Authors: Ruth Ann Hixson
Mitzi came forward for the food. Sherry opened the door to the breezeway, and using the food, coaxed the kitten out. She went back to the kitchen and closed the door so Laddie couldn't get to the kitten. Then she opened the bathroom door and Laddie rushed out, going back to the table. When he found the kitten gone, he tried to follow Sherry into the bathroom.
"You can't come in here with me," Sherry said. "Boys aren't allowed in the bathroom with me."
"He's a dog," Frank observed.
"He's a male," Sherry shot back as she shut the bathroom door.
When she came back to the kitchen, Frank slid the turner under the slice of ham and flipped it out of the frying pan onto a plate. "How do you want your egg?"
"Two," Sherry said showing him two fingers. "Scrambled." She got her half loaf of bread from the pantry and dropped two slices into her new toaster. "I thank you every day for this toaster." When the toast popped up Sherry carried it to the table and sat down to spread margarine on it.
"Here's your breakfast. I'll fetch you some milk and a cup of coffee."
"Is there a reason for all this?" she asked him.
He shot her a grin. "We all have times when we just need someone to take care of us. I figured you're overdue. How's it going today?"
"I'm okay."
"Are you truly okay or are you just telling me that?"
She frowned thoughtfully. "It's a little rough. Last night I created a big fuss that I'm ashamed of. I'll make it. A little bit of time is all I need. Chad told me how to find out if I can draw unemployment compensation. Rose told me how to apply to LIHEAP for fuel assistance. Maybe I qualify for food stamps. I'll start looking for a job right away."
"I'll bring the paper over so you can look in the classifieds. We just put them through a shredder and they end up as bedding for the livestock."
"Is it safe to use the fireplace in the den?"
"Yup. Your gram had it cleaned in the spring and I don't believe it's been used since then. You'll need a fireplace screen. I can bring you some firewood." He scratched his forehead thoughtfully. "I don't know of anyone who has a fireplace screen who's willing to part with it. I can probably fabricate one from some scrap metal but it won't be today. I have to work on getting that other silo filled. It would be nice if we'd have a little less rain just now. I need to take advantage of every day it doesn't rain."
"Frank, how can I find out where Mom is? I'm worried about her. She doesn't do well on her own."
"Maybe what she really needs is for you to stop helping her each time she gets in trouble." He stood up and drank down the last swallow of coffee. "See you around, kid. If you need anything, you have my cell phone number."
After he left, Sherry called the toll free number to register for her unemployment compensation. It was more complicated then she thought it would be. Her doctor would have to complete a form that said she was fit to work. Her employer would have to reply to a request for information as to the reason she was let go. Sherry read the letter she received explaining the reason she was dismissed.
The man asked, "Is this a work related injury?"
"No."
"What sort of injury are we talking about?"
"Four broken ribs and a hole in my back made by the stiletto heeled shoe of a woman who has been stalking me. That's the second reason." Sherry continued reading. "We cannot risk the safety of our employees and customers because Elena Bayshore has a grudge against you. We have been informed that she is out on bail. Since she violated the conditions of her bail the last time, there is no reason to believe she won't do it again. That's it. That's their reason."
"We will need a copy of that letter."
By the time she got off the phone, her nerves were in shreds. She did some deep breathing exercises to calm herself. She still had to call the assistance office to apply for LIHEAP. That call went a little better. "I'll send you an application," the woman said.
Sherry needed to do something to calm herself down. She decided to clean her house starting with the downstairs bathroom. She'd just finished hanging the pink flowered curtains made from an old sheet that Rose had given her when she heard the door buzzer. She could see Mark on the door step. She was tempted to run back in the bathroom and lock the door, but she realized she had to face her problems head on.
The buzzer sounded again before she could get to the door. Taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart, she opened the door. "What do you want?"
"May I come in?"
She stepped back to allow him enough space to step inside. She had left the kitchen door open in case she had to make a hasty retreat. When she looked up to meet his eyes, she knew she didn't want to run away from him. At least not yet. "How was your day?" She tried to sound affable.
He got right to the reason for his being there. "I spent a lot of time thinking about you. Dad told me about last night. I wish someone had called me."
"I had nothing to do with that. I was asleep. I don't even remember coming home. All I know is what Linda told me early this morning." She was beginning to tremble and tears wet her eyes. "It doesn't take much to upset my nerves," she explained. She suddenly stepped forward and flung her arms around his middle. "I need a hug."
As he closed his arms around her she laid her head against his chest. She could hear his heart beating; or was that her own? He gently stroked her hair with his right hand as his left arm held her close. He kissed her forehead. Then he was kissing her mouth and she kissed him back. She moved her arms around his neck.
When she realized what she was doing, she pulled back. "No." She turned and fled back to the kitchen closing the door and bolting it.
She needed a place to hide so he couldn't see her through the window. To get to the bathroom she would have to cross the kitchen. She dropped down and crept under the table pressing herself into the corner just below the window. She was shaking again and the tears trickled down her cheeks.
Mark pounded on the door. "Sherry!" he yelled. "Sherry! Unlock this door." When she didn't respond he went outside and she could hear him at the window. Then she heard the door to his truck and the engine. She began to sob and she didn't know why. Mitzi came and crawled onto her lap. She stroked the kitten's soft fur. It wasn't until the door buzzer sounded again that she emerged from her hiding place.
She got up to her knees just enough to peek out the window to see who was there. It was Rose Dale with her husband and two daughters. Sherry jumped up and grabbed a dish towel to dry her tears before opening the door.
"Dear girl, what is wrong?" Rose demanded.
"Mark was here."
"When?"
"About a half hour ago."
"Do you want to tell me about it?"
"C-can we talk in private?"
"I don't need to be told twice," Carl spoke up from behind Rose. "Do you mind if I drive around to the outside door to the den?"
"I don't mind. But there's no light in the den. I can't reach the ceiling fixture."
"If you have a bulb, I'll take care of the rest."
"I'll have to take one from the lamp in the dining room. I'll meet you at the door." Sherry unplugged the lamp before removing the CFL which she took to the den. Carl was just backing up to the small concrete porch when she unlocked and opened the door.
The daylight was fading fast on the shaded side of the house. Sherry tried to see past Carl to what he had on the truck but he blocked her view. "It's a surprise," he told her as he took the bulb. "You can go talk to Rose in the kitchen. The girls and I can handle this."
Sherry smiled. "I don't have to be told twice." She returned to the kitchen where Rose already had water heating in the teakettle. "We can talk over a nice hot cup of tea."
When they were seated at the table, Rose sat with her hands folded. "Tell me about Mark."
Sherry told her everything. "I just felt like I needed a hug. I didn't mean it to go so far."
"Sherry, I'm going to ask a question and I want you to tell me the truth. No more dancing around the facts. Are you in love with Mark?"
Sherry shrugged. "I don't know what that kind of love feels like. I like Mark a lot but I wish he'd leave me alone until I can get this mess with Elena and Mom straightened out."
Rose raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure it shouldn't be the other way around. Maybe you need to deal with your feelings for Mark first. You compartmentalize things don't you."
Again Sherry shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe."
"Have you been able to keep Mark in a compartment?"
Sherry shook her head. "He's like a jack-in-the-box with a faulty release button. Every time I push him down he pops back up."
Rose laughed at her analogy. "Maybe you need to evaluate how you feel about him. If for no other reason than your own peace of mind."
Angie came to the kitchen grinning from ear to ear. "Dad says you're to come to the den." With a giggle she turned and ran back to the den.
Rose stood up. "Come along, dear. We'll see what Carl has cooked up for you." She led the way blocking Sherry's view until they were past the doorway to the den. Then she stepped aside.
"Surprise!" Carl and the girls yelled in unison.
A fire burned on the hearth behind a fireplace screen. In front of the fireplace was a gold swivel rocker. Sherry gasped with delight. "Oh, thank you!" She impulsively threw her arms around Carl and hugged him. Then she drew back blushing at her temerity. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," he reassured her. "How do you like your fireplace screen? I made it at work from scrap metal and corncrib netting."
"Thank you so much. And for the firewood, too. Frank said he'd bring me firewood. He was going to make me a screen when he gets time. Now he doesn't have to. What do I owe you?"
"Not a thing. All it cost me was some time and some welding rods."
"Carl's mother was going to throw this chair in the trash. I told her I know someone who can use it. It's worn pretty badly but it's better than nothing."
"Now you can sit over here and play your guitar," Angie said. "And Mom brought you a box of clothes that don't fit me anymore. I hope you like bright colors."
"I do like bright colors," Sherry returned. "Thank all of you so much."
When they were going out the door Rose reminded her, "Remember what I said about Mark."
Chapter 17
"Here, pussycat." Sherry set a saucer with cat food on the floor before she sat down at the table to eat her supper of chicken noodle soup. "I have the time now to cook homemade meals." There was still that problem of refrigeration. She thought about it. In mid-October it should be cool enough to keep food for a short period of time. Maybe if she put a box upstairs and opened one of the windows..."I'll try that tomorrow," she told the kitten.
Mark-in-a-box popped up again. She decided to do an assessment of her feelings for him, beginning with his physical attributes. She conjured up his image in her mind: the dark brown hair that tended to fall over his forehead. His forehead was smooth except when he frowned. And there was that dimple in his right cheek when he smiled.
His eyes were so dark brown they seemed black in lower light. Her eyes were brown, too, though not so dark. They would probably have brown-eyed children. Oops! Where did that thought come from? She pushed it back. She wasn't ready to think about that. Mark's face was an oval except for his chin which was strong but didn't jut out from his jaw like some men. His facial hair was dark brown and when he had a stubble of beard he looked incredibly sexy. She thought about that for a moment but didn't push it out of her mind. She admitted she found him sexy. Even though she was alone except for Mitzi, she blushed at the thought.
He was broad shouldered and well muscled but not bulky like a weight lifter. She knew he was strong because of the hard work of farming. She'd been surprised when she saw him without a shirt. He was smooth-chested unlike his father. She knew Frank had chest hair because it showed at the V of his unbuttoned shirt.
But Mark had dark hair on his arms and legs and around his navel where it continued on down to his pubic hair. She could feel her face getting hot when she thought about his pubic region. That feeling in her abdomen came again. She did find him very sexy. And he made her feel sexy, too. Enough of the physical man. She got up and put the teakettle over the gas. She needed a cup of tea. Maybe she should have started with non-physical attributes like honesty and intelligence.
Mark had a brilliant intellect. He was on the dean's list every semester and graduated with honors. He could have gotten a better job than teaching Ag Tech at the high school but he would have had to relocate. He said he wasn't ready to give up on the family farm just yet.
Mark didn't write except for his signature which was illegible. He printed neatly. In line with his engineering skills was his artistic bent. He drew sketches of proposed projects and Sherry knew he had created many work-saving and back-saving innovations on the farm. He could figure a math problem in his head quicker than she could with paper and pencil.
Sherry sipped her tea and wished she hadn't eaten all the potato chips. She really had to go for groceries tomorrow. But she had to finish her analysis of Mark that night. She knew he was honest as were both his parents. It was a way of life in the Blakely family though she hadn't met Lisa since she returned to Mifflin County. All she knew was what Frank told her about Lisa "going wild" since she was away from home.
If Mark had any fault it was his quick temper. That had been a problem between them from the start. Mark angered too easily about some things she said that weren't meant the way he took them though she had to admit that she had been nasty to him on more than one occasion. Then there was the one sticking point in her relationship with Mark--her plans for her future.
She didn't want to face the fact that she was falling in love with him because she would have to give up or at least alter her plans for college and a career in social work. She forced herself to think about it and she didn't like what she saw. She wanted with all her heart to be with Mark but was unable to commit to a true relationship because she couldn't sacrifice her future on the altar of love. She couldn't stop the tears from coming.