heard in church that morning, and how we ought to buy it for the store. I could hear an orchestra playing in the background. I guess I always wondered how Janice Sherman spent her weekends. I imagined her sitting at a desk writing letters to her cousins and listening to Vivaldi. I don’t know Vivaldi from Verdi, but I know they’re the kinds of composers she’d listen to.
I told her about Dad’s falling off the ladder. “Oh, my goodness! How is he?”
“Well, we had him in the emergency room, but he’s better now,” I said. I was careful not to say who “we” were. Janice has been in love with my dad since he became manager at the Melody Inn.
“Poor Ben!” she said. “If there’s any thing I can do …”
“I’ll tell him,” I said.
The minute I hung up, Dr. Beverly called to ask how Dad was doing, and I said he was singing in the shower.
“That’s a good sign,” he told me.
It was after eight when Miss Summers came back. Dad had just finished watching 60 Minutes , and Miss Summers walked in carrying a cardboard box with six plastic containers of her soup, two loaves of bread, some oranges, and a bouquet of mums from her garden.
“How’s the patient?” she asked me, taking her stuff to the kitchen. Then she saw Dad sitting at the table with a ginger ale. Even I could smell his aftershave. “Ben McKinley, what are you doing all shaved and dressed?” she asked.
“Waiting for a lovely nurse to bring my dinner,” he said.
It was good soup, with lots of onions in it, and the bread was thick and warm, with little pieces of herbs. I was chattering on about hospitals and how much I hate them when we heard Lester come in.
He hung up his jacket in the closet and sauntered on out to the kitchen, then came to a stop.
“Hello? Did I forget we were having company, Dad?” he asked.
“Hi, Lester,” said Miss Summers, smiling. “Of course you didn’t. It’s a surprise visit, that’s all.”
“This whole day has been a surprise,” said Dad, and he filled Lester in on what had happened.
“So I get here after all the heavy lifting, huh? Hey, Dad, next time you try this, at least wear Rollerblades so they can wheel you around,” Lester joked.
It was fun having Lester at the table. He made Miss Summers laugh, but he could also be serious. At onepoint he and Dad and Miss Summers were all discussing Tolstoy’s novels, and I could tell by the way Dad sat back, listening to Lester argue his case, that he was enjoying the conversation.
See what an interesting family we could be? I implored Miss Summers with my eyes, but she was already bringing out another surprise: homemade rice pudding with cinnamon on top. “Not exactly the most exciting dish in the world, but it goes down easily,” she told Dad.
The doorbell rang, and I went to answer. There stood Janice Sherman, holding a large aluminum pot with a cover on it. It must have still been hot because she was wearing oven mitts. Before I could say a single word, she walked right in.
“This is absolutely scalding, Alice, but I thought the best thing I could do for Ben would be to make him a pot of my potato-leek soup. I’m famous for it, you know,” she said as she headed down the hall toward the kitchen. “I hope I’m not too late for …”
She never finished her sentence. I saw her pause in the doorway, and heard the clunk as she set the pot on our stove.
“We love potato soup!” I croaked, following her in.
“Janice, this is … I mean was … my English teacher,Sylvia Summers. Miss Summers, this is Janice Sherman, Dad’s assistant at the Melody Inn.”
Miss Summers had popped a bite of bread in her mouth and swallowed hastily. “I’m so glad to know you,” she said.
“I didn’t realize you were already eating or I could have brought it later,” Janice said stiffly.
“Janice, you didn’t need to go to all this work, but it was very thoughtful of you,” Dad told her. “Won’t you sit down and have some supper with
I told her about Dad’s falling off the ladder. “Oh, my goodness! How is he?”
“Well, we had him in the emergency room, but he’s better now,” I said. I was careful not to say who “we” were. Janice has been in love with my dad since he became manager at the Melody Inn.
“Poor Ben!” she said. “If there’s any thing I can do …”
“I’ll tell him,” I said.
The minute I hung up, Dr. Beverly called to ask how Dad was doing, and I said he was singing in the shower.
“That’s a good sign,” he told me.
It was after eight when Miss Summers came back. Dad had just finished watching 60 Minutes , and Miss Summers walked in carrying a cardboard box with six plastic containers of her soup, two loaves of bread, some oranges, and a bouquet of mums from her garden.
“How’s the patient?” she asked me, taking her stuff to the kitchen. Then she saw Dad sitting at the table with a ginger ale. Even I could smell his aftershave. “Ben McKinley, what are you doing all shaved and dressed?” she asked.
“Waiting for a lovely nurse to bring my dinner,” he said.
It was good soup, with lots of onions in it, and the bread was thick and warm, with little pieces of herbs. I was chattering on about hospitals and how much I hate them when we heard Lester come in.
He hung up his jacket in the closet and sauntered on out to the kitchen, then came to a stop.
“Hello? Did I forget we were having company, Dad?” he asked.
“Hi, Lester,” said Miss Summers, smiling. “Of course you didn’t. It’s a surprise visit, that’s all.”
“This whole day has been a surprise,” said Dad, and he filled Lester in on what had happened.
“So I get here after all the heavy lifting, huh? Hey, Dad, next time you try this, at least wear Rollerblades so they can wheel you around,” Lester joked.
It was fun having Lester at the table. He made Miss Summers laugh, but he could also be serious. At onepoint he and Dad and Miss Summers were all discussing Tolstoy’s novels, and I could tell by the way Dad sat back, listening to Lester argue his case, that he was enjoying the conversation.
See what an interesting family we could be? I implored Miss Summers with my eyes, but she was already bringing out another surprise: homemade rice pudding with cinnamon on top. “Not exactly the most exciting dish in the world, but it goes down easily,” she told Dad.
The doorbell rang, and I went to answer. There stood Janice Sherman, holding a large aluminum pot with a cover on it. It must have still been hot because she was wearing oven mitts. Before I could say a single word, she walked right in.
“This is absolutely scalding, Alice, but I thought the best thing I could do for Ben would be to make him a pot of my potato-leek soup. I’m famous for it, you know,” she said as she headed down the hall toward the kitchen. “I hope I’m not too late for …”
She never finished her sentence. I saw her pause in the doorway, and heard the clunk as she set the pot on our stove.
“We love potato soup!” I croaked, following her in.
“Janice, this is … I mean was … my English teacher,Sylvia Summers. Miss Summers, this is Janice Sherman, Dad’s assistant at the Melody Inn.”
Miss Summers had popped a bite of bread in her mouth and swallowed hastily. “I’m so glad to know you,” she said.
“I didn’t realize you were already eating or I could have brought it later,” Janice said stiffly.
“Janice, you didn’t need to go to all this work, but it was very thoughtful of you,” Dad told her. “Won’t you sit down and have some supper with
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