Ready or Not (Aggie's Inheritance) (43 page)

To her immense surprise, the
“
easy
”
job of painting window trim and baseboards wasn
’
t nearly as easy or exciting as she
’
d expected. Luke showed her how to use a guide, make slow steady strokes, and how to load her brush without overloading it. Kneeling next to her on the floor, he dipped, brushed across the bumpy surface of the paint tray, and then holding the trim guide in place, brushed with careful strokes until that incredibly small section was perfect.

Unlike his perfect
eight-inch
strip, hers was streake
d. When she moved the guide, it
dripped paint along the area of the wall that he
’
d just cut in, and the result was a mess. Stricken, she looked up at him with an apology on her lips. Laughing, Luke wiped their trim guides with a rag, and then, using a fresh one, wiped off the paint drip from the wall.
“
You didn
’
t expect it to be perfect, did you? You
’
ll get the hang of it.
”

“
Yeah, after you have to redo all your work,
”
she muttered, dipping the brush into the paint tray and trying again. With each swish of the brush and each push of the roller, it seemed as if the filth, grime, and even the stench of the old house were being replaced with a freshness that restored her spirit.

Lunchtime arrived before they expected it, and, once again, Aggie was at a loss as to what to serve. She was used to bagels with a cup of coffee for breakfast, salad for lunch and a simple dinner. The children were accustomed to three squares and two snacks a day, all nutritionally balanced, and with a variety that taught them to appreciate different tastes and textures. On the other hand, Aggie ate what she could procure quickly and didn
’
t worry about silly things like nutrition and health. It couldn
’
t happen anymore, and it was up to her to make the change.

Frustration welled as she realized this was at least the third time she
’
d made that resolution. Every other week, she planned to make more wholesome and nutritious meals, and a week or so later, she found herself pulling out pot pies, frozen pizzas, frozen burritos, and canned ravioli. Again. It had to stop, but regardless of her brilliant system for meals, she felt helpless to implement it.

Luke sensed her hesitation and began pulling out sandwich fixings and one of the watermelons she had purchased. Upon cutting open the melon, Luke sent it to the trashcan via Laird, carried another one to the counter, and knocked on it. Aggie was confused at his actions, but when she saw his smile before cutting open the second one, she knew that there must be a secret to good watermelons.

“
Luke, what was wrong with the other one?
”

Seconds ticked by into a minute as Luke continued to cut. It took every ounce of Aggie
’
s self-control not to scream,
“
Just answer! This isn
’
t a trick question! I did not ask for a dissertation on quantum physics!
”
Instead, she reached into the freezer and pulled out a roll of ground beef.

“
Well, Aggie, it was over-ripe. Actually, I think it was on its way to fermentation. Or, maybe it was already Watermelon Wine. So, unless you want to be hauled in for intoxicating a minor, I think we
’
ll just leave it where it is.
”

“
I don
’
t get you. You brought juice yesterday and today instead of Kool-Aid. If I hadn
’
t heard Allie complaining about the stuff at Mom
’
s a few times, I would have loaded the kids up on that colored sugar-water without thinking twice. Kids drink Kool-Aid, right? You also look as comfortable in this kitchen as you do up there with your tools and paint.
”
She was determined to ascertain exactly how Luke seemed more at home doing her job than she was. Meanwhile, she started slapping mayo and mustard on bread as quickly as she could.
“
Most of the guys I know wouldn
’
t have had a clue.
”

“
Well, I have four sisters, and Mom kept us equally busy with every aspect of housework. She told me one day I
’
d have to keep things running for a pregnant wife, and she was going to make sure that I knew how to do it.
”
Luke paused and chuckled.
“
My sister says that she
’
s sending Scott to stay with Mom for three months before she gets pregnant again. That poor guy is worthless in the kitchen.
”

Aggie giggled nervously. At Luke
’
s raised eyebrow she confessed quite sheepishly,
“
Well, I can
’
t make anything that requires more than one or two ingredients. And even then, I
’
ve really never tried that often. Boxes and frozen and I get along very well.
”
She was obviously embarrassed at her lack of homemaking experience.

Luke looked thoughtful and then replied,
“
Let
’
s start with what we have in here, ok?
”
Without waiting for agreement, he opened the freezer and continued.
“
Well, you have chicken chests and lemon pepper. Do you know if you have any rice?
”
Aggie shook her head and chuckled.

“
Chicken
chests
?
”
she queried incredulously. Luke grinned and replied,
“
Well, you see, my mother always said that it was less intimate to call them chicken chests, and since the poor chicken was already plucked and stripped, the least we could do is give him the dignity of a less embarrassing name.
”
Aggie
’
s laughter could be heard across the street. It was a pity that Mrs. Dyke was indoors baking snickerdoodles for William. The curious neighbor needed more fodder for her next gossip fest with the quilt guild.

Luke tried again,
“
Noodles? Chips? Something?
”
Aggie shook her head again, and this time a look of defeat lingered around her eyes.

He opened and closed cupboards, taking stock of what was in the house. Picking up a stray crayon and one of the envelopes that Aggie had emptied from the previous day
’
s mail, Luke began a list of what he thought needed to be bought.
“
You have great main ingredients, you just need fillers. Rice, beans, noodles, potatoes, oats, and things like that. You bought spaghetti sauce, but it
’
s kind of hard to eat without something to put it on.
”
The twinkle in his eyes took away the sting that might come if he
’
d truly tried to mock her. When she protested that she
’
d just spent over eight hundred dollars on food, Luke assured her that with another sixty dollars or so, there would be enough food to last more than a month, barring milk, bread, and fresh fruits and veggies. Aggie
’
s relief left her speechless, until he was finally able to persuade her to admit that she assumed she
’
d be spending that much every week or two!

By four o
’
clock that afternoon, the first coat of urethane was drying. The baby gate was installed in the doorway of Vannie
’
s room, and the young girl leaned against it while looking at the lovely effect of robin
’
s egg blue, apple green and ivory. Aggie eased next to the girl and said,
“
Your colors turned out so pretty. With that green on the shelves, and curtains at the window, this will be a room to dream wonderful dreams in.
”

Vannie smiled and looked wistful.
“
I
’
ve always wanted dotted Swiss curtains. Do you think we can find some anywhere? Momma tried every store and catalog, but she always thought they were too expensive on the rare times she found them.
”
The longing in the girl
’
s voice was evident, even to Luke, who was washing up his brushes in the bathroom.

Calling from his brush-washing, Luke said,
“
You know Vannie, I could look on eBay and see if maybe someone has some old ones that they are trying to get rid of. That
’
s a standard window size.
”
Her answering smile was lovely.
“
I
’
ll look tonight after I take Meggie for her walk.
”

Sunday, June 16
^th

Aggie
’
s clan filled a back pew, and Aggie had her hands full just trying to keep everyone quiet. By the end of the service, Aggie sorely missed the less formal service in Rockland. She debated making the weekly trek to the other congregation but knew that a local church family would be important.

The people were welcoming and friendly. More than one person asked if they were
“
all hers.
”
Aggie couldn
’
t wait until her family was no longer a novelty and could just be another family who happened to have a few more people than most. Aggie graciously refused half a dozen invitations to dinner knowing that there was no way someone was really prepared to feed all of them.

Ellie asked if they could buy lunch somewhere and walk over to the park to eat. Aggie, with no regard for how quickly Ian would become heavy, readily agreed. With every child carrying a bag of something, Aggie and the children almost ran to the park.

“
Aunt Aggie, may I go play now?
”
Kenzie
’
s little face was covered in lunch, but Aggie had, unfortunately, forgotten to buy napkins.

“
Go to the drinking fountain first, and try to wash your face. Try to keep the food from getting in the little basin though!
”
Aggie ended up calling out her instructions as the excited girl ran for the water.

Time passed slowly, as though too lazy to keep up with the day. After several minutes laying on Aggie
’
s chest as she swung gently in the swing, Ian drifted to sleep. She shrugged awkwardly out of the bolero she wore to cover her sundress and dropped it on the grass. While not as convenient as a blanket, and sure to be covered in grass stains before the afternoon was over, the jacket protected the baby
’
s face from the prickliness of the grass blades. He slept soundly, for which Aggie was grateful. The children were having much too much fun to drag them all away for Ian
’
s nap.