CATCHING UP... a bit (Part 123e)

CATCHING UP... a bit (Part 123e)

The kids, Pat’s daughter included, had been quietly entertaining themselves while we were discussing the San Soucie catalogs. During the lull when Pat went into the bathroom to try on the panties they suddenly appeared wanting to know when they were going to eat. When Pat reappeared that was the subject being discussed and Pat was put upon by her daughter to go home. I didn’t know what to say or do. Still upset with Pat’s attitude, I wanted to know what she thought about the panties but I also knew it was not a subject to be brought up with the kids present... so I didn’t say or do anything. Without saying a word to Elle or I, or even giving a hint about the panties, Pat proceeded to gather up her coat and to shepherd her daughter to the door. The only words she spoke were to Elle and that was to say that she’d be ”in touch“.

I had to wait until supper was done and the dishes washed before I could express my thoughts about what had happened. Elle, not wanting to do or say anything to upset Pat because of the help she offered with the Brownie troop as well the potential to make money doing alterations for her, just shrugged it off. That made me even madder. The woman had walked off wearing a pair of panties that didn’t belong to her without mentioning anything about them. I went into the den to calm down and to watch some TV and realized I didn’t know where the catalogs were. I went back into the kitchen and asked Elle where they were and she didn’t know. The only place they could be was with Pat. Now I was really mad. I headed for the phone but Elle pretty much knew what I was going to do and pleaded with me not to make the call. She promised that she’d get it all sorted out the next day. I did start to dial Pat’s number but backed off before dialing the last digit.

As if all that wasn’t enough for one day, the phone rang just before 10pm. Expecting that it was bad news of some sort, since normal people didn’t make casual calls at that time of night, I was right... but it was a different type of bad news. It was Celia. A few days after her yard had been cleaned up she called Vic, the real estate agent, and told him she was ready for him to list the property for sale. Like all good agents, he wanted to see for himself and had come over that day. What he’d told her wasn’t what she wanted to hear. Yes, the grounds (and garage) had been addressed but the house itself wasn’t ready to be shown. She proceeded to tell me, almost word for word, what he’d told her and it was clear to me that she didn’t agree. She admitted that she’d been so mad after he left that she had decided to stay put and not move. However, as she calmed down she realized that that was not possible and had called to ask my advice. I wanted to ask her if she realized just what time it was.

I sat and listened to her for over a half hour. Elle gave up on me and went to bed by herself. Basically, Vic told her that it would be a waste of time to show the house as it was. The most important thing to address was the stale cigarette smoke smell. She told me that she didn’t think it was all that bad but I reminded her that she’d lived in that atmosphere for over twenty years and had grown used to it. Then she told me that Vic had suggested getting rid of the upholstered furniture, rugs and curtains since the smell was embedded into the material. Before she could editorialize on that I interrupted her to ask just what were her plans for the furniture since she had told me she was going to live with her sister. All I got was dead silence. I had to ask if she was still on the line at least twice. When she finally acknowledged me I told her to sleep on it and that I would call the next night after I’d had my supper.

I really wasn’t looking forward to going over there that next day but I’d said I would. It was dark out and as I pushed my way through the hedge I stopped and looked at the lights on in her house. In a weird sort of way I knew I’d miss the two of them. Celia was waiting at the kitchen door and appeared to be in much better control of her emotions than when I’d last talked with her. She opened with the news that her sister and nephew would be out the next day. She told me that, between the two of them, they would decide what furniture would be going with her when she made the move. To me, that was great news. Then she asked if I had any idea what to do with what they decided not to take. I knew... but didn’t have the heart to tell her the truth. I hemmed and hawed for a few minutes and then thought of the auctioneer that my father had used when my grandparents furniture was sold. That seemed to satisfy her. She still couldn’t accept what Vic had told her about first impressions when it came to showing houses. Without knowing just what Vic had told her I tried to reinforce the concept. There wasn’t much more to say but when I was about to leave she grabbed my arm and asked if I really could notice the stale smell of cigarettes. I smiled and nodded my head affirmatively. Then she let me out the door.

I took the initiative and contacted the auctioneer the next morning. He told me he had an auction scheduled for the weekend at his barn and was more than willing to stop by at Celia’s to see what was there. Excited, I called her right up. I thought she’d be excited too but I definitely didn’t get the response I’d hoped for. I gave her his name and told her that he’d be stopping by late that day. Because she didn’t seem all that receptive I called the auctioneer back to give him the background of the situation. As I hung up the phone I wondered if I hadn’t gone just a bit too far.

Even though I wanted to know if Celia and her sister had made any decisions and what the auctioneer had told her, I was determined not to call. I was spending way too much time on her problems and I wasn’t sure that she wasn’t using me as a crutch. In the last situation with Vic she’d asked me for advice and I gave it to her. The thing was after I gave it to her she wanted to argue with me. I came close to telling her that if she wanted to argue, do it with Vic, not me but I recognized that it had been a tough time for her and kept my mouth shut.

To be continued...