“Miss Mattie said tell you that she would make lunch.”
“You’re kidding?”
“Nope.”
“It’s not necessary, but it sure would be great, and it might help matters some. I can’t wait for her to get the dinner club going. I’m awfully tired of casseroles and the Log House. So, I’ll see you about ten in the morning my pretty girl.”
Addie replaced the phone and asked, “Are you sure about lunch. He said it wasn’t necessary.”
“But he also said it might help matters some. I want to do anything that will help matters. I’ll make them a lunch that will knock their socks off.”
Addie couldn’t help but laugh. Yes. She was going to take grandpa’s advice – get on with her life. Somehow, she’d get by without her daddy’s help. She had so far.
“Let’s see,” Mattie said. “Six of them, Jo Ann, the Mitchells, and Judy will be here. I’ll fix for fifteen or so, just to make sure.”
Miss Mattie was so happy. She wished she was, but she was going to make every effort to be. She had to let everybody know about the lunch. She just hoped Jo Ann could get downstairs and to the table without that old wheel chair.
When she was dressed and ready for her day, she found Jo Ann trying to help her aunt take a bath. Addie told her if she’d be patient, Deena would do that for her. And when she told her about the people coming to meet everybody and have lunch on Friday, the woman was happy about it. Then she asked Addie if she could bring her a change of address card from the post office for her uncle and aunt’s mail.
Next, Addie climbed the stairs to the apartments over the garages. Wylene was not in hers, and the shades were drawn on the middle one. Then Ruby and Adam got moved yesterday, and Ruby must be asleep from her late night job at the Pink Elephant. She finally found Wylene helping her mother get settled in the cottage. She told Mrs. Mitchell about the meeting and luncheon. Mrs. Mitchell was excited about Wylene’s prospects of a wedding chapel, and she couldn’t thank Addie enough for everything she was doing for them all.
When she left the Mitchells, who were headed for the gardener’s cottage to clean it up before the Ballards moved in, she drove to the post office and decided she would pick up several change of address cards. She was sure they were going to be needed.
As she was leaving the post office she saw a familiar figure sitting on one of the benches around the flag pole flower garden in front of the building. Miss Penny Himple, her eighth grade Sunday School teacher. Soaking up some sunshine, Addie thought, for it was a beautiful, sunny, April day. She had to take a moment to speak to her. She had always liked Miss Penny. But as she approached the woman, she heard sobbing.
“Miss Penny!” she exclaimed as she took a seat on the bench. The frail, little woman raised her head, her bony hand covering the lower part of her face, tears glistening behind her glasses. “It’s Addie Martin, Miss Penny. Are you hurt? Did you fall or something?”
The woman removed here glasses and wiped her eyes, then her nose, with the tissue she held in her hand. “No, Addie,” she said. “They’re going to condemn my house.” She picked up a letter lying in her lap and held it out to Addie. “It needs a lot of repairs done on it, and I don’t have the money. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’d just simply die if I have to move from my home.”
Addie was going over the letter. It was as Miss Penny said.
“I just couldn’t live anywhere else. I’ve never lived anywhere else. I was born in that house. It’s that Sommers man. I just know it is. He’s been after me to sell him my house ever since he moved onto the street.”
“But, Miss Penny, if your house is in such bad condition, why would he want to buy it?”
“Because it’s a well built house. It just needs some repairs. But it was the best-built house of its day. It had to be. My father knew he had an incurable illness when he had the house built. He knew my mother would have to have a way to earn a living for me and her when he died. So he fashioned the house for her to be able to take in boarders. And the day came when she had to. But eventually, the cooking and cleaning for a house full of people got to be too much for her, so she had its big rooms made into efficiency apartments. There was six of them.”
“My, that’s a big house. Don’t you rent the apartments?”
“Until a couple of years ago I did, but only one is rented now. The upstairs plumbing finally all went bad, and a careless tenant ruined the ceiling in the back apartment downstairs. The rent from the front one downstairs pays the utilities. I don’t know what I’ll do for tax and insurance money when it comes due. I had to replace the roof two years ago with my savings...” She looked at Addie like she just now figured out who she was. Then she slapped her hand down on Addie’s leg. “You’re Ben Martin’s girl!”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And he repairs houses.”
“Why, yes, ma’am. He does more painting than he does repairing.” Surely, the woman didn’t think he’d fix up her house when she couldn’t afford to pay him.
“You know, Addie, I’ve thought of this idea for some time now, and running into you makes me wonder if it just might not work?”
“And what is that, Miss Penny?”
Excitedly, she said, “Ben is a good Christian man that I could trust, and he could fix my house. What I’ve been thinking is that I could deed my house to a good man like Ben, since I don’t have anybody to leave it to when I die, if he’d fix it up and let me live out my life in my own home. Do you think he would?”
Addie sat there rather stunned for a few moments. It was sort of like Miss Willy had been doing with the Simmons’ house. Hummm, she thought. This was an idea worth thinking about. “Miss Penny, I really don’t know. You’d have to ask my daddy. He’s working at the Johnson’s Furniture Store right now ...”
“Great! I need to see Nate about a new element for my oven. I want me some iron skillet cornbread. I’m getting awfully tired of loaf bread. I’ll just go by there and see if Ben can talk to me a few minutes?” She was getting up from the bench.
“Miss Penny! Please, if you’re going to talk to my daddy about your idea, it would be best if you didn’t tell him you’d mentioned it to me. We’ve had a little disagreement, and right now he’s sort of upset with me.”
“Oh, men! They get that way sometimes. I promise. I won’t even tell him I’ve seen you, Addie, but I’m awfully glad I did. Goodbye now.” And she was on her way to the parking lot.
Addie watched her go as she headed for the building, thinking what an opportunity this would be for her daddy if he would do it. Of course, he’d have to have money to do it. He certainly wouldn’t take any from her, but the bank? He could make a loan at the bank – if he saw it as an opportunity? But would the bank lend him money? Could she do anything about making sure they would if he wanted to make a loan? And she thought of Mr. Arbuckle, whom she had to go see next about the Arnold farm. She’d talk to him about it, she was thinking as she rounded the corner of the post office building to where she had parked the Lincoln. Daddy always said there was more than one way to skin a cat. Well, she thought, we’ll just see if he’s right. And she bumped into some one. “Oh, excuse me ... Mr. Arbuckle! You won’t believe this, but I was just thinking about you.”
He chuckled. “I can’t think of anything nicer to believe. How are you, Addie?”
“Fine, but I need to talk to you about a couple of things.”
“Good. And I want to tell you that the sale of Miss Neilson’s coins is going great. If she spends her money wisely, she’ll not have to worry about money for the rest of her life.”
“I’m so glad to hear that.”
“I was about to pick up some stamps for my secretary, but it’s such a nice day. Why don’t we take a seat on one of those benches there, and you can tell me what you want to talk to me about.”
He took her arm, and she found herself being led back to the same bench she had shared with Miss Penny. “Now what do we need to discuss?” h
e asked as they seated themselves.
“Well, first, Mr. Arbuckle, there is a farm out off the Nashville Highway that Miss Judy Arnold and her husband were buying. She’s moving, and she said the bank is foreclosing on it. Do you know anything about it?”
“Yes, I do, Addie. And it’s not that the bank is foreclosing, but Mrs. Arnold can no longer meet the payments on the note, so naturally, she wants the bank to take it over.” He paused for a few moments as if trying to decide what to say next. “Actually, Addie, you own that farm, but she doesn’t know that.”
“I do?”
“Yes. You see, the Arnolds had just bought the farm with a very small down payment when the cancer came back on Mr. Arnold. And eventually, Mrs. Arnold had to quit her teaching job to stay at home and care for him. So they had no income, and after a while they applied for a new loan. The bank knew they had no way of paying the loan back, and farms in Riverbend just weren’t selling. The bank couldn’t make the loan, but Miss Stone made the loan out of her nephew’s account, through the bank. The Arnolds never knew that’s where the money came from.”
“Then, if I own the farm, I can sell it or rent it to anyone – as long as I am satisfied with the payment they can make each month on the loan. Is that right?”
“That’s about it, Addie. That would beat it standing empty.”
“Thank you, Mr. Arbuckle. Now, my next question is – if my daddy, Ben Martin, wanted to borrow some money, would the bank lend it to him?”
Arbuckle looked at Addie in a rather confused manner. “I guess I’d better explain something to you.” She didn’t want to, but she didn’t know what else to do. “My daddy doesn’t approve of my accepting this inheritance, and he doesn’t want to have anything to do with it. I know he’s going to be offered a business deal that will mean he will have to have some money to take advantage of it. So, if he should ask to borrow money from the bank, would the bank lend him money? I have a checking account at the bank of fifteen thousand dollars. I am never going to touch that money, but could it sort of be held by the bank for them to loan my daddy that much money if he asked for it?”
“You want the fifteen thousand used as collateral for a loan of at least that much for Ben?”
“Yes. I just didn’t know how to put it.”
“Addie, the bank will be glad to make Ben a loan.”
“Is there some way you could let him know that the bank would lend him money if he ever needed to borrow some, without his knowing that we had talked about it?”
Mr. Arbuckle smiled. “I’m sure it can be done. In fact, I need to get in touch with Ben. We have a new lady vice-president, and she wants the bank ‘freshened up’ as she calls it. Some painting and a bit of paper hanging, even some new draperies. I’d plan to call Ben to ask him to recommend someone. I didn’t think he’d still be working at his job.”
“Has the bank ever hired my daddy to do work for them?”
“Why, yes, Addie, when the jobs were small enough for one person. He’s the best painter around. And this new VP is rather particular. I’m sure Ben could please her.”
When Arbuckle left, Addie couldn’t bring herself to get up from the bench. The sun was warm, a light breeze was blowing, and the spring bulbs planted around the flagpole were opening their blooms, and she didn’t want to go back to all the problems that seemed to have just fallen on her shoulders. And her daddy… No. She wouldn’t think about that.
The cell phone. She had forgotten it. She rummaged in her bag until she felt the shape of it. She would call her mother, and she wouldn’t cry. Her mother didn’t need for her to. She was going to be adult about this. Miss Mattie and grandpa both had assured her that time would make it work out. She was going to believe that.
Della answered on the third ring. Addie could tell that she had awakened her.
“Mama! Are you sick? You’re still in bed.”
“Addie! Oh, Addie, honey! I miss you so. No, I’m not any sicker than usual, since you told me about the warm salt water. I didn’t sleep much last night, and I just laid down when I came in to make the bed. I guess I drifted off to sleep again. But I’m all right. I think the morning sickness is beginning to let up. I don’t want you to worry about me. Where are you? What are you doing?”
“I’m sitting on a bench by the post office flag pole. And I’m still working on getting everybody moved. Mooney starts his job tomorrow, so it has to all get done today. I just wanted to talk to you – just to hear your voice. I’m going back to the mansion now, so call me when you’re up and about. And, Mama, I know you’ll worry about me driving the Lincoln, but I promise you, I’m being real careful.”
When she replaced the phone in her bag, she remembered she had to stop by the slums to see the Mathews. Fortunately, Mr. Mathews had a truck. If they wanted her deal, the two men and all those teenagers could do their moving.
The nine Mathews were one big happy family when she left them. They couldn’t wait to start packing. Mr. Mathews had never driven anything bigger than a pick-up truck, but he was eager to talk to Mr. Sully about training to drive one of the trolleys.
When she arrived at Stonegate, Mattie was vacuuming the soft blue carpet of Miss Willy’s empty study. “Who moved the furniture?” she asked. “And I don’t expect you to be doing all this work. I was going to do it.”
“Mr. Mitchell and Billy came up to talk about mowing the grass, so they did, with Wylene’s help. Billy wasn’t very happy because his daddy wouldn’t let him just jump on that big tractor, until he had given him some lessons on it. I think Mr. Mitchell is going to be a good man to have around. Right now, the whole family is helping the Ballards. They sort of take care of them. And, Addie, I’m happy to be cleaning this room for Judy Arnold. I can’t wait to meet her.”
“I sure appreciate all your help with everything and everybody.”
“I want to feel like I’m doing my share, Addie. Are you about ready for some lunch? I’m about through here.”
“I’m always ready for some of your good cooking.”
“That proves you’re a normal teenager,” Mattie chuckled.
As she headed to her rooms to freshen up some, she thought of Donnie and wondered when she’d see him again? And she thought about school starting on Monday. How would Donnie get to school? Riding his bike from South Street to school would be an awfully long ride. The truck! Mooney would be through with it today. Would Donnie let her give him the truck? She could say she wanted him to keep it in case she needed him to do something for her. But when? He went to school and worked for his Uncle Nate after school. But he had to have a way back and forth to school.
Then, “Oh, my!” she exclaimed. The Lincoln. She couldn’t drive it to school. What would the other kids think? She had to give this some thought. Maybe grandpa would have an idea. She’d have to talk to him after lunch.
She and Miss Mattie had just sat down to their lunch when they heard the truck coming around the house. “Oh, dear!” Mattie exclaimed. “They can’t move Judy’s furniture in through the summer kitchen. William is serving his lunch. I’ll go tell them to come in through the side door to the dining room. And I’ll make them some lunch if they haven’t eaten,” she said as she left the kitchen.
Then there was the sound of another vehicle. Miss Judy must have followed them, she thought as she arose from the table, after taking a big bite of the hot roll she had just buttered.
“It’s a little farther, but you don’t have that much to move,” Miss Mattie was explaining to Mooney at the summer kitchen door when Addie reached them, and that was Miss Judy’s little car just stopping beside the Lincoln. Addie rushed out to meet her and bring her in. Mooney was backing the truck up, and Miss Mattie left for the dining room to open the side door and show them the way through to the study.
“Miss Judy, I’m so glad you’re here. Miss Mattie has been so anxious for you to get here,” Addie said as she opened the car door. Miss Judy was collecting an armload of clothing on the seat beside her.
“I’ve been just as anxious to get here, Addie,” Judy Arnold said as Addie helped her with the clothing. With William and Deena having left the summer kitchen to carry food to their patients, Addie saw no reason that she and Miss Judy couldn’t bring the things from her car in through it. With both of their arms loaded down, Addie led her through the two kitchens and to her new bedroom, where Mattie was asking Mooney if he and his helpers had eaten lunch. A big smile spread across Mattie’s face as she said, “And you’re Addie’s Miss Judy. I’m so glad to finally meet you,” she said extending both hands in welcome. “I’m Mattie Horn.”
“You can’t know how happy I am to meet you and to be here,” Judy Arnold said accepting Mattie’s hands in welcome around her arms full of clothing. “And I was going to get the boys some lunch on our way back to pick up the rest of my things.”
“Nonsense!” Mattie said. Addie and I will have lunch on the table by the time they’re through unloading.”
“Oh, but ...”
“You might as well agree, Miss Judy. Miss Mattie wants to feed everybody that crosses her path,” Addie said as Mooney yelled, “Yippee! Wait ‘til I tell the guys.” And he rushed back toward the truck.
Judy Arnold was standing there admiring the room. “All right then. And thank you, Mattie. And, Addie, this is just lovely. It’s so big. I just know I can fit in a small love seat from my living room, a chest I’ve had since my wedding, and my desk and its chair. Oh, Addie, I’m so happy,” she said with a catch in her throat, as she reached out and hugged Addie. “How can I ever thank you?”
And to Mattie, she said, “I promise you I’ll be the best organist I know how to be. I just hope I please you.”
With the truck unloaded, the boys freshened up in Judy Arnold’s blue and gold bathroom. They all sat down to a lunch of a hot cheese and vegetable casserole, a platter of thin sliced, cold roast beef, tossed salad, and a large basket of Mattie’s rolls with whipped butter, and cold fruit tea. Mattie and Judy Arnold talked non-stop as they ate, and the boys ate non-stop.
The Daughters of Julian Dane Page 57