Empty Nest

Tok! Tok! Tok! Three solid knocks at the door rouses me from my slumber.

“Elliot?”

“Mmm?” Groggily I open my eyes and look about the unfamiliar room confused until my waking mind catches up with my senses. The light of dawn was peeking into the room around the curtains. It was morning? Already? Damn I must have slept hard. “Yeah?”

“You decent?”

“Um, yeah.”

That was all Heather needed to hear. The door swings open and she comes striding in like she owned the place, which of course she did. Already fully dressed and made up for the day she had on a short sleeved floral dress of white and blue. The top half was snug enough to really emphasize her full, round bosoms yet from her wide hips down it was long, flowing and swished freely with her hip swaying gait. She looked really pretty today!

“Gah!” I shield my eyes as she flings the curtains open to let the sunshine come pouring in.

“Come on, lazy bones.” She claps her hands. “It’s a big day! Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.” With that she walks straight back out of the room to leave me there bedazzled by the sudden light and upbeat energy. Great. She’s a morning person!

“Ugh.” I sit up and rub my bleary eyes.

Just outside the bedroom door I find my laundry in two baskets clean and folded. She folded them!? She didn’t have to do that. I didn’t even fold my own clothes. As I am standing there staring down at my clothes the aroma of frying bacon catches my attention. Following my nose I shuffle out into the main room only get to shooed away again.

“Get!” She corrals me back toward the washroom. “You said you’d do what I said today. That starts right now, bucko.”

“Bucko?”

She chuckles. “What did I say you were going to do first today?”

“Uhhh…”

“Shower! Shave! Get dressed! Then say something nice in the mirror and smile!” She turns back to head toward the stove. “You have to learn to listen. It’ll take you far.”

“Uh, yeah.” My brain still foggy I hadn’t the faculties to banter with her and so I just do what she said.

Picking out my best interview clothes from the folded laundry I head into the washroom take another quick shower. I didn’t feel like I needed one one yet as I had just showered yesterday AND rinsed off after my workout, but I wasn’t going to argue with my host. I shave and brush my hair and get dressed up just the way I was told to. I am just about to head out when I remember her last order. I laugh and shake my head. I wasn’t about to do that. I’d just feel stupid! Opening the door I step into the hall.

Heather is on me in a flash. “Hold on a second.” Peering past me she shakes her head. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. If you aren’t going to listen there is no point in having you here.”

“I did everything you said.”

She points to the fogged up mirror. “Doesn’t count if you can’t see. Come on.” Taking my arm she leads me back inside the steamy washroom. Wiping down the mirror with a hand towel she has me square up to the mirror. Looking at me through the reflection she nods and smiles. “He cleans up nice.” Pressed to my side, her near arm wrapped around mine, she runs a hand down the buttons of my shirt. “Do you own a tie?”

I nod. “A clip on.”

“Wear it. You’re not trying to be cool, you’re trying to get hired.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Alright, go ahead.”

“Um…”

“Look yourself in those lovely blue eyes and say something nice.”

Lovely? “Uh.”

“It can be anything. Anything at all. Just be kind.”

“Um…” I stare into my own eyes grasping for something to say. “Uh…I…”

In silent encouragement Heather releases my arm to gently rub my back.

I swallow hard and just blurt the first thing that comes. “I look like my Dad. And…um…he was handsome.”

She chuckles and pats my back. “A bit indirect but it will do for today. Now, smile.”

I smile into the mirror, looking as goofy as I felt right now.

“Atta boy.”

The very next moment she was gone again, back out into the kitchen, leaving me standing with just my grinning reflection. I shake my head. She was a silly woman. But just before I turn out the light I notice the false smile on my face had somehow turned into a real one. I put my pajamas onto the bed then find my tie and clip it on.

Following my nose I walk out into the main room where I see a plate of bacon, scrambled eggs, buttered toast and sliced melon waiting for me at the table. The steaming rising off of both the food and the cup of coffee beside it told me that it had just been served.

“Eat.” She says. “And make it quick. I let you sleep as long as I could.”

“Oh, um, um…” I didn’t know how to respond to all of this.

She laughs and swats my bum as she swishes by. “Eat!”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

I hurry to the table and take my seat. Despite being prodded the sight of such a nice breakfast stops me cold for a few seconds as again the thought burble up inside of me, why was she being so nice to me?

“You ready for today?” She says before taking a slurp of coffee. “You know what you have to do?”

I nod and start eating. Her tone of voice told me that she wasn’t kidding about hurrying up. As this was likely all I’d have to eat for awhile I didn’t want it going to waste. “Thank you for breakfast.” I mutter awkwardly between bites. The words sounded so insufficient to repay this kindness, but they were all I had to offer her right now. “You didn’t have to do…all this.”

“Of course I didn’t.” She leans back against the counter to watch me eat. “I wanted to. Just don’t be expecting this tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Assuming you’re even here.” Nodding to the end of the counter she points out a twenty dollar bill. “You’re going to pick up that part?”

“Mmm.” I nod as I chew down my toast. “You bet.”

“I’ll expect change.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I say. “I, um, I just wanted to say again how much I appreciate…everything.”

“You are very welcome, Elliot.” She says warmly. “Now, eat. Eat and focus on what you have to do today.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Breakfast is eaten, coffee drank, teeth brushed and soon we are at the front door putting on our shoes.

“You sure you have everything you need from in here?” She asks. “Door will be locked behind me and, nothing personal, but I’m not giving you a key.”

“I know.” I say. “I’ll be fine. Anything I need is in my car anyways. Hey! Are these the soaps you were carving?” I take up one of the little boxes she had piled on a table near the entryway. “Can I look?”

“Go ahead.”

I open the little box to see her work. “Woah.” It was so much more than I’d expected. It wasn’t simply a flower shaped chunk of soap. From the bright yellow stamen in the center to the pinky-white petals around it to the green leaf at it’s side it really did look like a blooming lotus. The details were so exact that you really had to look close to tell it wasn’t the real thing. “That’s amazing! You made three of these last night?”

“Finished them.” She says, clearly proud of her work and flattered by me appreciating it. “I hope the customer likes them.”

“They will!” I assure her. “Mmm, they smell good too.”

“Why, thank you.” Taking the box from my hand she carefully closes then puts it and the others into a bag. She then slings another bag where I spotted her putting her purse and lunch over her shoulder. “Ready?”

“Whooo. Ready as I’ll ever be.”

She places a hand on my chest. “Remember. Chin up, look them in the eyes, confidence.”

“Confidence.” I nod.

“Good man.” We step out into the sunshine where she closes and locks the door behind her. “Good luck, Elliot. I’ll see you after work.”

“I’ll be here.”

Together we walk to the end of the walk before going our separate ways. Heather crosses the street and crosses the park along one of the paths while I debate whether to walk or drive to the library. Seeing Heather on foot and knowing the library was so close, I decide on the former. Besides, it was a beautiful day.

I walk with purpose to my destination, fired up like I hadn’t been since…well, I couldn’t recall. Not only had Heather lit a fire under me with her inspiring talk she also had me on a hook. She was going to talk to the librarian, she was going to want to see my phone, and who knows what else she was going to do to make sure that I followed through with my instructions. Nothing I did was going to benefit her yet she was going to take time out of her day to make sure that I didn’t quit on myself. If she was going to put in effort for a virtual stranger, the least I could do was put in the effort for my own sake.

After all that this kind and generous woman had done for me…I didn’t want to disappoint her. I could live without supper or a place to sleep tonight and I would manage just fine without anymore of her mysterious ‘honey’ but the thing that I could not accept was letting her down. Not after the faith she’d shown in me. I wanted to show Heather, more than anything, that I wasn’t a loser.

***

Five hours later I am jogging down the street glancing at each of the little boutiques as I passed them. I wasn’t precisely sure what I was looking for but when I spot a sign that read ‘The Hive: Local Goods and Crafts’ I knew I’d found the spot.

The chimes on the door jangle as I burst into the little shop with way too much excitement for a Wednesday afternoon. Inside are a trio of older ladies looking over some crochet work, a husky man in his thirties browsing a table of pottery, and Heather standing in front of the counter at the rear of the store. At my loud entrance every head in the place turns to look. Heather was surprised to see me, but her easy smile tells me that I was not unwelcome.

“Elliot!” She says brightly. “This is a surprise.”

“Hey, Mrs Hutton.” I weave through the racks and tables of locally produced stuff.

“If you’re here to drop off a resume I am afraid I don’t have any openings at the moment.”

“No need.” I laugh as I hurry up to her. “I got a job!”

“Oh!” Her face lights up. “Already!?”

I nod as I rapidly rattle through my morning. “I did just like you said. I was at the library, I printed out my resumes, all that stuff. Look. I even called my old work, see. See!”

She pats my shoulder. “Slow down, Elliot.”

There was no slowing me down though. “So I sent out a bunch of applications online and then I started going around just like you said. Canvasing the area on foot, remember?”

“I remember.” She nods.

“So, anyway, I was walking past this construction site. They’re building those row houses over on Aspen Drive, have you seen them?”

“No, Elliot, I haven’t seen them.” By this point the older ladies had gravitated closer to hear my story. With a glowing smile she says. “Go on.”

“It’s a whole big project over there in the new development. Affordable units for young families.” I say, words tripping over each other in my rush to get them out. “So anyway, I was gonna walk right by when I noticed a lot of the guys were no older than me, and I remembered what you said about asking, even if there wasn’t a sign. So I went to the fence and got a guy’s attention and asked if could see the boss. As luck would have it the foreman wasn’t too far away.” I laugh. “He heard me talking and came right over. Turns out they’re having trouble finding people right now. He asked me a few questions and I answered them the best I could. I told him I never worked construction but he seemed impressed that I knew a few things about tools and stuff. I think he liked it that I came up and spoke in person too. When I told him I’d work for whatever they were paying, he hired me right there on the spot! Ha ha ha! Can you believe that?”

“That’s wonderful, Elliot. Just wonderful. You just had to believe in yourself.” She takes my hand and gives it a squeeze. She looked so…so…proud of me! “I knew you could do it.”

The older ladies buzz with my contagious enthusiasm and offer their congratulations as well. They didn’t know the context but they could recognize a happy occasion when they saw one.

“I start tomorrow morning.” I say. “Oh, Mrs. Hutton. I couldn’t have done it without you.” Bringing her hand to my lips I kiss it once, twice, three times before hooting. “Thank youuu!”

She chuckles away and blushes a little. Removing her hand from mine she pats my chest. “That was all you, Elliot.” She says. “When I saw…” Just then her eyes dart to the left. “Um, Sir?” Her tone rising and becoming more urgent she says again. “Sir!” I turn to look just in time to see the man dart out the door. He was a shoplifter! Heather hisses. “Son of a…”

I have no idea what came over me in that moment. I was hardly what you would call courageous. Maybe it was just my adrenaline or maybe it was for all Heather had done for me but the next thing I knew I was off and running, hot on the thief’s heels.

“Elliot!” Heather calls after me but I was already out the door.

Unfortunately for me I was a lot quicker than him. I say unfortunately because the reason I was so much faster was because I had a lot less mass to move. We’d only gotten around the corner and halfway down the alley when I slap my hand onto his shoulder to grab onto his jacket. “Hey!”

BAP!

I am suddenly seeing stars. The bastard had spun and clipped me with a stiff right cross. Acting on instinct I hold tight to his jacket and start throwing hay makers. There is a flurry of traded blows, mine missing at least as often as they were hitting, and somewhere in the ruckus I hear the shattering of pottery. The only actual full on fist fight I had been in in my life had been with Liam, Heather’s son, and just like that tussle this one is over quick with me laying on my back. My world is spinning as I hear his sprinting footfalls receding down the alley.