by Patricia Fry
Brianna took Teddy from Gladys. “Lily and I’ll put him down for his nap.”
“Okay,” Savannah called after her. “He might need to be changed.”
Brianna frowned at her sister. “You mean he isn’t potty trained yet? How long do you have to go through this stage?”
Savannah laughed, then called, “Lily will show you where the diapers are.” She picked up two centerpieces from the counter and walked toward the side door, asking, “Mom, Rochelle, want to help me decide where to put these?”
Once they’d made that decision, Gladys looked around the yard and let out a sigh of satisfaction. “Well, it looks beautiful. Very…”
“Juvenile?” Peter offered from a chair on the porch.
“Yes,” Rochelle said. “Perfect for a two-year-old boy’s birthday. Where’d you find all the truck-motif stuff?”
“Mostly online,” Michael said. “Teddy’s going to be surprised when he sees this. He does love trucks, doesn’t he, hon? Hon?” he repeated, when it appeared Savannah wasn’t listening.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said. “Hey, I think we’re ready. I’ll go check on Lily and make sure she isn’t terrorizing poor Glori.” When Savannah entered her daughter’s room, she asked, “How’s it going?”
“Good,” Brianna said, chuckling. “Your new cat is adorable. What a sweet thing.”
“Yes, we do love her.”
Brianna tilted her head. “Lily said her ears are broken.”
“Oh, well, she was hard of hearing. She may still be, but her doctors have helped restore at least some of her hearing. She’s doing much better,” Savannah explained. She looked at her sister. “Say, sis, what’s going on with you?”
“Huh? What do you mean?” Brianna asked.
“You can’t fool me, and you know it. I heard the reservation in your voice earlier. You’re worried about something. What is it? Are you getting cold feet again?”
“No,” Brianna insisted.
“You answered awfully fast, there. Are you sure?” Savannah pushed.
“Absolutely.”
“Then what is it? What has you concerned? Because, whatever it is, I think you need to resolve it before you walk down the aisle. Bud doesn’t need you rejecting him again and you don’t need to be going into something as serious as marriage with any sort of uncertainty.”
Brianna winced. “I wish you weren’t so damn tuned into me.”
“Hey, you’re an open book. You wear your feelings on your nose.”
“My nose?” Brianna said, wincing.
“Yeah, so what is it? Can you talk about it?”
Brianna glanced into the hallway, then said quietly, “Well, Oma told me the other day that…”
Savannah interrupted. “Bri, when are you going to learn not to listen to Bud’s grandmother?”
“Huh? You know how much I like her and trust her. Why wouldn’t I listen to her?”
“Because,” Savannah said, “she has led you astray too many times.”
“She has not,” Brianna asserted. “She’s always right.”
Savannah sat down on the floor to help Lily put the doll dress on Glori. “Well, if that’s true, then Bri, maybe you have a habit of misunderstanding her. I know that was the case at least once. You fretted for weeks about something Oma had told you and even decided to break up with Bud, only to learn later that you’d misinterpreted her message.”
“Doesn’t she look pretty, Mommy?” Lily chirped. She picked up Glori and carried her to Brianna. “This is her party dress.”
Brianna smiled. “She’s gorgeous. Does she have a hat to wear?”
Lily ran to her closet and began poring through a box of her doll clothes, quickly returning with a knitted bonnet. “Can you put this on her, Auntie Bri?”
Brianna giggled. “She is the most docile and forgiving cat I’ve ever seen. She doesn’t seem to mind being exploited like this.” She laughed. “Maybe she was a runway model in her previous life.” When she saw Savannah staring at her, she said, “You could be right, Sis. I might have misconstrued what I thought I heard Oma say. I really do need to learn how to get clarity from her. Her messages often seem to be in a sort of metaphysical shorthand. I think I understand what she’s telling me, then I start stewing about—you know, maybe she meant this, maybe she meant that. Yeah, maybe she didn’t say that the fertility gods have rejected me. Maybe she didn’t mean I’m barren.”
Savannah grinned at her sister. “Have you seen a doctor, Doctor? Seems that would be your first course of action.”
“I did a few years ago. Not recently. Everything appeared to be in good working order then, and nothing seems to have changed.” She sat up straighter. “Yeah, I guess maybe I am premature in my anxiety.”
“Maybe you are.” Savannah patted her sister’s knee. “Now stop with the worrying, will you? It does you no good and could even be harmful. And Bri, either stop listening to that witch woman or demand clarity, will you?”
“Yes, I will. I’m sorry, Vannie.” She watched Glori ease down onto the floor and trot out of the room, then wrapped her arms around Savannah. “Thank you, big sis. You’re always watching my back, aren’t you?”
“No more than you watch mine.” Savannah pulled away and said, “Come on, Lily, let’s go get ready to party.”
Chapter Four
By three thirty that afternoon the cake and ice cream had been served and the fruit bowl was almost empty. As some guests sat talking together, and others milled around watching the children play, Craig approached Savannah. He nodded toward the orchard. “Do you know that guy?”
“Who?” Savannah asked. When she saw someone walking toward them, she said, “No. I don’t think so.”
“He must have come to complain about the noise,” Craig teased. Once the man was close enough, Craig called out, “Hello, there. Come for a piece of lemon cake with frosting balloons on it?”
The man chuckled. “No.” He glanced around. “I apologize for the intrusion. I’m looking for my dog. I thought maybe she crashed your party.”
“I haven’t seen a stray dog,” Savannah said. She asked, “Do you live in the tract?”
He hesitated, then said, “Yes. I let Winnie out in the backyard, and I guess the gate wasn’t latched. It appears she got away from me.” He looked around and saw Rags and Glori resting in a shady spot at the end of their leashes. “I see you have cats. Winnie loves cats. Of course, they’re pretty much her size.” He edged his phone out of his pocket. Here’s a picture,” he said, showing it to Savannah and Craig.
Colbi walked up holding Rosemary by the hand, and Savannah said, “This man has lost his dog. She looks like a long-haired dachshund. Isn’t she cute?”
“Oh,” Colbi said, studying the picture. “Yes, adorable.” She frowned. “She looks familiar, like I’ve seen her on Facebook or something.”
The man quickly pocketed his phone and asked, “Do you live over in the tract? Maybe you’ve seen her there.”
“No, but he does,” Colbi said, pointing at Karl.
“What?” Karl asked when he noticed Colbi’s gesture.
She explained, “This man’s looking for his dog. He says he lives over near where you do. Have you seen a long-haired dachshund running loose?”
Karl stood up and joined them. He shook the man’s hand. “Hi. I didn’t catch your name.”
“Oh…um…Greg.”
“What street are you on, Greg?”
Greg hesitated, then suggested, “How about I give you my number in case you see Winnie?”
“Sure,” Karl said, typing the number into his phone as the man recited it. “I’ll watch for her.”
Greg looked around the Iveys’ yard, stared down at Rags for a moment, then excused himself, with an offhanded thank you.
“He looks familiar,” Gladys said when Karl returned to where he’d been sitting next to her. When Margaret joined them, Gladys asked, “Maggie, did you see that man? He looks familiar—says he lives in the tract ov
er there where Karl’s place is.”
“What man?” Margaret asked.
“Oh, I guess you were inside. He’s slight-built, has kind of long blondish hair, and he’s one of those who wears a polo shirt.” She chuckled. “You don’t see that much anymore—I mean men in polo shirts. And those who wear them seem to wear them all the time, like it’s a uniform.”
“Who is he?” Margaret asked, looking toward the orchard.
“I don’t know. He came looking for a lost dog.”
“The cat did not like that man,” Antonio said from across the table.
“Which cat?” Savannah asked.
Helena pointed. “The big one—Rags.”
“What makes you think that?” Savannah asked.
“I guess you two gals were so caught up in your female yakkity-yak,” Craig said, “that you didn’t notice.”
Savannah glanced at her cat, then at the others. “What happened?”
“They’re afraid,” Antonio said. “Both of them.”
Craig nodded. “Yeah, that Greg guy tried to pet your cat before he left, and both Rags and your new cat there backed under the table away from him about as far as they could go.” He addressed Antonio and Helena. “Isn’t that right?”
They nodded.
“Rags gets that way sometimes,” Savannah said, “especially when there are a lot of people around. Animals can become overwhelmed by too many people and too much attention—especially cats…and horses,” Savannah added.
When the others seemed to be waiting to hear more, she said, “Oh yeah, horses can get awfully cranky when too many people are bugging them for too long. I remember once visiting a friend who was in 4-H and was showing her horse at a local fair. I asked why she had her horse’s stall window all closed up so no one could see him. He was a friendly guy; he loved people. Well, my friend said that after two days at the fairgrounds with people looking at him, petting him, talking to him, and all, he was over it. He began standing with his head in the back corner of his stall. And cranky…his personality had changed practically overnight.”
“I didn’t know that about animals,” Colbi said. “But it makes perfect sense. They have feelings too.” She laughed. “In fact, I notice that Dolly and Molly tend to make themselves scarce about lunchtime, especially when Rosemary’s been bugging them a lot that day. After her nap, the cats are ready to play with her again.”
When Savannah saw Rags come out from under the table, she petted him and crooned, “So are you getting too much attention today?”
“Doesn’t seem to be,” Savannah’s friend Alicia said as she walked up. “But he sure didn’t want that man near him.” Alicia petted Glori. “And neither did this pretty thing.” She laughed. “Is this your cat’s girlfriend?”
“His new sister,” Savannah said. She tilted her head. “So Alicia, why do you think Rags hid from that guy?”
“Rags didn’t seem to like him or trust him, I guess.”
“No, he didn’t,” Iris confirmed. “I heard Rags growl when the man walked near. I thought that was kind of odd.”
Having overheard this, Craig looked toward where the man had walked. He muttered, “Hmmm. Interesting.”
Changing the subject, Alicia said, “Say, Savannah, Colbi told me you’ve done some therapy with Rags.”
Margaret broke in. “She should be in therapy with that misguided, mischievous cat.”
Savannah smirked playfully at her aunt, then responded to Alicia, “Yes. Rags and I were involved in a reading therapy program a couple of years ago. Why?”
“A friend of mine manages a residential care home for the elderly, and she’s trying to pull together a program that will bring cats and kittens in to sort of calm and entertain the residents—an enrichment program of sorts,” Alicia explained. “I guess there are a lot of facilities that use dogs to interact with residents, but this friend, Joyce, said that some elderly people who can no longer live on their own really miss their cats. Some of them have loved cats all their life. Joyce talked to her staff and some of the residents, and they all agreed they should give it a try.”
“What a good idea,” Savannah said. “I actually visited a woman in a rather nice retirement home once where they allowed cats to visit. I don’t know if they had anything organized, or if one of the relatives happened to have a nice cat that she took in there once in a while.” She chuckled. “I had Rags with me on one of my visits, and the residents got pretty excited about seeing him.”
Alicia nodded. “They’re in the testing phase of this program now.” She pulled out her phone. “Here are some pictures of residents the day they brought in a litter of kittens. As you can see, those old folks were in heaven.”
“What great shots,” Savannah said, showing them to Colbi and Margaret.
Colbi swooned. “That’s what I’d want if I was stuck in one of those homes. Kittens. Or a big old fluffy cat that only wants to curl up in my lap and be petted.”
Savannah smiled. “I do treasure the moments I get to sit with a cat on my lap. Usually it’s Buffy.” She looked at Glori. “But that little girl loves her lap time too.” She said to Margaret, “I remember Great-Grandmother Brannon rocking for what seemed like hours with her old black cat in her lap.”
Margaret nodded. “Buster. Yes, that must be where we got the cat gene—from Grandmother Brannon.”
Savannah gazed at Rags. “I wonder how he’d do with elderly people who just want to pet him.”
Just then Michael walked up and slipped an arm around Savannah’s waist. He asked, “Shall we let the birthday boy open his gifts?”
“Sure. Is everyone here?” She looked around. “Where did Craig go?”
Michael grinned. “Inside. He’ll be out in a few minutes.”
“And Iris is missing,” she said. “What are those two doing?”
“It’s a surprise for Teddy,” Michael said. “In fact, why don’t we hold off opening gifts for a bit? Let’s see if anyone wants more cake, ice cream, or lemonade. They shouldn’t be long.”
“Shall we do the piñata?” She looked around. “Where did you put it?”
He pointed. “In that tree. Yeah, I guess we could do that now. I’ll get the blindfolds. Want to have everyone form a line? How about the smallest children first?”
Before the Iveys could organize the activity, Iris appeared on the wraparound porch and announced, “Here comes Teddy’s birthday surprise from us.”
“Oh?” Savannah said. “I hope it’s not a pony.”
“Or a goat,” Michael added.
“What is it?” Brianna asked eagerly.
Bud laughed and put his arm around her.
“Teddy’s getting a surprise?” Lily asked, walking up to Savannah and Colbi with two-and-a-half-year-old Rosemary by the hand.
“Yes,” Savannah said. “Watch. What do you think it is?”
“A pony?” Lily said. She looked up at her mom. “I want a pony.”
“I know you do, honeybun.”
“It’s not a pony,” Adam said joining them. “They wouldn’t be keeping a pony in the house.” He looked at Savannah. “Would they?”
She laughed. “I hope not. Oh, look at that!” she exclaimed. “Is that Teddy’s surprise?”
“It sure is,” Iris said. With an overly dramatic gesture, she announced, “Please welcome Baboo, the clown.”
Everyone applauded the expertly made-up clown as he walked out onto the wraparound porch wearing a blousy polka-dot jumpsuit with a large ruffled collar, a bright-red bulbous nose, and shoes that were much too large. He waved at the crowd and everyone cheered. There were some whistles and hoots, but mostly laughter.
“Is that Craig?” Savannah asked quietly when Iris moved closer.
“Yeah. Looks great, doesn’t he?” Iris said smugly, “I did the makeup.”
“He looks amazing. You did the makeup, Iris? I can’t believe it.” Savannah pulled her phone from her pocket and began snapping pictures.
The light laught
er turned into belly laughs when Craig bungled a simple magic trick.
“Hey clown, you should think about getting a day job!” Damon shouted to his stepfather.
Craig simply glanced around at everyone, his painted-on smile keeping them in stitches. He approached Lily and invited a handshake. Shyly she complied. Craig removed Adam’s baseball cap and put it on the boy’s head backward.
“Thanks,” Adam said, laughing.
Adam’s friend Simon simply kept his eye on the clown as he moved through the crowd.
“And here’s the birthday boy,” Craig said, walking closer to Michael, who held the toddler. When Teddy saw the colorful clown coming toward him, he buried his face in Michael’s neck.
“Look,” Michael said, “it’s a clown, Teddy. Clowns are fun. Look how silly he is.” Teddy held tightly to Michael and refused to look at Craig. “Hey Baboo, do you have something you can give him?” Michael suggested. “A lollipop, maybe?”
“Yeah,” Craig said, pulling a large sucker from his pocket. He moved around to the other side of Michael and showed it to Teddy.
“Look, Teddy,” Michael said, “the clown has something for you. Look.”
Teddy looked up and began to cry more loudly, pulling away from Craig and holding tightly to his daddy.
“Darn,” Iris said, frowning. “Now, that’s too bad. Doesn’t he like clowns?”
Savannah shrugged. “I don’t think he’s ever seen a clown up close and personal.”
“I like clowns,” Lily said with her eye on the sucker.
“Me, too, Grumpa,” Rosemary said.
“Grumpa?” Craig repeated in a fake voice. “I’m not Grumpa, I’m Baboo the clown.”
“Okay, Grumpa,” the child chirped.
Max broke out laughing. “That’s hysterical. You sure don’t have your granddaughter fooled.”
Colbi and Damon laughed heartily. He said, “I guess not. She knows her grumpa, doesn’t she?”
“Michael,” Iris said, “will he settle down and open his gifts if Craig stays out here or should he change back into himself?”
“I don’t know,” Michael said. “I’ve never seen him react this way before.” He thought for a moment, then said, “Let’s see if he’ll open his gifts.” However, when Michael tried to put Teddy on a large quilt with his presents, the toddler wouldn’t let go of him. He held tightly to his daddy and kept looking suspiciously across the yard at Craig.