Zinfandel Advocates
Alpaca Finn heard through the Chanceville Grapevine, which has been alive and well as long as Chanceville has been Chanceville that Milton Matthews was in the Loone County Hospital. All she could find out was that he had had minor surgery. The hospital was located near the parsonage so she decided to walk over there and pay him a visit. This would be her opportunity to show him what a caring person she was. It had not escaped her that he would be a captive audience. She was not one to pass up a chance to insert herself into eligible bachelors lives.
She took special care with her appearance that day; she chose a dark purple suit and a creamy white blouse to accentuate her dark eyes and hair. She had taken to wearing gloves after observing that Miss Mayrose Mayhern always wore gloves and Milton, seemed intrigued by that plain spinster. Fortunately, she had been to the Lovely Locks the day before and had those pesky gray hairs touched up. Her only jewelry was a modest gold watch given to her by an admirer before she left Saints of the Lakes.
It was a lovely autumn day, just right for a short walk. Even if it had been a scorcher, she wouldn’t have sweat. Alpaca never let anyone see her sweat. She stopped at the information desk and found out that Milton was in room 211. She made a quick stop in the ladies room to check her makeup and hair. Her hair was pulled back into such a tight French twist, that there was no way it could have moved. When she was satisfied with what she saw in the mirror, she made her way to Milton’s room. She reminded herself that she should quit thinking of him as Milton, lest that slip out. For now, it was Mr. Matthews.
She tapped lightly on his door and walked on in. He was asleep, so she sat down quietly and waited, taking this opportunity to give him a thorough looking over. She liked what she saw. His white hair glowed in the sun that was shining through the window. She remembered his warm brown eyes from their encounter in the stationery store. His hands looked soft and uncalloused. Alpaca was about to reach for his hand when Nurse Jackson came in to check his vitals. They were both surprised to see each other.
“Oh, I didn’t know Mr. Matthews had company,” said the nurse. She had heard through that Chanceville Grapevine that Miss Finn was on a mission to find a husband and was immediately suspicious of the visitor’s motives.
“Mr. Matthews is a dear friend and I felt it my duty to call on him to find out how he is faring,” replied Alpaca.
“Of course,” said Nurse Jackson, not believing a word of it.
Milton woke up when Nurse Jackson put the blood pressure cuff on him. He smiled at her and closed his eyes again. He had had an emergency appendectomy in the early hours of that morning and was still pretty groggy.
“You have a visitor, Mr. Matthews,” said the nurse.
Milton looked over expecting to see his brother or sister-in-law; he flinched and then winced in pain when he saw Alpaca sitting there dressed to kill, an analogy that scared him.
“Why are you here, Miss Trout?” asked Milton, trying to make sense of this through the fog of pain medication.
“It’s Miss Finn, Mr. Matthews. Of course, it’s not unexpected for you to be a little fuzzy after what you’ve been through,” said Alpaca going on a fishing expedition.
“What have I been through?” asked Milton, not taking the bait. Nurse Jackson smiled to herself, thinking that Miss Finn had met her match.
“Well, you know, your illness,” said Alpaca, casting out once again.
“Oh, that,” said Milton as he closed his eyes. Alpaca thought she detected a sly smile. This wasn’t going to be easy. That’s okay, she thought, I like a challenge.
Nurse Jackson finished recording Milton’s vitals and told him everything looked good.
“I’ll be back later to check on you,” she said.
“Make it soon,” he mumbled and gave her a wink before closing his eyes again.
Alpaca cleared her throat and stood up. Milton opened his eyes in anticipation that this woman might be leaving. Instead she laid a book on his hospital tray. “I brought you this book, The Fascinating History of Chanceville, Indiana. I have one myself and I did, indeed, find it fascinating,” she told Milton.
“That’s very kind of you, but there’s no need to bring me a gift,” said Milton.
“It’s my pleasure. I’m sure, after what you’ve been through, you’ll need something to distract you until you’re able to return home,” she said, continuing to cast. Of course, she had plans to nurse him back to health once he was released from the hospital. And somehow through the haze, Milton beat her to the punch.
“I’ll be going to Celia and James’ once I’m released. I’ll enjoy sharing this book with them,” he said, simultaneously bursting her bubble of caring for him and making her gift totally impersonal. In spite of that, she sat back down. He was about to tell her he was tired and wanted to sleep when Mrs. Crabtree, notorious hospital volunteer, came in with her cart of magazines and candy supplied by the Hospital Volunteer Fund. Milton let out an inadvertent groan. Hadn’t he been tortured enough today? He had heard all about Miss Crabtree at the Tipp Top Diner.
Homco Bisque Porcelain Bell
“GOOD AFTERNOON, Mr. Matthews,” said Mrs. Crabtree, who was quite deaf and, apparently, thought everyone else was, too.
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Crabtree,” mumbled Milton futilely trying not to engage her.
“Is there something on the cart you’d like?” she asked.
In order to get rid of her quickly, Milton pointed to a fishing magazine.
“Of course,” she said. “As soon as we pray for your speedy recovery.”
“That won’t be necessary,” he said.
“Of course it is. Only the Lord can heal. Only the Lord can give me permission to give you this magazine,” she said.
“Then I guess the “Lord” doesn’t want me to have this magazine, because I don’t want to be prayed over, or preyed upon,” he said, looking at Alpaca, who shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
At that, Mrs. Crabtree whirled her cart around running over Alpaca’s highly polished black leather pump mumbling something about heathens and their concubines.
“I’m very tired and in some pain,” said Milton as he rang for the nurse. “I think it’s time for you to go.”
“Of course,” she said. “I’ll be back tomorrow to check on you.”
“That’s not necessary at all. My brother and sister-in-law are keeping a close eye on me. Thank you for the book. I’m sure we’ll enjoy it.”
Even though she knew she was being dismissed, Alpaca walked over to Milton’s bed and tried to take his hand, which he immediately withdrew. She left without a word, but not without a plan.
