Getting Back to Normal

by Marilyn Levinson

  “It’s worth next to nothing.”

  His eyes narrow. “Young lady, your snide remarks are not appreciated.”

  I stare down at the worn carpet.

  Daddy clears his throat. “I want to take the four of us out to dinner somewhere nice. Do you think Mayda would like that?”

  I shrug. “Sure, why not? She eats out all the time.”

  “While you’re shopping tomorrow night, please ask her if she’s free to come out with us this weekend.”

  I consider telling him that he should do the asking, since he’ll see her tomorrow the same as me. But he looks so uncomfortable, I don’t have the heart. “Okay. Good night.”

  “Night, Vannie.” Daddy turns back to the papers that are making him frown and I go upstairs to my bedroom.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  I’m wide awake now and too strung out to fall asleep. I tell myself Daddy can’t possibly think about Mayda that way. She’s not half as pretty as Mom was. And besides, if he wanted to take her out on a date, he wouldn’t ask me to make the arrangements and drag Robby and me along.

  I go to the window to draw the curtains, but instead I stare out into the darkness. There’s no wind tonight and the branches of the big tree are as still as stone. I blink as the lights around MG go out, all in one shot.

  I open a window and breathe in the bracing air. At least I don’t have to deal with Archie on top of everything else.

  “Hello, Vanessa.”

  Startled, I look up. There he sits, perched on a tree branch five feet above my head.

  “Archie! You turn everything into a circus act.”

  “I thought you’d welcome my innovative approach.”

  “You’re lucky you’re a ghost and can’t break your neck.”

  “Tsk, tsk. That’s not a very warm and friendly greeting.”

  “Sorry, I’m in a bad mood. Why have you come? I didn’t call you.”

  “I thought it was time we had a little chat and I explained what I’d like you to help me accomplish. But,” he quickly adds, “if you’re not in the mood to talk, we can—”

  “I know what you want me to do—play cupid for my father and Aunt Mayda.”

  He beams at me like I’m an idiot who’s suddenly discovered two and two equal four. “Why, yes, Vanessa. That’s it in a nutshell. How astute of you to have discovered my intent.”

  “My best friend, Tammy, figured it out,” I admit.

  “I see. Clever girl, Tammy.”

  I take a deep breath. “Sorry, Archie, I can’t help you.”

  “Ah.” Archie moves to a lower branch so we’re on eye level. He looks comical, with his long legs dangling down like vines. I try not to laugh at the way his face scrunches into folds when he frowns. Kind of like a shar-pei dog. I bet Tammy wouldn’t find him so handsome if she saw him now.

  “Please, Vanessa, I wish you’d let me explain the situation from my perspective. Perhaps you’ll change your mind when you fully understand.”

  “No, you listen, Archie. My father’s just lost his wife. You have some nerve asking me, his daughter, to set him up with your granddaughter to ease your guilty conscience.”

  Archie has a pained look on his face. “I get the definite impression your father appreciates Mayda’s company.”

  “Right!” I shout. “As a friend. Not a second wife.”

  “That could change, don’t you think?”

  I scowl at him as my last conversation with Daddy flashes across my mind.

  “Perhaps with your help, they can find happiness together. Please think about it, Vanessa. For everyone’s sake.”

  My answer is to slam the window shut and draw the curtains. But not before I hear Archie’s plea to meet him at the duck pond tomorrow at five-thirty so we can continue our discussion.

  “Vanessa, lower your radio, will you?” Daddy calls from downstairs.

  I refuse to tell Archie if I’ll be there or not.

  *

  The next morning I wait for Tammy outside her classroom. When she sees me, she turns to Melissa Fox, who I know she can’t stand, and starts chattering a mile a minute. I pull out my assignment pad and write: “Saw Archie. He thinks you’re a clever girl.” I fold the paper, hand it to Tammy, and head for my room. Tammy’s beside me in less than a minute.

  “You actually told him about me!”

  “Uh-huh,” I say quietly, hoping she’ll follow my example and speak softly too. “I said you figured out what he wanted me to do.”

  “Oh, Vannie!” Tammy gushes. She’s about to go into her hero-worshiping mode when she catches my expression and turns serious. “What else did he say?”

  “Nothing new. More of the same. I told him he has some nerve asking me to set things up between my father and Aunt Mayda.”

  Tammy takes my hand. “Are you upset, Vannie?”

  I pull my hand away. “Of course not! I told him I won’t go along with his crazy scheme.”

  “You needn’t do anything you don’t want to.”

  “I know.”

  “Still, it’s not a bad plan.”

  I open my mouth to tell her off when the bell rings. “We’ll talk at lunch,” she calls over her shoulder.

  *

  All day I waver back and forth about meeting Archie. Yes, I’ll go and hear what he has to say. No, I won’t go because all he wants is another shot at convincing me to change my mind. Which I won’t. Daddy and Aunt Mayda are two adults. Archie has no business meddling in their lives.

  Besides, I don’t think they’re suited for each other. And I certainly don’t want them to marry. Archie has no right to ask me, a sixth grader, to get involved in all this. But in spite of my best intentions, I’m curious. I wonder what he can possibly say that might make me see this in a different light.

  With so much on my mind, I don’t pay attention to what’s going on in class. My teacher, Mrs. Weintraub, scolds me twice. The third time, she threatens to keep me after school if I don’t come back down to earth, so I try my best to follow our science lesson.

  I take the bus home. The afternoon drags out longer than usual. I finish all my homework, including the essay that isn’t due until next week. When the sun goes down, I put on my jacket and head for the front door.

  “Be right back. I’m going for a walk,” I call out, cool and casual, as I pass Daddy’s office.

  “Sure, honey,” Daddy answers, his eyes never leaving his computer screen. “What time is dinner?”

  “Around seven.”

  I’m opening the door when Robby calls to me from the living room, where he’s watching TV.

  “Vannie?”

  “What!” It comes out sharper than I meant it to.

  “Why are you mad at me?”

  “I’m not mad, I just—” I step into the darkened room. “What’s up, Robby?”

  “I don’t think Theodore likes me.”

  “Of course he likes you. You feed him three times a day.”

  “He still won’t eat when I’m around. And he doesn’t let me pet him. Not now, since he’s better.”

  I sigh. “Theodore’s feral, Robby. He grew up wild. Maybe we can ask Daddy to get you a kitten that’s used to people.”

  Robby scowls. “But I want Theodore, Vannie. I want him to be my pet.”

  I look at my watch. It’s five thirty-five. “Maybe we’ll have Tammy come and take a look at him. Tammy knows all about cats.”

  “Oh, goody,” Robby says and goes back to his TV program.

  When I get to the pond, Archie is pacing in front of the bench. “Hello, Vanessa. From your thought impulses, I expected you sooner.”

  “Robby needed to talk to me. And I can’t stay. I don’t have much time.”

  “Ah, time,” Archie echoes. “If only we could stretch it and shrink it. Best yet, reverse it and undo what never should have been.”

  “Whom are you quoting?” I ask.

  “Quoting? I am merely commenting on time.”

  I frown. “I wish you’d
speak plainly.”

  “My apologies.” Archie clicks his heels and sweeps an arm before the bench. “Vanessa, please sit down and I’ll explain how desperately I need your help because time is of the essence.”

  Now that he’s speaking plainly, his words alarm me. I perch on the edge of the bench, hoping he can’t hear the hammering of my heart.

  Archie clears his throat. He springs three handstands backwards, three forward. He throws himself into a double somersault and lands gracefully on his feet.

  “Halloween is less than two weeks away.”

  “Yes, Aunt Mayda’s hosting a party for kids at Greystone.”

  “How lovely. Halloween also happens to be the one night of the year a ghost may depart from this plane. I have remained here for sixty years, Vanessa, and now I must leave for the sake of my soul. If I know Mayda will have the life she was meant to lead, I can go to my rest with an easy heart.”

  A shiver runs down my spine. I struggle to keep my voice calm. “Really, Archie, this has nothing to do with me.”

  “My granddaughter and your father are fond of each other. Their relationship has the potential to develop into a lasting love. Whether it does or not depends largely on you.”

  He’s spooking me. I give a nervous laugh. “I can’t tell them to like each other.”

  “No, but you can give them subtle encouragement, and let them know you approve of their relationship.”

  “And what if I don’t?”

  “Ah, there’s the problem.”

  I get up and stand at the edge of the pond.

  Archie sighs. “I imagine you think that helping me would be disloyal to your mother.”

  I nod. “You got it in one.”

  Archie hovers above the water and faces me. He’s so close, I shiver from the cold emanating from his body.

  “From what you’ve told me of your mother, I venture to say she’d want all of you to be happy together.”

  My anger turns to sarcasm. “Oh? I don’t believe she bequeathed my father to Mayda in her will!”

  Archie gives me a little smile. “Vanessa, your father and Mayda can make each other happy.” He’s fast fading as he speaks his final words. “All I ask is that you don’t stand in their way. A glimpse of their budding attachment will suffice and I can leave in peace. It’s up to you, Vanessa. It all depends on you.”

  I want him to come back so I can shout at him and pummel him with my fists. He has no right to twist things around and make it my responsibility that Daddy and Mayda fall in love. And my fault if they don’t. But Archie has disappeared into the night.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Dinner’s a disaster. I burn the veggie burgers and drench the salad in dressing. Daddy and Robby say everything tastes great. They’re so nice about eating the awful food, I burst into tears. Daddy asks me what’s making me so jumpy. I hate lying, but I tell him it’s something that happened in school. I dash upstairs and stay in my room all evening, except to come down to use the bathroom. When I peek into the kitchen, I’m amazed that everything’s cleaned up and in order. Daddy and Robby have even set out the dishes for tomorrow’s breakfast.

  After lunch, Tammy and I go out to the far end of the school yard, and I tell her about my conversation with Archie. She’s glowing like a neon sign even before I finish.

  “Oh, Vannie! How romantic! Two lost souls finding middle-aged happiness.”

  “Tammy,” I snap, “you’re talking about my father. He’s first getting out of his funk over losing my mother.”

  I stop, stunned by what I’ve just said. Tammy notices too.

  “You say Mayda’s been out to MG a lot. Maybe that’s why he’s feeling better.”

  “They’ve always worked together. I suppose we’ve been seeing more of her lately because we’re staying at the cottage.”

  Tammy leans against the metal fence and cocks her head at me. “I always thought you liked Mayda.”

  “I do like Mayda,” I say, exasperated. “But that doesn’t mean I want her for a stepmother!”

  “Of course it doesn’t,” Tammy agrees.

  I breathe a sigh of relief, glad to have my best friend back on my side. I watch her nibble her lower lip as she thinks.

  “It’s simple enough, Vannie,” she finally says. “Tell Archie you can’t help him. He can’t make you, you know.”

  “I know. The problem is, I hate to disappoint him. He’s longing to go to his rest, but he won’t be at peace until he knows Mayda’s future’s secure. Meaning love, marriage, and the whole boring bit.”

  Tammy laughs. “You can tell Archie’s from the olden days. Do you think Mayda’s interested in your father?”

  I roll my eyes. “Believe me, they don’t like each other that way, no matter what Archie imagines.”

  Tammy looks at me. “Watch your father and Mayda the next few times they’re together. If there are no sparks, tell Archie. That way you’re off the hook.”

  I grin. “Tammy, you’re brilliant!”

  She grins back. “So people have been saying.” She wraps her arms around herself and shudders. “Brrr, it’s getting cold. Let’s go inside.”

  We walk quickly across the field to the cafeteria.

  “Aunt Mayda’s taking me shopping tonight. I was looking forward to it, but I’m starting to feel funny around her.”

  “Don’t be silly,” Tammy says. “Didn’t you just say this whole romantic business is all in Archie’s head?”

  And now it’s in mine. I suddenly remember Daddy pouring tea for Aunt Mayda. His decision to take the four of us out for dinner. I know he’s only acting friendly. Darn that Archie! He’s gotten me thinking about Daddy and Aunt Mayda as an item, and I can’t stop.

  Tammy opens the heavy door to the cafeteria. Her other hand rests on my arm. “Relax, Vannie. No one can make your father and Mayda do anything they don’t want to. Have fun tonight.”

  “Right,” I agree, determined to do just that.

  Aunt Mayda arrives half an hour late for dinner. “Sorry,” she apologizes, and goes on about a client being delayed and the awful traffic on the Long Island Expressway. Daddy kisses her cheek. Then he steers her into his office to discuss some issues he insists require her special attention.

  He always gives her a peck on the cheek, I remind myself. A kiss on the cheek is for good friends and relatives.

  “Let’s eat, Vannie,” Robby says. “I’m hungry.”

  “We’ll eat as soon as everything’s on the table,” I tell him. “Get the water and the salad from the refrigerator. I’ll take care of the rest.”

  Suddenly I’m too busy to worry about Daddy and Aunt Mayda. When I’ve gotten the chicken, rice, and squash from the oven, I send Robby into Daddy’s office to say dinner is ready. Daddy and Mayda come to the table deep in conversation about the December holiday events.

  I start serving. Daddy chatters on, ecstatic over some choral group he’s engaged.

  “No business talk at dinner,” I say sharply. “Family rule.”

  Daddy stops in mid-sentence to stare at me. It is a family rule, but no one’s said so since before Mom got sick.

  Aunt Mayda smiles. “Sorry, Vannie, and a good rule it is. Excuse me while I wash my hands.”

  When she returns to the table, Aunt Mayda studies her plateful of food. “Everything looks wonderful. Don’t tell me you made this chicken yourself, Vannie.”

  “Uh-huh. I made everything.”

  We start to eat. Aunt Mayda smiles at me. “Mmmm, the chicken is delectable. We know whose cooking genes you’ve inherited.”

  My mother’s genes and Archie’s recipes. “Did your father used to prepare this chicken dish?”

  Puzzled, Aunt Mayda shakes her head. “No, why do you ask?”

  I feel my ears turning warm. “I was wondering, since you said he used to make the pasta-cheese omelet—I mean, the dish I made the day we moved in.”

  Mayda laughed. “Well, that was the extent of his cooking.”

  “Did
your grandmother like to cook?”

  Mayda shook her head. “Not that I remember. My mother prepared our meals. Though until I was four, we had a cook—Mrs. Beasley. She turned out lovely pastries but always overcooked the roasts.”

  “Is that why she left? Your parents fired her?”

  “Vanessa!” Daddy breaks in. “Stop cross-examining Mayda. Let her eat in peace.”

  “It’s all right, Roger,” Aunt Mayda says. “I suppose living in the cottage has made Vannie curious about my family.”

  We eat in silence. The chicken is good, I notice. So is the squash, if a bit overdone. And the rice could use a bit more salt.

  “Vannie, may I have more chicken?” Robby asks. He’s been eating steadily, ignoring my questions to Aunt Mayda.

  “I’d like some more, too, Vannie,” Aunt Mayda says. She forks the piece she has left, and holds it up to Daddy. “What do you think Roger?”

  Daddy cocks his head to one side as he chews. “Nice. Very nice.”

  Aunt Mayda beams. “I think it would make a terrific entree choice for the holiday dinner.”

  I hold my breath while Daddy thinks this over. “Possibly,” he agrees.

  I have a sudden inspiration. “I could add some dried cranberries and almonds to spice it up.”

  “You could add?” Daddy asks. “We do have a caterer, Vannie—Gracious Dining.”

  Aunt Mayda makes a face. “Their trial period is almost over and, frankly, I’m not impressed.”

  Daddy puts his hand to his head. “Don’t tell me you want to change caterers on top of everything else.”

  “I was thinking of giving Dottie a shot,” Aunt Mayda says quickly. “I bet she’d love to have our business.”

  I grin. Dottie used to work with Mom, until she went off on her own. And then my own marvelous idea pops into my head.

  “Aunt Mayda, do you think Dottie would let me help her?”

  “Vannie, that’s the silliest—” Daddy begins.

  But Aunt Mayda cuts him off, sounding more forceful than I would have dreamed possible. “I bet Dottie would welcome having a seasoned yet inexpensive assistant. Vannie can go down in the books as a trainee.”