Hard Hat Man

Hard Hat Man

By Edna Curry

Chapter 1

“
No!
”
Janita Kerry said.
Her fingers tightened around the phone and she frowned.
Mom is up to her usual tricks, laying on the guilt to get me to change my plans to suit hers.

“
I don
’
t need this, Mom.
I
’
m tired, don
’
t you understand?
Teaching third graders is a stressful job.
I
’
m planning on doing as little as possible during my summer vacation.
”
She stepped closer to her Chicago apartment window and looked down on the courtyard.
A dozen people were stretched out on deckchairs around the pool, sunbathing in the warm June sunshine.
That was what she intended to do.

“
I
’
m sure you are tired, Jan dear.
And I
’
d have done this alone if the lawyer had given me enough time.
You know my movie contract says I have to be in England by Monday.
Now Carl has to go on ahead with our things and I have to come to Minnesota to sign these wretched papers.
I had to pay a penalty to change my flight, too.
”

“
I
’
m sorry,
”
Jan said automatically, though she didn
’
t feel
the teeniest
bit sorry.
Her rich stepfather wouldn
’
t even
notice
the extra money.
Not to mention what
Laura
made as an actress, even if she didn
’
t always get starring roles.

Her mother continued,
“
You know I wouldn
’
t ask you if there were anyone else to do it.
”

“
Why now?
”
Jan asked.
She bit her lip, fighting the urge to hang up the phone on her mother
’
s wheedling voice.
“
What took your lawyer so long?
He
’
s had six months to sell Uncle Horace
’
s farm.
”

“
There was some haggling over the price, with several developers bidding
,” Laura explained
.
“
Mr.
Andrews
just called to say they finally agreed on the terms and he has everything ready for me to sign.
”

“
I see.
”
She might have known the problem would be over money.
Doubtless Carl had been in on those negotiations.

“
I know it
’
s inconvenient, Honey, but it
’
ll only take a few days,
”
her mother said.
“
We
’
ll close up the house and turn the farm over to the developer.
Then it
’
s his problem.
”

“
Well....
”

“
I
’
ll go to the closing, introduce you to my lawyer and the buyer and get everything signed before I leave.
You
’
ll only have to finish up the stuff in the house.
You can leave whenever you
’
re done.
It
’
ll be our last chance to spend
time
together for a year, unless you decide to fly over to London for Christmas with me and Carl....
”

“
You know I can
’
t afford to do that, Mom.
”
Jan sighed, knowing she
’
d have to give in to helping her mother.
Laura
was right.
It would be a long time before they
’
d see each other again and it would be selfish of her not to take this chance.
So much for her relaxing vacation.
Jan
turned away from the window and the view of the pool.

“
All right, Mom.
I
’
ll do it.
”

She could almost hear a smile in her mother
’
s voice as she said,
“
Thanks, Honey.
It won
’
t take long to go through Horace
’
s things.
We
’
ll probably end up sending most of it to Goodwill.
”

“
Why not just call Goodwill and tell them to pick it all up?
Why do we have to go through it?
”
Jan asked, making a last ditch effort to back off.

“
Well...I
’
m not sure what we
’
ll find.
There may be some valuable things you
’
d want to keep.
Hidden money or papers or jewelry or something like that.
Uncle Horace was a bit strange, you know, especially those last years after Aunt Esther died.
”

“
You mean since Nancy ran off with
her
lover.
”

“
Yes.
And of course, poor
Esther
’
s
heart
a
ttack
.
That was the last straw.
I think losing both his daughter
and his wife
in one summer was
just
too much for him.
He kept to himself after that.
”

“
Yes, I know, Mom.
”
She
’
d heard this story too many times before and it always gave her an unexplainable, strange feeling of dread.
Her mother loved to tell the tale, though Jan suspected most of it was greatly exaggerated.

“
You
’
ll have plenty of time to rest, I assure you.
Don
’
t you remember how peaceful it is in the country?
We lived near them the year your father was overseas in the service, remember?
And Grandma came for our family
’
s annual Memorial Day picnic?
You played tag around the house with
Nancy
so often that summer.
And read books with
her
out in the hammock under the elm trees.
Surely you haven
’
t forgotten that?
”

Jan frowned, chewing her lip and twisting the phone cord around one finger.
She didn
’
t want to be reminded of that last carefree summer before tragedy hit them all like a Mac truck.

“
No, Mom, I haven
’
t forgotten.
”
She shuddered.
How could she forget?
Her mother might remember good times there, but Jan had had nightmares for months afterward.
Jan remembered Aunt Esther crying constantly and Uncle Horace frowning like a thundercloud
the whole
time.
She remembered him as being either tight-lipped and silent or barking at her angrily.