Fantasy House

by Ruth Hay

  Why not offer her housemates the chance to enjoy the resort? Why not go even further and incorporate Andy into a scheme to improve his life?

  A web of ideas wove in and out of the possibilities until the scheme was clear in her mind.

  She would offer the holiday as a Harmony House Christmas gift. Not all of the women would likely accept but she would include herself in the scheme as an escort.

  This, she felt, was the brilliant part. The only way she could be confident of leaving the dogs behind was if they were with someone they trusted; someone who knew their needs even better than she did. Andy Patterson was the perfect candidate for that job. He had his winter morning snow-clearing work. He would never accept a winter holiday from her however beneficial she made it sound. He was not that sort of man. His male pride would get in the way. But, and here she could not help laughing out loud, but, if Andy agreed to look after the dogs for a week in February to allow her to go with her housemates, it would be necessary for her to send some home comforts so the dogs would not feel abandoned by their mistress.

  She ticked off the list in her mind.

  Cage for security when Andy was working.

  A portable heater for warmth at night.

  Washable padded covers to protect chairs or sofas, if he actually possessed such things. She had not yet entered any rooms beyond the kitchen.

  Food and dishes for feeding and a few treats.

  Not only would all of this require transport to the farmhouse but she might be able to sneak in a few additional items, by accident, as it were. The more she thought of that cold and cheerless farmhouse, the more she longed to improve it. She was not unaware that in attempting to make Andy’s living quarters more comfortable, she was also attempting to warm up his mental attitude. He was like a very tricky project to her, and Vilma Smith was a woman who loved the challenge of a project.

  She hugged her warm coat around her and whistled up the dogs from the woods. This would be a massive challenge all right. If she tackled Andy very, very carefully, she would get to escort her friends on a fabulous holiday which they richly deserved, and she could, at the same time, make a possible breakthrough in the iron-clad façade that was Andy Patterson’s mind.

  Two Andy projects were underway. She hoped for success in each of them.

  One week to go until Christmas Day.

  Harmony House was taking on a new persona as fresh-cut holly began to appear wound around the stair railing, intertwined with yards of tiny white lights. It meant residents had to walk carefully up the stairs without touching the bannister but that was not a sacrifice compared to the pleasure of the glittering sight at night. The general consensus was that it completely eclipsed the violent hue of the stair carpet.

  Fires were lit nightly in the dining room and the kitchen and a selection of classic Christmas carols played from Mavis’s stereo. She had sworn not to put any recording on endless repeat, as they did in department stores. Most of the housemates relished the beautiful traditional old melodies that were seldom heard nowadays. Mavis had a vast and eclectic collection.

  Faith preferred a more modern approach to seasonal music and enjoyed that through her headphones as she had found Marble reacted badly to excessively loud music in her bedroom.

  Faith was often out with her friends on the run-up to Christmas Day. This was something unique in her experience. Christmas meant little when she and her mother were together. Sometimes there was a new, temporary, man in her mother’s life and Faith took a backseat. Not that she expected much anyway. They might skip into the movies part-way through the show as a treat, and pick up half-eaten bags of popcorn from the garbage bins. Sometimes they wandered through stores looking for free samples and taking a few that were not on offer. These high-risk ventures gave the duo a thrill for a few hours but Faith was increasingly conscious of the good chance they would be caught and her mother would be taken away from her. Felicity always mocked her daughter’s fears saying, “Kid the stores are crowded. No one could catch us even if they saw what we were doing. Don’t worry, chicken!”

  Faith did worry as shown by her ravaged fingernails and aggressive attitude to authority. Her inner fears caused both reactions.

  Sometimes it seemed as if that former life was part of a nightmare and now, at Harmony House was her real life. She stretched out her hands and admired her healthy, short nails. She refused all Jess’s offers to paint the popular patterns on her nails. The sight of plain, pink-tinged additions to her short fingers gave her constant pleasure. Even during the worst of her exam preparations she had managed to keep those nails intact and she was inordinately pleased with them.

  Jolene and Jessica merely shrugged and put this anomaly down to their friend’s peculiarities, most of which they enjoyed. Faith Jeffries was fitting in well with the Westmount crowd. She still had around her that indefinable mystery of the unknown. She never spoke about her past and the J.J. group were astounded at the birthday party when they saw how she lived. She was different all right, but in some ways she was like a little kid. She reacted with delight at the strangest things like going through Covent Garden Market downtown to see all the stalls with their bright festive offerings. She adored a restaurant meal as if she had never before had the chance to choose anything she wanted and once, when in Oakridge Mall with Jolene and Jarvis, she had bought three cinnamon buns dripping with icing and gorged her way through all of them insisting it was the first time she had tasted anything that smelled that delicious.

  The gang decided they would not give gifts to each other. It was enough trouble buying for family members and they would relieve their friends of that chore. Faith was happy about this. She felt she was just beginning to know her new pals and choosing gifts they would enjoy was not simple, although most important. The wrong things would display her ignorance of the whole Christmas extravaganza. She was content to spend time with the J.J. gang without school interfering. They were able to show her a new side of London; one that Hilary would never know.

  In the background of her mind was the need to give something to the six adults with whom she lived.

  She asked her aunt about this problem over a cup of hot chocolate at Honor’s desk where she was quietly working late into the night to accumulate extra funds for Faith’s accommodations.

  “Faith, I don’t think you should be concerned about gifts. Monetary items are not the only way to show your appreciation. I know Hilary already has the gift from you she wanted the most.

  “What ? I haven’t given her one thing.”

  “Oh, yes you have, my dear girl. You succeeded at school. That’s the precious gift you gave to her, and to yourself.”

  Faith sat back and sipped the delicious drink. She looked out at the garden, now shrouded in snow, and let this new thought filter through her mind.

  “I think I see what you mean. It could be my gift to Mavis is learning to enjoy her music and for Eve getting the shopping right for a good price, and watching you and Jannice working so hard and seeing what that demands. Am I right?”

  “You are on the right track, for sure. Now figure out a simple way to show that appreciation and you will give them more than any amount of money could buy.”

  Faith loved that she could ask her aunt things. The others were important in her new life but she knew her Aunt Honor was essential. She was often quietly in the background but she was always there when needed. Something that was totally new in Faith’s experience. She often wondered why the twin sisters were so different but she hesitated to ask that question.

  Sitting together here, in comfort, without fear of interruption, she took the risk.

  “Why do you think you and my Mom were not more alike?”

  It came out of the blue and was one of the things Honor had to adjust to. Faith had not developed the outer skin of social perception that most people acquired as they grew. She swallowed, and hoped she was up to the task of explaining something she had not yet figured out for herself.

&nbs
p; “It’s hard to give you a reason. Everyone expects twins to be identical but we were always quite different. Our mother tried to dress us alike but Felicity hated that. She would turn tops inside out and wear skirts pulled up to her chin just to make a point. This need to be different started when we were quite small and continued until mother gave up and let Felicity choose her own styles.”

  Faith put two and two together and came up with another startling question.

  “Does that mean you were the good child and my mother was the bad one?”

  “Oh, that’s not fair, Faith! It wasn’t that simple. Our parents tried to treat us the same but Felicity just kept on pulling away from them. I was not the favoured one. It was more like I was overlooked since my sister got all the attention for her bad behaviour. I suppose I could have gone the same way but I could somehow see consequences that Felicity ignored. That’s how I came to lie for her and try to protect her from her own destructive actions.”

  “So you took off as soon as you could?”

  “True. I regret that now. If I had stayed around longer I might have known about you and done something to help.”

  Faith sipped again with a thoughtful look on her face.

  “It’s all about families, isn’t it? I don’t know many that don’t have some problems hidden away.

  It’s a shame.”

  “Well, we need to think about families being of many diverse kinds. It’s not just mom and dad and the kids any more. Look at us at Harmony House. Don’t you think we work as a family here?”

  “Hmm! I suppose you’re right, Aunt Honor. I’m glad you’re my family.”

  This brought a lump to Honor’s throat and she turned to give her niece a rare hug. Faith responded warmly, then she said she had one more question. Honor braced herself. What next?

  “What’s with all the weird names in the Pace family?”

  Honor laughed in sheer relief. This one she could answer.

  “Your grandmother was called Patience and that started it. My parents belonged to a church that was very traditional; a sect of Methodists, I believe. It was common for them to name children after the attributes they revered in life. Be grateful your Mom chose Faith. It could have been Serenity or Forgiveness…”

  “….or Modesty or Obedience!”

  “… or Chastity! That would not go down well at school.”

  “No way!”

  The session ended in peals of laughter and tears running down cheeks. It was the most normal conversation the two had held and ushered in a new understanding between them.

  Faith knew she could ask anything and Honor knew she could find an answer to satisfy those questions.

  I may be coming late to the aunt thing but I think I’m getting the hang of it now.

  Eve was co-opted into what was described as ‘Andy’s Tree Supper’. After discussing with Mavis what might appeal most to a man living alone and cooking for himself, she came up with a tasty beef stew that required hours of slow cooking so the aromas would drift right from the kitchen to the front hall where the potted tree was to be placed.

  “Wonderful!” was Vilma’s reaction. “When he smells that, his resistance will fade to nothing. We won’t overwhelm him with all of us at once. We’ll be just you, Eve, Mavis and me. He should be comfortable with us. The others can eat later. Make a big pot of stew, Eve, in case he wants seconds.”

  Eve also planned potatoes and a selection of mixed vegetables. She would put an apple pie into the oven; another fragrant food. She was keen to see how much this working man could eat, but she would leave the threesome to talk alone if that seemed the best approach.

  Everything went smoothly at first.

  Andy arrived with his truck and trailer in the late afternoon and collected Mavis. The Christmas Tree Farm was outside London and although Mavis had ordered, and paid for, a potted tree she wanted to make the final selection on the spot as the size, shape and the actual look of the pot were all important to her. The live tree was destined to be planted in her garden after the holidays and Mavis needed a good healthy specimen.

  She took the chance for some related talk on the way to the tree nursery.

  “I should have started to dig the hole for the tree earlier when the ground was softer.”

  “I can do that for you on the first mild afternoon. Where did you plan to place it?”

  “Up near the tree line. You’ll see the hole I started. Thanks, Andy. You’ve certainly been a great help since we all moved in to Harmony House.”

  He was not good at accepting praise so Mavis was not surprised by a change of topic.

  “How is the recycling bin working out?”

  “Oh, it’s grand! The lid stays up nicely with the hinge you added. I was able to put a lot of plant material in there, interspersed with layers of garden soil. It should produce useful loam in the spring.”

  “I will give you grass clippings next year.”

  “So you plan to continue the gardening work for another year? I will be glad of that.”

  He was looking straight ahead at the road but his eyebrows creased in thought.

  “Why would I not continue?”

  “I meant it was clear you are great with Vilma’s dogs and I thought you might be focussing on that line of work now.”

  “Vilma’s dogs are just an experiment. I like the work but it takes years to train dogs for competition. They are good dogs. They definitely have potential.”

  Mavis tucked away this piece of information to share with Vilma. Andy meant to continue the training.

  Silence resumed in the truck cab. The road had been ploughed but it was slippery in spots and Mavis did not want to distract her driver.

  When they arrived safely at the tree nursery, Mavis walked around with Andy discussing the merits of various fir tree varieties. They decided on a Fraser fir and asked the owner to put it into a handsome ceramic pot with enough width for the roots. When this was accomplished, Andy used rope to secure the heavy weight in the back of his truck so it could not move around during the return trip.

  It was chilly walking around in the cold wind. Mavis had thought of this. She fetched from her bag, a flask of hot coffee which she shared with Andy before they set off back to Harmony House.

  She was satisfied that, one way or another, she had primed him for what was planned. The rest was up to him.

  Chapter 24

  Vilma spotted the truck from an upper hall window and alerted Eve to turn up the heat under the stew.

  She was waiting at the door for Andy to manhandle the tree and pot into his trailer and wheel it along the paths. He insisted on making the transfer to the hall without help. He rolled the pot on its rim rather than lifting it and soon the magnificent specimen was reaching up from the bottom of the stairs toward the glass lantern in the roof bringing the scent of Christmas indoors to fill the house with anticipation.

  He removed his heavy gloves and looked upward. “The tree will get plenty of light here. It should transplant well in a week or two.”

  Vilma exchanged a glance with Mavis. Now came the tricky part.

  “Thank you so much Andy. We really appreciate your help. What’s Christmas without a tree in the house? Would you please join Mavis and me for a bite to eat?”

  He opened his mouth to say a firm ‘no thanks’ but his nostrils flared as the aroma of well-seasoned prime meat wafted down the hallway toward him.

  That second of thought was all Vilma needed. She put out her hand to receive his work coat with a big welcoming smile on her face. Mavis insisted the meal was ready and would not take up much of his time. She led the way to the kitchen and the deed was done.

  Andy Patterson tried in vain to stop his mouth from watering. The smell of cooking meat was taking him back to his childhood. Tracy was never much for cooking. She preferred microwave meals. He had not had a hearty meal like this for so many years he could not recall the occasion.

  The kitchen was modern and well-equipped but the table set
for four was redolent of farmhouse meals with vegetables in bowls and hot bread on a platter. He was introduced to the cook, Eve, and as Mavis had promised, no time was lost in placing a plate of stew in front of him. He heaped potatoes and veg on the plate and went at it as if he was starving, sopping up the rich gravy with bread, with no thought for table manners. Not one drop of this food was going to go to waste if he could help it.

  The three women watched in wonder as he satisfied his hunger. They smile discretely at each other, delighted at the way this plan had come together. No one spoke until all their plates were empty.

  At this point Andy began to notice the silence and he feared he had done something unforgivable by wolfing down the food like a hungry animal.

  Mavis saw his expression as he wiped his mouth on a napkin and she quickly said.

  “That was a grand meal, Eve! I can’t remember when I have enjoyed stew that much. Must have been the cold air and the long drive. And, Andy, it’s good to see a man eat so heartily. You certainly deserved it after doing so much heavy lifting for us today.”

  Vilma caught on quickly and added.

  “Absolutely right, Mavis! We have relied on you all year, Andy. It’s great to be able to invite you inside for a change.”

  “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll take my apple pie to my room. I need a rest after all the excitement.”

  Mavis made her exit and Eve followed soon, after stating the cleanup could not be done yet as the rest of the women would be eating later.

  Vilma served up pie and ice cream and prepared herself for the next challenge. Her only hope was that Andy would be so stunned by food and warmth that he would be incapable of summoning an objection to her plan.

  She waited until he had a mouthful of hot apple and melting ice cream in his mouth.

  “Andy, I want to ask you a big favour.”

  He turned toward her and pursed his lips. “Look, Vilma, I can see you ladies are up to something. I am not totally stupid. It’s a nice attempt to persuade me, but I need to warn you right now, I am not about to fall in with your schemes, whatever they are.”