“Didn't expect that.”
“Imagine your mother,” Helen said, “but white, a meat cleaver in her left hand and an AR15 in the right, you and the kids are behind her, there's a souffle in the oven and a horde of people questioning your life choices on the front lawn.Got the image?”
Apple stood up and walked to the mantel.He looked at the pictures, especially spotting Ruth with her strand of pearls, fashionable flat shoes, and the dress pants with pleats.“I got it,” he replied, looking at her.“Interesting analogy to compare the two women.”
“There were times in your life when you prayed your mom would stand up for you, when she always sided with the man of the house instead of being your champion,” Helen said, offering a weak smile.“Mothers can be misogynists as well, but no one ever talks about it.Ruth is a mom.She was born and raised to go to college to find a husband to take care of her and raise her family.That is who she is and is very good at her chosen profession as Chief Caregiver and Bread Baker.”
“And your mother?”
“A nurse, who for the past thirty years has provided neonatal care to children,” she said.“She's great at her chosen profession of nursing.”
He asked, “Are either going with you to pick out the dress?Or are you planning a girl’s trip to New York to that place on the TV show with those catty ass women saying no to dresses that cost the same as a used car?”
“Kleinfeld’s?Goodness no,” she said.“I want a simple dress that I can wear these kick ass pants under with my knives, and maybe I'll get cheeky and embroider little cranberries along the neckline.”
“Ooh, and on the veil too.That would be cool,” he said, offering a smile.
Helen took a breather, taking a moment to allow where they were in the bonding process to settle.She wanted to move the conversation away from her towards him, “So, you plan to make things permanent with Ricky?”
“Ricky and I are permanent,” he said.“He is my business partner as well as life partner.”
“What business are you two contract killers in, other than contract killing?”
“We are house flippers,” Apple said to her surprised face.“The reason for the last-minute change in locations was that the other property sold more quickly than I thought, so we had the farmhouse and brought the new batch of kids there.Now because of you, I can't sell that monster.”
“Me?What did I do?”
“You made it into a home for Jeffrey and Stephen,” he said, “and when they go off to college or the military, they are gonna want to come back there for the holidays and shit, so yeah, your fault.”
“Settling down ain't so bad.It's nice to have a place to call home,” she said, looking around.“Traveling the military world with Cherry as her dependent, most people thought I was some form of Autistic, or at least on the spectrum.Maybe I am, but quietness offers an opportunity to see people’s auras and understand what is being asked of you as they share a common space with you for a limited amount of time.”
His eyebrows arched, then he looked into the contents of the glass as he swirled the brown liquid.“Really, what am I asking of you in this space, in our limited amount of time?”
“Honesty.Acceptance.Love,” she said.“I can give you all three, but it requires reciprocity.”
“Well, your fucking reciprocity in bringing Mustang to the house teaching Ricky how to grill, now has that damned man spatchcocking every bird he can get his hands on, including Cornish Hens,” he said chuckling.“It did open a communication line between him and the boys.He and Stephen are now making herb butters from the garden Stephen started.Ricky works with Jeffrey on that used car he helped him pick out and buy, as well as him and Oscar finding woodworking projects to upcycle, as he calls them.I also now have unnecessary shelves all over the damn house that Stephen keeps sticking little cutesy shit on, so yeah, fuck you, Helen.”
“You love it, so fuck you as well,” she said staring at him enjoying the variation of the green aura around him, indicating he was a communicator and a nurturer.He spotted what she was doing and understood it as well.His sister was able to do the same thing.
“Is that your thing, you can read people's auras, like the Donovan guy, Kurtzwilde, and the Fer de Lance?”
She shrugged, looking at the phone.Movement was indicated, meaning the main gates were opening.Mustang was home with Oscar.He hadn't called in two days, and she wasn't sure what would come through the door: a man ready to be a father or a man who was going to break the child’s heart.Her attention returned to Apple.
“The Fer de Lance came to see me as a father, as did Kurtzwilde, who wanted to spend time with the children he is very proud of,” she said.“The Donovan guy was weighed and measured and found wanting.He doesn't know how to handle it, and he's shook, plus he failed the assignment, and I made him look stupid.He's not happy.”
“And the gift on his pillow?”
She looked at the phone again, rising slowly and going to the kitchen.She pulled out a grill pan and Texas toast with a block of cheddar.Apple observed her prepping to make grilled cheese sandwiches with thinly sliced tomatoes wedged between slices of sharp cheddar.
“I picked up a bogey in Illinois, but I robbed him and took his ID,” Helen said.“In the middle of the night, I returned them when he got up to get some water.They haven't heard from dude since.”
Apple burst into laughter as the back door slid open, ushering in the funk from two people living in the woods for two days.Helen looked up to see the bandage on her man's head and grew concerned.“Jay, what happened?”
She rushed to his side, looking at the boy and ensuring he was okay as well.Jay didn't speak as he looked at the stacks of money on the table, the cases of liquor, Apple's hand in a cast, and the two cell phones on the table.He bent and kissed his wife.
“The rigging for the zip line came loose,” Jay said, “If it wasn't for Oscar here and some fast thinking, you might be a widow.”
“Well, thank you, smelly little guy,” Helen said.“I have hearty veggie soup and grill tomato and cheese sandwiches for you guys after you shower.”
