Pink Flamingoed (31 page)

“Thanks. Oh, by the way, I’m calling a workman
tomorrow to come and build a ramp, so that Allison can maneuver around my house
just like she does all of the others.”

“Allison will appreciate that, Minerva. Thanks for
calling. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye, Cora, and thanks again.”

“No, thank you, Minerva. You’ll be the one doing all
of the work.”

Minerva Peabody hung up the phone, then picked it up
to dial a second number.

“Armbruster residence.”

“Hello, Jill. This is Minerva. May I speak to your mom
or dad, please.”

“Dad’s in his study. Just a second. I’ll get him.”

“Hey, Dad! Minerva Peabody’s on the phone!”

“Hello, Minerva. Good to hear from you. And what can I
do for you today?”

“Well, Scott, it’s more what I can do for you. With Nancy spending most of her time taking care of the baby, I was wondering what you plan to
do this Thursday for Thanksgiving dinner.”

“I was just thinking the same thing, Minerva. I
imagine I’ll go to the grocery tomorrow and get stuff for dinner.”

“Why don’t you skip the store and plan on coming over
to my place.  After  all,  your  weekly  visits  have  meant so much to me,
and  I’ve  gotten to be good friends with your kids. Why don’t you come and
spend Thanksgiving with me. It would mean a lot to me.”

“Minerva, I don’t think you realize how big of a job
that would be.”

“Maybe not, but I just called Cora and volunteered to
host the get-together after the Christmas caroling this year. I might as well
see what I’ve gotten myself into.”

“Let me check with Nancy and I’ll call you back in a
few minutes. Okay?”

“You do that. Just tell her I said that she said
‘yes.’”

“I’ll do that, Minerva. I’ll talk to you in a few
minutes.”

+++

When the second shipment of
The After Dinner Murder
arrived at The Printed Page, Mrs. Fernwick called Brad and asked him if he
would be willing to drop by and sign some copies for her. As soon as
Thanksgiving was over, The Printed Page’s Christmas shoppers descended upon the
shop. Mrs. Fernwick was quick to tell them about having some autographed copies
of a local author’s latest book, and her word-of-mouth advertising made a significant
dent in the second shipment of
The After Dinner Murder.

Brad was excited when he heard that nationwide sales
for the first two weeks exceeded the first two weeks’ sales of any book he had
written. He wondered if a man writes better when he is in love. He was sure
that he must.

+++

Business boomed for Amy, too. Thanks to Brad, Amy
picked up several new customers as a result of displaying her work at The
Printed Page. Mrs. Fernwick had called Amy to see about handling her work on a
regular basis. The agreement proved to be profitable for both parties. People
were getting in a Christmas shopping mood. Amy was beginning to receive many
orders at her website, and more stores were calling and placing orders.

+++

Chuck picked up his telephone.

“Hello.”

“I’d like to speak to the teacher.”

“Uh-oh. What do you want, Alley Cat?”

“I was calling to let you know what I want you to get
me for Christmas.”

“Oh, you are, are you? And what does little Allison
want for Christmas?”

“A chair.”

“What kind of chair?”

“A new wheelchair. I read about one today. Not only
does it climb stairs, but it goes up hills, and it can even let people stand up
in it.”

“I see. And how much will this chair set me back?”

“Oh, you can get it for less than $30,000.”

“I’ll run right out and get one right away. That way
we can start training to climb Mt. Everest.”

“And to think that one time I was only able to
navigate around orange cones.”

“You mean before you tried to show off for the
neighbors.”

“What can I say? I’m the Picabo of my street.”

“I think you’ve been hanging around some of those
neighbors too much.”

+++

Melanie had been a real estate agent long enough to
know the emotional ups-and-downs of the business, but she did not expect to
face two downs in the same day. The Tuesday after Thanksgiving Melanie received
a phone call. The family who expected to buy the Orthmyer house was backing
out. When the man told his employer he was leaving and moving away, the company
counteroffered with a sizable increase in salary. Since three of the couple’s
six children were having difficulty leaving their friends, the couple talked
and agreed to take the company’s offer.

The same day Melanie received a phone call from Brett.
Brett’s mother had called him the night before. Brett’s father’s health was declining
and Brett’s mother called to beg him to come back to Texas to take over the
family business. After mulling it over overnight, Brett felt his commitment to
his family precluded any commitments he had to Hopemont, and that included any
commitment to Melanie. Just before calling Melanie, Brett called his mother and
told her he would be home within a week.

Neither Brett nor Melanie had mentioned marriage, but
they were dating on a regular basis and neither was seeing anyone else. Brett
called Melanie and told her what he planned to do. Melanie stood holding the
phone, unable to say a word. After a few seconds, Brett broke the silence. He
told Melanie that he would like to continue their relationship. If she liked,
he could find her a job with a real estate firm in the Dallas area. He would
recommend a neighborhood in which she could purchase a house, and they could
continue to date. Brett was not proposing marriage, but he did say that if
their love for each other continued to grow, there could be wedding bells in
their future. He did not ask for an answer from her right away. He asked her to
think it over during the holidays, and if she made a decision by then, she
could let him know. He would not push her, but he wanted her to know she was
special to him. Melanie hung up the phone and called Cora.

Most people take time to reflect on New Year’s Eve or
New Year’s Day. Some people think that a new year does not begin until spring
has sprung and cold bones have thawed out. But on Aylesford Place, people think
of December 1 as the beginning of a New Year. Pastor Scott says it is because
Christ’s birth signifies the beginning, and December 1 signifies the beginning
of the anticipation of the Christmas season. Others say anticipation begins on
the day after Thanksgiving, but only those who have shopping on their minds
think such thoughts. Regardless of how the world thinks, residents of Aylesford Place set aside November 30 of each year and call it Reflection Day. Reflection
Day is the time everyone is to think of all that has transpired in the lives of
those who live on Aylesford Place since the last Reflection Day.

+++

Cora sat in the den reflecting on all that had
happened over the past year. Because another night of Christmas caroling was
upon them, Cora smiled as she thought of Brad, her conversation with him almost
a year before, and what he meant to Amy. While Cora was not as close to Allison
and Chuck as she was to Brad and Amy, she did not think of them as quickly, but
she did thank God for Allison and the man He had brought into her life. Cora
praised God for the baby He brought into the parsonage, and for the old woman
he had brought out of hiding. And because Cora took nothing for granted, she
thanked God for another year with Frank.

+++

Harry smiled at his new tape collection and the
computer he received last Christmas. For years, Harry’s life meant working with
taxes and figures and very little of relationships with others, other than his
wife and daughter. He was beginning to change, although, like most people,
change was difficult for him. While Harry enjoyed his new toys immensely, for
the first time, he was thankful for his neighbors.

+++

Allison was never bitter about her accident, except
when she wondered if it would keep her from a relationship with a man. She now
knew that it would not. Allison sat in her wheelchair and reflected on what the
last year had meant to her. First and foremost, it meant a relationship with a
man who looked up to her, not down on her with a pitiful look. But the year
meant more than that. It meant another successful year in business, a business
she could run from her home. It meant getting to know her neighbors better,
sharing in Amy’s joys, sharing her own joys with Amy.

+++

Lady Catherine sat quietly while Norman slept. Norman still worked nights at a nearby motel. But no longer did Lady Catherine cringe each
time one of her neighbors mentioned Norman’s name. While Norman was still Norman, and like herself much different than the other neighbors, Norman was now a part of
the neighborhood, and now joined her for many of the neighborhood functions,
and sat next to her in church most Sundays. While Lady Catherine still lived
much of her life in the past, a past she remembered as better than it was, she
now enjoyed her life in the present.

+++

Ethel could begin to see a difference in her husband,
but she could see even more of one in her daughter. Rachel still lived a
distance from them. She still had a job that occupied a great deal of her time.
But she took time to e-mail and talk on the phone with her parents, and Ethel
could see that she and Harry were becoming a more important part of their
daughter’s life. Both Ethel’s and Harry’s parents and grandparents had lived
long lives, but that did not mean that she and Harry were promised the same.
Her days could be many. They could be few. But she cherished each one of them,
and the time she got to spend with those she loved, even if it was only by
phone.

+++

Amy did her best thinking in bed, and she lay in bed
thinking of what the year had meant to her. She thought back to a year before,
and the first time she saw the tall, handsome man next door. She thought of how
comfortable each of them had been with the other, even from the beginning. How
quickly she had fallen in love. She thought of the many times she and Brad had
spent together, both those that included a horse and carriage, and those that
constituted a quiet dinner at home. She thought of the joy she felt when she
shared about Brad with her friend Allison, and Cora, her mother away from home.

Thoughts of Cora reminded Amy of how privileged she
was to have a family back home, and a surrogate mother right next door. Amy
also was thankful for a thriving business, doing what she wanted to do. How
many people are able to do the work they want? And how many are willing to try
it? God had given her the gift and the belief that she could make it happen.
Amy’s thoughts concluded where they began. She felt she knew Brad well enough
to know that he was doing the same thing she was, only he had gotten out of bed
to do so.

+++

Brad sat in his living room starring at the picture
Amy had given him just after they met. The beautiful fall scene reminded him of
the woman he loved, and the scripture verse inscribed on it reminded him of the
God who made it all possible. What were the odds of such a wonderful and
beautiful woman buying a house next door to the one his grandparents would one
day give him? Brad was not sure how much longer he could stand Amy being as far
away as next door. It was hard for him to think of anyone except Amy, but Amy
was not the only one on Aylesford Place who meant something to him. Life on Aylesford Place included a church much like the one he left behind. Maybe this one was even
better. Aylesford Place meant all these new neighbors who quickly turned into
new friends, and new readers. While many might disagree, Brad always thought
that a happy writer made a good writer, and Brad knew he was happier than he
had ever been.

+++

Nancy
expected Scott
to rise early on Reflection Day, and she knew that he would spend a great deal
of his day in his study undisturbed. There was no use in taking him any food.
He would come out when he wanted something. And Nancy knew not to interrupt him
with phone calls unless there was an emergency.

Scott  sat  in  his  study,  the  first  minutes of
daylight brought shadows  into the room. He could not remember God blessing him
this much in any previous year. Scott began with Nancy and he thanked God for her
as she brought another new life into the world. Scott praised God for all the
joy his wife had meant to him. He thought of his children, one more this year
than last. He wondered what his newest daughter would be like. Would she be
reflective like Jill? Would she be curious and outgoing like Mallory? Surely,
there was no way she would be “like snakes and snails and puppy dog tails” like
her brother. Scott could have praised God all morning for his family, and he
almost did, but it was time to move on.

The past year brought Scott a new friend out of her
darkness. While he had spent a few hours each week with Minerva Peabody, he was
elated that she had finally left her cocoon to venture out into the
neighborhood and become a part of the church. Minerva had so much to offer
others, and others had so much to offer her. Scott was glad the two sides were
getting together.

Not only was Scott thankful that Minerva became a part
of the neighborhood and a part of the church, but he was thankful for other
people new to the church, too. Not quite in the way Amy did, but Scott took an
immediate liking to Brad. Not only was Brad good for Amy, he was good for the
neighborhood, and good for the church. While Chuck was not a resident of the
neighborhood, Scott enjoyed getting to know him. Scott knew that Chuck was
genuine. He saw how Chuck looked at Allison. Chuck did not feel sorry for her.
He loved her. And Scott fully believed that Chuck felt something special for
those elementary students he taught each day. Many men might feel that teaching
in an elementary school would be beneath them. Chuck did not. Chuck liked
reaching children at a early age. Scott thought of Brett, too, and was sorry he
would be losing him so soon after getting to know him. Scott would still continue
to pray for Brett.

On such a short street as Aylesford Place, Scott was
astounded at all the new men the church had added this past year. Ever since
Scott had moved to Aylesford Place and began to pastor the church, he wondered
how he could find out if there really was a Norman, and if there was, how he
could reach out to him. Scott had tried, but Lady Catherine had always been
defensive. She knew Norman needed to take the first step, and Scott was glad he
was patient enough to let Norman do so, even if it did take a while.

Scott smiled when he thought of Barney and Bertha and
how soon they would be getting married, and of couples who were already
married. He knew Jim and Kathy less than the other two couples, but hoped to
get to know them better. Scott thought of how much Frank and Cora meant to the
church. Either was always ready to do what was needed at a moment’s notice.
Every pastor needs someone like them. And Harry was still a piece of work, but
a lovable piece of work.

Scott finished thinking about the year that was almost
gone and began to think about the year ahead. He had already been asked to
pronounce the vows for Barney and Bertha, but would there be other ceremonies
to perform? Would part of his work consist of pre-marital counseling? Would the
coming year offer Harry and Ethel more time to visit with Rachel? What would
Melanie decide to do? Would Doc finally retire? Would Jim find a way to spend
more time at home? In what ways would the people who meant so much to him
affect the life of the church? And what crazy idea would Cora come up with for
next year’s fund raiser?

Scott did not know the answers to any of these
questions. He also knew there were questions he did not yet comprehend. He knew
that he was excited about the next year on Aylesford Place, and that God was
still in charge. And for Scott, that was enough.