us?”
Was Dad crazy? I wondered, but I guess he knew she’d refuse.
“Oh, no. Actually, I’m rushing home to watch Masterpiece Theatre ,” Janice said, taking off the oven mitts and thrusting one in each pocket of her coat, where they stuck out like ears.
“Are you a fan of that program too?” asked Miss Summers. “You could eat some soup and watch it here.”
That did bother me. If a woman was in love with a man, why would she want another woman staying for dinner? To test the competition?
But Janice wasn’t about to take the consolation prize.
“Actually, I’ve got my own dinner in the oven,” she said, which I’ll bet was a lie, because I know if Dad were alone and had asked her to stay, she would have let herfood burn in order to keep him company. “But thanks, anyway. And Ben”—she put one hand on his shoulder as though he belonged to her—“take care of yourself.”
“I will, Janice. With all you nurses around, I can’t do anything but get better.”
“Do you really think she has dinner in the oven?” I whispered to Lester after Janice left, and Dad and Miss Summers were putting food away.
“As likely as an ingrown toenail on the end of her nose,” he said, and we laughed.
We told Dad and Miss Summers to go relax in the living room while we cleaned up.
“Thanks, Les, I hoped you’d say that,” Dad told him.
“I’ve got to be going soon,” said Miss Summers. “I still have papers to grade before tomorrow.”
“You can at least stay long enough to enjoy the fire I built the other night, then forgot to light,” Lester said. “Marilyn called, and I just never got around to it.” He took some matches off the shelf and went into the living room. I heard him rolling up newspaper as Dad and Miss Summers followed him in.
When Lester came back to the kitchen, he said to me, “Well, I’ve done my part. The rest is up to Cupid.”
“Do you think she loves him, Les?”
“He loves her, that’s obvious.”
“But …?”
“If she doesn’t, she’s certainly put a lot of time into looking after someone she doesn’t care about.”
“She cares, but does she love him?”
Lester sighed. “Define love,” he said cynically, and then, “I get any mail today?”
“Today’s Sunday.”
“Oh. Right.” We rinsed the dishes off and set them in the dishwasher, and then he said, “Dad told me he got an invitation to Crystal’s wedding. I just wondered if she mailed one to me and it got lost or something.”
“I didn’t see any.”
“Then I suppose not.” He put detergent in the dishwasher and closed the door. “I guess I thought we could at least be friends.”
“Wouldn’t it be a little embarrassing to have you there, Lester? Maybe it would bring back memories she’d rather not have on her wedding day.”
I was putting the best spin on it I could, and Lester perked up. “That’s probably it. Yeah, I suppose that’s it. What’s Dad giving her, do you know?”
“A gift certificate for the Melody Inn. Help them start a really nice CD collection.”
“Yeah, she’d like that,” said Lester.
We stayed in the kitchen as long as we could, not wanting to bother Dad and Miss Summers. I wanted her to realize how easily she could have lost him, if not to illness, then to Janice Sherman. I wanted her to know how lonely she’d be if she had, and how she belonged here, on our sofa in front of the fireplace. The fact was, of course, that Dad hadn’t been about to die, she hadn’t almost lost him to Janice Sherman, but didn’t she have any imagination?
Later, when I passed the doorway to put Janice’s pot in the refrigerator, I saw Dad and Miss Summers by the front door. She had her coat on and they were standing about three inches apart. He had his hands on her waist, and she had hers folded behind his neck. They were smiling at each other.
I moved quickly away, but I couldn’t resist one last peek. This time she was in his arms with her hands on his chest, his
Was Dad crazy? I wondered, but I guess he knew she’d refuse.
“Oh, no. Actually, I’m rushing home to watch Masterpiece Theatre ,” Janice said, taking off the oven mitts and thrusting one in each pocket of her coat, where they stuck out like ears.
“Are you a fan of that program too?” asked Miss Summers. “You could eat some soup and watch it here.”
That did bother me. If a woman was in love with a man, why would she want another woman staying for dinner? To test the competition?
But Janice wasn’t about to take the consolation prize.
“Actually, I’ve got my own dinner in the oven,” she said, which I’ll bet was a lie, because I know if Dad were alone and had asked her to stay, she would have let herfood burn in order to keep him company. “But thanks, anyway. And Ben”—she put one hand on his shoulder as though he belonged to her—“take care of yourself.”
“I will, Janice. With all you nurses around, I can’t do anything but get better.”
“Do you really think she has dinner in the oven?” I whispered to Lester after Janice left, and Dad and Miss Summers were putting food away.
“As likely as an ingrown toenail on the end of her nose,” he said, and we laughed.
We told Dad and Miss Summers to go relax in the living room while we cleaned up.
“Thanks, Les, I hoped you’d say that,” Dad told him.
“I’ve got to be going soon,” said Miss Summers. “I still have papers to grade before tomorrow.”
“You can at least stay long enough to enjoy the fire I built the other night, then forgot to light,” Lester said. “Marilyn called, and I just never got around to it.” He took some matches off the shelf and went into the living room. I heard him rolling up newspaper as Dad and Miss Summers followed him in.
When Lester came back to the kitchen, he said to me, “Well, I’ve done my part. The rest is up to Cupid.”
“Do you think she loves him, Les?”
“He loves her, that’s obvious.”
“But …?”
“If she doesn’t, she’s certainly put a lot of time into looking after someone she doesn’t care about.”
“She cares, but does she love him?”
Lester sighed. “Define love,” he said cynically, and then, “I get any mail today?”
“Today’s Sunday.”
“Oh. Right.” We rinsed the dishes off and set them in the dishwasher, and then he said, “Dad told me he got an invitation to Crystal’s wedding. I just wondered if she mailed one to me and it got lost or something.”
“I didn’t see any.”
“Then I suppose not.” He put detergent in the dishwasher and closed the door. “I guess I thought we could at least be friends.”
“Wouldn’t it be a little embarrassing to have you there, Lester? Maybe it would bring back memories she’d rather not have on her wedding day.”
I was putting the best spin on it I could, and Lester perked up. “That’s probably it. Yeah, I suppose that’s it. What’s Dad giving her, do you know?”
“A gift certificate for the Melody Inn. Help them start a really nice CD collection.”
“Yeah, she’d like that,” said Lester.
We stayed in the kitchen as long as we could, not wanting to bother Dad and Miss Summers. I wanted her to realize how easily she could have lost him, if not to illness, then to Janice Sherman. I wanted her to know how lonely she’d be if she had, and how she belonged here, on our sofa in front of the fireplace. The fact was, of course, that Dad hadn’t been about to die, she hadn’t almost lost him to Janice Sherman, but didn’t she have any imagination?
Later, when I passed the doorway to put Janice’s pot in the refrigerator, I saw Dad and Miss Summers by the front door. She had her coat on and they were standing about three inches apart. He had his hands on her waist, and she had hers folded behind his neck. They were smiling at each other.
I moved quickly away, but I couldn’t resist one last peek. This time she was in his arms with her hands on his chest, his
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