Spring Cleaning Read online

Marian looked up. Who would be coming at this hour, so early in the morning? She hoped it wasn’t a salesman: she was too busy to bother with their long boring stories and descriptions of their merchandise. She walked forward slowly, trying to get a glimpse of the visitor through the slender windows on the front door. She could tell it was a man. She could hear him talking quietly to someone that was with him. Reaching the door, she placed her ear over the crack to hear what they were saying. The sounds were too muffled to make out.

  “What are you selling?” She called to the man. “I don’t want any. You better just move on, young man.” She waited to see if he left. He didn’t. Salesmen these days were so pushy. “Didn’t you hear me? Move on!” The floor creaked as the people shifted their weight, and she heard more muffled talking.

  “Mother? Mother, it’s me, Norm. Mother, let me in.” Norm? His voice was much too deep.

  “Mother, don’t you remember? We just talked on the phone. I have a surprise for you.” She couldn’t remember the phone call. She just wanted to know why Norm had such a deep, old voice. So she opened the door.

  A man walked in; he was tall and slender, and moved gracefully, automatically owning the room with his height and knowing expression. Behind him crept in a young woman, wearing baggy slacks and a scarf on her head. She had a bulky bag thrown over her shoulder. Marian had no idea who she was. Was she supposed to know her? Her face didn’t look familiar at all. The tall man looked like he belonged, but she, she looked out of place and bewildered. Both the man and the woman looked behind them out the door. Marian craned her neck to see what they were looking at. A small boy still stood outside on the porch, bouncing a ball on the floor, and catching it as it fell. He looked up and saw Marian.

  “Grandma!” He stopped bouncing the ball and came to give her a hug. Ah, this was Norm. This was the right face and voice. The man must have meant that he was bringing Norm. That was right, bringing Norm home. He had run off, she reminded herself, after she punished him for throwing the milk. She hadn’t seen him for several hours and was getting worried.

  “What has gotten into you?” She took his face in both her hands. “It’s Ma, not Grandma to you, young man. Now come inside.” She playfully pushed him past the door way, and shut the door behind him. Norm backed away from her as she turned around to face them. He stood partly behind the tall man. His teacher, perhaps, or a neighbor? Oh my, she hoped he wasn’t in trouble again. Norm was always making mischief. “Come back here, Norm. What do you think you’re doing? I was worried when you ran off; I called all the neighbors. Go up to your room right now and get ready for your sister’s recital.” Norm didn’t move, but clung to the tall man’s pant leg.

  She moved forward, hand outstretched to shake the man’s hand. “I hope Norm hasn’t been causing any trouble. I know he can be a handful sometimes. Thank you for bringing him home.” The woman looked uncomfortable, and the man took Marian’s hand in both of his. Marian looked at him suspiciously.

  “Mother,” he said gently. “Mother, I’m Norm. This is Ben, my son—your grandson.” She looked at him blankly. Norm? How could this be Norm? He was so tall. His eyes, though. Yes, he had Norm’s eyes.

  In a flash she recognized him, remembering that her children were grown now; they were all tall, like their father. And Ben! How could she forget him? Her youngest grandchild, who was already seven. “Of course,” she said, “of course,” pretending the mistake had never been made. “And who is this?” She turned towards the woman, whom she still did not recognize.

  “Mother, this is Anita. I’ve hired her to help you around the house. You won’t need to worry about cleaning anymore.” Marian suddenly stiffened. Some other woman cleaning her house? Oh, no, no, no.

  “I,” she said, standing up a straight as she could, “do not need a maid. I have been taking care of this house for almost sixty years now, and I am just as capable as I was when I was twenty.” They were all silent. The woman—what was her name again?—looked like she wanted desperately to leave. Marian gave her a stern look, hoping she would just run away. But she did not.

  “Come on Ma, let’s sit down and talk about this.” Oh, she hated that tone of voice. It sounded like her husband used to when he tried to reason with the children. He always tried to be gentle and persuasive, just like Norm was being now. “Come on, come into the kitchen. We’ll talk about it over tea.”

  “No, thank-you,” she replied, throwing the ring she had been holding hard on the floor at the feet of the strange woman, and walked past all of them to the kitchen. How humiliating! Her own son thought she was incapable of taking care of her own house. Oooh, she was mad. She paced around the kitchen, not sure of what to do. Norm followed her in.

  “Ma, listen. I know you don’t need someone to do everything for you. I just thought you might need a little help around here, with spring cleaning and all. I mean, now that Kelly’s moved to Wichita she won’t be here to help.” Wichita? What was he talking about? Kelly lived across town, not even ten minutes away. “And I thought you could use some company down here. I mean, you’re alone in the house all day long.” Well, that was true. It did get lonely get here spending all day in this empty house. And she wasn’t supposed to leave.

  “Why don’t you move in?” Marian looked at him expectantly. If his family moved in she would never be alone. She had plenty of room.

  “Ma, we’ve been over this. I can’t. It’s too far away from my job.” His job? Where did he work again? Maybe it was in Crantson, the next town over. He was looking in the sink. “Ma, why are your slippers in the sink?” Oh, she couldn’t remember. He looked at her, concerned.

  “Crantson is not that far away,” She told him. He looked at her, bewildered.

  “No, ma, my job’s not in Crantson, it’s in Glibbsville. I live in Glibbsville.” Glibbsville? Why would he live in there? it was much too far away. Norm was looking at her carefully. “How about we all sit down and have some doughnuts together, huh? I brought some doughnuts from the bakery. I’ll go get them out of the car.” Marian calmed down. As long as he stopped talking about living two towns over, slippers in the sink, and Kelly moving to Wichita. She sat down at the table and looked out the window. She heard Norm call to Ben. “Come on, Ben, let’s get the doughnuts out of the car.” The front door opened and then shut behind them, and she was alone. Taking a deep breath, she smelled the spring air. It was getting warmer. She could smell the thawing ground, and the weather change, reminding her that she needed to change the storm windows and put in the screens. Kelly should be coming soon to help her with spring cleaning, but she should get a head start and at least change the windows.

  She stood up, determined to get started before it got too late in the day. She turned to walk down the hallway, and jumped back in surprise. There was a woman there, in her house, standing in the hallway.

  “What are you doing? Who are you?” Marian demanded to know. “Stay away!” Looking closer, she saw that the woman was holding her mother’s gold Claddagh ring—she had thought she lost it years ago. “Thief! Trespasser!” She picked up a wooden spoon and shook it at her. The women backed away, looking frightened.

  “I’m just...I’m here to help. Norm brought me.” She held the ring up to Marian, but kept backing up.

  “Liar! Thief!” Marian yelled. “You get out now, or I’m calling the police.” She still didn’t move. Marian kept shaking the wooden spoon towards the woman as she backed up to reach for the phone. She picked it up and dialed 911. There was a click at the other end of the phone. “911 Emergency,” a calm voice answered.

  “Hello, hello? There’s a robber in my house, stealing my jewelry!. Maybe a murderer. I don’t know who it is. She broke in. Can you send someone?” Marian was getting more and more frantic.

  “Ma’am, calm down. Can you tell me your address?” Her address, yes. It was…oh dear, what were the numbers? “Ma’am, are you there? Hello? Can you see the intruder?”

  “Yes, yes, she was standing right there
in the hallway.” Marian turned to look down the hallway. The woman was gone. “She’s gone!” she shrieked. She stood there, breathing hard with fear. She could be anywhere. Marian turned around quickly to make sure she wasn’t sneaking up behind her. The woman was nowhere to be seen. She stood silently, listening hard for footsteps somewhere in the house. After a few moments, her breathing slowed.

  “Hello? Hello?” The voice in the phone said.

  “Hello?” Marian answered. She didn’t even remember the telephone ringing.

  “Ma’am, can you see the intruder?” “What?” It must be a wrong number. “You must have the wrong number,” she explained politely.

  “Are you alright, ma’am? Are you certain no one is in your house?”

  “Someone in my house? No, I don’t think so. You really do have the wrong number, I’m afraid.” Marian hung up the phone as someone began knocking on the front door. Salesmen. She would just pretend that she wasn’t home. The pounding got louder and louder, and someone shouted something. She just wanted to be left alone; she wanted to start on her spring cleaning. Marian left the kitchen cautiously, walking slowly so that the salesman couldn’t hear her as she passed the door. From the hallway, she made her way to the stairs, and