Ready or Not (Aggie's Inheritance)

by Havig, Chautona

  Aggie says: I quit.

  Tina says: Yeah right.

  Aggie says: Ok. Well… I SHOULD QUIT.

  Tina says: Now you’re talking. Just kidding! So what now?

  Aggie says: Cari cut her hair.

  Tina says: Well… You can tell them apart now.

  Aggie says: I had Lorna’s cut the day before. Cari has an overdeveloped sense of twinness.

  Tina says: How funny. So… how bad is it?

  Aggie says: I had to cut her bangs completely off. It looked best that way. Now she looks like she started a flat top but gave up and quit.

  Tina says: Oh, how funny!

  Aggie says: I’ll send pics when I find my camera and my cord. Remind me to buy a laptop with a built in card reader next time.

  Tina says: Doesn’t Allie have a camera? I thought she was into all that scrapbooking stuff.

  Aggie says: Well, duh. Of course she does. I didn’t think to get it out. I’ll do that today. Allie’s is better than mine too. One of those crazy things with different lenses and words that sound like allergies and racial slurs.

  Tina says: So how goes the house hunt?

  Aggie says: I found one. Oh, Tina… it’s like every one we’ve ever stopped and drooled over.

  Tina says: Does it have a “turret?”

  Aggie says: YEP! And no gingerbread!!!

  Tina says: Victorian?

  Aggie says: Sort of a mix… part Victorian, part country farmhouse. It has siding like farmhouse but the shape of a Victorian.

  Tina says: If it has a porch…

  Aggie says: A southern belle would sit on the “verandah” and serve mint juleps.

  Tina says: WOW! And you can afford this paragon of homes?

  Aggie says: It’s a dump right now. Broken windows… cracked paint… UGLY carpeting and it’s FILTHY. The kitchen is left over from a bad ‘70’s remodel including avocado and harvest gold everything.

  Tina says: Ick. I don’t think I would have liked those when they were IN!

  Aggie says: It looks like a retro nightmare. But… it’s going to be beautiful.

  Tina says: But, how can you afford to buy and fix?

  Aggie says: This house is being sold for peanuts. I’m just whipping it into peanut butter and adding jelly for the perfect sandwich.

  Tina says: That’s it. Go to bed. You’re getting loopy.

  Aggie says: Nah… it’s just my subject matter these days. I have made more PBJ sandwiches in the last MONTH than I have in my whole life!

  Tina says: Nighters. You need your sleep. Poof

  Aggie says: GRRRRRRr ok. Poofs. Thanks…

  Chapter 4

  Hullabaloo

  Saturday, March 23rd

  The Stuart Clan was celebrating the toddler twins’ birthday. The girls were dressed as little farmer girls in matching overall jumpers with red gingham shirts and a mini-pony tail on opposite sides of their heads. When the little girls stood side by side, they looked like Siamese twins, joined at the head and with one continuous hairstyle. The result was completely adorable. Aggie had also gotten into the theme and had thrown on a denim skirt and red t-shirt. The rest of the children, eager to feel festive, quickly followed suit. The result was the appearance of an all-American family.

  Aggie’s parents were expected at any time, and Aggie dashed throughout the house, stashing things in odd places to cover the remnants of the mess she’d been fighting to conquer for the past few days. Grabbing a pile of schoolbooks left by Vannie on the floor beside the couch, Aggie stumbled downstairs, looking for a safe, dry place to put them. All she needed, after her exhausting week, was a cup of punch to get dumped on the detailed report that Vannie had spent the past three weeks perfecting.

  Dry-- that was a thought. Aggie opened the dryer and carefully set the books inside. Half-way back up the stairs, she decided to unplug the dryer-- just in case. The second to last thing she wanted to do was replace a stack of schoolbooks.

  Aggie arranged paper plates and cups on the table while smiling to herself. “No dishes to wash,” she mused. “You can’t help but love birthdays!”

  Vannie carried in two beautifully wrapped packages, and Aggie exclaimed over the young girl’s handiwork. “How did you get them so pretty? Mine always look like something done by someone about Ian’s age!”

  “I love wrapping presents, Aunt Aggie! That’s my favorite part of Christmas. All of the pretty packages under the tree…” Vannie’s voice grew wistful before continuing hesitantly. “Aunt Aggie? Will Christmas be fun this year? Will we get to have a tree, and presents, and eggnog without the nog, and sing carols, and be happy?”

  Aggie sighed and hugged the girl. “We will have the best Christmas we can possibly have. Just because your parents aren’t here, doesn’t mean that we have to refuse to have fun ever again. We miss them. I know that I miss Allie, and I didn’t see her very often. I want you guys to miss your parents. I would think that there was something wrong with you, or them, if you didn’t. But, I think we need to just live a normal life until the pain is more like emptiness when we think of them. Like a little piece of us that isn’t there anymore, and we wish still was.”

  Vannie nodded and Aggie continued. “I think what we need to remember is, they were finished with this world. They had accomplished all that God wanted them to. And I must say; you were quite an accomplishment!”

  A sad face lifted wet lashes and a droopy mouth, trying not to cry. “I just think, Aunt Aggie, I think we weren’t finished with them.” The girl turned and went to find the twins, while Aggie looked around the room as though she were a lost child in a museum. She had no idea how to answer a statement like that.

  Choosing the twins’ birthday to talk about this had not been a good idea. “Mental note: Don’t speak of sad subjects on happy days.” With a whispery wavering voice, Aggie started singing as she rounded up the children to go out front and wait for Gramma and Grampa. “Then to life I turn again… learning all the worth of pain…”

  Aggie saw a familiar, silver Mercedes drive into the driveway, and her heart sank. Now what should she do? The last thing Aggie wanted to deal with on the twins’ birthday was an ugly scene, but lately, encounters with Geraldine Stuart had been anything but pleasant.

  With a forced smile, Aggie turned to Vannie and said, “Sweetie, will you and Laird go check on the punch?” Aggie knew that drama was probably coming. With Geraldine Stuart around, it seemed unavoidable, but Aggie wanted Laird and Vannie out of earshot if at all possible.

  Vannie had helped the children make tissue paper flowers, so Aggie told everyone to gather some to give to their grandmother, and then went to meet Geraldine and her husband at the car. She tried to come up with an honest excuse for not having thought to invite them and couldn’t. If her mother hadn’t called to remind her of the girls’ birthday and tell her that they were coming to celebrate, this party wouldn’t have happened.

  “Hello! How are you today? We are having a party for the twins, and my parents are arriving soon. I would like to invite you to stay; honestly, I have been so busy getting used to life in the Stuart house that I didn’t think to call you.” Geraldine made an indelicate snort, but before she could speak, Aggie continued. “However, if you cause a scene, or in any way mar the joy of this day for them, you will be asked to leave. Do you understand?”

  Geraldine glared at Aggie with the eyes of a haunted and angry woman. “Aggie. There is no way that you will ever get me out of anywhere unless I choose to leave. Do you understand me?”

  Aggie sighed as she realized Geraldine Stuart must be one of the world’s most unhappy women. “I’m not an unreasonable woman, Mrs. Stuart, but I will call the police and have you removed if you create a scene that causes pain to these children. It’s the girls’ birthday. Please remember that.”

  Aggie turned before the woman could shoot anymore of her verbal arrows in her direction. “Come on everyone! Give Gramma your flowers! Oooooh, Lorna, your bouquet is beautiful. Cari I love the
pansies. How sweet! I’m sure she’ll love them.”

  Aggie saw her parents arrive and flew across the yard to greet them, hugging her mother fiercely. She’d missed them more than she’d realized. In an undertone she said, “Dad, I think I blew it. After Mrs. Stuart’s ugly scene the other day, I warned her not to make one today, and she’s already looking for anything to criticize. I should have kept my mouth shut and just prayed.”

  Ron Milliken and his wife Martha wanted to spend more time with Aggie and the children, but Martha’s health kept them home most of the time. Ron was a gentle man and a quiet one, but behind a meek demeanor was a man with hidden strengths. Since Allie’s death, Aggie thought he had aged considerably and wondered how a parent processed outliving their child.

  Martha smiled up at her daughter and said, “Get the cake out, honey, will you? I’ll see what I can do with Geraldine. She seems to think I’m harmless enough.”

  With tact and a bit of pleasant manipulation, Aggie watched her mother steer Geraldine from the yard already littered with broken flowers and destroyed streamers. Party decorations had never been Aggie’s forte. She now realized that she should have let Vannie and Ellie decorate to their heart’s content. Perhaps the childish overuse of tape in any given situation would have given the décor a longer life.

  Aggie was amazed at her mother’s grace and patience as Martha kept Geraldine talking while they entered the house. Disgusted, she watched as the fastidious older woman pulled a large handkerchief out of her purse and set it on a chair before sitting down. P-mails flew heavenward faster than Aggie could have ever articulated the simplest request.

  Thinking it best to find a quick diversion for the children, Aggie chose to let the girls open their gifts before eating, and Geraldine immediately sent Douglas outside to bring in their gifts. Laird followed to help his grandfather when Aggie indicated that he should go. “Douglas isn’t an invalid, Aggie, and Laird isn’t your personal servant. Let the boy stay.”

  Laird followed quietly as if he hadn’t heard, while Aggie exclaimed over the little dolls that the girls opened from “Grandma Millie,” choosing to ignore the woman’s spiteful words. What pleasure Geraldine Stuart got out of being unpleasant wasn’t worth ruining the little girls’ party.

  Aggie almost groaned when she saw the piles of gifts that Laird and Douglas carried in. She first thought that they were trying to have Christmas in March! It was soon apparent that Geraldine didn’t believe in buying gifts for just one child. She felt obligated to get them all something equally important, impressive, and expensive.

  For the next twenty minutes, Aggie worked diligently to distract the twins from realizing that the other children were opening gifts too. Every time Cari saw someone touch a package, she’d shriek and wail over her “pwetty fings.” Aggie worked very hard not to let the child continue to be unpleasant without having to remove her from her own party.

  Things went rapidly downhill when Cari saw Ian playing with his box. In typical baby style, the infant was happier to chew on the corner of the box, than he was trying to tear off the paper. At five months old, it was silly to assume he would do much of anything else. A squeal of fury erupted from the little girl, and she plowed across legs and feet to reach Gramma Milliken’s side. Reaching the drooling infant, the angry girl snatched the box from the baby and slapped his face and hands repeatedly. Aggie had reached her limit. Picking up the furious toddler, she attempted to remove Cari from the room.

  Geraldine protested, softly at first and then quite vehemently. “It’s her birthday, Aggie. You are being quite cruel. I insist that you put Cari down. The child didn’t understand.” Looking at the screaming kicking little girl Geraldine said, “You thought he was hurting your present, didn’t you, darling? That box was for him, honey.”

  Cari screamed, “Nooooo! My birthday. My pwesents! Ian not have my pweasants!”

  Aggie gave Geraldine a pointed look and continued her journey upstairs to deal with little Cari. Aggie suspected that this outburst had more to do with Cari sensing the underlying tension in the room and being overwhelmed with the sheer volume of stuff than anything, but her remaining in the room was only making things worse. She also wondered why Mrs. Stuart couldn’t see it and keep quiet. At the very least, the woman could keep calm so as not to make a bad situation worse.

  “Aggie, let her have the present. For heaven’s sake, he’s a baby and won’t know. I’ll buy him something later. You can’t ruin her birthday over something so insignificant.”

  Ron stood and nodded to Aggie, who escaped into her room to try to calm Cari. “Geraldine. My daughter was right. Cari was out of control and needed to be removed from the room.”

  “I’ll thank you to keep your opinions to yourself, Ronald Milliken. Your daughter obviously has no idea how to handle a high-spirited child.”

  Martha Milliken had tried to keep calm and silent, but this was too much. With a quiet but firm voice, she spoke. “Geraldine Stuart, sit down. You are making things worse. Cari was overwhelmed with all of these gifts.” Her eyes flashed with uncustomary rage. “You know Doug and Allie didn’t allow you to bring very many gifts, but you deliberately chose to override it this time because you knew Aggie wouldn’t be prepared for it. You’ve hurt Cari, Aggie, and the rest of this family with your ostentatious display, and I think you’d better leave now. The girls’ birthday is ruined.”

  The strain was too much for Martha, and she slumped back into her chair weakly. A look of alarm crossed Ron’s face, and he quickly found his wife’s medication. “That’s it. Douglas, Geraldine, you have the choice to leave, or I’ll call the police. Either way, you will go now.”

  “You do not have the authority to throw us out, as you well know.” Geraldine was unfazed.

  “Geraldine…” Douglas seemed ready to acquiesce, but the irate woman shot her husband a look that silenced him.

  “I may not, but if I call the police, Aggie will tell the officers that she wants you off of the premises. Do you understand me? Shall I call now, or are you leaving?” It broke Ron’s heart to hear the children sniffling and see them beginning to huddle together, but due to previous experiences with Geraldine, he knew that this was only going to escalate.

  “I am not leaving. I am going upstairs and bringing that poor child down here to enjoy her party.”

  Aggie’s voice interrupted. “Mrs. Stuart, you are doing nothing of the kind. If necessary, I will bodily stop you from moving up these stairs.”

  Turning to the children Aggie said, “Go out back-- all of you. Now!”

  “You will not raise your voice to my grandchildren. The court will hear about the verbal and emotional abuse of these poor mother and fatherless children--”

  “Parentless or not, these children are in my care, and I have not and would never hurt them in any way. I have called the police to report a domestic disturbance and a trespasser. I’d suggest you leave my house immediately.” Aggie worked hard to remain firm, when all she wanted to do was escape into her room and collapse. The woman’s histrionics were enough to drive even a stronger person to despair.

  “Your house! Your house,” she repeated livid. “This house has been in the Stuart family for three generations! It’s an historical landmark, not that you’d know or care with the way that you treat it! I refuse to set foot out of this house without seeing that Cari is all right.”

  Geraldine sat in the nearest chair without bothering with a handkerchief. Aggie almost laughed at the look on the irate woman’s face. It was identical to the look given to her by Cari just moments ago. Aggie went into the kitchen and grabbed a black trash bag. Slowly, she stuffed each piece of the discarded wrappings now littering the living room into the bag and tied the top when it was full.

  Ron Milliken came to her side, put his arm around her, and spoke low into her ear. “Aggie, your mother isn’t feeling well. I can see her trying not to let her hands shake, and I know her heart is pounding. I can hear it. This isn’t safe for her, and
I refuse to leave you alone with Geraldine, but the second the police arrive, I am going to put your mother in the car, make my statement, and get her home. It’s been too much for her.”

  Aggie glanced at her mother and then sighed. She should have known better than to try to have a party at the house. They should have gone north to her parents’ house. They would have missed the Stuarts, and the party would have been calm and pleasant. Aggie sometimes felt that she could do nothing right. She was in a boxing match, and she’d never have a chance to win. Geraldine Stuart knew how to, not only ruin a beautiful day, but also how to make others accept the guilt for it.

  The scene was emotional and ugly when the officers arrived. Aggie had a file folder full of court documents and other legal papers naming her as guardian and legal occupant of the house. While it hurt him to do it, Ron Milliken spoke to the officer, gave his statement and a cell phone number, and then drove away as quickly as possible.

  The older officer, with a firm tone and a no-nonsense stance, stood before the irate woman and said, “Mrs. Stuart, according to these papers, this young lady has the right to evict you from her property. You will leave immediately, or I will have to arrest you for trespassing.”

  The woman screamed and actually swore at one point. Aggie thought for a moment she would throw herself on the floor and pound it with her fists like an out of control two-year-old. Geraldine argued every step of the way, as Douglas Stuart and the officer escorted her to their vehicle. She demanded to see that Cari was all right, claiming that Aggie had beaten the child for wanting to open a gift. The officer turned to speak to Aggie about the claim and found the young woman standing there, holding the prettiest little girl he’d ever seen.