“Hello there, Henry!” came an elated greeting through the screen door as he approached. Anne had seen him pull up and was joyfully coming outside to welcome him. Henry noticed that the front door and all of the windows were open though it wasn’t a particularly warm May morning. As he stepped onto the porch, she burst outside and gave him a friendly embrace and a kiss on his cheek.
“Such a nice surprise. What brings you over here?” she asked. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wore a sweatshirt, jeans, and sneakers much the same as Millie preferred when she cleaned house. Judging by the smudges of dirt on her clothing, Henry surmised that’s what had been going on prior to his arrival.
“I came to see how you were doing in your new place,” he explained.
“Aren’t you just a dear! Please, do come inside. Millie’s here too!” she proclaimed excitedly as she turned to lead him in.
“Yeah, I just saw her car.” Henry followed her into the house and could instantly understand why Millie was there. She was without a doubt The Queen of Cleaning, and this clearly was no job for an author.
Upon passing through the doorway, one was greeted by a dank, musty smell that permeated the air. The carpet on the floor of the front room, which had served as Molly’s parlor, was filthy and in need of replacement. In addition, the walls looked as if they could use a fresh coat of paint. It had been a while since Henry had been inside, and he was disgusted to see that it had fallen into such disrepair.
“Is the whole place like this?” he asked.
“Pretty much,” she confirmed.
“Boy oh boy, Molly must be rolling in her grave.”
“Poor dear. I suppose at the end she simply couldn’t keep up with it all.”
“I guess there at the last, it had been a while since I had made it by. I remember it was getting a little rugged in here but not quite this bad,” Henry offered.
“Nothing a little bleach and elbow grease can’t fix,” Anne declared optimistically.
“Hey Anne, did you move the bucket?” Millie called from upstairs.
“Yes Millie, sorry, it’s in the bathroom down here.” She suddenly got an idea and brought her right index finger to her lips, motioning for Henry to remain silent.
“Shall I bring it up to you?”
“Nah, you stay put. I’ll come down for it,” Millie replied.
Anne motioned for Henry to move to the wall along the side of the entry. That way, Millie wouldn’t be able to see him down the hallway as she descended the staircase from the second floor. Henry was now on to Anne’s meaning and realized that he was possibly going to get his surprise after all. He could hear the steps creaking as Millie approached and knew based on his previous knowledge of the floor plan that the bathroom she was headed to was in the opposite direction of the parlor. He was considering how to sneak up on her from behind when Anne flashed another glimpse of her mischievous side.
“Say, Millie, come quick please!” she shouted to her with urgency.
“Whatcha got? Another one of those big cockroaches like we’ve been seeing?” Millie answered as her voice rapidly drew closer.
“Yeah, something like that. But this is a really big one!”
“Where’s he at?” Millie shrieked as she rushed into the room with her mop at the ready.
“Right here!” Henry exclaimed with evil glee.
“Ahhh!” Millie shrieked and threw her mop into the air before realizing it was only Henry. “Oh, good Lord!” she muttered in shock as Anne and Henry burst into laughter at the sight. She was not expecting to find such a tall bug in the room, and the joke was less than amusing to her.
“What in the world are you doing here?” she asked Henry angrily as she tried to catch her breath. “And you, you’re just as bad as he is! I’d have thought you’d have more sense, being from England and all,” she scolded Anne. Henry and Anne were uncertain what the connection was between practical jokes and heritage but regardless were totally unfazed. Despite Millie’s rebuke, the pair of pranksters couldn’t contain themselves or control their juvenile celebration. Their giddiness was contagious and in a moment Millie forgot that she was mad and instead felt happy to see Henry.
“So, what are you doing here? I thought on Saturdays you went to the bank and ran errands?” Millie asked, genuinely interested in his intentions.
“I do. I just finished eating over at The Beaver and thought I’d swing by to see how Anne was holding out,” Henry explained.
“Thought you had more important things to do than running all over town. You know, like calling somebody about making some plans for tonight?” Millie added just for fun.
“Yes, I hear someone has a big date for tonight!” Anne chimed in, very much to Henry’s surprise.
“How do you know about that?” a startled Henry asked Anne before turning to Millie. “You told her about us?”
Both women grinned impishly.
“I think it’s fantastic!” Anne declared. “It’s exactly the kind of love story that my readers go crazy about.”
“That’s great, but this isn’t one of your books,” he warned her.
“Oh, you’re no fun,” she playfully countered as she left the room to head back to her cleaning. After she walked out, Millie quickly moved to feel Henry out on the topic.
“You’re not mad about me telling her, are you?” she asked quietly so that Anne couldn’t hear as she poked his ribs with her hands.
“No, I guess not. I mean, of course not. It’s just…”
“Kinda weird right?” she said with a smile.
“Yeah, I guess so. No, I don’t want it to be a secret. I want the whole world to know,” he said as he bent and kissed her tenderly. Millie’s knees buckled slightly as he expressed how much he approved of their relationship. Once their lips had parted, he remembered that he still didn’t know why she had come to help Anne even though he had a pretty good idea.
“Now, you know why I’m here, but why are you here? And how did you guys get talking about us?” he asked.
“Well, as we were driving in last night I got to thinking about how this poor girl has a lot to deal with. She’s all worn out and doesn’t know anyone in town and all. So, I asked if she’d like some help. You know me and cleaning.” Henry shook his head. He was well aware of Millie’s fondness for disinfectants and scouring pads.
“Anyway, I came over this morning about eight and jumped in,” she explained.
Noticing her mussed-up hair, Henry took his right hand and pushed it away from her face. Millie had a heart of gold, and it was the size of Missouri. The explanation he had just received pretty well matched what he had suspected. It just left one thing missing.
“And the thing about us?” he pressed.
“She asked me! Said she could tell yesterday at the house that there was something going on between us. She’s good, Henry.”
“I’ll say!” he agreed.
“By the way, when exactly were you going to call me about tonight?” Millie quizzed him with a look of scorn.
“Well, considering you aren’t home and don’t own an answering machine, it doesn’t matter a whole helluva lot, now does it?” he asked with great satisfaction at finally catching her off guard. After an exaggerated pause where all she did was look at him and bat her eyes, she conceded defeat.
“Yep, I got nothing. I walked right into that one, didn’t I?”
“You certainly did,” he said with complete satisfaction.
“So, what are we doing tonight?” she asked attempting to move past her blunder.
“I don’t know. I guess we’ll just figure it out,” he said without any anxiety. “Now, as long as I’m here, how can I pitch in and help?”
Millie gave Henry an enthusiastic hug. She loved that he was unflappable and caring. She knew that as long as he was around, everything always seemed to be all right, and it made her feel safe, secure, and happy. Henry wasn’t precisely certain what had caused this latest display of affection from Mil
lie, but he enjoyed it nonetheless.
“Now then you two, get a room,” Anne razzed as she passed through the parlor and out the front door with a rug that needed to be shaken out.
“Not a bad idea!” Henry whispered to Millie with a squeeze.
“Oh now, you stop that,” she whispered back as she blithely pushed him away.
“What time is it?” Millie asked. She wasn’t wearing a watch, and there were no clocks on the wall, but her stomach was complaining that it was approaching midday.
“Getting on toward eleven, why?” he responded after checking the time for her.
“I know you just finished breakfast, but I haven’t had a bite to eat so far today. I’m guessing she hasn’t either. Would you wanna run and pick up some sandwiches or something so I could stay with this?” she requested.
“Sure, what do you guys want?”
“Great, thanks. Hold on, let me ask her,” Millie said as she walked to the front porch to find Anne. Before she could make it outside, the author was already coming back in.
“What gives?” Anne asked upon seeing them both looking at her.
“Henry’s gonna run and pick us up some lunch. What sounds good to you?” Millie asked.
“Really? Oh excellent! I confess I’m famished. Um, I don’t know. What sounds good to you two? Burgers maybe? It’s my treat,” she said as she started toward the kitchen to retrieve her purse.
“No, I’ve got this,” Henry told her.
“I could eat a cheeseburger,” Millie interjected.
“Don’t be silly, you’re helping me out. I need to…” Anne protested as Henry just shook his head.
“It’s no use, trust me; you’re gonna lose,” Millie advised, knowing that Henry always paid for everything no matter how much she argued with him. Seeing that she was destined to go down in defeat, Anne could only laugh.
“You’re really quite hardheaded, aren’t you?” she joked to Henry.
“You have no idea,” Millie jabbed before Henry could respond, causing him to turn to her.
“Hey!” he said defensively.
“What? You know I’m right.”
“It’s true,” Henry admitted as he looked back at Anne.
“And you two are just now getting together? You banter back and forth like an old married couple!”
Anne was stating the obvious, but her accurate assessment brought a laugh from Henry and Millie. They were starting to see that the romantic aspect to their relationship was somewhat belated, all things considered.
Henry fetched lunch for the duo as the cleaning marathon marched on. Upon his return, the women took a break and gratefully devoured cheeseburgers and fries while they all sat around an old kitchen table. It was one of the few remaining relics from the previous household. Henry recalled that following Molly’s death some distant relations had blown through town and hurriedly organized an estate sale. The haphazard affair had quickly cast a lifetime of accumulation to the four winds, and the aforementioned heirs had left town with the proceeds as fast as they had come. It made him slightly sad to think how little Molly’s life’s work meant to these people. All they had seen was a windfall from her death, not the generations of children she had impacted during her life. Henry himself was one of those kids. He wondered where he would be and how he might have turned out if he had never known her. He realized sitting there that it isn’t the material possessions one has that define the person, it’s the legacy they leave behind them when they go. He already believed this and was attempting to live his life in an honorable manner. However, on this day, sitting in Molly’s kitchen around her table, the concept really hit home, and he resolved that he would be making some additional changes to his life.
By mid-afternoon, following a trip to the store for supplies, he was busily scraping old cracked paint off of the pantry door. Henry enjoyed working with his hands and being there with Anne and Millie made the whole experience that much more enjoyable. Like busy birds constructing a spring nest, they were hustling around the house cleaning and repairing things as needed all the while chirping merrily. Millie was busy catching Anne up on the latest town gossip, and Anne was eating it up with a spoon. Henry occasionally dropped in some seasoning here and there when the occasion called for it, but for the most part simply listened and savored the back and forth exchanges.
The afternoon evaporated and soon the sun was beginning to ease toward the horizon. The air inside the house was growing cooler now and necessitated the closing of the windows. However, with the infusion of fresh breezes all afternoon, there had been a marked improvement in the quality of the air. The overall condition of the place had taken a turn for the better as well. Thanks to their persistent work, a hefty dent had been made in the list of chores required to get the home back into shape. Seeing that it had gotten later than expected and knowing that Henry and Millie were planning a night on the town, Anne called a halt to the overhaul.
“All right, you two, I’m throwing you out!” she said with a tired grin. “I just don’t know how I can ever thank you both for all of your kindness.”
“No thanks are necessary,” Henry assured her.
“We’re happy to be able to help,” Millie agreed. “I sure had fun today. I love to clean; just ask Henry. This place is like paradise for a gal like me.” Anne laughed and nodded, recollecting how awful things were in the morning when they started and acknowledging how much there still was to do.
“What time do you want us here tomorrow?” Henry asked without a hint of humor.
“Seriously? Oh no, Henry, I wouldn’t dream of it. You’ve both done far too much as it is. I can handle it from here, really I can.” Henry took one good look around and could see inestimable hours of cleaning and painting yet to be done.
“Nonsense. You have anything going tomorrow?” he asked while turning to Millie.
“Nothing better than this,” she answered on cue.
“It’s settled then. Are we starting early or are you sleeping in?” he asked Anne, now speaking for the both of them.
“No Henry, now I mean it, you’ve both done enough. I won’t have it. It’s just not…”
“Sweetie, you’re gonna lose again,” Millie interrupted as she picked up her purse. Henry smiled and nodded. The debate was over.
“All right then, if you both insist. What time do you want to get back at it?” Anne could see that there was no point in fighting them further. She was flustered but very grateful for their assistance and companionship.
“How about ten?” Henry proposed. “Is everybody good with that?”
“Works for me,” Millie agreed easily.
“Me too,” Anne concurred.
“All right, we’ll see you then,” Henry said as he and Millie moved toward the door.
“I just don’t know what in the world to say to you both,” Anne bemoaned, overcome with gratitude.
“Try ‘see you in the morning’,” Henry joked as Millie chuckled.
“Ugh! You’re a tough nut to crack, Henry Engel!” she called from the doorway as the couple stepped off of her porch and headed to their vehicles. The reference made Millie cackle, which in turn caused Henry to shake his head in amused disbelief.
“All right then, I’ll see you in the morning!” Anne hollered. She had just learned firsthand that when Henry Engel made up his mind about something, there was no sense arguing about it.
Chapter 16
Love and Pizza
“I expect it’s got to be getting time to see Jake, isn’t it?” Millie asked as they walked together to the street in front of Anne’s house.
“Over a half hour past,” Henry confirmed after checking his watch. “It’s no big deal. I was figuring on a later get together for tonight anyway.” He was referring to the fact that they were planning to have their first-ever Saturday night date.
“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that, and I don’t know, Henry. Did you still want to try and go out somewhere?” she asked as they reached the
rear of her car.
“Well yeah, of course, I do. What do you mean?” he asked, a bit confused by her question.
“You know I want to, but what I mean is just look at us. I’m filthy from cleaning all day and could use a good long hot shower. You’re a little mussed up too and probably could use one yourself,” she said, noting the dirt on his pants and shirt sleeves. “By the time I get cleaned up, and you run home and do the same and then come back, it’s gonna be getting late to go somewhere, isn’t it? Besides, right now all I really want to do is sit down and relax for a little bit.”
“So what are you saying?” Henry asked growing irritated by what he perceived as her negativism about their date. She could see that he didn’t follow her line of reasoning, and she attempted to clarify things for him.
“What I’m saying is that maybe we could just stay home,” Millie said as she took his hand.
“You mean just go home and not see each other tonight? Hell no, Millie, I don’t want to do that,” Henry declared, rejecting what he thought she was suggesting.
“No, Henry, me neither. What I’m saying is why don’t we just pick up a pizza or something and go have a talk with Jake. We’re both tired so how about we just watch a movie or something out at Oak Forest. If you don’t care, I’ll just get cleaned up out there, and we can lounge around. All I really want to do is be with you anyway. You can take me out some other night. We’ve got the rest of our lives for that.”
Instantly, Henry’s mood changed as he now understood what she had been saying. He was thrilled by Millie’s proposal. In truth, his back and legs were barking from a lot of up and down movement all day. Having to rush home, shower, change clothes, rush back, and then drive back yet again to the estate later when he was more tired suddenly sounded like a really bad idea.
Celebrations With Jake and Joe Page 17
