Eyes on the Prize

by Sunni Jeffers

  “I have just the thing,” Jane said, putting a large slice of oatmeal-apple strudel on a plate. “If you’ll get a couple of mugs, I’ll pour our coffee.”

  Ethel slipped the envelope in her pocket and took two mugs out of the cupboard and set them on the table, then sat and waited for Jane.

  “Louise’s pumpkin is causing quite a stir, isn’t it?” she said after Jane sat down.

  “It certainly is, and she’s been helping me in the garden. That’s why I have all the canned tomatoes. Since Sunday, Louise and I have put up chutney, salsa, marinara sauce and these stewed tomatoes. I’ve made relish and I still have green tomatoes ripening in the basement.”

  “That hasn’t left you much time for this race you’re training for, has it?”

  “I’ve been able to get out and run almost every day. I’m not doing as much fund-raising as I’d like, which is too bad. It’s such a worthy cause. I can’t feel too upset, though. People are giving, just not through me.”

  “Well, I knew you were busy with guests and curiosity seekers, so I took it upon myself to campaign for you.” Ethel pulled out the envelope. “Lloyd helped me. We went around City Hall. Then I contacted folks in the surrounding towns, and I even went to Potterston and to the hospital. I knew Alice would have helped if she could, but she’s gone, so I stepped in. Here. Open it,” she said, passing the envelope to Jane.

  Jane accepted the envelope. It was sealed. Jane opened the envelope and pulled out a wad of money and papers. “What is this?” she asked, giving her aunt a questioning look. She opened one of the papers. On it, Lloyd had pledged to sponsor her for the Harvest Run. She opened a second one. It was a pledge from Bella Paoli, Lloyd’s secretary.

  There were more. Cash folded in a piece of paper had a note from the police department. A pledge from Justine and Josie Gilmore with a note that they’d be rooting for her at the finish line brought a lump to Jane’s throat. She blinked, surprised that the gesture from her aunt and her friends had affected her so much. She didn’t consider herself sentimental, but this genuinely moved her.

  “Thank you, Aunt Ethel,” she said, smiling at her aunt. “I don’t know what to say. I’m touched and grateful for all the support.”

  “It’s the least I can do, since I’m not up to running the race myself. Besides, I like fund-raising. I’m good at it. So you do the running and I’ll do the asking. Besides, I heard the track team was trying to drum up support around town. That makes it hard for you, because everyone wants to encourage them, but you need encouragement too.”

  “I just got a big dose of it. I’d better train a little harder, so I can give all these sponsors a real run for their money.”

  “You just do the best you can. That’s all anyone can do.”

  “Thanks, Aunt Ethel. I’ll give it my best. Will you hang on to this for me and keep track of it?”

  Ethel smiled proudly. “I’ll be happy to manage your pledges. Anything else I can do to help you?”

  “There’s one more thing you can do, if you would.”

  “Certainly. What is it?”

  “You can take a plate of goodies to City Hall as a thank-you. And I’ll make a plate just for you,” Jane said, standing. “Such generosity deserves a treat.”

  “I know you know these verses by heart, Mrs. Agatha, because you quoted them to me fifteen years ago. I listened to you. Now you listen to me. The apostle Paul says you’ve got to get up out of that bed and get moving.”

  Alice and Vera heard the voice scolding Agatha as they neared her room. They stopped outside her door to listen.

  “You got me up and moving when I was ready to quit,” the voice continued. “Now it’s your turn. Listen to what Hebrews 12:1–3 says. You even have it marked here in your Bible. ‘Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.’ Now I gotta tell you, I see you lying here helpless ’cause you’ve lost heart. Are you going to let Mr. Reginald get his way? Not if you’re the same Mrs. Agatha that helped me see the light.”

  The door opened and Olivia Martino stepped out carrying Agatha’s old Bible. She nearly ran into Vera. She stopped and blushed.

  “I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking,” she said. “And I didn’t mean to jump all over your aunt, but I feel so frustrated.”

  Vera put her finger to her lips. “Shhh. Come here,” she said quietly. She walked down the hallway to a small alcove with chairs.

  “So what was all that about?” Vera asked.

  “I lost my patience and scolded her. Your aunt just won’t listen to reason. It’s like she’s given up. She’s always been so strong for everybody else, I can’t stand seeing her the way she is now. Today is my last day. I won’t be here to watch over her, and I’m just afraid Mr. Reggie is going to put her away. He’s a good man, mind you, but he can’t take care of her.”

  “Could you?” Vera asked. “I mean if you had the right equipment and a place to do it, could you handle her?”

  “I … well, I suppose I could. Yes. There’s nothing wrong with her that some good nutrition and a dash of hope wouldn’t cure. I don’t know about that house of hers, though. It’s so big, and all the stairs and everything. Course, I’ve spent little time anywhere but the kitchen.”

  “You said you want to do some home nursing. What if you just had one patient? It’d mean you’d have to live with her. Would you be willing to come by and talk to me about her future?”

  “Yes,” she blurted out. Her eyes misted up. “You don’t know how I’ve been praying for the Lord to show me what He wants me to do.”

  “It might not work out,” Vera said. “I probably shouldn’t have said anything yet, but I don’t have much time.”

  “Are you going to tell Mrs. Agatha now?”

  “No. In fact, I think we’ll let her alone for a while. You’ve given her a lot to think about. Let’s keep this just among Alice, you and me for now. But keep praying. We need the Lord’s blessing if this is going to work out.”

  “My knees will be raw from praying,” Olivia said. “When can I come?”

  “How about this evening, around seven? We’re staying at my aunt’s house.”

  “Seven’s fine. Thank you. I knew you were an angel coming to answer my prayers when I saw you brushing her hair. Now I’d better get back to work. I still have five hours before I retire.” Olivia stood and hurried away.

  “Well, what do you think?” Vera asked Alice as they watched the nurse leave.

  “She loves your aunt and she feels as though she’s ordained to help her. With her experience and her faith, that’s compelling. I just hope I haven’t suggested something that can’t happen. I’d hate to see your aunt have to give up her home and have her friend disappointed.”

  “I feel the same,” Vera said. “Let’s go see if we can open some doors.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Your aunt’s pans look brand-new,” Alice said that evening as she poured beaten eggs into a frying pan. “I can understand that. With the yacht club dining room next door and the country club up the street, she probably doesn’t use them. She’d rather swing a hammer at the boatworks than cook a meal, although I doubt she’s done either recently.”

  They heard rapid knocking on the side door. Vera went out to see who was there. “Reggie, come in.”

  “What in thunderation do you think you’re doing?” he asked, his voice loud enough to be heard next door.

  “I have no idea what you mean, but come into the kitchen. We did some food shopping and we’re just fixing a bite to eat. Will you join us?”

  “I … I came to … oh, what’s the u
se. Yeah, I’ll join you. We need to talk.”

  Vera appeared in the doorway, Reggie behind her, towering over her. He removed his baseball cap and scratched his head.

  “Alice, Reggie’s going to join us for dinner. Could you add a few eggs and more ham to the pan?”

  “Sure. Hi, Reggie.”

  “Evening, Alice.” He turned a kitchen chair around and straddled it. “Hope I’m not putting you to any trouble.”

  “No trouble at all, as long as you don’t mind breakfast for dinner.” She flipped the sliced potatoes, onions and sweet peppers that were frying in a separate pan.

  “Smells good.”

  “This is one of my sister’s easier frittatas.”

  Vera popped four slices of artisan bread from the local bakery into the toaster.

  “So what did you want to talk to me about?” Vera asked her cousin.

  “I talked to Barney Johnson, from Briarhurst. He said you weren’t impressed with their facility.”

  “I didn’t say that. I simply thought the apartment he showed us was awfully small.” Vera turned to face her cousin and leaned against the counter. “Honestly, Reggie, can you see Aunt Agatha living in that tiny place? Have you ever seen her bedroom set? That alone would take up the entire apartment.”

  “Can’t say I have. I rarely go upstairs in this museum.”

  “Then you need a tour. Maybe you’ll get a better idea of what we’re asking her to give up. We’ll take you after we eat.”

  Reggie frowned, clearly not pleased with this turn of events.

  Alice cooked the eggs and added the potato mixture, ham, diced tomatoes and grated cheese. Vera buttered the toast, and they served the simple meal with a green salad and fresh apple cider.

  Vera said a prayer, thanking the Lord for their meal. Reggie bowed his head with them, but Alice got the impression he wasn’t used to praying.

  “One of my favorite parts of fall,” Vera said, raising her glass. “We stopped at the cider mill. I couldn’t believe it’s still there. I haven’t been there in twenty-five years. Its cider is every bit as good as I remember.”

  “They’re still using the old steam engine to run the press,” Reggie said. He swallowed his cider in two or three gulps. “Got any more?”

  Vera took a jug out of the refrigerator. “If we have any left over, I’ll take some to Aunt Agatha tomorrow.”

  “I saw her this afternoon,” Reggie said. “She wasn’t happy to see me, but she looks better. Got more color, I think.”

  “Good. Olivia Martino’s been encouraging her. You remember Olivia?”

  “Yes, I still see her around. I apprenticed under her husband. She used to stop by with his lunch. She made a mean Italian-sausage grinder. Best I ever had. She’d bring two, so I could have one.”

  “She’s coming by here in an hour. Maybe we’ll hold off on the tour until then. She’s retiring, you know? In fact, today was her last day.”

  “I can’t imagine her sitting around doing nothing. She’s too industrious for that,” Reggie said.

  “Exactly. She’s looking for homecare work. She adores Aunt Agatha, you know.”

  “Yeah. Aunt Agatha and Uncle George took good care of the Martinos. Course, the Martinos were good to them too.”

  “I might as well tell you before Olivia gets here: I’m checking out options that would allow Aunt Agatha to stay in her own home.”

  “Here? She can’t take care of this place. She can’t even get around in it.”

  “Not the way it is, but with a few changes she might be just fine. Especially if she has a live-in companion who’s an experienced caregiver.”

  “Olivia?”

  “Precisely. She could take care of the house as well as provide care for Agatha. In addition, there are agencies that supply equipment for handicapped people. We can get lift chairs, walkers, wheelchairs, all kinds of equipment. If the doctor prescribes it, we can even get help from her insurance and Medicare.” Vera looked at Alice. “I told you Alice is a nurse. She’s had some experience with elderly people. She thinks it’s feasible.”

  Reggie frowned. “What would it take?”

  “The most important step would be installing a home lift or a small elevator and handrails in bathrooms—that sort of thing. Although one of the rooms on the main floor could be converted into a bedroom, a lift would enable her to stay in her own room, where she’s most comfortable.”

  “I suppose you have an idea where you’d do this?” Reggie asked.

  “We were looking at the butler’s closet and part of the study. They’re back to back, and there’s a large powder room upstairs. We didn’t check out the third floor.”

  “Somehow, this all sounds like work for me,” he said.

  “We can hire a contractor. I found a company where we can get a nice elevator and they can have one available within a few days.”

  Reggie sighed. “Assuming all this is possible, I suppose I could spare several guys to do the labor. We don’t have a current contract. I have a couple of refits coming in next month, but we’re slow right now.”

  Vera grinned. “I think it’s possible, but you’d know better than I would.”

  “You haven’t told Aunt Agatha any of this, have you?”

  “No. I don’t want to get her hopes up if it won’t work out.”

  “All right. We’ll see.” He finished his supper. “You got anything for dessert?” he asked.

  “As a matter of fact …” Vera got up and took their plates to the sink. “I bought an apple pie and a slab of sharp cheddar cheese at the cider mill. We’ll save it until Olivia comes.” Vera put a kettle of water on to boil.

  “Don’t suppose you have coffee.”

  “Sorry. You can have a cup of tea with us or a glass of milk.”

  Reggie made a face. “Guess I can settle for a glass of milk. Might have to have two pieces of that pie, though.”

  “If it will put you in an agreeable mood, you can have half of the pie,” Vera said.

  Reggie nodded. “I just might go for that.”

  Vera smiled. “You’re a good man, Reggie Jamison.”

  “Don’t know about that, but I never could win an argument with you or Aunt Agatha. Teaming up the two of you isn’t fair. Can’t say I always agree with you, but I have to admit, you’ve been right before. Like when you rejected Gerald Weatherwax. I never told you, but I’m glad you didn’t listen to me all those years ago. Weatherwax got disbarred, you know. I don’t know what he’s doing now, but he was involved with a bunch of shady schemes over the years.” Reggie shook his head.

  “I never seriously considered Gerald. He was your idea.”

  “Not one of my better ones. He seemed like an all right guy. His dad was our lawyer. They had big plans for Gerald going into politics. He was keen on you, you know. Begged me for an introduction.” Reggie shrugged. “You’d brought Fred to one party and I could see he wouldn’t do, or so I thought. I figured you needed to date someone from our own set. Then you broke up with Fred and got engaged to Derrick, and everyone was happy about that. Your dad was ready to bring him into the shipbuilding business. I figured we’d end up being partners some day. I couldn’t believe you’d just walk away and give all this up. You’d own half the business now if you’d stayed.”

  “But I do own half a business—a hardware business with Fred,” she said. “I don’t expect you to understand, but truly, my cup runneth over.”

  “I’m glad,” he said. “I keep busy, but it gets lonely. Maybe it’d be a good thing to have Aunt Agatha nearby. I need a good argument with her once in a while to keep my blood pumping.”

  “I talked to Mrs. Agatha before I left today,” Olivia said as they climbed the stairs to the second floor of Agatha’s house. “She told me I’d better come visit her every week or she’d send Mr. Reggie after me.”

  “She did, huh?” Reggie said. “Sounds like she’s feeling feisty this afternoon. I saw her too. I thought she looked better.”

  �
�Maybe your scolding worked,” Vera said to Olivia. “Oh dear. I hope so. I felt so guilty after I was so bossy to her,” Olivia said.

  “Bossy? You? I don’t believe it,” Reggie said. “But I was.”

  “You spoke the truth to her,” Alice said. “Sometimes the truth is hard to hear, but it’s good for us. Especially if we take it to heart.”

  “What do you think of this idea of having her come back here, Olivia?” Reggie asked.

  “I think it would be better than putting her in a home. I know Briarhurst is a nice place. I went out there and applied for a job. They take good care of people and treat them with respect. They wanted me to work the night shift, though, and I didn’t want to be out driving at night.”

  “If you took care of Agatha, it’d be around-the-clock care,” Alice said. “That could be restricting.”

  “She’d never let me coddle her. If I ever needed help, I know lots of trained people I could get to fill in, but I don’t expect I’d need it. Mrs. Agatha’s a fighter. Soon as she gets the idea she might be able to come home, she’ll get better real fast. And we get along real good, she and I.”

  They rounded the top of the stairs and Vera led them to Agatha’s room.

  “Are you ready for this?” Vera asked. She opened the door and flipped on the light, then stood back and let Olivia and Reggie enter.

  “Oh my.” Olivia chuckled. “Yup. That’s my Mrs. Agatha. Put her in this room and she’ll be up dancing a jig in no time.”

  “If that doesn’t beat all,” Reggie said, standing in the middle of the room, turning around and around. “I should have figured. She always argued with me about decorating the yachts we built. She wanted bright colors. I guess I can see why. How in the world did Uncle George ever sleep in here?”

  The three women laughed at Reggie’s question.

  “You’re right about her furniture, Vera. All this really wouldn’t fit in that apartment at Briarhurst.”

  “Then you’ll help me fix up this place for her?”

  “I’m probably crazy, but let’s see if it’s feasible. If … if you’re willing to go to work for our aunt,” Reggie said, looking at Olivia, “we’d have to make up a contract. Then we’d have to figure out Aunt Agatha’s finances, so we can maintain this place. She’s got the money, though.”