A House by the Side of the Road by Jan Gleiter Read Free Book Online Page A

mother. “Mom?”
    Christine looked at Meg, who clasped her hands in an attitude of intense supplication. “All right,” she sighed. “I’ll call the league commissioner tomorrow and find out when we can get the field.” She aimed a forefinger at Jane. “You call the kids. You call the kids every time they have to be called. All season. Deal?”
    â€œDeal!” said Jane. She and Meg slapped hands across the table.
    â€œWell, you all work out the details,” said Dan, pushing back his chair. “I’ve got to get the rest of the floor down in the Bensons’ addition. I’ll be back late.”
    â€œAgain?” asked Christine, looking stricken. “But, honey … again?”
    â€œI know. Sorry. There just isn’t anything I can do except do it.” He smiled at Meg. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you. I hope we’ll see you often.”
    After dinner, Christine and Meg sat in the living room with coffee while Jane and Teddy washed the dishes. A small black cat jumped onto the couch and pushed his head against Meg’s hand.
    â€œThat’s Charlie,” said Christine. “Just give him a shove if he’s annoying.”
    The cat rumbled contentedly as Meg scratched him. “You lean toward burly pets, don’t you?” she asked. “Warren G. is a major hunk of dog and this fellow looks like he’s on kitty steroids.”
    â€œAin’t none of us dainty,” replied Christine. “But maybe Mrs. Ehrlich had him lifting weights; I don’t know. We kind of inherited him when she died.”
    â€œThe lady with the great garden?”
    â€œUh-huh. She had one of the most detailed wills in the history of the county. ‘And to Christine Ruschman, my neighbor to the east, I leave all of my kitchen and table linens, both those in the top drawer in the pantry and those in the large oak trunk with the flat top in the attic,’ but it made no mention of Charlie.”
    â€œSo that’s where you came by your tablecloth. I wondered. Those old flowered ones from the thirties are getting hard to find.”
    Christine nodded. “Tell me about it. I am now, however, happily awash in them.”
    Meg regarded the cat, who had been overtaken by the need to remove some invisible impurity from his haunch. He sat splay-legged, bracing himself while twisting around to clean it off. “He’s really a chunk.”
    â€œHe was still a tom when he came meowing to Hannah’s back door, so that’s probably why he’s such a muscle-bound guy.”
    â€œWell, she ruined his night life,” said Meg, “I’m glad to see.”
    â€œIt was probably a relief to him,” replied Christine, an odd look passing briefly over her face. “Hey, girl, just where do you get off roping me into co-managing a baseball team? I can’t believe your nerve. I’ve got nothing else to do?”
    â€œAw, don’t be a poot,” said Meg. “You’ve got all that experience as the dreaded Mrs. Ruschman just going to waste. I’ll need somebody to scare the kids and keep order, so I can concentrate on being the one they like. Besides, Jane needs to play. It’s one of the most important things she can do. What’s she going to say ten years from now? ‘My mother never had time for me, so I couldn’t do any of the things I really liked. But I didn’t care, because our house was so clean!’ ?”
    Christine laughed. “I said I’d do it. But I intend to hold it against you.”
    â€œI’ll bear up,” said Meg. “She wants to play. And I want to coach. So if you don’t like it, tough. Anybody married to the man you’re married to needs to feel some pain. It’s only fair. Does he have any idea how good-looking he is?”
    Christine smiled. “I don’t know. I wonder sometimes. He is cute, isn’t he?”
    â€œOh,