Ready or Not (Aggie's Inheritance) (40 page)

Handing Ian to Laird, Aggie walked up two stair steps, turned, and spoke.
“
Everything is fine. The phone was left on that table next to the playpen, and Ian must have picked it up to play with it. I guess he just hit the right buttons or something; I don
’
t know. No one is hurt; nothing is wrong.
”
Her voice caught as she tried to control herself.
“
I am sorry you came out here for nothing, William. I assure you that everyone here is fine.
”

Turning, Aggie ran back upstairs and locked herself in the bathroom. Luke heard her sobs as he climbed the stairs a short while later. He
’
d introduced himself to the stern officer and assured the mail guy that all was fine. The twins, now awake and wanting snacks, were comforted and the baby moved to the play area that Aggie had corralled off as a safe place. Tavish sat
on
the daybed this time; book in hand, with strict instructions to keep an eye on the little one. Kenzie and Laird were sent to make peanut butter cracker sandwiches for an afternoon snack, and the rest of the children went back outside to play a game of tag.

Luke
’
s gentle knock was almost inaudible over the deep sobs from within.
“
Aggie, please come out. Everything is fine now, really. The deputy is gone, the mail guy left your mail on that funny table with all the drawers in the hallway, and the kids are all settled. I put the phone back on the charger.
”
The sobbing slowly ceased, but the door remained shut.
“
Aggie, I am sorry; it was my fault. I left the phone there and should have put it away.
”
The silence continued. Finally, Luke tried a new tactic.
“
Aggie, I don
’
t care if you are mad at me; you have that right, but those children need to know that
you
are all right. Please go down there and reassure them, ok? I am going to finish up the floor.
”

A good five minutes later, Luke heard the door open and footsteps descending down the stairs. Faint strains of a wobbly hymn drifted up the stairs.
“
When for deeper faith I seek… hill of Calvary I goooooooooo…
”
The handyman had never felt
less
handy in his life. He had no idea how to help her.

Near dinner
time, the room needed only a coat of paint on its walls, and polyurethane on the floor to make it habitable. If this dry spell lasted, they would be able to move Vannie in by the middle to the end of next week. As children raced into the room to see the p
rogress, he glanced at the door
knob and tested it. He
’
d have to replace that first. Somehow, he could just see little Cari and Lorna-sized shoe prints permanently etched into his freshly sealed floors.

* * *

Aggie
’
s heart dropped into her stomach when she saw the phone in Ian
’
s hands. The local sheriff
’
s office must think she was the most inept and irresponsible guardian in the greater Rockland area
--
possibly the entire United States. How had Ian called them anyway? What were the odds that he could get just the right combinations of numbers? Her wail created pandemonium, and the ensuing chaos was more than Aggie could handle. It had been a rough night, followed by a rotten morning, and what had seemed like a somewhat redeemed afternoon just flushed itself away down her toilet. Aggie knew she was acting like an over-emotional teenager as she ran back up the stairs, but right then, she didn
’
t care. Once the flood of tears began, Aggie couldn
’
t seem to stop them. All the pain, frustration, and loss of the last four months flooded to the surface and spilled over until she was a quivering mass of sobs and wails.

Aggie missed her sister. Over the past several years, their time together had been limited to Allie
’
s visits to the Milliken home in Yorktown, but late night chats on the messenger were common, as well as long phone calls. Allie had been so wise and practical, and anytime Aggie needed advice, she turned first to her mother, and then to Allie.

Luke knocked on the door at just the wrong time. Aggie had begun to calm herself down when she heard him ask if she was all right. Somehow, the concern and understanding in his voice was enough to send her into a fresh round of tears. The depth of her emotional response surprised her, but although she tried, she couldn
’
t handle the mental gymnastics necessary to analyze it.

His last plea, on behalf of the children, eventually gave her the strength to stop her emotional roller coaster. He was right; she had to get downstairs and show them that she was just fine. A minute passed before she stood. A glance at the mirror sent her eyes rolling and her hands wiping away the residue of tears. Humming her
“
buck up
”
hymn, Aggie washed her face, brushed her hair, and forced herself to smile. Somehow, it looked more like a grimace to her, but she figured something was better than nothing.

She forced her eyes away from Vannie
’
s room as she passed it. The wavering hymn grew stronger and louder as she descended the stairs.
“
Then to life I turn again… learning all the worth of pain…
”
xi
Aggie wasn
’
t sure how her pain would help, but she was determined not to let it hinder the relationship with her children. They needed her to be strong. Not knowing what she was going to find when she found the children, Aggie stopped singing and yelled,
“
Come out come out wherever you are…
”

The house looked and felt deserted. Cracker crumbs and peanut butter smears covered one corner of the newly cleared counter. An empty jug of juice sat nearby, with plastic cups littering the counters,
floor,
and wastebasket. Looking out the kitchen window, Aggie saw a game of duck, duck, goose, in progress. As was becoming her habit, Aggie started counting heads.
“
Three…five…six. Where are Tavish and Ian?
”
Aggie wondered aloud.

“
Over here, Aunt Aggie. I gave Ian one of those baby biscuits
--
I hope that was ok.
”
Tavish was in his usual horizontal position, with a book in one hand and a peanut butter cracker in the other.

“
Tavish, why don
’
t you go get Cari and Lorna for me. I promised them a story when they woke up, and if I don
’
t do it now, it won
’
t happen.
”
Picking up the filthy baby, Aggie peeled the clothes off of him and rinsed off his face and hands in the sink. Five minutes later, a clean, happy baby sat on her lap while pixie haired twins leaned against her on each side as Aggie read one of Beatrix Potter
’
s tales.

Vannie came into the room as she finished the story and pulled Aggie aside.
“
While you were upstairs, I was hanging the calendar, and I noticed the date!
”
She shook her head as though to clear it.
“
My days are all mixed up since the move and school is out and everything.
”

Aggie looked confused.
“
So, what is today
’
s date?
”

“
It
’
s the fourteenth, Aunt Aggie. It
’
s Kenzie
’
s birthday! I thought it was next week, but it
’
s today!
”

Where had the month gone? Two weeks had already passed in this house.
“
Kenzie
’
s birthday. We have to do something
now
. You go ask Luke if you and I can go into town. We
’
ll buy a cake and get her a present and be back for a
‘
surprise
’
party.
”

Vannie giggled excitedly and tore up the stairs two at a time. Luke
’
s answer must have been in the affirmative, because she sailed back downstairs almost as quickly as she had ascended. In minutes, they zipped toward town discussing their options for celebrating Kenzie
’
s birthday.

“
We could buy her favorite ice cream
--
and a cake from the store… Or, maybe we should buy a mix and a thing of frosting, some candles, sprinkles and a tube of that writing icing. We could let her bake her cake
--
of course, it
’
d probably be kind of messy and taste funny. She would really like that, though.
”
Vannie
’
s ramblings were evidence of her convoluted thought processes.

Aggie agreed. She was willing to go with just about anything, as long as it was reasonable. They discussed every present under the sun. Craft supplies, games,
puzzles,
and dolls were all discarded in the interest of clutter control. Vannie suggested a new comforter and pillow like hers, but Aggie ruled it out.
“
We
’
ll all get new ones anyway. It wouldn
’
t be much of a gift if she
’
s getting one anyway.
”

Vannie pumped her fist, as if she
’
d managed some amazing feat.
“
I just realized what we should get! She has
always
wanted one of those
big
stuffed bears. You know, the ones that you can almost use for a chair, they are so big…
”
Vannie showed Aggie with her arms what she was talking about.
“
They are only about twenty dollars over at Wal-Mart, but can you see her excitement over the
big
box and then the
big
bear…
”

Vannie
’
s voice was almost as excited, as if the impromptu party was for
her
, and it showed in her excessively italicized speech. They found an enormous purple bear holding a pink and white polka dotted smaller one. It
’
d match their new room perfectly, and the bear
’
s quirky expression was exactly the kind of thing to keep it from being just another stuffed animal. They purchased silly party hats and cheap kazoos to add to the celebration. Behind the store, they found a large empty TV box and used the paper and tape they
’
d purchased to wrap the box in the van.