by JB Bonds
We had our picnic and even waded in the water of the Gulf just to cool off a little before going back to our homes. The fishermen had been coming in and out of the Gulf from their canals and we had witnessed a beautiful sunset. Whole picnics could be centered around the sunsets in Key West. Down in Key West proper, traffic jams happen all the time just about an hour before the sun is due to set, which isn’t a bad way to end the day. As we were gathering our chairs and trash, Lois cleared her throat and said she wanted to make an announcement.
“Since I have all of you in one place at the same time, I want to formally invite you to a wedding on May 14,” Lois said.
“Who’s getting married?” Joe asked.
“Me, Joe. I’m marrying Morty Stiles. We’ll say our vows at my little church over in Marathon Key at 2:00 pm.”
Joe took a step backward and stood there, blinking his eyes. He finally pulled himself together enough to say, “Congratulations, Lois.”
“Roz and Joanie, would you two stand up for me?”
“I’m sure we can do that,” Roz said.
“I didn’t realize you and Morty were serious,” Joe said.
“Serious as a heart attack! We make quite the pair, don’t you think?”
This was all happening so fast. Of course we hoped this marriage would turn out to be the real thing, but who were we to say what would and wouldn’t work? Lois and Morty had found each other in the later years of their lives. If they truly had found companionship and security in that, then all was good. Seeing Morty on a regular basis over in Lois’s little Airstream would be different. Neither one of them had families to invite to the wedding. Lois had never had children, and to our knowledge, neither had Morty. Both had been married for decades to their spouses and had lost both of them years ago. Time would tell if getting married was the answer to Lois’s insecurities right now, but a lot of time was not something either of them had.
Chapter 36
Will You All Ever Forgive Me?
The last week of April was packed with activities and planning for our grandchildren’s visit, which was coming up in a couple of weeks. Roz and I had the set for the talent show organized and props purchased. I had asked a couple of the Rainbow maintenance workers to get the parachutes affixed to the ceiling to look like a circus tent; then string pennants and flags around the room. We also had plans to change the entrance to the Center to look like the opening of a tent.
On the Monday morning after Easter, Burton was at the Center when Roz and I were talking to the maintenance men, going over ideas to best secure the parachute material in the ceiling. We certainly didn’t want all of that apparatus falling on everyone.
“Haven’t you girls gotten the set figured out yet?” Burton said with a scowl.
“Everything’s under control, Burton,” Roz said.
“Do I have to do everything around here? I spend night and day in this building, and get no cooperation from anyone. I don’t know why I even try to do things like this!”
The maintenance man standing by me said, “So what’s wrong with the princess today?”
“We’re not sure, but hopefully, he’ll be able to pull it together before May 20. Maybe this is how he handles stress. How did he ever survive Broadway?” Roz asked.
We had decided to drive our car to the Center that morning because we had errands to run and grocery shopping to do. McGhee and Ida were coming along, so we stopped by their house on the way out of Rainbow.
“How are you ladies doing this morning?” Roz asked.
“Just fine. Now that I can hang out clothes once in a while without having them taken down, I’m doing great,” Ida said.
“So, no more notes in your mailbox and no more meddling with your clothesline?” I asked.
“So far. But, then to be honest, I haven’t hung out clothes since I got the “I’m sorry” note. It’s just been so incredibly hot, I haven’t wanted to get out as much. We haven’t tested just how sorry this person is,” McGhee said.
“Are either of you ladies going to come to my first Sunday book club meeting this weekend?” I asked.
“We’ll both be there. I need to broaden my horizons in my book selections,” McGhee said.
“I’m looking forward to being there. I’ve got some great ideas for book reads,” Ida said.
After church the first Sunday in May, Roz and I went back home to put together a little refreshment for the book club. We didn’t know how many to expect, but we were hopeful it would be enough to warrant starting up a second club in Rainbow. Everyone was due to arrive around 2:00 p.m. McGhee and Ida came over around 1:30 to see if they could help us in any way. Then Lois and Bea arrived with a couple of other residents we knew only in passing. To our surprise, Tutti arrived around 2:00. We knew she was due to leave Rainbow to go back home to Michigan any day now.
“Tutti looks a little under the weather today, don’t you think, Roz?” I asked.
When we settled down with our refreshments and started talking about books we might like to read, I counted heads. Ten people had joined us. We talked for more than hour and finally decided we would read Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. I couldn’t wait to go buy the book. She was one of my all time favorite authors. Everyone had one more glass of wine before leaving to enjoy the rest of their Sunday afternoon. The last people to leave were Tutti, McGhee, and Ida. Tutti seemed so fidgety and anxious, I was beginning to think she truly was ill, or taking Caliente.
“Tutti, when are you packing up your RV and heading north?” I asked.
“Tomorrow morning.”
“I’m surprised you took time out of your day to come to this meeting since you won’t be back until September,” Roz said.
“I’ve got to say something to McGhee and Ida, and I think you and Joanie, too. So I thought this might be the best time to do it.”
“Come back in the living room and sit down, Tutti,” I said.
We all filed into the living room and found seats.
“I want to tell you all a little bit about my childhood.” Tutti bowed her head, closed her eyes and seemed to be trying to gather her thoughts.
“I’ve lived in Michigan my whole life, and grew up in Lansing. I was the youngest of three kids, and the only bed wetter, which made it that much more mortifying for me. They teased me incessantly about it, but the worst were my mother and father. My dad talked about my problem to all his buddies and made lewd jokes about it. I honestly can’t remember my dad ever sitting down and talking to me with a kind word. He was a very cruel man.”
Where was this going? McGhee and Ida just looked at each other, as did Roz and I.
“Whenever I woke up in the night with a wet bed, my mother immediately made me strip the linens off, put them in the washing machine, and start it. I couldn’t have been more than six or seven years old. I had to then remake my bed the best I could.” Tutti had beads of sweat on her face, and she was wiping her brow furiously.
“First thing the next morning, Mom would come into my room and march me to the washing machine, where I had to get the sheets out and hang them outside on a clothesline she had erected in our front side yard. Not only did she erect the clothesline, but she had put up a sign right beside it that read, “Tutti is a bed wetter.” This went on until I was around twelve. I don’t think anything in my life has ever mortified me more than going out in the morning to hang up those sheets and have the neighbors know, once again, I had peed in my bed the night before.”
Tutti looked at McGhee and Ida. “When I first saw your clothesline with the sheets hung on it, I snapped. I’ve seen clotheslines with sheets drying on them over the years, but for some reason, emotions I hadn’t felt in years overwhelmed me. I had seen you ladies leave your house, so without a moment’s hesitation, I marched up to your yard and took those sheets down. Then when more Rainbow residents started hanging their clothes
out, I thought I really would go crazy.”
There was an audible gasp from McGhee, and I know my mouth was hanging open. With tears in her eyes, Tutti continued.
“This has nothing to do with you two sweet, dear ladies. Something ugly and mean took over me whenever I saw your clothesline filled with the sheets. I still can’t believe I made those signs and put them in your yard. I know I have a real problem, and I’m going to get some kind of counseling when I get back home. I want to apologize for putting you two through all of this. Joanie and Roz, I want to apologize to you, too. You’re such wonderful friends and didn’t hesitate to do something to help our new neighbors. Will you all ever forgive me?”
Tutti had started to cry in earnest. The first person to go to her side was McGhee.
“Tutti, I forgive you. I know how hard it has been for you to tell us what you’ve done. I’m sure Ida feels the same way.”
“I’m just glad to know all these clothesline shenanigans hasn’t been a racial thing. That’s been in the back of my mind since all of this began,” Ida said.
“No, please, never think this had anything to do with race. You two ladies are a wonderful addition to the community. This is strictly my problem and one I have to talk to someone about.” Tutti wiped her eyes.
As Tutti left with our well wishes for a safe journey, McGhee and Ida held back a little. I could tell they wanted to say something to me and Roz.
“You know what I just thought of? I think maybe we owe Harry an apology,” Ida said.
Early the next morning, we heard Tutti’s RV pull out. Both Roz and I were up having our coffee and tea, so we went to the window and watched as she drove up the street. We had talked last night about Tutti and hoped she would get the help she needed when she got back home. It was so painfully obvious she was still suffering from the emotional abuse she’d suffered all those years ago.
About that time we saw Morty pull into Lois’s carport riding a three-wheeler. We knew Lois had a three-wheel bike, but had never seen Morty on one before. The strangest thing about all this was what Morty had on his head. From where we were standing, it looked like he had a large aluminum pot sitting on top of his head with a scarf tied through the side handles that went under his chin to hold it on.
“I hope Lois knows what she’s in for,” Roz said.
We got our swimsuits on and went to the pool for class. As we parked our golf cart, we could see Joe on the tennis court where he and his opponent had just begun warming up for a match. Joe asked the fellow to please excuse him for a couple of minutes, and walked over to the fence. As we walked by, Joe said, “I just wanted to let you ladies know, the license plate on the Hammonds’ car is registered to a Bill Levine from Wichita, Kansas. My buddy is doing a little more digging for me to see if he can find out anything about this Mr. Levine.”
“That’s a real surprise. It makes me feel like we’re doing the right thing by looking into Virgil’s background,” I said.
Joe went back to his opponent to start their match, and Roz and I went in for our aqua aerobics. Attendance had picked back up, and in fact, we had a hard time finding a good spot in the pool. We could tell Henri was pleased with the large group, but we much preferred a smaller class. All the regulars were there, except Burton. We chalked it off to his late nights at the Center working with the talent show. At least we hoped that was all it was. Ida and McGhee came into the pool area and found loungers. They had said they wanted to see what this aqua aerobics class was all about.
After class, we found four loungers to enjoy the morning sun for awhile.
“We saw Tutti leave this morning,” Ida said.
“We did, too. I hope she comes back next year for her six months with us, but I have a feeling she may not,” Roz said.
“Ida and I are so relieved to find out who was messing with our clothesline. You have no idea. We went by the office before coming to the pool and told Herb about Tutti’s admission and apology, but I think there’s still something we need to do. Would you two have time this morning to pay Harry a visit?” McGhee asked.
“I think so. Would right now work?” Roz asked.
After packing up all our towels and putting on cover-ups, we got into our golf carts and drove to Harry’s house. He was on his front deck as we pulled to a stop. With the scowl on Harry’s face, we weren’t sure this was a good time to talk to him, but we forged on.
McGhee was the first to speak. “Harry, we owe you a huge apology. We now know who was messing with our clothesline, and we know it wasn’t you. It was actually another neighbor. We’re so sorry to have treated you unkindly over this whole mess.”
Harry’s eyes brightened a little and his mouth curved up in a tiny smile. Ida took this opportunity to put in her two cents. “I want you to know how much I appreciate the time and effort you take with your yard and gardens. Every morning when I get up, I always look out my front window and can enjoy your efforts.”
Harry seemed truly touched by Ida’s comment. Roz chimed in, “My sister and I also owe you an apology. The most important thing we’ve learned from this whole debacle is don’t believe everything you hear. We’re glad you’re our neighbor, Harry.”
Harry looked at all four of us. “Ladies, I have to tell you this whole incident made me very angry, and almost sorry I moved here. I’m not going to ask you who was fooling around with your clothesline. I really don’t want to know.”
“We appreciate your willingness to keep this quiet. You have every right to know. The person has apologized to McGhee and Ida and feels very remorseful over the whole mess. But I want to say, please don’t let our actions drive you from your lovely home,” I said.
“I’m too old and cranky to move now.” Harry turned around and walked into his house.
I guess we felt better but somehow didn’t feel an apology was enough for some of the things we’d said to Harry and accused him of. As Roz and I walked to our cart, I said to McGhee and Ida, “I’m glad we did that. Harry may never warm up to us, but it was worth a try. By the way, while we’re together, I wanted to ask if you two are planning on going to Lois and Morty’s wedding in a couple weeks?”
“Yes, and we wondered if we could catch a ride with you all,” Ida said.
“Absolutely. I don’t expect the ceremony will last long. Joanie and I are standing up for Lois, and I think Al is going to be Morty’s best man. As far as we know, it’s a simple service at the altar with the minister. Lois goes to a little Chapel in Marathon Key. I’m sure some of her friends from the church will be there,” Roz said.
“So what did Morty have on his head this morning? We saw him go by on his bike and I swear, it was some sort of pan!” McGhee said.
Chapter 37
Bees at McGhee’s and Pipe Down People!
After our conversation with Harry, McGhee asked, “Before you all go home, do you girls have a minute? I need some advice about a bee problem we’re having.”
“What kind of problem?” I asked.
We went across the street to McGhee and Ida’s house and walked up the back stairs to their upper deck. Immediately, we could see what looked like bumble bees buzzing around the slats in the railing of the deck.
“See those bees? I’ve watched them and they bore holes in the wood and go inside. I always thought bumble bees made their nests in the ground,” McGhee said.
“I know what they are! We had some of those back in Ohio and they did the same thing. Those are carpenter bees. They can make a real mess of your deck. They burrow into the wood to lay their eggs, but I know how to get rid of them. Samuel bought poison dust and put it into one of those plastic bottles you can buy for mustard or ketchup that has the funneled spout. He would shoot the dust up into the holes and then cover the hole with wood putty. Worked like a charm,” I said.
“We’re going to be running some errands this week, would you like to go along to p
ick up what you need to get rid of those bees?” Roz asked.
“Just let us know when you’re going. I love bumble bees, but I don’t want them to destroy my deck!” McGhee said.
On Thursday of that week, the four of us made a trip to the strip mall down from Rainbow’s End. There was a Dollar Store there. Roz and I wanted to find a couple of pool toys for the grandkids to use when they visited. I had found some poison dust in our gardening supplies and told McGhee she didn’t need to buy any. We were just looking for the plastic containers. As we walked into the Dollar Store, there was a display right in front of the door of red ketchup and yellow mustard plastic bottles. I couldn’t believe our luck. While McGhee and Roz were getting baskets and Ida was walking toward the card rack, I yelled back over my shoulder, “McGhee, here’s the plastic bottle you need for the poison to squirt in your B-hole.” Everyone within ten feet of us stopped dead in their tracks to look at me. McGhee and Roz were staring at me and Ida had disappeared all together. I suddenly realized what I had said and started laughing. My face blushed a bright red. I couldn’t help it. McGhee and Roz quickly moved away from me, laughing so loudly the people at the checkout stopped to look at us. I had no way of explaining any of this to the onlookers, so I didn’t. I walked over to the display, picked up a pack containing two of the plastic bottles and walked off.
There was a dress rehearsal for the talent show on Saturday afternoon. That meant Roz and I and the maintenance men had to get the Big Top erected. Performers were due to start arriving around 4:00 p.m., so Roz and I had been at the Recreation Center since 1:00. Everything looked great. I had ordered an A-frame sandwich board that would stand up just outside the front door that announced the Under the Big Top talent show, and hoped it would arrive in the next couple of weeks. Burton, of course, was everywhere at once. This was his baby and he didn’t want anything to go wrong. We were actually surprised people hadn’t dropped out of the show altogether because there were times he wasn’t very nice. We had been on the receiving end of that kind of behavior from Burton, and it was no fun.
