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.Chad always had been thetype of boss who didn't mind getting his hands dirty or in this case, wielding an axe.In the woods overthe past several months, his rounded salesman's face had transformed into one with chiseled features,accentuated by a neatly trimmed full beard.After hanging up his coat, Chad turned to see his short, fair-haired wife enter the hallway.His mouthfell open in shock."What in the world happened to you?"A huge black and blue bruise covered Debbie's right cheek and around her eye.She gave a crookedsmile."Tried to break up a fight at the Center yesterday.Caught an elbow.Doesn't hurt.Much." Shegave a short chuckle and then started laughing."Then your mom was there and oh, my God, took charge.She, Nancy Reardon and Aunt Sandra held a mock trial right there for the two women." Debbie shookher head as if in disbelief and then grimaced."Had to do with a converted Maytag wringer.One woman stole it.The other woman, a laundress,had paid for it by prostituting herself for two weeks.Imagine how much fun that must have been."Debbie's lips tightened and then she spoke again."Apparently there are absolutely no wringers for sale atany price."Chad sighed and shook his head."What we take for granted." Then he gave a snort of laughter."Mywife, the five-foot, hundred ten pound bouncer." He lightly stroked around her bruised cheek."Bettergive your mom and sister a call before they see you at church and jump to conclusions."Debbie's lips tightened into a pucker and went to the side of her mouth."Yeah.Aura Lee would loveto believe it.I'll tell them to check with Aunt Sandra.""Where are the girls?""Missy's in her room studying and Gertrude's at a dress rehearsal for a school play.The first showingis today but we've got tickets for tomorrow.Missy's got a date tonight.Make you think of anything, bigfella?" Her mouth was slightly open in a smile and she ran her tongue across her upper lip."Hmm.I think after a long soak in the bath and supper, I'd like nothing more than a good night'ssleep.It's hard sleeping in those stacked bunks." He answered with a bland face and slightly archedeyebrows."Why you!" Debbie laughed and pushed the much larger Chad against the wall."If you think for oneminute that I'm going to let you get away with that, you've got another think coming."Chad covered her shoulders with his hands, his fingertips extending to massage her upper back.Hegave her a teasing smile."How soon is dinner? If I take a nice bath but not too long, do you think Missywould notice if we just happen to be in Chip's bedroom for oh, an hour or three?"Debbie giggled."Oh, really? You have some of those little blue pills squirreled away? I've heardabout you lumberjacks and your long straight logs.We're having beef stew and it's in the slow cooker.Iwas already thinking along those lines."Before dinner and again in the evening didn't quite catch them up but there was always tomorrow,Chad thought as Debbie snuggled under his arm.An idle thought came to him."Honey, when werewringers invented?"Debbie opened her eyes."What? Well, not yet.Might be in the encyclopedia.Why?""It occurs to me that if one laundress in Grantville is willing to.you know.for one, then theremust be one hell of a potential demand out there.""What are you talking about, Chad Jenkins?" Debbie propped her head on one hand and looked athim in the dim light."We've pretty well logged out the valleys that are going to be flooded over the next few years.I'll betI could start a company to make wringers.There have to be some in Grantville I can base one on.Sheds,barns, like that.""I think Mom still has one back in a corner of the barn.""Great.Now all I have to do is convince her to let me borrow it."Debbie's mouth made a tight O."Ooh, yeah.And she likes you so much."* * *"Like hell you will, Charles Jenkins!" Vera Hudson snarled.She never used foul or abusive languagebut for Chad, she'd make an exception."Aw, come on, Vera! All I need to do is take it apart, get the measurements and tolerances.Then I'llput it back together.One of my old mechanics will do it, not me, I promise.I'll even make certain it'sworking properly before I bring it back." Chad looked at his diminutive mother-in-law, then back at thedust-covered wringer and washing machine in the barn.It had been built sometime in the twenties orthirties, he figured because it had a gasoline engine attached.The electric lines had come out here in.He couldn't remember, but it was well before he'd been born."I said no and that's final.Don't think you can get around me by talking to Willie Ray, either." Whileher daughter Debbie might have forgiven Chad for his affair years ago, Vera never had.Or would, Chadthought.Willie Ray was smart enough to stay out of it."Tell you what, I'll give you a share of all the profits.Just like you owned the patent." Chad thoughtdesperately.Vera was being so unreasonable! It wasn't like he'd sold her a lemon at any time.Come tothink of it, they'd bought from Trumble ever since the episode with Noreen."Do I have to go inside the house and get the twelve gauge?" Vera set her jaw."No, I guess not." Chad sighed.He turned away from the barn."Tell Willie Ray I said hi." Chadstarted walking down the driveway to the main road.Well, as Rev.Jones said in his sermon the otherday, when God closes one door, he opens another.There has to be another operable wringersomewhere in town.They couldn't have junked all of the old washers! It seemed like all the reallyold ones had been scrapped in metal drives during WWII.Then he brightened.Mom would know who still had one!* * *Two days later he received a call."I hear you're lookin' for an old wringer washer," the old woman'svoice said."I got one in my shed iffin' you'd come out to look at it."An hour later, covered with cobwebs and dust, Chad finally got the wringer-washer out.It washeavy but the weight was almost all from the oak wood.It was like moving a barrel on a wooden standwith a raised arm sticking out.Not enough metal to scrap.Carmela Matheny had to be in her eighties, he estimated.Face wrinkled, body bent over anddependent on a cane to keep from falling over."It's exactly what I was looking for, Mrs.Matheny.Howmuch do I owe you?" Chad reached to pull out his wallet."Fifty percent," she croaked."Fifty percent of all your sales and I want it on the first of every month."Chad grinned and put away his wallet."Well then, ma'am.I figure this is going to take a while.Ifyou've got tea inside the house, I'll brew some for both of us.""No, you ain't." Carmela's response was acerbic."Anybody makes tea, it'll be me.This way." Shegestured with the tip of her cane towards the screened-in back porch."Don't you try helping me up thesteps, neither.Wouldn't let my kids do it and I ain't about to let you." She gripped the galvanized steelpipe handrail with her free hand."I may be old but I'm still spry enough to get around.Folks think thatjust because you're old and crippled up with arthritis, you ought to be living in a nursing home.Humpf!My mind ain't that far gone yet."Once in the kitchen, Carmela put some water on to boil."Ain't seen you up close since, must be1960.Your mama brought you to the Kennedy rally.""Sorry, I don't remember." Sales were all about patience.And knowing when to close."How do youknow her?""She didn't tell you? Well, I reckon not.We're cousins.Our mamas were sisters, two of the Williamsgirls." The water began boiling.Carmela turned off the burner and dropped two teabags into the pan.Shebrought it over to the table and set it on a hot pad."You like sugar?""No thanks, Mrs.Matheny.Learned to drink it without.""Hmm.Reckon I'll have to get by with honey when this runs out [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]