For Keeps (Aggie's Inheritance)

by Havig, Chautona

  The van was a riot of voices all talking at once about their classes. Aggie rubbed her temple as she pulled into the gas station, climbed out, and almost forgot to turn off the engine. That thought terrified her. She was bushed. While the van filled with gas, she called the bakery to confirm the cake was finished, called Tina to make sure the decorations were procured, and called her parents to see how far they were from Brant’s Corners. Ian’s first birthday party was set to begin in an hour.

  ~*~*~*~

  William watched the celebrations with a lump in his throat. The baby was happy playing with wrapping paper and boxes, Martha Milliken dragging fistfuls of the paper out of his mouth from time to time. The children played games, while the adults chattered and laughed at jokes, but at first, he was content to watch, a quiet listener to the festivities.

  A cry from the yard, one he recognized immediately, sent him racing out the back door before the others could rise from their seats. Kenzie picked herself up from the ground, her knee scraped and bleeding, and wailed as the skin stretched and puckered. William was at her side in seconds. “Are you ok?”

  “I fell. I always fall.” Fresh tears fell as the pain intensified.

  Unaware of the spectators watching from the kitchen, William lifted the child and carried her to the spigot. He rinsed the knee, trying to keep from soaking her dress and shoes, and then called for Tavish to bring him a kitchen towel. “It’s too big for a band-aid, Kenzie.”

  The little girl nestled against his shoulder and listened as he told her of the scrapes, breaks, and scratches he’d endured as a child right in that very back yard. “I ripped open my leg on the fence over there. Had to get a shot for that one. I had two nails in my feet, and cracked my head open on the concrete.” William left out the parts that included his mother, and focused on the injuries themselves. “It’s part of being a kid, I guess.”

  “I guess.”

  William saw Tina creep around the corner of the house to listen to the conversation, but he didn’t acknowledge her presence. He knew Aggie trusted him with the children, and either Tina was there to help if he needed it, or she’d learn he didn’t need supervision in his interactions with the children. “Do you want to go play?”

  “No.” The child sounded pathetic as she clung to him. “Tell me more about how you lived here when you were a kid. Were you as small as me?”

  “I moved into this house when I was just a little older than Cari and Lorna, so that would make me smaller.”

  Kenzie’s eyes widened with amazement. “Wow. Now you’re bigger than everyone.”

  “Gee, thanks.”

  “You’re welcome!” Oblivious to the unfortunate way her words could be taken, Kenzie pointed to the swing and asked if they could sit there while William told her stories.

  “How do you feel about Tina sitting with us?”

  “Is Aunt Tina out here too?” Kenzie glanced around, spying Tina a few feet away. “Come sit with us! Mr. William is going to tell all about when he was little like me!”

  “Wow, I wouldn’t miss that for anything. Lead the way.” As Kenzie pointed to the back porch swing, Tina winked at William.

  Once settled on the swing, Kenzie crawled back in William’s lap, wincing as her scraped knee dragged across his leg, and curled up against him. “Tell me about your favorite thing to do.”

  “Well,” red crept up his neck as he felt Tina’s intense gaze. Either she was very interested in the answer, or she didn’t trust him to know what was and wasn’t child-appropriate. “When I was your age, I liked to climb that tree. My father let me help build the tree house and it probably kept me from breaking my neck trying to climb it.”

  “You father built the tree house?”

  “Yep. Luke has fixed some of the floor boards and a couple of places on the walls, but the rest is all Dad’s work.” The pride and hurt in William’s voice was evident, even to Kenzie.

  “What did your daddy do? Are your feelings hurt?”

  “I just missed him, I guess. Then, when I was about Tavish’s age, I liked to explore the fields, catch gophers--the farmer, Mr. Watson, used to pay me a dollar a piece for every gopher I caught--and I loved going to Mrs. Dyke’s house.”

  “Mrs. Dyke? Really? She lived there then too?”

  “Sure did.”

  Awestruck, Kenzie shook her head. “Wow. She’s lived there forever!”

  “Mrs. Dyke used to keep snickerdoodles in a big cookie jar on the kitchen counter. I’d walk to the street, look both ways and then look both ways again, just so I knew I’d really done it, and then run as fast as I could across and into the yard. Mr. Dyke liked to sit on the porch swing and whittle. I’d go into the house, get some cookies for us, and he’d tell me stories of when their boys were little or when he was away at war and things like that.”

  “War? What war?” Kenzie’s forehead furrowed. “The War for Independence? Tavish is learning about that one.”

  Tina and William stifled snickers. “No, a later one-- the Korean War. Their sons were all in the Vietnam war. They weren’t drafted. All four of them signed up to go.” He hugged the little girl, covering the child’s ears as he did. “Only three came home,” he whispered.

  “What else did you do?”

  “I learned how to fish and how to ride a bike, and they played games with me on Friday nights until I went off to boot camp.”

  “What’s boot camp?”

  Tina interjected before William could answer, “A place where they make you miserable in order to keep our country safe.”

  “They should have fun if they’re going to make our country safe! I think we should write a letter to the President and tell him so.”

  Night fell, and still Kenzie plied William with questions about which room had been his, where he’d gone to school, and who had been his best friend. Tina got up a few times to help Luke and Libby with something, but returned quickly to hear the story and watch the tender way William had with Kenzie. Once the little girl fell asleep in her hero’s arms, Tina smiled and nodded at him.

  “You’re good with her. You had a little sister, right?”

  “Yes.” William brushed hair out of Kenzie’s face and shifted her to a more comfortable position for both of them. “I love this little girl. The first time I came here after they all moved in, she asked me if I was going to ‘rest Aggie. I think I lost my heart to her that day.”

  “Not everyone sees this side of you, William. I noticed that right off-- that and what a good conversationalist you are.”

  “Me?” He tried not to laugh, but failed. “I don’t understand you sometimes, Tina.”

  “I think,” she said quietly, “you underestimate yourself. Sometimes your need to control things takes over your common sense, but when you’re relaxed and not in ‘cop mode’ you’re a cool guy.”

  “Cop mode, huh… hmm.”

  Tina giggled. “Have you ever taped yourself when you’re trying to convince someone how right you are? You lose all sense of proportion.” William shifted uncomfortably, but Tina continued, “She’s probably getting heavy. Do you think you could carry her to bed?” Even as she spoke, he realized she’d changed the subject for his benefit.

  “She’s filthy…”

  “We’ll give her a bath and change her sheets tomorrow. It’s cruel to wake her up now. She’s probably dreaming of bicycles, snickerdoodles, and writing letters to the president.”

  Gazing down at the child in his arms, William nodded. “You’re right, of course. Let’s get her to bed.”

  She followed him through the house and upstairs. In Kenzie’s room, Tina turned down the bed, removed the child’s shoes, and once William laid Kenzie down, tucked the blankets in around her. She tiptoed from the room, glancing back to see if William followed and saw him bend low and kiss the child’s forehead before he backed away from the bed and turned to leave.

  “As I said,” she whispered, “you’re a good man, William Markenson.”

  ~*~*~*~
>
  The sound of clanking dishes woke Aggie from a deep sleep. She glanced around her, confused as to why she was stretched out on the living room couch. The room was dark, the house seemingly empty, and only the occasional rush of water from the kitchen faucet or clink of silverware in the dishwasher marred the quiet stillness. A glance at the clock showed the time well after ten o’clock. Out front, her parents’ car showed that they’d stayed as planned and that Luke was still there. Tina’s car was gone. She’d already left for Yorktown. That left Luke as her kitchen elf.

  Only the light over the sink illuminated his workspace as he loaded the dishwasher, cleaned the sink, and moved to the counters. Grateful, Aggie watched him for a minute before she crossed the room and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Thank you.”

  Luke glanced over his shoulder, smiling. “You better be careful. I could get used to that.”

  “Me too.”

  “What, the hug or the dishes done?”

  An impish grin surfaced before she could prevent it. “Both.”

  “Deal.” Luke twisted to be able to see her face and let his hands rest on her shoulders.

  “Did I really just fall asleep in the middle of the party? I don’t even remember being on the couch.”

  “You weren’t. You were on the swing in the back yard with your mom. I brought you in when the kids went to bed.” Luke stepped away, obviously disappointed to do it, and grabbed a piece of cake from the fridge. “We saved you some.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Mibs, go up to bed. I can finish this. You are obviously tired.”

  “I am, but I’m not sleepy anymore.” Aggie grabbed a fork from the drawer and perched on one of the barstools with her cake. A glass of milk seemed to appear out of nowhere. “Thanks.”

  “You said that already.”

  “Well, thanks again then.” She knew she’d snapped, but Aggie popped a forkful of cake in her mouth and concentrated on her plate.

  Luke said nothing. He finished his cleanup, took her empty plate, glass, and fork, added them to the dishwasher, and with her hand in his, tugged her through the dining room to the coat closet in the living room. “Toss on a jacket. Let’s walk.”

  “I say I’m worn out, and he wants to walk,” Aggie remarked to the empty room.

  “That’s right.”

  Outdoors, the crisp autumn air filled her lungs. It was almost instantaneous invigoration. “Wow. This feels great.”

  Luke led her down the drive and up the street past Murphy’s house onto a dirt road that separated the houses from the fields. “What’s wrong, Mibs? You haven’t been yourself all week.”

  “I’m just tired.”

  “Cold?”

  “Nope, I’m good. This jacket is almost too warm.”

  “I meant,” he clarified, “are you coming down with a cold?”

  “No. It’s just been such a busy week. We had classes every other day, shopping for the party, two field trips, and that interview with the Social Security people.”

  “Well, next week should be better, right?”

  “Yep. No party and no Social Security thing. There’s another field trip though. I’m hoping Tina is back in time to keep the three littlest home. That’d help a lot.”

  “Call Mom. She’ll be happy to help if she can.”

  “I can’t keep taking advantage of your mom, Luke. This is supposed to be my responsibility, but as it is, Tina is living here since she obviously thinks I can’t handle things, you’re not getting done what you need to get done because you’re always here helping, and your mom practically lives here sometimes.”

  “You have a lot on your plate,” Luke began.

  “Yeah, and so do other moms. No, most don’t have as many kids, but some do. There’s a woman in the co-op with ten!”

  Luke stopped mid-stride and wrapped his arms around her. “And those women have husbands and years of experience behind them. Give yourself a break.”

  Her sniffle cancelled her intentions of arguing. She couldn’t do it. Fresh tears, ones that this time had nothing to do with the loss of her sister, overflowed as Aggie sobbed out her frustrations. “I don’t have time for a break, Luke. Ian is already one. Christmas is coming, and I have no idea how to make a special holiday for these kids. They need it this year. They grow up too fast to just coast along while I get my mom legs under me. I--”

  “I think it’s a pretty good thing you made that vow, Mibs.”

  “Why?” She sounded like Cari when the child didn’t get her way-- right down to the pathetic little sob that punctuated the question.

  “Because I’d be tempted to try one of those movie tricks and kiss you silent. Since I can’t, you need to be quiet and listen.”

  “Bossy.”

  “When it’s for your own good, sure.” His hands brushed her hair from her face and then settled around her waist again. “Your family isn’t going to look like anyone else’s. It’s going to change when it becomes my family too. It’ll change when Vannie goes off to college or Laird gets an afternoon job. You can’t be all things to all these kids all at once. You can’t. Your sister didn’t do that.”

  “Yes--”

  “Hush, woman!” His voice growled, but Aggie heard the chuckle under it all. “She did not. Your sister had many hours a day with only a few little ones at home. For all you know, she hired out some of the housekeeping. She had a husband who was obviously a big help, and I bet she did not drag her children all over town for different activities.”

  “I don’t know. I never asked.”

  “You have a lot of misplaced guilt, Mibs. You keep trying to make up for what you think those kids are missing, but they have everything they want or need. They have a ‘mother’ that loves them, a strong church behind them, and they have each other. That’s more than a lot of people can say.”

  “Like who? Name someone who doesn’t have that. That’s just basic life, Luke.” Aggie’s frustration prompted her to try to push away, but Luke didn’t let her.

  “Nuh uh. You stay here and listen. William. There’s one. He never had any of that. His mother showed him cruelty, he had no church at that time, and his siblings were stripped from him.” He shook his head as she opened her mouth. “And, he’s not a lone case. When those kids are fifty, they’re going to remember those things. Sure, they’ll have fond memories of other things, but the ones that matter most will be those.”

  “Wanna know something pathetic?”

  “Sure.” Reluctantly, Luke stepped back, turned, took her hand again, and started back towards her house.

  “I keep waiting for Tavish to break out and start the infirmary all over again.”

  “I don’t think he’s going to. I think he got some kind of immunity somehow without getting them. Either that, or he’ll get it some other year when he’s exposed to someone else.”

  “That’s encouraging… and not.” Aggie’s feet dragged.

  “You getting sleepy finally?”

  “Nope.”

  “You sure? You’re slowing down.”

  She ducked her head and tried to pick up the pace. “I just didn’t want to go back yet.”

  Luke pulled her back to him. “I’m good with that.”

  Their pace slowed to a lazy crawl as they made their way back to the house--neither speaking, both saying much. Luke stopped at his truck and pulled the door open. “I’d better go.”

  “You said something I really liked earlier.”

  His eyes smiled down at her. “And what was that?”

  “You said, ‘When it becomes my family too.’ I liked that.”

  “I look forward to it, Mibs. It’s the first and last prayer on my lips every day.”

  “Mine too.”

  “And you wondered why…” Luke’s voice took on that tone that had an unsettling effect on her heart.

  “Why what?”

  “Why I love you.”

  Aggie’s eyes widened. “How did you know that!”

  “Your
face, Mibs. It tells me everything.”

  “Not everything.”

  His chuckle morphed into full blown laughter. “Yes, Mibs. Everything.”

  As she digested the ramifications of Luke’s words, he drove off toward home. It occurred to Aggie, as she climbed the stairs, that Luke would probably know the state of her heart before she was fully aware of it. That thought sent her rushing up the last few steps to see in her mirror what Luke might have seen in her face.

  An envelope on her pillow diverted her. She kicked off her shoes, pulled the note from the envelope, and curled up on her bed to read it. A smile played around her lips as she read.

  Aggie (A.K.A. Mibs),

  Today as I listened to the inspector tell me what a good job I’d done on the house on Cygnet Street, I realized how rarely I remember to tell you how well you’re doing. The children are healthy, happy, and growing spiritually and intellectually. I am sure your sister is very proud.

  I also wanted to remind you that you are loved. Your parents, the children, Tina, my mother, and of course, I love you more than I know how to express. I think you need to hear it more than you do, so I’m telling you. I love you.

  Yours,

  Luke

  Aggie reread the note, and then read it once more. Smiling to herself with a prayer of thanksgiving on her lips, she tucked it into her Bible, amused that the chapter heading was for Song of Solomon, and reached for her laptop. It wasn’t there. Her feet pattered down the stairs and into the library. She retrieved her late night communication friend, and hurried back up to her room. While it booted, she changed into pajamas, brushed her teeth and hair, and washed her face.

  The messenger showed Luke offline, but Aggie clicked on his name anyway.

  Mibs says: Luke, I got your note. Thank you. I have a feeling I’ll reread it so much that I wear it out.