Review, Revision, Edit and Update
This episode required wording additions, as opposed to wording changes, to maintain timelines and set scenes more firmly. It didn't seem as disjointed as some previous posts. Dialogue, as I have previously written it, is not strong enough to stand on its own.
Hometime
The crunch of popcorn broke the silence. Emmie and Dez were entranced by their movie. When Dez absently scrabbled around the bottom of the bowl, and without taking her focus from the screen she said. “We're running out of popcorn. Do you think we should make more?”
Emmie was already getting up from her cozy chair. “I don't know about you, but I need a bathroom break. Dez, go ahead and make more popcorn. I’ll come down in a minute and make some tea. Want some?”
Emmie, in control of the remote, paused the movie. Dez blinked awake and replied “No thanks, I’ll get a Coke from the fridge. And some ice cream. Do you think Joey got home ok? It’s a five mile ride and it’s pretty cloudy out there. I hope it didn’t start to rain until he got home.” She stood up, picked up the popcorn bowl that rattled with 'old maids'. She called out to her sister without expecting an answer “Emmie, why are unpopped kernels called 'old maids'? Dad always called them that and mom didn't like it when he did. I'll have to look it up.” Emmie, out of earshot, was already down the hall. Dez took the empty bowl and their glasses to the kitchen. Plugging in the popcorn maker, she poured fresh kernels into the hopper and turned it on. While it was popping the next round of popcorn, Dez melted butter at the stove, and put the kettle on for Emmie who was just coming downstairs. “Thanks Dez. Here's your Coke.” Emmie had gone to the refrigerator and besides getting out the coke, opened the freezer to get the ice cream. Popcorn popped and butter melted, ice cream scooped into bowls, fresh napkins, and spoons. Opening cupboard doors, she asked her sister “Emmie, does Cook keep any trays in the kitchen somewhere? Never mind, I found one.” In a bottom cupboard, there were several wooden or aluminum trays. Choosing a sturdy wooden one, she loaded it with their new supply of snacks. “Bring your tea, Emmie. I couldn't fit it on the tray. Time to put the movie back on.”
Dez considered Emmie's question “I don’t think so, Emmie. We hardly know him. He already has parents and doesn’t need any more. Especially two women that have never been parents before. Let’s just watch the rest of the movie.” Dez glanced over at Emmie. She’d never seen this almost maternal side of her sister before. Maybe she’d never had the chance.
~~~~
Joey did get home before six, but just barely. He rode like the wind trying to stay ahead of the rain. He loved riding. The power of his legs, the wind on his face, speeding past cattle grazing in the fields. There were times when he had been caught in a downpour, but even then loved the drenching rain soaking him. But tonight, he had managed to stay ahead of the rain. He had no time to stop and check the blackberries growing all along the roadside. Later on in the summer, he and his mother would go berry picking. He skidded into the Tucker driveway just as his father came out the front door. “Your mother sent me out here to see if you were here yet and here you are. You made it just by the skin of your teeth, son.”
“Dad, you’ll never believe what happened. There’s a ghost out at Beaufort's that has a crush on me and I can plant a garden after I’m done working.”
“Slow down, Joey. You’re not twelve anymore, you’re sixteen. What are you talking about and don’t you dare tell your mother about any ghost.” Mr. Tucker, not a tall man, was in casual slacks and open necked shirt. Working at home, he hadn’t had to put on a suit and tie for months and didn’t miss it. He took the pipe out of his mouth and tapped it into the planter by the front door. He knew how much his wife worried about their only child, often in stepping in between them. He sometimes wondered whether this was a bad idea, but continued to do it. “Now, Joey. What’s this about a ghost and a garden?”
Joey pulled a towel out of his bike’s saddle bags. He wiped the inside of his helmet, his face and the back of his neck. “Sorry dad, I guess I haven’t come down from my bike ride.” Joey let out a big breath of air, leaned up against the porch railing and tipped his head back. “The ghost, her name is Sarah. I don’t know much about her - where she came from, who she is…………this sounds like I’ve lost it. Where is mom? I shouldn't even be talking about Sarah before I know where mom is. The garden is real though and I'll have my own little plot of land to work. The gardener - I think he takes care of all the yard work - is a pretty interesting old guy. Looks like he’s been out in the sun all his life. The dirt under his fingernails is probably older than he is.”
“How old is this gentleman?” Clayton Tucker was amused. Amused and interested. He hadn’t seen his son so animated in a very long time. The pandemic restrictions had been hard on him and his friends. Even when they did see each other, it was Steven who lived one driveway over. The two of them would set up on their driveways and jam. He often wanted to join them, but hadn't played his trumpet for years. Besides Joey's guitar and his computer, there had been little to give him any joy this summer. His son loved learning. The interactions in the classroom, the question and debate had been missing from his life. Having a garden to work and, if the rumours were true that there was a ghost out at the Beaufort Estate, he didn’t care as long as Joey had found something to excite him.
“I don’t know how old Samuel is, dad.” Joey saw his dad frown, so he quickly explained. “I just know that I wouldn’t dare ask, just like I won't call him Mr. Forrester. The first time I met him, I called him Mr Forrester. He only wants to be called by his first name - Samuel. He’s a really great guy and told me all about the little garden plot I’ll be looking after. Apparently, Mrs. Beaufort had some kind of plans for it but then didn’t do anything but plant some potatoes and some other seeds or bedding plants. I heard her talking to Cook about the garden. I had seen it out the window of the room I was working in and wondered about it. I didn’t know if I should ask her about it, but I did. She walked out to the garden with me and re-introduced me to Samuel. I carried a basket of food out to him - it was his lunch. Cook put a big piece of chocolate cake in the basket for me. I guess I’m kind of going around in circles, dad. But I really had a good day and a great ride home.”
“Come on in the house, son. Supper’s ready. Your mother won’t stop worrying until she sees you and knows you’re all right.” Clamping the pipe between his teeth, he opened the door for his son. Joey called out “Mother, I’m home!”
“Our most basic instinct is not for survival but for family.”
~ Paul Pearsall
No comments:
Post a Comment