(Continued from Feb. 19, 2010)
Thea phoned her aunt Dorothy from the shopping center’s parking lot. I could tell from her broad smile that her request had been well received. When she terminated the call, Thea said: “Aunt is instructing the gardener as we speak. She will contact me in minutes to report on the progress.”
In the mean time, Alice and Elsie were waiting for an “all clear” call from Thea. They were in a coffee shop that was near the apartment building. When Thea phoned them about the change in plans, only a few words were necessary to convince her friends that the revised process was better in more than one way.
While Thea was conversing with Alice, a text message from Aunt Dorothy indicated that the gardener was on his way. He knew the whereabouts of the coffee shop; and, barring any unforeseen traffic problems, he expected to be able to join the girls within half an hour.
Alice wasn’t at all worried about the delayed starting time. The van would easily hold all the belongings that she had at Bob’s, so a lot less time was required for the total moving process. Also, the sturdy gardener would handily manage the bigger items with the dolly that he had brought along.
“Now that all arrangements have been made for Alice’s smooth exodus from Bob’s, you and I are going to do a bit of relaxing window shopping. That way I will come up with an idea for the present I want to buy you. I have never seen you with a tie on, so you don’t appear to like anything tight around your neck.”
I told her that she was right about my aversion for restrictive clothing around my neck. Then, with a laugh, I added: “I see people on television, engaged in such sports as golf, with the top button of their shirt done up and I say: ‘Man, loosen that collar before trying your next precision swing.’ It bothers me that apparently intelligent people play with an unnecessary disadvantage.”
“So you also have the habit of talking to the television,” A happily smiling Thea said, as she slipped her arm through mine; and, for the next half hour, we leisurely walked through the mall, looking at various shop windows.
Within seconds of one another, there were two phone calls. Alice phoned Thea to announce that the moving process was well underway. The gardener had brought a great variety of empty boxes, which allowed Alice to fill them haphazardly. Consequently, he could start immediately with the carting routine. His wife remained at the van to safeguard Alice’s belongings.
The other phone call was from Alphonse. It was about an interesting development, which, he emphasized, did not alter the fact that he had a “tight rein” on Bob. His enigmatic words really piqued my curiosity, but my young friend told me that he had to terminate the call.
(To be continued)