Laura said nothing about my being over an hour late and when I started to apologize she shushed me saying it didn’t matter.
We spent the afternoon shopping because that was what Laura wanted to do. In addition to the two laundry appliances we needed furniture for the new room.
While at the furniture store Laura found a small desk that suited her. The salesman had been watching us, curiously. He catered to the wishes of Laura, giving her his full attention while ignoring me. I didn’t blame him. She was so cute in tight cut offs and T-shirt that accented every curvature of her body. Her hair was bundled in a ponytail, well off of her ears adorned with tiny diamonds.
“How do you like it Honey?” She came close and squeezed my right hand. I could tell she was up to something. I played along.
“Its kind of small for you,” I objected, getting the salesman’s attention. For the first time he took his eyes off of Laura to glare at me.
“Do you really think so sweetie? I know what you’re thinking. Shall we try it?”
Smiling, I squeezed her hand to show my amusement.
Laura turned to the salesman. “Do you mind if we try it? My husband doesn’t think it’s large enough for me to fit underneath.”
The red faced salesman directed us to a slightly larger model which we settled on. Laura squeezed my hand as the salesman pointed out the solid wood and the workmanship, looking to me for approval.
“I’m surprised you didn’t offer to see if you could fit underneath,” I told Laura when we left the store.
“He got the point. The ring comes in handy once in a while,” she said, flashing the gold band I have given her. “That’s what I should have gotten you for your birthday,” she said more to herself than to me, divulging that she had gotten me a present.
“What shall we do now?” It was 4:30 P.M. and I was famished. We were sitting in the car in front of the furniture store after arranging for folding tables and chairs to be delivered the day before Thanksgiving.
“We’ve done the important things. What would you like to do? It’s your day too,” Laura offered.
“We could get something to eat,” I suggested timidly, not wanting to admit I had not eaten anything since breakfast.
“Or we could look for a car for me,” Laura said, ignoring the hint that I was starving. “It’s plain to see. I’m going to need one.”
“What kind of car would you like?” It was the first thing I thought of to say. We had not discussed it but of course she would need a car for her job. I had made arrangements for her to have a car. That was what I had been doing all morning. That was the reason I was late getting home. But parked in front of the furniture rental store was not the place to tell her. It was not the right time to talk about Ollie and what Ruby Mae and I had put him through.
“It doesn’t need to be new or fancy. Something like this one would serve me well.” She patted the dashboard of my car and placed one hand on the back of my head, feeling how long my hair had gotten.
Would a Corvette be too fancy? That’s what I should have said. “Let’s take a look.”
“We don’t have to make a hasty decision. We can drive by a place or two on the way home. We don’t have to stop today. I want to go home and cut your hair. You can open your birthday presents while I cook.”
I grimaced at the thought of her cooking. She pulled my hair.
“We should check the newspaper ads to study current prices,” I said when Laura pointed out a Chevrolet that looked clean and well kept.
“You’re right,” she agreed, running her hand through my hair again.
“You can use this one all day on Saturday. I’ll borrow one of the guy’s cars if I need to go anywhere,” I offered. This seemed to suit her. It suited me too. I would surprise her with the Corvette, her Corvette, and there would be no need to shop for a car. We dropped the subject and headed home.
I knew something was up when Sylvia practically followed us in the back door. She was carrying a round container which I recognized to be a cake box.
“I’ll bet he’s glad to see you,” Laura said to Sylvia. “You should have seen his expression when I volunteered to cook.”
The two women exchanged a glance while I stood tongue tied. Anything I said would be wrong. It was better to remain statue-like and not comment. Laura took pity on me.
“Honey, you check the telephone messages while I set up to cut your hair. You can open your gifts and Sylvia will make us something to eat.”
The first message was from Robert Parker, asking that I return his call. He gave his home phone number, making me think it was important. The second was Huley.
“FUCKING BASTARD!”
I pressed the stop button to silence the speaker but it was too late. Laura was at the door, shock and fear in her eyes. I went to her without listening to the rest of Huley’s message. It didn’t matter what she had to say. Nothing mattered except Laura.
“Come here,” I urged her to join me inside the bedroom. I held her, kicking the door closed.
“What have you done?” She pulled away from me, searching my eyes for a sign that it was not as bad as she perceived.
I reached out and pulled her to the bed, wanting to hold her while I answered her question. But she bounced up in an instant and moved to the center of the room and away from my clutches.
“Huley is Ollie’s daughter, you know that,” I began.
Laura listened as I told her how Ruby Mae and I had humiliated Ollie Pettersen and gotten him to sign the four documents. The fact that Harold Waite had formulated the plan and condoned Ruby Mae’s participation did not seem to impress or annoy Laura. She listened complacently, showing no emotion.
When she had heard enough Laura suggested we go back to the kitchen before Sylvia felt abandoned. I followed her, leaving the balance of Huley’s message unheard and without returning Robert Parker’s call.
It was soon apparent that the small birthday celebration had been concocted by Laura and Sylvia. We abandoned the plan to cut my hair. I unwrapped the presents from home before we ate. There were shirts and sweaters with a chess set and a calculator thrown in for good measure. Laura suggested that I call to thank my family for the presents and I agreed, saying that I would make the call on Saturday or Sunday.