by Barbara Goss
“Alex,” she said kindly, “by not looking at me or speaking to me, you are making my job impossible.” She observed no change in his attitude.
“I’d like to be friends. My name is Nora, and I really need this job, so I am hoping we can get along amicably. I‘m here to make you as comfortable and happy as I can.”
He turned and looked her in the eyes, “Can you make me walk again?” His green eyes seemed to challenge her as he spoke.
“Maybe I can,” she said with a hesitant smile. “I can’t promise it, but I will do everything in my power to make it possible.”
Alex shook his head. “Maybe?”
“And if you don’t walk again, then… we’ll find a way to deal with it. Many people live fulfilling lives—”
“Enough!” he said between his teeth. “Please leave!”
Nora’s first impulse was to walk away, but instead, she stiffened her back. “No,” she said stubbornly, “I won’t leave. It’s my job to be a companion, and I’ll be one whether you like it or not.”
He swung around and stared at her in surprise, but said nothing. Nora wondered if she were the first to ever refuse a command of his.
“I’m going to take your tray downstairs and when I return, you and I will have a game of checkers, or cards, or simply have a conversation.” She stood, picked up his tray, and left the room.
Alex sighed and shook his head after his new companion had left the room. He hadn’t expected his stepmother to hire such a young and attractive woman. The contrast to his previous companions threw him completely off his fettle. Acting insolent and cross with the older, female companions trying to mother him came without effort. His mother had died years ago, he had a witch for a stepmother, and he certainly didn’t need another maternal figure in his life. Now he had to deal with a young, beautiful, sensitive woman who relied on this position. Employees who needed their jobs always were a weak spot for Alex, since he'd owned and operated a successful steel mill before the accident. His father had taught him, early on, the importance of the employees, and how to respect them.
Alex rolled his eyes. He hated the pleading look in her big, watery, blue eyes. Why did he suddenly feel the urge to cooperate? Since the accident, he’d only felt sorry for himself—but he might never walk again! The accident should never have happened. He’d been an active, athletic young man, driving his carriage to propose to the woman he’d been courting, when some careless driver ran into him with his speeding wagon, and his whole life changed in an instant. And if that weren’t bad enough, his stepbrother, Nathan, was currently courting his ex-fiancée, and running the steel mill instead of him!
He put his head in his hands. Who wouldn’t be angry and filled with self-pity? And now he was forced to face the dilemma of how to handle his new, sensitive companion?
Nora returned with a chessboard, a checkerboard, and a deck of cards. “Luckily Mrs. Vanderhorn had the items I’d requested.” Nora laid them on the table. “Which would you like to try first?”
Alex didn’t answer. He just rubbed the stubbly whiskers on his cheek. “All right, I’ll choose.” Nora selected Checkers, seeing as she was fairly sure she'd be able to beat him at Chess, and she had no desire to beat him at the first game they'd played. She set up the checkerboard, giving Alex the black pieces.
“It’s your move,” she said.
Alex glanced at the board, then back to the window as if at a complete loss how to respond. He tucked his bare feet under his chair.
“I’ll sit here until you decide to make a move,” Nora said.
Still, he sat and stared out the window. Nora sat, stubbornly staring at his back, chattering about her childhood, and her trip from Uniontown to Pittsburgh. She sighed, just about ready to give up and leave the man alone, when she thought about her father and what he’d once told her: “Don’t be discouraged. It’s often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock.”
“I miss my father,” she reminisced aloud. “He died in a mine accident, and I thought my world had ended. We were buddies, he and I. We fished together, we went on hikes, and we even went camping, just the two of us. Then, one day, the mine he worked in exploded. He and fifty-four other men died instantly.” Her voice cracked with emotion, “I miss him so much.” She shook off her sadness and said, “But I’m sure I’m boring you with my blathering. I want to be a good companion to you. If you don’t at least try to help me, I’ll soon be looking for another job, so please, Alex.”
Alex had grown tired of her jabbering initially, but then he began to relate to her stories. She’d lost a parent and so had he, and he knew how tough carrying on afterward could be. As the owner of a steel mill, he’d always treated his men fairly and made sure they had the latest safety equipment. The hardworking employees were surely the mill’s most important commodity. They rose early, trudged off to work, and toiled all day for minimum wage. They had families to feed. He’d been fortunate, having been born into a wealthy family, but that didn’t stop him from feeling appreciative of those hard working people, and he felt himself caving in.
The way she’d said ‘please' made him feel guilty for having given a diligent person such grief when she was only trying to earn a living.
Nora could tell by his expression that he struggled with whether he should play. She saw him shrug, turn to the board, and move his piece.
She smiled, and made her move. They continued in this manner until Alex’s king took her last piece.
“Well,” Nora said, “Checkers never was my specialty.”
He said nothing, but resumed staring out the window.
“Tomorrow,” she announced, “we’ll try Chess. Be ready for it—I’m quite skilled at Chess.”
Before bedtime, Sylvia Vanderhorn visited Nora’s room. “How are you making out with our patient?”
“He is still a bit grouchy, but I did get him to play Checkers today,” Nora said.
“You’re kidding! That is quite an accomplishment.”
“I wondered if a back massage would help him sleep. I noticed dark circles under his eyes. I always gave my elderly patients a good rub at bedtime. How will I know if he’s in bed, but not yet asleep?”
“Easy. I’ve instructed him to open his door a crack before he climbs into bed. This is so you can hear him in case he needs anything.
Sylvia walked to the door. “Good luck!” She finally smiled at Nora, but the smile never reached her eyes.
Nora watched Alex’s door, and when it finally opened, she waited a few minutes then knocked, and walked into the darkened room. Only the moonlight shining through his window enabled her to see he was lying in his bed.
“Alex, I’ve come to give you a backrub to help you relax and sleep well.” The moment she spoke, she saw him spring up like a rabbit, and she stifled a giggle; she hadn’t meant to scare him.
“Roll over and enjoy,” she said finally.
He silently complied.
The moonlight kept the room dimly prepared for sleeping. She pulled up his nightshirt, poured lotion on her hands, and started the massage. At one point, she actually heard him groan. It was a pleasurable groan, and she smiled. When she finished, she pulled his nightshirt down, covered him with the blanket, and whispered softly, “Goodnight, Alex.”
Nora turned in herself, leaving both bedroom doors ajar so she'd be sure to hear him in case he called out.
Nora slept through the night, and she supposed Alex had as well. When she peeked out her bedroom door in the morning, she noticed his door was closed, indicating he must also be awake. She dressed for the day, knocked lightly on his door, and waited several seconds before entering. No sense in waiting for an invitation that would never come. She just stood there, surprised to see that he’d shaved, put on clean clothes, and had a visitor.
“Oh, excuse me!” Nora said as she began to back out of the room.
“Don’t go,” a strange male voice said, halting her.
The man was almost as handsome as Alex. He had the
same dark hair, but his eyes were brown, his nose a bit wider, and his face square rather than oval like Alex’s. One thing he had that Alex didn’t was a welcoming smile. He didn’t look as rugged as Alex, but that could be because he was wearing a business suit.
“Since my brother won’t introduce us, I’ll do the honors.” He offered her his hand. “I’m the wicked stepbrother, Nathan Spencer, and you are?”
Nora took his hand and said, “Nora Bennett, Alex’s new companion and aide.”
“I suppose Alex told you all about the evil brother who stole his girlfriend and his mill. He’s exaggerating, you know.” Nathan returned the scowl that Alex was giving him.
“Get out, Nathan,” Alex growled.
“I’m going, but I’m taking your gorgeous aide with me.” Nathan looked at Nora and motioned to the door. “A quick word, please?”
Once they were outside Alex’s room, Nathan shut the door.
“Is he being too difficult?” Nathan asked. Nora thought he looked sincere.
“He’s still miserable, but I did get a game of Checkers out of him yesterday.”
“You did? On your first day?” he seemed delightedly surprised.
“Has he been this angry since his accident?” she asked.
“Yes, extremely so. Not that I blame him.” Nathan shrugged. “The culprit who hit him left the scene, and they never caught the driver.” He shook his head. "Why on earth would a person leave the scene if it truly were an accident?"
Nora asked, “If they were both in carriages, wouldn’t the occupant of the other carriage have been badly injured as well?”
“Not necessarily. You see, the carriage Alex was driving is what they call a Doctor’s Carriage. It’s a one-person carriage, pulled by a single horse. It’s completely open to the air, save for a flimsy roof. The other vehicle was a heavy farm wagon, twice the size of Alex's buggy. It was carrying supplies in the back, and pulled by two horses. He was hit broadside, and Alex’s carriage flipped over leaving him crushed beneath it.
“Oh, how tragic.” Nora shuddered
“We have to try to get him walking again. He thinks I like running the mill, but I don’t. I had to drop out of law school to work the mill. My only desire is to practice law.” Nathan sighed. “I think you’ll be good for him.”
“I would like to get him out in the chair with wheels, but he refuses. With some persistence, I may still get him into it yet.”
“Doc Sharple comes a few times a week to exercise his legs, but that’s not enough. He should be exercising every day. If I didn’t have to run the dratted mill I’d walk him myself…if he’d let me, that is. He hates my guts.”
“Oh, surely not,” Nora sympathized.
“He does." Nathan looked at her a moment before he said, "Well, I have a mill to run. It has been a pleasure meeting you, Nora. I hope to see you often.” He darted to the stairs, turned and waved, “Good luck!” he said over his shoulder.
At noon, Nora brought Alex his lunch tray. Tillie remembered to give him fruit with his stew. He ate everything on his tray this time. Once more, Nora urged him to ride outdoors in the chair with wheels, but he refused.
“Well then,” she said sternly, “we’ll do some exercises instead.“
He gave her a scowl.
“Do you want to lose all your muscle tone? You’ll get fat and soft if you don’t exercise. When I return after taking your tray downstairs, be ready to work those muscles.”
She returned with two pieces of clothesline that she tied to each of the bedposts. Fortunately, the posts were high and sturdy enough to use. She gave the ends of the ropes to Alex.
“Now, pull yourself up as far as you are able.”
He threw the ropes down and stared at her, as if the task she'd given him were a foolish one.
“You need the muscles in your arms…do you want them to lose their firmness and sag?”
Nora noticed that he looked thoughtful, and he squeezed his upper arm. Then he took the rope and pulled himself up and down as she had instructed.
“Excellent." She thought for a moment. "I’ll need to see about getting some hooks put on the ceiling, as the bed posts won't be sturdy enough for continued use. But they'll do for now. I’m going to give you some leg exercises. We can’t let you turn into a washrag,” she laughed. “Can you scoot your chair over to the wall here? Yes, that’s it. How much can you move your legs?”
He lifted his foot about two inches from the floor. The other he lifted only about an inch. It was then she'd noticed he was wearing bedroom slippers.
“It’s a start,” she said. “Do this exercise several times a day.” She marked on the wall with a pencil that Alex had lying on a newspaper crossword. “Each day, strive to lift your legs above that line. I’ll have to see about getting better equipment. When your feet hit the line I’ve drawn, push off the wall a bit.”
He nodded and moved his chair back to the window.
“How about that game of Chess?” she asked.
He shrugged.
Well, she thought, at least he responded.
She set up the Chess set on the table. Surprisingly, he won after only an hour of play—and she’d thought this was her best game. Finally she spotted a slight smile from him, which made losing well worth it. He looked so much better now that he had shaved and had begun to smile a bit.
For supper, she brought him a large salad with chicken, and a bowl of cherries. When she came back for his tray, she warned him, “We’ll be doing more exercises when I return.”
She returned to Alex pulling away at his rope exercise.
“Excellent,” she said.
When he was done, he moved his chair to the wall to begin his leg exercises.
“I promise,” she said, “to get someone to give us a better way of doing these exercises. I’ll be back in a while.” She moved toward the door.
"Thank you," he whispered so softly, she was barely able to hear him.
When Nora went down for her own supper, Sylvia stopped her as she entered the kitchen.
“There's been a change of plans today…Nathan has requested your presence at dinner. Should you accept, the dining room is that way.” She pointed to a room off the kitchen.
“All right. I’ll join you.” Nora wondered why she’d been asked, but she’d never refused an invitation. It would be pleasant to dine with others instead of eating alone in her room.
3
Nora made her way into the dining room where Sylvia stood chatting with Nathan. When she arrived, Nathan pulled out one of the highly polished wooden chairs for her. Nathan sat across from her, and Sylvia sat at the head of the table.
“Let us pray,” Sylvia said. She led them in a brief, impersonal prayer.
Nathan brought up the subject of Alex’s exercises as they ate. Nora explained what she’d done and how she needed help to perfect the exercises.
He looked at his mother and said, “Mother, you've made an excellent choice hiring this woman.” He turned to Nora. “I’ll see to it you promptly get the right hardware and equipment. I have a good feeling about this, and I'm excited to help.”
“It’s a waste of time,” a sultry female voice coming from the dining room entrance said.
“Celeste!” Nathan exclaimed. “I thought you couldn’t make dinner tonight.”
“My plans have changed, but I see you wasted no time filling my chair.” She frowned at Nora.
“This is Alex’s new companion and aide, Nora Bennett. Nora, this is my fiancée, Celeste Randolph.”
Nora said, “Pleased to meet you.”
Celeste simply nodded.
“Sit down, dear,” Mrs. Vanderhorn said. “I’ll have Tillie bring you some dinner.”
“No, thank you. I’ve already eaten. I came to talk to Nathan, but since he's busy, maybe I’ll just stroll upstairs and say hello to Alex.” She walked toward the door.
“You must be feeling brave,” Nathan said.
“I haven't given up trying to ex
plain my actions to him, even if he never answers me,” she said, and she left the room.
Nora thought Celeste the perfect image of society and beauty. She dressed in the latest, expensive style. Her hair was so blond, it appeared nearly white. She wore it twisted into the perfect, neat, French roll. When she walked, she floated. Nora couldn’t help but envy her.
After dinner, Nathan offered to walk Nora up the back stairs. As they walked, he said, “You’ll have to excuse Celeste’s condescension. She's an only child from one of the most prominent families in Pittsburgh. Her father's the owner of the second largest steel mill. Ours is the largest. Her father wants to merge the two mills, but Alex refuses.”
Nora thought about that. “I suppose Celeste would like you to keep running the mill, then?”
“You guessed right. She thinks my becoming a lawyer is a waste of time and money," he said sadly. "I think she and my mother want Alex to stay crippled so I'll have to stay at the mill.”
“That’s sad. And yet… you will marry Celeste?” Nora asked this hesitantly, as she knew it was none of her concern, yet curiosity had gotten the best of her. They stopped walking, and Nathan turned to her.
“Yes, but I don’t quite know how it happened. One day Alex was courting her, and the next, after his accident, she started flirting with me. She is alluring…and persuasive. I am not sure who did the proposing, but I’m pretty sure it was she.”
“I hope you can return to school," she said as they started walking down the hall to Alex's room. "You'll never be happy at a job you don’t like.” When they entered the room, Celeste was sitting on the bed, while Alex sat facing his window.
“Are you ready, Celeste?” Nathan asked.
“Yes, if you and your dinner date are finished,” she said. She rose and straightened the creases in her black dress.