by Joyce Magnin
“A nugget’s a nugget no matter how small,” Harriet said.
Prudence laughed. “All right, Dr. Seuss, but it takes a lot of tiny nuggets to make one worth its weight.”
“I still think it’s fascinating. Florence said I could even find a place that will let me pan for gold. In a stream.”
“Oh sure, there are lots of places like that around. But you won’t get rich.”
Harriet slipped a piece of meatball to Humphrey, even though he had already eaten the one she cooled for him. “Oh, I know that. I’d need a lease on a larger plot of land.”
Prudence nodded her head. “I think it’s time for that incredible-looking pie.” Apparently, Prudence wasn’t going to watch her weight so closely that she wouldn’t eat a slice of a Florence Caldwell pie.
“I’ll say,” Henry said with just a little too much gusto for Harriet’s liking. She knew she had to stop feeling jealous of Florence Caldwell, but still, Henry never really fussed over her cooking—or anything else Harriet did for that matter. Oh geeze, why was she letting herself think this way? She willed the negative thoughts away.
“Just a small slice for me,” Harriet said. “Too much lemon upsets my stomach.”
“Okay,” Prudence said. The conversation quickly turned to talk of baby furniture and baby names and even morning sickness until Harriet all of a sudden had a terrible thought. A thought she wasn’t sure she should even say out loud. The possibilities were just too awful. So she grew quiet and finished her meal—including a second glass of wine.
But the silence didn’t last long. She didn’t want to upset Prudence or Henry, but she just had to ask. Harriet could not hold it in another minute. So the second Henry swallowed the last of his lemon meringue pie, she said, “What about me?”
“You?” Henry said. “I don’t understand. You’re going to be a grandmother. Of course, you’ll need to decide what you want little Henry or Henrietta to call you.”
“Henrietta!” Prudence said. “I am not naming my child Henrietta.”
“Why, dear?” Harriet asked. “It’s a lovely name. It was my mother’s.”
Prudence shook her head. “I’m sorry, Mother. It’s just—”
Henry laughed. “She’s lying, Pru. Her mother’s name was Louise.”
Harriet laughed. “What I mean is, what about me? You made me move here, and you must admit this house is small. Three bedrooms, and I can’t imagine Prudence will give up her office or you your den, Henry. So that means my room will become the nursery and—”
Henry stood. “Relax, Mom. That’s the other surprise.”
“What? You’re sending me back to Pennsylvania?”
“No,” Henry said. “Let me tell you. We were planning this even before we found out Prudence is pregnant.” He looked at Prudence, and Harriet was fairly certain she saw his eyes twinkle with tears. Then he grabbed the roll of papers. “Come on, let’s go in the living room. There’s more room to spread out.”
Humphrey also followed Harriet into the living room and flopped at Prudence’s feet once she sat down in the big, over-stuffed chair. “See that,” Harriet said. “He knows he’s going to be an uncle.”
Henry took a breath and spread the pages out on their big ottoman.
Harriet looked at them. “Why, Henry, I was right. They are blueprints. Were they your dad’s? What are they for? The Bryn Mawr house?”
“No, Mom, we had them drawn up. Look.” He pointed at the page.
Harriet tilted her head this way and that as she scanned the drawings. Her heart swelled as she realized what she was looking at. “Oh, Henry. Oh, Prudence. I’m … I’m …. I don’t know what I am. I can’t believe you want to do this for me.”
“Of course we do,” Prudence said. “You mean a lot to us. And now you will mean a lot to little Penelope or Horatio.”
“Horatio,” Henry said. “You’re kidding, right?”
Prudence chuckled, and Henry went back to the blueprints.
“This right here is the brand new mother-in-law suite we are having built. You’ll have your own space, your own little apartment. Your own sitting room, bedroom, and bathroom.”
Harriet was speechless a moment, and then she said, “Oh my goodness gracious, I’m going to cry again. Just sit here and cry. It’s just too much good news. Whoever thought you could have too much good news? First finding out about the baby”—she sniffed—“and now this.”
“We know it’s been hard, Mother,” Prudence said, “especially where your salt and pepper shakers were concerned. We thought this would give you enough space to display them and to feel like you still had your own place.”
Harriet lost it at that point. This was just too much. First a grandchild and now her own suite.
Harriet realized it was too late to call Martha back east, and the rest of the evening was quiet. Joy-filled but quiet. Henry and Prudence snuggled on the couch through a documentary on Iceland, which was a lot more interesting than Harriet thought it would be. Soon, Prudence yawned and they decided to go off to bed.
Harriet had wanted to discuss Martha’s visit, but there was already so much news and excitement that she decided it could wait until morning. Henry, however, brought it up just before he and Pru excused themselves.
“So, Pru,” he said stroking her hair, “Mom has invited her friend Martha out for a visit.”
Prudence sat up straighter. “Really? When? Will she be staying long? I’m so busy at work now, and with the baby news—”
“I told her it would be fine,” Henry said. “They haven’t picked dates yet. They wanted to wait to see how it fit with your plans.”
Prudence stood and paced like she was in a courtroom. “We’re not really set up for guests. And the builders will be here.” Prudence lifted Sandra Day from the back of the chair and stroked her fur.
Harriet felt tears well in her eyes. She knew Prudence would want to wait a while before having houseguests and for good reason, but she so wanted Martha to visit.
“Martha can sleep in my room,” Harriet said, trying to keep the tears from spilling. “You’ll hardly notice her. And as for the builders, what’s the big deal? They’ll just go about their business.”
Henry grabbed Prudence’s hand. “Come on, honey, sit down.”
Prudence flopped back on the couch with a sigh.
“I think it will be good for Mom to have her friend here. It will help keep her occupied while the building is going on and … and all.”
“I have been feeling a little bored,” Harriet said. “I don’t even have my collection to fuss over and—”
“That’s why we’re building the addition,” Prudence said. But then she appeared to have second thoughts about what she’d just said.
Prudence stood again. “Okay, Mother. Look, I’m sorry. I guess I might be a little anxious about everything happening all at once. It will be fine for Martha to come. Just pick a date.”
“Any date?” Harriet asked.
“Any date,” Prudence said.
“I’ll call Martha in the morning,” she said. Harriet patted Humphrey’s side. He had been lying at her feet the entire evening.
“Good,” Henry said. “But for now I think we should all head off to bed. It’s been an exciting day.”
Harriet stayed up a little while longer, watching the news and the beginning of The African Queen. She could watch Humphrey Bogart movies forever. But she must have been more tired than she thought because she woke just as Humphrey and Katharine were about to go over the falls. “Oh dear. They’ll make it, they always do.” She clicked it off because she was starting to feel tired.
Humphrey yawned wide. “Come on,” Harriet said. “Maybe you should go out one more time. Our bladders aren’t what they used to be, especially after all the excitement we had tonight. And I don’t want you to wake me up at 3:00 a.m.” Humphrey sighed and skittered out the deck door as soon as Harriet opened it.
Harriet stood on the deck and imagined what it would be like
to build the addition and then move in. At first it seemed so exciting and wonderful, but the more she thought about it the more she realized it would probably be the last home she’d ever have.
“Oh dear,” she said and wiped the nasty thought from her mind. “Harriet Beamer, you stop thinking like that. You still have plenty of adventures ahead of you. And you are going to be a grandmother. Now, that’s an adventure.” She turned her thoughts back to happier possibilities.
She imagined the addition, her addition, with vinyl siding—white but real wood shutters painted light blue to match the rest of the house trim. She would hang delicate white curtains and find the most perfect cabinets and shelves for her collection. Of course, she would need a rocking chair so she could rock the baby.
Humphrey ambled back up the deck steps. “It would be just like the baby was visiting Grandma,” Harriet said to him.
Humphrey yawned wide and looked up at her. His eyes seemed even more bloodshot than usual, but in the low light it was hard to tell for sure. “Isn’t it funny, Humphrey,” she said. “We are getting two additions.”
The pooch shook his head and let go a low noise—not exactly a growl. Bassets did not tend to growl; they were just too laid-back and easygoing for that sort of thing. But the sentiment was there.
“Okay, enough fun for one night. Let’s go to bed. We can dream of great adventures and babies.”
Chapter Six
THE NEXT MORNING HENRY WAS WIDE AWAKE AT SIX. HE had a difficult time sleeping. No matter how hard he tried, he could not keep his eyes off Pru, wondering, worrying for her. The excitement of the new baby was both wonderful and terrifying. He dressed in the usual tan Dockers and a dark blue golf shirt. Someday Henry would learn to play golf, but for now he didn’t mind just looking like a golfer. He watched Prudence sleep for a minute or two more. She was always so pretty—and now she was even prettier than ever, if that was possible. He pushed her hair off her face and kissed her cheek.
She stirred a little and he smiled. And as Henry watched, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge, no, maybe a pang of concern. Prudence had lost two babies. He supposed it was only natural that he would feel just a wee bit nervous. “Please, Lord,” he whispered, “don’t take this baby too.”
Henry finished dressing and made his way to the kitchen for his morning routine—coffee on the deck when the weather was nice and then off to the den to start writing. He found Harriet already in the kitchen. And the coffee already made. She was picking at the leftover lemon meringue pie.
“Mom,” Henry said. “You’re up early this morning. Are you all right?”
“Oh sure, son,” she said as she grabbed the coffee carafe. “I’m just so excited about … oh, about everything. When will the builders get here? I guess we’ll have to dig a foundation first and then—”
“Whoa, slow down.” Henry took the mug of coffee Harriet offered and sat down at the table. “How much joe have you had?”
“Just three cups. I’ve been here for a while. I keep thinking about how wonderful it’s all going to be—a baby and a mother-in-law suite, which I think we should call the Grammy Suite. Don’t you just love it? That’s what I’ve decided I’d like the baby to call me. Grammy, with a “y,” and, oh, of course Martha’s visit. Life is practically perfect.”
Henry laughed. “Okay, okay. I know you’re excited, but it’s not happening today. With Prudence being nine weeks along, the baby is not due until the spring, and the builders are not starting the job until a week from Monday. Today is Thursday, so that’s eleven days from now. It’s supposed to take two months start to finish, inside and out.”
Harriet slumped into a chair. “Oh, that’s okay, honey. I’m just so excited. And at least I’ll be in by Christmas—before Christmas. I can have my own tree.”
“That’s right, Mom. It will be nice for you to unpack your collection.” He grabbed a fork and dug into the pie with Harriet. “But I still think you should find a way to stay busy at least until Martha gets here. Then you two can do things together.”
“I will,” Harriet said. “I promise I will find something to occupy my doddering old brain. But first I’m going to call Martha today and give her all the good news. I just wish I was sure how Prudence really felt about having her come.”
“She’s all for it, Mom. Pru and I talked last night, and she’s fine with it.”
Harriet shook her head.
“Honestly, Mom. She is.”
“Really. Just like that?”
Henry nodded. “Yep. She’s just got so much on her mind now and … hormones and all.”
Harriet nodded. “Hormones. Can’t live with them and can’t have babies without them. Pain in the neck, hormones are. Geeze, wait until she’s fifty, then you’ll see some serious hormones.”
“Mom, please. It’s early in the morning.”
“Oh, sorry, dear. I know you have a squeamish tummy. Well, I imagine Prudence is going to want to slow down all her office activities. I can’t say I’m not glad. That’s got to be stressful.”
Harriet sipped her coffee. “And I, for one, would like it if she quit the town council. She doesn’t need that stress—especially now and with her history.”
Henry picked at the pie. “I know, Mom. I’ve had some concerns. And speaking of concern, no more coffee for you.”
“I’m just saying, dear. You need to consider these things. Stress is not good for her.”
Henry pushed the now empty pie tin away. “I know. I just want to let her make that decision. Okay?”
Harriet raised her hands. “I’m not saying a word.”
“Uh huh. For now, you just concentrate on you. Find a salt-and-pepper-shaker club or something, join a women’s Bible study, get ready for Martha’s visit, and before you know it they’ll be gluing the drywall—”
“Taping, dear, you tape drywall.”
Henry smiled and said, “Now see, this is why I’m not a builder. You know more about it than me from living with Dad all those years.”
“Yes, yes, well, that’s obvious.”
“But,” Henry said, “that doesn’t give you the license to meddle and bother the workers and tell them what to do. We’ve hired a very reputable company.”
“I’m sure you did. What company?”
“Prudence hired them. I think their business is called something like Day and Knight Home Design. That’s knight as in King Arthur.”
“Oh, that’s nice. My new home is being built by a knight. I hope he’s good.”
Harriet smiled, and Henry watched her eyebrows lift like two gothic arches. “No, no, it’s two women. They’re very experienced and come highly recommended. In fact, Pru tells me they did the addition on the Hannigans’ house up the street, that big house with the gorgeous addition on the side with the tall windows and brick chimney.”
“Oh, that place? I’ve seen it while walking Humphrey. And I have to admit I’ve admired it. Are you sure you can afford something so—”
Henry coughed. “Well, that’s where you can be helpful. We were giving that some thought last night too, and, well, we should have asked you first, but it was before we knew about the baby and, well, gee, Mom—”
“Spit it out, Henry. What can I do for you?”
“Mom, we need your money.”
Harriet laughed so hard she spit coffee. She couldn’t say she was surprised, but still, she also didn’t think they would go ahead and plan such a building project without some kind of money.
“Really? But didn’t you plan?”
“Of course. We’ve been approved for a loan. But now, with Prudence being pregnant and all, and who knows what will happen with her job … She might want to quit for a while.”
Harriet smiled. “Nah, I doubt she’ll quit, but she will need to … make some choices.”
Henry refilled his mug. His favorite mug, the one he got on his honeymoon in Hawaii. “Well, can you see your way clear? Consider it a baby gift.”
“That’s quite a bab
y gift.” Harriet ran some numbers through her brain, not that she was ever very stingy with money. She enjoyed being generous.
“Okay, look, the way I see it, it’s all God’s money, and I’m just here to re-distribute it, you know? And this is a good cause.”
“You mean it, Mother? You’ll help us out?”
Henry looked up. It was Prudence, dressed and ready for work. “You mean it?” she said again. “We just thought we’d ask, what with the baby coming”—she touched her belly—“or do you want time to think about it?”
Harriet took a deep breath as Humphrey ambled next to her. “No, no. What’s there to think about? It’s only money, and you know what they say: I can’t take it with me. I’ll go down to the bank today. Just tell me what to transfer to your account and it will be done. I’d rather you guys write the checks.”
“Oh, Mother,” Prudence said, “thank you.”
It looked to Henry like a moment when Prudence might want to hug Harriet, but Prudence stepped away. “I’ll just grab breakfast at the office,” she said.
Henry stood. “Are you feeling okay this morning? No morning sickness?”
“No. And I didn’t have any morning sickness before, so …”
He kissed Prudence. “Have a nice day. I love you.”
“I love you too,” she said.
Then Henry spoke to Prudence’s belly. “I love you too.” Only he said it in a baby voice.
Harriet waited until she heard Prudence pull the SUV out of the driveway to ask Henry about something that had been on her mind but she never thought the time was right to ask.
“Tell me about Prudence’s mother. She never talks about her.”
“Oh gee, Mom, do we need to do this now? You know her mother ran off when Pru was a teenager, right?”
“Yes, but, well, has she ever spoken to her? I mean, since?”
“She tried a few times, but her mother never returns her calls or letters.”
“That’s sad. Do you think now, with the baby, she might try again? If there is ever a time when a woman needs her mother it’s when she’s pregnant.”