clothesline in years,” Lilly laughed. “You put them in the dryer and I’ll have no more talk about you not using what’s here. Those appliances don’t get enough of a workout as it is.”
Annie’s face bunched and Lilly thought for sure she was going to start bawling, but she held onto her composure and nodded. “Thank you, thank you more than I can say.”
“Nonsense. I’ll look in these bags and see what can be salvaged.”
Krank clicked into the kitchen and looked from one of them to the other. Apparently satisfied at some doggie level he headed for the patio door and stood waiting to be let out.
“I’ll be switched,” Lilly said. “He sure does know how to behave. Who’d have thought?”
Annie smiled. “He isa good dog.” She reached to open the door to let Krank out and saw the havoc he’d wrought in their absence. “Oh… my… God.” The tears she’d managed to master broke like a busted dam. She sank to the floor and wept choking sobs.
Marie and Caleb rushed in. “What did you do to her?” Caleb yelled, going to his mother. The gentle arm he placed around her shoulders was at odds with the fury he flashed at Lilly as he patted Annie ineffectually.
Marie was on her knees next to her mother, silent tears streaming down her face. Krank licked Annie’s arm, which seemed to get her attention when nothing else could.
“No, Caleb,” she said, and straightened her shoulders. She placed a comforting arm around the two children. “Mrs. Irish…” Annie saw the barely discernable flicker in the older woman’s eyes, “Aunt Lilly didn’t do anything.”
She turned to look out into the yard and opened the door so Krank could go out.
“But look what Krank did.”
Caleb’s mouth dropped open.
“Wow,” Marie whispered.
Caleb darted a look at Lilly, his shoulders hunched up around his ears, and Marie hid behind her mother.
Lilly was at a loss. What did they expect her to do? She’d already been through her disappointment and there was no more to be said.
“Well, then, I don’t think this food is going to get any better for sitting here. When did you pick it up? You don’t think it has spoiled do you?”
The words seemed to give Annie the boost she needed to pull herself together.
“I shouldn’t think so. Caleb, Marie, put your jackets on and go do what you can to clean up Krank’s mess.”
Lilly started to protest that she would do the cleanup but realized doing so would inject one more complication for Annie to deal with.
“I’ll get the jackets, I’ll get the jackets,” Marie sing-songed. She skipped down the hall and disappeared.
Caleb toed the hardwood floor.
“Go on, boy,” Lilly said. “We’ll put your dinner together.”
It was evident he wanted to say something but was at a loss for the right words.
Marie skipped into the room wearing her hooded sweatshirt, one hand dragging Caleb’s jacket behind her. She held the stuffed pig firmly under her arm. Annie gently pushed Caleb toward the door. After a brief hesitation he shrugged into his jacket and stepped outside.
Annie looked up from where she still knelt by the door. “I think it’s time I tell you a little about us.”
“Yes, I think that would be a good idea.”
At that moment Alex came into the family room rubbing at his sleepy eyes.
Peace at last! Everyone is down for the night, including the dog. What an afternoon and evening. The food was mostly salvageable. I heated up mashed potatoes from last night, layered that with the chicken strips and topped it with left over mixed vegetables. The whole lot of them thought I was off my rocker but not a single person turned it down! Krank ate the hamburger patties from the DQ meals, after we threw the sodden bread away. I made a quick chocolate sheet cake and put that with ice cream. All in all, a pretty good meal if I do say so.
The children apparently had quite a day, which didn’t include getting registered in school. I never got the details but from the dour look on Caleb’s face he wasn’t too happy. Truth be told everyone was subdued, probably tired. All that traveling and then cleaning up after that dog. I will give Annie credit; whatever she asks, those children do.
A snuffling noise startled Lilly until she remembered that the dog, for some bizarre reason, had decided there was nothing for it but that he would sleep in her room. Every attempt to dissuade him had ended up in dog whines and barks of protest. Since he seemed content enough to settle down on the floor at the foot of her bed, she decided it was better to leave him to it rather than have Phyllis Arrington call the police because of his barking.
Caleb and Marie had been thoroughly put out by the whole thing, quite upset the animal wanted to be with her rather than one of them. At some fundamentally childish level Lilly felt like crowing. Served them right for being so snippy.
I absolutely hate having animals in the house. No matter how clean they are they’re still dirty in my mind. All that dog hair and bad breath. I mean, really, animals should be outside. Annie said that Krank is, despite his size, a housedog and knows how to behave himself. You couldn’t prove it by me! Then again, maybe being someplace new has unsettled him. I know change has that effect on me. Of course I don’t go tear up people’s garages and yards!
She twitched her nose.
I’m on the schedule tomorrow. Annie said she will get Caleb and Marie registered in school. She wants to look for a job. I don’t know how I feel about that. I’m okay with her contributing to the additional expenses caused by them being here. What I don’t like is the implication they will be around for awhile. I’m an old woman. I don’t know how long I can put up with the chaos, and is there ever chaos!
Getting Marie to bed took Annie a good hour. Alexander flat out refused to take a bath. That’s when it came out he’d wet his pants and soaked Caleb at the same time. Peeing on stuff seems to be a big thing with these people, and their dog too.
Annie asked me about getting a job at ShopMart. I discouraged that. Aside from the pay being downright embarrassing, I don’t want a situation where I might have to pick up her slack.
Lilly’s eyes began to droop and the last line fairly scrawled across the page. She yawned mightily and closed the journal. Eleven o’clock. She wouldn’t be worth a nickel at work if she didn’t get some rest.
She placed the journal in the drawer in her nightstand and took out a different one. It had been some time since she had written in this journal, or even looked at it. She touched the cover and ran her fingers over the letters: Lilly’s Prayer Journalwritten in formal script. She had several of them filled with daily reflections and prayers and more that remained empty. Harve had given her the blank books as a gift. He’d had them made for her by a friend of his who did specialty bookbinding.
The cover was imprinted with a splash of salmon colored tiger lilies against a white background. Tiger lilies were her favorite flower. She loved the color but she mostly loved the fact that it took absolutely nothing to make them grow.
She thought back to when he had given her the books. She was having a time of it trying to be the kind of wife Harve needed and the best substitute mom possible, and feeling she was failing on every front. Lilly loved her husband dearly but continued to have doubts about how long their marriage would last. Her insecurities made doing the right things for the right reasons a daily challenge. She was frustrated with being proper and nice and available to everyone.
Her mother and father added to her stress by constantly calling to see if she had heard from Milly, or to relate Milly’s latest news, which usually involved