“Ever wish that the powers that be would use a sexy man’s voice instead of that tinny-sounding woman?” Bernie chuckled.
“If that happened, we would deliberately make mistakes”—Clara grinned—“because we’d want him to talk to us, even if all he said was, ‘Reroute, reroute,’ or maybe, ‘Make a U-turn at the next intersection.’”
Bernie made the turn. “Yep, for sure. I hope this trailer is what I want so I don’t have to run all over the country trying to find one.”
“According to Granny, ‘What will be, will be,’” Clara quoted.
Bernie stopped at a house with a huge garage sale going on. “And the rest of the story is: what won’t be, might be anyway.”
Clara unfastened her seat belt, attached Pepper’s leash to his collar, and opened the door. “Is that the trailer over there beside the house?” She set him on the ground, and he promptly hiked his leg on the front tire.
“Must be. I don’t see another one. It looks pretty fine from here.” Bernie followed Clara to the porch where a lady had set up a table to collect money. “Hello, I called earlier about that trailer. Is it all right if we just go inside to look at it?”
“Sure, help yourselves. You must be Bernie. I’m Clarisse,” she answered. “It goes as is. We don’t want to clean out all the dishes, linens, and all that, but the price is not negotiable. We won’t take less than what I quoted you on the phone when you called.”
“Fair enough,” Bernie said with a nod. “Got a problem with me taking my dog inside it?”
“Not at all, long as he doesn’t make a mess,” the woman answered.
An elderly man brought a pair of lamps to the porch and set them down. “That’s a cute little dog. Want to sell him?”
“No, he was a gift from an old friend,” Bernie answered.
“My granddaughter would sure be good to him,” the man pressured. “Her birthday is tomorrow, and her mama says I can get her a dog if it’s a small one.”
“You might check the animal shelter,” Clara suggested.
The guy laid a bill on the table. “Never thought of going there. Thanks for the tip. I’ll take Amanda with me so she can pick out whichever one she wants.”
“You missed your chance. Hershal would never know that you sold the dog.” Clara teased on the way to the trailer.
“No, I didn’t.” Bernie picked Pepper up and carried him up the three steps to the front door of the trailer. “Now I can remind this feller that he has a price on his head if he doesn’t behave.”
Clara stepped back to let Bernie enter first, and then followed her. “Wow! This is amazing. Nice-sized refrigerator, and a cute little love seat. Are you going to find some good-lookin’ feller and make use of that?”
“Honey, I would have to buy one of those how-to books if…” Bernie went on back down to the bedroom area.
“Don’t you be giving me that line of crap,” Clara scolded. “I bet you’ve forgotten more than I’ll ever know about entertaining a man in the… That’s a queen-sized bed! I didn’t expect to see one that big in a trailer.”
“Me neither,” Bernie said, “especially for the price she quoted me. I’m buying this, but I’m going to have to get a bigger truck to pull the thing to Spanish Fort. You can have the little one I’m driving now. Your old car has seen better days.”
Clara shook her head.
“You don’t want it?” Bernie asked.
“No, I’m not sure I heard you right,” Clara whispered.
“I didn’t stutter,” Bernie said. “I don’t need two vehicles and you can use an upgrade.”
“But…but…but…” Clara stammered, and tears welled up in her eyes. “You’ve already given me a place to live, food, and even a job.”
“Family takes care of family. Let’s go tell the lady that I’ll be back later today to get the trailer, and ask her if she wants cash, or maybe a cashier’s check. Then we’ll drive to the dealership and buy a new truck to pull it with. I’ll call Joe Clay this evening and tell him that I’ll bring it down Sunday afternoon. He said he would have it plumbed and maybe even build a small front porch for me when I move down there.” She patted Clara on the shoulder. “This is happening. I’m glad you are here to share in my last days before retirement with me.”
“Thank you,” Clara muttered and wiped at her wet cheeks. “I’m glad I’m here, too. In less than a week, I’ve figured out what makes me happy, and I owe that to you.”
“That’s just the first step,” Bernie said. “Happiness is a journey, not a destination. Enjoy the trip, and never look back with regrets.”
***
