Just Like Em

by Marion Ekholm

  “I don’t know if I can,” she said, and he knew her doubt had nothing to do with her ability to move into a new home. The new circumstances he and Em would find themselves in had to weigh on her as much as they did on him.

  * * *

  THE LAST WEEKEND in August hit record temperatures of over 115 degrees. Even with the aid of a moving company, it took Em and her mother the full two days to remove all their belongings. Most of their furniture had to take up temporary residence in Roger’s three-car garage, next to the only car that still fit in there—a red Mustang convertible. Jodie and Harve volunteered to keep the boys at their house until Sunday night so they wouldn’t be underfoot.

  Several times as they were packing, Em dived into the apartment complex’s pool without bothering to change out of shorts and into her swim suit. The dips in the pool helped regulate her body temperature and the packing kept her mind occupied. But nothing controlled her emotions on their roller-coaster ride.

  She experienced a dizzying high whenever she thought about living in the same house with Roger, seeing him every day.

  And then she considered Karen’s ghost in the house, and it gave her pause. Karen had been a deciding voice in planning the house. Her choice of plants landscaped the yard. Her decorating genius had turned the cold, white walls into a house of warmth and sunshine. Pictures of her dominated the photos grouped on the mantel. Even in death, the woman’s presence was tangible.

  And that portrait of her in the living room. Em would have to pass it every time she headed for the quarters she and her mother would share.

  Finally down to moving the last carload of clothes, Em pulled into Roger’s driveway late Sunday afternoon. She found Samantha huddled near the front steps, crying. Em rushed to her side. “Are you all right?”

  Samantha stood and wiped at her cheeks. Nearly Em’s height, she looked straight at Em with Roger’s brown eyes and burst into tears again. Em threw her arms around the girl and gave her a comforting hug. “What’s the matter, honey?”

  “I’m going to miss her.”

  “Sophia?”

  Samantha nodded, banging her wet chin on Em’s shoulder. “And we can’t even go to her wedding. Daddy says he’s too busy.” Samantha’s tone became even more regretful. “It’s only in Tucson. That’s just two hours away.”

  “It’s closer to three.”

  Samantha shrugged. “Could you take us?”

  Em backed out of the embrace. Was the girl trying to manipulate her? “I wasn’t invited.”

  “Oh, but that’s no problem. Sophia really likes you,” Samantha said with unchecked excitement, all tears having evaporated.

  “I think not.” She wasn’t about to butt in on a decision Roger had made.

  Immediately, Samantha’s face turned sourpuss.

  Em opened the sliding door of her minivan. “Can you help me carry in some clothes?”

  Samantha folded her arms across her chest and glowered.

  Roger dashed out of the house wearing only white shorts and sandals. He looked drained from moving one woman out the day before and two women in today. Every time Em saw him, he was taking something from her mother’s arms so she wouldn’t strain herself. “Need any help here?”

  Em smiled and waved him off. “Thanks, but Samantha volunteered.” He turned and headed back to the house, so he missed Samantha sticking out her tongue. Em chuckled, pulled out an armload of clothes and held them out to the girl. “The sooner we start, the sooner you get back to your own life.” Samantha grabbed up the items and headed for the house, as well.

  Em sighed. With this kind of help she’d have to spend hours ironing her clothes before she could wear them. When she reached the bedroom she’d be sharing with her mother, Samantha was standing in front of the mirror, holding up a short black evening dress with rhinestone spaghetti straps.

  “I’ll bet we’re about the same size,” Samantha said. “Can I borrow this?”

  “Not for another ten years,” Roger said from the doorway. Samantha gave him a disgruntled look before hanging it in the closet. With head held high, she left them alone, the first time since they had started the move.

  He dropped two suitcases next to one of the double beds. One was Sophia’s original bed and the other had come with Doris. “This does it. The last from your mother’s car.” He plopped onto one of the beds, fell back and looked as though he might never get up. “The boys should be back soon, and I’ve ordered pizza.”

  Em moved some of the clothes so that she could sit near him. “Samantha asked me to take her to Tucson next weekend.”

  “I hope you said no. I don’t want her to start working one of us against the other.”

  “I did, but I can understand her wanting to attend the wedding. Sophia has been an important part of her life.”

  “I know, and I’d love to take her myself.” Roger reached for Em’s hand. “You’re really good with Samantha. Everything I say to her turns into a confrontation.”

  “I understand where she’s coming from because I was like her once.”

  “And you turned out okay.”

  “You seem surprised.”

  “I am.” He chuckled. “I was really awful to you back then, wasn’t I?”

  “I was probably a pain in the neck.”

  “That you were.” He grinned that delightful way that showed off his slightly protruding eyetooth. “But I sure do like the way you turned out.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “PIZZA’S HERE.”

  Em drifted out of a deep sleep, barely aware of her mother’s voice.

  “Pizza’s here,” Doris said again.

  The bed moved, and Em reluctantly opened her eyes. Her dream had been so beautiful. One where Roger held her, caressed her.

  “Em,” her mother said in a sharp voice.

  Em woke fully then, all disorientation gone, and quickly sat up. Her mother stood near the bed, arms folded over her chest, while Roger slowly brought himself to a sitting position.

  When Doris continued to stand by them, Em said, “We heard you, Mom. We’ll be right there.” She got off the bed, reached for Roger’s hand, and pulled him to his feet. When he stumbled and placed an arm around her shoulders for balance, she started to laugh. “How long were we asleep?”

  “Are you two through billing and cooing? ’Cause I’ve got something to say.”

  Em returned her attention to her mother as Roger removed his arm. “What’s the matter, Mom?” Em asked, amusement still bubbling in her voice. “You look annoyed.”

  “Because I am.” Doris placed her hands on her hips, and scowled.

  “Did the boys get back?” Roger asked.

  “Oh, the boys got back fine. First thing they did was go looking for the two of you. As soon as they found you, they came running out and said you were having sex. Since they’re young and might not know what they were talking about, I thought I’d check. Samantha beat me to it.”

  Roger started to laugh. “Well, clearly, we weren’t.”

  Doris pressed her lips together in obvious fury. When Em touched Roger’s arm in an attempt to stop him from creating more problems, he asked, “What’s the big deal? We weren’t doing anything inappropriate”

  “The big deal is I don’t want you in these quarters again,” Doris said, pointing at Roger. “We set the boundaries right now. There will be no sign of impropriety while I’m running this place. A lot could be said with two unmarried people sharing the same house, especially when they’re as friendly as you are.”

  “But...” Roger started.

  “No buts about it, young man,” Doris said in a tone meant to stop second graders in their tracks, “or I pack up my things and move out this minute.”

  Roger’s jaw dropped, and he eyed Em. “She’s right,”
Em replied, not willing to look directly at her mother.

  “Okay.” Roger tossed his hands in the air and headed for the door. He paused and turned. “This is your inner sanctum, and I won’t violate it again. However, I will have a talk with the boys. It’s time they knew a little more about the birds and the bees.”

  “Weren’t you a little rough on him, Mom?” Em said, after Roger left the room. “You know darn well the whole thing was innocent.”

  “It’s the perceived impropriety I’m worried about. I’m not about to have my daughter the subject of gossipmongers.” Doris picked up several items of clothing off the chair and deposited them in a drawer. “And, no, I don’t think I was too hard on him. Whenever I started my classes each year, I made it perfectly clear from the beginning what the rules were. It saved me and my students a lot of grief.”

  Em took another pile of clothes and began to sort them for the drawers. They had a lot to straighten up before they could use the beds. “You go get your pizza,” Doris said. “I’ll finish up in here.”

  On her way out, Em stopped to give her mother a hug. “Thanks, Mom. And I promise. Roger and I will be good.” Em paused by the door. “Just out of curiosity—where would you have gone if we hadn’t agreed to abide by your rules?”

  Doris tossed a pair of jeans at her daughter, but Em managed to duck before they hit her.

  The moment Em reached the group in the kitchen Sammy rushed over to her, and she picked him up. It seemed like ages since she’d last seen him. “Oh, you taste good,” Em said after kissing his tomato-sauce-stained cheek. “I’ll eat you instead of the pizza.” Sammy wiggled free.

  “You want to see my—our room?” He grabbed her hand with sticky fingers and started to drag her away.

  “Could it wait a minute, sport?” Roger asked. “Your mother’s probably hungry.”

  Sammy grudgingly let go of Em’s hand and returned to the table. Em opened a pizza box and took out a slice covered with pepperoni. “What, no anchovies?” A chorus of ughs greeted her along with some gruesome faces.

  “You eat that stuff?” Samantha asked.

  Em grinned. “It’s my favorite. Right, sport?” Sammy held his head back and pinched his nose. “Say, I like the name ‘sport.’ Why don’t you try that for a nickname?”

  “Can’t. He,” Sammy said, pointing at Roger, “calls everyone sport.”

  “True, but I can limit its use to you, if you prefer.”

  “Nah.” Sammy got up from the table. “I’m going to my room and get my things ready for school.”

  “Oh, my goodness, school!” Em said as she stuffed the last of her pizza in her mouth. “It starts tomorrow.” She stood and began cleaning the table. “How about the rest of you? Everyone ready?”

  The sounds of little feet pounding up the stairs brought Doris out of her room. “Slow down,” she shouted before heading after the boys at a slower pace.

  “I think Mom’s about to give her second lecture of the day,” Em said. She sat down at the kitchen table with another piece of pizza topped with gooey cheese. Roger moved to the seat across from her, propped an elbow on the table and supported his head in his hand.

  “Is my sitting within reaching distance of you, staring at you while you eat, appropriate?”

  “Definitely scandalous. What will the children think?”

  Roger grinned, sat up and stretched. A long string of cheese slipped off her pizza slice, and she gathered it up with her tongue, all the while watching Roger as he focused on her task. He licked his own lips before adding, “I’m going to go talk to them.”

  “I sure would like to be a bug on the wall when you tell them about the birds and the bees.”

  Roger stood, and walked around the wooden table. “I’ll bet you would. Sleep well. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Em sat for several minutes enjoying his last words. She’d see him in the morning, every morning for as long as her mother was needed here.

  * * *

  “DAD, PLEEEASE,” SAMANTHA whined. It was Thursday. Em and her family had moved in Sunday, and little had changed. His daughter still refused to cut him any slack or relent on the badgering.

  “No.”

  “Everyone’s doing it. Pierced ears are the best.”

  “I said no.” Roger looked across the table at Em. Why didn’t she take his side? Instead, she cleared the evening’s meal from the table, pretending uninterest, yet he knew she heard every word.

  Work today had been a disaster. Two more people had quit. His new assistant, Carnation, her name the choice of parents who’d been hippies, had spent most of the day in the ladies’ room with morning sickness. As one of the displaced workers, she’d traded her job taking calls from customers for administrative experience. What he needed more than anything was someone to back him up for a change, so he didn’t have to do everything on his own.

  “I’m a dinosaur,” Samantha continued. “Look. Everyone wears them.” She pointed at Doris. “When did you get your ears pierced, Mrs. Masters?”

  Frowning, Doris turned around. “I’m not sure. I think I was in my forties.” She shrugged and continued with the dishes.

  The corners of Samantha’s mouth drooped.

  “You’re not even fourteen,” he said as Samantha pushed away from the table. A hard day at the office followed by his daughter’s daily tantrums was wearing thin. When she headed for the hall, he shouted, “And just where do you think you’re going? Help with the dishes.”

  “I’ve got homework.”

  “It’s not her night to help.” Em placed several items on a tray at the other end of the table.

  “Since when?” And now Em was defending her. Wasn’t anyone on his side?

  Em hoisted the tray. “Since we made up a work chart. This way everyone does the work, not just the girls.” She started for the dishwasher. “You’re scheduled for some time later this week.”

  “Me!” Roger stood so abruptly his chair skittered across the tiled floor. “I work. I pay the bills. Why do you think I hired a housekeeper?”

  “Everyone here works, either at a paying job or at school,” Doris said over her shoulder. “The chart’s on the back of the closet door. Everything’s negotiable. Reschedule if you can trade off with someone else.”

  Roger immediately marched to the closet door. There, on poster board in neat script, was a chart with everyone’s name and responsibility for each day. The twins had already earned a star each for completing their daily chores. He glanced at Doris and caught her grinning at him.

  “That’s what you get when you hire an old schoolteacher to run your house.”

  Returning his attention to the chart, he saw his kitchen duty was scheduled for tomorrow. He’d manage somehow to stay late at the office. It would be worth it. Kitchen duty, indeed. He hadn’t had that chore since he quit his job at McDonald’s.

  * * *

  CLOSETED IN HIS home office, Roger worked on the information Carnation had failed to supply. New trainees at the plant in Seattle were starting the Tuesday after Labor Day, so he had to have all the details finished before taking off Monday night for Seattle. At least he got to spend this weekend home with his family.

  Several employees had volunteered to train the new people in Seattle, and a few talked about transferring. Rumor had it that he might be considered for the position at the new and expanded division. He liked the idea, but wasn’t about to pin all his hopes on it. The way things were going, nothing could be counted on as a sure bet.

  When a knock sounded on his door, Roger looked up from the graph he’d been preparing. “Yes?”

  The door opened, and Em stood there.

  “Can I interrupt you a minute?”

  Roger smiled, clasped his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair to examine his visitor. Blond
hair hung down to her shoulders. Was she wearing it that way because he’d mentioned he liked it down? Doris peered over her daughter’s shoulder, and Roger abruptly sat up.

  “Sure.” He turned to the paperwork before him and pushed it into a pile on the side. “What’s the problem?”

  The two women came in and stood by his desk. “Something needs to be done about Samantha.”

  Immediately, Roger stiffened. Damn. “She’s not getting her ears pierced, and I don’t want to hear of it again.”

  “That’s not the problem.” Em leaned over and touched his arm. “It’s more important than that.” Roger ground his teeth and stood. He grabbed up a handful of papers and walked over to the filing cabinet.

  “What is it, then?”

  “She really misses Sophia and wants to attend her wedding.”

  “Nope. I’ve already had this discussion. I can’t afford the time.” Roger opened a cabinet drawer and stuffed the papers into the first file that lay there. He returned his attention to Doris and restricted Em to his peripheral vision.

  “That may have been true earlier,” Em said, “but you put off your trip to Seattle until after the Labor Day weekend.”

  “Yes, but I can’t cancel the work.”

  Roger clung to the open drawer as Em positioned herself on the edge of his desk. “But you have Carnation now. She should have lessened the load.” Em was rearranging his pencils or something. How on earth was he supposed to concentrate on the subject at hand with her distracting him?

  “Carnation is pregnant. She’s not working out as well as I’d hoped.”

  Doris headed for the door. “I’ll leave you two to talk. The news is coming on, and I want to find out what I missed.” He noticed she didn’t close the door. Probably meant to keep an eye on him in case he planned to seduce her daughter.

  Well, they had walked in on him, not the other way around, and this was his space. Roger crossed to the door, intending to close it, then decided to leave it ajar. No sense in hoisting red flags. He didn’t need Doris the Bull charging in to protect her daughter from him. Once resettled in his chair, he regarded the woman perched on his desk.