Wavedancer, part three
May. 3rd, 2009 11:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
valis2Intro/Index of all parts | Read with the commentary
Lucinda Jensen was there, and I cursed under my breath, as she was the biggest and most annoying gossip in town by far. She was also quasi-religious, and firmly convinced that Mike and I were living in sin, and, despite my attempts to explain the divided house that we shared, I couldn't seem to get her to understand that we were just friends. It aggravated the hell out of me, though Mike acted like he couldn't be bothered by it. Hopefully I could just grab a cart and sneak away without a pointed lecture on the sanctity of marriage, but I wasn't optimistic.
I was so busy plotting the most unobtrusive route past Lucy that I didn't even notice that Charlotte Ames, Lucinda's best friend, was beside me. "Hello, dearie," she beamed. "How are you doing?"
So much for espionage, I lamented to myself. "I'm good, thanks." I determinedly continued walking past her to the cart foyer.
Without missing a beat, she exclaimed, "Oh Lucy, look who's here."
Lucinda turned and her eyes brightened. I could imagine a big red bullseye superimposed over me. "Here to stock up for the storm, I see," she nodded approvingly.
I smiled patiently as I walked through the foyer doors and pulled a cart out. When I reemerged she was waiting for me, and I steeled myself for the inevitable monologue she seemed to feel required to give me. I supposed it went back to the fact that my mother passed away giving birth to me, and the town ladies had decided that it was their duty to make sure I was brought up properly. Lucinda was always first in line to visit us, and she dropped in continually, leaving casseroles and outgrown dresses from her daughters until the day she found me covered in mud on the front porch gutting a catfish. After that the town ladies stopped by less and less. Of course it may also have had something to do with the rumor that Charlotte had seen both dresses and casseroles firmly deposited in the trash by my father.
"My dear," began Lucinda. "I have the most wonderful news for you. You know we've remodeled the basement for my youngest daughter Judy, but since she's off in college"--there was an air of triumph to the word, and I wondered briefly if she was pointedly referring to the fact that I hadn't gone to college--"I thought that Mike could stay with us this winter. He could plow the driveway and chop wood, and we'd be glad to have the company. You know, cooking for one extra isn't a problem--"
"You'd have to ask Mike about that," I said, my smile forced, no longer patient.
"It would be for his own good," blathered Charlotte.
I clenched the cart so hard I thought the plastic would shatter. "As I said," I repeated very clearly, "you would have to ask him about it. I don't speak for him."
Lucinda fixed my eyes with a fierce gaze and drew herself up to her full height, which was still almost a head shorter than mine. "I've a mind to speak plainly," she said, very seriously.
I dreaded her next comments. "I've never stopped you before."
"There's an age where you should settle down," she said bluntly. "I worry about you out on lonely Moray. You should be wearing a ring so he doesn't just up and leave you."
"It would be for the best," chimed in Charlotte.
"Either you marry him or make him move out," she said emphatically.
I never got to say any of the nasty words that filled my head because Mike suddenly came up and pulled me away from Lucy and Charlotte by my elbow, saying something about needing help deciphering the list. As we passed the aisles he chuckled. "Thought you could use some help escaping the Town Menace," he smiled.
I was still angry. I realized he was still pulling me by my arm and I shrugged easily out of his grasp. He looked puzzled. "I left the car," I mumbled.
Fortunately Lucy and Charlotte had left, as I was still fuming from her insensitive words. Even Mike, one of the most easygoing people I have ever met, disliked her intensely.
"Hey, are you okay?" asked Mike, who had caught up to me.
"I'm fine," I said quickly.
His look told me that I hadn't convinced him, but he still walked off down the canned goods aisle.
Between the list and stocking up for the storm we completely filled both carts. As we stood waiting in line Mike suddenly looked at me. "I forgot the steaks," he groaned.
"Don't worry about it," I said, aware that the two cars were going to add up to a small fortune.
"I'll be right back," he said, casually walking off before I could protest further.
I turned my attention back to tabulating the expense of each item, cringing when I realized that the cash I had brought wouldn't even cover the first cart. I crossed my fingers, hoping that Mike had enough to afford the rest, even though Derek or Paul would give me credit in a heartbeat. The lady in front of me--Agnes, Dr. Neil's wife--finished paying and walked off with the bagger to help her load her car.
I stepped up and started unloading the cart, re-adding the amounts in my head as I placed each item on the counter. Mike came up with a thick package from the butcher's counter, and I almost flinched at the price. Not that I was a cheapskate or afraid to spend money, but it was the end of the season, and I had sold the snow removal business over a year and a half ago. It made the off-season more difficult, as I had no more money coming in until the summer, and it made me worry even more that my small savings were dwindling. I had only a small portion of the inheritance money left from my father. There were, of course, two accounts I had set aside, one for my "future", and one that Mike wasn't aware of--it was for him when he decided to leave--but I never touched those.
"You shouldn't let them bother you so much," he said, leaning towards me to say it quietly in my ear. I caught the stray scent of his aftershave.
"I'm worried about paying for this right now," I replied, perhaps a little more sharply than I intended.
"I told you I brought cash," he answered, pushing the first car through.
"There's a lot here," I said, feeling silly for even bringing it up. The girl ringing us up--Annie? I thought, one of Charlotte's granddaughters--gave me an I-can't-believe-you're-hassling-someone-this-cute look. "Just forget that I said anything," I added tiredly.
Mike started unloading the other cart in silence, and, as the stockboy had not returned from helping Agnes load her car, I walked to the end of the lane and began to bag the groceries myself.
"I'm gonna go put this in the truck," I said to Mike when I finished filling the cart. The fall air was cold and clear as I unlocked the gate and swung it down to unload the bags into the back. I was just putting the last bag in when Mike brought the other cart out.
"How much do they need?" I asked, pulling cash out of my pocket.
"I took care of it," he replied, pushing a bag of groceries into the truck.
I tried to keep my tone as casual as possible. "You took care of it?"
He nodded and swung another bag of groceries into the trunk. I turned to the cart as well and helped pack the remaining sacks in. I got into the driver's seat and when we were underway I took a calming breath and asked, "So how much was it?"
He shrugged. "Don't worry about it."
"How much was it?" I repeated, and it was difficult to remove the irritation from my voice. When he hired on I told him that his pay included room and board, and, other than a few odds and ends, I had always purchased all of the groceries myself. It was a responsibility I took very seriously, as I knew the hard work and long hours he put into my business. I wasn't about to let it go unrewarded. It wasn't like I could afford a comprehensive health plan, Christmas bonus, and annual raises, after all.
"I said don't worry about it." He reached out and turned the radio on, and the faint light from the dashboard revealed the strong line of his jaw.
I turned the radio off again. "I'm already worried about it," I retorted irritatedly. "Just tell me how much it was so I can reimburse you."
"Can't you just let me help out for once?" He was looking at me angrily, his blue eyes sparking in the dim light.
I took another calming breath and tried to cool my temper. "Look, it's my respons--"
"Why do you always do this?" he interrupted. "You work a twenty hour day, and get mad at me for working twelve! I just can't sit back and let you do everything."
"That's because it's my business," I snapped. "If it was yours, you'd do the same thing."
"I don't think so," he said coolly.
"Don't give me that," I replied angrily. "I remember when you came back. You worked plenty of twenty hour days yourself when you were running your dad's business."
"That was different. He was sick."
"What matters is that we made a deal, and I'm sticking to it," I said. "I'll call tomorrow and find out how much it was."
The truck was filled with tension. "What the hell did they say to you to put you in such an awful mood?"
"It has nothing to do with what they said," I said, gripping the wheel tighter. "I just don't appreciate--"
"I don't appreciate being coddled," he interrupted. "I can work as long as you if I want to. It's my choice. And I can pay for the occasional batch of groceries."
"You don't want to be coddled, but then right in front of everybody in the grocery store you pay for the groceries!" I spat. "How do you think I feel? It looks like I'm broke and relying on you!"
"Is that what Lucinda was saying?" he demanded.
"No," I said. "She wants you to move into her basement," I added, keeping my words precisely clipped.
I watched him steal a glance at me, and I wondered for a moment how it would feel to spend the winter alone in that big house. "She's batty," he said finally.
The ride was silent for a few more minutes. "Look, I'm sorry," he said. "It just drives me crazy that you never seem to want any more help. You've always got to do everything your way and by yourself. It's not--it can't be good for you."
"The only thing fixed in my life," I said pointedly as we pulled into the drive, "is myself." I glanced at him and was surprised to see hurt flash across his face.
On to part four
Read this section with the commentary
Lucinda Jensen was there, and I cursed under my breath, as she was the biggest and most annoying gossip in town by far. She was also quasi-religious, and firmly convinced that Mike and I were living in sin, and, despite my attempts to explain the divided house that we shared, I couldn't seem to get her to understand that we were just friends. It aggravated the hell out of me, though Mike acted like he couldn't be bothered by it. Hopefully I could just grab a cart and sneak away without a pointed lecture on the sanctity of marriage, but I wasn't optimistic.
I was so busy plotting the most unobtrusive route past Lucy that I didn't even notice that Charlotte Ames, Lucinda's best friend, was beside me. "Hello, dearie," she beamed. "How are you doing?"
So much for espionage, I lamented to myself. "I'm good, thanks." I determinedly continued walking past her to the cart foyer.
Without missing a beat, she exclaimed, "Oh Lucy, look who's here."
Lucinda turned and her eyes brightened. I could imagine a big red bullseye superimposed over me. "Here to stock up for the storm, I see," she nodded approvingly.
I smiled patiently as I walked through the foyer doors and pulled a cart out. When I reemerged she was waiting for me, and I steeled myself for the inevitable monologue she seemed to feel required to give me. I supposed it went back to the fact that my mother passed away giving birth to me, and the town ladies had decided that it was their duty to make sure I was brought up properly. Lucinda was always first in line to visit us, and she dropped in continually, leaving casseroles and outgrown dresses from her daughters until the day she found me covered in mud on the front porch gutting a catfish. After that the town ladies stopped by less and less. Of course it may also have had something to do with the rumor that Charlotte had seen both dresses and casseroles firmly deposited in the trash by my father.
"My dear," began Lucinda. "I have the most wonderful news for you. You know we've remodeled the basement for my youngest daughter Judy, but since she's off in college"--there was an air of triumph to the word, and I wondered briefly if she was pointedly referring to the fact that I hadn't gone to college--"I thought that Mike could stay with us this winter. He could plow the driveway and chop wood, and we'd be glad to have the company. You know, cooking for one extra isn't a problem--"
"You'd have to ask Mike about that," I said, my smile forced, no longer patient.
"It would be for his own good," blathered Charlotte.
I clenched the cart so hard I thought the plastic would shatter. "As I said," I repeated very clearly, "you would have to ask him about it. I don't speak for him."
Lucinda fixed my eyes with a fierce gaze and drew herself up to her full height, which was still almost a head shorter than mine. "I've a mind to speak plainly," she said, very seriously.
I dreaded her next comments. "I've never stopped you before."
"There's an age where you should settle down," she said bluntly. "I worry about you out on lonely Moray. You should be wearing a ring so he doesn't just up and leave you."
"It would be for the best," chimed in Charlotte.
"Either you marry him or make him move out," she said emphatically.
I never got to say any of the nasty words that filled my head because Mike suddenly came up and pulled me away from Lucy and Charlotte by my elbow, saying something about needing help deciphering the list. As we passed the aisles he chuckled. "Thought you could use some help escaping the Town Menace," he smiled.
I was still angry. I realized he was still pulling me by my arm and I shrugged easily out of his grasp. He looked puzzled. "I left the car," I mumbled.
Fortunately Lucy and Charlotte had left, as I was still fuming from her insensitive words. Even Mike, one of the most easygoing people I have ever met, disliked her intensely.
"Hey, are you okay?" asked Mike, who had caught up to me.
"I'm fine," I said quickly.
His look told me that I hadn't convinced him, but he still walked off down the canned goods aisle.
Between the list and stocking up for the storm we completely filled both carts. As we stood waiting in line Mike suddenly looked at me. "I forgot the steaks," he groaned.
"Don't worry about it," I said, aware that the two cars were going to add up to a small fortune.
"I'll be right back," he said, casually walking off before I could protest further.
I turned my attention back to tabulating the expense of each item, cringing when I realized that the cash I had brought wouldn't even cover the first cart. I crossed my fingers, hoping that Mike had enough to afford the rest, even though Derek or Paul would give me credit in a heartbeat. The lady in front of me--Agnes, Dr. Neil's wife--finished paying and walked off with the bagger to help her load her car.
I stepped up and started unloading the cart, re-adding the amounts in my head as I placed each item on the counter. Mike came up with a thick package from the butcher's counter, and I almost flinched at the price. Not that I was a cheapskate or afraid to spend money, but it was the end of the season, and I had sold the snow removal business over a year and a half ago. It made the off-season more difficult, as I had no more money coming in until the summer, and it made me worry even more that my small savings were dwindling. I had only a small portion of the inheritance money left from my father. There were, of course, two accounts I had set aside, one for my "future", and one that Mike wasn't aware of--it was for him when he decided to leave--but I never touched those.
"You shouldn't let them bother you so much," he said, leaning towards me to say it quietly in my ear. I caught the stray scent of his aftershave.
"I'm worried about paying for this right now," I replied, perhaps a little more sharply than I intended.
"I told you I brought cash," he answered, pushing the first car through.
"There's a lot here," I said, feeling silly for even bringing it up. The girl ringing us up--Annie? I thought, one of Charlotte's granddaughters--gave me an I-can't-believe-you're-hassling-someone-this-cute look. "Just forget that I said anything," I added tiredly.
Mike started unloading the other cart in silence, and, as the stockboy had not returned from helping Agnes load her car, I walked to the end of the lane and began to bag the groceries myself.
"I'm gonna go put this in the truck," I said to Mike when I finished filling the cart. The fall air was cold and clear as I unlocked the gate and swung it down to unload the bags into the back. I was just putting the last bag in when Mike brought the other cart out.
"How much do they need?" I asked, pulling cash out of my pocket.
"I took care of it," he replied, pushing a bag of groceries into the truck.
I tried to keep my tone as casual as possible. "You took care of it?"
He nodded and swung another bag of groceries into the trunk. I turned to the cart as well and helped pack the remaining sacks in. I got into the driver's seat and when we were underway I took a calming breath and asked, "So how much was it?"
He shrugged. "Don't worry about it."
"How much was it?" I repeated, and it was difficult to remove the irritation from my voice. When he hired on I told him that his pay included room and board, and, other than a few odds and ends, I had always purchased all of the groceries myself. It was a responsibility I took very seriously, as I knew the hard work and long hours he put into my business. I wasn't about to let it go unrewarded. It wasn't like I could afford a comprehensive health plan, Christmas bonus, and annual raises, after all.
"I said don't worry about it." He reached out and turned the radio on, and the faint light from the dashboard revealed the strong line of his jaw.
I turned the radio off again. "I'm already worried about it," I retorted irritatedly. "Just tell me how much it was so I can reimburse you."
"Can't you just let me help out for once?" He was looking at me angrily, his blue eyes sparking in the dim light.
I took another calming breath and tried to cool my temper. "Look, it's my respons--"
"Why do you always do this?" he interrupted. "You work a twenty hour day, and get mad at me for working twelve! I just can't sit back and let you do everything."
"That's because it's my business," I snapped. "If it was yours, you'd do the same thing."
"I don't think so," he said coolly.
"Don't give me that," I replied angrily. "I remember when you came back. You worked plenty of twenty hour days yourself when you were running your dad's business."
"That was different. He was sick."
"What matters is that we made a deal, and I'm sticking to it," I said. "I'll call tomorrow and find out how much it was."
The truck was filled with tension. "What the hell did they say to you to put you in such an awful mood?"
"It has nothing to do with what they said," I said, gripping the wheel tighter. "I just don't appreciate--"
"I don't appreciate being coddled," he interrupted. "I can work as long as you if I want to. It's my choice. And I can pay for the occasional batch of groceries."
"You don't want to be coddled, but then right in front of everybody in the grocery store you pay for the groceries!" I spat. "How do you think I feel? It looks like I'm broke and relying on you!"
"Is that what Lucinda was saying?" he demanded.
"No," I said. "She wants you to move into her basement," I added, keeping my words precisely clipped.
I watched him steal a glance at me, and I wondered for a moment how it would feel to spend the winter alone in that big house. "She's batty," he said finally.
The ride was silent for a few more minutes. "Look, I'm sorry," he said. "It just drives me crazy that you never seem to want any more help. You've always got to do everything your way and by yourself. It's not--it can't be good for you."
"The only thing fixed in my life," I said pointedly as we pulled into the drive, "is myself." I glanced at him and was surprised to see hurt flash across his face.
On to part four
Read this section with the commentary