Women of Washington Avenue

by Linda Apple

  Ugh. I’m hopeless.

  Levi sat back and stared at me. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you. I would appreciate that.” The color rose in his face. “It is hard to accept such a kind offer, but I don’t have much choice lately.”

  “Tell you what, I leave here in a few minutes. If you’ll hang around, I’ll drive you there.” I filled his glass again. “Help yourself to the cookies.”

  Immediately doubt clouded my mind. I hurried to the kitchen to call Cladie and tell her what I’d just done. No question, she’d throw a hissy fit, but I needed her to have my back. Just in case he was an ax murderer.

  The minute I walked into the kitchen I pulled out my iPhone and punched her number.”

  “Hey there, sugar.”

  “Hey, Cladie. I need a favor and not a lecture.”

  “Do what?”

  “Now, just listen. I’m bringing a homeless man to my house so he can shower while I do his laundry.”

  “Girl, have you lost your ever lovin’ mind?”

  “Look, the poor guy needs a break. Just say you will come so I won’t be alone.”

  “Missy, I’ll be there, and I’m bringing my cast iron skillet with me.”

  “He’s a nice man. You’ll see. He’s looking for a job, and he can’t do it smelling like a pole cat.”

  A sigh came over the receiver. “No. I guess he can’t.”

  “I’ll call you before we leave, and you can just happen by. Okay?”

  “All right, but I still want to slap some sense into you. Tell you what, I picked a bushel of purple hulls this morning. I’ll bring them down and ask you if you want them. He’ll never suspect a thing.”

  “Great idea. Thanks Cladie.”

  “I’ll swan, Jema. What am I going to do with you?”

  “Love me?”

  Tenderness softened her voice. “I do, sugar. See you in a while.”

  My vision blurred for the umpteenth time. I was truly a blessed woman. It was about time I shared those blessings.

  When I finished cleaning up the kitchen and sacking up leftovers for the families with children, I called Cladie.

  “Hey girl, you on your way home?”

  “Yea. We’re fixing to leave in just a second.”

  “I got the peas in the sack. I’ll head your way as soon as I see your car.”

  “Thanks, hon. I owe you one.”

  “I’ll be sure and remind you of that.”

  I put the phone in my back pocket and thought about my next hurdle, how to get Levi in my car out of the sight of prying eyes. Namely Ricki’s. Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen her in a while. I called out, “Ricki? Are you still here?”

  “Hey, I’m in the stockroom.”

  I poked my head through the doorway. “I’m gone.”

  “Okay, thanks. I sure appreciate your help.”

  “Will you get to go home soon?”

  “No, I’ll be in here for a while. We received some donations from a couple local churches.”

  “Need help?” Please say no.

  “Naw. See you next week.” She waved and went back to what she was doing.

  I found Levi by the back door. I walked to him and said, “Ready?”

  “I am.” He held the door open for me. “I have an idea. Why don’t you pick me up down the block? That way no one sees us together.”

  His discretion and sensitivity about the nature of the situation impressed me. At least I hoped that was his motive. What if he planned on getting in the car where no one could see him and make me drive to some remote place and kill me? Oh Lord, what have I gotten myself into?

  By the time I met him down the block my stomach had more knots than a macramé plant hanger. He opened the door. “Are you sure you don’t mind doing this?”

  Was my face that transparent? “Yes. I mean no. Of course not.” I shrugged “But I have to admit, it is a little uncomfortable. I don’t make it a habit of offering my shower.”

  “I’m glad you don’t. But no worries.” He grinned as he sat and shut the door. “I’d be happy with the loan of a towel and a bar of soap. I could go to the lake after dark.”

  The very thought of the mud he’d have to wade through and the cold water made me cringe. “No. I’m all right. Really. Get in and let’s go.”

  During the four-block drive, my courage rose as I listened to him tell me about the people he’d met since arriving at Moonlight. He spoke with such compassion. Still, I couldn’t deny feeling relieved when Cladie came plodding across the street with the sack of peas in her arms.

  She waved. “Hey there. I was just going to leave these peas on your porch. Lord knows I have more than enough to shell and put away. Thought you’d like some.”

  “I’d love some. Thanks, Cladie.” Levi got out of the car and stood still as if unsure of what to do. I gestured toward him. “Cladie, this is Levi. He’s preparing to do some job hunting. Levi, this is my friend Cladie Preston.”

  She eyed him up and down. “Do you do gardening-type work?”

  “Ma’am. I’ll do anything.”

  She twisted her mouth to the side and studied him. “It’s hot work. Heavy lifting. Long hours. But I pay good and I feed good, too.” Turning toward me she jerked her head his way. “And by the looks of him, he could use some good food.”

  Levi put his hands together and bowed. “Ms. Preston, you are an answer to my prayers.” He glanced up at me and grinned before straightening. “And I like to work. This homelessness has made me feel useless.”

  “You’re hired then. My man Felix, God love him, needs some help. He’s getting on up in years, you know. Do you have any work clothes?”

  “Just what I have on my back.”

  “Son, those won’t do.” She handed me the peas. “Levi, you get in the shower. Jema, come with me to find him some work clothes.” She studied Levi again. “You look to be about the size of my late husband. A mite taller than he and few pounds lighter, but his clothes will cover you until you can get your own.”

  “Wait, Cladie Mae. Slow down.” I smiled down at my good-hearted friend. “Before we go to your house, I need to show Levi where everything is first.” Motioning for them to follow, I said, “Come on in.”

  He held the door open for us. When I passed him, I noticed for the first time something akin to happiness in his expression.

  When inside, Cladie piped up. “Now, Levi, after you have showered and put on clean clothes, I want you to go to Burt’s barber shop and get a haircut. Get all that mess shaved off your face, too. I’ll call ahead and tell Burt I’m good for it.”

  Only Cladie Mae Preston could get away with saying that. I glanced at Levi and tried to gauge how he took her mandate. He looked as stunned as I felt.

  “Cladie, he might like his hair.”

  “Nonsense, he’ll have a heat stroke trying to work under all that wool. Besides, with the machinery he’ll be using, he doesn’t need to get his hair caught in it and break his neck.” She crossed her arms. “Now does he?”

  Levi shrugged. “No worries here. I’ll be glad to be rid of it.” He beamed down at Cladie. “Thank you, dear lady. And when I’m cleaned up, I would like to shake your hand.”

  “Shake my hand? Nothing doing.”

  Levi’s face registered surprise.

  “Around here, young man, we hug.”

  He chuckled. “Even better.”

  I pointed to the stairs. “The bathroom is on the second floor at the end of the hall. You should find all you need there. We’ll be back soon with something for you to wear.”

  Cladie chimed in. “And don’t worry about the clothes you have on now. I’m going to burn them.”

  Well, good grief, Cladie Mae. Levi had to be embarrassed. I was embarrassed for him and, once again, came to his rescue. “But, Levi may want to keep his clothes.”

  He put his hand out and chuckled. “It’s fine, really. I have no particular fondness for these rags.”

  Cladie nodded at me. “Me and Levi a
re going to get along just fine.”

  When he disappeared up the stairs, Cladie and I left for her house. On our way there, I had a moment of misgiving. What if he left with pillowcases stuffed full of my valuables? About then Cladie said, “I have a good feeling about that boy.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes, ma’am, I do. I’m a good judge of character.” She put her hand on my arm and gave me an impish look over the rim of her glasses. “And I’ll bet he looks mighty fine under all that hair.”

  “Why, Cladie Mae. I didn’t think you thought those kind of things.”

  She looped her arm though mine. “Lemme tell you something, I may be old, but I’m not dead, and I’m certainly not blind.”

  “I don’t doubt that one little bit. By the way, Cladie, why did you keep all of Fred’s clothes? I gave Ray’s things away.”

  “I don’t know why, but I just couldn’t bear getting rid of anything. I put his clothes in the guest room closet. His shorts and socks are in the chest of drawers. On lonely days, I sit in there and stare at his church suits or his coveralls, rubbing my fingers over the material, knowing they had touched his skin. Sounds silly, but it helps.”

  “No. It doesn’t sound silly at all. We do what we have to do.”

  In the guest room she took white undershirts, pale blue undershorts, and black socks from the dresser drawers. Then she moved to the closet and pulled out two pairs of khakis and four short sleeve cotton shirts. After laying them across the bed, she returned to the closet and found a pair of work-boots.

  “I’m not sure if these boots will fit, but we might as well take them over just the same.”

  I bundled the clothes up, and as I turned to leave, Cladie said, “Just a second.” She went to the dresser and picked up a small jewelry chest. When she opened the lid, a tiny ballerina popped up and began twirling to a soft tinkling tune. She pulled out a folded hundred-dollar bill and handed it to me. “If those boots don’t fit, buy him some that do.”

  “You are an angel if ever there was one.” Just then a thought occurred. “Cladie? Where is he going to sleep? I can’t have him stay with me and neither can you.”

  She bit her lip. “I hadn’t thought of that.” After a few minutes of pondering, she slapped her leg. “I’ve got it. Fred’s old shop. Felix doesn’t use it anymore since we built the larger one. It’s a respectable size since the benches have been cleared out, and it has a small woodstove. Even has a bathroom.”

  “A bathroom?”

  “Yes, Fred put it in because he didn’t want to dirty up the house traipsing through it during the day when he worked in the gardens. He even put in a shower to get the grime off before he came in to supper.”

  “That sounds perfect. I have a twin-sized bed in Olivia’s room. Levi can use it. After all, she and Amanda only come home at Christmas. She can sleep in the guest room. I wonder if Felix would mind helping me move it. I have a chest of drawers and a nightstand, too.”

  “I’m sure he won’t mind a bit. I’ll ask him.” She thought a moment. “You know that little bistro table and chairs on my patio? We can put those in the corner of the shed for Levi to snack on. I’m sure I have a tablecloth somewhere.” She put her hands together. “Oh, I can’t wait to give him the good news. Let’s tell him over cake and coffee. I have a sour cream pound cake that needs to get eaten before it goes stale.”

  “Great idea.”

  We stopped in her kitchen long enough for her to pack up three large slices, and then we carried our bundles across the street. By the time Cladie and I got to my house, we had made plans that would have the old shop looking like something from Better Homes and Gardens.

  When we walked in, I couldn’t hear the water running. Oh dear. Cladie and I had totally lost track of time. He was probably waiting for something to wear. I called from the bottom step, “I’m coming up with your clothes.”

  No answer.

  Oh no. He’s gone. What did he take? I jogged up the stairs holding on to the clothes. The bathroom door was slightly ajar, and I saw him wrapped in a towel standing at the mirror fingering tangles from his hair. I cleared my throat giving him a little start.

  He opened the door wider. “Oh, hello. I’m about done here.”

  “No, that’s okay. Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I just wanted to give you these.” I gave him the clothing. “When you get dressed, come down for coffee and some of Cladie’s famous sour cream pound cake.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll be right there. By the way, you wouldn’t happen to have an elastic would you?”

  “A what?”

  “An elastic to hold my hair out of the way.”

  “Oh, a rubber band? Sure.” I opened a drawer and took one out. “Here.”

  “Thanks.”

  “See you in a bit.” All the way down the steps, I chided myself for thinking the worst—again. In the kitchen, Cladie had started the coffee and was carrying plates to the table. I took out the cups, creamer, and sugar and arranged them by the coffee pot.

  A rhythmic thud, thud, sounded on the stairs as Levi jogged down. We both looked up when he moseyed in.

  Cladie set the plates on the table with a clatter. “Mercy Lord. But don’t you look nice.” In a few short steps she hustled to him. “The pants are a mite short, but I can let them down. How do the boots feel?”

  “They’re a bit tight. But I’m grateful to have them.”

  She waved him off. “I was afraid of that. But I gave Jema some money, and she can take you to buy some that will fit.”

  He dropped his gaze and shook his head. “I can’t let you do that. You’ve done enough already.”

  “Nonsense.” She thought a moment. “I’ll tell you what, how about me taking it out of your check.”

  “Done.” His dark eyes held a merriment I’d never seen before.

  She opened her arms. “I’ll take that hug now.”

  He dwarfed her with his embrace. “Thank you, Ms. Preston.”

  “Call me Cladie.” She took his hand in hers and patted it. “Now sit yourself down and have some cake while Jema shares the proposal we have for you.”

  “Oh?” He pulled a chair out for Cladie. “And what might that be?” He hurried to pull my chair out for me, and then he sat. “You have my full attention.”

  It happened again. One look into those dark eyes and my tongue couldn’t form words. With his hair clean and pulled back, I noticed his hairline had receded. One thing puzzled me. His beard wasn’t the same color as the hair on his head. It was a different shade, a little lighter brown, and it had some gray in it. His hair didn’t.

  I wondered about his age. Was he in his late fifties? Early sixties? Without his beard he might look younger.

  “Cat got your tongue?” Cladie’s voice cut through my musings.

  “Oh, sorry.” My face began to burn. I held my mug up to my lips and tried to appear nonchalant, even though I’d obviously been gawking.

  While I told him our plans, he listened attentively and ate his cake. His expression never changed which unnerved me. Were we insulting him? Was he interested?

  When I finished he stared in his coffee cup a few moments, then contemplated each of us before speaking.

  “Ladies, I don’t know what to say. Your kindness and care is overwhelming. I would be happy to accept your generous offer. But on one condition, I insist on paying rent.” He laid his hand on Cladie’s. “I would appreciate you deducting that from my check as well.”

  Knowing her like I do, he had just skyrocketed in her good opinion. “You are a good man, Levi…” She inclined her head to the side and frowned. “I didn’t catch your last name?”

  Levi’s face blanked. “It’s...Smith.”

  “You are a good man, Levi Smith.”

  He swallowed and dipped his head. “Coming from you, Miss Cladie, that means a lot.”

  She turned to me. “Jema, honey, get me some paper and a pencil. I want to draw a map to the barber shop for Levi.”

&nbs
p; “This will also come out of my check. Right?”

  Cladie shook her head. “If you insist.” She handed him the map. “Supper is at six. Jema, why don’t you come? I’ll ask Felix over, too.” She turned her attention back to Levi. “That way you two can get to know each other.”

  “I’ll be there. I never miss a good meal.” He hitched his pants up. “Might help me fill these out.”

  Seeing him pull up the khakis reminded me of Ray’s belt I had found while cleaning out my closet. I must have missed it while gathering his things for the shelter after his death.

  “Wait just a sec before you go.” A few minutes later I returned and handed it to Levi. “This will help until Cladie makes you so fat you won’t be able to fasten your pants.

  Cladie swatted the air. “Oh psssh. He will work so hard it will all even out.”

  He slipped it on. “Good fit, eh?”

  “Like a glove.” Cladie shooed him. “Now scoot on outta here and get that mop cut off your head.”

  When he was on his way, Cladie called Bert and told him the arrangements. After she hung up, she thought a moment. “Have you noticed how different Levi talks?”

  “Yes, I’ve noticed an accent, only I can’t quite place it.”

  “Guess I’ve hired a Yankee. At least he’s a polite Yankee.”

  “Cladie, you’re a hoot.” I slipped my arm around her and squeezed. “And your heart is made of pure gold. Thanks for all you have done for this man.”

  “No need to thank me. It’s what I do.” She stepped on the porch and looked at the sky. “Not a cloud in sight. I sure wish it’d rain. It’s so dry the trees are bribing the dogs.” With that bit of whimsical observation, she sauntered to the yard and across the street to her home.

  Thirty minutes after Cladie had left, someone knocked on my door. It was Felix.

  “Hi there.” I always liked this gentle soul. His caramel skin hung in soft folds around his mouth. His chestnut eyes always held a smiling glint. Gray had claimed nearly all of his wooly hair and eyebrows.

  “Afternoon, Jema. Miss Cladie sent me over to collect that furniture you are loaning Levi.”

  “Oh, my. She isn’t wasting any time, is she?”