Bed Hair Sunday
I guess what ever I was watching must have worked because the sound of the alarm on my watch waking, what's been for me, sleep. Which means I'm usually awake two, three times a night from one thing or another; many times bad. Except when recently wakening wrapped up with..., Catherine?
The alarm on the watch is my back up to the bed side alarm clock at home; 5 AM. But most importantly is the timer on my coffee pot, which is set for 4:50 AM. So by the time I'm up from the bedside alarm and returning from the bathroom, the coffee's ready when I get to the kitchen --- I love a system when it comes together!
It doesn't take me all that long to get a shower, leaving the restart to my, 'In Look, For Men My Age,' away from the electric razor except for my neck. Remembering how that cracked-me-up when hearing Catherine telling me that.
So with my uniform and other already to go, it's just a matter of getting dressed, final checks, then out the door to the reception desk to check out. Then me and everything else is in the truck, where I'm on my way back to Alice's, making a mental note to myself; I need to get a gift for Alice --- which I always do, where she always fusses at me for doing it!
But she's a great lady, a real old fashion type with the personality of a, 'Genteel,' Virginia Lady of the, "Old South." I just love her!
Alice loves flowers; roses, I know. But where can I find a florist open this time on a Sunday morning? But I won't be leaving till after dinner, she would be highly insulted if I didn't stay for that! But I have to go to the library so, I'll get some flowers while I'm out with Erin doing that.
Pulling up next to Sally's car, Erin is already out the back door waiting for the drivers side door to open. Where it's getting out to her beautiful smile and, "Hi daddy!" Waiting for a hug. Holding my hand now, she leads me back into the house, already filled with the smell of ham, bacon, coffee, hot biscuits, Alice at the stove, "It's about time you got here Bob Swaggart!" She scolds me.
Giving Alice a kiss on the cheek gets me, "Oh STOP THAT!" She fusses. Then a look into the dining room to see the table is already set with juice glasses filled with orange juice, two jars of home made jam and Sally coming into the dining room dressed casually in a plain shirt, dark skirt and more suitable shoes then she had on last night. Dawning on me now, why those clog sandals as cold as it was last night? But I won't ask.
But after last nights phone call I expected a subdued reception. But no, as she walks over to me smiling, "I hope you're hungry, Alice has done it again," she says. Moving in closer quietly saying, "Because you're here!" Sally tells me.
Replying in the same, " I keep telling her Sally, she doesn't have to do this!"
"Yes Bob..., I've told her the same thing. But still, she insist on doing it. She tells me it's her way of saying thank you for all the things you've done for her around here. Plus Bob, she loves you! It's her, "I love a man in uniform thing too; I think!"
Laughing at that. "Yeah, she's has a very big place in my heart too; Sally."
"Bob can I talk to you a minute..., in the hall way," She ask.
"Sure Sally, whats up?"
Waiting till we're in the hallway where she stops. "Bob, I want to apologize for last night, what I asked you. It's really none of my business what you do now. It's..., well..., it surprised me. And I'm sorry," she's telling me.
"Sally, there's no need to apologize. I said more that I should have..., which, as you know, my bad habit of doing --- that, 'TMI,' before brain's in gear thing of mine."
"Okay! I hope things work out for you," she says.
"Oh and this too Bob...," Her stopping just as she was about leave. "Thank you again for the great fuck! It was just a good as it always was!"
Not giving me a chance to respond to that she walks back into the dining room to her calling out, "Need any help Alice?"
Breakfast, as usual is delicious and very filling! And the talk around the table is light, with stories about times here over the years. This was always a place for Sally's family to gather, not just on holidays and special occasions; it was a second home! But now Erin comes into the room, "The toilet in the back bath room was running again when I went in," she says, to no one in particular.
"Erin, does that happen a lot?" With me asking her.
"Yes," she says. "Almost every time you have to wait an jiggle the handle to make sure it stops."
"Okay, it's most likely the flapper valve not seating well closing off the water tank outlet." Where I get up to Alice's, "Bob, you don't need to do anything."
"Alice, I don't mind, plus you're wasting water!"
"It's my water to waist, I have a well," she reminds me.
"Yes you do, but you're also putting excess water into your leach field which isn't good either. And, when was the last time that septic tank was checked and cleaned; asking her.
"Every three months the honey dipper takes care of that. So everything is fine," she comes back at me.
"What ever you say Alice. But I'm still going to look at that toilet!"
On my way to check that toilet issue, first stopping by Alice's chair to give her kiss on the top of her head "Oh gone on!" She tells me. Now it's Erin's, "Daddy can I help," she ask.
"Sure pumpkin, do you know where a flash light is?"
"Yes," she says. "It's in a kitchen drawer..., I'll get it for you." Where she's right to the kitchen.
Lifting the seat of Alice's water wasting toilet, I see some water movement indicating some water is flowing into the bowl, then the "wosh" of the fill valve as it tops off the tank. So taking the tank top off to see inside, operating the handle, while watching the action going on inside the tank as it empties, then begins to refill. The flush valve looks okay, but the flapper valve looks pretty old, most likely not seating all that well. Okay, while I'm out at the library, I'll stop by the home center and pick up a toilet repair kit.
"Is it broken daddy?" Erin's asking.
"It's not to bad pumpkin, but while we're out we'll stop by the home center and pick up some new parts; how's that?"
"Good, can I help?" Her sounding excited about the prospect of doing it.
"Of course you can! Now lets get your coat, then tell your mom and Alice we're leaving.
Seeing Sally in the kitchen, so while Erin is getting her coat, i's telling Sally what Erin and I are doing. Plus asking if there is anything she, or Alice needs while we're out?
"No..., I don't think so," Sally replies."I'm going to drop Alice off at her church group, then I'm going to visit that friend for a couple of hours."
"Okay..., your Sunday go to meet friend with benefits?"
"Yes." she says, that look she's giving me means exactly what she said last night.
With that, Erin is back, so we're ready to go. But as I'm about to follow Erin out the back door, it's stopping, turning back to Sally, "Have fun!"
An just as I'm at the door, it's Sally behind me with a sultry sound in her voice I know so well, "THAT..., I'm very certain of!" She's saying to my back.
A quick look back to her, "Does he use old neck ties when he ties you up like you sometimes like to be?" Where I'm out the door never giving Sally a chance to reply.
Erin, waiting by my truck its helping her in, seat belts buckled, we back down the driveway on our way to the library. But not to far down the road is when Erin ask, " Did mommy want anything?"
"No honey, she's taking Alice to her church group, then going to see a friend for a couple of hours, she told me."
"Oh..., Logan I guess." Erin saying it like maybe she doesn't care for, 'Logan.'
Surprised at that! "So who's Logan?"
"He's a man.," Erin telling me. "A friend of mommy's. They go out to dinner, or the movies," she says now. "Mommy usually stays out late when they do."
"Okay. It's nice that your mom has friends. She has a lot of responsibilities now, so she needs to get out, have some fun when she can," telling Erin.
"Yeah.., I guess so," Erin's unsure reply.
"No guess so honey! Grown ups need time to themselves, or with other grown ups. So don't be to negative if mommy wants to see someone..., Okay," Waiting for Erin's reply. "Okay," Asking her again.
"Yes..., I guess so." Erin, at last, but without conviction.
"Also Erin, a friend of mine..., she plays the piano too, wanted to wish you good luck with your recital. I know I should have told you that yesterday, but her wish was there all the same."
"Is she a friend like mommy has," Erin asking me.
"If you mean like, Logan is to your mom?" Asking her.
"I guess so," Erin's reply.
"Then yes Pumpkin, she's a very nice friend of mine!"
Guessing Erin was satisfied with that answer, because she doesn't ask for anything more. But it's the question in the back of my mind about Friday, or last night's date? But if there's anything thing I've learned about Catherine; I'm sure I'll be told about it.
The library is open from ten till two on Sunday's, an with Erin and I pulling into the parking lot its ten after ten.
But before getting out of the truck, "You do have your library card with you?" Asking Erin. "Yes, it's in my wallet," she replies, which she opens showing me her card.
"Okay then..., lets go see if they have that book I'm looking for."
Walking up to the counter where a lady behind a desk seeing us approaching is asking, "May I help you?"
"Yes please..., my name is Bob Swaggart and this is my daughter Erin. We're both looking for this book." Where I glance down at Erin, where the expression on her face as if, 'what,' I'm not looking for a book!
"I wonder if you might have it in your collection..., it's kind of old though," telling her.
"Daddy, I don't need the book, it's you," she's telling me.
'"Yes I know honey, but it's your card that's going to get dinged if I don't return it."
"What!" Coming back from Erin." To my laughing at her surprise.
When the lady reaches the counter I hand her the sticky note with the book title written on it. With her looking at the note a moment, then typing into a computer. "It seems..., we..., should..., have it," she's telling me. Then proceeds to give me directions to it's location. With a thank you, Erin and I find the area, aisle, and shelf and surprising enough, it's there. Taking it from the shelf to leaf through it I get that old musty book smell from years of languishing in this remote section of this building.
"Is that it daddy," Erin's asking.
"Looks like it is pumpkin and..., I think..., it will be a great help with my next paper I'll be doing soon."
"You write a lot of papers, don't you?" She says.
"Yes I do honey! You learn a lot about history by reading about it, then writing about it, hoping to make clearer the events. There's the expression, twenty-twenty hind site. Because you can't go back and re-live the events with the how and why they happened for real," telling her,
"Yeah," she replies. "But that would be neat, huh?"
"You're right, that might be kind of cool, like science fiction time travel." Laughing at the thought.
"So lets get this checked out, then over to the home center to get those parts..., Okay?
"Yeah, I like going there," she says. "But I only get to go there when you're here; mommy doesn't like to."
