Coy - Part Twenty-Four - "Serving and Waiting"

Coy

Part Twenty-Four

"Serving and Waiting"

            “Pitched”... out... came next:

            “I will be going to lunch.

            Shortly.”

            Said Helen.

            I was outside the Savage mansion ‘leaving’... ‘before I knew it’.

            Actually... I knew it.  I’d ...made... a verbal construction... in the library room that endeavored to quickly make a verbal summary of “WHAT, WHERE do WE,  NEXT” and “I need three hours” working in here to “see” “well enough” to... “WHAT” “IS” “THIS” (room full of that makes it... worth a fortune.).  THAT; the three hours ‘I need’ was a radical cut from my ‘gut’ “I NEED THREE DAYS OF THREE HOURS EACH”... ‘in here’.  I figured, correctly, ‘that wouldn’t float’.  The ‘just’ ‘three hours’ didn’t float either.

            “NOT TODAY” said Helen.

            “Ah.” I said.

            “I will be going to lunch.

            Shortly.”

            Said Helen.

            I knew... from outside the Savage mansion... I was... ‘coming back’... but that I would not be... coming back

            For a while.

            Helen didn’t care.

            She was the enemy.

            The library room... interfered with her lunch.  It interfered with her life.  I wasn’t the problem.  From her vantage I had just ...given her all she wanted to know.  Included in my verbal construction was a faint effort to suggest the actual scale of examination that room NEEDED to have it... confirm my ‘gut’ that ‘it’ (that room) was the fully intact Savage family archive ‘untouched’ and... having further ‘old paper’ additions scattered throughout the estate... that COULD EASILY be ‘brought together’ ‘too’... ‘in it’ (the library room).  But:  I was outside the mansion walking to the truck having already declared by bow and arrow inside the library that ...I was now... ‘going to Hell’, ‘falling back and fading way’, ‘beyond’, ‘on my own’ and ... A JANITOR.

            A servant.

            A waiter.

            What I was doing right then (walking to my truck) was ...what I am hired to do.  I was serving and... waiting.

            Fifteen years ago I went to meet with Helen in her family’s mansion twice.  A year after that... making that fourteen years ago... I went there again and this time was shown the library.  Then I left.  I did not hear from Helen for another year.

            I did hear... in varying ...and various... ways... from ‘everyone else’.  This ‘hearing from’ brings me back to chapters seven and eight.  I have now established a timeline of occurrence with the Savage estate... that was that day fourteen years ago... still ‘dawning on me’.  The timeline is ‘one year’ ‘between’ ANYTHING... and that includes the ‘everyone else’ who... always seem ‘ok’ ‘with that’; that this is ‘normal’.

            The first four ‘everyone else’ are Helen’s lawyer, Helen’s bank, the local historical society that Helen contacted and... Helen.  Chapter Seven and Eight present them.  At the end of Chapter eight I suspect that Helen IS the enemy.  Too.  I just don’t... fifteen now fourteen years ago... ‘totally believe it’ ‘then’.  I leave, for the optimistic benefit of myself, Helen dormant and neutral as much as possible.

After I’m pitched, I review and confirm that the lawyer and the bank are ‘status unchanged’ meaning that they are exactly as I recorded them the year before in chapters seven and eight.  As their future role and actions are upon this foundation, I recommend reviewing their ‘status unchanged’. 

Then... I... acknowledged... the historical society is ‘out there somewhere’ so I am ...NOT SURPRISED... when I ‘out of a blue’ hear from them again ‘right along’.

I add Mr. Dump and Crap Pile to the ‘everyone else’.  They are always ‘parked within easy walking distance’ and are, in fact, the most eagle eyed of all ‘everyone else’.  I also included Janet-of-the-silver-fork.  It is always worthy... to notice the... to-have-a... babbling busybody entourage... when one is involved in having an old New England estate ...rummaged, ransacked, looted, carried off and ‘restored’.  They bring ...as a blanket (quilt) of... sense ... a... New England right side up... CLARITY to “the actions we’ve taken”... such as running yard sales, baking cookies and ‘hosting’ ‘gatherings’, ‘events’ and... are active as a ‘catch all’ of my FELLOW... ‘serving and waiting’.

            I sent my bill for my third visit to the bank and was paid.  That was it.  As portrayed in the earlier chapters... unless it is on their (“the right”) desk and a sliver on a computer generated color pie shaped graph... it is ‘forgotten’ or ‘not known about’

            I had no contact with the lawyer.  He was very clear about his position and interests in our first chats; “trophy buck” ‘keep me informed’.

            “Go to Hell”.  He never has to... because ...he was already there.

            It is the historical society that jumps (like checker game jumping) the action of ... pitching... the Savage estate.  Helen tells them about the library room and my visit there... before... she leaves for Florida.

            The historical society does nothing about that until AFTER Helen leaves.  Then, with her gone for the winter... the collections director calls me.  I need to remind that these fine folks and their society were not on my ‘I know’ list until AFTER Helen showed them a box of letters... AFTER my ‘first visit’ and... SINCE THEN I have had ‘more’... to do... with them... thanks to the new ‘every ones’ of Mr. Dump, Crap Pile and Janet.  It is imperative to notice that it is NOT just me that has... more to do (with the new every ones)... but that the SAVAGE ESTATE... has ...an exact same ratio... of ‘more to do with them’.  TOO.  And... it is imperative to notice that IF the bank and lawyer are ‘status unchanged’ AND... there is ‘action taken’ about and within the Savage estate... that it is THESE PEOPLE (the new every ones)... who are... with I going back to the white SUV icon... “she’s driving”.  Yeah that’s right; I said this isn’t going to be pretty.  One group is looking at cash accounts on a computer screen... the OTHER group wants to ‘scan every piece of old paper’ in the estate... so it can be seen on a computer screen... they say... with a mouth full of cookie.  And... I ‘was there for that’ (Part [20]).  And... they have not gotten there yet but will very soon... to... ‘the objects’ “in the Savage estate”:

            “WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT ALL THE CLUTTER?”

            “HELEN?”

            This time it is not an appraiser dressed like Eileen Fisher who says that.

            It is the historical society, et al.

            I remind that Helen said “It really would be a VERY NICE ROOM once I CLEAN IT OUT.” (Part Twenty-Three [B]).

            Is everyone getting on the same hay wagon... for a real old time New England Hay ride?

            It can’t be a sleigh ride... because Helen’s in Florida all winter.  Hay rides are in the fall... just before Helen leaves ‘every year’.

            Hay ride:  Scratchy, congested, disorganized, babbling, squealing, burrowing hay ride with ...an old, crocked, silent, bent, skeletal form of a grim riper of a man ‘forever onward’ ‘driving’ the hay wagon of the... Savage estate?

            Can I get on?  Too?

            Do I want to?

            Do I dare?

            ....

            Do... I... CARE? (Part Sixteen [B] at the end)

            Doing nothing IS an active dynamic of a choice.

            Doing nothing is what Helen does all the time.  It is a ‘her answer’.

            Could that be MY answer too?

            It did not take long to test my....

            WHAT?