Before Crossover

BEFORE CROSSOVER

Joyce Peterson

Millie looked around her. She was standing in the middle of the living room and Sofia, her housekeeper and Caregiver, was dusting a little, then stopping to wipe her eyes. Millie was amazed, Sofia was so taciturn that she had never imagined her crying about anything.

"What's matter Sofia?" she asked, but the woman didn't answer her. "I said, what's the matter?"she repeated, then added, " And what am I doing in the living room without my wheel chair," before she realized that Sofia had walked right through her.

Looking down at herself she saw that her body was transparent.

"She can't hear you or see you, Mil. I've tried to get through to her for the last 3 years. We're dead. I've been waiting for you. Maybe we can figure this out together." A transparent Seth was standing beside her although this was the young Seth that had been the man she married. He was tall, slender with that beautiful red hair and smooth face she had always admired. Looking again at herself, she saw that she, too, must be young. Her hands were the soft gentle hands that she used to run through his hair. After they were married, she had held their babies in arms that were once again looked firm and soft even though she could see through them. She hoped that she, too, looked like the girl she had been.

"My beautiful, blue eyed blond," the transparent Seth said to her. He had always called her that even after she had become old and tired.

"Why are we here, Mil? Maybe we need to take care of something we left undone. Maybe it's something we have to do together."

Millie felt some of her old lady crankiness coming back. "Maybe it's something you did and I have to undo, just like always," she accused. She thought he was going to talk back to her, but he opened his mouth and closed it again.

After a few seconds, he told her, laughing, "I've had three years to think about this. Maybe we should try to work this out together. It seems like we both had to be here. I tried to take care of a few things that I thought was your fault but …" Seth teased. He couldn't feel the flick of the fingers that went through his ear.

Millie was back in her old lady mode, in full. "My fault, my fault," she tried to yell but her voice didn't cooperate.

"It won't work, now, Mill. I yelled myself hoarse trying to get out of here and go to wherever we go from here, but I couldn't yell and I couldn't get out.. So, I guess we're stuck with each other until we can figure it out. Calm down and let' start at the beginning." Seth had actually become his young self. He had always "figured things out" and explained them to be sure she understood.

"So, where's the beginning, wise guy. When we met, when we got married, when we had the kids, when , when…" Millie couldn't yell so she reverted to the old sarcasm trick she had pulled many times. Seth tried to hug her, but the transparency was not conducive to hugging.

He laughed. "Seems like this takes a lot of getting used to, Mill. Let's start when we met. I saw you were stranded on a sidewalk where there was a grate of some kind."

She cut him off, "You were always Mr. Gallant. I could have got my heel out of that grate without your help."

Seth began to feel a little edgy himself. "Well you weren't trying very hard and you certainly didn't refuse my help. I don't think we did anything then to keep us here. Let's try going from the marriage."

Millie felt herself softening to the situation. After all, she couldn't yell, and sarcasm hadn't worked. Her words began to come out like clouds floating through the sky."That was the most beautiful wedding the town had ever seen. My Mother was a terrific wedding planner and Dad never objected to a penny she spent."

Seth again tried to put his arm around her. It didn't work this time either. "Your Dad took me into the business. I always thought that was a smart move. I was a good salesman and his business doubled after I started to work there."

Millie still resented Seth thinking that he had been the one to get her Dad's business into the black column. Her Father had worked long and hard to get the Auto Parts dealership going. "What do you mean, a smart move to take you into the business? It was just the time when every business was going so well. You just happened to…" She realized that her words were not nearly as mean as she meant them.

Seth hadn't been able to argue with her in life. Now, it would be worse, when he couldn't walk out on one of her tirades about how great her Father had been. The old man had been a good business man but Seth knew he had been the salesman that had made the business such a success.

Since Millie had been an only child, Seth and Millie had inherited the business when her parents died. She had worked with her father for so many years that the business had gone on as usual when the old man had died.

Seth really loved Millie and was glad that death had brought them together again. Quietly he told her, "I know, hon. Why don't we skip on to the time when the kids came along?"

Millie nodded her head. "That was a very stressful time because I kept on working and your mother took care of the kids. If there was anything then, it would have been her fault, not ours."Seth started to open his mouth in defense of his mother when Millie added, "But the kids didn't seem to suffer too much. That is until the time when Jim was going to college. He wanted to study Architecture and you made him take business courses instead."

Seth felt a few feathers ruffle up. "I didn't make him. We talked it over and he saw the wisdom of studying business since he would be the obvious one to take over when I retired. And look what a great job he has done. Our daughter was certainly not qualified to take over. All she was interested in were boys."

Millie laughed, "I know. But Florence does have a good marriage and she took my advice and didn't have children until they were in their thirties, like we did. You don't think we gave them too much advice do you?"

Seth thought about it for a moment, then said, "Everything turned out fine. No, I don't think we've found an answer yet."

Millie was still feeling a little uncertain. "I was always sorry that Jim and Sharon didn't have any children but he seems to have taken Florence's son, Ian, under his wing. She is glad she will still have a connection to the business. She should have had more children than just Ian. But it wasn't to be. Now it looks like her son will take over some day. It will still be in the family."

Seth nodded. "I wonder if we could go over to Florence's to see what's going on." As soon as he said that, he and Millie were in Florence's kitchen where Jim and Florence were having a cup of coffee.

Seth said, "I've tried to get out of our house for three years and couldn't. Millie, I think this is a sign. The problem we're supposed to fix is here, at Florence's."

Millie was going to tell him to be quiet but she saw that their son and daughter had not heard him. "As you told me, Seth. This is going to take a lot of getting used to." She had tried to pat him on the shoulder but her hand had gone through it.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Millie looked at their son and daughter. "I always thought it odd that our son took after my side of the family..With his blond hair and blue eyes and his stalky figure he always reminded me of my Father while Florence is tall and slender like you and her red hair is the same color yours is. Of course, before you…well you kno.."

"Died, Millie, Died. You can say it," he told her.

"All right, before you…passed on, it was gray." Millie couldn't get the word 'died' to come out

He laughed. "The kids look good, don't they?"

"Yes, they do,"she agreed.

"Where's Florence's husband Roger? He's still Jim's Vice President, isn't he" Seth asked.

"Yes, he's still with the Company, just like he has been since he married Florence. He's a good man." Millie tried to stroke Seth's chin but couldn't, as she continued. "He took up golf a couple of years ago and he spends every Saturday on the local course. I guess Ian, the boy, is still sleeping. He's finishing up his 2^nd year of college and has been studying late the last few weeks. He'll make a good addition to the Company one of these days." Millie didn't hide the pride she felt.

Pointing at his daughter, Seth remarked, "I see Florence is still using the coffee pot we gave her ."

Florence had brought the pot to the table to freshen their coffee but Jim put his hand over his cup. She put the pot back and sat down again.. "Yeah, I'm full too," she said. "Jim, you said you wanted to come over to talk to me. Well, I wanted to talk to you, too."

"Where's Ian?" He asked.

"I think he's still asleep. He usually sleeps late on Saturday. He said he had something to do later. What I wanted to ask you was, is Ian going to work with you this summer? I thought instead, he should take some courses at the college this summer, so he's ready to start taking business courses in the fall, it's his Junior Year. He should sign up, then, for the ones he'll need if he is going to take over for you when you retire."

"Wait a minute, Flo." Jim held his hand up. "I still have 15 or maybe 20 years left. Besides, Roger is 5 years younger than I am. I'm sure he can handle things until he's sure Ian can step in."

Florence laughed. "You can't depend too much on my husband. Five years isn't very long and I want to be sure the company stays in the family."

Millie looked at Seth and said, "She's right. Ian should be preparing himself to be ready to take over. There's so much to learn both at school and in the..." She stopped when Ian came into the room.

He reminded Millie so much of the young Seth, the one who was beside her. He was tall,with the same beautiful red hair. When he spoke, his voice, too was reminiscent of the gentle tone of authority that she still heard in Seth's voice.

"Hi, Uncle Jim. Have you asked…" He stopped when he saw his Uncle shake his head.

Florence recognized an unstated question. "Ask me what?" She almost threw the words at her brother. He ignored her. "Were you going someplace, Ian?" He asked the boy.

"Just going over to Mrs. Allison's. She was going to give me some help with this." He brought out the canvas that he had been hiding behind him. It was a beautiful painting of the local Golf Course.

His Uncle laughed. "Doesn't look like it needs any help to me. But you go ahead. See you later."

"OK, let me know," Ian said, as he nodded toward his Mother, and left the room.

"What do you mean, 'let me know'?" she yelled after him. "OK, Jim, have you two already made it up between you that he's going to work with you this summer? I guess I'll have to accept…"

There was a noise in the living room. "Sorry, Mom." Ian called out. " I bumped into the bookcase and knocked some books out. Would you put them back? I'd get them in the wrong place."

" OK." she told him "I'll be right back." Florence explained to Jim as she left to undo the damage. When she came back, she carried what looked to be a scrapbook. "Look what one of them was." As she put it down on the table in front of her brother, Millie and Seth came to the table. Millie put out her hand to touch the book and it automatically opened.

"Ah! Memories of the past," Jim sighed as he told his sister. "But we better talk about the future." He took a deep breath then stated, apologetically "Ian doesn't want to work with me or go to school this summer. He wants to go to Europe to study art."

Florence's mouth opened and it took her a moment to ask, "Art? He wants to study Art? But he has to get himself prepared for his future. He'd be wasting a whole summer if he went to Europe."

"I agree with you, Flo. I've been counting on him to take over for me. I'll work it out with him. The business is where he belongs, I guess." Danny sighed again.

Millie and Seth had been listening to all this. He said, "This sounds very familiar, Millie. Remember when Jim wanted to become an Architect?"

"I do, and I remember those were you're same words, 'The business is where you belong.' That Scrapbook gives me an idea. I think we're on the right track," she told him.

"What do you mean? How can an old scrapbook solve anything? He was trying to look at the pages to which the book had opened. "These are just some old drawings."

Millie blew at the book and more drawings showed up as the pages turned. "See. It's the right scrapbook. Jim kept all the drawings he made of things he would build if he became an Architect."

Florence and her brother looked at each other first, then at the book as it had opened and the pages began to turn.

Florence said, "I must have put it down wrong. And I think I felt a little breeze when the pages started to turn."

Danny shook his head. "I don't think so, Flo. Look at what's there."

"Just some of your old drawings," she told him as she came to stand beside him to get a better look.

Millie started to see if she could blow some more of the pages over but her son beat her to it turning them himself. "These are the drawings I showed Dad and Mom when I told them I wanted to become an Architect instead of going into the family business."

Florence told him, "I didn't know that. What happened?"

"Dad said I belonged in the business. I never liked to disagree with him, so, I went into the family business." Millie could see that Jim felt a sadness that he must have thought he had put behind himself many years ago.

Florence kissed her brother on the top of his head. "And a darn good job you did of it, too."

"You know something, Flo? I've wondered all my life what it would have been like if I had become an Architect." Flo heard the catch in his voice.

She leaned over and put her arms around him. "You were always good at anything you did. I'm sure you would have been a great Architect. Maybe you can take it up when you retire."

Jim picked the book up and hugged to him. "Why wait until I retire?"

Florence's mouth opened. "You can't mean..?"

He put the book back on the table, stood up and took his sister in his arms. "You're damn right I do. Roger could take over for me for the summer."

Florence kept shaking her head. "But Rodger and I were going to Hawaii this summer."

Jim took her face in his hand. "Sis, I've never asked much of you, but couldn't you go to Hawaii some other time?"

Florence looked at him and asked, "Are you sure about this? It feels awfully sudden."

He looked down and turned more pages in the book. "To me, it feels like something I've wanted all my life." He continued, urgently, as though he were trying to sell a new customer. " Ian wants to go to Europe to study. Sharon has friends in Italy that she would love to visit. I could look into the Architect situation and go with Ian and while he's studying Art, I could study Architecture. Maybe we would both find out whether we really want to be in the business end of Auto Parts."

Flo didn't sound sure as she said, "Roger and I will have to talk it over and you should talk it over with Sharon."

Jim said, "Of course." But he had heard something in her answer that told him that he, Sharon and Ian would be packing for the Europe trip.

Suddenly, Millie and Seth saw a bright light.

Millie patted Seth on the arm and found that it was firm. Seth put his arms around her and she could feel their warmth. " Is that it? We didn't do that much but maybe it was all we had to do," she told him.

Seth questioned, "What did we do? Ian caused the book to fall and Flo put the book down so it opened."

"And I must have had help turning those pages over to the right one." Millie answered.

As he put his arm around her, Seth said, "Maybe the lesson was for us, Mill. Maybe that's why I had to wait for you."

Feeling the warmth of his arms, she murmured, "I'm so glad you did, Seth."

Seth sighed, "We should have let him be an Architect. We'll do that next time."

Millie sighed as she snuggled into his arms, "Next time. That sounds so good. Do you think there will be a next time?"

"Of course," he assured her. "They wouldn't break up such a good combination."

"Who knows? Maybe Junior will be an Architect this time. Maybe Ian will be an Artist. At least it will be their choice."

Seth kissed the top of her head as the light surrounded them.

End

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Mama's

Mama's Story Fini

"No questions from anyone unless Ada May says it's all right." Grandpa ordered. He looked like he was afraid she would run away again if he let go of her hand.

Annie blurted out, "I have to ask one question. Why did you come back now? You had thirty years to do that?"

Mama smiled. "I followed you. I knew you had found that picture and I saw the letters that came from a Private investigator. Then, when you said you were going to Kentucky to do some research for a new book, I thought I should be here to see that you got the right story."

Eddie cleared his throat before he told them, "I can't get over how much you two look alike. When Annie came into the station, I knew she had to be related to Ada May." He looked longingly at Mama before telling her, " I never got over you, Ada. "

Annie had to ask, "Are you my father?"

Mama held up her hand. "No more questions, remember. And, no, he is not your father." There was a total quiet around the table, waiting for Mama to continue. When she started to cry, Grandpa put his arm around her.

Eddie spoke, breaking the spell, "It was after graduation, wasn't it? I went to St Louis to look into the job market there. I knew you didn't want to move there. But I had to go. Damn me." Eddie said.

Mama patted his hand, "No, Ed, I should have…. shouldn't have. But I guess I was so mad at you that I went with Barb, my college friend to a Legion Dance. I met someone. His name was Theo. I think it was short for Theopholus. Never did know his last name. It was just a one night stand. I didn't even try to find him to tell him when I found out I was pregnant. I was so ashamed of myself , all I could do was run away from everyone I loved."

"To Cincinnati," Annie filled in for her.

"Yes," Mama sniffed and wiped her nose on her napkin. "College girls talk about a lot of things. One of the girls knew about a place that took in girls like me. I thought I would give the baby up for adoption. But when Edna, the lady who ran the place, saw that I couldn't do that, she got me the accounting job at the brewery. I had set up an accounting system for Edna's Place. She helped me until I was able to take care of Annie and myself."

Annie sighed, "So, that's how Edna became such a good friend. I always wondered. Neither one of you ever told me. But why didn't you come back here?"

Mama turned to Grandpa, "I thought about it so many times but, when I did, the old shame came back. I told myself that I was too busy or that it was best not to turn over old leaves."

Eddie Took out his handkerchief and blew his nose. "You should have trusted us. I spent many nights with your Dad. We consoled each other, wondering if you would ever come home. We surely didn't think it would take this long." He looked at Mama. "I had to take over the gas station when my Father died. Mom didn't last too long afterwards. So, I own a gas station if you'd still like to be engaged to me." Looking at Annie he told her, 'I'd be glad to have a daughter in the family."

Mama opened her purse and took out a ring. Putting it on her finger, she held her hand up. "You won't need to buy a ring."

Grandpa looked at all of them. "Well, I'm glad I got that settled," he stated.

They all laughed until Annie held up her hand, "Wait a minute. Mama, we've got to go to the forest and look up all those little people. I'll right another Children's Book. If it becomes a best seller, I can hire a detective to find out who my father is." When she saw Eddie shaking his head, she said, "Or maybe not."

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Mama's Story Cont.

MAMA'S STORY, THE BEGINNING
Joyce Peterson

Annie pushed the fallen leaves ahead of her with the toe of her 3 inch
heeled shoes, as she stumbled along the path through the forest. It had
diminished to a few rows of trees since the picture in her hand had been
taken. She knew she should have worn sneakers, but if she did find the
small cottage, that she hoped was there beyond the end of the path, and
it was still inhabited, she wanted to make an impression for her Mother's
sake. Mama didn't know she had come to this particular place, only that
she was going to Kentucky to do some research for a new book. Mama had
had that look on her face that said, "I'm not sure I believe you but
we'll talk about it when you get home."

Annie had reached her thirtieth birthday, but she still couldn't lie to
her mother without feeling guilty. Her Mother, on the other hand, had
kept her whole life, before Annie was born, a secret except for a few
facts that had sneaked out in their conversations.
She wondered if the forest in the picture was really the place, about
which Mama had told her all those wonderful stories when Annie was small.
Tales of tiny beings that made servants of the ants, and carriages of
the leaves , carriages drawn by centipede horses. Those stories were the
reason she had been able to hire the detective to seek out this sight.
When he had asked if she wanted him to find out anything about the
forest, she told him, "No," she would handle it . Mama's story belonged
to no one but the two of them.

Annie had worked for years in the same office of a small brewery in
Cincinnati where her mother had worked since she had been born. But,
her ambition had always been to be a writer. She had had a little
success with some of her other books. But nothing like her best selling
Children's Book. It had included all the stories her Mother had told her
about the "Little World in the Forest". She had to laugh to herself
every time she thought "Forest". All that was left now were these few
rows of straggly trees but the detective had given her specific
instructions and this was the place. Now, if there really was a cabin at
the end of this path, she felt that her money had been well spent.

She had found the photo by accident when, as a child, her Mother had
asked her to bring something from a dresser drawer. Although Mama
wouldn't answer any questions about it, except to say "It's just some
dumb old cabin in a forest in Kentucky", Annie had guessed that it had
been Mama's home before she came to Cincinnati. The forest had
diminished in size because of the new houses built at the edge, but there
was still enough of it left to be recognized in the picture, since the
gas station, where she had left her car, was still there on the corner.
It had a few minor updates but was much the same. The middle aged man
who seemed to run the station had looked at her as though he was going to
say something but changed his mind.

She had always felt the frustration of having to make up everything that
had happened to her Mother before she was born but, whenever she
questioned her about it, Mama would just say, "You don't need to know
about all that."

She had surmised, from some of Mama's brief answers, that the cabin had
been Mama's home where she had been raised by her Father after he own
Mother died. Mama had gone so far as to say that her Mother died when
she was born. Because of Mama's hesitation to mention anything about
the man who would have been Annie's Grandfather, she had visualized him
as so cruel, that Mama had to run away . She had gone to Cincinnati, the
closest big city to the small cottage in the Kentucky forest. Annie
decided Mama must have been pregnant with her, so she had wondered what
her Mother's father had done to her, when he found out, to make her run
away.

Mama had told her those exciting forest stories but had never told any
stories about herself. Annie had always liked stories to have a
beginning, a middle and an end. She felt that the life she and her
Mother had lived together was the middle of the story. She knew that the
beginning was the time Mama had lived in a cabin in this forest. When
the path ended, she looked across a big field and saw a cabin. She hoped
that, today, she could put some truth to the story she had made up as the
beginning of Mama's story.

Looking at the picture again she could see that someone had certainly
kept the cabin up to date. The yard in front was fenced in and there
were flower beds being tended by a man who didn't see her approaching.
She could see that he was quite old and wrinkled. He was smiling and
humming as he dug a trowel into the dirt to loosen some weeds.
This couldn't be her Grandfather whom she had always envisioned as tall
with a scowl on his face. Of course, her Grandfather must have died and
the property had been sold. As she walked up to the gate, the man looked
up. He dropped the trowel and came to meet her.

"Well, Ada May, I see you've come home. Got tired of the big city, did
you?" He asked as the smile seemed to encompass his whole face.
Annie didn't know how to answer him. Many of her friends had told her
that she looked like her Mother but who was this man who seemed to know
her Mother. She decided to play along as she told him, "Just thought
I'd drop by and see the old place. Did you know the man who used to own
this cabin, his name was Mullins?"

He laughed as he told her, "Knew him quite well. Still do, because I'm
that old scallywag. Surely I haven't changed so much you don't recognize
me, Ada May."

Annie looked at him for a few minutes trying to decide how to answer him.
She decided that only the truth could get them both threw an awkward
situation. "I'm not Ada May, Mr. Mullins. I'm her daughter Annie."

He reached across the gate and took her face in his hand. "Sorry, Annie.
I've waited so long for her to come home. Guess you might as well start
calling me Grandpa. Will Ada May be coming, too?"

When she shook her head, she saw misunderstanding in his eyes. She
hurried to tell him, "She's fine but she's not with me." Then she added,
"Not this trip." Annie knew at that moment that she was going to have to
make up a whole new story for Mama's past life.

"Is there a hotel nearby? I'd like to stay around for a while and get to
know more about some things that Mama never told me. I left my car at
the gas station near the path that brought me."

"Ada May's room has been waiting for her. I'm sure she wouldn't mind
your using it. I hope she will be coming soon but right now it will be
good to have it occupied. Your car is in good hands. Eddie Bleecken
owns that station. Eddie Junior has been running it since his Dad died.
Junior went to school with Ada May. I'll give him a call and tell him the
car belongs to Ada May's daughter He'll take really good care of it."

Annie smiled, "But I'll need the suitcase that's in the trunk if I'm
going to stay with you. I hope I'll still be welcome when I change into
jeans and sneakers. I can walk back and get it."

The old man held up his hand. "You'll do no such thing," he told her.
"Besides, Junior would have my skin if I didn't let him do a favor for
Ada May's daughter. He'll bring it down. I'll invite him to come for
dinner. I did learn to cook when I had to."

Annie couldn't believe her luck. Dinner with her Grandfather and a man,
who had been a friend of her Mother's, was more than she could have hoped
for. "If you're sure he wouldn't mind, that would be great. I did leave
my key with him. By the way, I learned to cook, too." She laughed.

When her Grandfather pushed the gate open and offered his arm, Annie
linked her arm through his and smiled as she told him, "O.K., Grandpa.
Let's see this cabin that I've dreamed about for so long." When she saw
him looking at her with a question on his face, she added, "I'll explain
later." When they entered the cabin, she saw a big room with a fireplace
that was dark and empty.

When he saw her looking at it, her grandfather explained, "It's been
pretty warm lately, besides, I had a furnace installed when we added on
to the house. I only start a fire, occasionally to save on the gas bill.
Now let me show you to Ada May's room. There's a bath room next door to
it, if you want to freshen up a bit."

Annie followed him down a long hall. When he opened a door to Mama's
room, the sunshine poured through a large window and lighted the hall.
Annie saw a room that held furniture that might have been purchased 40
years ago but, like the other furniture she had noticed in the living
roon, was so fine that it would probably last another 40. The doilies,
on the dresser and side tables, looked like the ones Mama had made for
their condo. When she saw the cover on the bed, she couldn't help but
exclaim,as she touched it, "How beautiful!"

Annie heard tears in Grandpa's voice, as he replied, "Ada May made it
just before…" He let the words trail into nothingness, then cleared his
throat to say, "She was going to have it after she married."
Annie wanted to ask him more but thought better of it.

"I better make that call. You'll like Eddie. He's a bachelor so I'm
sure he'll appreciate getting his dinner made for him," he told her.
As he started down the hall, Annie called after him, "Remember I can cook
if you need any help."

Cont.

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Black Hole

BLACK HOLE BANK 2

Ted Moller had finally worked his way up to the ATM machine at his bank. He had a few things to say to the machine so he was glad he was the last in line.

As he stepped inside the small enclosure, he patted the ATM gently. "Good evening, Clarissa," he told her. Ted always named the important inanimate objects and gave them gender. That way he could converse with them on a human level, which was good since he had few human friends to talk to. "You know I'm going to be 50 years old the 24^th of this month, April," he told her, then continued, "I'm only a janitor and my relatives all think they should send me money on my birthday. Since my folks died, my aunts and uncles…let'see there's, Uncles Elmer and Henry and Aunts Matilda and Helen…well, anyway, since Ma no longer reminds them of the date, they send me checks any time during April. A few days ago, I gave you Uncle Elmer's check and you gave me back my bank card but no deposit slip. I went in the bank to talk to the bank manager who turned me over to a nice looking lady of color like me, who checked and found just a piece of my check. She said the bank was sorry and wondered if Uncle Elmer could write a new check. I was sure he could but, when I got my pay check yesterday, I came inside to deposit it just to be sure. The same lady saw me. When I told her why I was there, she said that she was sure you would never do that again, so, here I am with Aunt Matilda's check. Please don't eat this one."

He had put in his bank card and punched his pin number then the Savings Account button and slid the check into the slot. He wasn't sure, but thought he heard an "Ummm" like someone swallowing a delicious morsel of food. When his card came back without a deposit slip he shouted, "Clarissa, you did it again.."

"Hey you," a man shouted. " What are you doing? Having a romance with the damn ATM? The wind is getting cold. Besides, some of the rest of us would like to get our turn." Ted hadn't realized that there were some new people in the line.

"Sorry." He apologized. " Didn't realize you were there. She ate my check again. Must be a black hole bank in there. Now I'll have to go in the bank and get it straightened out."

"Did you hear that? SHE ate his check. Wouldn't you know? There's a WOMAN in a Black Hole in there." Only the men in line laughed. The woman next to the man hit him with her purse.

Ted hurried to get inside the bank where he sought out the woman who had helped him before.

"Ah, Mr. Moler. Good to see you again. I hope all is well with you."

She did seem glad to see him, Ted thought. Maybe he shouldn't tell her.

The woman saw his hesitation. "Don't tell me Clarissa is acting up again."

Ted forgot he had told her about the name. Actually, she had told him she thought it was a nice thing to do. "I'm afraid so, she did it again," he answered. "This time it was Aunt Matilda's check. You won't believe this but it sounded like she enjoyed the taste of it."

The woman opened her eyes wide, saying, "We're going to have to have someone check her over, Ted."

He really liked the warm feeling he got when she said his given name out loud. "That's all right," he said. "I'm sure Aunt Matilda will write another check. I'll try Clarissa when I get another birthday check. Maybe I'll see you again soon."

The woman smiled. "That would be….nice."

Ted left the bank with the biggest smile he could remember ever having. It lasted all the way home on the bus and until he got to his 2^nd floor apartment and saw his neighbor standing in the hall, waiting for him. Ted was trying to think up a new way to tell his neighbor that he didn't have an extra bottle of beer for him when the neighbor reached into Ted's mailbox and pulled out the contents.

"Here you are. No charge unless you can spare a bottle of beer." The man had been looking at the mail in his hand before he offered it to Harry. "Mostly junk but one is from a Henry Moller. Might be important."

Ted's Mother had taught him to always be polite but the neighbor had put an end to Ted's politeness, when he pulled the mail out of the box. He shook the mail in the neighbor's face. "Uncle Sam takes a dim view of somebody stealing mail. And, NO, I don't have any beer for you." He unlocked his door, went in and slammed the door in the man's face.

Ted heard the man shouting, "Drink all your beer yourself you no good…" The rest of the speech was lost as the neighbor slammed his own door.

The smile returned to Ted's face as the vision of the nice woman at the bank came to him. "I'll have a beer and celebrate," he said as he approached the refrigerator. "OK, Eddie, lets see if you do have a beer. I met this nice lady at the bank today. It's the second time I had to get her help and, if that's a birthday check from Uncle Henry in the mail, I might have to see her again tomorrow. That is if Clarissa cooperates. I told you about her and what she did to me. If she does it again tomorrow, I'll have to go into the bank again."

Ted drank his beer and caught a baseball game on TV. Uncle Henry's check had been for his birthday,so, Ted went to bed and dreamed of the lovely lady of color at the bank.

The next day, at work, time seemed to stand still but closing time finally came. As Ted was making his way to the bank, he felt like someone was following him. Looking around, he saw no one and decided it was his imagination. At the bank, he was glad to be last in line, He had a few things to say to Clarissa and he wanted some privacy.

When the person in front of him had finished, Ted stepped into the small enclosure and gave the ATM a friendly pat. "Good afternoon, Clarissa," he told her Hope you're feeling better after eating my check yesterday." Ted put in his pin number and the deposit slip and Uncle Henry's check.

When he heard a female voice say, "I'm fine Ted. I hope you know how much your visits mean to me."

Ted looked around and saw no one. "It's me, silly, Clarissa"

Ted had never had one of the inanimate objects talk back to him. He was so surprised he couldn't speak.

More people had gathered in the waiting line. Someone yelled, "What are you doing, making love to that damn machine. Some of the rest of us would like to get our turn."

"Sorry," Ted told them "But…but…" He couldn't get any farther when Clarissa started to speak again.

"You are so kind that I've grown to l love you. I wanted to get your attention so I ate your checks but today, I'll give your check back and lots more so you can buy anything you want." Teds check came out first then the 20 dollar bills spewed out one after the other.

"What the…" said the first man in line. "He must have done something funny. Somebody with a cell phone, call the cops."

"No, No, please, I didn't…" Ted tried to explain. Then he heard a familiar voice yelling.

"I already called them. Sounds like their coming, neighbor. Let's see how much of your beer you can drink in a jail cell." Ted knew his neighbor had been following him to see how much trouble he could cause.

The next few minutes went so fast Ted could hardly remember what happened. He had been trying to retrieve all the bills. He was sure some of the people in line had helped themselves to a few of them. Then the police were there ordering everyone to turn over the money. One policeman took the money as evidence and the other one had handcuffed Ted and put him in the back of the police car.

He saw the lady from the bank trying to talk to the policemen but they told her she would have to come to the station to straighten it out. The next thing he remembered, he had been booked and put in a holding cell.

He didn't know how long he had been there when a cop opened the door. "Come on you, the one with the bank problem. You're being released." Ted followed him to the front of the station.

There was the lady from the bank talking to someone at the desk. When she saw him, she hurried over to tell him, "It's all right, Ted. I explained and they called the bank manager. He told them about the ATM, too."

Ted felt as though a tremendous weight had been removed from his shoulders. "Thank you, thank you," he kept repeating.

"We really apologize to you for the ATM causing so much trouble," she said.

Ted heard kindness in her every word. Then he heard himself saying something he didn't believe he could say, "But I got to meet you."

"And I got to meet you, Ted. Tell you what, I have some stew cooking in a slow cooker at home. Why don't you come home with me? We can share."

"Won't your husband mind having you bring a strange man home with you?" Ted asked.

She smiled at him. "Never got around to getting married, Ted. Just like you."

Ted returned her smile, with dividends. "You seem to know a lot about me but I don't even know your name."

She patted his cheek. "I thought you knew, Ted. I'm Clarissa."

.

Tree

THE LITTLEST TREE

Joyce Peterson

The littest tree stood on the lot, all alone.

The big trees had all been sold, they were gone,

To the houses in town, or the ones, on the hill.

But the littlest tree, overlooked, stood there still.

Big ones would be trimmed with ornaments, bright lights.

Tinsel would surround their limbs in the coming nights.

But the littlest tree felt the chill of a cold winter's snow,

As it wondered if there was somebody, anybody, to know

That ,trimmed with ornaments, tinsel and lights, it would be,

Though small, one of the glorious and wonderful sights to see.

The man in charge saw that no more buyers were left on the lot

He went toward the gate. "Might as well close up," the man thought.

But an old man in rags, pushing a cart, stopped him, before he could.

"Looks like you've got one more tree on your lot. It's still is made of wood,

Some of us could build a fire under the bridge to keep ourselves warm."

The other man nodded and said, "A fire under the bridge would do no harm.

And I've made enough money today. Go ahead, take the tree, build the fire."

The old man took the littlest tree and tied up its limbs with some left over wire.

The littlest tree had begun to shake when it heard that a fire would be its fate.

"Let's go, little tree," the old man said, "the gang might leave if we get there too late."

The old man whispered gently as he told the tree, "No fire for you. We have other plans.

We'll trim you with whatever we have, belt buckles, shoe laces, maybe old soda cans,

Bottle caps, soda straws, a paper made angel on top, just anything that comes our way.

This year, the gang will have our very own tree to celebrate Christ's Special Day."

A man

Scrapbook

THE SCRAPBOOK

Joyce Peterson

Molly went to the old book case and pulled the time-worn scrapbook from the top shelf. She didn't know why she thought of it, in particular, as the "old bookcase". Everything in the house was old. She guessed it was because the books in the bookcase, all reminded her of times that were gone and would never return, especially the scrapbook, over which she ran a loving hand. It held memories of all sixty years that she had lived in this house in Los Angeles, over fifty-five of them with Bill. They had bought it when they were first married. Some of their friends lived close by, but Molly had out lived, not only Bill but all of their friends and relatives.

When she heard a noise, she went to the window and pulled the curtain aside. It was just Dobey, the neighborhood boy who tried to keep the yard looking the way it always had , when Bill was taking care of it.

Dobey was the oldest child of the colored family who had bought the house across the street soon after Bill died. Molly had seen him working in their yard and asked him if he would like to work for her. She had tried to keep the yard up, but her age and arthritis interfered. She was glad she hired the boy when she saw he had a knack for the work. He was, now, a Senior at the local High School and would be going away to college when he graduated next year but he was training his younger brother to help her. Somehow, knowing that, made her feel comforted.

She and Bill had bought the house thinking they would have a big family and there would be someone to inherit it. In the beginning, it had been in a nice area. But life had, as Bill said, thrown them a "curve". In time, the neighborhood had deteriorated. When gunfire began to be, what seemed like, a daily occurrence, they thought about moving but Bill's job hadn't paid enough for them to think of it. Besides, they spent what ever money they could on the trips that were preserved in the photographs in the scrapbook. And, there had been no children. She wished they had adopted, but they hadn't. Then, Bill died. Molly had never been one to make, what she thought of as "cup of coffee" friends and she had outlived all the relatives she had known. There was no one to leave everything to. That was why she had the lawyer make Dobey her heir. She hadn't told the boy. It would be a surprise.

Her yard was the only one on the street that people might stop to admire. Dobey hadn't known Bill but Molly told the boy so often that Bill "would want this or that plant, here or there", he followed her instructions. And, when Dobey wanted to change something in the yard, he told her it was because he thought Bill would want it that way. She had become fond of the boy. They understood each other.

Molly waved at Dobey then went back and sat on the old couch that had been covered with a spread to hide the worn spots. She opened the book and let the pages fall open where they would. When she looked down, she was no longer in this shabby neighborhood, but was sitting in a tour boat on a river in The Netherlands. She watched as the houses glided by and spotted the little one that seemed smashed between the two on either side of it. She could feel Bill's arm about her. She knew she couldn't see him, she had tried to see him one of the other times she had opened the book and found herself in one of their adventures, but she knew he was there. He kept his arm around her as they explored Delft and she wanted to buy a Delft Blue cup as a souvenir but she thought she could hear him whisper, "Where you gonna put it? That old cabinet won't hold any more." So she put the cup back. She thought she heard a shot, but it wasn't in The Netherlands, it was in the neighborhood. She closed the scrapbook and went to the window in time to see Dobey running down the street. She kept watching until she saw him run back. When he saw her at the window, he shouted, "It's OK. Just a backfire this time, not gunfire" Molly wasn't a particularly religious woman but she uttered, "Thank God."

Molly looked at the clock that had hung on the living room wall so long that, when she tried to move it to another room, it had left such a clean, clock-shaped place on the wall, she left it where it was. She wondered about the mirror that hung near it. Was there a clean spot behind it? The mirror looked the same, but the wrinkled face looking out at her looked like a stranger to the one that had just taken a tour to The Netherlands. This one wore an old blue sweat suit that was a couple of sizes too big for her since she had shrunk with age. Since she never went anywhere and there was no one to dress for now, she wrinkled her nose at the old woman in the mirror. She wasn't the one to whom Bill told that she was so lovely, he couldn't believe his luck being married to her. She had always known she was the lucky one of that twosome.

When she noticed it was 5 o'clock, she went to the front door and called out to Dobey. "It's 5, Dobey. Better be going home. But come back tomorrow and finish trimming those rosebushes."

"OK, Miss Molly, by golly." He always said that because, after she had asked him to address her by her name, he could see that it made her smile. He started for the shed to put the tools away.

She called out, "By the way, stop in tomorrow. I want to show you something." When she saw him give her the big "O" for OK, she closed the door. She would show him the scrapbook and tell him what wonderful adventures he could have by looking at it. After all, it would belong to him someday. She would tell him that she would leave the book to him but not about the house and the rest of it.

She went to the kitchen wondering what to have to eat. Dinner would be one of the frozen dinners she bought or one that she had frozen from a dinner she had taken the trouble to cook for herself. She always cooked enough so she could do that. Cooking had never been one of her specialties but her hand went first to one of her own dinners. While she was eating it, she decided she hadn't been such a bad cook. Bill had never complained.

When she looked at the TV schedule for the evening, she decided she'd rather look at her scrapbook again. She turned to the section that contained post cards of places they had never visited. She had sent away for the cards. Her dreams of these places were not as clear as the others that she and Bill had visited and Bill never was as close in them, but she liked the postcards and wondered if her scrapbook adventures of them were anything like the real thing.. She fell asleep day–dreaming of climbing stairs at Machu Pichu but, when she almost fell off the couch, she woke up and went to bed.

The next day, Dobey knocked on her door, when he came after school. "You said to stop in. You had something to show me," he reminded her when she opened the door.

She was still wearing the blue sweat suit and combing her hair with her fingers. She had forgotten. Memory was not her best suit these days. "Oh, of course. Come on in. Take a seat on the couch." She saw him look at her, questioning whether he should come in. "It's all right. I just had a nap. Wait until I get my scrapbook."

The boy sat down and watched as she drug the big book down.

"I better get back to those rosebushes," he told her, sounding uneasy in unfamiliar situation.

"This won't take long, Dobey. This scrapbook will be yours someday. I'll leave it to you when I….die. I just wanted you to know that it's a magic book that will take you any place you want to go," she told him.

She must have captured his interest. "Even to the bull fights in Mexico?" He asked.

"I think you might be able to go there." She told him as she remembered the postcard in the book. "But I hope you will go to many other places, too." She sat down by him and let the book fall open to pictures of Egypt and suddenly she was there and Dobey was beside her. However, when she looked at him, he was looking at her strangely. "I think I'd better go do those bushes before it gets dark."

Molly could see that the boy had not been with her in Egypt. She wondered if the book had to belong to you before it was magic. She really wanted Dobey to see all the wonderful places the book held in its pages.

The next week or two was so quiet that Molly remarked to Dobey, "Maybe all the gunfire is over. Maybe the boys have finally come to their senses. They surely don't gain anything but jail time when they're caught."

"Yeah, you'd think they'd get wise but …" Dobey stopped when there was gunfire a couple of blocks away. "Go on in the house. I'll go home for a little while. Sometimes they think it's fun to shoot up the whole neighborhood."

He was right, because after he was gone, and Molly had found refuge in her living room, there were shots coming from a couple of blocks away in the other direction.

"Darn kids." Molly swore as she pulled the scrapbook down and let it fall open. Suddenly, she was on a bus in an Egyptian town. A Pyramid was in the distance but so tall it looked like it was guarding the town. She could feel Bill's presence as usual. He would protect her but then the gunfire got closer and it was so loud she looked up and Bill was standing there, Bill himself, in person.

"Bill, I can see you…" she said. He looked as he did when they married. Looking down, she saw she had on the dress she wore when they had gone to Las Vegas to be wed. Her hands looked younger. Feeling her face, she could tell the wrinkles were gone.

"I know, Molly. I've been waiting for you…" he answered, as he pulled her up beside him.

They both looked as Dobey burst in the door and rushed toward the figure on the couch. "Miss Molly, Miss Molly", he cried as he put his arm around her. "Miss Molly, by golly…." He sobbed over and over until he saw the scrapbook open on her lap.

Bill and Molly found themselves on the bus going to the Pyramids. In front of them, Dobey was gazing in wonder at his surroundings, "Miss Molly, I can see it. Just like you told me but why did you have to die so I could…"

"It's all right, Dobey," she told him. "I'm where I belong. Enjoy the book. I'm sure we'll meet again."

Dobey looked around but there was no one behind him. #end

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