Ready or Not (Aggie's Inheritance) (51 page)

Aggie says:
What?

Tina says:
Someone at the door, it
’
s late, going to go.
Love you, girl.
Keep that upper lip nice and stiff!
Hee hee.

Aggie says:
Like it
’
s coated in Julie
’
s hairspray.

Tina says:
Hee hee… nighters!

Aggie says:
Nighters.

Getting the Point

Wednesday, June 26
^th

William, still in a state of semi-shock, ducked back into his cruiser, and drove cautiously down the driveway, watching for darting children as he did. Mrs. Dyke was in clear view on her porch, and William sighed. He knew the grandmotherly woman could have overheard enough to provide a feast at whatever event the local gossips had planned. Should he assume
“
least said, soonest mended
”
or do damage control now? Slamming his fist on the steering wheel, he turned into her driveway. Damage control was necessary for Mrs. Dyke and her cronies.

The crunch of his tires on the gravel reminded him of his childhood. How many times had he run across the same gravel driveway as a boy? How often had his feet scattered the tiny rocks into the grass on his way to Mrs. Dyke
’
s cookie jar and Mr. Dyke
’
s stories from WWII? The memories were bittersweet, but William wouldn
’
t trade them for anything.

“
Hello, Mrs. Dyke. I thought I should stop in and say hi while I was in the vicinity.
”
William
’
s gaze always softened a tad when he saw the deepening lines on the woman
’
s face. Winnie Dyke had seemed old when William was ten.

“
William, you even talk like a policeman when you are
off
duty.
”
Smiling, she patted the swing beside her.
“
Ok, son, its time you learned a few facts; you like facts. Not everyone appreciates being on the receiving end of your lawman stance.
”
At William
’
s bewildered look, she grinned and continued.
“
Son, being a policeman is so much a part of you, that you don
’
t realize how often you treat people like they are wayward children caught toilet papering someone
’
s house. It
’
s time to learn to be an average Joe when you are off duty.
”

For what seemed like minutes, William stood in front of her and thought about her words. Understanding eventually dawned, and he sank wearily onto the swing
’
s bench. They rocked in silence for a time, before William stood, gave the elderly woman a kiss on the forehead, and drove off into the night. He had much to think about and add to his prayer list.

Walking into his townhome, William began his nightly routine. He changed his clothes, fed his fish, gathered and sorted his mail, and then sat down at his computer. He paid the bills, checked his email, read the one blog he enjoyed, and shut off his laptop again.

That task done, William picked up his phone and activated his voice mail. He deleted three phone calls, making notes to return one from the station regarding Aggie and ignoring the other two. The last call startled him. The voice of Luke Sullivan filled his ear.
“
Uhh, William? This is Luke Sullivan. I
’
ve been working on Aggie
’
s house
--
I
’
d
--
well, I
’
d like to talk to you for a few minutes if you have the time. Maybe coffee at Espresso Yourself? I
’
ll be there at seven tomorrow morning, and
--
well
--
hope to see you, if you can make it. Well, thanks. Bye.
”

With the call to the station regarding Aggie forgotten, William sat in thought before flipping his phone shut. He turned out all the lights, crawled beneath the sheets of his perfectly made bed, and laying in the darkness, he prayed.

William
’
s prayers were more formal and adult versions of his childhood,
“
Now I lay me down to sleep.
”
With the blessings on everyone included, William ended his prayer and switched on his alarm. Remembering the coffee shop, he reset it for an hour earlier. Just before drifting off to sleep, William whispered his first spontaneous prayer in years.
“
Lord, help me know how to deal with Aggie. I am so lost.
”

* * *

Luke held the phone in hand a moment before hanging up. He
’
d considered making the call from the moment he heard the screen door slam shut and saw the pained look on William Markenson
’
s face, but the decision hadn
’
t been easy. He rarely interfered in other people
’
s relationships; however, Markenson had asked that Luke tell him if the deputy could do anything to help make things easier for Aggie. He knew that William would not appreciate any interference, but it appeared to Luke that William was becoming more personally interested in Aggie. After an evening in deep prayer, he made the call.

Thursday, June 27
^th

Luke was at Espresso Yourself early the next morning, his worn Bible open to the book of James. He kept pondering the verse
“
he who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin.
”
By the time William arrived, Luke thought he knew what he wanted to say.

“
Have a seat, Markenson. Can I order you anything? Juice, coffee?
”
William just looked over at the teenager behind the counter and nodded before turning to Luke.

“
She
’
ll take care of it, but thanks. I
’
d like you to tell me why we are here.
”
William was not sure he wanted to hear what this handyman had to say, but the officer in him couldn
’
t ignore the relational equivalent of a tip.

Luke was silent. With a steady gaze, he examined William
’
s face and then sighed.
“
Well, you aren
’
t going to like what I have to say.
”
The look on William
’
s face almost stopped Luke before he could continue.

One of Luke
’
s characteristic pauses drove William finally to say,
“
Spit it out, Sullivan,
”
in a low but firm tone.

Luke smiled, and William decided to wait for Luke to get out whatever he had on his mind.
“
William, I am going to step out and tell you something. Aggie needs your friendship. She enjoys your friendship.
”
Silence followed again, and William felt like shaking it out of him.
“
But, I have to tell you
--
well, I guess what I
’
m trying to say is, Aggie isn
’
t a child. She doesn
’
t appreciate being treated like one.
”

William started to speak, but Luke held up his hand. Shocked and indignant, he started to protest, but Luke continued.
“
Aggie felt exactly the same way, William. She didn
’
t like being treated like a child any
more than you did just now. And
--
well, you being filled in on her life probably didn
’
t help. She
’
s not used to a small town.
”

Lost in thought, William pushed his chair away from the table without a word. Before leaving, he started to speak, but Luke preempted him.
“
Look, Markenson, I know this was none of my business, but I had to say something, especially after you asked me to let you know if you could ever help. Aggie has a huge burden on her shoulders, and she
’
s doing great. But, well, she can only handle so much, and I think it
’
s our job, as Christian brothers, you know, to make sure we don
’
t add to that burden.
”
Luke sighed and then added,
“
Think what you will of me, but let
’
s agree that Aggie needs our help. The only reason I called you was to try to help you see how you can help.
”

William grew increasingly angry at the thought of Luke interfering in his and Aggie
’
s lives. The fact that he
’
d invited comment eluded him in his growing fury. He nodded curtly at Luke and pushed his way out the door, holding it for a businesswoman as he did. Unaccustomed to being corrected or advised, the officer didn
’
t appreciate the interference. Deep down, however, William also suspected that he was bothered by the fact that Luke was probably right. What he couldn
’
t decide, was why Luke was willing to help his friendship with Aggie. He
’
d been sure Luke had his own ideas about a so-called friendship with Aggie.

* * *

Aggie awoke wondering why William had never returned her call. It was after seven o
’
clock, but the house was silent, and everyone still slept soundly. Aggie climbed out of bed and wandered into the kitchen to make her favorite cup of coffee. She found the coffee open and spilled in the corner of the makeshift kitchen. With a weary sigh, Aggie poured a glass of iced tea and went out to sit on the porch. She wondered, yet again, if she
’
d ever have anything untouched and destroyed by meddling fingers.