LITMIR.BIZ

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how she was going to get up out of the depths of the deep, comfortable couch. She’d worry about that later. “I suppose I could have called you when I got home, but for some reason I didn’t want to be alone. I thought since I’m clumsy by nature, I might fall or something. So I decided to come here. You’re stuck with me until Angie can pick me up, which won’t be till later this evening. Or, I can take a taxi.”

      “Nonsense. I’m grateful for the company. I was just sitting here thinking about how badly I’ve fouled things up. Josh still won’t take my calls, and I was asleep when he got home last night. I’ve been calling him since eight this morning. My son can be very unforgiving. Is your daughter like that?”

      “At times. When I was standing in your kitchen I was thinking about how angry she got when I had to cook dinner for your family. Then I would rush home and cook dinner for my own family, and it was always late. Then I had to rush back and clean up because your wife wouldn’t do it. That meant Angie had to clear up my own kitchen. It’s one of the reasons why she doesn’t like you. She thought you took advantage of me.”

      Angus looked dazed. “I didn’t know that, Eva. What I mean is I didn’t know you went home to cook for your family, and then came back here. You should have said something. I would have cleared the dishes myself. There’s no point now in me trying to make apologies to you for my wife. But I am sorry, Eva.”

      Eva stared at her old boss. “Angus, who did you think cooked my family’s dinner those days?”

      Angus threw his hands in the air. “I guess I never thought about it. You should have said something at the time. What do you want me to say?”

      Eva snapped her fingers in Angus’s direction. “Earth to Angus! Your wife told me if I complained to you, she would fire me. I needed the job. She was so demanding. I wanted to quit so many times, but my family needed the money I brought in.”

      “Eva, I am so very sorry. I didn’t know. If there was a strain between you two, then why would my wife insist I turn over the gift wrap department to you? It doesn’t make sense.”

      “She didn’t want me around in the afternoon when she…when she…entertained. It was to ensure I never said anything. Fill in the blanks, Angus, and I am never going to talk about this again. Are we clear on that?”

      “No, we are not clear on anything. When you imply something like that you need to…to explain exactly what you’re saying. We’re talking about my deceased wife here. Eva?”

      “How many ways are there to say your wife entertained in the afternoons while you were at the store and your son was out somewhere or away. She did not entertain women with tea parties. I only ever saw one man and that was quite by accident, so I cannot give you a name. That’s it, Angus. Now, leave it alone.”

      Angus rubbed at his jaw. By the stubborn set of Eva’s chin, he knew she had said the last word on the subject. “I didn’t know. Something like that never occurred to me.”

      Eva picked up her cane and waved it around. “I didn’t know, I didn’t know. That’s all you’ve been saying for several days now. What did you know, if anything?” she asked sourly. “Look at the mess you’re in, and now I’m in the same mess because my daughter is going to be out of a job, and I’ll be losing my share of the profits. ‘I didn’t know’ is not good enough, Angus.”

      Angus felt his shoulders start to shake. He choked up and turned to Eva. “It’s my only defense. I was so obsessed with the store, keeping it going, trying to stay ahead of all the upstarts coming into town. I didn’t want to fail my father. I see now where I was wrong. I’ll be honest with you, Eva. I don’t know what to do. ‘I’m sorry’ more or less falls into the same category as ‘I didn’t know.’ Can you help me?”

      Eva leaned her cane against the sofa. “Was that so hard, Angus? Asking for help? This is the same position your son finds himself in right now. With a slight difference. He had the good sense to ask you for help, but you stomped on him. He’s the one you have to talk to, not me. If you don’t, you’re going to lose him. Open your heart and your mind, and if he calls you an old fart again, suck it up. We’re supposed to be older and wiser, the ones our children come to in need. I think that little ditty just reversed itself.”

      Angus forced a laugh. Eva thought it the saddest sound she’d ever heard.

      “How’d you get so smart, Eva?”

      “By trying not to do the things you did. I had to think about my family. We weren’t well-off like you were. We struggled for everything. More than once Angie had to wait weeks when she needed new shoes. There were a lot of things she couldn’t have when she was younger because they cost too much money. My husband worked on an assembly line. We had a mortgage payment, car payments, appliance payments. Then we had to save for college. Until you leased me the gift wrap department, we barely made ends meet. I don’t want to talk about this anymore, Angus. I want your word that you are not going to interfere with the kids when they do whatever it is they’re going to do. Your word, Angus, or I’m leaving and will walk home, at which point I will collapse and my condition will be on your conscience.”

      “You drive a hard bargain, Eva. You have my word. I’m not going to like what they’re going to do, am I?”

      “Not one little bit!”

      “Can you give me a clue, a hint?”

      “Try this one on, they’re going to close the store and get rid of all that stuff that came over with the ark.”

      “The merchandise? That represents money. What…What are they going to do with it?”

      “My guess is there’s going to be one heck of a supersale followed by a bonfire somewhere real soon. Like I said, Angus, get over it.”

      “What the hell, okay. Want to stay for dinner? Dolores is still with me, so you know there’s something delicious waiting.”

      “I’d love to stay for dinner.”

      “Do we have a date, then?”

      “We do indeed have a date. Speaking of dates, Angie and Josh are going out for Chinese this evening. I rather imagine the two of them will be venting to one another about the two of us,” Eva said.

      “Imagine that!”

      “I think the two of them think you and I had an affair years ago,” Eva said, her face taking on a rosy hue.

      Eyes twinkling, Angus said, “Imagine that!”

      Eva laughed. “Yes, imagine that!”

      Chapter Four

      The Jade Pagoda was bustling when Josh held the door for Angie. They were shown to a table into the back section of the room that was separated from the other diners by strings of silver beads—beads that tinkled as the servers walked in and out. It was a pleasant sound, as was the fountain that trickled over lava rocks in the middle of the room. A smiling Buddha holding a fortune cookie sat atop the fountain, welcoming all guests.

      “I come here sometimes just to relax,” Josh said, waving his arm about. “Win Lee told me if you rub the Buddha’s belly he’ll bring you good luck. For some reason, that little fat guy never worked for me.”

      Angie smiled. “Maybe it’s because you aren’t Chinese.”

      “Do you think?”

      “No! I just said that to have something to say.”

      “Do you come here often?”

      “After my father died Mom and I used to come every Friday night. When she went to Florida to help my aunt I stopped coming, mainly because I don’t like to eat alone. When Mom finally came back we just never picked up where we left off. I agree with you, though, it is soothing and peaceful in here. People seem to whisper when they’re here. Then again, they might have some top-of-the-line acoustics.”

      Josh held a chair

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