tale #51

“I guess organizing wasn’t Jaycee’s strong point,” Lisa and I stood in the middle of Jaycee and Kelly’s living room, surveying the chaotic remains of their departure.  Lisa sighed.  “We best get some more boxes if we’re really sending all this stuff along to them.”

More boxes, indeed.  Jaycee had left me instructions to ship back to the U.S. the “important items” that she and Kelly had not had time to deal with.  The rest could be sold or given away.

“How will I know what the important items are?” I had protested.

“Oh, you’ll know,” Jaycee had assured me.

I had looked to Kelly for some guidance.  “Anything you send will be fine,” Kelly had said.

Now I looked at the array of furniture, half packed boxes and scattered knick knacks.  The couch and coffee table remained where it had been since the first time I’d driven Jaycee home.  On it were various tools, plastic cups, a wine glass, stray paperwork a small wooden carving of a dolphin and a pair of cheap sunglasses.  In one corner was a bicycle pump, in another was a kayak paddle.  The dining room table and four matching chairs were there.  On the table were several stacks of books.  “Did they take anything besides clothes with them?” I asked.  I tried to keep the annoyance out of my voice.

“Looks like Jaycee took her fishin’ gear,” Lisa commented, pointing to the empty nails along one wall where Jaycee used to hang her assorted hooks and flies.

I heard a low whistle at the front door and turned around.  “My oh my,” Lake said as he came in, leaving the screen door open.

“Close the screen, would you,” Lisa directed.  “I don’t want the cat out to get out.”

Lake laughed and then realized that Lisa was serious.  “I don’t think that’s a problem,” he said.  He looked around.  “Where is little Susie?”  Susie, the ginger coloured house cat, had bolted up the stairs as soon as we opened the screen door.  I pointed to the top of the stairs where she was now perched, watching us.

“Poor thing,” Lisa said, “she must be traumatized, bein’ left behind and all.”  Lisa mounted the stairs and stopped near the top, leaning over to pet Susie.  The fur on Susie’s hackles went up, she hissed and spat and showed her claws.  Lisa pulled her hand back before Susie had a chance to make contact.  She turned with a surprised look on her face.  “Not as friendly as I thought,” Lisa said down to us.

I shook my head.  “Lake, close the screen door, would you please.”

Lake reached behind him and pulled the screen door shut.  The latch caught with a distinct click.  Susie retracted her claws and put her fur down.  She stood and wound herself around Lisa’s legs, purring loudly.

“Susie is outdoor averse,” I explained.

“You don’t say,” Lisa said.  She bent down and cautiously scratched the top of Susie’s head.  Susie upped the ante on the purring.  “She sounds a bit like a tractor rolling over a corn field,” Lisa observed.  “Is she always that loud?”

“Only when the screen door is closed,” Lake answered.

Lisa came back down the stairs.  “Y’all didn’t think to mention any of this before Jaycee left the island?”  She gave us a disappointed look and slowly shook her head.

“It wouldn’t have mattered,” Lake said.  “Susie comes with the house.”  He looked around.  “So, what are we doing here?  What’s the plan of attack?”  Lake addressed the question to me.

I gazed at a wooden carving on the coffee table while I thought.  The day before, during a teary-eyed farewell at the airport, Jaycee had pulled me aside after she and Kelly dragged their luggage into a huge mound at the end of the line that was forming.  “Listen,” she said in a low voice, “I meant what I said yesterday.”

“You said a lot of things yesterday.”  I grinned at her.  “Some alcohol induced.”

Jaycee remained serious.  “About change.  The thing I said about change.”

At one of the many rest stops on our ride around the island, we stood on a bluff admiring the ocean.  Jaycee had surprised me by saying, “I won’t be here to remind you, but you have to remember to change.”

I had looked down at the dirty shorts and cotton top I was wearing.

“No,” Jaycee barked.  She turned and faced me, tapping my temples with both hands.  “Here.  This is your center of change.  It all starts here and then trickles down.”  She spoke with intensity, even for Jaycee.

I had thought about that for a moment before responding.  I put my hand over my heart.  “Father Steve says it all starts here and then spreads out.”

Jaycee shook her head.  “Not for you.  For some people, but not you.  You have to actively think about changing.”

The overhead speaker squawked and announced the flight.  “I meant that,” Jaycee reiterated.  I nodded and we moved back over to where Lisa was standing with Kelly.  Jaycee handed me the keys to her office.  “Don’t dawdle,” she instructed “or there won’t be anything left in the office.  And don’t be afraid to fight for what’s yours.”

Jaycee surprised me again by dragging me into a fierce hug.  “Thank you for teaching me to drive, “ she whispered into my ear, then quickly released me.

Kelly shook her head and put her arm around Jaycee’s shoulder.  “Come on my little warrior, our flight is boarding.”  The line was moving slowly forward.  Jaycee inched some of the luggage forward and then turned to us.  “Didn’t I tell you not to dawdle?”  She looked at the office key in my hand.  “What are you still doing here?”

Now, I looked at the mess spread out in the living room, and then at Lisa, and back at the mess.  What would Jaycee do?  I smiled inwardly and turned to Lisa.  “It’s your house,” I said.  “What would you like Lake and I to do?”

“Oh,” Lisa said, startled.  Her blue eyes opened wide and her ponytail swung a little.  “Well…” she trailed off.  She began moving around the living room, into the open kitchen area.  She opened a cupboard loaded with pots and pans.  Another had mugs and plates in it.  “I suppose we should sort this stuff into two piles, what stays and what gets shipped.”

Lake nodded.  “Good plan.  We’d better make our selections now.  Before the rest of the island shows up.”

“Selections?” Lisa sounded doubtful.

“Selections,” I affirmed.  “We’re not doing all this work for free.  We get first pick.”

 

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