Chapter One, Episode Four - Keeping it Civil - Situationally Theirs

Keeping it Civil

Emelina squinted and leaned forward over the steering wheel. The only person Emelina could see on the street was a woman standing directly below the street light on the corner. She couldn’t tell who she might be. Slowing and stopping at the fourway stop, she looked for the street signs. There. Yes this is the right intersection. What is she wearing? Some kind of mask? Her clothes are so dark and nondescript. Absolutely no shape or colour. Thank goodness there are no other cars. I never know which car should go first. Emelina decided it was a woman on that corner. She had assured that she was at the right intersection. A flutter of excitement settled lightly in the pit of her stomach. Just then, the woman looked up from her cell phone, started to wave, hesitated, tripped and then waved vigorously.  How will I know her? We haven’t seen each other for so long and then it was only at father's funeral about ten years ago. Desperanza had been present but left as soon as the services were over. That had seemed, to Emelina, really quite rude. There were many family and friends who would have loved to visit with her and express their condolences. Emelina looked down the empty streets. How unusual? She had been the only car on the road, besides the parked ones, since she left home. There were a couple of big trucks but otherwise nothing. No, that’s not a mask. She just has a scarf pulled up over her mouth and nose.

~~~~

Desperanza was getting cold. The late night mist made her just feel colder. Hopping up and down in tiny bunnyhops, she hoped no one could see her. But she really had to go to the bathroom! Yep, there was a single light in a fourth floor apartment across the street. Probably some weirdo was checking her out. So she stood still. Headlights were coming towards her. Did Sergeant ‘Eye Candy’ tell me what kind of car to watch for? Desperanza didn’t think so, but it was the only car on the street and at almost the right time ~ 4:33a.m. according to her cell phone. The birds weren’t even awake yet. Desperanza’s mood wasn’t getting any better. She was about to wave, but hesitated….squinted at the headlights, decided to take a chance, tripped on a non-existent pebble on the sidewalk, and waved wildly, grabbing the power pole beside her at the same time. 

Emelina pulled up behind a small red Corsica. Carefully turning off the CRV’s engine she stepped down to the sidewalk. “Desperanza? Is that you? It’s so good to see you? Why were you in jail? Have you been injured?” Uncharacteristically, she reached out to give her sister a hug. Desperanza pulled up her scarf and backed away. 

“Don’t get so close. Don’t you know we’re not supposed to? I’ll tell you about jail and no I haven’t been injured. Can we just get off the street? I’m cold and I have to pee. I’m hungry and need coffee.” By the time she had finished talking, she was in the back seat and on the passenger side of the Honda, with her seat belt on. I must be hallucinating. I can smell coffee in here. Emelina was still on the street, staring after her sister and uncharacteristically slack jawed. Closing her mouth, just a little too firmly, she marched back to the car. She got in, closed the door, just a little too firmly, snapped her seatbelt into place and started the car. Under her breath she muttered Well, you could have said ‘Thank you, Emelina for being so kind and picking me up at this ungodly hour.' 

“Desperanza, if you want coffee I have some here. There was a drive through coffee shop already open and I got some for each of us. They used to be a 24 hour one but just last week they changed their hours. Digby didn’t tell me why.” 

“No thanks, I’ll wait til we get to your place and make some fresh coffee. We’ll have to throw that out. Too many people have handled that cup. And who’s Digby? Your boyfriend. Sounds more like a butler to me.”

“He is a butler. My butler. Can we start again please? If you’re coming to stay with me for a while, we at least need to be civil to one another. Not this childish arguing that we’re already engaging in.”

Dezperanza agreed grudgingly. “You’re right. I really do need a safe place to stay 'til this pandemic thing is over.”

Emelina’s already ramrod straight spine straightened. Invisible Menace. That’s what Digby had said. Had he been talking about a pandemic? 

“What did you say? A pandemic? I knew there was some infection thing that had become a problem some place but that it was really only like the flu. Not a big deal. Is that why you’ve got that scarf pulled up?”

“You really are out of touch aren’t you? Don’t you listen to Dr. Henry or even Justin? Why do you think the streets are so empty? And you’re right we need to be civil to each other. But tell me one thing. When we get to your place, where is the nearest bathroom? 

“Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me the truth.”

~ Henry David Thoreau, Walden

*Reviewed and edited May 07, 2020

Chapter One, Episode Three - Reunion - Situationally Theirs

Friday, March 27, 2020:  I’ve set myself another challenge. Take two very different stories with two very different characters and craft them together to create today’s blog post. They ~ the two characters  ~ came together on my all too brief walk last night at 08:30 pm. I had just planned to walk but it seems my feet are connected to my writer’s brain! I’ve read over the two stories again, muddled around a lot to find where and how they connect with each other. 

Monday, May 04, 2020:  Update ~ This morning, I've reviewed and edited my post from March 27th. I was pleased to note not as many typos in this one. I did note, however, the names of the cars in the Estate garage were identified - Ferrari, Jaguar, Honda CRV. There is a slight different in a future post. This will be rectified as I go through these posts in my very extended writing exercise.
Please enjoy:

Reunion

Desperanza had spent the night in jail. The fiasco at the GGB branch with those two rent-a-cops had, of course, not gone well. Not only was she in jail, but she didn’t get any of the money that had just been out there for anyone to take. And………she still smelled of Lysol, her shins were bruised, her glasses were bent out of shape and one lens was cracked. In this closed up town, she’d never get them fixed. She got absolutely no sleep, but at least she had a little eye candy in the precinct. Oh no, not any cell mate. She had had visions of being crammed in a tiny cell with men and women all sweaty and obnoxious. Although, this pandemic thing did have its advantages. She got a cell to herself, just as the other few prisoners. The cops had to get her out of there before morning and before the next ‘criminal’ came to use the one bench and one bucket in the corner cell. But the eye candy. One of the cops on the night shift! Now there was a fine looking young man. Very serious though and he was assigned only to her ~ to getting her out of there and on her way. Very good looking and very patient, he asked her who her family was and would she be able to stay with one of them. Well, there was only one of them and she hadn’t seen her sister Emelina for at least ten years. Didn’t even know where she lived or if she even lived around here anymore. But Luigi was persistent. He looked up every 'Emelina B…something' on the internet. ‘Here’s one…Emelina Beuregaurd  - No? O.K. then Emelina Begley. No?……..and he kept on until Desperanza nodded off in the corner of the cold cell. Finally, from his desk outside the cell, he stood up and shouted….’I’ve got it! This has to be it.’ Desperanza bounced her head off the cold tile walls, slipped off the bench and landed on her knees. ‘What? Did I go to sleep? Is it time for me to go? Can I just have a blanket, it’s so cold in here.’  

‘No, ma’am. I found your sister. She lives on the Beaufort Estate just about five miles outside of town.’

'The Beaufort Estate? They’re rich. That can’t be her.’ 

Luigi held up his finger. ‘Shhhh.  I’m calling her.’ 

‘But it’s three thirty in the morning and we hardly even like each other. I can’t ask her to come and get me!’

Before long, Desperanza found herself out on the street. Hungry and really needing a cup of good coffee. The coffee they had in jail was like dishwater. She had had little choice. Go to her sister’s home or get shipped up island to an empty motel that was to be her jail. Neither choice sounded very welcoming, but at least her sister might have good coffee and a warm bed. Her sister was coming to pick her up but didn’t know how long it would take. So she stood in the dark on a corner under a street light feeling like a hooker, shivering in the damp cold morning.

~~~~~~

The ringing of the phone wouldn’t stop. It was probably just a dream and it would go away when she woke up. Emelina rolled over in bed, missing her satin sheets. Staff quarters were only supplied with cotton sheets. 600 count so they were nice cotton sheets, but satin felt so much better. She opened her eyes. The phone kept ringing. She had forgotten to set it on ‘send to messages after three rings.’ Digby always did that for her. Emelina had supplied the downstairs staff with what looked like and old-fashioned black telephone. It really had all the features of a cellphone in the handset. When it was picked up you could just talk in it as in the old days. So much more comforting and easier. Emelina sat on the edge of the bed, smoothed her hair out of her eyes and picked up the receiver. Her sleep filled voice answered “Yes” …..“Yes this is Emelina Beaufort.” ……“My sister?”……. “Desperanza?!” ……. “Of course she can come and stay here!” …….“How soon?” ………..“As soon as I can get to the corner of Frank and Smith?” “Of course, it will be at least an hour. Will that be alright?”

Emelina was wide awake. How was she going to get to her sister? Her sister, Desperanza. They had such fun together when they were kids. And now they would had the whole house to themselves. Thoughts tumbled over each other in Emelina’s mind. What car should I take? Where is my driver’s license? The keys……where does Giles leave them?….oh, right, there’s a peg board inside that one cupboard door. I remember Digby’s note telling me where all the house keys are. I better get dressed….Emelina kept talking to herself all the way out to the garage where her three cars were housed. The Ferrari? No too flashy for this job. The Jaguar? Still a bit too much. The Honda CRV. Just right. I don’t know how much luggage  Desperanza will have. Emelina hadn’t really driven for quite some time and the Honda had usually been beneath her station, even when she just toured the estate. She had been thrown, quite unceremoniously, into another world where she would have to fend for herself. And now Desperanza would be with her! What an adventure! She found that she remembered more about driving this Honda than she knew. When it had been purchased, only for the house staff to use of course, Digby and Giles had shown her all the bells and whistles. She had taken it for more than one drive around the estate to check on progress in the fields.Trying to calm her excitement, she eased the Honda out of the well appointed garage, clicked the button to close the automatic door, and set out to town to pick up Desperanza.

“We all take different paths in life, but no matter where we go, 

we take a little of each other everywhere.”

~ Tim McGraw

Chapter One, Episode Two - Deserted - Situationally Theirs

May 03, 2020: This post has been edited for typo's and some wording. This, and the previous episode, was to be a stand alone piece. Future episodes evolved when this writer created a sisterly bond between the characters from each piece. Please enjoy:

Deserted

Emelina was a stranger in a very strange land. It all looked the same, but felt very different. The wide expanse of green lawn. The gravelled driveway disappearing through two stately lines of trees. Emelina wondered at all the dust that hung in the air as though cars had passed over it far too quickly. Wandering back into her boudoir, she picked up the precious silver bell that her grandmother had passed on to her. Her face, waiting to be made up with creams and rouges, looked troubled. She passed her pearl handled brush over her hair, but would wait for her maid to come in and dress it properly. She rang her bell again. More vigorously and longer, calling out ‘Digby!’ All was silent as a tomb. 

~~~~~

Digby, Emelina’s butler of thirty years had always been respectful and attentive to her every need. This was so unlike him. And where were her maids? She had appointments in the city with Important People. The chauffeur would be bringing the limousine around sharp at ten. Her dresser had not come in to help her with her clothes. Her hair was still unkempt ~ where was her hairstylist? The aroma of cook’s delicious toast was absent. And where was her morning tea!? Emelina was about to open the door of her bedroom when she saw a piece of paper on the floor at the door. Picking it up, she recognized Digby’s neat scroll. The envelope was addressed to Madame Beaufort. Curious, an emotion Emelina was not entirely familiar with, she opened the envelope. In an attempt to not damage her absolutely stunning nail polish, Emelina uttered a sharp cry! What was that? Is that blood? Instinctively her finger went into her mouth. Holding the envelope between her free fingers and thumb she pulled the note out with her other hand. 

As Emelina read the note, her face drained of colour. A look of horror spread across her face. She walked slowly backwards from the door. Sitting with a very unladylike thump on an exquisite chair at her dressing table, she began to read. ‘Madame. It is with great disappointment that I tell you that I, and all other servants, will not be able to serve you for many weeks or months.We will all be returning to our various homes on the estate and will only be available by electronic means. We will not be returning until the city, provincial and federal dignitaries have deemed that it is safe to do so. The Invisible Menace  is to be banished from the land before we can return.” Tears welled up in Emelina’s eyes. Removing her finger from her mouth, she picked up an embroidered linen handkerchief and dabbed her unmade-eyes She read on ‘This modest note will provide you with instructions for locating other instructions in the downstairs area of the house.’ Downstairs! Downstairs! How could this be? I haven’t even had my tea yet. Emelina was fuming. I can’t leave my room. I’m still in my dressing gown.

But there was nothing else for it. If Digby said all staff had left, then it must be true. But what if someone forced him to write this note and had kidnapped him. No, that can’t be. Rising from her chair, she returned to her bedroom door. Opened it just a crack. Listened. When she couldn’t hear anything she opened it wider.  “Digby? Is anyone there?’ Silence. Emelina boldly stepped out in the hallway, her slippered feet matching the silence of her stately home. Sometime in the night someone had painted arrows on the floor, absolutely ruining the fabulous parquet. The arrows drew her onward till she found herself in a silent, empty kitchen. Small handwritten signs decorated the kitchen cupboards showing Emelina where the tea kettle and tea was. China and silver cutlery was set out on the long wooden table. The toaster, butter and, under cover, sliced bread sat beside each other. Ignoring the instructions (they were beginning to annoy her), she popped the bread in the toaster and set it to toast. Emelina’s demeanour changed. Pushing her hair back with both hands, she  relaxed, surveyed the kitchen and made a plan. Curious, she dug through cupboards, the refrigerator and the freezer. As much food as possible had been prepared for her. Emelina actually laughed out loud and said : ‘Do these people think I don’t know my way around a kitchen? I guess not, after waiting on me for so long. They are such good people and really do care.’  

~~~~

The End of the Story

Emelina went into Digby’s office and found his computer still on. Another sealed envelope revealed his password. She brought her casual clothes down to the Housekeepers room. Her plan? To take over the downstairs and find out what is going on in the world. She would contact Digby and the rest of the staff to thank them. She was still rather annoyed that they had deserted her, but not enough to be angry anymore. All her rusty kitchen skills from when she was young and foolish needed some real polish. Then she would call the Mayor and let him know their appointments (which were really dates) were cancelled. She would polish her computer skills as well. She’d learn about this Invisible Menace, as Digby called it, and see how she could help. Emelina sighed with satisfaction while she made herself a cup of tea.

“We are all dust passing through the air, the difference is, 

some are flying high in the sky, while others are flying 

low. But eventually, we all settle on the same ground.”

~ Anthony Liccione, poet

Chapter One, Episode One ~ Six Feet of Separation - Situationally Theirs

**COVID 19 global pandemic restrictions in B.C., Canada announced in March 2020**

May 02, 2020

Post has been edited and updated. This little saga, if I can dare to give it that name, started out as a single blog post. Because it has evolved into an ever evolving story (at this date 38 Episodes), I am reviewing all future blogs to assess timelines and details to fix any discrepancies. 

March 25, 2020: My imagination has been severely challenged this last few weeks. Mounds of information. Too little interesting stimulation to my brain. (By the way, the House Wren nest has been very busy on the inside. Are there babies in there?) Back to my writing challenge. I needed a prompt. www.writingexercises.co.uk, the Random Line Generator, as one of my go to aids. My muse and my pen took it from there. First draft in my journal and second draft, in a completely different direction, on my Laptop. Hope you enjoy this little bit of slapstick ~ don’t think I’ve tried that before.

March 05, 2023: I've just updated the title to indicate Chapter One! I am slowly going through all the rest from the beginning of this story to include 'Chapter One.......'

Six Feet of Separation

Head held high she swept out of the room. A second later, head even higher, she swept back in, snatched up the money and was gone again. But that wasn’t the whole story. Security officers, their desks six feet apart had been watching Desperanza when she entered the bank. 

Covid19, a ‘novel virus’, had swept the globe. Public Health restrictions were popping up like mushrooms after a rain. The Global Grand Banks, better known as GGB’s, were rotating closures of their branches and this was one of them. The bank manager had been suspicious of her for quite some time. Long before the Invisible Menace had taken over the world. The security guards, in stiff blue uniforms with nightsticks and handcuffs, had been alerted to watch for her.

Stanley, short, round and bald and Giovanni, tall, thin and with a man-bun were security officers assigned to guard the branch. They had seen Desperanza walk boldly up to the front door on their security monitors. She slid her security card through the slot to open the door and pushed her way quickly into the lobby. Stanley and Giovanni, switched off their separate computers, scrambled under their separate desks and hoped that Desperanza would think the branch was empty. 

“Stanley! Giovanni! Are you here today?”

“Giovanni!”        “Stanley!”       “Answer me!”

“All right then, I’m just going down to the Manager’s Office and leave her a note that I’ll be driving out of the city.”

~~~~~

Desperanza had no idea that the bank would be so empty today. She had heard the rumours, but surely the Manager would be in her gigantic office. Miss Prudhomme never left work. Desperanza stopped to read the enormous sign on the Manager’s door. ‘All Who Enter Here Must Stay Six Feet Away From Everyone and Everything’  Desperanza shrugged her proud shoulders. That rumour was just scare tactics and Desperanza wasn’t scared. She opened the door anyway. And there it was. Piles of money. Coins winking in the sunlight streaming through the window. Bills stacked neatly ~ little bricks of lovely money. Where were the guards! Why weren’t they here? Why was the money just there for anyone to take? Hmm, I’m anyone and I’m here. I guess I should help myself. Just as she stepped over the ‘six feet from the desk’ line, lights flashed and alarm bells went off. Desperanza grabbed the stack of bills, knocked over all the coins. Her head still held high, she didn’t see the coins under her feet. She slipped and the bills flew out of her hand as she grabbed for the door to steady herself but she lost her balance and tripped over a small black leather garbage can, her glasses flying off her face. Just as she was scrambling to find her glasses, she heard the hurried stomping of booted feet. She only saw Stanley come through the door…..no…….Giovanni was there too but they seemed to be…….. six feet apart?. She felt a handcuff on one wrist then a hand cuff on the other. A sound like chains? These guys each had handcuff after handcuff after handcuff keeping them six feet from their captive. 

“Now what, Stanley”

“We’ll just have to leave her here. Cuff her to that heavy oak desk and I’ll call Miss Prudhomme.”

Well, that’s about all there is to that story. Miss Prudhomme called the police. Before the police arrived to take Desperanza away, the security guards sprayed everything down with their Lysol spray guns ~ Desperanza, the money, the desk…..everything. They went back to their six feet apart desks. Stanley played solitaire on his computer. Giovanni listened to Madame Butterfly on his headphones Neither of them had touched their faces throughout the whole ordeal.

“I think the next best thing to solving a problem is finding some humour in it.”

~ Frank A. Clark, lawyer and politician (1860 - 1936)

Restless

Stimulation of the outside 

world denied to me ~

Poor me

Yet pushing down frayed and

fraying worries and fears ~

they won’t stay still!

Hunger or sleepiness 

my only stimulation ~

except for electronic messages from afar.

Where is poetry or story 
in this strange isolation? ~

In hiding just for today?

Words flutter silently to 

the floor of my mind ~

where they turn into mushrooms

Sounds like time for

scribbles and paints! ~

or cooking or sewing?

“Remember: if you can cease all restless activity, 

your integral nature will appear.”

~ Laozi

A Brilliant Day

Mondays have long been a time for me to begin my week. While working, there were many Mondays that were filled with the crazy busyness of picking up the backlog from the weekend. Mondays, since I’ve been in Victoria, has been my Walking group day. Initially our group leader took us all over Victoria to the different community parks and to University grounds. Our numbers have shrunk while our ages have gone the other direction. But rain or shine - and sometimes snow - we have kept walking together. Our route has not always been as expansive, now and then  with a little change in direction. Another neighbourhood and a different coffee shop. 

Then along came Social Distancing which has really put a cramp into each Monday’s social gathering. But then, there are those people in hospital or quarantined at home who are living and surviving in much closer quarters. Grateful that I am well, I laced up my shoes, put my windbreaker on and went walking anyway. The sun was warm, the wind cool and the streets only dotted with cars. I decided to go down towards the water. Smiled and said hello to passersby. Took some pictures along the way. A chalk message on a sidewalk; daffodils, their yellow trumpets, in bloom; and the sky, so broad and blue. But the scene that really spoke to me was the white froth edged waves on the restless Strait of Georgia.

I could wax philosophical or poetic about those waves, that grand part of the Pacific Ocean, but I just let those words swirl around in my head. It is Monday and a brilliant day for a walk outside in the world. 

I leave the last words to JFK  ~

“In a time of domestic crisis, men of goodwill and generosity 

should be able to unite regardless of party or politics.”

~ John F. Kennedy

Unexpectedly

Quite unexpectedly, it’s been a busy morning and into the afternoon. I did have a plan. However, the best laid plans………Getting this post written and posted much earlier would have been preferable. Yesterday, I got out for a walk with a friend ~ good social distancing while we were out. Coffee shops were still open for take out’s only, so we did get coffee. We enjoyed this bit of normalcy. Before setting out, I did point out the Wren’s nest to my friend. It is impossible to see from the sidewalk so we had to approach it carefully by stepping onto the wide lawn, not getting too close has we would have received a severe chittering. 

Today the House Wren is still busy with his construction. Most of it seems to be interior work right now. It’s a bit cloudy and a much cooler day so I wasn’t certain how active the wrens would be. The male hasn’t got his winged supervisor present today ~ at least I haven’t seen her. Only at my desk now for about ten minutes, I suspect I’ve missed many comings and goings. I have seen one of the hummingbirds zip through the shrub. No stopping for a sip of nectar today. 

Why was I busy? Emails to family and friends, texts messaging (also to family), FaceTime (great chat with my son) and ironing. I know that ironing isn’t a preferred activity for many, but I enjoy it for a couple of reasons. It’s actually pretty mindless for tea towels and napkins, but for shirts and pants it actually helps me with focus.Regardless, it slows my very busy brain down. The other reason is that I like the feeling that smoothness gives to a garment. And all the while that I was busy, listening to Michael Enright on the Sunday Edition. All except my FaceTime visit. My last bit? Rice pudding in the slow cooker. I really want some kind of dessert.

All this is trivia but it is so important that we keep a semblance of normalcy in our homes while we are supporting our country with social distancing or any needed social isolation. Watching the birds and squirrels, and sometimes deer is greatly enhanced from a distance. Seeing outside of ourselves to the natural world shows us many lives being lived. Always from a distance. 

Take care everyone!

“I imagine a line, a white line, painted on 

the sand and on the ocean, from me to you.”

Jonathan Safran Foer, Everything is 

Illuminated.

*Just as I was finishing up this post, this deer stopped by for a little graze beneath my House Wren bush.