For Keeps (Aggie's Inheritance)

by Havig, Chautona

  “Wow! It’s almost exactly what I wanted!”

  As Ellie asked questions and made a few more alterations to her picture, Aggie and Libby went to see the drawing. “Oh, I see what you are after, Vannie. That’s very clever.”

  “I like that style, but they’re all cut too low or too short. This way it’s still in style, but it isn’t immodest. Mommy--”

  “Your mom taught you well, Vannie. Once you take that first step into ‘well it’s not too bad,’ it’s hard to know when you’ve crossed the line. You managed that beautifully!”

  The girl beamed, reminding Aggie that she needed to ensure that she didn’t slight the children in the praise department. Everything that she needed to do crowded in her mind, threatening to overwhelm her, until she muttered, “Just what is in front of you, Aggie Milliken! Just what is in front of you.”

  “What did you say?”

  Her face flushed as she raised her eyes to meet Libby’s. Luke’s mother stood holding Ian, his fists full of zippers, and stared at her. “I just reminded myself to focus on what was in front of me. I have a tendency to look ahead, and ahead, and ahead, until I get so overwhelmed I don’t know what to do next. My mom taught me to just reach out for what I can touch right now, and start there.”

  “She’s a very wise mother.”

  “Mrs. Sullivan, do you think we could use this fabric for this dress? Can we make these adjustments, or is it too much?”

  “Oh, we can handle those alterations with no problem.” Taking the fabric, Libby began measuring, comparing to the pattern requirements, did some mental calculations, and nodded. “There’s plenty enough for that and then some. Do you know how to lay it out?”

  Vannie nodded and started unfolding the fabric. “You’ll have to show me what to change, but--”

  “Get it laid out and put just one or two pins in to hold it in place. I’ll shift it when I get there and then you can pin it properly.”

  At the horrified look on Aggie’s face, Libby shook her finger, teasing her. “Young woman, you need to learn to trust people.”

  “What if she messes it up?” Aggie whispered out of earshot.

  “So what? She learns and moves on. You must quit expecting everything to go right the first time.”

  Those words, familiar ones at that, pierced Aggie’s heart. Libby was right, of course. Before she could respond, the phone rang. Distracted by the sight of Vannie pinning pieces to the fabric with a confidence she couldn’t fathom, Aggie’s voice chirped, “Hello?”

  “Agathena Milliken, how do you expect to teach those children anything, if you cannot even answer a phone properly?”

  “Good morning, Mrs. Stuart. What can I do for you?”

  “I am calling to let you know that my lawyer will be visiting you. With your ridiculous restraining order, I’m forced to work through him. He’ll be bringing papers for you to sign. I’d appreciate your swift cooperation.”

  “Sign for what?”

  “They’re just finalization of property transfers and things like that. I don’t have time to explain everything. He is doing us a great favor by going all the way out there, so please do not take any more of his time than absolutely necessary.”

  “That won’t be necessary, Mrs. Stuart. Simply have the papers sent to Mr. Moss. He’ll bring them out after reviewing them, or I’ll go in and sign them there if necessary.”

  “I don’t have time to play games, young lady. Your irrational and emotionally manipulative games have caused this problem, so you’ll have to suffer the consequences. He’ll be there in an hour.”

  Even the phone’s disconnect click sounded abrupt and unpleasant. Aggie stared at the handset as if mesmerized by it. Libby watched for a moment and then asked, “Aggie, are you ok?”

  “Yes. The children’s grandmother is sending papers for me to sign, and she thinks I’ll just put my signature anywhere she wants it and without my lawyer looking at it. I’ve always known she thought I was unqualified to be the children’s guardian, but I had no idea she thought I was an idiot.”

  “Mom said that Grandma Stuart seemed to think people weren’t very intelligent, but it was because she always assumed they’d defer to her wishes rather than because she ever actually considered their intelligence.”

  With a shrug, Aggie agreed. “That’s possible, I suppose. I’d better call Mr. Moss.” As she suspected, her lawyer assured her there should be no papers necessary for her to sign. He promised to come to the house as soon as possible, but was sure it’d be at least two hours. “Keep a copy of everything, but sign nothing. If the lawyer brings only one copy, take them and lock them up. I’ll look them over when I get there.”

  “Can I do that? Is it legal?”

  “I think it’s imperative. We’ll deal with any accusations or trumped-up charges if they come. I know Mrs. Stuart’s lawyer. He’s an excellent attorney, working on a very large retainer, but he won’t risk being disbarred even for Geraldine Stuart.”

  The filing cabinet had a lock, but Aggie had no idea where to find the key. After several minutes of searching, Luke stopped her. “Just take them upstairs to Vannie’s room and put them on the shelf over her door. I’ll block the lawyer’s access to the stairs. He can’t go up without physically assaulting me, and he knows it.”

  With the plan in place, everyone went back to work, but Aggie was jittery. She tried to pay attention to the instructions Libby gave Vannie, but it was hopeless. Instead, she swept the porch, vacuumed the living room, made sure the little girls’ hair was all brushed, and put the remaining breakfast dishes in the dishwasher. Yes, the library was a mess, but anyone could see they were in the middle of a project.

  “I can close the doors if you like, Aggie.” Libby’s face showed concern.

  “I’m just being ridiculous. Don’t worry about me.”

  Ian began to protest as she tried to corral him and his toys into one very small part of the living room. Frustrated, she gave up and carried him upstairs. Luke was rolling paint onto her walls, and the result was exactly what she’d hoped it’d be. The tan paint was so creamy; it almost had a golden glow to it. Aggie inhaled the scent of fresh paint and announced, “It’s going to be beautiful.”

  Startled, Luke jumped and rolled the paint at an awkward angle. “You enjoyed that much too much.”

  “I did,” she agreed.

  “So, is he here?”

  “No, that’s what I came to talk to you about. I was wondering if you can take Ian when you come downstairs. I try to keep the toys from ending up all over the place, but you know how he is. Everything will be everywhere if I give the kid half a chance. Keeping him in arms with that man here is probably best, but I don’t want to risk the papers near the baby either.” Aggie squeezed the baby and held him close, as if it’d ward off evil lawyers with their mountains of paperwork.

  “I’d be happy to.”

  Luke put the roller back in the pan and wiped his hands carefully on a rag. Once certain he was free of paint, he began showing her his plans for her room. It took her until the end of his demonstration to realize what he’d done. “Thanks, Luke.”

  “What for?”

  “I appreciate the distraction.”

  With a cheeky grin, he picked up the roller once more and loaded it with paint. “Hey, it’s not every day a guy finds out he’s a distraction.”

  Aggie watched him pick up where he’d stopped, checked the window a couple of times, and then ambled out of the room and toward the stairs. Just as she reached the second floor, she heard Luke calling for her. Once inside the room again, she giggled. “Oh, you are so silly.”

  “I got a smile out of you. It’s worth it for that.”

  She started to make a retort, but tires crunched on the gravel. “Oh, no! I forgot to call the little ones in!” Without another word, she dashed down the stairs calling for Cari, Kenzie, and Lorna.

  After stuffing the paint roller in a zip lock bag and zipping the top as far closed as it would go, Luke sc
rubbed his hands in the bathroom sink, and then went to do his part in “Operation Thwart Geraldine… Again.” The walls he left behind still sported their unusual paint job. Instead of solid blocks of creamy tan, it looked like a graffiti artist with a preference for minimalist modern art had attacked the walls. In huge block letters, they read, “MIBS’ ROOM. KEEP OUT!”

  Gordon Steiner was a very distinguished-looking man. Still unsettled by the nature of his visit, Aggie was unable to think coherently. She welcomed the man into the living room, offered him a chair and a glass of water, and then blurted out, much to her mortification, “You’re too handsome to be a lawyer.”

  Before she could recover her wits, Luke snickered, Vannie gasped, and Libby closed the pocket doors, shutting off the library entirely. “Why, thank you, I think.” Mr. Steiner folded his hands and glanced around him. “You have a lovely home.” What he didn’t say spoke volumes. It was evident, just from his reaction to everything, that he’d heard only the worst of her.

  “Before I look at your papers, would you like me to give you a tour? We’ve worked almost non-stop to make this place into a home. How we accomplished so much, I’ll never know.”

  “I’d like that.”

  The slicing motions Luke made across his throat were never seen by Aggie. Instead, he followed her into the kitchen, listened with evident pride as she raved about his handiwork, apologized for the mess in the library, and then room by room, explained what they’d done and how it had been accomplished. “The wiring was really the worst. Well, that and the cabinets, I imagine. He got those done in a week! How--”

  “Um, Aggie?”

  She turned to Luke expectantly. “Hmm?”

  “I worked on those from the day we talked about what you wanted in your kitchen. I just finished them up that week.” To the lawyer, he added, “I didn’t want to leave a false impression. I don’t think anyone could pull that off in a week-- even with help.”

  Aggie filed that information away for later discussion, and led the man outside to see how the yard and house had progressed. “There’s still a lot to do out here, but we’re getting there.”

  “It’s truly amazing. I’m very impressed.” There was a hint of disbelief in the man’s voice. “I assume most of the rooms just needed a fresh coat of paint?”

  “Well, that and the floors needed to be refinished. That’s what took the longest. After we did the first and knew what to do, we worked on several rooms at once almost assembly line style.” Aggie went on to explain how she painted the trim, Luke painted the walls, then sanded floors , and how they went in a circle, room by room adding coats of urethane to finish the wood. “The floors would have needed more work if we wanted to make them perfect-- without scratches or anything, but I decided to let the house keep its character. We sanded and then what was left, as long as it wouldn’t splinter, we left alone.”

  The confused expression on Gordon Steiner’s face was priceless. She thought about letting him remain lost and confused, but Aggie couldn’t bring herself to do it. “It was truly horrible when we moved in. Broken lattice out front, paint peeling everywhere, this room and the dining room were both loaded with beds, and no matter how hard I tried, it was always a mess. Oh, man, and the kitchen…”

  As suspected, the bewildered look dissolved as she spoke. “Well, with so much to do, it’s a wonder that you manage to keep it as nice as it is right now.”

  “I have a lot of helpers, Mr. Steiner.”

  “And a lot of mess makers. Some would say--” He stopped mid-sentence and shook his head. “I have another appointment-- much sooner than I’d like so if we could take care of the paperwork…” As the man dug them from his briefcase, he looked up at Aggie curiously. “Are you sure--” Again, his head wagged reminding her of a puppy with wet ears.

  “Is this my copy or yours?” The question was delivered sounding much calmer than her quaking insides felt.

  “I thought--” Once more, the man closed his mouth abruptly, and this time leveled steady eyes on her. “No. This is the only copy, as requested.”

  It took every ounce of her self-control not to fling the papers at him and demand he leave her property. She was furious-- livid. How dare he come into her home, make pleasant small talk, inspect it like a judge and jury, and then act like she was some kind of lunatic for asking questions that anyone with a lick of common sense should!

  Papers in hand, she rose from her chair and walked to the stairs. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  “I--” Mr. Steiner, once more, shook his head as Aggie’s legs disappeared upstairs. He glanced at Luke who stood in front of the bottom step, baby Ian struggling in his arms. “She isn’t bringing the papers back down, is she?”

  “No.”

  “She didn’t request the papers, did she?”

  “No.”

  “She doesn’t know what they contain?”

  Luke’s eyes answered for him long before he quietly answered, “No.”

  Gordon Steiner stood, snapped his briefcase shut, and crossed the room to shake Luke’s hand. “Tell her to read them carefully or hand them over to a lawyer. I will tell my client that she accepted them but did not sign or return them.” At the screen door, the man turned back once more. “Oh, and when you warn her to remain alert--and you should--thank her for her compliment. It made my day.”

  Before the man’s car started, Luke heard the beginning strains of “God Will Take Care of You” struggling to be heard over the obvious sobs that accompanied them. “Be not dismayed,” a choke drowned out the next words, “--tide. God will take care of you.” A hiccough followed next. “--His loving wings…”

  Luke hurried into the library, deposited Ian in Libby’s arms, and took the stairs two at a time. He found her, eyes closed, face turned toward heaven, forcing the words through clenched teeth. “Heee… wiiillll… take caaarrree..”

  “Mibs?”

  Without even opening her eyes, Aggie thrust the papers toward the sound of his voice. “--of yoooouuu. God will take care of you.”

  The papers clearly stated in the first paragraph that Aggie was petitioning the court to make Geraldine Stuart the legal guardian of the children. “Oh, Mibs.”

  “I am so furious, I could think and say many sinful things right now. Every curse word I’ve ever heard is fighting every other one for preeminence in my heart. I want to go through them alphabetically, categorically, and finally by which one comes to mind first, just for the sheer joy of letting all the ugliness that just filled my heart out again.”

  “You won’t like how you feel when it’s over…”

  “Yeah, that was the rub.” Her carefully measured tone told him she wasn’t over her anger.

  He handed her the papers and suggested she put them in a safe place until Mr. Moss arrived. “I’ll go uncorral the girls and Ian.” Before he turned to leave, Luke brushed a single angry tear from her cheek. “The lawyer said to tell you to read them carefully, turn them over to a lawyer, and thanks for the compliment.”

  “Compliment?” The blank look on her face was mirrored in her mind. “What compliment?”

  “You did say he was too handsome--”

  “Oh. That. Ugh.” She tried to push the embarrassing moment aside, but couldn’t. “Well, didn’t you think he was awfully handsome for someone in such a nasty profession?”

  “Well,” Luke began, trying to hide the amusement struggling to surface at the corners of his mouth. “I am not in the habit of noticing if men are or are not attractive. Women, I confess, I cannot help but notice sometimes, but I just don’t--”

  “All right, all right. I get it.”

  “But,” Luke continued as if she hadn’t interrupted, “I do think you are taking out your frustration with Geraldine’s abuse of a profession on an innocent bystander. Gordon Steiner didn’t know you weren’t aware of the contents of those papers. He was just as stunned as you are, but for different reasons.”

  “Then he’s not despicable as a person,
but I still don’t care for his job.”

  “Be prepared for at least one of your children to be a lawyer.”

  “Why!”

  Laughing, Luke hurried toward the steps and out of range as he replied, “Murphy’s Law, of course!”

  ~*~*~*~

  Tina arrived with the boys around four o’clock, with bags of clothes and a couple of bags of groceries. “We’re grilling tonight. Hamburgers!”

  “I see bags. Tell me you scored for the boys and not for you.” Something in Aggie’s voice told Luke she was only partially teasing.

  “I didn’t buy a thing for me, but I did find a couple of cute tops and at least one skirt for Vannie while I was out.”

  The slow rise in Tina’s volume did nothing to distract the girl in question from her task. Peeking into the library, Tina saw Vannie hard at work sewing long seams together on a machine that looked familiar. “Is that a serger?”

  Vannie jumped but kept sewing. “Yes. I’m just cleaning up the seams now that we know it fits right.”

  “I like the fabric; it’s going to look great on you.”

  Aggie saw Vannie flush with pleasure at the compliment, and sighed. She’d already forgotten her resolve to encourage the children and find things in their lives to praise. If it wouldn’t be likely to cheapen her words in the children’s eyes, she’d have made a note for herself and pasted on the fridge right then. Instead, she turned to Luke and asked, “Will you and your mom stay and eat with us?”

  He shook his head. “Can’t. Aunt Martha expects us tonight. We’ll be over in the morning, though. I can tell Mom is engrossed.” A tender look filled Luke’s eyes as he watched his mother leave instructions for Vannie. “I bet she cuts out a few things before she goes to bed tonight.”

  As she wiped perspiration from her forehead, Aggie recalled Luke’s face as he watched and spoke of his mother and wondered if she’d ever become the sort of mother that would evoke that kind of caring in her nephews’ hearts. Would they ever know how fiercely she loved them? Would she ever become half as worthy a person as women like Libby and her mother were?