Ready or Not (Aggie's Inheritance) (39 page)

Several hundred dollars, two box helpers, and a half an hour later, the food was bagged and stored in the van. The children held bags on their laps, under their seats, and between their feet. All the way home, she tried to compare the large trip with her near daily rushes into stores for basic staples and wondered just how long the food would last. Surely, it
’
d be a week or two
--
maybe even three if she was careful.

Luke jogged out to the van as Aggie drove up the drive. Before Aggie and Vannie could climb from the front seats, he had the twins on the ground with bags of bread in their hands to carry into the house. Smiling, he passed Ian to her and urged her to go rest while he and the children brought in the food. Aggie was amazed at how that one small act of courtesy could mean so much, and, not knowing how to express her gratitude, she gave him a weak but heart-felt smile and said,
“
Thank you, Luke, I appreciate the help.
”

Luke felt her thanks as well as heard them, and it was apparent that they were partially the result of overwork and under-appreciation. He determined, as he loaded his arms with nearly a dozen plastic bags, to make sure he found many opportunities to help her, and especially compliment her, in the coming weeks. Some said Luke
’
s spiritual gift was service, and his specialty was observation. He was a fixer.

Before long, all the bags of groceries were piled around the living room and kitchen. Every table, counter, and most of the floor was covered with bags upon bags of food. Aggie had the daunting task of quickly putting away the perishables, while trying to come up with some organizational system of knowing what was in there and where to find it again. As he piled meat in an empty laundry basket, Luke commented on the need for a deep freeze, so Aggie snatched a crayon from the floor under the table and began a list of needs. It took some creative rearranging, but all the food was safely stored away forty minutes later. Luke promised to return in the morning with a freezer for the meat that was sitting on shelves in the refrigerator.

“
You won
’
t have time to cook it all before it goes bad.
”

Collapsing on the couch, Aggie realized that she had just bought enough food to feed them all and now had no energy with which to
make
any of it. Tears formed in Aggie
’
s eyes as she wondered, for what seemed the millionth time, how her sister had ever managed to keep things running so smoothly without wearing out. Ian crawled up to her and lifted his arms to be held. Within seconds of settling in Aggie
’
s arms, Ian slept soundly. He
’
d missed his morning nap, causing him to enter a deep sleep quite quickly.

A short while later, Luke came in and sat across from her.
“
Miss Milliken?
”

Aggie interrupted.
“
It
’
s Aggie. I am going to call you Luke. Partly, because I don
’
t even
know
your last name, but mostly because I am hoping that you
’
ll consider me a friend.
”

Luke started over using her first name. He told her that the children were making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and having chips with them.
“
I brought a jug of juice with me to bribe the kids into liking me, so they are guzzling that as well.
”
Luke winked and continued.

“
I have the wires fixed. It really didn
’
t take long. If it makes you feel better, the other guy may not have known what he was doing, but he managed to get the boxes in right, without destroying the walls, and just mixed the wires in a way that I can
’
t even imagine. Not exactly a good thing, but not the end of the world either, you know?
”
Aggie smiled and nodded, too tired to answer.

“
I think that the little roundish room you asked me about just needs the old carpeting removed, floors refinished, and a good coat of paint. I already checked, and there are beautiful hardwood floors under that green, shaggy monstrosity. All in all, I think I can have it ready for her to move into by next Thursday or Friday night, if you want me to do it. I
’
ll go get the paint tonight on my way home, but with your ok, I can pull out that carpeting right after I eat my lunch.
”
Luke seemed to hesitate. Aggie couldn
’
t decide if he had another question or if there was something else.

“
Thank you, Luke. I
’
d appreciate you taking out that carpeting. I am so tired; I doubt I can do anything more right now. I was hoping to do most of the work around here myself. Save money, you know? Well, I see that I am going to need more help than I thought.
”
She paused a moment, trying to read his face. She wondered why other people didn
’
t have open book faces like hers.
“
So, if you
’
ll tell me how much time you have to work on this place, I have a feeling that I can fill it up. On the other hand, the good news is that we have the paint for that room. I bought it last week.
”

Luke excused himself and went into the kitchen. Taken aback, Aggie slowly became afraid she had overwhelmed him with too much work already. Mentally, she began writing a
“
help wanted
”
ad for the local classifieds and prayed that the Lord would protect her from people like her first electrician.

When Luke returned, he held two paper plates piled with salad and lasagna. Setting them on the makeshift coffee table, Luke lifted sleeping Ian from her lap and laid him in the nearby playpen. Something about the take-charge actions irritated her and blessed her at the same time. Luke offered to pray for the meal once he
’
d returned to his seat. Still stunned, Aggie nodded and bowed her head.
“
Lord, thank you for Mom
’
s great leftover lasagna. Thank you for new friends to share it with, and a wonderful old home to restore to Your glory. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
”

Aggie raised her head and smiled.
“
I can tell you are going to be a very difficult person to stay irritated with.
”
Taking a bite of the delicious lunch, Aggie added,
“
And please thank your mother for this. I love lasagna, and the frozen ones just don
’
t quite cut it.
”

Luke smiled, started to speak again, and then hesitated. Aggie smiled, and nodded her encouragement, but it was several minutes before he spoke.
“
Aggie, I like to help. I always have
--
I, well
--
I see a need, and I want to fill it.
”

Long, silent pauses, where he clearly had more to say, almost drove Aggie to distraction, but she tried to hold her tongue. She couldn
’
t decide if she was that nerve-wracking or if it was something peculiar to Luke. As the minutes ticked by, Aggie, ready to scream with frustration, kept chewing so she wouldn
’
t prematurely open her mouth.

“
Sometimes this means I overstep my place. So, if it looks like I
’
m trying to take over, number one, I am not.
”
Luke appeared to be choosing his words carefully.
“
Number two; all you have to do is tell me to back off. I can handle it.
”

All reservations about Luke disappeared with his reassurances. In their place, discouragement arrived and moved into her heart. Any moment, she was certain that he
’
d decide this job was so
not
worth it.

“
Well, Luke, if you haven
’
t noticed already, I can
’
t hide my thoughts. If it
’
s in my head, it
’
s on my face. So, if I look irritated, back off. If you keep that in mind, you and I will do just fine.
”
Aggie smiled to soften her words, and stretched.
“
I feel refreshed after a rest and the excellent food. Let
’
s go tackle that carpet! I
’
ll put the twins down for their naps and be right up.
”

Two hours later, they shoved the carpet out of the window and watched it roll down the roof and onto the ground. Aggie realized it would never fit in the trash can, and was about to have Laird start cutting it into small pieces to be tossed into whatever space was left in the garbage cans on trash day. Luke read her thoughts on her face, grabbed the phone from the hallway, and headed downstairs. He turned to Aggie on the second step,
“
I
’
ll call for a trailer can. They just roll it up to the driveway, and when you tell them you are done, they roll it away. You won
’
t need to call for trash service until you have it taken away either.
”

While he ordered the can, Aggie began sweeping the room of years of dirt that had sifted through the old fibers, nearly choking on the dust, dirt, and the revolting scent of eau de cat urine. An hour later, they were still pulling up tack strips and preparing the floor for sanding and sealing. Hearing a knock at the door, Aggie sprinted down the stairs to see a very concerned Deputy Markenson standing behind the screen
“
at ease.
”

“
Hey, William! Nice to see you; come on in!
”
Aggie started to apologize for her curt words the last time she saw him, but she was interrupted.

“
Aggie, who called us, and why?
”
Aggie
’
s startled face, and the sight of baby Ian chewing on the phone, answered the question for her.

“
Oh,
no
!
”
Her horrified cry was heard upstairs, outdoors, and at the mailbox where the carrier was inserting the daily barrage of junk mail and legal documents. In record time, Luke clamored down the stairs, the mail carrier ran up the drive and opened the door uninvited, and all the children came screaming in the house from the back yard where they had been playing. Even Tavish crawled out of his hideaway that he had created for himself under the day bed.

The result was the instant chaos that she felt trademarked her life these days. The twins woke up crying, and Ian, frightened by Aggie
’
s squeal, began to whimper. The three men looked around for some way to calm the din, but none of them knew just how to do it. With tears running down her face, Aggie mustered all the vocal strength she could and shouted,
“
Stop
!
”
Even little Ian hushed his whimpers for a few seconds.