A Bum Steer

Changes are in the air. Insecurities abound in one corner, and relax in another.

 

Pauline arrived at 10 A.M. sharp and joined Brenda in the dining room for coffee. After a bit of gossip, and mundane chit chat, Pauline announced that she and her architect husband would be relocating permanently to San Francisco in the Fall to operate a house renovation service. Brenda felt a pang of insecurity since Pauline and Mr. Griffin had championed her entry into the Historical Society and House Registry. 

Brenda congratulated her, but added that no one could ever manage the group quite like "the amazing Mrs. Kirby" had. Pauline was a hundred percent behind any of Brenda's crazy ideas, because they, too, would become part of the town history. Brenda was a quiet celebrity, albeit an eccentric one.

Pauline followed her upstairs to see the mannequins, and gasped when she entered the ghost room. The "people" looked very real, and seemed to belong there every bit as much as the furniture did. Pauline said that whoever would be taking her position at the Historical Society may not be so flexible. 

There were new "elements" and "purists" who 

could not tolerate any "deviation from the norms." Most of the mannequins were older, and looked Edwardian, but the purists would want "dummies" from the era to be the real thing. She wasn't sure how the caboose would be received, but if it was the genuine item, no one should object. 

Pauline seemed to think that the "fragile" summer kitchen was a temporary building, and that the house to the left on Oglethorpe Street was the "real" Summer kitchen built in 1897. The maids had to live somewhere, and in those days, blacks did not live under the same roof, generally, as their employers.

She apologized for not knowing everything offhand, but over the years, some of the homes in the area were sold, and resold. The 1897 house sat empty, but was in good condition inside. Perhaps Mr. Blundon built it to house his guests, or sold it to a good friend. Brenda promised to look into buying it. 

After Pauline left, "The eccentric Miss Grayson" gathered a few things to take to the shop. The phone rang just as she was about to step outside. The Riddle Animal Sanctuary asked her if she would consider sponsoring a steer they had just rescued from deplorable conditions. His leg needed to be attended to, as it was badly cut. 

She assured them that she would drop a check in the mail to cover his expenses, or hand the money to anyone who could drop by her shop or house. They opted for the latter option, and agreed to come to her shop before closing time.

After  an overjoyed Lacy Riddle left with "the bum steer" donation, Farleigh walked in through the front door carrying flowers. Brenda kissed him and went for a vase in the back room. After a few minutes Farleigh announced that he has been to see Dr. Sullivan for "an informal chat, and half baked office visit." He shared his cemetery picnic adventure, and touched upon his unusual visions that "were probably nothing" since they came and went. The good doctor said that there were tests to determine if there were any serious problems developing, but that it was up to Farleigh to decide when he wanted to investigate further. Farleigh took a few notes about what constituted "serious" and stuck them in his pocket.

After helping Brenda to move a few things from the upstairs store room in order to accommodate more mannequins, Farleigh asked if he could spend the night. Brenda kissed him and said that she would have to stop at Dumm's Corner and buy a few extra groceries. Farleigh seemed a bit more relaxed than usual, and exhibited none of the quirkiness he had shared with her last time they were together.

When the groceries were safe inside the refrigerator, Farleigh said that he needed to sit with Frederick and Edwina mannequins "alone" for about twenty minutes. Brenda said that she needed to make dinner, and suggested he tell them hello from her while he was up there. When Farleigh ventured up the main staircase, Brenda peered out the front door to see if Daniel's car was back from Ocean city. 

Sure enough, it was, and a bright red life preserver could be seen resting in the back window. The odds of Daniel showing up any time soon were one in a million, or so she thought. 

Daniel Alexander was looking at her through his police binoculars from his front window that very moment while Caitlin enjoyed a noisy shower. The hind end of Farleigh's car was sticking out like a sore thumb, and Daniel would store that fact in his peeve box for retrieval and mastication just before he drifted off to sleep, if he drifted off to sleep.

CJ Marks