Pink Flamingoed (30 page)

Each of the afternoon shows made Harry laugh. The
first show Harry watched was
The Name’s The Same,
a show that aired for
a few years in the early ’50’s, where each contestant had the same name as a
famous person, or their name resembled an action. He followed that with an
episode of
Make the Connection,
which he had never seen. It
was
only on for four months in 1955. It was a summer replacement show. Harry soon
learned that each segment had two contestants and the panelists had to guess
their relationship.

When Harry found out the next show was
The Price Is
Right
, he sat forward in his chair. The tightwad wanted to compare the
prices of that day to the prices of today. The only problem was that this was
the only show that failed to give the date it aired. This bothered Harry, so he
went to the Internet to see what he could  learn  about 
The Price Is Right.
He quickly learned that the original  nighttime  show  aired  on TV from
1957-1964. It did not reappear until Bob Barker started the daytime version in
1972. At least Harry could narrow the date down to late ’50’s or early ’60’s.

The first item up for bid was a TV, hi-fi, and record
cabinet. Harry was surprised to learn that it cost $1,659. And this was a
black-and-white TV and a hi-fi with worse sound quality than today. Harry
figured he could buy an outfit like that today for the same money. Not that
Harry planned to spend any money. Harry hoped they had a car to bid on. They
did, but it was a luxury car, and an import at that. Harry wondered if a Rover
was made by the same company that makes today’s Range Rovers. He caught the
price, $5,201. Harry bought a car around that time, but he paid far less than
$5,000 for it. Harry remembered spending a few hundred dollars for his car.

Harry was in luck. It was the last week for
The
Price Is Right
showcase, and they were giving away a house. A real house,
not a mobile home. The value of the house was $27,500. Harry wished he could
buy a house for that today. No such luck. The last item of the day was a five
carat diamond ring. Its value was $11,500. Harry was so glad Ethel did not
collect jewelry. Then or now.

Although he hated to do so, Harry turned off the TV
and reflected upon what he had watched. He thought back to a simpler time,
where people lived and acted differently, and then he remembered that people
still lived that way on Aylesford Place.

+++

The second week in November, Brad’s latest book,
The
After Dinner Murder
, was released. Mrs. Fernwick had arranged for Brad to
do a book signing at The Printed Page. She had no idea how many copies of his
book to order, so she did what she always did when she had no idea about what
to do about something. She prayed.  Mrs.  Fernwick  gasped  and  grew  nervous
when she felt like  she had received an answer to her prayer. Two years
earlier, it had taken her six months to get rid of five copies of Brad’s book,
a book that sold quite well across the country. When the answer to her prayer
seemed like God was telling her to order 250 copies of Brad’s latest book, she
decided to pray again. While she could send back any unsold copies, she would
have to pay the shipping on all copies she sent back and a lot of returned
copies would put a big dent in her profit.

Mrs. Fernwick prayed again and she received the same
answer. Not only did it seem that she was supposed to order 250 copies of
Brad’s book, which was far more copies than she had ever sold of any book other
than the Bible, she felt that she was supposed to advertise the book signing in
every newspaper within a fifty-mile radius of Hopemont. When a third time of
praying seemed to reveal the same answer, Mrs. Fernwick proceeded and trusted
God for the results.

At Brad’s insistence, Amy was to be a part of his book
signing, and Brad talked Amy into bringing forty of her photographs. Mrs.
Fernwick did not have to make any commitment to Amy except enough space for her
to set up her photographs next to Brad’s book table, so she was easily sold on
the idea, even though it did make her store cramped for space.

A truck delivered the two hundred fifty copies of
Brad’s book on the Wednesday before the Saturday book signing. By Friday night,
Mrs. Fernwick had not sold a single copy, which made her a little ill at ease.
Still, she managed to tell herself that God was in charge.

When Mrs. Fernwick arrived at The Printed Page an hour
and a half before the store was to open on that Saturday morning, she was
surprised to see that six people were lined up outside the store. Each of them
had come to purchase a copy of Brad’s book and wanted to make sure they got
one. These people had no idea how many copies the store would have, so they
arrived early.

When Brad and Amy arrived an hour later, the line had
grown to seventeen people.  The store opened and the line increased. Mrs.
Fernwick had never seen so many people in her establishment. The serpentine
column of humanity meandered around and through each of the store’s aisles.
With pen in hand, Brad’s right wrist grew tired. Amy’s display stood right next
to Brad’s table, and Brad mentioned Amy’s photographs to each person. Some
people decided to take a look at Amy’s work. Not only did the large crowd
excite Mrs. Fernwick, Brad, and Amy, but they seemed to excite themselves. The
excitement of the day caused many of them, who came only to purchase a copy of
Brad’s book, to make additional selections. When the day ended, Mrs. Fernwick
had sold 232 copies of Brad’s latest book. Amy had sold thirty-seven of the
forty photographs she had brought. She had also taken a few orders for
photographs she did not have with her or had sold out of that day, and had
given out cards and information about her website. At the end of the day, Mrs.
Fernwick had sold almost ten thousand dollars of merchandise. She thanked God
for making it possible.

When Mrs. Fernwick returned to the store on Monday,
she placed an order for one hundred additional copies of Brad’s new book and a
few copies of his other books. By Tuesday, just as had happened the year
before, she had sold out of every copy she had of any book Brad had written,
and eagerly awaited the shipment she had ordered the day before.

+++

The temperature had dropped enough that Frank put his woodworking
away for a few months. Frank had a heater in his workshop, as well as a fan,
but did not like to use either of them unless absolutely necessary. While Frank
enjoyed woodworking, it was not his life. It was something he chose to do in
comfort. He had finished five bookcases. The rest of the neighborhood would
have to wait until next Christmas.

The day of the church Thanksgiving dinner arrived.
Everyone gathered to talk about it after the morning service and then dispersed
to their homes in order to make a mouth-watering dish or two to share with
their church family that evening. Cora and Bertha agreed to cook turkeys, Kathy
signed up to fix a ham, and the rest of the church signed up for one or more of
the items needed to fill the menu.

Smiles and laughter abounded as everyone shared in
food and fellowship that evening, which helped prepare everyone for the service
that was to follow. After all of the dishes were cleared away, the group
remained in the fellowship hall. Pastor Scott got up to address the group.

“I want to welcome everyone tonight. It is
particularly good to see those of you who are new to our neighborhood or new to
our church.”

“I knew he’d work his daughter into this somewhere,”
Harry shouted, causing the already boisterous group to laugh again.

“Harry, you don’t realize it, but that was a good
introduction for what I want us to do tonight. Thanksgiving is almost upon us,
so I would like for everyone to share what he or she is thankful for this
Thanksgiving. Who’d like to go first?”

“Why, don’t you go first?” Brad said.

“Okay, I’ll be glad to, but then I think my praise is
obvious. Everyone knows that I’m thankful for a healthy baby daughter, but I am
also thankful that God has given me a beautiful wife whom I love very much, and
three other children who are a blessing to me each time they’re not killing
each other.”

The Armbruster children were sitting together. Jill
turned and faced Kenny and Mallory and they all smiled at each other. Then,
overcome by the moment, Jill reached out and hugged her brother and sister and
gave each of them a kiss on the cheek.

“Wow!” Scott said. “If I’d known that, I would’ve told
them not to kill each other before this.”

Again, the group broke out in laughter.

Kenny raised his hand.

“Yes, Son,” his dad said.

“Can I be sorry, too, Dad?”

“Yes, Son, you can be a sorry son, sometimes. No, I
mean, sure. Say whatever you like.”

“Well, I’m sorry for all the stuff I’ve said about my
sisters, and I’m thankful that Jill’s kiss wasn’t too bad. I guess I can see
where some guy might like her some day.”

Everyone laughed again.

Mallory raised her hand.

“Yes, Mallory?”

“I’m thankful that I’m not the baby in the family
anymore.”

Again everyone laughed.

Jill went next.

“I’m thankful for my family, because some people don’t
have a family, and I’m thankful that not only do we have a new sister in Nikki,
but a new grandmother in Mrs. Peabody, and three new brothers in Brad, Chuck,
and Brett.”

“Very well spoken, Jill. Well, now that the
Armbrusters have gone, who else would like to go?”

“I beg your pardon,” Nancy said. “All of the
Armbrusters haven’t gone, but if one doesn’t watch his step, he might be gone.
I too am thankful for my family, and when I say family, I include all of you
who’ve been so wonderful to us.”

“Okay,
now
all of the Armbrusters have gone, so
who’s next?”

The group laughed again when Nikki made a sound.

“I’ll go,” Allison offered. “I’m thankful that I
didn’t have a date for Valentine’s Day, because if I had, I would’ve missed out
on the most wonderful man in the world.”

“I didn’t realize you thought that way about me,”
Harry said, breaking up the group once again.

“I guess I’ll go next,” Amy said. “I don’t think I’m
talking out of school when I say that Allison and I have talked about these
wonderful men God has sent us since last Thanksgiving. I couldn’t be happier,
because I’ve got Brad, the man I love, on one side of me, and Frank and Cora,
my parents away from home, on the other side. We live in a world where so many
people don’t know their neighbors. I’m thankful that I have three of the best
next-door neighbors anyone could possibly want.”

Amy finished and sat down. When she sat down, Brad got
up.

“Wherever Dr. Watson goes, Sherlock Holmes is sure to
be near, so I guess I’ll go next,” Brad said. “When my grandparents left me
their house, I saw it as a quiet place where I could go and write books. And
while I’ve enjoyed doing that since I moved here, it has been the least of my
joys. The day I moved here I realized that I had some pretty special neighbors,
and I could even tell that one of them was more special than the others.”

“Why, thank you, Brad,” Harry interrupted, which
caused Ethel to punch him in the ribs.

Brad continued.

“It must’ve been God who caused me to move here, because
no one short of God could have brought such a wonderful and beautiful young
lady into my life.”

When Brad sat down, Amy leaned over, wrapped her arms
around him, and through her tears, said, “You forgot incredible.”

Barney stood up.

“I’ve gotten permission to share this. I know what I’m
thankful for this Thanksgiving. I’m thankful that when I asked Bertha to marry
me, she said ‘yes.’ Now, don’t go getting excited yet. We haven’t set a date,
and we’re still trying to decide which house we’re going to live in, but one
thing’s for sure. We’re not leaving Aylesford Place until they carry us out.”

Everyone gasped at Barney’s announcement, everyone
except Pastor Scott, who already knew. Then everyone lunged for Barney or
Bertha and gave them hugs and pats on the back.

After Barney’s announcement, Cora cast a look in
Brad’s direction, trying to be subtle enough that no one else saw, but obvious
enough that Brad knew what she meant.

After everyone had congratulated Barney and Bertha and
had sat back down, Melanie stood up.

“I’m thankful for the house I sold and the new
neighbor we have because of it. I may have a buyer for the Orthmyer’s house. A
family looked at it and seems about ready to sign the papers. And, oh, by the
way, Barney and Bertha, if you decide to sell one of the houses, you know who
to call.”

Pastor Scott and his children perked up when Melanie
mentioned the word “family.” When any of them thought of a family, they
automatically figured that meant children. Each of them yearned for other
children on Aylesford Place.

Everyone was surprised when Norman stood up.

“I’m thankful for the way all of you have made me feel
welcome since I’ve been coming to church these last few weeks. I know I’m
different. I know that most of you thought I was either dead or hiding out, but
even though I’m different, and act and dress differently than any of you, I
appreciate it that you don’t hold that against me and are willing to come up
and talk to me.”

“Well, we’re glad that you’re here, Norman,” Pastor
Scott said.

When Norman sat down, Minerva Peabody stood up.

“I’ve been sitting and watching as we’ve gone through
all the loving siblings   of   the   pastor’s   family and all the lovebirds of
the neighborhood, and since we’ve gotten to recluses, I guess it’s my time to
speak. As I sat here watching and listening to each of you, I can tell you that
Thanksgiving will be a lot more special for me this year than it has been in a
long time.

“I think most of you know that at one time my daddy,
Amos  Warfield,  owned  all  of  the  property  on   Aylesford Place and
several of the adjoining streets. He built Warfield Place, the house where I
still live today, in 1929. Shortly after, my mama died. In the late 1930s, my
daddy sold all of the land and deeded what is now Aylesford Park to the residents of Aylesford Place. I can remember when each of you moved in. I can even
remember when Barney’s dad bought a new candy apple red 1949 Buick convertible.
He was the talk of the street.”

Barney smiled proudly.

“I can also remember the year I lost my daddy and my
husband of only a few years, George Peabody. I grew bitter at the world and I
remained bitter most of my life. A product of my own making, I sat in that
house next door, a miserable person wasting my life. Then, almost a year ago, I
received a phone call. It was Pastor Scott wanting to visit. For some reason, I
told him yes, and he began to visit me each Saturday night. Still, I remained
miserable six days a week, counting the days until Pastor Scott came to visit
again. Because of my pride, I was a unhappy old lady. Well, if I’m to be honest
with you, I was unhappy most of the time. I thoroughly enjoyed the day I
painted those Mormon boys and that night I caused Harry to think that his time
on earth was almost at an end and made him wonder which direction he was
headed.”

Everyone laughed at Minerva’s last comment, even
Harry.

“I’m thankful for a little girl who brought me
cookies, and with God’s help, brought me to this church, and I’m thankful that
each of you was willing to forgive an old fool.”

Minerva sat down and Harry stood up.

“When Minerva said ‘old fool,' I thought it was
appropriate that I stand up. While I haven’t told her enough, I’m thankful for
a wife who has put up with me as long as she has. Plus, I’m thankful for a neighbor
who cared enough about  my  wife  and  me  that  she  threatened me until I
took Ethel to Martinelli’s for Valentine’s Day. I must say that it was one of
the happiest days of my life. Another of my happiest days happened when all of
you decided to surprise me on my birthday. Thanks for caring about an old fool
who doesn’t always say and do the right things.

“Besides all of you, I’m thankful for a daughter who
cared enough about her parents that she would spend her hard-earned money to
buy cell phones and a computer for us, so that we could stay in touch. Not only
was she willing to stay in touch with Ethel and me, but she was willing to come
and see us. Now, I have an announcement, too. We just received a call from
Rachel and she has just taken a new job that’s only a four-hour drive from
here. She will have every weekend off, plus four weeks vacation every year, so
we’ll be seeing more of her.”

Everyone applauded Harry’s good news.

The group shared for well over an hour. No one seemed
eager to leave. When the service ended, and everyone said their final goodbyes,
Pastor Scott lingered behind, knelt at the altar, and thanked God for giving
him the idea that allowed everyone to share what he or she was thankful for.

+++

Cora pulled in the driveway and jumped out of her car,
eager to find her husband. She ran up the steps, opened the door, and hollered.

“Frank! Frank! Where are you?”

“Here I am, Cora. Is something wrong?”

“No, Frank, something might be very right. I was
driving down Main Street and guess who I saw coming out of the jewelry store?”

“I don’t know, Cora. Barney?”

“No, Frank. It was Brad. Oh, Frank, could it be? Could
it be that Brad is about to ask Amy to marry him?”

“Just because someone’s been in a jewelry store
doesn’t mean that they’re going to get married. Was he carrying a box or a
package of some kind?”

“I don’t know, Frank. I was so excited when I saw him
I almost hit somebody.”

“Cora, maybe it would be best if you didn’t drive down
Main Street anymore.”

“Frank, would you be willing to drop me off at the
jewelry store so I can go in and ask what Brad was looking at?”

“We’d better not, Cora. After all, everyone knows that
whoever is seen coming out of a jewelry store must be getting married, and I
wouldn’t want someone to see you and start rumors about you being a bigamist.”

+++

“Hello.”

“Cora?”

“Yes.”

“Cora, this is Minerva.”

“Oh, hi Minerva, dear. What can I do for you today?”

“Cora, I was wondering if anyone has agreed to host
the get- together after the neighborhood Christmas caroling?”

“It’s funny that you asked. I was just thinking that
we needed to make preparations for that soon. Why did you ask?”

“Well, if it’s okay, I’d like to make up for my past
transgressions and host it this year.”

“There’s a lot of work to it, Minerva. Do you think
you’re up to it?”

“Cora, if I can still hit a small target with my
paintball gun from two hundred feet, don’t you think I’m still capable of
fixing food for fifty people?”

“Well, I don’t know that it’ll be quite fifty people,
but we might eat like fifty people.  Since I’m the one who volunteers to find
someone each year and no one has volunteered, let’s say the gig is yours if you
want it.”

“Thanks. I want it. Even though I suspect that Harry
will eat me out of house and home and will stuff his pockets before he leaves.”

“It looks like you’ve got Harry pegged right. I’ll
pass the word, and, Minerva, it’s great to have you aboard. It’s a much better
neighborhood with you back in it.”