Harvey Holds His Own

by Colleen Nelson

  “We wanted to throw you a party. Make sure you knew how much we appreciate what you do around here,” Louise says.

  Grandpa waves the compliment away. “Just doing my job.” Mr. Santos nudges Grandpa inside and behind them Charlie appears. “Sorry I’m late,” he says. “Did I miss the surprise part?”

  Louise purses her lips and crosses her arms over her chest. “Mm-hmm,” she says, unimpressed.

  “You knew about this?” Grandpa asks Charlie.

  “I found out about it yesterday,” he says.

  “Come on, Grandpa. Now that Charlie’s here, we can get started.” I grab Grandpa’s hand and pull him to a chair at the front. Mary Rose put some streamers on it so the guests would know it was reserved. “Hi, everyone,” I say from the front. I sort of yell-speak because Mr. Kowalski won’t be able to hear me otherwise. “To celebrate my grandpa’s years of working at Brayside, everyone here wanted to tell him how important he is to this place.” I look right at Charlie when I say these words. “First is Miss Lin.”

  Miss Lin is so tiny that when she gets to the front, instead of asking if everyone can hear her, she says, “Can everyone see me?” and laughs.

  “Some of you will remember my sister, Patty. She and I spoke every day at three o’clock. When she passed away, I didn’t have my three o’clock phone call to look forward to. But Phillip started coming by. Some days, I didn’t even talk, but he stayed, just sitting with me. And some days I needed to cry and he let me do that too. I found out later from one of the nurses that he waited until three o’clock to take his lunch break so he could spend it with me.” Miss Lin pauses. She’s got tears in her eyes. “That’s what I have to tell you, Phillip. Thank you for not letting me feel alone. You were there when I needed you the most.” Miss Lin goes back to her seat and on the way gives Grandpa a hug.

  A few more people get up to talk and then it’s Mrs. Kowalski. She straightens her stretchy floral shirt and clears her throat. “I’d like to tell you about the day we moved in. Bob didn’t want to come here. He hated giving up the house, but it was time.” There are a few understanding nods from the crowd. “Phillip came by and he could tell right away that Bob wasn’t happy. Soon as he found out that Bob was a carpenter, he let him set up a shop in the basement here. Well, Bob had all his tools over here lickety-split. Phillip had him building bookshelves and shoe racks. It kept him busy and out of my hair. Thank you for getting to know us, Phillip. You’re a special man.”

  I peek at Grandpa. He’s looking around like he can’t believe all this is for him.

  Then Mrs. O’Brien gets up to read her letter. “Most of you know this story already, but it bears repeating. Here goes.” She takes a big breath. “Five years ago, I had a heart attack. It was Phillip who found me. He said he just had a feeling as he was walking by my room. When he knocked and I didn’t answer right away, he called for a nurse. The doctors said if it had been a few more minutes, I’d be gone.

  “I don’t know what kind of an angel you are, Phillip, but you saved my life. I think you save everyone’s life at Brayside in one way or another, in little ways. Knowing when we need a smile or a visit. You’re a skilled custodian, but it’s your compassion that makes you a perfect fit for Brayside.”

  Louise had warned me that some of the letters were touching, but I wasn’t prepared for Mrs. O’Brien words. She didn’t even read from a sheet of paper —all her words came straight from her heart. She looks right at Grandpa and says, “Phillip, you know how much you mean to me. If it hadn’t been for you, I might not be here.”

  Grandpa waves a hand at her, like it’s all no big deal, but his chin is trembling and then he puts his hand to his mouth.

  “And you know what they say,” Mrs. O’Brien continues. “The proof is in the pudding. Look who organized this whole thing—your grandson! All the kindness you’ve shown to others is coming back to you. Brayside wouldn’t be the same without you, Phillip.”

  Everyone claps and that gives me a minute to pull myself together. A bunch of other people are dabbing their eyes too. “Thanks, Mrs. O’Brien,” I say. I look at Charlie across the room. He’s got a puzzled look on his face. I bet he’s regretting his decision to post Grandpa’s job.

  Finally, when all the letters have been read, Grandpa stands up. He blows his nose into his hankie and stuffs it in the pocket of his coveralls. “I can’t believe you all did this,” he says. “I never expected—well, I guess I didn’t realize how much a part of this place I really am.” He looks at me and blinks back tears. “That’s why saying what I have to say is so difficult.”

  There’s a hush in the room like everyone’s holding their breath at the exact same moment.

  “Charlie and I, well, we decided it was time—”

  “You can’t fire him!” I shout. All the emotion bottled up in me from listening to how much the residents love Grandpa comes gushing out at once. “You can’t! Didn’t you hear what everyone said?” I glare at Charlie.

  “Austin!” Grandpa says my name so sharply, I turn, startled. “No one’s firing me! I got a promotion!”

  A promotion?

  Grandpa shakes his head at me. “The owners of Brayside are building a new complex. Like Brayside, only bigger. They need a head custodian with experience. I’ve taken the job.”

  There’s a long, awkward pause. A few of the residents clap for Grandpa and others want to know where the new building is, but everyone is smiling. They’re happy for him.

  I’m still standing at the front trying to make sense of what he said. “A promotion?”

  He nods.

  “So the job posting…?”

  “Was for me to hire my replacement. The pickings have been slim, to tell you the truth. I’m going to have to work at both places unless we get a good candidate. Or any candidate.”

  Louise and I look at each other across the room. Her eyes go wide and my cheeks turn red. “Uh, Grandpa.” While I explain, Louise puts on some music and Artie cuts the cake. Grandpa shakes his head at what happened when Isaac tried to apply, then starts chuckling, and finally is belly-laughing. The kind that you can’t not laugh with.

  “You did that all for me?” he says when he can breathe. “And then put together this party?”

  I shrug, still embarrassed. His face gets all thoughtful and he pulls me against him. He opens his mouth to say something, but no words come out. I can feel the tremor in his chest and I know that it’s not laughing that’s doing that.

  “I’d do anything for you, Grandpa,” I whisper. And even if my voice was too quiet, he heard me. Loud and clear.

  Chapter 47

  Harvey

  Harvey enjoys parties. He likes the activity and the smells, but mostly, he likes the crumbs that are dropped on the floor. He spends most of the time under the food table. Maggie’s mother calls him Hoover for good reason.

  As people drift away from the games room, Harvey follows Maggie when she goes to talk to Austin. “Do you need any more help cleaning up?” she asks. The recycling and garbage bins are piled with paper plates and cups.

  Austin shakes his head and bends down to give Harvey some attention. “Things didn’t turn out how I thought they would,” he says with a laugh. “I got the surprise, not Grandpa!”

  “I can’t believe he’s really leaving,” Maggie says.

  “Yeah, me neither.”

  When the head scratch is over, Harvey wanders away. There are so many smells. Seeking something familiar, he detects a musky scent: spicy and exotic. He follows his nose to its source.

  “Hello, Harvey,” Mrs. Fradette says. She’s sitting on a chair with a napkin on her lap. She empties the crumbs on the floor for Harvey. This is enough of a reason for Harvey to stick close to her. “You’re a good boy, aren’t you? And you have your Maggie. You’re so lucky.”

  Harvey doesn’t understand the words Mrs. Fradette whis
pers, but he gives her another lick of approval because he realizes it is her smell Maggie comes home with.

  “There you are!” Maggie says to Harvey. Then she looks at Mrs. Fradette. “My dad texted that he’s running late.”

  Mrs. Fradette perks up. “We could finish our chat.” Maggie’s feet are light as she and Mrs. Fradette head back to the suite. They settle into the same spots as they had before, with Harvey lying at Maggie’s feet.

  “You didn’t really give up on being a mechanic, did you?” Maggie wants to know.

  Mrs. Fradette sighs. “Well, I had my return ticket for the Monday train back to Winnipeg. But it wasn’t just the garage I was saying goodbye to.”

  “Peggy!” Maggie says.

  Mrs. Fradette nods. “My little fawn had grown! Ronny couldn’t believe she was as tame as she was. She came to my call and ate out of my hand. I think she’d have slept in my bed if I’d let her. Pépère had promised he’d let her stay in the yard and keep an eye on her, which put my mind at ease.

  “The problem that was weighing on me was the garage and how to tell my dad I wanted to stay. The night before we were supposed to go, I lay in bed with my suitcase packed and my stomach in knots. I knew that if I got on that train without saying anything, I’d regret it.”

  Harvey feels Maggie tense. “What did you do?”

  Mrs. Fradette sighs. “Nothing.”

  “Nothing?”

  “I chickened out. I couldn’t go through with it. The morning of our departure, Aunt Cecile, Uncle Joe, and their boys came to the house to see us off. Dad called for me to get in the car. My heart was heavy as he loaded our suitcases into the trunk and Yvonne climbed into my lap. Everything in me was crying to stay. Pépère got into the driver’s seat of the Plymouth and put the key in the ignition. When he turned the key, the engine turned over, but the car didn’t start.

  “Dad checked his watch. There was only one train back to Winnipeg and it left promptly at ten in the morning every Monday. ‘Hmm,’ Pépère said. ‘Strange.’ It was strange because Pépère kept his car in pristine condition. It ran like a dream.

  “‘What do you think it is?’ Dad asked.

  “‘Don’t know,’ Pépère said. He got out of the car and popped the hood so he could have a look. The rest of the family was still on the front porch watching all this. Michel and Yvonne were already wiggling around on Ronny’s and my laps.

  “We could hear Pépère and Dad talking. I kept waiting for Pépère to slam down the hood and the two of them to get back in the car. All of a sudden, I heard my name. Ronny and Mom looked at me. ‘Dad’s calling for you,’ Ronny said.

  “I slid Yvonne off my lap and opened the car door. Dad was seething beside Pépère. ‘Your grandfather won’t fix the car,’ he said. I stood there, my eyes as big as saucers. ‘He says you have to fix it.’

  “I was too scared to move a muscle. What if I couldn’t fix it? I looked at Pépère, but his face was stern as stone. Dad huffed and crossed his arms. By now, everyone on the porch had come to see what the holdup was and I had an audience, which didn’t help.

  “I took a few steps closer to the engine and did a quick survey. Things looked to be in order. All the connections were correct. Fluid levels good. I remembered the sound the engine had made. I’d heard that noise before and racked my brain to recall whose car it was and what the solution had been.

  “That’s when it came to me. The car had been a 1938 Dodge. ‘I need tools,’ I said.

  “‘Well, what are you waiting for?’ Dad said, glancing at his watch. ‘The train will be here soon!’

  “Mom had insisted we wear traveling clothes and I felt ridiculous racing across the yard to the garage in my shiny church shoes and dress. She was going to have my hide if I got it dirty, so I grabbed a smock from a hook as well as the tools.

  “I steeled myself as I began the repair and hoped I was right about what I thought needed to be fixed. We didn’t have time to waste on a mistake. Behind me, I heard Dad snort with disbelief. After weeks of Pépère’s teaching, I knew my way around an engine better than he did.

  “‘Start her up,’ I said to Pépère.

  “He got back into the car and I held my breath. The engine rumbled to life. There was clapping and wide-eyed surprise from my father. ‘Hot dog!’ yelled Ronny. He ran up to congratulate me. ‘Pépère knew you’d be able to fix it,’ he whispered in my ear. I let the hood of the car slam into place. Behind the steering wheel, Pépère winked at me.”

  “They’d planned it!” Maggie says.

  “Yep! By the time we got to the station, I’d made my case to Dad. He’d stayed silent for the whole car ride. He was a careful man and fiercely protective of us. I didn’t know it at the time, but it wasn’t letting me work at the garage that was the hard part for him, it was leaving me behind.

  “‘She’s got a knack for it. She’s been a big help these last few weeks and she’s a quick learner,’ Pépère said as we pulled up to the train station.

  “Dad still didn’t say anything as we all piled out of the Plymouth and hauled our suitcases out of the trunk. The train pulled into the station and I knew we didn’t have much time. If I was going to be allowed to stay, he needed to tell me before I boarded the train.

  “My stomach was twisted up something awful. It felt like the course of my life depended on his answer.”

  Mrs. Fradette pauses. Maggie’s hands are in tight fists as she waits for Mrs. Fradette to finish.

  “‘Your mom might need your help with the little ones so she can get the house in order,’ Dad said.

  “‘Aunt Winnie will be a better help than I am,’ I shot back. “‘You’ve got an answer for everything, don’t you?’

  “Every part of me was begging please, but pushing it any further was going to get me in trouble. Finally, Dad looked at Pépère. ‘She’s really got a knack for fixing cars?’ he asked.

  “‘Better than any boy I’ve worked with.’ I was glad Alphonse wasn’t around to hear that! I glowed at his words though.

  “Dad took off his hat and ran a hand over his slicked-back hair. I took a breath. ‘If your grandparents agree, you can stay on for the summer.’

  “‘I can stay?’ I shouted. ‘I can stay! Yahoo!’ I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him, then did the same to Pépère.

  “‘Who ever heard of a girl so happy to be rid of her family?’ Mom asked. She was smiling, but with tears in her eyes.

  “‘I will miss you,’ I said. But I knew that garage was where I wanted to be.”

  “They really let you stay?” Maggie says.

  Mrs. Fradette leans across to pat Maggie’s hand. “They sure did. That was the beginning of everything for me. All thanks to the flood.”

  Harvey can’t read Maggie’s mind, but if he could, he would know that Maggie is in awe of Mrs. Fradette. As one of the few female mechanics of her time, Mrs. Fradette was a trailblazer.

  Maggie is also thinking what an excellent essay this will make.

  Chapter 48

  Maggie

  By the time Maggie returns home, her excitement about the essay has fizzled. She made the mistake of checking her phone when her dad picked her up. Just like with the movie theater photo, Lexi has struck a blow meant to leave a mark. The picture is of her and Brianne with wide, openmouthed grins, at Tubby’s. The hashtags read #BFF #TwoIsBetterThanThree.

  When she steps inside the house, things get worse.

  “I bumped into Lexi’s mom,” Maggie’s mom says as she heats up her dinner. “She was buying snacks for their sleepover this weekend. She was surprised I didn’t know about it.”

  Maggie’s face falls. “I wasn’t invited.”

  Her mom winces. “Did you have a fight?”

  “I—I don’t think so.” But as the realization sinks in, Maggie’s chin trembles. Two is better than three. “I
don’t know.” What used to be clear to her has grown murky; her friendship, but also what she wants. She was used to going along with things, following Lexi’s lead, but now...

  “Maybe they texted while you were at Brayside and you missed it?” her mom suggests.

  Maggie shakes her head. She knows there’s not going to be a text. Maggie trudges upstairs to her room. She’s too wrapped up in thinking about the sleepover she hasn’t been invited to, that she doesn’t know whether she even wants to be invited to, to hear the jingle of Harvey’s tag as he follows her. When she gets to her room, she slips in and closes the door. Harvey is left in the hallway, staring at the door. Alone.

  Chapter 49

  Harvey

  Inside Maggie’s room, Harvey can hear whimpers, sometimes a sob. He paws at the door. He wants to be inside with his Maggie, licking her tears away and burrowing his head so they are nestled side by side.

  “Harvey,” Maggie’s mom calls. “Do you need to go out?”

  Not even a full bladder will pull Harvey away from Maggie’s door. He sits, resolute, inches away from it. “The last thing I need is you having an accident,” Maggie’s mom mutters as she comes up the stairs and sees Harvey. She sweetens the deal by offering a treat. Harvey’s ears rotate at the word. Treat. He leaves his post and flies down the stairs. Maggie’s mom holds the treat out to him and then tosses it out the sliding doors. He races to retrieve it but is barely over the threshold when he freezes. Ears pricked, tail poker straight. Every hair bristles on his back. Harvey’s nose quivers. The elusive scent! There is a rustle by the fence and Harvey glimpses a flash of tail disappearing under the shed. Finally, he will be able to meet whoever has been coming into his yard.

  Harvey leaps across the deck and down the wooden stairs. He flies over shrubs and grass and comes to a stop in front of the shed and starts barking. Unlike the squirrels that make hasty exits as soon as he gets close, this creature stays put.