HUNTER LAKE 10/100 COFFEE AND ALMA

HUNTER LAKE 10/100 COFFEE AND ALMA

“Henry where did you go?” Alma had her phone on her shoulder and she leaned into it to answer.

“No, there’s no fence Henry, the only place would be on the north side, where he’s doing some grazing.”

“No one asked permission.”

“Come home we’ll talk here, walk it out, we’ll check on it together.”

Ivy called back to her mom as she left the house. “Mom I gotta go to town, the library’s open ‘til 9, Mike’s picking me up.”

“Dottie’s Mike?”

“You two dating?”

“Mom, you’re just as bad as my sisters.” She slammed the door as she left.

A rusty pick up drove up the driveway. The tail pipe held in place with a coat hanger. Alma could see from the white chintz curtains.

Rose walked into the kitchen and stood close to Alma.

“How come Ivy gets a boy friend and I don’t,” said Rose.

“We’ve talked about this.”

“I know.”

“Is there someone you like?”

“well, there’s a lot of boys I don’t like.”

“Mmmmm.” Alma turned back to the kitchen and checked the breads she had rising for the next days meals. The kitchen was warm enough to make it work, but if the door kept opening and closing, it wasn’t going to work.

The sounds of the exhaust pipe from Mark’s car rumbled away. Alma checked the yoghurt, the temp was still 100 F, but looked like it was hovering to 99F. A click to the electric ignition preceded the poof of the gas being lit, and she placed the kettle on the burner and waited. A chill entered as the kitchen door opened. Alma stayed at the stove as Henry entered.

“Let me put this water on the yoghurt.”

“Looks good.”

“Hungry.”

“Chatted with Mike?”

“Was that Dottie’s boy with Ivy?”

“it’s ok, you know Dottie, her boy’s good.”

“She doing ok?”

“Thinking about school, June told me.”

“Nursing?”

“You heard?”

“Mark was a premie right?”

“Tough time in the hospital.”

“Dottie’s good people.”

“ They’re letting her manage at the restaurant.”

“Just finishing her LPN.”

“yup.”

“Working weekends at the clinic right.”

“Mark in trouble?”

“Just a scuffle with the Police Chief.”

“What happened.”

“Had to get to school on his own when Dottie was sick.”

“Drove himself.”

“the Fence.”

“If Ole did it.”

“Back down, it’s just a fence.”

“But did he sent the water guys out too?”

While Alma and Henry chatted, Rose stood at the doorway to the dining room, her long curly red hair spilled onto her shoulders. She loved listening to her parents, and wondered if she could ever find anyone like her dad for herself. At her eleven years, the thought of a boyfriend and dating didn’t appeal to her, but a friend well that was different. School was difficult for her, she had a hard time reading the books and doing the assignments. At first she thought it was because she wasn’t smart enough and she had enough proof of that. She never saw the Grebes dance, or the flocks of geese cross over the fields, she only heard their squacks and when she looked at the prairie grasses she only saw the yellow fields. If something was up close to her she saw it all and smiled. She painted little tiny drawings and landscapes, pictures of fairies and fairy circles, of dancing nymphs and trees with big fern leaves and sparkly crowns. Everyone at home treated her gently, spoke slowly and softly around her, and she approached everyone in the family cautiously. 

“Rose, would you read the instructions on that bread recipe for me,” Alma said.

“Where is it?”

“On top of the cookbooks in the corner.”

Rose squinted and walked cautiously to the other side of the room.

Henry watched her closely. “She always squint like that?”

“Rose, squint?” said Alma

“Look at her.”

Alma distractedly looked up from pouring the water into the water bath where she watched the yoghurt progress through the afternoon.

She swirled the water again and the thermometer read 98F.

“Just a minute.” She poured more of the boiling water into the side and swirled the water around.

“Had her eyes checked?”

“School does that.”

“Did the school check your vision.”

“Yup.”

“When?”

“Fourth grade.”

“Look at her Alma.”

Alma looked up as Rose hesitantly walked across the kitchen to the cookbooks. “You’re right, could explain a lot.”

“I’ll take her in tomorrow.”

“She’s got school, and June’s coming over.”

“I’ll meet June in town.”

“I need a break, let me go in.”