Each Shining Hour (2 page)

Estelle

A
s I approached, I could see that getting past her was going to be difficult. The woman, bless her heart, was large, blocking part of the grocery aisle. Her askew and drifting cart was barricading the rest of it.

She seemed lost to another world, intensely focused on a midshelf item. And there was something about the red spandex covering her lower half that was difficult to ignore. Even though her vibrant and oversized Christmas-themed sweater hung sloppily past her considerable hips, the spandex was clearly not the most complementary fashion choice, like memory foam that had lost its memory. For anywhere in the South, and especially for here in Watervalley, Tennessee, the outfit took unabashed flamboyance to a new level. Moreover, although the scent was pleasant, she had apparently chosen to marinate herself in perfume.

Absorbed in the moment, she was oblivious to my presence. I was about to utter a simple “excuse me” when suddenly the woman bolted upright. She jerked violently with a convulsion that seemed
to start at her ankles and rippled viciously up through her entire body, ending with a fierce shuddering of her head and hands.

“Sweet Jesus,” she exhorted, “that was a big one!” She took a deep breath, regaining herself. After a stunned moment, my doctor instincts kicked in.

“Ma'am, are you okay?”

I had startled her, if that was possible given what I had just witnessed, and she gasped lightly. Then just as quickly she responded with radiant animation.

“Oh, hi, sugar! I did not see you standing there.”

“Ma'am, do you need to sit down?”

She smiled broadly and flipped her hand airily toward me. “No, no, no, I'm fine, sweetie. I was just having one of my moments.” I gauged her to be about fifty and despite her robust size she had a lively, pretty face with near perfect chocolate brown skin. She wore no shortage of holiday-colored bracelets and beads and ornate earrings, all of which were adventurous by Watervalley standards but just short of gaudy. And despite her gushy delivery she spoke with a subtle articulation that wasn't the norm for around here. It had definitely been molded in an urban setting.

She reclaimed her wandering shopping cart and smiled warmly at me again, speaking with another quick gesture of her hand. “You have a nice day!” Then with an emphatic, cheery nod she proclaimed, “Happy holidays,” and was off.

I returned the smile and nodded cautiously. “And you as well.”

She continued at a leisurely pace down the aisle. I paused for a few moments to give her some distance. But after five or so steps, she once again halted and stood straight up at rigid attention with her entire body quaking and shuddering so violently that she rattled her grocery cart.

“Sweet heavens!” she announced in a loud voice.

I immediately left my own cart and dashed to her side. “Ma'am, something's definitely not right here. I'm a doctor. Are you having some kind of seizure?”

She regained possession of herself, and regarded me with the same engaged, bright face. “Goodness, sugar, are you Dr. Bradford? I have heard just so many wonderful things about you.”

“Well, yes, I am Luke Bradford, but right now, ma'am, I'm more concerned about you. You seem to be having some kind of neurologic episode. By chance are you epileptic?”

She dipped her head, pursing her lips in an adoring smile. “Listen to you. Aren't you just the sweetest? No, honey, I'm not epileptic. It's just my silly pacemaker. Sometimes it gets a mind of its own and shocks me for no reason. It usually quits after two or three times. So I'm fine, just fine.”

“Ma'am, if the ICD on your pacemaker is shocking you, it may mean that your heart is in a lethal rhythm. I think we need to get you over to the clinic.” Numerous times in my brief medical career I had had to deal with patients in cardiac arrest. But the heroics needed to care for someone in remote Watervalley made this situation an absolute adrenaline shot. This lady needed critical medical attention, and fast.

“Oh, that's not necessary. I can tell when I'm tachycardic because my hair tingles.” She gave a light pat to her head and increased the wattage of her smile.

“Well, you may be right, but I still think it best to get you over to the clinic immediately. We have a pacemaker programmer and I can analyze yours in a matter of minutes.”

She studied me for a brief moment with no break in her effervescent smile. Then she shrugged her shoulders. “Dr. Bradford, it's really not necessary. But something tells me you're not giving up on this, are you?”

I grinned, shaking my head.

She exhaled in resignation. “Well, okay. If you insist. So look, I've got four more things on my list. Let me just grab those and I can follow you over there.”

I stood dumbfounded. Given the gravity of what was happening to her, this suggestion left me incredulous. “Ma'am, I was actually considering calling the EMTs and having you taken to the clinic right away.”

Once again she flipped her hand at me in dismissal. “Oh, sugar, it is not worth that much trouble. Just let me grab these few items and I'll meet you in the parking lot.”

Despite what I considered to be a potential disaster, it was clear that I was not going to win this part of the argument. I sought compromise. “Okay, I'll help you round up what's left on your list and then you can ride with me over to the clinic.”

She folded her arms, giving me a look of complete adoration. Her words began in a high pitch of inquiry and then descended lower. “Really? You're willing to do that? Well, darling, if that's the case, then you may need to pucker up 'cause I might be laying a little bit of heaven on you.”

I paused, slightly taken aback. “Well, thanks. But I'm sure that won't be necessary.” I wasn't certain what to make of that comment or of this incredibly colorful, unreserved woman. She was patently unconcerned and, admittedly, was showing no symptoms of cardiac distress. “So, tell me what things you need,” I said.

I collected the last few items on her list and met up with her in the checkout line. Wanting to move quickly, I grabbed her bags and headed for the door. But the woman had other ideas. Her top pace was more of a saunter and her jovial manner was a clear indicator that she saw no urgency in the situation. With pained effort I bridled my steps to keep even with her. Meanwhile, she was
talking nonstop about how happy she was to be back in Watervalley, and about the warm day, and about starting a new business, and occasionally injecting some adoring commentary about how kind I was being. Truthfully, I felt more duty-bound than kind. As the only doctor in Watervalley, I knew full well that this woman's ill health was mine to deal with, either now or later.

Impatiently I walked toward my old Corolla. But as we neared, she spoke up. “Oh, that's my car next to yours. Do you want to just take it?” Beside my shabby Corolla was parked a late-model BMW with a license plate that read “Bonbon1.”

Driving her car threw too many variables in the mix, so I insisted that we take mine. I tossed her few bags of groceries into the backseat and opened the passenger door, only now realizing that my pocket-sized car might be an uncommonly awkward fit for a woman of her heft. To ease the process, I took her hand and arm to help her squeeze in. With some effort she maneuvered into the front seat and swung both feet inside.

I was just about to release her when a lightning bolt jolted me to attention and zipped up my arm. The world went black.

When I awoke, I was seeing double, lying with my back on the pavement and my face pointed skyward. The large woman was peering over me, but she had two faces. One was leering at me with scornful disdain while the other regarded me with a wide-eyed look of innocent anticipation. Then I realized I wasn't seeing double. Standing above me were none other than Connie Thompson, my devoted, critical, and—ironically—wealthy housekeeper, and beside her, the walking Christmas ornament lady from the grocery store. Against the clear blue midday December sky, they looked like twins.

I pushed myself to a sitting position and rubbed the back of my head where a considerable knot was rising.

Christmas ornament lady bent over and held my cheeks between her plump, fragrant hands. “Oh, sweetie, I am so sorry. My silly pacemaker went off while you were holding my arm. The car tires insulated me, but the jolt must have grounded through you. You fell back and bumped your head on my Beemer.”

Connie, on the other hand, peered at me sternly through her gold inlay glasses. She spoke in her typical expressionless, no-nonsense manner. “Dr. Bradford, do you need medical attention?”

I sat there for a moment with my arms crossed over my knees and eventually looked up again at the two women, one with the face of an eager puppy, the other with that of a disapproving schoolteacher. I pondered Connie's question and responded impassively, “Yeah, looks like I have a lump on my head. What say you kiss it and make it better?”

Connie rolled her eyes and regarded me with placid disdain. Her voice was absolute deadpan. “Why am I not surprised that you would use even this situation to exhibit some foolishness?”

I rose to my feet, rubbing the tender bump. “How long was I out?”

Christmas ornament lady responded, “Only a couple of minutes. I called Connie immediately. Fortunately she was only a block away.”

I stood for a moment, gazing back and forth at the two women. They were complete opposites in both manner and dress, but strangely, they looked similar.

“So, you two know each other?” I inquired.

This brought a shrug and giggle from the colorful one, while Connie tilted her head and regarded me with disbelief. “Dr. Bradford, have you two not met?” She exhaled with a tiresome frown. “Then by all means, let me introduce you. Dr. Bradford, this is my younger sister, Estelle Pillow. You two have something in common. She got her doctorate from Vanderbilt also.”

Sisters

C
onnie drove her sister over to the clinic while I followed close behind in my Corolla. It probably wasn't the brightest idea for me to drive after receiving the bump to my head, but then again, it was only four blocks.

Set in the remote hills of Middle Tennessee, Watervalley was a quiet farming community that seemed to breathe the air of a different century . . . a slower, more accommodating, more charitable time. I had arrived only six months earlier to serve as the town's new and only doctor. In return, Watervalley was paying off my med school debts, provided I set up practice for three years. Having grown up in Atlanta, I found that life here brought a whole new meaning to the concept of social adjustment. It had been a bumpy start, but the place had grown on me. And in return, well, I had grown on them. Watervalley had become home.

It was Thursday morning, two days after Christmas. Since the clinic staff was officially off for the holiday week, Connie unceremoniously offered assistance, speaking in a motherly blend of irritation and worry directed squarely at her sister. Seeing little harm
in this, I had her follow along into the exam room in case help was needed. Besides, in the odd chance of an emergency, Clarence and Leonard, the Watervalley EMTs, were only a phone call away at the fire station. That is, if they hadn't become bored and slipped out to Fire Chief Ed Caswell's house to watch the Bowl games. Ed had a big screen.

With Estelle seated safely on the exam table I went about the methodic business of placing the leads and performing the pacemaker analysis. Connie hovered nearby, providing sharp-tongued commentary that escalated into a rapid-fire exchange between the two sisters, each strangely oblivious to the urgent medical matter at hand. Furthermore, they talked to each other in the third person, as if the other one was offstage in a soundproof booth.

“Dr. Bradford, I'm truly sorry about my sister. She ought to have better sense than to be out shopping in her condition.” Connie spoke with great authority, clearly treating this as an opportunity for a teachable moment.

“Oh, pay no attention to my sister, Dr. Bradford. I was actually surprised that she was out and about. Usually she turns to stone if sunlight hits her.”

Connie was unfazed. “You know, Dr. Bradford, I can't imagine anything sillier than someone coming to Watervalley to try to start a catering business, as if people can't cook for themselves.”

“It's a bakery and catering business, Dr. Bradford. Everybody has a sweet tooth, including my sourpuss sister. Of course with her, it's just a working theory.” Estelle was now wearing a subtle but superior smile.

Not missing a beat, Connie responded in a lilting, breezy voice, “Well, when we're done here, Dr. Bradford, I'll need to take my sister to the Dollar Store to buy her some marbles because it's clear she's lost all of hers.”

“Dr. Bradford, my sister forgets that I have plenty of experience at running a business.”

“Mmm-hmm. If I remember correctly, Dr. Bradford, the only business my sister ever started involved painting happy faces on people's toenails.”

Despite the broadsides they were firing back and forth, there was no actual tension between the two. The conversation lacked any real sting of hostility. It seemed that such banter was the norm for them. Even still, all their comments were being directed at me, begging my engagement. I offered only some casual nods of understanding, doing my best to assert neutrality, and remained appropriately focused on the pacemaker analysis.

Connie finally forced my hand, speaking to me with a direct challenge. “So, Dr. Bradford. Are you going to sit there and playact you don't hear any of this conversation?”

I kept my eyes centered on the monitor screen and responded in a low, undistracted voice, “That was my plan.”

Estelle saw this comment as a small victory and her face lit up with smug and impish glee. She pressed her case.

“Dr. Bradford, you came from Nashville, where they had all those great shops and eateries down in the Village. I'd bet you'd love to have a bakery of that caliber right here in Watervalley.”

Actually she had struck a nerve. I had just spent several years in Nashville doing my residency at Vanderbilt, and I'd grown up in urban Buckhead, north of Atlanta. I was no connoisseur, but the idea of fresh pastries and maybe even barista coffee sounded like a slice of heaven. The closest thing isolated Watervalley had to offer was the commercial-grade coffee and packaged fruit pies at Eddie's Quick Mart. Still, despite her stern exterior, Connie was a dear and beloved friend as well as my housekeeper. It would be unwise to take sides. I opted for evasive action.

“So, this bakery, or rather, this theoretical bakery. What are you wanting to call it?”

Estelle's face lit with delight and animation. “That's a good question! I've considered several possibilities: Scone Love, Nick of Thyme, the Pig and Pie, or maybe even Hot Buns Bakery.”

She squinted her eyes in thoughtful, deep assessment and turned toward me. “Then again, this is Watervalley and you know, sugar, that last one might give people the wrong impression.”

Connie responded immediately. “Dr. Bradford, given this foolishness, I think you should advise my sister to call it Half Baked. Or maybe since she'll have absolutely no business to speak of, she should call it Roll Over.”

Estelle listened sourly to her sister's remark. Turning back toward me, she whispered in confidence, “Don't mind my older sister, Dr. Bradford. Bless her soul, she's always been a little jealous of my culinary skills.”

This brought a prompt “humph” from Connie, who again spoke in a cadenced voice. “My, my, my, Dr. Bradford. Just know that if you're ever in the kitchen when my sister is frying anything, you might consider wearing a hazmat suit.”

Fortunately Estelle's pacemaker analysis was now complete and I was able to exact an easy solution. The heart rate threshold on the implantable cardiac defibrillator, the ICD part of her pacemaker, was set too low and was shocking her at the slightest acceleration of her heartbeat. I adjusted it to an appropriate level, explained the problem to her, and just that quickly, I was done.

With her large, expressive brown eyes and an endearing smile, Estelle thanked me profusely, well past the point of making me feel awkward. I squeezed her outstretched hand as a gesture of acceptance, but she yanked me forward and wrapped me up in a lock-tight bear hug. After several embarrassingly long, self-conscious
seconds I managed to disconnect gracefully and made immediate gestures of needing to do some work in my office. Connie seemed to sense my desire to retreat and spoke to Estelle with affectionate resignation.

“Come on, darlin'. Let's get you to your car.” It was the first time she had addressed her sister directly.

As they were leaving, Connie turned back to me. “Dr. Bradford, I hope it's okay, but Estelle is joining us for dinner tonight.”

“Sure. Fine by me. Should I bring a referee whistle?”

Connie lowered her head with a look of quiet reprimand. “Just bring an appetite, and leave your foolishness elsewhere. And don't worry about the groceries. We'll take care of that.”

I folded my arms and leaned against the doorframe. “I shall look forward to every bite.” Pausing for effect, I quickly added, “And snippet.”

I watched them exit via the large front entry, arm in arm, talking in low but lively tones.

I adored Connie Thompson. She was a remarkable, brilliant woman. Sometimes I believed she still knew every fact from every book she had ever read and even a few she had only walked by. After her husband had passed away seven years ago, she'd taken his pension and focused her incredible intellect on the stock market. Now she was quite wealthy.

Soon after I had arrived in Watervalley the previous July, she had volunteered to come serve as my housekeeper and help me get started in my new life. Her deeply held convictions of faith and service had governed her offer when clearly she didn't need the money. She was not one to be swayed by fortune.

Yet in the previous months that I had known Connie, I had never seen anyone affect her so pointedly as her sister. I was not convinced that her opposition to the proposed bakery was as light
as their banter suggested. It seemed, instead, to be rooted in something deeper. I shrugged. The sisters shared a strange bond of contention and connection.

Having a few hours to kill, I decided to tackle a project that had been nagging at me for several months. That was when I discovered the first incredible piece of paper.