"Meredith?"
Cass' reedy voice squeaked.
"Yeah,
Cass."
"Oh
good, you're really coming," she sighed with relief. "On your way
out, could you stop by the store and pick up a few things?"
I
groaned inwardly, but tried to keep my voice light as I replied, "Sure,
Cass; what do you need?"
"Oh...
How about a jar of pickles? Oh, and a box of crackers! And if you could pick up
some fish sticks, and a bag of string cheese, and a bag of salad, that would be
wonderful!"
I
wondered at the variety of the things she wanted, but I knew she would take
offense if I questioned her.
"Sure,"
I told my sister, "I'll swing by the store on my way out of town."
"Lovely!"
Cassandra responded quickly, and hung up the phone.
I
picked up the items at the Market Basket and tried to make my way toward the
freeway. At last, I was "home free."
Not
an hour after I had gotten on the freeway, Cass called again.
"Oh,
Meredith, I almost forgot! Could you pick up some Light Homestyle Ranch? It's
my favorite kind!"
This
was threatening to get out of hand, I could tell. "Cass," I tried to
reason with her, "they only carry those at Manny's Foods."
"Well,
I know, Mer!" Cass sounded shocked
that I should consider her presumptuous at all. "There's one between Beaumont
and Austin, isn't there?"
I
rolled my eyes and checked the GPS. "Yeah, there is, but it's more than
ten miles off--"
"It's
just a quick stop, Mer!" Cass whined, "And while you're there, you
can pick up a few pints of ice cream. Oh! And some frozen dinners, like those
pot pies! And orange juice, I have been craving orange juice!"
I
knew I had to cut her off before she went much longer. "Okay, I'll get all
that stuff for you."
"Oh
Meredith! Normally you know I wouldn't put such an insignificant matter on you
like this—“
Oh
yeah, you would!
"--but
you know how housekeepers are these days. I swear, Darla has the itchiest palms
of anyone I know!" She groaned painfully, most likely for my benefit.
"A poor innocent sufferer like me has so few friends these days!"
"I'll
stop by Manny's, and maybe I can make it there before dinner is over."
"Okay,
Meredith, hurry on over!"
I
shook my head and exited the freeway. Cass said to hurry, even as she piled on
the errands!
I
picked up the things at Manny's, and by the time I got back in the car, there
was another message from my sister.
"Hey,
Mer... I'm out of cookie dough... and soda, but you can just pick up a couple
bottles of Coke when you get to Austin. And if you wanted to pick up some
doughnuts for tomorrow's breakfast that would be fine."
I
tried to keep my cool, but when I hit the freeway, my temper got the better of
me.
"Does
that woman have anything in her
larder?" I fumed. "Good golly!" I felt like she had invited me
over just so I could get this stuff for her because she was too lazy and too
busy being ill to do it herself, and Heaven forbid she be obligated to her own
housekeeper to pay her to get them!
As
I got closer to Austin, my blood pressure gradually returned to normal. I
couldn't be angry with her, I realized, because this is what I would be glad to
do for my sister. By the time I returned to the car after making the last stop,
I was myself again. I cranked up the radio and sang myself the rest of the way
twenty miles out of town to Charlie's ranch, Mangrove Row.
Charlie's
dog Trig, a border collie, ran out to meet me.
"Hey
girl," I cried as she fawned around my feet, sniffing and panting heavily,
"Did you miss me? You're such a good girl!"
I
scratched behind her ears, and she sat perfectly still, enjoying my touch.
"Where
is Cassie, girl?" I asked Trig. "Is she having dinner?" I moved
to the back of my car and took out my bag and the groceries. Trig knew what it
meant, and she took off toward the house, barking to alert her mistress.
The
Mangrove homestead was a two-story ranch “cottage” with nearly the same
square-footage as the Elliot estate, with the exception that rather than being
imposing and stuffy, the Mangrove mansion was more like a goodwife opening her
arms in welcome.
The
minute I stepped in the door, I was greeted by Cassandra's voice emanating from
the den.
"What
is that infernal dog barking so loud for?" she groused.
I
decided to lighten the mood, "Only a poor, weary stranger coming in for
something delicious to eat!" I called back, setting the bags of food on
the counter.
Cass,
who had been sprawled on the couch watching television and looking as feverish
as she could manage, leapt up at my voice with alacrity that belied her fever
and ran toward me.
"Oh
Meredith! You're here! Oh good, I'm starving!" she grabbed the box of crackers and returned to the couch,
munching away.
I
stood in shock, "Cassandra, it's after seven! You mean you haven't had
dinner yet?"
The
weariness instantly returned to Cassie and she barely lifted her hand to as me,
"Could you bring me a soda, Mer?" As I did so, she went on, "I
wish you wouldn't use that tone with me! Of course I haven't had anything to
eat since breakfast because it was just then that I felt just dang-awful in my
belly, and I've been worried about keeping things down ever since! Can I get
some cheese sticks?" she looked up at me like a female, adult version of
Oliver Twist.
"All
right," I told her with a sigh. I was starving, too, so I didn't have the
stomach to argue.
While
she munched on cheese and crackers, I pulled out one of the pot pies and heated
it in the microwave. Cassie ate her food from a tv tray in the den, and I sat
alone at the counter in the kitchen.
When I had finished, I threw
away the pie pan and washed the fork I had used. I got myself a tall glass and
filled it with orange juice before joining Cassandra in the den.
She
finished her show and clicked off the tv.
"How
are you doing, Cassandra?" I asked her.
She
rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Where do I start? Charlie left last
weekend to a stockyard convention, as I told you before. The man is so
demeaning sometimes! I mean, really! I
offered to go with him, to keep him company while he was over there, but he
kept coming up with all these reasons why I shouldn’t go. Let me tell you,
Meredith,” her tone was almost bragging, “I was so hurt and shocked that my own
husband didn’t want me around that I promptly came down with a head cold the
next day! Of course then I didn’t
want him going off, so sick and all alone, but of course, he told me he’d
already paid for the trip, he might as well take it!” Cassie threw up her hands
in disgust. “There’s Charlie for you! Oh, Meredith, I’ve been battling sickness
after sickness since he’s been gone. It started with a head-cold, then it moved
on to a sinus infection, then I felt feverish, then I felt nauseous, and today
I’ve just felt lethargic and completely not myself!” Her eyes began to moisten
with tears, “And Charlie’s gone and
he won’t be back till tomorrow and I’m all alone!”
I
couldn’t help shaking my head and biting back laughter as Cassie covered her
face and wept. She claimed that this scared, hypochondriac, weak, spoiled woman
was not herself, but if that was so then she had been someone else besides
herself for her entire life!
“You’re
not alone, Cass,” I consoled her, “I’m here with you.”
She
continued to whimper as she grasped my hand. “I know,” she gasped, “I know
you’re here; it’s just so hard to live in this cruel world sometimes!”
I
patted her shoulder, “Well, I think all you need is plenty of rest. I’m sure
you’ll feel perfectly well in the morning.”
Cassandra
braced herself, “You’re right,” she said, “I think I’ll go to bed now.” She
immediately stood up, re-wrapped herself in the blanket that had been over her
lap, and marched out of the den. I remembered that I had left my suitcase in
the kitchen.
As
Cass marched upstairs, I called after her, “Do you have a particular room you
want me to use?”
She
didn’t look back or slow down. “Just pick any of the spare rooms. Darla
maintains them all.”
I
shook my head, but I glanced through the three downstairs rooms before
selecting my favorite one: the one with a view of the horse pasture.
Charlie
was largely a cattleman, and though he knew horses, he didn’t have the time or
the skill to take care of them. The barn was largely looked after by an older
couple, Donny and Barbi. Donny was out in the field now, rounding up the horses
and herding them into the barn. I would have to pay them a visit tomorrow, I
decided.
<<<<<>>>>>
Also from "Merely Meredith":
-Presenting Mrs. Cassandra Marianne Elliot Mangrove... The Great
No comments:
Post a Comment