For Keeps (Aggie's Inheritance) (50 page)

Unable to process the afternoon’s events with her mind so foggy from a returning fever, Aggie just sat there for some time. The mail came, bringing the set of history DVDs she’d purchased, but Aggie didn’t join the children for their video. Instead, she sat, her mind lost in confusing memories of the day. Libby read the children stories, helped them finish picking up, and fixed dinner, and still Aggie sat. After a long walk down the road, they returned to find her asleep, tears still fresh on her lashes.

Aggie says:
Mom? Are you on? I really need to talk to you.

Martha says:
I’m here! I was hoping you’d get on. How is everyone doing with the pox today?

Aggie says:
Terrible. I had to take Ellie into the clinic, and now I have a fresh crop of pox of my own.

Martha says:
I’ve never heard of so many eruptions! Did the doctor say anything about it?

Aggie says
: Yep. He said be glad I don’t have shingles yet.

Martha says:
Well, maybe your body is fighting that so much that it can’t kill the pox virus or something.

Aggie says:
Don’t know if that’s possible, but it sounds logical anyway.

Martha says:
I suppose that probably put the kibosh on your test day
of school.

Aggie says:
Yep. And that turned a bad day into an Alexander day.

Martha says:
As in
“
no good
”
etc.?

Aggie says:
That’s the one. My day went from horrible to nightmarish in one visit from William.

Martha says:
Another 9-1-1 from Ian?

Aggie says:
No, worse. Remember that hysterical scene in
“
Pride and Prejudice
”
where Darcy proposes?

Martha says:
Oh, dear. Tell me he didn’t. I was starting to root for Luke.

Aggie says:
That’s another story all together, but um, for the record, what is funny on the screen is not so comical in real life.

Martha says:
Oh, I’m sorry. What happened?

Aggie says:
I didn’t even get a chance to answer. He told me I couldn’t handle life without help, so he decided this was how to solve that little problem, told me what we should do, and then left. I was informed that we’d continue the discussion on Monday after he returns from Seattle.

Martha says:
Seattle?

Aggie says:
Football game. Can you believe it? He’s probably considering it his last bachelor trip or something equally ridiculous.

Martha says:
That sounds a little high-handed, doesn’t it? Even so, are you sure you want to say no?

Aggie says:
Oh, mom. Even if I were in love with him, WHICH I AM NOT, I’d still say no.

Martha says:
Why is that?

Aggie says:
The guy has a Galahad complex. That whole bit about how I can’t cope without his help was just too much. It was insulting, and the pathetic part is, he thought he was being encouraging!

Martha says:
Well, it’s not exactly the dream proposal, is it?

Aggie says:
Not hardly. So, mother dear, how do I gently tell him to forget the idea. Indefinitely. I don’t want to be rude or unkind, but it shouldn’t be too hard to be blunt and tactful since I know he isn’t doing this out of his undying love for me. I just want to make sure it doesn’t come up again and that he doesn’t decide it has to do with his past or anything.

Martha says:
Oh, no. We wouldn’t want that. I suppose it wouldn’t
work to tell him that the last you heard, you didn’t request the services of Galahad.

Aggie says:
*giggles* That’s the truth. I wish I could do it without sounding snarky. I would.

Martha says:
Just be honest. Once it’s over, he’ll probably be just as relieved as he was when you told him you didn’t want to do the dating thing.

Aggie says:
Yeah, what’s with that? We were both relieved. Why do this when we were both happy not to
“
go there?
”

Martha says:
It’s like you said. He’s trying to save you from yourself.

Aggie says:
Well, all he’s doing is ruining a perfectly good friendship.

Martha says:
He’ll get over it.

Aggie says:
Do you think he’s right? Am I really blowing it with the kids?

Martha says:
Absolutely not. Your father and I are so proud of you. I wondered how you’d cope with so many new things at once, but you’ve done an amazing job. Allie couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome to their tragedy.

Aggie says:
Thanks, Mom. I really needed to hear that tonight.

Martha says
: I have a few more things to say sometime, but I’m getting that
“
Get to bed, woman
”
look from your father. I’ve been a little winded this week, and you know how he gets about that.

Aggie says:
Go to bed. I’ll bug you tomorrow.

Martha says:
We’ll be down for Vannie’s birthday, and your father finally agreed to Thanksgiving at our house. Can you bring up the kids for that?

Aggie says:
We’ll be there. I’ll bring air mattresses, and we’ll all sleep in the basement, so don’t go to any work or anything.

Martha says:
Your dad will love that. No work for me makes him a very happy man. He forgets that I love to prepare for guests.

Aggie says
: Mom?

Martha says:
Hmm?

Aggie says:
Go to bed. I love you!

Martha says:
You’re as bad as your father
--
maybe worse! Night, honey. I love you too.

Aggie says:
Goodnight.

Mushiness

Monday, September 22
^nd

Tina called Aggie early Monday afternoon apologizing profusely for missed and unreturned calls.
“
Sorry I didn’t get back to you. I dropped my stupid phone in class, and I couldn’t get in to get it until today. My laptop battery died, no one in town has one, and now I know why it is stupid not to have a landline. How is everyone?
”

“
Ellie’s finally better, I haven’t had a new pox eruption since Friday, which I consider good, and William proposed.
”

“
He what?
”
Tina sounded both stunned and a little disappointed.

“
Yep. Apparently he thinks I’m completely incompetent, so he decided to be magnanimous and put me out of my misery by marrying me.
”

Silence hung in the air for a moment.
“
Do you mean to tell me that he said those things or something close?
”

“
So close that
feels
verbatim even though I know it isn’t.
”

“
I’ll kill him.
”

“
For you,
”
Aggie teased,
“
that’s the equivalent of, oh, you’ll spit and claw like our kitten every time the puppies come near it. Completely ineffectual, by the way. I’ve discovered that puppies aren’t very intelligent.
”

“
I’ll have to up my game to at least a verbal claw or two.
”

Aggie stepped out the door to see if the twins were still building rock houses in the driveway.
“
Something else happened after all that.
”

“
Luke clobber him?
”

“
No, but he told me I shouldn’t marry William.
”

Tina laughed.
“
Well, that wasn’t surprising, considering he’s been waiting for you to notice he’s a man for the past two months.
”

Jaw slack, Aggie shook her head as if to clear it.
“
You
--
why didn’t you say something?
”

“
Because he didn’t. It’s not my job to be his mouthpiece. You’ve forgotten that my name is Tina, not Aaron.
”

“
Funny. Very funny. Libby tried to hint, but I think I tuned her out or something.
”

“
You have a lot on your plate, Aggie. On top of everything, there’s William and the worst dates in the history of
--”
Tina snickered.
“
Ok, so they weren’t that bad.
”

“
Bad enough. Anyway, he told me he cares about me, and now I’m just confused.
”

“
About what?
”

For several seconds, Aggie struggled to articulate her problem. At last, she sighed, flopped onto her back, and said,
“
Because none of this makes sense. I’m supposed to be teaching kids how to multiply and do fractions, not weeding out my relational prospects.
”

“
Well, after I give William a piece of my mind, I’ll take the big lug off your hands. Meanwhile, you’ll have to decide what you think of Luke, but don’t you hurt him.
”

“
Gee,
”
Aggie began dryly,
“
thanks for the support.
”

The sound of rock against house sent Aggie flying for the door.
“
I’ve got to go. They’re firing on Fort Stuart.
”