by Abigail Keam
“I didn’t think of that,” replied River, standing beside her. “I just thought it needed to be aired out a little.”
“And it’s very dirty. Must have been occupied by a raccoon or a man.”
River pouted. “Hey, now! Nothing a little bit of elbow grease can’t cure.”
“I don’t think this trailer is safe to live in. I would like my son to do a mold test before you move in. Let me take you back to the motel.”
“Can’t. My bungalow’s been rented out. Eva’s all booked up.”
Mary put her hands on her hips while peeking into the fridge. “There’s something black and foaming in there. That’s nasty. The former tenant didn’t even clean out the fridge. This rental is a disgrace.”
She looked at River and then at the trailer. “That settles it. Get your bag and come on. We’re leaving.”
“Where we going?”
“You can’t stay here, that’s for sure. I’ll take no guff from you, mister. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you’ll have to bunk at my house until Mike does the mold test. If the trailer passes, then I’ll help you clean it up. Then and only then will you move into this place.” Mary dusted her dirty hands on her pants.
“Naw, it’s all right for an old guy. All I need is a place to lay my head and whip up a plate of eggs and a cup of java in the morning.”
“If you’re old, then I’m old, too. I’m not ready to be put into that category just yet. But you have had a heart episode or whatever it was. You’re still on the mend. You can’t stay in a filthy and possibly mold-ridden place. Now get your gear and let’s go. I’m not telling you again.”
River grabbed his bag. “Yes, ma’am,” he gushed, delighted that his plan was working even better than he had hoped.
He was going home with Mary.
The sky was the limit now. Anything could happen.
20
Mike and Eva pulled up to Mary’s dock. He jumped out and tied the boat up while Eva and Jenny stayed on board.
His mother had called and asked that he stop by on their way out on their snorkeling trip. He thought she might had made something to eat for their outing, so he was surprised to see a man perched on a stool at his mother’s breakfast bar, chowing down some of his mother’s Belgian waffles and bacon.
Mike deliberately knocked on the glass back door a little too loudly, slowly opened it, and stuck his head in. “Hello?” he said curiously.
Mary was at the stove and turned around with a spatula in her hand. “Mike! Glad you made it. I’m making some scrambled eggs. Would you like some?”
Mike pointed to the boat. “Oh, ah, thanks, but we are on our way out for our picnic and snorkeling trip. You said you wanted me to stop by.” He gave River a strange look.
“Oh, I don’t think that you have met Mr. Egan. He is the one who has helped Jenny. River, this is my son, Mike.”
River leaned over and shook hands with Mike. “Nice to meet you. I’ve met your lovely wife and daughter. I think the world of Jenny.”
“Thank you. I know I’ve heard quite a lot about you, but none of it from my mother.” Mike gave Mary a quizzical look as he said this.
Mary could feel herself blush. “Mr. Egan, ah, River has decided to stay in Key Largo. He’s rented a trailer down the road at the RV park, but I think the trailer has mold. Would you test it for him?” Mary continued to rattle on nervously. “Since he’s helped Jenny so much, I insisted that he stay in the guest room. So, will you test it, Mike?”
Mike couldn’t help but notice the glow on River’s face as Mary stumbled on. “Of course I can.”
“Now listen, Mike, I’ll be happy to pay the going fee for your service,” stated River.
“That’s not a problem. I’ll be happy to do it for Mom–and for you. We’ll talk about it tomorrow morning, but I’m going out with my family today. It’s the first day Jenny has been on a boat in a few years.”
“Yes, Jenny told me all about it,” River said, looking past Mike at his boat. He gave a low whistle. “She’s a beaut. Are those twin Evinrudes?”
“Uh, yeah, yeah, sure. How will I be able to reach you tomorrow morning, Mr. Egan? Do you have a cell phone number? Or should I just phone here?”
River looked at Mary. “I guess I should get one, shouldn’t I? Well, until your mother gives the okay on the trailer, I guess I’ll be bunking here.”
“Really?” uttered Mike, turning to look at his mother, who was turning beet red.
Mary involuntarily touched her fingertips to her cheek. “Mike, you’re keeping Eva and Jenny waiting.”
Mike looked back at his boat. “I’ll call tomorrow morning and do the test.”
“That will be super, Mike,” replied River, looking very pleased. “Again, it was a pleasure to meet you.
“Well, it’s been very interesting to meet you, Mr. Egan.”
“River, please.”
Mike gave his mother another glance and turned to leave.
“Have a good time,” said River cheerfully.
“I hope you’re not having a good time with my mother,” mumbled Mike.
“What was that?” asked River.
Mike forced a fake smile and said, “Nothing. See you two tomorrow morning.”
Mary bit her lip, but didn’t reply. She knew what Mike was thinking and didn’t appreciate it, suddenly realizing she was a bit defensive about River. It was her life and she didn’t like anyone interfering with it, even if it was her one and only son. Besides, she wasn’t doing anything wrong that she needed to justify.
On the other hand, the gleam in River’s eye as she turned to look at him made her a little nervous. It both horrified and pleased her. She was gratified that a man might still be interested at her age. It had been a long time since she had seen a twinkle in the eye of the opposite sex, but then it would all be over when River moved into his trailer.
He would eventually move on–and so would she.
21
“Mike, what’s wrong? You look flustered,” prompted Eva as Mike jumped back on the boat.
Mike waved her off. “Nothing. Mom just wanted me to do a mold test.” He untied the boat. “Let’s shove off. We’ve got a picnic to eat and some serious snorkeling to do.”
Eva shrugged and started the engine.
“Mom, I know why Daddy’s mad.”
“Why’s that?” asked Eva.
“Mr. Egan is sitting in the kitchen with grandma.”
Eva shielded her eyes and turned around, straining to look through the glass windows at back of Mary’s house. “Well, I’ll be. What’s that old coot doing at Mary’s house at ten in the morning?”
“What did you say?” asked Mike, taking over the steering wheel.
“Oh, nothing, dear,” murmured Eva, grinning and winking at Jenny. Eva thought it was great that a man might be interested in Mary, but knew Mike well enough to know that he might resent another man’s intrusion into his mother’s life.
For a long time it had been just Mike, Mary, and Jenny facing the world. And Eva thought about Jenny’s reaction when she had entered it.
Eva knew enough about human nature to know people sometimes resisted change, even when it was for the better. Look at Jenny’s difficult adjustment when she married Jenny’s father.
Mike guided the boat over to Molasses Reef, where other boats had collected. He liked to be with other snorklers and divers in case something went wrong. He tied the boat to one of the floating anchor balls, since it was illegal to put an anchor down in the delicate reef.
Jenny peered anxiously over the side of the boat.
Seeing Jenny’s wide-eyed expression, Mike put his arm around her. “You don’t have to go into the water if you don’t want to.”
“No, Daddy. I want to try.”
“Okay, then.”
“You’ll be right next to me? You won’t leave me?”
“I’ll be by your side until you say you’ve had enough.”
“I’ll be with you to
o, Jenny,” added Eva.
Jenny looked with trepidation at the water, but resolved to go in.
In order to make Jenny feel more comfortable, Mike had gotten special clips for the snorkeling vests that connect to cords attached to the boat. That way they could reel themselves in quickly if the need arose.
Eva put a snorkeling vest on Jenny, and then one on herself while Mike threw rafts overboard. If Jenny got tired, she could cling to one of the rafts until she wanted to get back on board.
Like a true water baby, Jenny spit into her mask and then poured water over it. Eva helped her put on flippers and mask with a breathing tube. Mike had gone to a dive shop and gotten Jenny a pretty new pink mask.
Hearing a splash, Eva looked over and saw Mike was already in the water and waiting for Jenny. Jenny looked apprehensive as she flopped in her flippers over to the side of the boat. Carefully, Eva guided Jenny into the water.
At first, Jenny was a little unsure in the tumble of small waves rocking her, and flailed about until Mike pushed a raft under her. Once stabilized, Jenny calmed down and slowly became accustomed to the rhythm of the waves.
“Here I come,” squealed Eva, splashing into the water. She swam over to Jenny. “Let’s put our faces in,” she said to encourage her stepdaughter. Eva stuck her face in the water and observed the sea life swimming beneath her.
Several minutes later she lifted her head. “Jenny, did you see the sea turtle?”
“Yeah, it was so cool!” Jenny gushed. “Daddy, did you see it?”
“I sure did. She was so big, she must have been over a hundred years old.”
“Really?” squeaked Jenny, her eyes opening wider.
“I’d say so.”
“I want to look again, but I want to float around some. If I let go of the raft, will you stay with me, Daddy?”
“I think we can accommodate your wish. I’ll hold your hand on one side and Eva on the other. We won’t let you go. I promise. We’ll be a family flotilla.”
Jenny held one hand and then the other as each parent took hold. Before Mike and Eva could position themselves, Jenny was facedown in the water, pulling them along.
Eva could hear her squeals of delight she gleefully used her flippers to propel forward. This was a special day, and Eva believed Jenny was well on her way now to healing from her mother’s death.
From Beth’s pictures and letters, Eva knew she had loved the sea and would want her daughter to love it as well. And she knew absolutely that somewhere Beth was truly watching her daughter delight in the ocean again and approved.
Eva said a silent prayer. “Thank you, Beth Bishop, for letting me love Mike. I’ll do my best by him and Jenny. You can put your trust in me.”
This was going to be a photo album kind of a day. Eva just knew it.
22
Mary knocked on the trailer door. She heard muttering and the clang of a mop against a bucket. The door flung open to reveal a half-wet River holding a dripping mop.
“Mary!” River squeaked. “What are you doing here?”
“I knew you would be cleaning this filthy trailer by yourself today. Well, I just don’t think you’ll do a good enough job without a woman to help you.”
River stiffened at the implied insult. “I hope you are not saying that I’m dirty. My wife use to compliment me on my tidy manners.”
Mary snorted. “I’m not saying you’re dirty. I’m saying that men don’t know how to really deep clean a place.”
“What’s the difference between cleaning and deep cleaning? Cleaning’s cleaning.”
“That’s what I was afraid of. I’m sure your wife knew the difference. Now stand aside. I brought my own tools with me,” replied Mary, holding up a cleaning kit filled with products and tools River hadn’t even known existed. She pushed River aside and put down her kit. Giving the trailer a quick perusal, Mary declared, “If you do exactly what I tell you, it shouldn’t take us more than three hours to make this place spic-and-span.”
She shook her head as she looked down at River’s bare hands. She took out a pair of rubber gloves from her kit and handed them to River. “Here, put these on.”
River’s brow furrowed as he took the gloves from her. “Are you saying only three hours? I was planning to spend the whole day on this.”
“Nope, I’m saying that it will take the two of us only three hours. I know all the shortcuts in cleaning. Then you can take me out for a late lunch to a place of my choosing.” She put out her hand. “Deal?”
River grinned and shook her hand. “That’s more than a deal. Only three hours of cleaning and having lunch with a beautiful woman. Tell me what to do first, chief.”
“I’ll start in the kitchen. You take out all the living room furniture and then start washing the ceiling, then the walls all the way to the floor. Start at the top and work your way down.
River leapt into action as Mary started emptying the kitchen cabinets. She disinfected the refrigerator and all the cabinets while rewashing all the dishes and cookware.
The stove and oven were so caked with grime that Mary scrubbed until she thought the skin was going to come off her hands.
After River washed down the walls and the floor of the living area, Mary had him wipe down all the furniture and check for bedbugs. Then she had him do the same in the bedroom.
While he was concentrating on the bedroom, Mary tackled the bathroom. It was a disgrace. Putting on a pair of heavy-duty gloves, Mary doused everything with disinfectant. Then, using a brush, she scrubbed from the ceiling to the floor.
At last satisfied, she took as step back and studied the bathroom. It wasn’t pretty, but it was clean and safe for use. It would do for a man. With a new mop, she rinsed down all that she had scrubbed.
River poked his head around the bathroom door. “My gosh, it looks downright civilized. After listening to you, I was afraid to put my precious bottom on that toilet seat.”
“You’ll have to get a new seat. It’s cracked, and the medicine cabinet is rusted through and through,” she conveyed, pointing at the metal cabinet. “We can get them at the hardware store after you take me to lunch.”
Realizing that Mary was also offering to go shopping with him, River did a little jig in the narrow hallway and then held out his arm. “Madam, I think your carriage awaits.”
Mary smiled back while she pulled off her gloves, ignoring his outstretched arm. “Let’s wash our hands and then we’ll be off.”
“Sounds like a plan,” replied River, his eyes sparkling as he handed Mary a bar of soap.
23
Not only did River purchase a toilet seat and a bathroom medicine chest, but Mary saw to it that he had new towels, sheets, floor rugs, and decorator pillows for his couch.
River “thanked” her for saving him from the deprivation of being without what he called “frou-frou” stuff he said he never knew he needed in the first place.
Returning to River’s abode, Mary helped carry his new purchases in and set them on the small kitchen counter. She gave him explicit instructions as to the placement of each new decorator item. “Well, I’ll be off.”
“Listen, Mary, I can’t thank you enough for your help today. I never would have cleaned so well and gotten everything done in one day. You saved me a lot of time and effort.”
“I’m glad to help.” She looked around. “I have another free day tomorrow. You still need to go to the grocery store and spruce up the outside of this monstrosity you call home. If you want, I could stop by and help again.”
“Would you? That would be great. Maybe if we finish early enough, I could rent a boat and we could watch the sunset on the water,” River said.
“I’ll be here at nine. We’ll start early, and get all this done. If I’m not too tired, we celebrate somehow.”
River’s eyes twinkled. “I think that’s a plan. I’ll be waiting for you, Mary.” He started toward her. “May I give you a hug?”
Mary pursed her lips. “I should say not. I�
�m dirty and smell, and so do you.”
River remained undaunted and said, “One day, Mary. One day.”
24
Hearing a knock at the door, River opened it and peered out. It was raining hard, and he wasn’t sure who was standing there until he spoke.
“Mr. Egan.” Mike had on a wide-brimmed hat that mostly obscured his face.
“Mike, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Mike Bishop. Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Sure, come in. Get out of this awful rain,” offered River, standing aside.
“Thanks,” replied Mike, stepping into the trailer. While taking off his hat, he looked about and let out a whistle. “This sure looks different from when I was here the other day.”
“About that. How much do I owe you?”
“Nothing. On the house.”
“How about a beer then?”
“Won’t refuse that.”
River pointed to a chair as he went to the refrigerator. “Please sit. I have to admit the livability of the trailer is due to your mother. Nothing like a woman’s touch.” He handed Mike an opened beer bottle.
“Hey, this is really cold,” gushed Mike before he took a swig.
“The fridge is the only thing that works in this rust bucket,” River said before flipping off the cap of his beer bottle. “Here’s to swimmin’ with bowlegged women. Down the hatch.”
Mike gave a salute with his bottle before taking another long swig.
“Know who said that?” River asked.
Mike nodded. “Um, let’s see. That would have to be the old salty character from Jaws. What was his name? Quint, I think.”
River smiled. “So why are you here, Mike, son of Mary?”
“If I remember the movie, Quint wasn’t so nice to the ladies. I hope you’re not like that.”