Mary Clark - A Cry In The Night

Beth and Tina shrank against Jenny. There was something about this woman, about the staring eyes and slight tremor, that frightened them.

My God, Jenny thought. Her only child and she hasn’t heard from her in ten years. I would go mad.

“See her picture here.” Rooney indicated a framed picture on the wall. “I took that just two weeks before she left.”

Jenny studied the picture of a sturdy, smiling teenager with curly blond hair.

“Maybe she’s married and has babies too,” Rooney said. “I think about that a lot. That’s why when I saw you coming along with the little ones, I thought maybe that’s Arden.”

“I’m sorry,” Jenny said.

“No, it’s all right. And please don’t tell Erich I’ve been talking about Arden again. Clyde said Erich is sick of listening to me always going on about Arden and Caroline. Clyde said that’s why Erich retired me from my job at the house when his dad died. I took real good care of that house, just like my own. Clyde and I came here when John and Caroline were married. Caroline liked the way I did things and even after she died I kept everything just so for her, as though she’d be walking in any minute. But come on in the kitchen. I made doughnuts and the coffeepot’s on.”

Jenny could smell the perking coffee. They sat around the white enamel table in the cheerful kitchen. Hungrily Tina and Beth munched at still-warm powdered doughnuts and drank milk.

“I remember when Erich was that age,” Rooney said. “I used to make those doughnuts for him all the time. I was the only one Caroline ever left him with if she went out shopping. Felt almost like he was my own. Still do, I guess. I didn’t have Arden for ten years after we wuz married but Caroline had Erich that first year. Never saw a little boy loved his mother more. Never wanted her out of his sight. Oh, you do look like her, you do.”

She reached for the coffeepot and refilled Jenny’s cup. “And Erich’s been so good to us. He spent ten thousand dollars on private detectives trying to find where Arden went.”

Yes, Jenny thought, Erich would do that. The clock over the kitchen sink began to chime. It was noon. Hastily Jenny got up. Erich would be home. She wanted terribly to be with him. “Mrs. Toomis, we’d better run. I do hope you’ll come and visit us.”

“Call me Rooney. Everybody does. Clyde don’t want me to go to the big house anymore. But I fool him. I go up there a lot to make sure everything’s nice. And you come back here again and visit. I like having company.”

A smile made a remarkable transformation in her face. For a moment the drooping, sad lines disappeared and Jenny knew she’d been right in guessing that at one time Rooney Toomis had been a very pretty woman.

Rooney insisted they take a plate of doughnuts home. “They’re good for an afternoon snack.” As she held open the door for them she started to turn up the collar of her sweater. “I think I’ll start looking for Arden now,” she sighed. Once again her voice had become vague.

The noon sun was brilliant, high in the heavens, shining on the snow-covered fields. As they turned the bend, the house came into view. The pale red of the brick glowed under the sun’s rays. Our home, Jenny thought. She held the girls by the hand. Was Rooney going to walk aimlessly around these acres looking for her lost child?

“That was a very nice lady,” Beth announced.

“Yes, she was,” Jenny agreed. “Come on, now. On the double. Daddy’s probably waiting for us.”

“Which daddy?” Beth asked matter-of-factly.

“The only one.”

Just before she opened the kitchen door, Jenny whispered to the children. “Let’s tiptoe in and surprise Daddy.”

Eyes sparkling, they nodded.

Noiselessly she turned the handle. The first sound they heard was Erich’s voice. It was coming from the dining room, each angry word pitched slightly higher than its predecessor. “How dare you tell me that I might have caused that stain! It’s obvious that you let the oil rag touch the wallpaper when you dusted the windowsill. Do you realize the entire room will have to be repapered now? Do you know how difficult it will be to get that pattern again? How many times have I warned you about those oil rags?”

“But, Mr. Krueger…” Elsa’s protest, nervously loud, was cut off.

“I want you to apologize for blaming that mess on me. Either apologize or get out of this house and don’t come back.”

There was silence.

“Mommy,” Beth whispered, frightened.

“Sshh,” Jenny said. Erich couldn’t be that upset over that little smudge on the paper, could he? she wondered. Stay out of it, some instinct warned. There’s nothing you can do.

As she heard Elsa’s sullen, unhappy voice say, “I apologize, Mr. Krueger,” she pulled the children outside and closed the door.

Why is Daddy mad?” Tina asked.

“I’m really not sure, love. But we’ll pretend that we didn’t hear him. All right?”

“But we did hear him,” Beth said seriously.

“I know,” Jenny agreed, “but it doesn’t have anything to do with us. Now, come on. Let’s go in again.”

This time she called, “Erich, hi,” before they were even in the house. Not pausing to allow an answer she called again, “Is there a husband in this place?”

“Sweetheart!” Erich hurried into the kitchen, his smile welcoming, his entire manner relaxed. “I’ve just been asking Elsa where you were. I’m disappointed you went out. I wanted to show you around myself.”

His arms were around her. His cheek, still cold from the outdoors, rubbed against hers. Jenny blessed the instinct that had kept her from visiting the farm buildings.

“I knew you’d want to give us the tour,” she said, “so we just walked across the east fields and got some fresh air. You can’t imagine how wonderful it is not to stop for a traffic light every few feet.”

“I’ll have to teach you to be sure to avoid the fields where the bulls are kept,” Erich smiled. “Believe me, you’d prefer the traffic lights.” He became aware of the plate she was holding. “What’s that?”

“Mrs. Toom gave that to Mommy,” Beth told him.

“Mrs. Toomis,” Jenny corrected.

“Mrs. Toomis,” Erich said. His arms dropped to his sides. “Jenny, I hope you’re not going to tell me you were in Rooney’s house?”

“She waved to us,” Jenny explained. “It would have been so rude…”

“She waves to anyone who passes,” Erich interrupted. “This is why you really ought to have waited for me to take you around, darling. Rooney is a very disturbed woman and if you give her an inch she’ll take a stranglehold on you. I finally had to lay it to Clyde that he must keep her away from this house. Even after I retired her, I’d come home and find her puttering in here. God help her, I’m sorry for her, Jenny, but it got pretty rough waking up in the middle of the night and hearing her walking around the hall or even standing in my room.” He turned to Beth. “Come on, Mouse. Let’s get that snowsuit off.” He lifted Beth in the air and to her delight sat her on top of the refrigerator.

“Me too, me too,” Tina cried.

“You too, you too,” he mimicked. “Now isn’t this a good way to get your boots off?” he asked them. “Just the right height isn’t it, Mommy?”

Apprehensively Jenny moved nearer to the refrigerator to make sure that one of the girls didn’t lean forward too far and topple off it but she realized there was no need to worry. Erich quickly yanked the small overshoes off and lifted the girls down. Before he put them on the ground he said, “Okay, you two, what’s my name?”

Tina looked at Jenny. “Daddy?” she said, her voice a question.