Ready or Not (Aggie's Inheritance) (52 page)

As she drank in the beauty of the sunlight dancing across the lawn and reveled in the scent of alfalfa growing in the field across the road, visions of lovely wicker furniture and hanging plants for the porch flooded her mind with dreams of how things would be, and prayerfully soon. For now, she sat on a picnic bench that one of the children dragged out of the back shed. As she ran her fingers over the rough surface, she saw WJN carved into the wood and wondered who WJN had been. How long ago had he carved his, or was it her, initials in this bench, and why? Was it done idly and without thought, or was there purpose or perhaps rebellion in doing so? Did some little boy, long ago, carve his secret love
’
s initials into the bench that now occupied a place on her porch?

Aggie heard the crunch of footsteps and saw Mrs. Dyke walking down her driveway toward her. It took the elderly woman some time to come, but Aggie sensed that she wouldn
’
t want help. Not wanting to wake the children, Aggie just smiled and beckoned warmly. She dashed into the house and found a couch pillow to set down for the elderly woman.

“
Good morning, Mrs. Dyke. So happy to see you today.
”
Aggie hoped that she was telling the truth. She still hadn
’
t decided if the elderly woman was friend or foe.

Mrs. Dyke looked at the glass of iced tea and smiled.
“
Out of coffee?
”

Aggie laughed and nodded.
“
I would give anything for a real cup of French Crème, but this
’
ll have to do.
”
Mrs. Dyke smiled and then patted Aggie
’
s knee.

“
I am going to tell you something about young William. He feels bad about the way he acted yesterday, but he didn
’
t know quite how to tell you. I am here to ask you to accept a dinner invitation with him next Friday night. Do you think you could forgive him enough to go?
”
The eager woman seemed impatient for an answer.

Aggie was flabbergasted. Opening her mouth and then closing it again, twice, Aggie answered.
“
I
’
d be happy to, I think. I just don
’
t know who would watch the children… and, well, I guess I don
’
t understand why he didn
’
t ask me himself.
”

Mrs. Dyke smiled and appeared delighted.
“
Aggie, hon, it
’
s hard for a man to say he
’
s sorry. I think he just needs a bit of encouragement and help. Meanwhile, I
’
ll watch the children if need be, but I bet old Zeke Sullivan would love to help that nephew of his watch them. I overheard him braggin
’
on those kids of yours just the other day.
”

Aggie hesitantly agreed and promised to let the older woman know if she needed sitting services. Looking down at her unsatisfactory iced tea, Aggie suddenly tossed it into the lilac bush and turned to her new friend.
“
Mrs. Dyke, were you serious when you said you would be willing to watch the children? I would really love some real coffee, and this just isn
’
t cutting it.
”
She paused to watch the older woman
’
s face before continuing.
“
Would you mind if I ran to the store? Everyone is still asleep in there, and you
’
d likely just fall asleep from boredom, but I sure would appreciate it.
”
She was almost holding her breath in anticipation. This was the first time in over four months that she might have a chance to do something
just
for her.

Shooed from the house, with instructions not to come back for a couple of hours, Aggie drove away, feeling both free and guilty at the same time. Mrs. Dyke sat on the sofa with a Jane Austen movie, snickering at the hidden jokes that so many of today
’
s generation would miss. Aggie had the van windows down and the wind was doing a number on her hair, but she felt carefree and enjoyed the trip.

Driving toward the store, Aggie passed a little café. The name on the storefront made her smile. Interested, she turned back and parked out front. Someone had an imagination. Walking to the door, Aggie noticed Luke sitting at the corner window table, Bible laid out in front of him and intent on what he was reading. She watched him pause, take a couple of notes, and continue reading. A man tried coming out of the door and Aggie
’
s startled
“
Pardon me,
”
caused Luke to look up. He smiled and motioned her over, but Aggie ordered her coffee first.

“
Morning, Luke. I am playing hooky!
”
Her bright smile and carefree expression were welcome changes from the past few weeks of strain and fatigue. She took a long drink of her coffee before continuing.
“
It
’
s just eight, and I
’
ve already had a full day!
”

Luke looked startled and checked his watch. The look of dismay on his face was comical. Beginning to apologize, Luke was silenced with Aggie
’
s ringing laughter.
“
Luke, you are the first person I have ever heard of who lost track of time while reading the Bible as an excuse for being
‘
late
’
to work. Relax and enjoy yourself. The work
’
ll wait. So, what are you reading?
”
She glanced around her, a look of blissful contentment on her face.
“
Oh, doesn
’
t this place smell heavenly. I
’
ve missed writing college papers in my favorite coffee shop until all hours of the night.
”

The next thirty minutes were spent discussing James and contrasting his words with the Apostle Paul. They chatted over their very different styles of coffee like old friends. Luke saw a deeper side to the
sometimes-scatterbrained
Aggie, and she saw his deep faith and struggles with accepting that he couldn
’
t fix every problem that came along.

Luke seemed embarrassed to share his favorite verse with Aggie, but finally said,
“
I remember James chapter four where it says
‘
to him who knows the
right
thing to do and does not do it, to
him
it is sin
’
and I remind myself that if you know the
right
thing to do then it
’
s ok to do something.
”

Aggie smiled and agreed. When nine o
’
clock rolled around, Aggie sighed.
“
I sure wish it was ten. I
’
d love to go have my hair washed and trimmed. It
’
s looking so ratty these days. I just can
’
t see expecting Mrs. Dyke to stay any longer.
”

Luke watched as Aggie looked critically at the ends of her hair. He couldn
’
t see anything wrong with it but concluded that he
’
d never understood his sisters on this point, so why would Aggie be any different? Her sigh, combined the look of resignation and determination that set into her features, made him realize that she had probably not been able to do much of anything just for herself since assuming care of the children.

“
Aggie, A Cut Above is open now. Go on over and then go get you some coffee for home. I
’
ll go over and relieve Mrs. Dyke. I can do some work on the kitchen while the kids play.
”
Silence followed. Aggie had learned to read Luke and realized that he wasn
’
t finished.
“
Actually, maybe I
’
ll scrape the outside trim while they play. It seems safer somehow. I
’
ll take the phone with me too.
”

Aggie snickered inwardly but tried not to laugh. She couldn
’
t tell if Luke was joking or not. His eyes were looking at the Bible in front of him, but he was almost too still. Finally, Aggie couldn
’
t take any more suspense. She leaned way over the table and tried to peer at him. His head came up, and Aggie saw the twinkle in his eye. Trying not to spew her coffee into his face, Aggie choked it down, coughing and wheezing, until Luke pounded her back out of sheer desperation. The action, thoughtful though it was, didn
’
t help, and Aggie finally begged him to stop.

Though she knew that she would have a
very
sore back the next day, Aggie laughed and joked with Luke all the way out to the curb. They parted company and went their own ways, each with a completely different project in mind. Aggie headed toward the hair salon, praying that they would have an opening for a walk-in. She reflected on her conversation with Luke and thanked the Lord again for friends who shared her faith.

Luke, on the other hand, drove away troubled, though unsure as to why. Shaking off the somber mood that threatened to overtake him, he stopped at the store, bought another jug of juice, drove to Aggie
’
s place, and sent Mrs. Dyke home with profuse thanks. The woman had no doubt that she
’
d been a blessing when Luke was done thanking her for Aggie
’
s sake.

Rounding up the children, he sent them all out back to play while he worked on scraping the trim. After a time, Luke noticed that Vannie was off by herself, swinging on the back porch swing. The poor girl looked exhausted. Wondering if he should do anything, Luke decided just to observe her for a while. The third time he heard Vannie snap at, and then send one of the twins away, Luke decided to talk to the girl.

“
Vannie? Are you all right?
”
One of his characteristic pauses surfaced before Luke continued.
“
You don
’
t seem to be quite yourself.
”
He placed his hand on her shoulder and waited for her answer. The girl seemed near tears, but eventually she spoke.

“
I
’
m ok, I guess. My stomach hurts
--
sort of. I have a headache too, and these guys won
’
t leave me alone for even a second.
”
Vannie
’
s voice was irritated and tense.