34. Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Two
T he following morning, Harriet went off to school after refusing any breakfast. Mr. Forrester offered to eat her share, and to keep the peace, Lenore gave it to him.
When the dishes were washed, dried, and put away, Hilda walked to town to do some shopping. She returned with bags full of groceries and set them down on the kitchen table. She paused, holding on to the edge of the table, trying to catch her breath.
Lenore directed her to a chair and made her sit down. “Hilda, how many times have I told you that when you have a big shop, I’ll drive you. I don’t like you walking all that distance with a heavy load.”
“No, it’s good for me, I need the fresh air,” Hilda said, still gasping for breath .
Lenore was doubtful of that. She put the kettle on, made Hilda a cup of tea, and set it down in front of her. By then, Hilda was settled down.
“I went to the haberdashery this morning,” Hilda said, taking a sip of her tea and closing her eyes in pleasure. “Nothing like a nice cup of tea.”
“You didn’t.”
“Oh, I did. I wanted to know where that Alvin Cole was last night.”
Lenore wasn’t convinced that was the best approach. But curiosity got the better of her and she asked, “And? Where was he?”
Hilda harrumphed. “He said the weather was too bad. I asked him why he didn’t have the decency to call and let Harriet know.” She shook her head. “He looked dumbfounded as if the thought of a phone call hadn’t crossed his mind.”
“Oh no,” Lenore said, folding her arms against her chest.
“So, I gave him a piece of my mind.”
Lenore was pretty sure she did.
“I told him the Cole family had a reputation for being decent people, but nothing lasts forever. Then he was tripping all over himself, even offering me a fedora at one point free of charge. He said he’d be here tonight at seven to see Harriet.”
Lenore leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. “What did you say? ”
A look of triumph spread across the older woman’s face. “I told him that if he showed up at this door tonight or ever, I’d chase him down the street with a cast-iron frying pan. And then I told him that Harriet was too good for him.”
Truer words were never spoken.
The spark that had been Harriet disappeared for a few weeks after what became known between Lenore and Hilda as the Alvin Cole incident. Normally chatty, she’d become quiet, as if the fizz and bubbles had left, leaving behind something flat. They worried about her and did everything they could to engage her and to bring the old Harriet back to life.