[Author’s Note: While William and Marietta leave Xifeat, I want to share another story with Ollie and Thelma for Epiphanytide. (You can read what happened to Thelma and Ollie during Christmas’ story – here.) Now, let’s see what Ollie and Thelma are up to.]

Settling for the Night 

“I think this is what I’ve missed most these past 8 months, Thelma” says I from the archway of our front porch. She stands in the stone doorway behind me after dinner. I’ve long since forgotten when we started retiring here, but I do recall that it happened because Thelma forbade business talk at “her” dinner table.  

Thelma stuck to that prohibition when we returned home a little over a week ago. Her only reply, tonight, is to put a finger over her pink lips. She looks over both sides of the porch, with the same narrow eyes given to our scale at market. 

She turns from the two chairs on the far side. Instead, she glides into her spot nearest the end of the porch in our rocking loveseat. A steady motion emerges a heartbeat later. 

Thelma says, “I really can’t say what I’ve missed the most, Ollie. This past week and a day shows me that I took much for granted before our trip to Diende.” A smirk flashes across her face as she cuts her yellow eyes at me. “Right now, I’d settle for two options: our porch or the view from it.”  

With a smile, I accept that invitation. Although, I still take each step, as I did in Diende’s forests. My eyes watch every footfall. I plop into my spot on the loveseat and raise my eyes to our yard. 

The blackening plum of moonset spreads the shadows of our apple trees across the yard. My eyes reflex to the sky, but the stars have not yet broken through the clouds. And, the main road to market sits vacant just at the farthest edge. 

“The high road looks empty tonight.” Thelma says to break the silence. 

My family chose this spot generations ago for this view of the road. Even on holiday from the market, they could keep an eye on things. While Thelma has appreciated that over her ten years here, she finds the view more useful for building relationships with our trade partners. 

I say, “I suppose so. We’re out here after most everyone has gone home. You and I both know that few want to be on the road between moonset and the road lights getting lit.” 

A Guest

The sound of crunching gravel snaps our attention to the other side of our yard. A half-circle, gravel path loops from the road to our house; it eases the deliveries from our growers, so we can take stuff to market. Some unexpected guest marches down that path at that moment though. 

It’s Laverne, one of our friendly competitors. She slows down before taking one step into the light from the touches on our porch. 

“Hey, y’all,” Laverne says. “May I join you?” Laverne leans forward with her hands in the pockets of her favorite denim dress. 

I look at Thelma, who’s looking at me, so I shrug. Thelma says, “Sure, Laverne, come on up,” and I add, “Grab one of those chairs on the other side.”

Laverne hauls herself up the three steps to the porch, glancing between the chairs and where we sit. One hand falls on the top of the nearest chair before she drags the chair that I made for Thelma on our fifth wedding anniversary. After two steps, I’m out of my seat to help her with the chair. I set it with her back to the yard, and I return to my seat next to Thelma. 

Thelma pats my leg before turning her attention to Laverne, who’s breathing heavily. Thelma wonders, “Laverne, so nice of you to visit this evening; for what do we receive this courtesy?”

Laverne sags toward us and says, “I could ask y’all the same question. Guess who came to visit me today?”

Thelma and I have worked quickly to set up our Tolrsie production, so we can’t process this detail on cue. We shrug simultaneously. 

Laverne chuckles. “Well, I guess y’all are still tired from your little adventure,” Laverne says. “Maybe that’s why Thomas Gallagher came to see me today? Is he simply thinking you’ve lost your edge?”

A Vague Idea

I roll my lips together. That idea’s preposterous, but Thelma and I’s secret is still intact, at least. I say, “Ah, we did send Mr. Gallagher down to see you, didn’t we?” Thelma nods, so I continue. “Well, Laverne, we plan several changes to our operations, including a partial move into the production side. We don’t know that Mr. Gallagher will have more success with you, but we do know you’ll treat him right.”

Laverne drapes against the back of her chair with eyes narrowed at Thelma and me. “Yeah, I’ll take great care of him; he’s a good grower of Biferush, and I’ll reward him for that.” Laverne says, “Still, I thought he did rather well for y’all. Must be a big plan for ‘operational shifts’ if y’all are pawning him off.”

Thelma’s head rolls from side to side. “We are just at the beginning of these changes.” Thelma says, “The plan’s basically a complete redo of our operations. But stay tuned, because Ollie’s got a revolutionary product coming to market.” Thelma slides forward in her seat. “In the meantime, we’re just trying to be a little light ourselves.”

“What do you mean?” Laverne asks while wringing her hands in her lap. She says, “We can’t be light; light only comes from our little moon and what we can force from the Biferush.”

“That’s what we thought,” I say. “But, we found something a little different across the Flusis. Plus, it’ll solve the struggles of getting the Biferush seeds to sprout.” I can’t hide the smile from my excitement.

Laverne slaps her knees with both hands. She says, “Well, if you can solve that problem, that’d be great.” She stands while she talks. “That would be a big project indeed. Y’all keep your vagaries for now, and we’ll see what you can do.” Thelma and I stand with her. “I need to be getting back for now. Don’t worry about Thomas; he’s in good hands.”

Thelma says with a nod, “We know he is. Thanks for the visit, Laverne.”

“Don’t worry about the chair. I’ll put it back when we finish.” I say quickly.

“Well, I still don’t know what y’all are up to, but I’ll keep my eyes open. Good luck, you two.” Laverne takes one glance at both of us and lumbers into the darkness. 

Back in my seat, I run my hands over my face. Thelma asks, “What’s wrong, Ollie?”

“I couldn’t begin a wager on Laverne’s embellishments for this conversation tomorrow at market,” says I.

Thelma takes a deep breath while patting my shoulder. She looks over our yard, staring at the place where Laverne disappeared. Thelma says, “You’re right, Ollie. Still, we’ve got work to do, so we can’t worry about that.”

Before I can add my retort, Thelma points at the horizon. “Look,” she says, “isn’t that Big Frog in the sky? Those kind folks in Uliccob showed us that one first, right?”

“Good eye, Thelma.” I say, “We never would’ve made it without that training. Though, our occasional clearings make the stars much easier to read than the canopy in Diende.”

I wrap an arm across Thelma’s shoulders as we search the night sky, and her head rests on my shoulder. We, finally, move past this day into this moment. That chair needs a relocation before we both fall asleep right here, but I’m not moving yet.