The House of Eve (85)

“Bernie! I wasn’t expecting you today,” she said with too much glee in her voice, and she saw him blush under her attention.

“Sorry to disturb you. The boards for the shelving unit just came in and I wanted to make sure they fit while I had my friend’s truck.”

“Come on in, it’s freezing,” she said, closing the door behind him. “I was just having breakfast. Would you like some pancakes?”

He looked at her incredulously. They had become quite friendly over the past few weeks, chatting about music, his childhood in Grenada, her work at the library, but to eat together was too familiar. Eleanor bit her bottom lip, knowing that her loneliness had loosened her tongue.

“No, ma’am, I just ate. If it’s all right with you, I’m just going to get the boards from the truck and carry them up.”

Eleanor got out of the way and returned to her food at the kitchen table. Bernie hummed as he moved up the stairs, and the sound comforted her. After she wolfed down her pancakes and washed the dishes, she couldn’t help herself from going upstairs.

“Mind if I sit?” She pointed to the rocking chair that had been delivered a few days earlier.

Bernie had rolled up his sleeves, exposing his muscular mocha arms, and she wondered for the umpteenth time about his family. Where did he live? Was he married with children? Or alone.

“As long as your husband don’t mind,” he said, then called over his shoulder, “the fumes and all from the paint.”

“It’s dry by now.”

“It is but the smell lingers.”

“I’ll be fine. My husband went to New York for his brother’s engagement party. I couldn’t travel in my condition.”

“You spent Thanksgiving alone?” Bernie moved toward the window and opened it, letting in a sliver of fresh air.

“All my family lives in Ohio. But it wasn’t so bad,” she added. “How was yours?”

“Not a holiday that we celebrate. I just got together with some friends and played cricket.”

“Did you eat turkey and collard greens?” she chuckled.

“Naw. We had chicken, rice and peas. Few slices of avocado.”

“Avocado?”

“You never had one before?”

“No.”

“We’ll have to fix that,” he said with his singsong laugh.

As the minutes drifted into hours, they fell into an easy rhythm. Bernie sang his songs, and Eleanor handed him the screws, nails and hammer when he called for them. By late afternoon, all the shelving had been installed and the crib was nearly assembled.

Eleanor went downstairs as Bernie packed up, making trips out to the truck with his supplies. She was wondering how she’d spend the rest of the evening when Bernie returned through the back door with something in his hand.

“This is an avocado, ma’am.” He held the dark green oval-shaped object out to her. “All you have to do is slice it in half, scoop out the inside and mash it with a little salt.”

“Is it a vegetable or fruit?”

“Fruit. My mother always said, an avocado a day keeps the doctor away.”

“Mine would say an apple.” Eleanor brought the strange fruit to her nose.

“Well, since you brought it, I insist you share it with me before you go.” She went to the drawer and pulled out a knife, a spoon and a cutting board.

“Do you serve it with crackers?”

“You can. Or vegetables, like carrots or peppers.” He was a tall man, and his presence filled the space.

Eleanor reached into the icebox and pulled out a bunch of freshly chopped carrots. “My mother just told me that I needed to eat more vegetables.”

Bernie picked up the spoon and dished a little avocado onto each of their plates. They stood at the counter, dipping carrot sticks in the avocado. It was creamy and much more delicious than she had imagined.

“That is good.”

“Told you.” Bernie chewed.

“So, do you have family here?” she asked innocently.

“Something like that” was all he offered, and Eleanor wondered, a sister, a brother, a wife?

Just then, the back door creaked open and William walked in, carrying his traveling bag. Bernie stepped back from the counter as William looked from one of them to the other.

“Honey, you’re home early,” Eleanor said. “I thought you said Saturday.”

“Evening, Mr. Pride.” Bernie nodded toward William, and then he carried his plate to the sink. “I had better go.”

“Thanks for the avocado,” Eleanor called after him as a gush of wind blasted through the open door.

William dropped his bag and locked the back door. Then he turned his attention to Eleanor. “What was that?”

“What was what?” Eleanor took another bite of avocado and carrot.

“You eating with…”

“Bernie. His name is Bernie, and he was just sharing an avocado with me.”

“That all you do?”

“Are you serious?” She looked up at him, and when she realized that he was for real, her anger spiked quick as a hot flash. “You come in here accusing me when you’ve been off in New York doing God knows what?”

“I was at my brother’s engagement party.”