other with their hands folded in their laps. Abby said, “Do you think this is how it will be all the rest of our lives?”
Red said, “What?”
Abby said, “Nothing.”
Stem and Jeannie’s Hugh arrived at the back door with the truck, and everybody went to unload—even the little boys, even Abby—except for Nora. Nora took delivery of the first item Stem brought in, an ice chest full of groceries, and she drew from it an apron folded on the very top. It was the kind that Red and Abby’s mothers wore in the 1940s, flowered cotton with a bib that buttoned at the back of the neck. She put it on and started cooking.
Over supper, there was a great deal of talk about accommodations. Abby kept wondering if one of the boys shouldn’t be moved to her study. “Maybe Petey, because he’s the oldest?” she asked. “Or Sammy, because he’s the youngest?”
“Or me, because I’m in the middle!” Tommy shouted.
“That’s okay,” Stem told Abby. “They were sharing one room at home, after all. They’re used to it.”
“I don’t know why it is,” Abby said, “but these last few years the house has just always seemed the wrong size. When your father and I are alone it’s too big, and when you all come to visit it’s too small.”
“We’ll be fine,” Stem said.
“Are you two talking about the dog?” Red asked.
“Dog?”
“Because I just don’t see how two dogs can occupy the same territory.”
“Oh, Red, of course they can,” Abby said. “Clarence is a pussycat; you know that.”
“Come again?”
“Clarence is on my bed right this minute!” Petey said. “And Heidi is on Sammy’s bed.”
Red overrode Petey’s last sentence, perhaps not realizing Petey was speaking. “My father was opposed to letting a dog in the house,” he said. “Dogs are hard on houses. Bad for the woodwork. He’d have made both those animals stay out in the backyard, and he’d havewondered why we owned them anyways unless they had some job to do.”
The grown-ups had heard this too many times to bother commenting, but Petey said, “Heidi’s got a job! Her job is making us happy.”
“She’d be better off herding sheep,” Red said.
“Can we get some sheep, then, Grandpa? Can we?”
“This chicken is delicious,” Abby told Nora.
“Thank you.”
“Red, isn’t the chicken delicious?”
“I’ll say! I’ve had two pieces and I’m thinking about a third.”
“You can’t have a third! It’s full of cholesterol!”
The telephone rang in the kitchen.
“Now, who on earth can that be?” Abby asked.
“Only one way to find out,” Red told her.
“Well, I’m just not going to answer. Everyone who’s anyone knows it’s the supper hour,” Abby said. But at the same time, she was pushing back her chair and standing up. She had never lost the conviction that someone might be needing her. She made her way to the kitchen, forcing two of the little boys to scoot their chairs in as she passed behind them.
“Hello?” they heard. “Hi, Denny!”
Stem and Red glanced toward the kitchen. Nora placed a dollop of spinach on Sammy’s plate, although he squirmed in protest.
“Well, nobody thought … What? Oh, don’t be silly. Nobody thought—”
“What’s for dessert?” Tommy asked his mother.
Stem said, “Ssh. Grandma’s on the phone.”
“Blueberry pie,” Nora said.
“Goody!”
“Yes, of course we would have,” Abby said. A pause. “Now, that is
not true
, Denny! That is simply not … Hello?”
After a moment, they heard the latching sound of the receiversettling back into its wall mount. Abby reappeared in the kitchen doorway.
“Well, that was Denny,” she told them. “He’s coming in tonight on the twelve-thirty-eight train, but he says just to leave the door unlocked and he’ll catch a cab from the station.”
“Huh! He’d damn well better,” Red said, “because
I
won’t be up that late.”
“Well, maybe you should meet him, Red.”
“Why’s
Red said, “What?”
Abby said, “Nothing.”
Stem and Jeannie’s Hugh arrived at the back door with the truck, and everybody went to unload—even the little boys, even Abby—except for Nora. Nora took delivery of the first item Stem brought in, an ice chest full of groceries, and she drew from it an apron folded on the very top. It was the kind that Red and Abby’s mothers wore in the 1940s, flowered cotton with a bib that buttoned at the back of the neck. She put it on and started cooking.
Over supper, there was a great deal of talk about accommodations. Abby kept wondering if one of the boys shouldn’t be moved to her study. “Maybe Petey, because he’s the oldest?” she asked. “Or Sammy, because he’s the youngest?”
“Or me, because I’m in the middle!” Tommy shouted.
“That’s okay,” Stem told Abby. “They were sharing one room at home, after all. They’re used to it.”
“I don’t know why it is,” Abby said, “but these last few years the house has just always seemed the wrong size. When your father and I are alone it’s too big, and when you all come to visit it’s too small.”
“We’ll be fine,” Stem said.
“Are you two talking about the dog?” Red asked.
“Dog?”
“Because I just don’t see how two dogs can occupy the same territory.”
“Oh, Red, of course they can,” Abby said. “Clarence is a pussycat; you know that.”
“Come again?”
“Clarence is on my bed right this minute!” Petey said. “And Heidi is on Sammy’s bed.”
Red overrode Petey’s last sentence, perhaps not realizing Petey was speaking. “My father was opposed to letting a dog in the house,” he said. “Dogs are hard on houses. Bad for the woodwork. He’d have made both those animals stay out in the backyard, and he’d havewondered why we owned them anyways unless they had some job to do.”
The grown-ups had heard this too many times to bother commenting, but Petey said, “Heidi’s got a job! Her job is making us happy.”
“She’d be better off herding sheep,” Red said.
“Can we get some sheep, then, Grandpa? Can we?”
“This chicken is delicious,” Abby told Nora.
“Thank you.”
“Red, isn’t the chicken delicious?”
“I’ll say! I’ve had two pieces and I’m thinking about a third.”
“You can’t have a third! It’s full of cholesterol!”
The telephone rang in the kitchen.
“Now, who on earth can that be?” Abby asked.
“Only one way to find out,” Red told her.
“Well, I’m just not going to answer. Everyone who’s anyone knows it’s the supper hour,” Abby said. But at the same time, she was pushing back her chair and standing up. She had never lost the conviction that someone might be needing her. She made her way to the kitchen, forcing two of the little boys to scoot their chairs in as she passed behind them.
“Hello?” they heard. “Hi, Denny!”
Stem and Red glanced toward the kitchen. Nora placed a dollop of spinach on Sammy’s plate, although he squirmed in protest.
“Well, nobody thought … What? Oh, don’t be silly. Nobody thought—”
“What’s for dessert?” Tommy asked his mother.
Stem said, “Ssh. Grandma’s on the phone.”
“Blueberry pie,” Nora said.
“Goody!”
“Yes, of course we would have,” Abby said. A pause. “Now, that is
not true
, Denny! That is simply not … Hello?”
After a moment, they heard the latching sound of the receiversettling back into its wall mount. Abby reappeared in the kitchen doorway.
“Well, that was Denny,” she told them. “He’s coming in tonight on the twelve-thirty-eight train, but he says just to leave the door unlocked and he’ll catch a cab from the station.”
“Huh! He’d damn well better,” Red said, “because
I
won’t be up that late.”
“Well, maybe you should meet him, Red.”
“Why’s
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