“Carving birds can’t be that easy. You could cut your finger off, and then you wouldn’t be able to sign anymore.”
“Yeah, but I’ll be careful. I’ve seen some scars on Mr. Lafferty’s hands, probably made with carving tools.”
The doorbell rang. I went to the window. A delivery truck was parked in the driveway. “Come on, let’s go downstairs.”
“Is it my mother or do you have company?”
“No, just a delivery. But I think I know what it is. Let’s go see.” I bounced down the stairs, but Piper floated down step by step like a Hollywood movie queen making her grand entrance.
Mom was just closing the front door. She set the box on the table in the hallway. “Hey, girls. Done with your studying?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“That’s good. Piper, your mom just called. She’s on her way and in a hurry. You should probably gather your things.”
“Yes, ma’am. I have everything right here in my backpack.” She set it on the floor in the hallway.
I read the lettering on the box. “I knew it. It’s the TTY. Let’s open it?”
“It would be better to wait until your dad gets home. We don’t need any parts to go missing.”
“But, we could just open it. I want to show Piper. She’s never seen one.”
“Then let’s do it together.” Mom took the box to the kitchen, and we followed. She put it on the island and reached for her kitchen scissors. I wanted to rush her and help, but I knew better.
“Now we can use this to call Mr. Lafferty on the phone.”
“But he’s deaf. He can’t hear the phone, and besides, you said he didn’t talk.” Piper stood next to me.
“You’re right, but he can see, and this is a special telephone.” By that time, Mom had the device out of the box, and I explained to Piper how it worked.
The doorbell rang again. It was Piper’s mother, and they were in a hurry to leave. I followed her to the door to say goodbye. “Practice your fingerspelling. We can sign in class tomorrow.”
Mrs. Hanson and Piper weren’t even out of the driveway before Mom asked, “So, what’s this you said about signing in class tomorrow? Is this a project I don’t know about?”
I followed Mom back to the kitchen. “Not exactly.”
She picked up the grater and started grating cheese again. “And what does that mean? It either is a project or it isn’t.”
“It isn’t. It’s just a new way we can communicate when we’re at school.” Mom could ask more questions than I did, only she got answers because I was required to give them to her.
“Wouldn’t that be akin to writing notes in class? You’ve been in trouble for that before as I recall.” Mom stirred the cheese into the pot of milk on the stove.
I saw the box of elbow macaroni. “Are you making macaroni and cheese, my favorite? You make it the best, Mom.”
She kept stirring, ignoring my question. “So, let me make certain I understand this. You and Piper are learning sign language so you can communicate in class without making sounds, and no one else will know what you’re saying?”
“Well, I guess we could do that, but it’s probably not a good idea. The main reason I’m learning sign language is to talk with Mr. Lafferty.” I got the plates out to set the table even before she asked me to.
“You’re so right. Bad idea. Maybe I should alert Mrs. Grayson that you’re learning sign language and ask her to make certain you’re not using it inappropriately at school.”
“No need to do that, Mom. No signing in class and no passing notes either.” I pulled four napkins from the napkin holder to finish setting the table.
Jackson came through the back door. “We’re home. Got to shower. What time are we eating?”
Mom looked at the kitchen clock. “In about a half an hour.”
Dad followed Jackson. “Anybody home?”
I rushed around the table to Dad and hugged him. “It’s here.”
“Great. It’s home? Haven’t seen It in a while. I’ll be glad to see It.”
I always laughed at Dad’s corny jokes whether they were funny or not. For an attorney who was always reading something into what people said, he could be big-time literal sometimes. “Yes, sir. Mom, It, and I are home.”
Dad chuckled.
“No, silly, the TTY is here. We already opened it. So can we set it up?”
“Could I put down my briefcase and kiss your mom first?”
“Oh, yes, the important stuff. That always comes first.” My dad was still crazy about my mom. If I ever decided to get married, I wanted to marry someone like my dad. Jackson needed to take lessons from him. He had no clue about girls.
Dad kissed Mom’s cheek and turned to check out the TTY on the kitchen island. He thumbed through the directions and picked up the device. “This shouldn’t be so difficult. I think all it needs is power and a phone jack. Let me change clothes, and we’ll set it up in my office. See if your mom needs any more help with the table while you wait, will you?”
Only a few minutes passed before the table was set and Dad had cleared a place on his desk for the TTY. Two plugs, and it was working. “Could I—I mean, could we—call Mr. Lafferty?” I stood over Dad’s shoulder.
Dad pulled out his calendar. “Yes, in fact, I need to call him about bringing Mr. Hornsby out tomorrow.” He looked at his watch. “But it’s dinnertime. Let’s eat and give Mr. Lafferty time to have his own meal. Then we’ll check this thing out to see if it works.”
“Okay.” I stepped away from his chair. “I figured something out.”
“Do tell. Will what you figured out make us rich?”
“No, sir. I was thinking about how to communicate with Mr. Lafferty since I don’t know much sign language yet and Mrs. Walker won’t be there to interpret. I was thinking if I used your laptop computer, I could just type what I can’t sign. I can type pretty good now. Or if I had my own laptop computer, then I wouldn’t have to use yours.”
Dad put his arm around me, and we walked toward the kitchen. “I think that is ingenious. I’m so glad to have such a smart daughter who likes to figure things out, especially things involving my laptop computer. And, you know, I figured something important out too, when I started to represent Mr. Lafferty. There’s a thing called a yellow legal pad, and then there’s a pencil. They work really well, and Mr. Lafferty is accustomed to that.”
“I guess that means no?” I saw Mom carrying two glasses of water to the table and grabbed the other two.
“It means I’ll bring you a legal pad from the office. And besides, I have a feeling you’ll be signing in no time.”
After dinner, when I finished my chores, Dad and I went back to his office. “Could I call Mr. Lafferty and type the first message?”
Dad sat down in his chair. “Okay, let me get his number and dial it, then you can say the first hello.”
He dialed the number and slid the phone across his desk so I could reach it. It was no time before letters lit up and moved across the screen. Hello, this is HL2. Who’s calling, please?
I responded slowly. I needed to learn the keyboard better. It’s Julia Russell. We have a TTY at home now. This is our first call. Now I can call you whenever I want to.
Hi, Julia. How are you?
Fine, thank you, sir, and you?
Fine. How was school?
I learned quickly not to use so many words, and Mr. Lafferty didn’t use many either. Life Science and English fun. Math not so much.
Math not good for me. Reading better.
Me too. See you tomorrow. My dad’s bringing me.
Good.
Okay. Here’s my dad. I’ll be calling again, HL2. I got up and started out of the room. Dad moved to his chair and said, “Wait just a minute, Julia. I’ll be done here shortly.”
I looked out the window while Dad typed his messages. That spotted, stray dog was back. Jackson kept feeding him, so he’d never leave. I thought about Mr. Lafferty in that big, silent house. He
might like a dog. Maybe he’d had one when he was a boy. I was glad he had a TTY. It was like his voice and his ears. Words had sounds, and they could be typed on the screen. I wondered about musical sounds and if there was a way for him to see them. What would it look like to Mr. Lafferty?
I was trying to figure that out when Dad said, “Julia, sit down.”
“Is this another powwow?”
“A short one. First, I want you to know I’m very proud of you for wanting to befriend Mr. Lafferty. He needs friends, but we need to talk about some boundaries.” Dad stretched back in his chair. “You must remember Mr. Lafferty doesn’t see very many people, and he hasn’t for many, many years.”
“I know. Grancie told me all about it.”
“She told you his story about when he was a boy, but I don’t know how much she told you about how he lives now. He only sees Mrs. Schumacher and Mrs. Walker and me. He sees his doctor on occasion, but he mainly keeps to himself, and he hasn’t left Emerald Crest in decades. I think we should be sensitive and not overwhelm him. And he’s certainly never been around children before.”
“Yes, he has. He went to that special school, and he was around children. And Grancie said he liked it there but couldn’t stay after his mother died.”
“That’s true, but that’s when he was a child. He’s nearly sixty years old now, and he’s been in that house since he was your age. So he’s not been around children as an adult.”
“Does he watch television? They have captioned programming now, you know.”
Dad shook his head. “How do you know so much about so much, Julia? Yes, he watches TV. Mrs. Schumacher got all that set up for him a few years ago. I’d say he watches a few programs that interest him, but I think he reads mostly.”
“Then he knows about how people act out there in the world. And he probably sees children on television.”
“So do I, and they scare me. I can only imagine what Mr. Lafferty thinks.”
“I don’t scare him, except when I hug him. I think he likes me. He’s like G-Pa, only not quite as old.”
“You’re correct. But like I said, let’s be sensitive and not frighten him. And tomorrow I’m taking Mr. Hornsby out to meet him, and that’ll be a big change. Let’s just take things slowly. And about this TTY—you mustn’t become a nuisance calling him whenever you have a whim. You are to always ask me before you call him. Understood?”
“Yes, sir. Understood. What time are we going tomorrow?”
“Four o’clock. I need to show Mr. Hornsby around the property before dark. You can stay with Mr. Lafferty while I do that. Take your sign language book.”
“Yes, sir. May I go now?”
“To Mars, Jupiter, or to your room?”
“Is it okay if I have a whim to go to the kitchen for a cookie and milk? I didn’t have dessert.”
“In that case, I think I have a whim too. Lead the way. Take me to your cookies.”
Mom didn’t come in this time when she dropped me off at Dad’s office. She knew we would be leaving for Emerald Crest soon. Mr. Hornsby was already seated in the lobby. Mrs. Mason offered me an apple for a snack. It was sitting on her desk like it was waiting for me. I was couldn’t-stand-lunch-today hungry, so I took the apple and wished for peanut butter. “Could I have some coffee, Mrs. Mason?”
“You know, Julia, I poured your dad the last cup a few minutes ago, and I’m closing up the office just after you leave. Maybe next time.”
Dad came out, and we were on our way. He started telling Mr. Hornsby about his job responsibilities. I opened my sign language book and practiced, but I was listening to every word. Dad was giving Mr. Hornsby the scoop.
“I was a bit concerned with the first window, but when the rock came through his second-floor bedroom window last week, I sensed someone was up to some mischief. I think it’s time Mr. Lafferty had a foreman for the property. The house sits on the highest point right in the middle of a couple hundred acres. I’ve never walked the entire property, but I think it’s time someone knows this property and what’s going on out there.”
“Yes, sir. I can get to know the land, and I’ll do Mr. Lafferty a good job, a mighty fine job. And I tell you, I really appreciate the work.”
I couldn’t tell how old adults were because they all looked old to me, but Mr. Hornsby looked a little older than Dad. Mr. Lafferty would like him because he was wearing a red plaid flannel shirt and a plaid wool cap. His curly red hair was turning gray around the edges, and he had a beard. It was darker red, almost brown. He was tall and could have passed for a lumberjack if he hadn’t been so skinny.
Dad said, “I don’t think anyone means any harm to him. Probably just someone taunting him.”
“That sounds about right. I’ve heard stories all my life about that old green mansion and the feller that lives up there and about the graveyard on the property. Even heard some of the boys when I was growin’ up tellin’ stories about goin’ out there and snoopin’ around. Probably just boys like that playing a prank or checking out them caves out there.”
“That’s a reasonable conclusion. You’re aware that Mr. Lafferty is deaf and he uses a wheelchair?”
“No, sir. I did not know that. So how am I supposed to talk to him?”
“No need to talk. He’s usually upstairs in his room by dark.”
“I’ll be sure to show up by then.”
“Oh, I think if you’re there by eight o’clock, that will be fine. Does that give you time to have supper with your family?”
“Yes, sir. But I’ll be here all the time if you need me.” Mr. Hornsby smiled big like he was very happy.
“I have an all-terrain vehicle coming next week. Until then, you can use my pickup truck to ride the roads that are cut. When we finish here, I’ll take you to my house to get it. And you’ll be using Mr. Lafferty’s studio for an office and a place to stay warm. There’s a bathroom and a small kitchen. He works out there sometimes in the daytime, but he comes back into the main house before sundown. He’s a wood carver, you know, and a mighty fine one.”
“I’ll be looking forward to meetin’ this gentleman.”
“I’ll introduce you to him, but I warn you that he’s not used to having folks around, and I had to sell him hard on this idea. So let’s just go slow.” Dad looked back at me.
“I will do that. I’ll go as slow as the smoke out of my chimney, but I’ll be right ’ere iffen and when he needs me.”
“When you get there in the evenings, all you need to do is turn the lights on and off out in the studio a couple of times. He can see it from his bedroom window, and he’ll know you’re there. And if he needs you, he’ll do the same. It may take me a few weeks to talk him into giving you a key to the main house.”
“I understand, Mr. Russell. That gentleman don’t know me from Adam’s house cat, but I’ll take care of him. And he can trust me, sir. I’m just grateful to have this work.”
“And we’re grateful for you, Mr. Hornsby. What I’m hoping is that Mr. Lafferty will take to you, and he will want to hire you as the foreman for his property. I’m certain there are some jobs that need doing, some fencing repair and who knows what else.”
“Yes, sir. About the only thing I can’t do is electrical work. You have to go to school for that, but ever’thing else is right up my alley, and I do like to fix things.”
“Let’s just hope all this works out, and you may have yourself a full-time job. But you do understand I can’t promise you that right now?” Dad stopped and used his remote to open the gate, then turned into the lane that would take us up to the house.
“I understand, sir.” Mr. Hornsby turned around to look out the rearview window. “You do know that gate’s useless, don’t ya, Mr. Russell?” He took off his cap and scratched his head. “There’s no fence on either side. But it’s a mighty fine gate.”
“I think it was something Mrs. Lafferty wanted. And you’re right. It’s mighty fine, impressive, and probably expensive, but most definitely
a useless gate. Never even thought about it. And why don’t you call me Ben, and I’d like to just call you Edgar, if that’s okay with you.”
“My oldest boy’s named Ben. I’ll be rememberin’ your name. He’s fine just like you. Then I have twin boys and a girl after them. They’re good children, all doin’ good in school, and my wife takes good care of ’em.” Mr. Hornsby leaned forward in his seat as Dad parked in the driveway. “That’s a big green house. Can’t see it that good from the road, but it’s green just like ’em stories I heard.”
“It’s green all right—green granite from somewhere up north, and green marble from Ireland. They built the outside walls out of the granite and the floors out of the green marble, and what’s not green is mahogany wood. The Laffertys were from Ireland, and Mr. Lafferty the First wanted a house to match the color of his wife’s dark-green eyes.”
“She musta been a beauty.”
Dad opened his door and then mine. “They say she was. Let’s go meet Mr. Lafferty.”
I rang the bell, the lights flickered, and Mrs. Schumacher answered the door. Dad introduced Mr. Hornsby to her, and she told us Mr. Lafferty was in the library and asked us to follow her. She led us down a long hallway across the entrance hall from the dining room where Mr. Lafferty usually met us.
I had never been down this hall, but if I was coming to see Mr. Lafferty every week, I thought I needed to learn to find my way around his house. That would be like the biggest treasure hunt ever. Just like in the dining room and the garden room, there were birds hanging on the walls down this hall.
Mrs. Schumacher motioned for us to enter a big doorway. I stopped to look around. I just kept looking up from the green floor to the blue ceiling. More bookshelves and books than the Sycamore Hill library. There were two ladders because the shelves were so tall. And more windows. I could see the garden.
Mr. Lafferty sat at a big table in the middle of the room. He had books spread out across the top. Dad introduced Mr. Hornsby, and all he got was a nod from Mr. Lafferty.
Then Dad spoke, and Mrs. Schumacher signed. “Mr. Hornsby is starting work tonight, and he understands about the lights in the studio when he arrives and that you will notify him the same way if you need him. He’ll be using my truck until the other vehicle arrives.”
Silent Days, Holy Night Page 8
