Chapter Ten

Cleo

After Lily finished her ice cream, she gave an exaggerated yawn and announced that it was past her bedtime. I assumed she’d say goodnight, disappear like she was so good at doing, and I’d get to spend some quality time with Jonas, all to myself. Though nervous, I was already dreaming about it.

Well…you know what they say about a person who assumes.

Lily rose to her feet and stood there, staring at me like she was waiting for something.

Oh! She wants to know what time to meet me in the morning, I thought, naïvely. “Same time; same place tomorrow?” I asked, giving her my best smile.

“Well?” she demanded, ignoring my question and asking one of her own. “You aren’t going to make an old woman walk home by herself now, are you?”

I blinked at her, not really understanding. After all, this was a woman who had been walking the streets of Savannah on her own for nearly half a century. “What?” I finally asked, keeping my smile in place, but it wasn’t without effort.

I wouldn’t have believed what happened next if I hadn’t actually seen it with my own eyes, but she actually pouted. “Aren’t you going to walk me home?” Her low voice was almost a whimper.

My mind scrambled in a million different directions for a response. I felt my mouth drop open, and then snap shut when I realized what she was doing. I narrowed my eyes and glared at her, furious. She was trying to keep me away from Jonas! Why? Who could know that, but maybe in some warped way, she thought she was protecting me. But protecting me from what? It wasn’t like he was some perverted psycho out to do me harm. I know I’d just met him, but the circumstances that we’d already gone through together had sort of cemented the friendship…quickly. How could I make her see that I didn’t want to be protected from him?

I turned to Jonas. “Um…I guess I’ve got to go. Let me give you my cell number.” I picked up a napkin and printed my number carefully, in big, bold characters. I didn’t want him to not be able to read it. I could see Lily fidgeting out of the corner of my eye. She didn’t like this at all. Our eyes met and I gave her a tight little smile as I handed Jonas the napkin. I wasn’t about to let her have her way with this.

I turned back to him. “I know you thought you were going to be getting help with this article rather than giving it, but I’ve got to say, I’m very glad it was you who galloped into the arena to help us slay this dragon, and that you didn’t get scared off by the idea. Will we see you tomorrow?”

His gaze went from me to Lily, then back to me. He gave me a crooked smile and nodded his head a little helplessly, his eyes like warm chocolate. “Yeah…see you tomorrow.”

****

“In the words of Ricky Ricardo, “You got some ’splainin’ to do!”” I fumed the minute we were out of his earshot.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I gritted my teeth. “The heck you don’t! You’re sabotaging my attempts at getting to know Jonas better. You’re like a submarine, sneaking around, undetected, and then whoosh…here comes a torpedo! I can’t believe that you pulled the “poor little old lady” routine! Who do you think you’re kidding?”

“Don’t do something permanently stupid just because you’re temporarily upset.”

“Argggh!” I threw my hands in the air, stomped a few steps ahead, and then stopped. I’m gonna kill her… No one will blame me. That’s what I’ll do. Epiphany or not, I’m gonna kill her! I whirled and got right in her face, my nose almost touching hers. “You like your stupid little sayings so much, well, here’s one you might not have in your repertoire: Some people are so full of crap, they need their own sewer system!” I glared at her for a long minute, then turned and stalked away.

I could hear her shuffling behind me, her bells barely jingling.

We walked in stony silence for about a block. Well, maybe a stiff-legged march would be a better description, at least as far as I was concerned. As my anger cooled, though, I felt my joints loosening up, becoming a little less stiff. I was still walking slightly ahead of her, but I was eventually walking normally.

Finally, Lily sighed. “Apologizing doesn’t always mean you’re wrong and the other person’s right. It just means you value your relationship more than your ego.”

“Does that mean you’re sorry?”

“Yes.”

I snorted, stopping to wait until she caught up with me. “That’s about the most pathetic excuse for an apology that I’ve ever heard, but I guess I accept.”

She smiled and waggled her head, making her bells jingle. “Good.”

As we strolled along a few minutes, the silence became less strained, and was practically back to normal by the time her building came into view. I broke it with reluctance, crossing my fingers that what I was about to say wouldn’t re-freeze the atmosphere. “I think he’s really nice, and I like him, you know.”

She didn’t speak for a minute, but finally gave a sigh and said, “I know, but I want to share one last saying with you before you leave. It’ll give you something to think about on your way home.”

“You mean, like today hasn’t already given me enough to think about?”

“Well, I guess you have a point there, but this is a good one.”

“Okay,” I heaved an exaggerated sigh. “Go ahead.”

A streetlight shone through the tree limbs above us, the ghostly drapery of Spanish moss casting long, eerie shadows across her face. A moped’s high-pitched engine whined past us, sounding like an angry bee trapped in a bottle. Lily’s expression was serious, somber; her eyes caught mine and held them. “Follow your heart,” she intoned. “But take your brain with you.”

I managed to keep my face straight for about ten seconds, before dissolving into giggles. “Sorry, Lily,” I said, trying unsuccessfully to get myself under control. “I know you mean well and I really do appreciate it. I’ll keep that in mind. I promise. See you tomorrow?”

I could see her eyes sparkling a little, so at least I knew I hadn’t offended her. She was probably laughing too…on the inside.

“Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight.”

“G’night.”

****

Minnie’s inquisition began the minute I stepped through the door.

“Where in the world have you been? I’ll have you know, I like to have worried myself to death over you all day. First, you come home last night all white-faced and scared, then you go bustin’ out of the house this morning like your hair was on fire, your shirttails hangin’ straight out behind you, and now you come draggin’ in here, waaay after supper time, without botherin’ to call and tell me, mind you, and you think you’re gonna go straight up to your room? Hmpf! Think again, missy. We need to talk.”

She turned on her heel and headed straight for the kitchen, obviously expecting me to follow. My shoulders slumped, and I stared down at my cat. “Do I have to, Tut?” I whined.

Without an answer, he performed an about-face, his nose and tail stuck straight in the air, then followed right in Minnie’s footsteps.

“Great!” I muttered to myself. “My cat is ticked off at me too.” I gave a huge sigh. “Well, I might as well get this over with.”

I entered the kitchen to see Minnie facing the sink, industriously scouring away on a pot that probably wasn’t even dirty. If she wasn’t careful, she’d end up scrubbing the bottom right out of it. I’d seen her do the same thing on numerous occasions after Aunt Patricia had read her the riot act for one infraction or another. I never thought I’d be the cause of one of her pot- scrubbing fits. Tut sat on the counter beside her, his back to me too.

I sighed again. This was going to be fun.

I thought, briefly about asking her where Tobias was, but nixed the idea. He was probably out driving the limousine, pretending it was a taxi; a practice that began after Aunt Patricia died. Although he didn’t need it—my aunt had uncharacteristically provided for him and Minnie in her will too—he was surprisingly successful at giving tours around the city. The fact that Minnie didn’t approve of his activities caused me to hold my tongue. I didn’t need to give her more reason for aggravation. Instead, I settled onto a barstool and sat facing her stiff back across the marble-topped island. The silence seemed to grow heavier with every tick of the clock. If I didn’t say something soon, the air would be too thick for us to breathe.

“I’m sorry I didn’t call and let you know I wouldn’t be home for supper. To tell you the truth, I never even thought about it. I’ve been kind of busy today.”

Minnie’s shoulders relaxed a little as she turned on the tap and proceeded to rinse the pot. Tut watched this action for a minute, then turned his face back toward the wall.

I tilted my chin up and stared at the ceiling with wide eyes. Why me? I mentally moaned. Then I remembered what Lily had said after our argument tonight: apologizing doesn’t always mean you’re wrong, it just means you value the relationship more than your ego. “Okay, okay! Tut, I’m sorry I ran out this morning without giving you the attention you think—no, the attention you deserve. Will you please forgive me?”

That darn cat immediately turned and jumped from his spot on the counter by the sink over to the bar where I was seated and then sashayed right up to me, touching his nose to mine. I couldn’t help it; I scratched his head, whispering, “You little turkey!”

By this time, Minnie had turned to face me. “Did you eat supper?” she asked solicitously.

I winced. “About five licks of an ice cream cone. Does that count?”

Without a word, she turned to the refrigerator and pulled out a plastic container. Grabbing a plate, she spooned out some of the contents, draped a paper towel over it, popped it into the microwave, and punched in some numbers. While it warmed, she retrieved a glass from the cabinet, filled it with ice, and then poured in some sweet tea. When the microwave beeped, she removed the warmed food and slid it and the glass in front of me, following them with a fork and a napkin. “Eat,” she ordered.

I stared down at my plate, taking a deep breath of the unmistakable aroma of Italian seasonings mixed with tomatoes and cheeses. Mmmmm…lasagna. I loved Minnie’s lasagna. Without another word, I dug in, making sure to share an occasional bit of cheese with Tut. He loved Minnie’s lasagna too, but he especially loved cheese.

When I finished, I gave her a sheepish smile. “I really am sorry I didn’t call you. I’ll try my best not to let it happen again.”

She nodded and smiled in return, although hers seemed a bit grudging. “I know, child. Now…I’m all ears.” She pulled both said appendages straight out from her head.

“You look like Minnie Mouse,” I giggled, then sobered, wondering how much to tell her. There wasn’t time to plan any sort of strategy for my story; I’d have to figure it out as I went. “You remember that painting assignment I told you about? The one I have to do over Christmas break?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I finally found a model. Kind of unexpected, really.”

“Who is it? Anybody I know?”

“Uh…I don’t think so, although, you may have seen her around town.”

The clock ticked a few times before Minnie asked, “Well? Are you going to tell me, or do you expect me to start guessing?”

“Her name is Lily…Lily Telfair-Gordon. I know, weird name, right? She’s probably around your age, maybe a little older. She lives down on Oglethorpe Street. As soon as I saw her, I knew she was perfect for this assignment.”

“Well, good. I’m glad you found what you’re looking for. So that’s what you been doing all day? Working on that assignment?”

“Yeah, sort of.”

She narrowed her eyes and stared at me with pursed lips before asking. “What do you mean, sort of?”

“Well, part of the day was that, and part was just getting to know Lily better. And then we met Jonas.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Jonas?”

“Um, yeah. Jonas is a reporter for the Savannah Tribune and he asked us to help him with an article he’s working on.”

“What kind of article?”

“Well, he’s doing a sort of investigative story on the plight of the homeless in Savannah.”

I could tell by the look on her face that she was confused. “Cleo, honey…how in the world can you possibly help him with an article like that; you livin’ in this fancy house and all? You don’t have any way of knowin’ anything about the homeless.”

“Yeah, I know. I don’t, but Lily does.”

“How’s that?”

Uh-oh. This is where it could get sticky. I looked at Tut for help, but he seemed to be waiting for my answer too, his stare seeming even more suspicious than Minnie’s. “Um…well, I guess you could say that Lily is an expert, and can provide him with first-hand information.”

Minnie cocked her eyebrow and gave me that look that only she can give. “And why, pray tell, would her information be first-hand?”

“Well, I guess that would be because she’s, um…” I dropped my gaze to the counter top, tracing a finger along the design in the marble. “Because she’s…homeless.”

I kept my eyes on my finger, twirling around and around in the stone’s pattern. The silence grew a little oppressive. I heard the distinct, soft thud of Tut jumping to the floor in retreat.

Traitor! I hissed mentally, before continuing to follow the convoluted lines of the countertop.

The silence stretched tighter and tighter. Say something! I screamed inwardly. Go on…say something!

I felt like I’d nearly rubbed the pattern off the marble slab when Minnie did something totally unexpected.

She laughed.

I’m not talking about some mild little lady-like chuckle. I’m talking about a Santa Claus kind of laugh; a “shook like a bowlful of jelly” kind of laugh; a “rip-roaring, leg-slapping, eyes crying, leaning over, holding your stomach because it hurts” kind of laugh. And it was so not what I expected.

I lifted wondering eyes to her, amazed that tears were actually running down her wide cheeks. Her head dropped to the counter, atop her crossed arms and her shoulders shook in uncontrollable hilarity.

I have to tell you; I was amazed. Thoroughly and utterly amazed.

I waited the storm out. It was a pretty long wait. She finally lifted her head and took a deep shuddering breath that actually had a chuckle or two attached to its end. She used her sleeve to wipe the tears from her cheeks and gave me a wide smile. “Thanks, honey. I needed that. It’s been a long, long time since I laughed that hard. Maybe never.”

I pressed my lips into a straight line and gave her a rather exaggerated nod. “Uh…you kind of took me off guard, there, Minnie. You mind telling me what in the world was so darn funny? And for heaven’s sakes, don’t start again,” I ordered when she snorted and seemed to be fighting off a fresh bout of giggles.

“I’m sorry…I can’t help it. I keep picturing the look on Miz Patricia’s face if she knew you were hanging around with a homeless lady. I almost wish she was still alive just so I could see it. Almost,” she tittered. “I bet it’s killing all her rich lady friends too.”

“Why? I’m the one “tarnishing my good name.” Why should they care?”

“Because you won’t play their games. You made that clear right after your aunt’s funeral. They can’t snub you by not including you in their soirees and teas and such if you won’t play. I bet they’re fit to be tied. Your ears should be burning plum off your head.”

I shrugged, grinning. “So you’re okay with it, then?”

“Honey, I couldn’t be more okay with it. I’m real glad you found you a model and I’m even gladder that she’s homeless.” She thought a minute, then frowned. “That didn’t sound quite right, but I think you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do. Thanks, Minnie.”

“You’re welcome, child. Now, you probably need to go smooth out things with Tut. I don’t think he has my sense of humor, and he’s feeling a little bent out of shape with you right now. You got yourself one spoilt cat, honey.”

“Yeah, tell me something I don’t know.” I hopped up and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Goodnight, Minnie. Thanks for understanding. I love you.”

“I love you too, child.”

****

I closed my bedroom door and leaned against it.

Wow! I hadn’t seen that coming. I’d pictured many different scenarios, but uncontrollable laughter certainly wasn’t one of them. Was it a good reaction? Yes, but very unexpected. Of course, I hadn’t mentioned the counterfeiting operation or its possible link to the homeless ending up in the river. I mean, Minnie didn’t need to know everything, right? Somehow, I doubted that laughter would be the dominant reaction if she did.

I closed my eyes and drew a deep breath, letting it out slowly. A small, cat-type noise drew my attention and I peered across the room at Tut sitting at the end of my bed. The way he stared at me made me feel as if he knew everything. Not just what I’d told Minnie, but all of it.

Ridiculous! How could a cat know?

Even so, his golden gaze made me feel uncomfortable…guilty. I crossed the room and plopped down beside him, running my hand down his back several times, hoping that a rub-down would help me get back into his good graces. But even though he began purring, the accusation never left his eyes.

“Listen, Tut, Lily is great; you’ll like her. Believe it or not, I think she’s helping me be the person I’m supposed to be…maybe the person I would’ve been if my parents had lived. I don’t know. I’m going to try to get her to come here to visit sometime, okay. You’ll need to be on your best behavior when that happens. I know, of course you will.”

I pulled him into my lap and scratched under his neck, just the way he liked. “I guess you want to hear about Jonas.” Tut’s purring suddenly stopped and my fingers did likewise. I touched my nose to his and smiled. “Don’t be jealous. You’ll always be my first love. I promise.” He looked relieved at that and started purring again.

This cat was unbelievable!

My fingers moved from under his neck to the sides of his head and around behind his ears. He closed his eyes in ecstasy, purring like an Evinrude boat motor.

“Jonas…well, Jonas is pretty amazing. Not only is he the best looking guy I’ve ever seen. Well, besides you, of course,” I added hurriedly, when he slit his eyes at me, almost glaring. “I’m able to talk to him, Tut. I know, I know. Me? Talk to a guy? Amazing, right? But he’s different. Or maybe it’s that I’m different. After my epiphany up in Lily’s tiny, little room…You know what an epiphany is, right? Well, I guess I am different. I refuse to read the same old boring chapters anymore. It’s time to move forward. And I’m hoping that Jonas will be part of that.”

I paused a minute, scratching away at Tut’s head, barely aware of it, then I shrugged. “But even if he’s not—and I hope that’s not the case, mind you—but even so, I’ve got to move forward. I can’t keep putting all the blame on Aunt Patricia. I don’t know if I can ever forgive her for how she treated me, but I can stop re-reading those chapters and flip forward to a new part of the story.”

I lay back on the bed, settling Tut on my chest, and continued scratching. He was in hog-heaven now, eyes closed in utter contentment, his emotional tank registering “full” from all the attention he was getting. I was back at the top of his favorite persons list, and I smiled. “Lily’s weird habit of quoting proverbs is enough to drive a person crazy, but she’s exactly what I needed to wake me up. And I’m excited to see what will happen next.

“Everything’s going to be okay. I promise. I’ll tell you all about it later. I need to get ready for bed. I’ve got another big day tomorrow and I’d like to get enough sleep tonight. But you’ll see. It’s a win-win-win. I have the perfect model for my assignment so I’ll get a good grade; we’re going to stop the counterfeiters as well as keep the homeless guys safe; and at the same time, we’re going to help Jonas get his story. See what I mean about win-win-win? Oh, and you don’t have to worry about the ghosts.”

Tut’s contented, golden eyes suddenly went perfectly round, his pupils dilating to the point where all I could see was black. It was uncanny the way he seemed to be able to understand me; unnerving too, in this case. I gave a nervous laugh, hoping to reassure him, as well as myself.

It didn’t really work, so I leaned my head forward a little and touched my nose to his again, staring straight into his eyes. “Lily said most of them are nice and they like the glitter she sprinkles around.”

I sat up and pressed my cheek to the top of his head, whispering, “I hope she’s right.”