Oh dear, we're all of a flutter!
It was around about that time that a busy Clara heard the back kitchen door being knocked on and opened in a familiar sort of way - it was one of the Patterson Forde girls, whose family ran the tailor shop down the road apiece.
"Howdy, Ma sent me round with that whisk we borrowed; she says thanks! Where's it go? I'll put it away for you if you like... looks like you've got your hands full!" the girl said helpfully. Since they'd arrived in town, the Patterson Fordes had become something of an infestation, their rather same-y bespectacled blonde heads appearing all over the place like prairie dogs popping their heads out of their underground lairs, here, there and everywhere.
Patty knew Clara's overworked situation in the busy kitchen only too well, she and her sister having helped her Ma run a similar eatery in the rough mining-boom settlement of Panamint City, California, until the who place had been destroyed by a flash flood last year.
When Clara turned, the twin helpfully informed her "It's Patty" with a little laugh, it was awkward for people to tell her and her sister Florence apart, even folks they'd know for years. Her Father denied that he had similar difficulties.
Constance had, of course, informed Clara that her father and stepmother - alright that term she still wasn't used to and might never get used to it - but she had work to do in the kitchen, now including that meal order too. She would make sure though she stopped on out there as soon as she could spare the time. There was a knock on the back door then? Now what? She had no scheduled deliveries from any of the ranches.
The door opened and in stepped one of those strange look alike newcomers, the Patterson Fordes, a girl, she had no real idea of their names.
"Yes?" Clara looked up from slicing some beef roast for two plates.
"Howdy, Ma sent me round with that whisk we borrowed; she says thanks! Where's it go? I'll put it away for you if you like... looks like you've got your hands full!" the girl said.
"Oh, that. Top cupboard, far right," Clara directed but kept working, visually checking only to see if the blonde had opened the right cupboard. Some folk could not follow the simplest directions. Even Jacob, she had once given him a verbal set of instructions on putting away the freshly washed clothes in the correct drawers. But he messed it all up. Fortunately she had married him for love not household chores.
When Clara turned, the twin helpfully informed her "Its Patty."
"Duly noted," nodded Clara, not much caring what her name was. She had enough slices now and it was time to plate them then heap up some mashed potatoes and gravy.
"Tell your mother, she is most welcome," she added.
Oh dear, we're all of a flutter!
Patty promptly put the whisk back where it belonged and then turned to take in the scene, it was one that she was certainly familiar with from her days working in the family's eatin’ place in Panamint City: you’d twiddle your thumbs one hour, then be overwhelmed with orders the next – obviously at breakfast, lunchtime and suppertime, but also at odd inexplicable moments, too: a big party’d come in all wanting to be fed at once and all the time the dirty dishes were piling up and the coffee wanting to be boiled and next lot of dishes prepared...
“Say, I don’t suppose you’d do me a favor and let me wash up that big pile of crockery for you, would you?” the girl with the specs suddenly asked the busy looking young woman “I need an excuse to not go home quite yet”
That was a lie, but Patty was one of life’s natural helpers, might be nice to clear the dishes for her neighbor.
“Say, I don’t suppose you’d do me a favor and let me wash up that big pile of crockery for you, would you?” the girl with the specs suddenly asked the busy looking young woman “I need an excuse to not go home quite yet”
Clara gave her a look of surprise, "Volunteering for that? I am not in the habit of expecting people to do work for me and not get paid and I am not currently hiring."
"Why though? Are you in trouble back home?" she was curious. She really knew nothing about the family.
Oh dear, we're all of a flutter!
Clara gave her a look of surprise, "Volunteering for that? I am not in the habit of expecting people to do work for me and not get paid and I am not currently hiring."
"Oh!"
Patty was a bit taken aback by the young woman's rather haughty and unneighbourly attitude. Still, she really knew nothing about Mrs Lutz. Maybe someone had volunteered to help her once and then pressed her for payment. Where she was from, friends and neighbours in the community were always in and out each other's houses, doing each other favours, helping each other out and borrowing and lending items from each other.
"Why though? Are you in trouble back home?" she was curious. She really knew nothing about the family.
Patty shook her head "No, nothing like that, just too many people in too few rooms. We get on each others' nerves. I'll go and have a look around the stores instead." Well, that would kill about two minutes!
She moved toward the door "Well, bye, thanks again for the use of the whisk. Maybe I'd better go and buy one for Ma from the General Store" she said as she left.
Lucinda's cheeks grew pink as Aurelian relayed Wyatt's words to her, and her heart warmed. She knew that she and her new stepson were getting along well, but hearing that Wyatt thought she was nice - even secondhand from Aurelian - was reassuring.
She laughed at the other revelation from Wyatt - she wasn't as good a cook as Clara. Everyone knew that, and had known it going into her marriage with Aurelian. "Well, it's not very hard to be a better cook than you," she teased with a grin. "I'm glad Wyatt realizes that."
Of course, no one expected Aurelian to be a good cook. He was a man, and even though he'd been a widower, he'd had Clara to cook for him so he'd never really had to learn. It was nothing to be ashamed of, and Lucinda appreciated his good attitude about all the good-natured teasing he endured from his children. It was one of the things she appreciated about him.
Patty shook her head "No, nothing like that, just too many people in too few rooms. We get on each others' nerves. I'll go and have a look around the stores instead."
Clara could understand that, there was many a time when people got on her nerves.
The girl moved toward the door "Well, bye, thanks again for the use of the whisk. Maybe I'd better go and buy one for Ma from the General Store" she said as she left.
"Nonsense, save your mother the money. You can borrow mine any time, I have no objections. Good day, nice to meet you," Clara called after her.
It was also not forgotten that she needed to get out there and talk with her father and stepmother.
"Well, it's not very hard to be a better cook than you," Lucinda teased with a grin. "I'm glad Wyatt realizes that."
"I'd take offense to that, my dear, if it wasn't all true," Aurelian chuckled.
"You know, once I approached the children and suggested perhaps it might be good for the boy's future if Clara taught him how to cook. Neither of them wanted anything to do with that idea. It was immediately voted down, 2 to 1."
"See, one advantage of marrying, is now there are two adults compared to one child. I'm no longer outnumbered."
Lucinda tilted her head back to laugh. She loved Aurelian's democratic way of doing things that included his children in decisions. "I'm glad I can help tilt the scales in your favor, dear." She stopped and held a hand to her mouth. "Oh. I think that was the first time I've called you dear."
She blushed slgihtly. It was a strange feeling, but a good one. Although she did love Aurelian, learning to express that had been a learning experience as they both became more comfortable with each other and lived daily life together. She shook off the oddity of the moment and leaned forward.
"I'm sure Wyatt will do just fine without knowing how to cook. He'll find a wife - despite how repellent that aspect might seem to him at the moment - and she'll do all the cooking for him. And if he ends up a bachelor on a homestead in the middle of nowhere, well, he'll learn to cook for himself fast enough!"
She enjoyed his little discourse on democracy in the Redmond family. She had a good sense of humor and that was only one of the many reasons Aurelian had married her. She also realized that was the first time she had called him 'dear'.
"Well, keep using it. Much better than a lot of names I been called in my life, especially in the army," Aurelian grinned.
"I'm sure Wyatt will do just fine without knowing how to cook. He'll find a wife - despite how repellent that aspect might seem to him at the moment - and she'll do all the cooking for him. And if he ends up a bachelor on a homestead in the middle of nowhere, well, he'll learn to cook for himself fast enough!"
"See that was my problem then. I married pretty young so I never had a chance to be a cooking for myself bachelor. Oh well, water over the dam," he declared.
Another moment and Constance emerged from the back carrying a tray with plates of food and coffee cups.
"Here you go, folks. Is there anything else I can get for you?" she asked as she placed the plates before each individual.