Checking The List

Christmas sales, displays, helpers, neighborhood,

The Bubble Lights were plugged in at night in order to see how they may appear to "the man or woman in the street." Mr Griffin supplied an empty wine bottle from 1875, and Robert and Shirley as  the "Blundons" looked very happy. Their tree was beautifully decorated with Victorian pretties, and a paper angel on top. 

The bubble lights were strung about in an odd manor, first on the tree, and then, onto the chairs. Daniel drove Brenda  around the neighborhood for a few minutes so she could see other store windows, and homes. One tiny cottage had all blue lights, and another house 3 blocks over had all red lights.  A portly stuffed Santa and Sled  with wooden reindeer graced the roof of the Wilson house. Rudolph's nose lit up red, but it didn't blink.

When they got home, Daniel pressed his Dickensian outfit with a warm iron while Brenda cut 2 big slices of apple pie, and set them on TV trays in the living room. The party was a few days around the corner, and Daniel reeled off a checklist to Brenda between bites of pie. Brenda listened quietly, and allowed her mind to wander "at will" during her bites.

 Had every little detail been attended to by a 60 year old hyperactive semi - perfectionist, or would she "suffer the humiliation of serving the wrong kind of punch ? What if there were no "ooh's" and "aah's?" at ANY point during the day ? 

What if Daniel forgot to show them the "special curtains" in the hallway window during his shared duty as tour guide ? What if the boiler in the basement blew the house up "all at once" before people got to taste the chocolates ? What if a TRAIN derailed, and knocked people out cold still holding onto their dainty tea cakes?"

Brenda and Daniel adored each other.  She wanted to leave him everything from her estate, no matter what happened in their relationship. He could handle certain people better than she could. She made him feel secure in many ways. When he was busy with a case, "madame" got busy at the shop. 

She never regretted not having children, but often wondered what kind of children she and Daniel could raise. She wasn't especially maternal, and Daniel didn't react to infants in stores, or public settings. Every now and then he would touch a little boy on the top of the head, and make a funny noise. Brenda never asked to hold babies, wouldn't go to baby or bridal showers. Hated weddings. She was an art gallery, or concert type, not a hen circle member.

Her mother, Mary Phoebe, could handle "everything and anything" social. In later years, Mother Grayson wore tailored clothes that were a bit mannish. Brenda felt that her widowed mother was a "surrogate social maven" for Mr. "Master Drill Sergeant Grayson," who wasn't big on conservative or stuffy events. 

He preferred  live entertainment. Bands, dancers, whistlers, baton twirlers, men in drag, dog acts, and even Opera singers. Neither one of them would have had any problem with Brenda's current lifestyle.

C J. Marks