Page 31 of Trouble Comes in Threes

I stared at my best friend in shock. She wasn’t usually this rude to people, not that Miss Mildred didn’t deserve it, but she usually humored my old neighbor.

To my shock, the room burst into enthusiastic applause.

“You tell her!” an older man yelled from across the room.

“What did she say?” another woman with pink-tinged hair asked.

The woman next to her leaned in closer. “That pretty little thing just called Mildred a hippopotamus.”

The pink-haired woman squinted at Miss Mildred. “I suppose her face kind of does look like a hippo.”

Neely Kate turned to me and made a face that said oops, but merriment filled her eyes.

“Miss Mildred, why don’t we take a stroll in the rose garden?” a younger woman in blue scrubs said as she hurried forward, arm outstretched.

Miss Mildred walked toward her and lifted her cane to smack at her, but one of gentleman residents whom she passed grabbed the staff. “That’ll be enough of that.”

Miss Mildred looked like she wanted to spit carpet tacks at all of us, but instead, she let the aide lead her way. As they walked away, the aide turned back to Neely Kate and mouthed, “Thank you.”

Neely Kate blushed when another round of cheers went up as Miss Mildred left the room.

Miss Mildred had always been rude and cantankerous but never violent. I couldn’t help worrying about her a bit.

Miss Adolpha was already turning off the TV as Neely Kate dragged a chair over to sit across from her. The older woman stared at her with a mixture of fear and awe. My best friend shot me a look that said maybe you should take this after all.

I sat in the seat Miss Mildred had vacated and rested my hands on my knees. “We’re really sorry about all of that. Miss Mildred used to live across the street from me when I was growing up, and she obviously doesn’t care for me much.”

Miss Adolpha seemed to shake off some of her stupor. “If Mildred had a quarrel with you, then I would guess that means you’re a delightful girl.”

I grinned. “I don’t know about that, but I do know that Miss Mildred’s go-to reaction is hostility. I think it’s just a defense mechanism.” I leaned closer. “Don’t get me wrong. I’d still walk on the other side of the street to avoid her, but I think she’s lonely.”

“There are plenty of better ways to make friends,” Miss Adolpha said, her knotted hands straightening the bottom of her shirt. “That’s what I always told my students.”

“You were a teacher?”

“For nearly forty years before I gave it up.”

“Where did you teach?” Neely Kate asked.

A smile lit up her face. “Up in Magnolia. George and I used to live up that way. Then he got a job at Ingram’s Manufacturing, and we moved to Henryetta shortly after we got married.”

That seemed like a backward move. Most people moved away from Henryetta, not to it. “Did you and George have children?” I asked.

She smiled. “We had a mess of ‘em.” She tilted her head toward me. “Five. Two boys and three girls.”

“And you raised them on that house on Olive Street?” Neely Kate asked in surprise.

Miss Adolpha’s wrinkled forehead creased even more. “How did you know we lived on Olive Street?”

I drew a breath. “Miss Adolpha, Neely Kate and I are landscapers with RBW Landscaping, and we’re currently doing a job at your former house on Olive Street.”

Miss Adolpha looked confused but remained silent.

“We were digging to put in a small retaining wall, and Neely Kate and I uncovered a wooden box that had been buried there sometime in the past. It doesn’t belong to the current homeowners, and they’ve asked us to locate the owners.”

“Why would you go to that much trouble for a box?” the elderly woman asked.

“Because it’s not just a cardboard box,” Neely Kate said. “It’s a beautiful carved, locked wooden box, and it had to mean something to the person who buried it. Mrs. Thatcher, the current homeowner, would love to see it returned to its rightful owner.”

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