like to come in for some coffee or tea?" Lee asked.

  "I don't think so today. It's been nice to meet you though," Polly said. "I need to get back to the craziness on the home front. I like to remind them I'm still around and they can't make decisions without me!"

  Polly turned to go back to her truck.

  "Oh, Lee, I do have a stupid question,” she said.

  "Yes?"

  "If you hadn't come out of the back door, I would have had no idea which door to use. It's been so long since I've been in the country." Polly said.

  "That's hilarious!" Lee laughed. "I suppose I would have answered the front door just like I do the back door, but now that you've been here once, you never have to use the front door. You're a friend."

  "I'll see you another time, then!" Polly said and opened the door to her car. As she sat down and turned the key, it occurred to her she still hadn't gotten a good answer. It wasn't going to be any easier the next time she had to go to someone's home.

  Polly backed down the driveway and out onto the main road. If she hurried, she would have time to stop at the Post Office before lunch. The building got quiet during the lunch hour and she liked having some of the foremen and contractors show up at her kitchen table to tell her what they’d been doing during the morning.

  Her dreams were all coming true. It seemed like life couldn't get any better.

  Chapter Three

  Heaving a sigh, Polly dropped into a chair in the kitchen. She was going to have to get more furniture pulled upstairs. She didn't have a comfortable chair anywhere. It was either stand, sit in the kitchen or lie down in her bed, unless she was driving somewhere to get something for someone. Now that she lived here, her days seemed long and the nights were short, which was strange because outside, the nights were long and days were much too short. She was never ready for the sun to set so early in the evenings.

  They still had a great deal of work to do on the old bathrooms upstairs. They were completely gutting the rooms and would turn each of them into a spa bathroom.

  Painting these upstairs classrooms had been an incredible feat. Fourteen foot ceilings weren't an easy reach, but she knew she needed to keep going. This was one part of the renovation she could do and she wanted to not only make decisions, but be part of the work. She knew it might seem strange to some, but before she chose the paint for a room, she tried to imagine the room filled with children as they learned from their teacher. Each room seemed to tell a story and she was happy with how things had turned out.

  Henry had been busy. The rooms upstairs were framed and trimmed and bookshelves built into the walls. He shaped each of the pieces in a classroom on the main floor and then took them upstairs for installation. His two young assistants, Jimmy Rio and Sam Terhune, were more than willing to traipse up and down the steps all day.

  The week had been long. Electricians and plumbers were working on the lower level trying to get everything in place before drywall was hung. They had two more weeks before that was scheduled, but they had been all over the place every day of the week.

  As she sat staring out the window at the broken down playground, her cell phone rang. She sighed. There was no more room left in her mind to make another decision, but knew if someone had a question, it was her job to come up with an answer. She didn't recognize the phone number, so offered a tentative, "Hello?"

  "Hi Polly, it's Lydia Merritt. How are you doing?"<
br />
  Polly shook her head. She pulled the phone away, stared it, took a deep breath, then came back to the conversation.

  "Hello, Lydia! I'm doing alright. How are you?" She felt badly that her voice didn’t sound energetic, but that was all she had left.

  "Well, I'm probably doing better than you, dear. I haven't had a building full of workers all week. Are you exhausted?" Lydia asked.

  "Honestly, Lydia. I really am. Times like this I wish I had a bathtub, a soft chair and someone to rub my feet."

  "I have a bathtub and a soft chair and I could probably be talked into rubbing your feet, but I suppose you might not want to be around anybody at all this evening."

  Polly wasn't sure how to respond. She hesitated before answering.

  "I don't know if I have the energy tonight for people," she said.

  "I didn't figure you would. Whenever you get up, check outside your front door. I left you some dinner. You shouldn't have to do anything. It's simple."

  "Oh, Lydia, you didn't have to do that. You guys already left me a lot of food." Polly said.

  "I know. But it's Friday night and you can take this up to your bed, curl up with a book and fall asleep. That is, if you don't mind a few crumbs in your bed," Lydia said. "And, I have another reason for pampering you a little and then calling you.”

  She went on before Polly could speak, "Tomorrow evening I have tickets to a play over at Iowa State University. Beryl and Andy are going. I asked Sylvie if she wanted to take her kids, but it sounds like her mother is coming into town, so she declined. We thought we'd make an evening of it. Dinner and the play and maybe drinks or something afterward and then ... you come stay at my house for the night. Pack a bag. We're going to have a slumber party. You'll get a real chair to sit in, carpet under your feet, a bed you don't have to make in the morning and breakfast on the table. How about it?"

  "I'd love to go out with you, but a slumber party? I don’t think I’m ready for that." Polly said.

  "Sure you are. It will be great," Lydia responded, "The girls and I plan to hang out in front of the fireplace. The old man is leaving town tomorrow and won't be back until Sunday night. I thought we could have some fun."

  Lydia's enthusiasm was contagious. Polly hadn't been to a slumber party since she was in elementary school and she certainly hadn't been to one with women who were so much older. What was she supposed to think about all of this?

  She opened her mouth, but before she could respond, Lydia said, "You have to. You have to!"

  "Alright, I'm in." Polly said, then continued "But, Lydia, this has to be the craziest thing I've ever heard!"

  "Oh, honey," Lydia said. "You just wait. Crazy is what we do when we get bored around here. And don’t think the play will be the most wonderful thing you’ll see tomorrow. Wait until Beryl gets a couple of my famous chocolate martinis in her! That will be wonderful."

  Polly had stood up while she was talking and walked to her front door. She opened it and there was a small, square, blue basket with a pretty red checkered napkin wrapped around its contents. She picked it up, pushed the door shut, clicked the lock and walked to the stairs. She sat down and opened the napkin.

  "Lydia!" she exclaimed.

  "Yes dear?" Lydia asked.

  "I opened the basket. This is beautiful! Thank you!" Polly said.

  "Well, you have a good night. Sleep well, sleep late and be ready for us to pick you up at four o'clock tomorrow afternoon. Beryl's driving, oh lordie, so the rest of us can start the party at the restaurant. She'll catch up when we get back to my house," Lydia responded.

  "Thank you so much, Lydia. I'll see you tomorrow!" Polly ended the call, and then went back into the kitchen to shut the lights off. She'd clean the coffee pot out tomorrow morning. She slipped in past the plastic draping to Henry’s temporary shop and saw everything was tucked in and turned off for the night. Walking back to the main floor switches, she flipped them down and walked up the steps to her room.

  Brad Giese’s Monday telephone call, telling her he had a buddy with a big truck and would take the boards to Henry's friend Butch for milling on Wednesday, had gotten everyone moving. She peeked into the room and smiled. Just getting the wood frames built around the room made it feel warmer already. She turned the light back off and wandered across the hallway to her bed.

  Slipping off her shoes and tucking them under the table, she set the basket on the bed, then took her clothes off and walked back across the hall to the shower in her apartment. There was nothing better than practically scalding, hot water pouring over her head after a busy week. This shower was one of her personal luxuries. Water flowed from the ceiling of the shower as well as from the walls, along with a regular shower head. When she turned it all on, the water massaged every ache and pain that painting and hauling and cleaning and scrubbing had delivered to her this week. She didn't indulge in the whole thing very often because she generally stayed in there so long her skin became prunelike, but tonight, it seemed like just the thing.

  Finally, she turned it all off, stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body. She picked through her hair with her fingers and grabbed another towel to wrap around her head. Walking back across the hall, Polly picked her robe up from the end of the bed, dropped the towel on the floor and crawled in. Now, she could tear into the basket of goodies waiting for her.

  The first thing she touched was a partially frozen bottle of water with a few chunks of ice floating around. There were two small sandwiches cut in half with crusts trimmed away. She sniffed the bread … homemade. Wow.

  The first sandwich was ham and Swiss, and smelled glorious. The second was a delectable roast beef that threw off its aroma as she unwrapped its plastic wrap. Beneath those she uncovered a container of crackers with cheese cut to size and one more container of grapes. Another package contained chocolate chip cookies and on the bottom of the basket was a napkin wrapped around a little freezer pack, resting on a rectangular cutting board. A plastic bag contained plastic ware and packages of mayonnaise, butter and mustard were tucked in the side of the basket. Lydia thought of everything.

  Polly wondered if she took care of everyone in town like this and then quit thinking after taking a bite of the roast beef sandwich. It was amazing. She felt decadent and spoiled.

  How had she ever hit this woman's radar? She was never going to be able to say thank you enough for what Lydia was doing. Then it hit her. No one had done this much for her since she left Iowa the first time. Mary had loved her like a daughter and Polly missed having someone around to mother her. This felt good.

  She finished what she could of supper, scrubbed the towel through her hair again and tossed it on top of the first. She was going to have to do laundry sometime this weekend. Polly set the little basket on the floor under her bed, not wanting to go back downstairs.

  She opened her book and read until she nodded off. The last time she glanced at the clock it read 9:18. She hadn't fallen asleep so early in months.

  When Polly opened her eyes again, she was surprised to see it was 7:05. What had Lydia put in those cookies? She never slept all the way through the night and ten hours of sleep was glorious. She stretched and yawned, feeling quite lazy and content. No one was going to be in the schoolhouse today. It was all hers. She could do whatever she wanted and she decided she didn't want to paint today. She pulled the blankets up under her chin and looked around. The sun was out and flooding the floor of her room. Finally she couldn't stand it any longer, sat up, grabbed her robe and went into the bathroom.

  One look in the mirror over the sink had her laughing out loud. "Well, that's why I don't take a shower before I go to bed," she said to herself. Turning on the shower head, she ducked in and rinsed through her hair one more time. This time, she brushed it out and tied it into a braid. It wasn't that long, just past her shoulders, but the wet braid would give her some body for this evening's dress-up affair.

  Back in her room, she pulled on jeans and a t-shirt, and
then filled a laundry basket. One basket wouldn’t do it, so she stuffed a pillowcase with the excess. She'd been living here for three weeks and suddenly realized she didn't know where to do her laundry, so she picked up her cell phone and called Lydia.

  "Good morning, Polly! Did you sleep well?" Lydia asked before Polly could say anything.

  "I did! What did you put in my cookies?" she asked.

  "Oh, a little love, nothing more than that." Lydia said. "You're still coming out with us this evening, aren't you?"

  "Oh yes! Absolutely! Say, I was wondering if there was a Laundromat in town. I am in desperate need of clean towels." Polly said.

  "No, we don't have one. The town is too small. Boone is the closest town with a decent place to do your laundry," Lydia responded. "But, what are you talking about! You can do your laundry at my house tonight, unless you need something clean before we pick you up."

  "Oh, Lydia, no. You've done so much for me. I’d hate to do that." Polly said.

  "Stop it. There is nothing I love more than taking care of people and one of these days you aren't going to need me anymore, so let me help you." Lydia's voice had gotten a little pouty. "If you don't let us do things for you now, how are we going to feel when we want you to let us sleep over at your place?"

  Polly laughed enough to snort, "You have me there," she said, "I'll bring the clothes with me when you pick me up. Does Beryl have enough room in her car?”

  “Oh, dear. That plan changed. We’ll be in my Jeep. Beryl panicked at the thought of driving in Ames. You know, the big city. She gets lost in Bellingwood, so it’s better for all of us if we don’t push her too far outside her box.”

  "Thank you again, Lydia. I'll see you later," Polly said.

  "Have a great day, you might want to take a nap this afternoon. Know what I mean?" Lydia responded.

  "I suppose I do," Polly laughed. "Good-bye."

  "Good-bye, dear."