Ready or Not (Aggie's Inheritance) (11 page)

She felt bad about being difficult when she
’
d asked for the elderly man
’
s help, so Aggie agreed to see the house. She arranged for a sitter with one of the names on her volunteer list, and a couple of hours later, Aggie and Zeke zipped down the highway between Brant
’
s Corners and Rockland. Before long, they pulled into an overgrown circular dirt driveway.

“
Here we are, missy. Pretty place, isn
’
t it? Those trees are a hundred years old, but the house is near about fifty. They had a nasty fire back in the forties and didn
’
t rebuild for almost ten years. Those oaks made it through the fire beautifully, though; didn
’
t they?
”

Aggie sat, hands wrapped around the steering wheel, and stared in silence. Before her, in all its decrepit glory, was the house of her dreams. Built like a cross between an old farmhouse and a Victorian mausoleum, it had a
“
turret
”
on one side and a lovely bay window on the other. A railed porch curved around the front of the turret, wrapping it gently like a blanket. Broken lattice ran along the front of the house, below the porch, and left the effect of broken teeth in a much-neglected mouth. The picture tugged at Aggie
’
s heart and reminded her of her English classes where they
’
d dissected Edgar Allen Poe and his poems. She wanted to restore the home
’
s dignity and beauty and hear her children
’
s laughter ring from its windows.

The oaks Zeke spoke of were huge sprawling trees that almost completely hid the house from the road. On one side, an orchard of fruit trees, covered in buds, almost entirely blocked the view of the highway. With a tall fence running along the road, the children would be safe from passing cars. The back of the property showed both the most neglect and the most promise. There was room for a huge garden, a massive play area, and beyond that, a meadow for horses.

Dilapidated stalls and an abandoned barn stood in the far corner of the property, waiting to house new equine friends.

The back door was unlocked, much to their delight, and it took very little time for Zeke and Aggie to explore the basement, the attic, full of exciting treasures, and all the bedrooms. Skepticism filled her heart at the dank odor that permeated every room. Although Zeke assured her that the plumbing was sound, the wiring, although inadequate, was safe, and the foundation secure, she wondered if paint could kill the scents of age and decay. He admitted that he hadn
’
t inspected the roof but said he remembered his nephew saying that it wouldn
’
t need replacing for a few years.

Aggie, having kept a mental tally running as she examined the property, was certain she could not afford both the house and the repairs it would require. Prepared to admit it was beyond her budget, she asked for the amount in back taxes. Zeke
’
s reply astounded her. For one-third the cost of comparable houses near the current Stuart home, Aggie could purchase this one. The sale of their house could finance the repairs and furnishing of the new home. She could do this!

Aggie returned home and phoned Mr. Moss with the details.
“
Can you take care of the purchase of that house and submit a reasonable offer to sell this house to the Stuarts?
”

* * *

Cari and Lorna dashed through the room, decorating it with toilet paper. Aggie took up the chase, trying to prevent the TP
’
ing of the house. Exasperated, Aggie called
“
Stop,
”
and both little girls paused
--
stunned at Aggie
’
s tone. Desperate for a little order, Aggie called all the children into the house and explained that for safety and sanity, she was instituting her first hard and fast rule. Anytime they heard the Aggie say the word
“
stop,
”
they were to freeze as if they were playing freeze tag.

Following the incident with the toilet paper, Aggie decided to have one of the twins
’
hair styled in a nice pixie, so she could tell the difference between the girls. After weeks of trying daily, and years of visits, she still hadn
’
t been able to differentiate between the two, very identical, twins. It was time to change all that.

With Vannie
’
s help, Aggie figured out which girl was Lorna and drove them all to Allie
’
s favorite hair salon. Lorna was getting a pretty pixie cut, and Aggie was going to regain at least a small fraction of her former sanity. Cari cried and wailed as Lorna
’
s snipped curls fell to the floor. Aggie tried to comfort her, but keeping seven children from taking up all the waiting space and creating mayhem at the same time was more than enough for her abilities.

Sunday, March 17
^th

Aggie awoke to a mess. She spied wisps of hair scattered from here to there and everywhere in between. Groggily, she followed the trail and to her dismay, found a very scraggily looking Cari. The now shaggy twin wandered aimlessly through the house whacking off hair as her hand found uncut patches on her head. Aggie stole quietly behind the child and tried not to scare her into an unfortunate whack that would surely make things worse.

“
I
’
ll take those,
”
Aggie said, as she pulled the scissors from Cari
’
s overly creative hands.
“
What do you think you are doing?
”
Aggie
’
s words were stern and low.

It took every ounce of self-control not to scream at the child. Cari
’
s beautiful curls were gone. Her hair looked like one of those freakish teen styles that fill parents
’
hearts with dread. She also didn
’
t know what to do. If she took the child to get the mess corrected, she
’
d not know how to tell the two girls apart again. Regardless of the quandary, she had to do something! The child looked frightful!

“
I wook wike Worna.
”
Cari
’
s voice broke through to Aggie
’
s thoughts.

“
What, honey?
”

“
Wins
‘
posed to wook a same. I
wook wike Worna
.
”
Cari
’
s tone was both defiant and emphatic.

“
Aunt Aggie?
”
Vannie
’
s voice interrupted Aggie
’
s attempt to extricate logic from Cari
’
s announcement.

“
Yes, Vannie? What is it?
”
Resignation crept into Aggie
’
s voice. She
was clueless about how to handle this situation. Clearly, Cari knew it was wrong to cut her hair. The child
’
s face scowling up at her, the piles of hair, and the scissors in her hand were a silent, glaring testimony of Cari
’
s defiance.

“
Can I talk to you?
”
Vannie sounded hesitant, yet serious. Aggie left Cari with stern instructions not to move and followed Vannie to the bathroom.

“
Do you know something I should know?
”

Vannie, after a hesitant start, shared her concerns at the amount of defiance that Cari, and even Kenzie, had shown in recent weeks.
“
Aunt Aggie, Cari
knows
! I know she
’
s little, but she knows. Momma made it
very
plain that they are
not
to touch scissors
ever
. She would not have done this if Momma were here.
”
Vannie
’
s voice caught, but she forced herself to continue.
“
I think Cari knows that you don
’
t know they
’
re not allowed to touch the scissors, and that
’
s why she did it anyway. I overheard her tell Lorna that she
’
d
‘
fix her hair
’
last night, but I didn
’
t understand what she meant.
”

Vannie paused, and then spoke before Aggie could respond.
“
Aunt Aggie, I really think she needs you to give her a spanking. I don
’
t mean to tell you what to do or anything. I
’
m not trying to be disrespectful, honest, but I know Cari. I think she thinks she can push you around.
”
Aggie started to speak but Vannie wasn
’
t finished.
“
She tried it with Grandma Milli
e
a few months ago, and Mom had Grandma spank her for it. She hasn
’
t given Grandma any trouble since. Cari
’
s just one of those children who needs to know who is in charge, or she
’
ll take over.
”

Vannie
’
s eyes pleaded for understanding. After reassuring the girl that she
’
d done the right thing, Aggie sent Vannie downstairs to play with Ian. Minutes later, a weeping and penitent Cari hugged her and apologized.
“
I be
’
ave. I pwomise!
”

Aggie gave the child an extra squeeze and sent her downstairs. She returned to her room, closed the door, flung herself across the bed as she
’
d done so many times when she was a teen, and sobbed. She wasn
’
t prepared for the heartbreak of parenting
any more
than she
’
d been prepared for the work of running a home. She remembered the tearful eyes of her father as he assured her,
“
This will hurt me more than it hurts you.
”
As a child, she
’
d been insulted. She wasn
’
t stupid. She knew it didn
’
t hurt him at all! How wrong she was. Aggie added another mental note to her ever-growing
“
to-do list.
”
“
Call Dad, thank him, and apologize for doubting him.
”