Breakfast

    “Breakfast,” echoed through the house. Rebecca had just swept the floor.

    In the back yard, Della had set up four tables to form one long table. People were busy digging into their food. Not everyone. A single hammer was still working on the roof.

    “Boy,” Mr. Rice called. “Come git it.”

    “Ate.” Came back a thunderous reply.

    “At least have some water.” Bradley threw a bottle of water onto the roof with the arm of a baseball pitcher.

    “Thanks,” came another roaring reply. In a few minutes, the empty bottle fell from the roof with almost perfect aim, if Bradley’s head was the target.

    “Hey!” Bradley shouted. “Try to hit me next time.”

    This voice on the roof was three times deeper than Simon’s. And from what Rebecca could hear, meaner than a junkyard dog. She took a place beside Simon at the table. In the distance, something glittered catching her attention. “What’s that?”  

    Widow Blake leaned toward her from across the table. “Lily Rice’s grave.”

    “Oh,” Rebecca whispered suddenly feeling embarrassed.

    Breakfast was a delightful mixture of steak and eggs, muffins, and fruit. Della had really stepped up to the plate.

    “Looks like the bathroom is ready to paint.” Mr. Rice called from the back porch. “I sat the paint in there for you. Top and round,” he instructed.

    “Thanks,” Rebecca smiled. When he had stepped out of sight, she turned to Bradley, “what does top and round mean?”

    Bradley gave a hearty laugh, “it means paint the entire room the same color.”

    “Oh, okay.”

    As one coat of pale pink paint dried in the bathroom, Rebecca helped Sarah (Patty and Bradley’s daughter) take up the carpet in one of the bedrooms exposing more of the hardwood flooring. After the carpet was up and disposed of, she put another coat of paint on the bathroom. What kind of man, she asked herself, would have a pink bathroom? She stepped into the kitchen. Her goal was to go outside for some fresh air. Simon and Bradley had built a small room, about the size of the bathroom off the kitchen by boxing in part of the back porch. It was even complete with a door out of the kitchen.

    “What’s that room gonna be?”

    “Laundry room.” Simon answered wiping his brow.

    “Are you ready for me?” Danny smiled.

    “Yelp.” Bradley and Simon stepped out of the way allowing Danny to enter. He busied himself with running the electric lines for the appliances.

    “Bathroom looks good.” Mr. Rice called from the livin’ room door.

    “Thanks.” Rebecca went back into the bedroom to help paint. This bedroom was a honey color. Still not a color she thought an elderly gentleman would choose.

    Simon and Bradley went to work putting siding on the laundry room.

Sunshine Valley

Caravan

    Next Saturday morning a low rumbling noise startled Rebecca. She jumped out of bed. “What the?” She struggled to bring the clock into focus. “6:00 am,” she hissed, running toward the door, sliding to a stop on the porch. “Oh my heavenly father.”

   Simon handed her a robe as he was putting one on. The road was lined with vehicles. In the lead was Mr. Rice pullin’ a bush hog, followed by a dump truck and what looked like half the town.

   “Bradley said with the chickens.” Simon chuckled. The light of day was just starting to push away the night.

   By the time they had their first cup of coffee and were dressed, Mr. Rice had bush hogged around the house. The dump truck was in place off the front porch, two port-a-potties were standing next to the house and people were busy doing jobs.

    “They need to change that saying from a New York minute to a Kentucky minute.” Simon snorted.

   The inside of the house echoed with the pounding of hammers.

    “Hello child,” Widow Blake came toward Rebecca with open arms. “I’m so glad ya finally joined us.” Widow Blake was the cutest little woman Rebecca had ever seen. And she told her about it ever chance she got. It always made the elderly lady blush. Her baggy coveralls flapping against her tiny body just added to her cuteness.

    “What ja want me to do?” Rebecca asked.

    “Right now we’re strippin’ the 60 some years worth of wallpaper.” She laughed. “Have ya ever been in this house?”

   “No ma’am.”

   “Then let me show ya. This little room here is the livin’ room.” The room was indeed small. However the fireplace against the far wall was so charming.

    “A fireplace?” Rebecca asked.

    “Did you see a chimney?” Patty giggled from behind her. Her arms filled with old wallpaper.

   “Come to think of it, no.” Rebecca replied.

    “It’s fake.” Widow Blake laughed.

    There were two more doors leading out of the living room; one in the back of the room was to a…? “What’s this suppose to be?” Rebecca walked into the room.

    “The kitchen,” Widow Blake reported.

    Patty came back into the living room dusting herself off. Patty Coots was a magnificent woman. Rebecca wondered why she hadn’t been a model or had a career in show business? She definitely had the body for it. “Gabby, are you gonna be all day?” She grinned.

    “I’m givin’ Becky the grand tour. She’s never been in here. And why didn’t you shake yourself off outside? You’re just creatin’ more work for us later.”

    Patty laughed, “grand tour.” Completely ignoring the dusting off comment.

    Patty had married Deputy Bradley. Rebecca often wondered what power a man like Barney Fife had to attract a woman like Patty?

    They walked out of the kitchen, through the living room and into the tiny hall. Three doors led off the hall. All three rooms had women in them busily stripping wallpaper. Two of the rooms were bedrooms and Rebecca could only guess the other was a bathroom. This room and the kitchen just had naked plumbing in them.

    “Widow Blake?” A male voice called.

    “In here.” She chimed.

    Danny Simms stepped into view from the living room. “Mr. Rice wants the carpet ripped up to.”

   “Oh,” she exclaimed, clapping her hands. “I prayed he would. There is the most wonderful hardwood flooring under there.” She turned her attention to Rebecca. “You can start there.” She pointed toward the bathroom.

    “Sure thing.” Sarah had just finished removing the last of the wallpaper. The bathroom was a tiny little room. It may have been 5 feet by 5 feet. Rebecca busied herself with the carpet. Widow Blake was right; the hardwood floor under the carpet was breath taking. With a little wax, the wood would shine like new money.

Sunshine Valley