THE BLUE STALKER

by BROWN, JEAN AVERY

  “That shower sure made me feel good.” he said as he was walking down the stairs dressed in new jeans and shirt.

  “Juan, Maria called to him Ms. Ella is home and looks like she needs some help.” Maria called to him as she wiped her hands on her apron.

  Juan rushed to the door as Ella was climbing the steps with a load of groceries.

  “Let me help you with those.” Juan said as he took the bags from her arms.

  “Maria has dinner almost ready.” Juan told Ella.

  “That sounds good to me.” Ella said as she slumped down in a big chair flopping her feet on the hassock.

  “I’ll wash up in the laundry room and get a bath after super, I’m famished and dinner smells so good.” Ella pulled her tired body off the chair.

  Maria finished setting the table. She filled the serving bowls and placed them on the table. They each pulled their chairs up to the table. Ella again reached for their hands.

  This time Juan said, “Ms. Ella, may I?”

  “Of course.” Ella replied.

  Juan began, “Thank you for Ms. Ella and for all she has done for us. Bless the food Maria has prepared. Dear God bless little Jose and bring him home soon, Amen.

  “Did you check on Jose today Maria?” Ella asked as bowls were being passed around.

  “Yes, Ms Ella, I called three or four times. I think they are getting annoyed with me calling so much but I can’t help myself.” Maria told them.

  “It’s okay for you to call. It’s not good for you to worry. I think we can finish up here and get to the hospital by the time visiting hour starts.”

  They finished with dinner and Maria cleaned the kitchen while Ella took a quick shower. Maria loved cooking and cleaning in her new kitchen. She wanted everything to be perfect and was getting possessive with her new found home. Juan offered to help with the clean up but Maria didn’t want any help.

  “I’ll do as much as possible while Ms. Ella is getting ready I can finish when we get back home.” she told Juan.

  It didn’t take long for Ella to get ready. Soon they were off in the station wagon heading for the hospital. Again Ella noticed the blue sedan just outside her drive. She felt a chill go up her spine. She wondered why she was being watched. She shrugged it off and away they went to the hospital Ella made sure she parked under a parking lot lamp. She didn’t want to walk back to the car in the dark. Again she told herself not to be paranoid. Paranoid is one thing but safe smarts is another.

  Little Jose was gooing and laughing. He looked as if he has gained more weight. The nurse informed Maria and Juan that the doctor would be in tomorrow and wanted to see them. She made the appointment and Juan stuffed the appointment card in his pocket.

  “Ms. Ella we have an appointment to meet with Dr. Burnett tomorrow morning at eight. Will it be okay if I make it to work a little late and will you go with us?”

  “Of course, I will go with you.” Ella said.

  “You see Ms. Ella, Maria and I may not be able to understand all Doctor Burnett has to tell us. We will feel better if you are with us.”

  “It would be a privilege and an honor to be with you.” Ella said with a smile.

  Maria gave Jose his bottle and rocked him to sleep. She dreamed of how nice it would be when he was home and their family was again whole. As she sang a lullaby she thought of all changes in their lives. She thought, if I’m dreaming, please don’t pinch me.

  Maria laid Jose in the small bed on rollers surrounded with windows. Everyone that walked by smiled at the happy baby boy. They did not know the serious condition his fragile little body was in. They only saw a smiling little boy. Maria’s lullaby soothed Jose to sleep. Juan told the nurse they would be back tomorrow morning. Juan and Maria didn’t know what tomorrow would bring.

  Ella told Juan and Maria she would fetch the car so they could be with Jose a few more minutes before the switch board operator’s voice announced an end to their visiting hour. Ella in her haste forgot to attend to her surroundings. She hurriedly walked out of the hospitals front door. She looked up just in time to see the same blue sedan she noticed earlier at the end of her drive as they were leaving the house. Again she said to herself. I can’t understand why I’m being watched. Is it something I’ve done or something he plans causing this person to stalk me. Should I tell the authorities? Or, should I keep this to myself. I don’t know who I can trust. For now I will keep a close watch out for the blue sedan. Just to be safe tonight I will wait inside the hospital and walk out with my friends. Safety in numbers. She thought. When the three of them walked to the car Ella didn’t see the blue sedan lurking in the dark.

  SEVEN

  Ella woke early as the sun streaked across the bedroom. “Dang! If I could remember to close the gapping drape before crawling in bed the sun wouldn’t wake me every morning. She sat up I bed stretching both arms straight out to the side and over her head as she grasped her hands and twisted back and forth. Shaking her hands out her threw her legs over the side of the bed. Slipped her feet into her size ten slippers; shuffled her feet across the room. She pulled the drape opened wide and gazed out the long drive. She was wondering if she was going to see the blue sedan today.

  “No blue sedan, thank goodness.” She said as she breathed a sigh of relief.

  Maria was in the kitchen fixing breakfast and Juan was already out front pulling weeds. “Juan, Ella called, “You don’t need to be out there pulling weeds. You will have many days to pull weeds. We need to get to the hospital to talk with Doctor Burnett.”

  “I know Ms. Ella I was just antsy this morning. I’ll be right in.” Juan said.

  This morning it was toast and eggs. Maria scrambled the eggs and dropped the Roman Meal wheat bread in the toaster. She was looking at the toaster setting, light, medium or dark. She chose medium and by the time the wheat bread was toasted Maria had placed the bowl of eggs on the table and filled three glasses with orange juice. Lastly the toast was buttered and placed on the table with blackberry jam, Ella’s favorite.

  Maria swung the kitchen door open and yelled, “Breakfast is ready.”

  Juan came in through the back laundry room where he washed his hands.

  “Maria, everything smells so good. It reminds me of home when my mother cooked breakfast on the old wood stove.” Juan reminisced.

  “This is our home now, Juan.” Maria reminded him.

  Ella strolled in and sat down at the table. “I feel so good this morning. I feel like this is going to be a good day.” Ella said.

  Just as Ella finished her sentence the phone rang.

  “Excuse me, I’ll get that.” Ella didn’t see the phone almost tripping over the cord she followed the line to the phone.

  “Hello.” she said in a gasping voice. “Yes, yes this is Ms. Smith.” She listened intently. “Yes, we can manage that.” I don’t know when we will be able to bring the baby in. He’s in the hospital.” She told the person on the other end of the line. “We will be there tomorrow at 1:00 pm. “Yes, I remember the address. It’s been a while but I have been there many times when I was a child. Thank you, than you so much.” Her voice trailed off with a faint, “Good-bye.”

  Ella put the phone in its cradle and looked at her new friends, her new family.

  “Tomorrow we must fly to San Francisco to get the paperwork finalized for your green cards. Then you will be legal to live and work in the states. It’s almost as good as being a citizen.” Ella announced with excitement in her voice.

  “Ella, we don’t know how to thank you. It would have taken us years to get green cards.” Juan said as he took the last bite of his toast.

  They finished their interrupted breakfast and headed out the door to meet Doctor Burnett. Rushing up to the nursery to get a glimpse of Jose before meeting the doctor Maria almost fell over her own feet. Jose was sleeping so peacefully. They talked quietly trying not to wake him.

  Doctor Burnett walked in from behind and startled the young parents.

  “Good
morning.” The doctor said in a husky voice. Immediately Jose’s eyes opened at the sound of his doctor.

  “You’ve got quite a boy there.” The doctor said as he listened to his heart beat.

  “We love him very much.” They said in unison.

  “Let’s go over here to the side room and talk about Jose’s prognosis.” Doctor Burnett said as he led them into the small side room.

  Ella followed them into the room wanting to be a fly on the wall listening.

  “This is Ms. Ella we asked her to be here with us today because she will be able to understand what you are about to tell us.” Juan told the doctor.

  “Let’s set down.” the doctor instructed.

  The three sat on the sofa and Doctor Burnett pulled the chair up to the sofa. Setting forward he began to talk about Jose.

  “Jose is very strong. He is mending quite rapidly from the surgery. He has been with us for about two weeks and has made remarkable progress. He will need to be under a doctor’s care for many months and possibly years. I already mentioned to you about being his cardiologist. “Doctor Burnette told them.

  “Do you plan on living in Coopersville?” The doctor questioned.

  “Yes, we have a good home here.” Juan told him as he smiled over at Ella.

  “Then I won’t worry about his environment?” He said with a question in his voice.

  Ella spoke up. “They are living at my place. We have made permanent arrangements.”

  “And who are you? “ the doctor asked.

  Juan spoke up. “She’s and angel. She rescued us from evil people.”

  Doctor Burnett looked a little puzzled but stopped with the questions. Personal matters were not his concern. The health of Jose was his priority.

  “Jose will out grow his heart condition. Although, he will need periodic check-ups. I will be happy to add him to my patient list. I am at the clinic in Coopersville once a month.

  For a while I will need to see him every month and later that will change as his heart becomes stronger. Jose should be able to go home in another week.”

  “Next week that is wonderful.” Juan said.

  “I also want you to understand if Jose had not received medical attention he would not be with us today. Jose was very ill. His heart barely pumping blood when you brought him into the emergency.” Doctor Burnette said.

  “We have our angel to thank. She realized he was barely breathing and rushed him to the hospital.” Juan said as he looked over to Ella smiling.

  Doctor Burnett smiled, stood up and shook hands with them.

  “Thank you, thank you so much.” They said in unison.

  “Do you want me to add Jose to my patient list?” Doctor Burnette asked.

  “Yes, of course you saved our little boys life.” Maria said with a big smile.

  “I will make out the orders for his release next week if he continues to improve at the rate he has in the past few days, I’ll set up his first appointment at the clinic before I leave today. I will see you next week.” Doctor said as he walked down the hall to tend to his next patient.

  “What day will Jose’s furniture be delivered?” Juan asked.

  “Day after tomorrow.” Ella said.

  “We have so much work to get his room ready. I will start on it this evening after work.” Juan said.

  “Juan that is part of your work. Let’s stop at the hardware store and pick up paint and supplies for Jose’s room. We can start working on it today. We have much to do.” Ella told them.

  They picked up the supplies and headed home for a big work day.

  Ella and Maria took the new truck to town to the local carpet and rug store. They found the perfect area rug in multiple blues. The trio scrubbed and painted into the night. The nice hardwood floors only needed a good scrubbing. Juan made the last sweep with his paint brush and closed the door. It was now ready for Jose’s new furniture.

  Ella, Maria and Juan headed for Baker airport the next morning. The reservations were for 9:00 am. Everything was on schedule and they lifted off on time. The flight was uneventful except for the fact that Juan and Maria had never flown before. They were both a little anxious but were also excited. They arrived at San Francisco International Airport at 10:45 am giving them plenty time to enjoy lunch before their meeting. Ella took them to a restaurant on Fisherman’s Wharf. She remembered she and her parents had lunch there frequently when she was young. Many times she and her mother shopped most of the day and ended up at Fisherman’s Wharf for a nice dinner. On occasion Mr. Ferguson joined them. Memories filled Ella’s head. She wondered what her parents would think about her new friends. She knew they would approve. They were very generous in their lifetime.

  Ella and her friends took the trolley up the hill to one of many high rise buildings in the city. Juan and Maria smiled all the way to the top of the hill pointing out interesting sites.

  “This is so exciting.” Juan told Ella.

  They got off the trolley. Their heads tilted back and their eyes looked straight up to the top of the building.

  “I’ve never seen such a tall building.” Maria proclaimed.

  They entered the high rise stepped into the elevator. Maria’s eyes were big and getting bigger as they passed each floor.

  “The numbers above the door is that each floor we pass?” Maria asked.

  “Yes, Maria we will get off at the thirty fifty floor.”

  The elevator made a slight jolt and stopped.

  “What’s that?” Maria asked holding on for dear life.

  “Just someone wanting to ride to another floor.” Ella answered.

  Soon the elevator door opened Maria, Ella and Juan spilled out. The door closed behind them. They were surrounded by windows over looking the city.

  “We can see forever up here.” Juan said. ”What’s the name of the island over there?” Juan said pointing.

  “That’s Alcatraz; many years ago it was a prison. Today it’s a tourist attraction.” Ella said.

  “There’s so much to see. If I’m dreaming please don’t pinch me. Maria said.

  Ella walked over to the front desk where an older lady with large dark framed glasses with her hair in a sleek bun was setting.

  “I’m Ella Ferguson Smith and we have an appointment at 1:00 this afternoon.” Ella said.

  “Ella Ferguson, it’s good to see you. I’m Maggie, remember me?”

  “Yes, I do but it’s been a long time. I haven’t seen you since my father’s memorial service.” she said.

  “We’ve both changed I got older and you got more beautiful.” Maggie said.

  “Your being kind but I appreciate the compliment. Excuse my manners, this is Juan and Maria, I will be sponsoring them. Ella said.

  “You are just like your parents a generous woman. I heard all about it. I will announce you to John Robbins our attorney assigned to your file.”

  Ms. Maggie took them back to Mr. Robbins office and introduced them.

  “Have a seat.” He said as he gestured to three deep burgundy high back leather chairs. “I have all the paper work ready. We will need Juan and Maria’s fingerprints.”

  Maria and Juan looked like miniature people as they set back in the big chairs.

  After discussing the procedure Mr. Robbins escorted them to a side room where a federal agent finger printed them.

  “In honor of your dad the federal department in the city sent Ms. Wright over to fingerprint you, she will hand carry it back to the federal department. This will expedite everything. Your ‘green card’ will be approved and mailed to you.” He told them.

  “Is that all there is to it Juan asked?”

  “It doesn’t seem like much but we have been working on this for days. It’s quite involved. Ms. Smith must be financially able to sponsor you. We had to run a check on you, Maria and Ms. Smith. Since your son is an infant all we need is his finger prints and you can take him to the Department of Motor Vehicles when he is feeling better but the sooner the better.” he t
old them.

  “We will get everything taken care of next week.” Ella interjected.

  “Thank you very much, Mr. Robbins. Do you have the bill ready for me?” she asked.

  “Oh no, Ms. Smith this is all taken care of in honor of your father.”

  Needless to say Ella was over whelmed.

  “Thank you so much. I know Dad is smiling down on you.”

  “I didn’t know your dad very well. I was just out of college and working as a paralegal in the office when he died. But I’ve heard many good things about him.” Mr. Robbins said with a nice smile.

  It was an interesting ride back to the airport. Each was joyously talking over the other.

  Maria fell asleep on Juan’s shoulder as they flew home. Ella read a magazine from cover to cover thinking about the good times she had in that office high above San Francisco when she was a young child. Juan and Maria will be marking today in their memory book as one of the many happy days in their life.

  “Maria, Ella said, “tomorrow Jose’s furniture will be delivered. Remember to tell the delivery men where you want everything.”

  “Okay, Ms Ella, I’ve been thinking we should have the crib in our room until Jose is better. I would worry with him in the other room.” Maria told Ella.

  “You are right and such a good mother. We can always move the crib when you want Jose in his own room” Ella said.

  The next day Maria heard a knock at the door. She could see the delivery truck from the nursery furniture store in the driveway. She ran downstairs opening the door there stood two men with their arms full.

  “We have your new furniture.” the shorter guy said.

  “Good, put it in the first bedroom upstairs on the right. The crib will go in the master bedroom around the hall to the right.” Maria told them.

  Maria waited downstairs as piece by piece they carried the furniture upstairs. Juan came home to furniture setting in the middle of the bedroom.