Affinity House

by Ruth Hay

  She realized her brain was slowing down. She had no feeling in her feet and her hands were icy inside the gloves. She needed to stop and rest but she vaguely recalled a story in which a man lay down in the snow and fell asleep and never awakened.

  This made her shake her head to bring her brain online again but in only a few minutes she felt worse.

  * * *

  Suddenly, against all hope, the sound of a whistle rang out in the snowy silence.

  At once, both dogs’ ears perked up and Astrid took off at top speed toward the source.

  It must be Andy! No one else could whistle like that.

  Relief washed through Vilma and with the last strength that the adrenaline provided she called out to him.

  “Andy! Here!”

  As the air left her lungs she collapsed onto the snow releasing Oscar who bounded away after his sister.

  The next thing she knew she was being hefted up onto a broad shoulder as Andy crossed the stream in two steps and began running back through the woods jolting her entire body every time his feet touched the path. He was talking to her but she could not seem to focus on the words.

  She was safe in his arms again.

  Chapter 5

  A doctor was called for Vilma. He declared she was suffering from exhaustion and exposure but she was healthy and would recover soon without further help other than bed rest and hot drinks for a few hours.

  Faith paraded back and forth along the balcony outside Vilma’s room until Hilary told her she was wearing a line in the new carpeting and she should go downstairs and do her homework.

  She did as she was told, but she kept her room door open and snagged Andy on his way out.

  “How is she?

  Have the dogs recovered?

  Did you tell her how sorry I am?

  Does she hate me?

  Can I do anything to help?”

  Andy stopped the barrage of questions by raising his hand and signalling to Faith to join him in the dining room for a minute.

  “The best thing you can do now, Faith, is to leave Vilma in peace to recover. She is grateful to you for calling me on my cell phone and neither of us blames you for what happened. It was an unfortunate set of circumstances. Chances are good, the dogs would have behaved exactly the same way no matter who was in charge of them.”

  “Oh. Thank you! I do like the dogs a lot. I would hate for anything bad to happen to them.”

  “The dogs are fine, Faith. They are camped on the bottom of Vilma’s bed and fast asleep.

  I am going out to attend to some business but Jannice and Mavis are hovering around in case Vilma wakes up and needs food or something. I’ll be back later to take the dogs out.

  You can relax. You did fine. No harm done.

  On second thoughts, I’ll knock on your door later. You should come with me when I take the dogs out for their final run of the day. It will be good for the dogs to see us together and understand they must also obey you, Faith.”

  * * *

  Andy would have preferred to stay by Vilma’s side until she awoke but he had an important meeting at a bar in town with some of the guys from his team. The invitation had arrived immediately after his encounter with Mike in the councillor’s driveway. He figured it had to be a conference call since the voices of his old team were constantly interrupting and asking questions.

  Finally, Brady told them all to ‘can it!’ and took over the call.

  “Look Andy! There’s a lot to catch up on. Meet us at Bernie’s on Friday night. The usual corner table.

  Whoever’s not on duty will be there for sure. Now don’t let us down, you hear me?

  It’s been way too long, buddy.”

  Andy glanced at his watch. He had just enough time to make it to Bernie’s Bar and Lounge. Fortunately it was at the west end of town and not far. His truck would make it and he need not be away from Vilma for too long. He meant to try the waters with the guys and see how things were. He was prepared for some awkward questions but, on the whole he had more good news than bad to relate. He knew it would have been a different story only a few months ago. That Andy Patterson would never have dared expose himself in his dire state, to the men who knew him better than he knew himself.

  A warm glow was starting inside him that had nothing to do with the heater running at full blast to dry out his boots and clothes. If all went well tonight, the final part of his life would slot into place. Yes, he had apologies to make to these good friends but Vilma was safe. He had a future to look forward to once again. He had friends and a family who cared at Harmony House and a business he knew he could succeed in.

  He heard the sound of hearty male laughter ringing out as soon as he parked the truck and he knew this was a day he would never forget.

  * * *

  Two beers in and it was as if he had never left the team. He berated himself silently as he looked around the table at the guys, smiling and relaxed. This camaraderie had always been available to him. It was his feeling of failure that had caused him to reject the kind of help these men represented.

  After plates of bar food had been consumed, the mood turned more serious and Andy was ready.

  “Look, you lot are too polite to ask but I want to explain my behaviour to you.

  Let me start by saying I am now in a good place. I have had help to turn my life around and there is a special lady with me now.”

  He was interrupted by shouts of approval and congratulatory back slaps.

  Brady took a turn to add, “You don’t owe us any explanations, Andy. We know you had hard times and we were aware of some of it, but we stayed in the background until you were ready. The only question you really need to answer is; are you going to join the team again?”

  This was the difficult part. Andy launched into it at once. If he hesitated for a moment he knew he would not be able to control his emotions.

  “I will never forget you guys. I loved my years with you. When King went, something died in me. I can’t go back to who I was then. The good news is that I am starting a new business of training dogs for shows and possibly for services to handicapped people. I have a big red barn outside town and I am about to build onto it. My name is in big letters across the barn so no excuses when you look for it. All of you are invited to see it. My truck has a snow plow on front so bad weather access is no problem.”

  “Yeah! Mike told us you were doing outdoor stuff. This is great news Andy!”

  Johnny jumped in after looking around the table and gauging the amount of support he could muster.

  “We will do better than that, Andy boy! Put us to work. Reid here, was a builder before he joined the team. Paul can lift anything made of wood and the prize of the night goes to Russell.”

  Andy could see there had been discussions among the team before he arrived. Russell was ready and willing to make his contribution.

  “Andy, my brother-in-law works in promotions. He’ll design a campaign for you when you are ready to advertise your services. Minimal costs only, and I’ll be happy to circulate posters or whatever you need.”

  Andy was speechless. These men all had private lives with family and children. They worked erratic hours in dangerous circumstances and yet they were willing to volunteer their help to a former colleague who had ignored them for far too long.

  Brady took one look at Andy’s face and called for another round before Andy could say a word.

  The difficult moment passed. Andy took a deep breath to steady his nerves and said, “This round’s on me and thank you guys. You are the best.”

  * * *

  When he returned to Harmony House he gave a full report to Vilma after assessing her condition.

  She said she had gone to the washroom unaided and although her legs were still wobbly, she felt much better than the last time he saw her.

  “Good! I am camping out on the floor here tonight in case you need anything. I am taking Faith out with the dogs for their final turn and after that, there will be no t
alk or discussion, only sleep.

  I’ll take the dogs in the morning again before I go to work and when you are feeling up to it, Vilma, we need to have a serious discussion about future plans. Plus, my darling, I have some good news to share.”

  Vilma nodded her head. This was a revitalized Andy. He had purpose and energy above anything she had previously seen in him.

  It was a sign that things would move ahead swiftly now.

  She lay back against her pillows and closed her eyes hoping to dream of the house she wanted to create for herself and Andy and their dogs.

  Mavis let Vilma sleep until she woke late in the morning. She checked on her every couple of hours after Andy had left with the dogs and later with his truck. Faith had a snow day off school and she took over the feeding and exercise of Astrid and Oscar so Vilma could get all the rest she needed.

  When Vilma arrived in the kitchen she found Faith sitting on the couch, working on her laptop, with the dogs spread out in front of the gas fire.

  It was good to see the dogs so comfortable with Faith, particularly after the events of the day before. Everyone seemed to have recovered. Vilma felt good. She ate like a horse and joined the group in front of the fire stretching her toes to the heat.

  Hilary soon appeared to see how ‘the patient’ was doing.

  “I am feeling great, Hilary. It looks like this is a day off for everyone except Andy. Could I ask you for a piece of paper and a pen? I have some notes to make and Faith here is inspiring me to get it done.”

  Hilary was glad to help but Faith turned her laptop slightly so Vilma could not see what she was doing.

  She had resolved to make one final contribution to her vlog and she was composing a letter she would read online. It was titled; Letter To The Father I Never Knew.

  The idea came to her a few days after she was approached by several students in the schools where she had given her talks about choosing productive paths in life. Both male and female students commented on the lack of a male figure in their own lives and how it had impacted them. Faith sympathized, but, on reflection, she realized she now had something to say on the topic. She now felt that a father figure need not be the one who donated sperm. Mason Jeffries proved that truth, despite the lost years.

  She continued with her letter text while Vilma wrote on the paper pad by her side.

  The kitchen was quiet.

  The dogs were asleep.

  The house was silent.

  It was as if the whole world was blanketed in snow and all normal activity was suspended.

  And yet, two minds were active in the silence.

  Vilma had dreams for the house she and Andy would share. She decided to consult the list of everything she might desire in their home. She had gone over it so often that she had no trouble recalling the details.

  Now she wanted to apply some serious practical thinking. She would attempt to review her list by imagining what Andy would say about it. If she could come up with a reasonable compromise, it would make the whole project more acceptable to him and thus speed it along.

  After his rescue of her yesterday, she did not want to challenge his patience in this matter. She saw the house was not uppermost in his mind and this she accepted.

  The initial list was huge.

  It contained such items as:

  an extra bedroom for the dogs

  a luxurious ensuite washroom

  large windows to capture the view

  a handsome front porch

  a wooden deck for privacy

  a large kitchen

  a laundry room

  a walk-in closet for her clothes

  a fenced garden

  a garage for her car

  and a paved path between the house and the barn

  She was particularly pleased with the last two items as she felt they reflected her desire to be practical.

  She paused at this point and realized she must think about costs. The truth was, Vilma Smith had no clue as to the cost of the simplest building or house feature. She had always had men around to worry about the money and those men had encouraged her to dream big.

  After the extension to the barn was completed, there would not be much money left for the house. Andy had explained about the small sleeping area he planned for himself until the work was done. She dreaded having to share that accommodation with him as it sounded so primitive. It was enough to have seen what he considered adequate when he lived in the broken-down farmhouse. His idea of adequate was not hers.

  She sighed and Astrid looked up briefly to see what she needed. It looked like it would be necessary to remain here at Harmony House much longer than she would prefer. There was no point in pretending she would be happy roughing it with Andy in the barn extension.

  As she looked around at the fittings of the kitchen in which she sat, she realized staying on was not going to be a punishment. Everything here was immaculate, designed for comfort and fully climate controlled. Her bedroom was spacious and exactly as she wanted. She doubted it would suit Andy’s style if, in fact, he had such a thing as a style.

  Folding the list, and placing it in her pocket, she rose and returned to her room. There was a lot more thinking to do before she could tackle this topic of discussion.

  To her surprise, the dogs remained with Faith. She did not call them to her side as she walked slowly along the hall to her room. She needed solitude to consider the future and another short nap would help.

  Chapter 6

  When the mail was delivered the next day, Hilary knew the worst of the storm was over.

  She spread the pile on the top of the table in the front entrance and immediately discarded, into a bin under the table, all the useless detritus of advertising materials, piling the rest into neat bundles with the recipient’s name clearly visible on the top item.

  She noticed there were three letters for Vilma and decided to take these upstairs. It was a good excuse to see how Vilma was faring today. Andy had called partway through the morning to ask her to keep an eye on Vilma for him.

  “I’ll be gone till late. She slept well last night but she mustn’t do too much, too fast. She’s had a big shock. Try to get her to rest. I had a word with Faith when I drove her to school today. She’ll take the dogs out for their evening run and I’ll bring back food for the three of us.

  Hilary, I want you to know how much I appreciate your kindness in allowing me to camp out with Vilma.

  You could easily object and you would be within your rights to do so.”

  She had interrupted him swiftly.

  “Andy Patterson, you are one of the family here at Harmony House. Don’t you dare say another word about that. Your presence is a comfort and help to all of us. I’ll do what you advise for Vilma and we will see you later.

  Have a safe day.”

  * * *

  A gentle tap on Vilma’s door produced a firm, “Please come in!”

  Vilma was seated by the window. She was warmly dressed with hair brushed and a minimum of make-up applied.

  Not that she needs it, thought Hilary. This woman would look good wrapped in a plastic bag. The miracle is that she does not realize how attractive she really is. It’s not all about the exterior either. She is a truly good human.

  Hilary popped her head around the door to give her report. She did not want to interrupt.

  “I am bringing your mail, Vilma. Andy called and told me to check in on you. He will bring food for both of you and for Faith on his way home. Faith will take care of the dogs tonight so you can get extra rest.”

  “Come in please, Hilary. I need to talk to you. Sit here beside me. Thank you for the mail delivery.

  It seems we don’t see much of each other lately, for one reason or another. If you can spare a couple of minutes I would like to ask how you feel about Andy being here so often.”

  “Well, my dear, I feel as if you two are on the same wavelength. Andy said something similar earlier today. I’ll repeat what I said to him
then. He is welcome. All of us appreciate his situation.

  You know, Vilma, we have watched you two getting closer for many months now and we feel quite delighted at how things have worked out for you. Yes, this is a difficult patch, but things will improve before long.”

  Vilma reached out for Hilary’s hand and gave it a friendly squeeze.

  “That’s just it, Hilary. You are most kind but we may be imposing on your generosity longer than expected. Andy’s latest plan is to build onto the barn first, so his new business can get up and running.

  He will do most of the work himself and with his pals until the insurance money comes through.

  There is one piece of good news. I am making plans to take Andy away to Jamaica for a week in February.”

  “Now, that is good news. After the recent scare, both of you could do with a break. Andy works too hard. He must not exhaust himself with all these projects added to his work schedule.”

  “I am glad you agree, Hilary. He does worry about money and I have had an idea to help out with that. I am choosing a couple to occupy the second beach house in Jamaica. This will help with my costs but I have another motive for doing it. If this couple is congenial, I am thinking of offering them my room at Harmony House when I vacate it.”

  There was an audible intake of breath from Hilary.

  What on earth is she thinking?

  “Wait! Let me explain. This won’t happen for some time, as I explained already, but I want to save you and Mavis the bother of finding a new candidate for my accommodations. I will retain my financial share in the co-housing unit until I am satisfied the new occupants are acceptable to everyone. They will pay only the monthly expenses while they are here.”

  Hilary was blinking rapidly as she attempted to assimilate this information.

  “But where will you find these people, and how do you know they will fit in here?”

  “I have been communicating with other co-housing projects in Canada to see if there are people who might want to move here on a trial basis. I whittled down the list to three and I believe there could be a response in one of these envelopes.