Harmony House: Home Sweet Home, #1

1

Hilary and Mavis decided at long last, that the only way to accomplish their objective was to write an advert and post copies in the local shop, the library and the grocery store.

For pity’s sake, Hilary, how are we going to compose an advertisement without sounding like a pair of crazy old women?

I think a little madness at this juncture might not be a bad thing, Mavis. After all, we don’t wish to attract just anyone. We need like-minded females with some spark about them. We can be quite specific about our requirements and that will scare away the weird ones.

Mavis looked sceptical. She was imagining a troupe of women appearing at their door and being turned away as completely unsuitable. She was not going to be the one who did the job of dismissing the unsuccessful candidates. Let Hilary do that part. She had been a school principal and knew how to deliver bad news when necessary. Hilary had been the one to break the awful news about Mavis’s husband’s death years before and she had held tight to her friend until the heaving sobs diminished. There had been a special bond between the two since then. As usual, Mavis must just trust her.

She took a deep breath and continued.

Well then, let me hear what you have in mind.

Hilary picked up the pen from her desk and began to write on a thick pad of lined paper.

Several minutes went by before she looked up again.

Right! What do you think about this?

She read aloud the following list.

Female companions required to share spacious accommodations.

Must have sound finances, good health, sociable personalities and willingness to try something different.

Candidates should prepare to be vetted before being accepted.

If you are interested, meet the undersigned at 46, Camden Corners, London, Ontario, at 1:00pm Saturday, November 15, 2016.

Hilary Dempster. Mavis Montgomery.

Please call us to assure us of your attendance.

Mavis had to admit her friend had hit the nail on the head at first try.

I think it’s rather good. Not too long or too detailed. Just the pertinent facts. But I think it needs a catchy title to draw attention on a crowded bulletin board.

Good idea! What do you suggest?

This part demanded more thinking and no little amount of creativity. Eventually they agreed on the finished format and Hilary undertook to type the ad on her computer and print the copies on cardstock for immediate use. Mavis added a delicate floral drawing around the edges to make the card stand out.

No point in delaying, Mavis. We have made the decision and now we need to see if our plan will work for us.

In due time the advert was placed on the selected bulletin boards and the couple waited to hear if there were any replies.

A week went by and Mavis began to worry.

Do you think the title might have been disturbing?

What’s disturbing about ‘Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity’?

It might be construed as an insurance scheme or a timeshare or a hoax of some kind.

Hilary put her cup down carefully on the china saucer and considered her friend’s comment.

I suppose someone might be put off by the title but then, we don’t want anyone who can’t see a good opportunity like this. If a person were to be reluctant to read further, we wouldn’t likely find them suitable in any case.

Perhaps not. It’s just a shame that we haven’t had any replies at all.

It’s possible we haven’t tried the right places yet. We could advertise further afield but local women would be more amenable to living in this city, I suspect. They would be familiar with their surroundings rather than having to get used to a new town. We will have to be patient.

Another week went by and Hilary was considering retrieving the ads and changing the date of the proposed meeting. On the very next day, four women called to reserve a place. Hilary was shopping in town when the calls came.

Hello, this is Victoria Simons. I am calling about the advert for women to share housing. I would like to attend the meeting.

Mavis quickly found the pen and paper Hilary had left ready by the phone with a note reminding them which questions to ask.

Yes. May I have your name again?

Victoria Simons. Call me Vicky. Actually, I am calling on behalf of myself and my friend Lorna Wallace.

I see. Have you read all the requirements listed in the advert?

We have, and we are very intrigued by the whole idea. Can you give us more information?

No. You will be able to ask all your questions at the meeting. Do you know the house?

I have a GPS on my car so I am sure I will find you. See you on the 15 th?

Yes. We look forward to meeting you then.

Hilary’s notes included instructions to supply any hints about the caller so as to prepare Hilary ahead of time. Mavis wrote down beside the names;

2 friends

One drives and has a GPS

Possibly not living in this area

No detectable clues.

She had scarcely finished writing when the phone rang again.

Is this the house where the meeting is to take place? I wrote the number down but it got smudged in the bottom of my purse….some water leaked I think. I am not sure if I have it right. Is this the house?

Are you replying to the advert on a bulletin board?

Oh, yes. I was wandering around in the library yesterday. It was raining and I was waiting for a bus so I popped in for a couple of minutes and then I was reading the announcements and stuff and there it was. I was amazed, I can tell you. Talk about something coming along at just the right time? Honestly, not buses of course. They are usually late aren’t they?

The woman paused to take a breath and Mavis jumped in quickly before she galloped off on another tangent. May I have your name?

Right. Of course. It’s Jannice O’Connor, two n’s in the middle. In Jannice as well, as it happens! Does this mean I can come to the meeting? Oh, I would be so, so grateful. I love your idea. Living alone is so…. Well it’s hard to describe. Am I in?

Well, Jannice, I can reserve a place for you. Do you have a note of the address and all the other information on the card?

Yes, I have it all somewhere. I need to work out the bus times but I am definitely coming. On the 15 th, right?

Right! We’ll see you then, Jannice.

Thank you. Thank you so very much.

Talkative. Lonely? A bit distracted. Keen on the idea. Arriving by bus.

Mavis was about to add something about a possible Irish accent when she heard the front door open and Hilary’s voice complaining about the rain for the third day in a row.

Any calls?

Actually, yes. There were two calls and three candidates.

Excellent news!

Hilary arrived in the family room shedding her scarf and anxiously examining the paper pad by the phone.

Well, isn’t this reassuring, Mavis? There is some interest in our idea after all.

Before she could say more, the phone by her hand rang again. Quirking her eyebrow in Mavis’s direction, she picked up the receiver and said, ‘Hi, who’s calling?"

Oh, it’s me. I mean I think I recognize your voice. It’s Hilary. Am I right?

"Yes, Hilary is correct but I’m afraid I don’t recognize your voice."

It’s been a long time. This is Jo. I thought the accent might strike a chord.

Jo? I’m sorry. I don’t recall the name. Wait a minute. Do you mean Josette?

Yes, Josette Delacour, as I used to be, and am again now.

There was one of those silences they call ‘pregnant’ in novels. Hilary’s mind was racing. In the far distant past she had known a Josette Delacour and the relationship had not ended well.

I see. What can I do for you, Josette?

I saw your advert and I wondered if you would have space for an old friend in your house.

Hilary cast her eyes upward to where Mavis was standing listening avidly.

"What should I do?" she whispered. Mavis signalled approval with a firm nod of her head.

Well then, please come along and hear our story and you can decide for yourself. I don’t expect we can accommodate everyone who asks but we’ll see how it goes.

"That’s all I ask, Hil. I’ll be there. Au revoir!"

Well, I guess we won’t need notes to recognize that lady? Did you know her well? She called you Hil, pronounced ‘Heel’ in her accent. You never let anyone call you Hil and certainly not ‘heel’.

My dear, you have very good hearing. I will tell you later when………………..

Both women jumped as the phone rang again.

It never rains but it pours, it seems, commented Mavis. Shall I take this one? I hope there won’t be too many more.

It was to be the final call of the day. Mavis listened, and wrote some notes and when she put the phone down again she had a puzzled look on her face.

What now?

"I don’t know exactly. The woman was speaking very quietly and urgently. She didn’t say much at all. She gave her name as Eve Barton but she stumbled over the last name as if she was not familiar with it.

She lives in town but really wants to attend the meeting. She said she might be a little late arriving."

The two friends looked at each other. Both were thinking they had put something in motion and now the idea was becoming a reality. Other lives were involved. Other people’s futures were in their hands. Choices had to be made; decisions that could impact their own lives. It became imperative to organize the meeting on November 15 so that the best decisions were made on the basis of very little information. This meeting was going to affect every person involved for the rest of their lives.

2

It did not surprise Mavis to find that Hilary had prepared a card for each candidate. She had left space for comments and at the bottom of the card, choices were to be checked:

Accept / Possible / No

The week prior to the 15 th was occupied with a variety of options relating to achieving as much information as possible from the women.

We have given them the important headings already, Mavis. They won’t be coming if they don’t qualify in the financial and health areas.

There could be problems when they discover how much money is required.

You are right about that.

Mavis looked out of the kitchen window. She still had doubts about leaving her own home in which she had lived for decades. She knew Hilary was thinking of their future and her decisions were indisputably beneficial to both of them, but sometimes she wondered if another choice would be preferable.

She adjusted the flowers in the vase on the centre of the table. By the time flowers grew once more in this garden, Mavis would no longer be an occupant, if all the plans went ahead. In the meantime she spent more time at Hilary’s larger home while all the arrangements were being made. It was easier that way.

Anything else on your mind, dear? You seem thoughtful.

Yes. I was wondering how we could judge the sociability factor. She turned to face her companion. Now was not the time to express doubts to Hilary. That time had passed.

I did have an idea about that. What do you think?

The idea involved a series of games in which cooperation was involved; a simple charades game with guesses around popular television and movies, a short line dance with music and instruction supplied by Mavis, and a ‘What if’ quiz or a jigsaw puzzle to be attempted. Preparing for these, absorbed another day or two and suddenly, it was the day before the meeting and both women were cleaning the house, assembling cups and saucers for tea and baking some treats to share with the candidates along with reorganizing the dining room with chairs in a double row.

We should take the extra leaf out of the table, suggested Mavis, and move it to the wall as a kind of desk for you, Hilary. Later it can be used for the jigsaw.

Good thinking! If you want me to take the lead I feel you would be best employed welcoming the visitors and making observations from the back of the dining room. You know you are so intuitive about atmosphere and people’s reactions. Your years spent in court work gave you excellent skills in that area.

I’ll be happy to do that. So we are set up for five applicants now?

Mavis had no sooner spoken than the phone in the kitchen shrilled and, simultaneously, Hilary’s phone in her pocket jangled its insistent call. When the two women reassembled, they had surprising news.

Two new candidates, making seven in all.

Who called you? they said together, and laughed aloud.

Mine is a woman who decided at the last minute. Her name is Honor Pace.

My call was from a Vilma Smith who just saw the ad today and didn’t want to miss a chance to be included.

"What do we do now? With the two of us that makes nine women. We can’t possibly provide for that many."

I know, Mavis, but remember we will lose some right away when they hear the plan and others may drop out before they have to make a definite commitment.

I hope you are right. Let’s find more chairs and you need to make extra cards.

The morning of the 15 th dawned bright after an overnight frost that brought down leaves from the mature trees on the avenue. Mavis made a mental note about finding a property without too many trees. Raking and bagging leaves was an annual ritual in the Forest City but not one welcomed by those lacking considerable muscle strength, not to mention perseverance over weeks to keep at the job.

Hilary arrived early and they had a warming cup of coffee in the kitchen while they ran over the day’s plans.

We won’t give anyone a definite yes or no today, Mavis, so do not worry about that. We will gather all the information we can and take our time about what to do. As long as we are firm on the number six, we can benefit from having a wider selection from which to choose. Let’s relax and try to have some fun with this.

Mavis did not think telling people they had failed to meet the test was ‘fun’. She was glad that task had been claimed by Hilary. She was content to stay in the background and observe, in the knowledge that it was the place from which she could contribute the most valuable information.

The doorbell chimed at a quarter to one. Mavis was ready. She planned to make good use of the time to get to know any early arrivals. On the doorstep she found two women.

Jannice O’Connor was a small, dark-haired person wearing a coat two sizes too large and a worried expression.

I know I am too early but I had to take an earlier bus to be sure of getting here on time. I don’t know this part of London very well so I wanted to walk around for a bit. It’s getting cloudy and I thought it might rain and here I am. I hope you don’t mind?

Yes, she is a talkative one. But sort of appealing, like a small child. Possibly a neglected small child?

Mavis welcomed Jannice in and took her coat then turned to the other arrival. This one turned out to be a complete contrast. Vilma Smith was elegant in style with fashionable clothes and unsuitable-for-the-weather high heels. She swept in and removed her fur-lined raincoat, hanging it in the hall closet and looking around as if to assess the owners by judging their furnishings.

Confident. Good finances. Professional skills? May challenge Hilary for control.

Mavis invited the women to help themselves to tea, coffee and muffins while they waited for the others.

Hilary joined them, so Mavis could continue to monitor the door.

Vicky Simons and Lorna Wallace arrived together and were arguing about the correct address when Mavis first saw them.

Honestly, Lorna, you should have brought my note about the ad. I must have mentioned it five times this morning. You are really becoming very forgetful.

If you were finding the information so necessary, Vicky, you should have done it yourself instead of blaming me.

They stumped inside, with barely concealed animosity, and decided to take seats in the dining room at opposite ends of the last row.

Troublesome pair. Why