by Mabel Maney
Cherry didn't want to acknowledge the man, but she didn't want to be rude, either. "Perhaps he wants my parking spot," she thought.
"I'm leaving right now," she said in a cheerful tone that belied her true feelings. Frankly, this man gave her the creeps! "There's something about him that seems awfully familiar," Cherry shuddered.
He leaned on Cherry's car in an insolent manner and grinned. He squinted at her through thick black-framed glasses. "What's the hurry, sister? My buddy and I just pulled in here for a nice cold beer. Care to join us?"
"No thanks," Cherry gulped. "I simply must be on my way." The man's fresh attitude angered her, but she tried never to engage in a quarrel.
"Always turn the other cheek," her mother counseled, and those were words Cherry lived by.
The man acted like he hadn't heard her and opened her car door. Cherry gasped indignantly. "How rude," she cried. "If you don't quit pestering me, I'll be forced to call for assistance!" she declared.
Beep! Beep! A large man wearing a loud Hawaiian shirt and driving a wood-paneled station wagon full of noisy children was trying to squeeze past the two cars. "Hey, buddy, you're blocking the road!" he yelled. "Move it!"
The rude man in the black overcoat scowled, slammed Cherry's door, and skulked back to his car. Cherry waited a few minutes after they drove off, hoping to put some distance between herself and the rude men. She pulled out of the parking lot and cautiously maneuvered her car through the heavy late-afternoon traffic. It would be dark soon, and although her mother wasn't expecting her, if she happened to call the hospital and find out Cherry had left many hours ago for Idaho, she would surely worry.
She stopped at a service station and drank a refreshing orange soda while a capable young girl with a darling short haircut checked her oil, brake fluid and tires and cleaned her windows.
"Great story," the girl said, pointing to the book on the seat next to Cherry. "You'll love the ending."
"I can't wait to finish it," Cherry enthused, waving good-bye to the friendly girl. She put all thoughts of the two rude men out of her head and concentrated on the miles ahead of her.
So many peculiar things had happened to her in the last few days. "Once I get to San Francisco I can really relax!" she thought happily.
* * *
CHAPTER 4
* * *
What a Conundrum
When Cherry pulled into the driveway of the tidy split-level house at 17 Badger Avenue, it was just after eight p.m. She knew her mother would be finishing the dinner dishes while her father sat in his easy chair, The Pleasantville Times in one hand and a highball in the other.
She wanted to surprise them, but Lady heard the car pull into the driveway, and her barking drew Mrs. Aimless to the screen door.
"It's Cherry! Cherry's come home!" her mother exclaimed as she flew out the front door with Lady at her heels. They raced across the front yard, Mrs. Aimless staying on the tidy brick path but Lady bounding exuberantly through the flower bed. Lady reached Cherry first, and in her enthusiasm muddied Cherry's skirt.
"Oh, I wish I had known you were coming! Why, the house is such a mess! Oh, dear!" cried Mrs. Aimless, holding her daughter at arms length while looking her up and down. She brushed the mud from Cherry's outfit. "Oh, I wish I could keep this dog out of my petunias. She's ruined your skirt. Well, never mind; I never did like that shade of blue on you anyway! " The collie jumped around the two, barking with pleasure.
"And I must look a sight!" she added, taking off her apron to reveal an immaculately-tailored cream-colored shirtwaist with a scoop collar that set off her tan to perfection.
Cherry grinned. Same old mom! She hugged the older woman and assured her that she looked just fine. But Cherry was fibbing, for despite the deep tan and attractive coiffure, Mrs. Aimless looked tired. Cherry hoped her absence wasn't putting those worry lines across her mother's forehead.
"Is Father home?" Cherry asked, retrieving her luggage and purse from the car.
Her mother frowned. "He's had a bad day at work, and he's in one of his moods," she warned. "I'd wait until he speaks to you before bothering him. Let's go in the back way so we don't disturb him."
Cherry followed her mother to the back door. Once in the kitchen, they relaxed over some key lime pie and coffee. Cherry began chatting happily about her work in Seattle but was interrupted several times by questions from her mother.
"Do you have to wear those ugly white nurse's shoes, dear?"
"Do all nurses have such short hair?"
"Have you met any attractive doctors?"
Each time Cherry tried to open her mouth, her mother interrupted with another question. Could it be that her mother didn't want to hear about her nurse chums and their fascinating patients?
Cherry suddenly felt very tired. It had been a long drive, and her pleasure at being home had dissolved during her mother's interrogation. A good night's sleep will cheer me up, she thought, barely stifling a yawn.
Her mother shooed her off to bed. "There's plenty of time for catching up, dear," she said, kissing her goodnight. "Why, we've got almost two whole weeks together!"
Cherry didn't have the heart to tell her mother she was going to be in Pleasantville for only a day. She was glad she had agreed to deliver Nurse Marstad's package. She didn't feel quite as selfish, knowing she was going to do something important for someone else. Somehow she'd make her mother understand.
* * *
CHAPTER 5
* * *
An Odd Occurrence
Cherry snuggled under the quilt Aunt Gertrude had made for her and yawned. Finally, it felt right to be home, safe and snug in her little attic bedroom with Lady sprawled at her feet. She was just drifting off to sleep when Lady jumped off the bed and raced to the door. "She seems awfully agitated about something," Cherry thought as she slipped out of her warm bed, donned her pink chenille robe and fuzzy slippers, and quietly crept downstairs with Lady at her heels.
Once downstairs, the collie gave a little yelp and ran to the den, where Mr. Aimless lay fast asleep in his recliner, the pages of the evening paper scattered at his feet.
"It's freezing in here," Cherry shuddered, covering her father with a comforter from the davenport.
"Why, the window's open!" she exclaimed, creeping across the room to close it, taking care not to wake her father. "Mother always closes this before she goes to bed; the wind must have blown it open. Good thing the noise woke Lady; otherwise Father might have caught a terrible cold-or worse!" She latched the window firmly.
But the collie still seemed agitated. She climbed on Mrs. Aimless's favorite chair-an act which was strictly forbidden in the spotless Aimless house-peered out the window and growled. Cherry looked, too, but saw nothing but a quiet little street lined with majestic maple trees.
"That's funny," she thought. "It's not windy at all."
"There's no one out there, girl," Cherry said, scratching Lady behind the ears. "Hush." She certainly didn't want her father awakening in a grumpy mood, especially since tomorrow she would tell him she was going to visit her Aunt Gertrude.
"Let's go back to bed," she said, tugging gently on her pet's collar. Cherry stopped in the living room long enough to find something to read, in case she couldn't get back to sleep. All she could find stacked in tidy piles on the kidney-shaped coffee table were fashion magazines and several issues of Reader's Digest. Nothing piqued her interest.
"I haven't finished Lana's book yet!" she suddenly remembered, going to the kitchen to get her purse. But it wasn't on the table where she had left it earlier. "Mother must have moved it," Cherry reasoned, noticing how tidy the kitchen was. But her purse wasn't in the front hall closet, nor was it in the deacon's bench in the entryway, where her mother stored her spare handbags. She found it in the tiny room off the garage that served as her mother's laundry room. The contents of the purse, including the book, had been placed in a neat row on the ironing board.
"Mother is such a dear," Cherry sm
iled. "She must have discovered that I spilled coffee in my handbag and cleaned it after I went to bed." She took the book and crept back upstairs, pulling a reluctant Lady behind her. Cherry settled in for a good read, but before she could finish even one page, she was fast asleep. But for Lady, there was no such slumber. She maintained her guard all through the night from her station at the foot of Cherry's bed.
She knew there was something out there in the night, even if her mistress didn't!
Cherry awoke to brilliant sunlight streaming across her face. Lady was awake and waiting patiently on the rag rug beside the bed. "Rise and shine!" her mother called from the kitchen. From the fragrant smells wafting up the stairs, Cherry could tell her mother was preparing her award-winning strawberry waffles. She jumped out of bed, donned a simple kelly green dress with a sweetheart neckline, and raced down the stairs, taking them two at a time. Why, she hadn't had a decent waffle for a whole year!
Cherry spent the morning in a whirlwind: chatting on the phone with chums, standing still so her mother could measure her for a new party frock, and making rhubarb tarts for her mother's bridge club luncheon the next day. Mid-afternoon she slipped into a gingham sundress and soft white moccasins and walked downtown. The heat was stifling, and she ducked into Tilly's Drugstore for a refreshing vanilla soda. She was just deciding whether or not to have a second, when Miss Molly Mathers, the high school physical education teacher, plopped down onto the stool beside her. She was so full of questions about life in a big city hospital that before Cherry knew it, two hours had slipped away.
"Golly," she gulped, taking a last sip of her second soda. "I've got to get home to help Mother prepare supper. Bye, Miss Mathers."
Cherry ran all the way back to Badger Avenue and found her mother had everything under control. The dining room table had already been set with the good china, and azaleas from Mrs. Aimless's garden had been arranged in a festive centerpiece at the center of the table.
Cherry took a quick shower, ran a comb through her disheveled curls and applied fresh lipstick. Resplendent in a dressy mint-green crepe frock and festive gold sandals, she made her way downstairs. "Why, I forgot to eat lunch!" she exclaimed, sniffing appreciatively. Her mother had prepared a special supper of pot roast, baked potatoes and green bean casserole. A strawberry cake sat cooling in the kitchen, awaiting a final frosting of vanilla icing.
Mrs. Aimless sent her daughter into the living room to finish arranging the hors d'oeuvres. Mr. and Mrs. Cleaver, her parent's closest friends, arrived a few minutes later.
"Why, Cherry, you look splendid!" gushed Mrs. Cleaver, hugging the blushing girl to her cashmere-clad bosom. "And, Doris, your table could win a prize!" Mrs. Cleaver complimented Mrs. Aimless, who beamed with pride.
Mr. Aimless was delayed at the office, so Cherry, her mother and their guests sat patiently in the living room, sampling the yummy treats her mother had spent the afternoon preparing.
"Delicious cheese ball!" Mr. Cleaver exclaimed. Mrs. Aimless confessed that she was testing a new recipe for entry in the upcoming county fair. Her guests assured her she would surely win first prize, and reached for seconds. Half a cheese ball later, Mr. Aimless arrived and dinner was served.
Mrs. Aimless seated Cherry next to her father. "Have a nice chat with your father," she whispered in Cherry's ear.
Cherry made several attempts to engage her father in conversation and finally got him talking with a query about his business. A long lecture about the booming real estate mar ket in Idaho followed. Cherry found her mind wandering to the absent Aimless-her twin brother Charles.
How she wished Charley were here! Although the two didn't look anything alike, Charley being as fair as she was dark, they shared the same sense of fun and good sportsmanship. Charley was so animated and funny that he had saved many family dinners from complete disaster with his quick wit.
"So, Cherry, how's life in the big city?" asked Mrs. Cleaver, digging into the green bean and potato chip casserole. "Your mother tells me you work with lots of interesting doctors! "
"Single doctors," her mother added, winking at her friend. Cherry wanted to talk about her hospital experiences, about her friends and the mysterious Lana, but she knew any mention of a mystery would just worry her mother, who had never forgotten the fright she had experienced during the Pringle farm incident.
That adventure had scared Cherry, too, for she had been kidnapped and tied up in a fruit cellar. She still shuddered when she remembered the feeling of spiders crawling over her arms and legs! It was only because of the heroic Lady that the search party had found Cherry. The collie had tunneled her way out of the cellar and run miles through pouring rain for help.
Cherry slipped the courageous collie a nice piece of pot roast. The dog accepted the offering gratefully from her hiding place at Cherry's feet. Cherry wiped her hands on the embroidered napkin in her lap. As she fingered the linen she fondly remembered the summer twelve years ago when her father's sister had come to visit. That summer her Aunt Gertrude taught her to sew, and they had made many lovely things together.
For some reason, Father didn't like his youngest sister and refused to speak of her. But when Mr. Aimless had gone east for the summer to a special real estate school, her mother had invited Aunt Gertrude for a visit.
Gert had never married, but with her vivacious personality and striking good looks, she made friends easily. The first week in Pleasantville she became fast friends with the town librarian, Miss Hathaway. Soon the four of them had become a sort of club, and they spent the summer days swimming, hiking, and picnicking. In the evening, they had often sat on the front porch, sewing and talking.
Her father had arrived home a week early to find Gert and Miss Hathaway napping in the spare bedroom. He forbade them to set foot in his house again, and that was the last Cherry saw of Aunt Gert. Her parents didn't know they had been writing regularly since Cherry went away to nursing school.
Her mother interrupted her thoughts. Apparently, she had been trying to get Cherry's attention for some time. "So, Cherry, what are you planning to do with the rest of your vacation? There's plenty going on here, what with the county fair coming up, and the hay ride, and that nice young Jim Fud has been asking about you."
"Why, I'm going to visit Aunt Gertrude in San Francisco!" Cherry blurted out before she could stop herself.
Cherry held her breath. The room seemed so still. No one said a word. Finally, her mother broke the silence.
"San Francisco? Isn't that awfully far away?" her mother asked nervously.
She was interrupted by shouts from a group of Cherry's chums, five good-natured, if somewhat noisy, girls who had just pulled up in a canary-yellow sedan. The group had spent all their spare time together in high school, leaving no room for the school activities, football games and Saturday night dates that other girls were so interested in.
Many a time Mrs. Aimless had counseled Cherry that no man would want to marry her if she didn't begin to act more interested in dating, but Cherry had brushed her off with a joking, "So who wants to get married?"
"I suppose marriage isn't for everyone," Mrs. Aimless had told herself. "After all, Gertrude seems happy enough."
Cherry was relieved that her chums had provided her with a polite exit. "Sorry, Mom, but I told the gang to come by after supper. I won't be out late." With this, the pretty young nurse threw a white beaded sweater over her shoulders and flew out the door to join her friends.
Over a chocolate sundae, Cherry filled her friends in on the mysterious events of the last few days. "Although I don't know exactly what's going on, I still have to deliver this package to Oregon. Why, that's halfway to San Francisco. I couldn't change my mind now if I wanted to. Which I don't," she added somewhat ruefully. "All I know is, my parents don't like the idea."
"Oh, go, Cherry, go," said Dessa, a darling brown-eyed girl with a snub nose and a smattering of freckles across her face. "You've got two weeks' pay and a place to stay-why, that head nurse p
ractically ordered you to go!"
"And you know how you love to obey orders, Nurse Aimless," giggled Beth, the athlete of the group, whose strong shoulders attested to her love of swimming. "Cherry, you need a break, and staying here with your family is no vacation," she continued in a more serious tone.
"They're right," broke in Arlene, a raven-haired beauty with a beguiling smile and a forthright manner. "Pleasantville is not exactly the most exciting place on the planet!"
Cherry licked the last bit of chocolate sauce from her spoon, and ordered another sundae. If she was going to stand up to her parents, she'd better get more courage-and quick!
When she arrived home, her mother was sitting at the kitchen table, absent-mindedly looking through a recipe book. Her father was asleep on the davenport, the evening paper spread at his feet. Cherry steeled herself for her mother's reaction to her trip, but before she could open her mouth, her mother surprised her.
"If you're going, you'd better get to bed soon, dear," Mrs. Aimless said, shutting The Joy of Cooking and placing it back on the shelf.
Cherry jumped up and down with glee. "You mean you don't mind? And Father too?"
"I made a deal with your father. He lets you visit Gert, and I promise not to put arsenic in his coffee!" The twinkle in her eye let Cherry in on the joke, and they had a good laugh.
"Oh," squealed Cherry. "There's so much to do! I've got dirty clothes to wash, and I promised Aunt Gert I'd call her tonight."
Her mother interrupted. "While you were out with your friends I did your laundry; it's all ironed and pressed and on your bed. And I called Gert, but she wasn't home."
