Abby's Fire by Corinne Malcolm Ibeling

Author:Corinne Malcolm Ibeling [Ibeling, Corinne Malcolm]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-10-11T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 24

In the afternoon, I feel a great sense of accomplishment as I begin painting the living room, and I’m making good progress by the time Jack returns. He watches for a moment then asks if I told Vernelle what happened last night and if I’ll be careful when I’m out here by myself. When I tell him that I did and I will, he disappears into the bathroom. It’s not long before I can hear loud metal noises and Jack swearing at something, presumably the recalcitrant faucets.

My surprise visitors of the day are Vernelle and Garrett. Clarence has given her the afternoon off (she thinks he’s going to the c-a-s-i-n-o), and they’re heading to Iowa City to comb through Vernelle’s favorite donation/consignment stores. Her next make-over project is her dining room. She’s planning to paint Mom and Dad’s maple dining set and hutch black or white (she hasn’t decided), so she’s on the look-out for some needed accessories.

Vernelle is appropriately impressed by the kitchen and oohs and aahs over the dining room. Garrett surveys everything in his serious way and then asks me a few questions about painting. I warm up to him even more when he mentions that he’s never painted anything before, but he’s hoping that will change. I’m pretty sure he’s not thinking about helping me; Vernelle is in his sights.

Jack can’t help but hear us. I’ve previously mentioned him as the carpenter I hired for a few jobs, so he won’t be a complete surprise to Vernelle if he joins us, though I doubt that he will.

But I’m wrong. With a cracked tile in one hand and a rusty faucet in the other, Jack comes over and introduces himself. He’s very business-like as he takes Vernelle and Garrett into the bathroom to show them what’s being done. I stop painting so that I can listen to them. He’s advising Vernelle on the type of tile she should get and who would be good to install it, and she murmurs something in agreement.

As the happy couple leave, Vernelle whispers to me, “Your carpenter seems like a nice guy—he’d be welcome in my bathroom anytime.” And she winks at me—winks!

Still pondering Vernelle’s remark, I begin trimming along the woodwork in the living room, using the little cuppy-thing to hold paint. That’s when I notice there’s something new in the shimmering glass of the mirror.

For the first time, I can see what one of the little boys is doing. He has a small bag near his hands, and in front of him on the table is a circle—a circle of marbles. The sight startles me so much I gasp out a loud, “Oh, my God!” and drop my paint-brush and the cuppy-thing to the floor.

Jack comes shooting out of the bathroom. “What happened?”

I stare at him blankly and say that nothing happened.

Jack’s mouth hardens into a straight line. “I still have my teacher ears, young lady—yeah, something definitely happened out here.”

I kneel to wipe up the mess of paint with some rags.

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