It was the only slight smile she got out of him before he took off. She didn’t admonish him about running in the house.
“Seems he’s feeling fine to me.” Bill left his milk glass on the table as he got up and inspected the lunch his wife had madehim. “Boys are like that, though. I used to lie about being sick all the time to get out of math and reading.”
Thelma ignored the mess on the table to ensure her daughter Debbie had a firm grip on her lunch before heading toward Helen, who extended her gloved hand for the little girl to take. “Thanks so much, Helen. I appreciate you taking Debbie to nursery school today.”
“Not a problem.” The older woman nodded in farewell to Bill, who looked at his watch and loudly noted the time. “Looks like you have your hands full with chores today, anyway.”
Thelma kissed her daughter on the cheek and waved goodbye as they headed out the door. Helen would stop at half the doors on the street before corralling every kid to Sunny Vale Nursery School and Grover Cleveland Elementary. The nursery school didn’t like it when non-parents dropped the kids off, but everyone knew Helen. Her husband was the contractor who worked on their recent remodel.
“Big plans today?” Bill asked as Thelma began the post-breakfast cleanup.
“I should be asking you that.” She piled dishes in the sink and focused on putting the bread and mayo away. They had just run out of lunch meat.Note to self: get some later.“Don’t you have a big project due soon?”
“It’s mostly Chuck taking care of things these days.” He referred to his coworker at the city planning office. Last Thelma heard, Bill and Chuck were overseeing a road expansion project over on Santa Lucia Boulevard. “I make some dashing observations, he implements them, and we both get credit.”
“Don’t let him do too much work.”
Bill nudged her with his arm. “I’ve got Friday afternoon off. They’re closing the office to update the air conditioner. What say you and I go have a picnic for lunch? Like old times.”
Thelma contemplated the rush of water as it fell from the faucet. “Sounds nice.”
“Been a while since we had some time for ourselves. You know, without the kids.”
Lest she be overwhelmed by the conflicting feelings rising in her heart, Thelma brushed him off with another terse, “Sounds nice,” before handing him his lunch.
“Come on, Thel…”
“You’ll be late for work if you keep standing here flirting with me.”
“Flirting with my wife?” He stepped away, still facing her as she blushed and pretended to be more interested in washing the breakfast dishes. “What is this world coming to?”
He was gone shortly after, and Thelma was left in a quiet house with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company.
As the water poured from the faucet again, she braced herself against the sink, neither looking out the kitchen window nor focusing on the task at hand.
When the mild panic passed, she resumed her chores. She wanted them all done by lunch.
“Three dollars!” Thelma nearly tripped over the vacuum cord when she was distracted by the TV. “It’s three dollars!”
The hapless contestant onThe Price is Rightdithered at the sight of a set of Pyrex mixing bowls. Based on her complexion, glasses, and fancy dress, she wasn’t a typical homemaker. Indeed, Mrs. Gladys Smith of New York City had introduced herself as a professor at a local women’s college. What did she know about buying Pyrex at current market rates?
“Three dollars!”
Thelma’s frustrated shriek faded through her living room as Gladys guessed five dollars.Stupid!With her hands on her hips—and off her vacuum—Thelma silently chastised the professor for not having shopped for Pyrex. She didn’t consider that she hadjustbought a set of new mixing bowls to upgrade from the plastic ones that had started coloring in her cabinets.
“How much for the Pyrex?” Bill Cullen, host, asked the air before him. When it was inevitably revealed that the bowls were three dollars, everyone—including Thelma—groaned.
“I should go on that show,” she muttered as she fought with the cord on her vacuum. “I’d win before they remembered my name.”
Watching daytime programming was the only thing that got her through her morning chores. For the few hours between her family leaving the house and eating lunch, Thelma got all of her chores for the day out of the way. It was the only way to ensure she had plenty of time to run errands in the afternoon, and based on the phone call she received half an hour ago, she’d have to get her own milk from the store.Robbie will want it with dinner.So far, there had been no calls from the school, either about her son’s behavior or his state of health.I knew he was fine.
Thelma turned down the television when she resumed vacuuming. The machine roared in her ears, but she pretended it was Bill Cullen gently chastising another contestant for being a few dollars off the mark.He’d never tell me I was wrong…
She didn’t think of Bill Cullen the way she thought of her husband, Bill, though.He’ll be annoyed we’re having Sloppy Joes for dinner.Yet that was what Thelma promised her son for good behavior, and she intended to make good on that promise. She had ground beef to use up, anyway, and she wasn’t in the mood for shepherd’s pie.
Once she was done with her chores, she rushed up to her bedroom, where she touched up her makeup. After that, it was back down to the kitchen to make lunch.
For two.
