scratching his neck. “Do you think so, puss?” She put the tools on the ground and picked Thomas up, cuddling him next to her cheek, but he squirmed and leapt down.
Unaccountably, tears sprang to Nora’s eyes. She stood there for a moment, uncertain what to do next, then returned the tools to the barn and ripped the few remaining weeds away from her lettuce rows.
***
She’s halfway to New York now, Nora thought later, beating eggs for supper. She’d made a roast for Sunday noon dinner, putting it in the oven before church and asking Patty, who as usual had sat with her parents while she was out, to make sure that it didn’t burn and that the oven temperature stayed constant. Halfway to New York.
What’s Liz Hardy’s life like, Nora wondered, grating cheese into the eggs. Parties, cocktails, the theater, movies? Or does she go home every night to an empty house? No, an apartment, it would be, in New York City. Wouldn’t it? Maybe she lives with a man, her boyfriend. She doesn’t seem to be married. Or maybe she lives with women, with roommates. Career girls, isn’t that the term? Does she have a job? But she said she’d be here for the summer. Maybe she’s rich and doesn’t need to work. A socialite. Or maybe she’s a teacher.
Yes, that could be it; that way she’d have the summer off to come here…
“Nora!”
Nora put down the grater. “Yes, Father? What is it?”
“I have to piss.”
“I’ll be right there.”
“Hurry up, will you?”
Nora wiped her hands on her apron, a different, smaller one from the one she’d worn for gardening, then went into Ralph’s room and gave him the urinal, although they both knew he was perfectly capable of getting it himself from its spot hanging off the headboard of his bed.
After a minute he handed it back to her, not very full, from under the covers. “Empty it,” he ordered unnecessarily.
Swallowing the impulse to say “Empty it, please,” as one would to a rude child, she took the urinal to the outhouse.
“That woman was here again,” Ralph said when she returned. “Wasn’t she?”
“What woman?” Nora asked, although of course she knew. “Mrs. Brice was here taking me to church and bringing me back, as usual. And Patty Monahan was here as usual, too, taking care of you and Mama and the roast while I was gone.”
“I don’t mean them. It’s cold in here. Close the window.”
Nora closed the window.
“I mean that stranger woman. The one with the car trouble. What did she want?”
“She was returning the tools she borrowed.”
Ralph grunted. “She shouldn’t have taken them in the first place!”
“I told you I let her take them. We don’t need them.”
“You’re naive, Nora. She probably didn’t have a flat tire. She was probably casing the joint. Took the tools on purpose so she could come back.”
“ What?”
“ You heard me. That’s how thieves operate. She could have a boyfriend who’s planning to rob us, once she’s told him where the doors are and had a good look at the locks.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
Ralph struggled to a sitting position. “You’ll laugh out of the other side of your face if they steal us blind! I see those papers you get on Sundays. I know about the crime rate. Don’t you let that woman in if she comes back. Don’t talk to anyone who comes. Just come inside if you’re outdoors. Do you hear me?”
“I hear you,” Nora answered, leaving, “but I don’t believe you,” she added under her breath when she was back in the kitchen.
“Nora!” That was Corinne, her thin voice snaking across the room.
Nora sighed. “Yes, Mama, coming.” She poked her head in her mother’s doorway. “What is it?”
Corinne seemed startled. “Why, I’ve forgotten, dearie. Maybe…” She frowned, looking dangerously close to tears. “Oh, what’s wrong with me? Why can’t I remember?”
Nora went all the way into the room and put her arms around her. “Maybe you just wanted to say
Unaccountably, tears sprang to Nora’s eyes. She stood there for a moment, uncertain what to do next, then returned the tools to the barn and ripped the few remaining weeds away from her lettuce rows.
***
She’s halfway to New York now, Nora thought later, beating eggs for supper. She’d made a roast for Sunday noon dinner, putting it in the oven before church and asking Patty, who as usual had sat with her parents while she was out, to make sure that it didn’t burn and that the oven temperature stayed constant. Halfway to New York.
What’s Liz Hardy’s life like, Nora wondered, grating cheese into the eggs. Parties, cocktails, the theater, movies? Or does she go home every night to an empty house? No, an apartment, it would be, in New York City. Wouldn’t it? Maybe she lives with a man, her boyfriend. She doesn’t seem to be married. Or maybe she lives with women, with roommates. Career girls, isn’t that the term? Does she have a job? But she said she’d be here for the summer. Maybe she’s rich and doesn’t need to work. A socialite. Or maybe she’s a teacher.
Yes, that could be it; that way she’d have the summer off to come here…
“Nora!”
Nora put down the grater. “Yes, Father? What is it?”
“I have to piss.”
“I’ll be right there.”
“Hurry up, will you?”
Nora wiped her hands on her apron, a different, smaller one from the one she’d worn for gardening, then went into Ralph’s room and gave him the urinal, although they both knew he was perfectly capable of getting it himself from its spot hanging off the headboard of his bed.
After a minute he handed it back to her, not very full, from under the covers. “Empty it,” he ordered unnecessarily.
Swallowing the impulse to say “Empty it, please,” as one would to a rude child, she took the urinal to the outhouse.
“That woman was here again,” Ralph said when she returned. “Wasn’t she?”
“What woman?” Nora asked, although of course she knew. “Mrs. Brice was here taking me to church and bringing me back, as usual. And Patty Monahan was here as usual, too, taking care of you and Mama and the roast while I was gone.”
“I don’t mean them. It’s cold in here. Close the window.”
Nora closed the window.
“I mean that stranger woman. The one with the car trouble. What did she want?”
“She was returning the tools she borrowed.”
Ralph grunted. “She shouldn’t have taken them in the first place!”
“I told you I let her take them. We don’t need them.”
“You’re naive, Nora. She probably didn’t have a flat tire. She was probably casing the joint. Took the tools on purpose so she could come back.”
“ What?”
“ You heard me. That’s how thieves operate. She could have a boyfriend who’s planning to rob us, once she’s told him where the doors are and had a good look at the locks.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
Ralph struggled to a sitting position. “You’ll laugh out of the other side of your face if they steal us blind! I see those papers you get on Sundays. I know about the crime rate. Don’t you let that woman in if she comes back. Don’t talk to anyone who comes. Just come inside if you’re outdoors. Do you hear me?”
“I hear you,” Nora answered, leaving, “but I don’t believe you,” she added under her breath when she was back in the kitchen.
“Nora!” That was Corinne, her thin voice snaking across the room.
Nora sighed. “Yes, Mama, coming.” She poked her head in her mother’s doorway. “What is it?”
Corinne seemed startled. “Why, I’ve forgotten, dearie. Maybe…” She frowned, looking dangerously close to tears. “Oh, what’s wrong with me? Why can’t I remember?”
Nora went all the way into the room and put her arms around her. “Maybe you just wanted to say
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