Page 74 of Stolen Kisses

“Oh, hello, Mr. Drivas. I hope you don’t mind me calling. A friend of mine gave me your number. Is it true that you work for free for seniors who need a hand?” The man’s elderly voice comes across the line.

“Yes, that’s true. Youonlyneed to pay for the materials and I’ll do the labor for free.” I enjoy giving some of my time to the elderly, whether it be simple maintenance or making modifications to their home to make it more suitable as their requirements change. “What do you need done?”

He releases a hefty sigh. “My wife recently had a severe stroke. We need a ramp installed at the front and back of the house, so she can come and go more easily in her wheelchair.” His voice is shaky as he explains what he needs.

“I can do that. I can come around to take a look at the job now if you’re home.” I grab a pencil and my notebook to jot down the address when he tells me, then lock up my workshop to make my way to his place.

Pulling up in the driveway of a neat bungalow, the paved ruby red pathway from themailboxto the front steps catches my eye. There are only two steps, so the ramp can have quite a shallow rise, which is always the preference. The first problem I notice, though, is there is no pathway from the driveway to the front porch. How will they manage to push the wheelchair across the grass at their age? Not that there will be much grass, once the ramp goes in, but they won’t want to be tackling a wheelchair on grass.

An elderly man steps out of the front door as I exit my truck, grabbing my tape measure and notepad on the way. He meets me at the bottom of the steps, hand outstretched in welcome.

“Hello, Theo. Thank you for coming out so quickly. I’m Bruce.”

“Bruce.” I tip my head as I shake his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

He shows me around to the back of his home, there’s a three-step drop here, still not too bad. I record the measurements and calculate the timber I’ll need. I normally purchase the materials, because I can get them at a discounted rate, then bill the client. I always have a rough idea of the cost, so I let Bruce know how much the materials will be.

He looks at his watch. “Have you got time for a cup of tea?”

“Definitely.” I never hesitate to stop for a chat. The elderlyareoften lonely and miss the company.

We head inside and Bruce gets busy making the tea. “My wife’s due home early next week.” He carries the cups to the table where I’m seated. “My girl, Elizabeth, is a fighter. This isn’t the first time she’s spent time in hospital. She fought a tough battle with breast cancer when we were in our fifties.”

My breath gets caught in my chest and I worry my lungs are going to burst at his mention of breast cancer. I’m sure tons of women survive the disease, just nobody that I know. “I lost my mom and sister to breast cancer. Can’t say I’m a fan.” I’m not sure what compelled me to tell a total stranger about Mom and Anna.

His eyes go soft. “I’m terribly sorry to hear that, Theo.” I can only nod as I swallow down my despair. I have no words to follow up my statement. I’m sure he can see the devastation written all over my face. “What were they like?” I’m surprised he asked. People usually pretend they don’t exist when you tell them you lost your mom and sister.

I scratch my nails through my short beard. “They were both beautiful women. I was only young when we lost Mom, but I remember her always spending time in the kitchen cooking for her family. She gave the best hugs and was always smiling. Except for the one time I filled our shower with worms to scare my sister.” I huff out a laugh at the memory. “She was so mad with me.” Bruce laughs, too. “I always knew how much she loved me. She was so easy with her affection. Mom would always help me and my sister with our homework and bake my favorite cake for my birthday.” I get lost in the myriad of memories I have of her. I realize I don’t spend enough time remembering the good times, I’m always too caught up in my grief.“My most favorite memory of all is of her cuddling up next to me each night to read me a story. It was the best part of my day and the part I looked forward to the most.”

Bruce nods along. “She sounds a lot like myLizzy. She always gave her all when our kids were little. Now she fusses over the grandkids.” He chuckles to himself.

We finish our tea, Bruce telling me all about his grandchildren and showing me photos of them. We both have a good chuckle at some of their antics. As Bruce walks me back outside, I bring up my concern about the lack of a pathway from the driveway.

He rubs the back of his neck. “I hadn’t thought about that.”

“I can lay a bit of paving. It’ll only be about two yards worth. If you order the bricks, I can come back and do it once they’ve been delivered.”

His eyebrows shoot up to his hairline. “I can’t ask you to do that. You’re already helping so much by doing the ramps for us.”

“You didn’t ask. I offered. I’m more than happy to do it for you.”

I measure the area to calculate how many bricks he’ll need to order. It’s a straightforward job.

“Thanks, Theo.”

“No problem.” We shake hands and I drive straight to the timber yard to get the materials I’ll need. I promised Bruce I would be back first thing tomorrow to get the job done for him. I also make a stop at the hardware store to pick up some grab rails to install in the shower and toilet to make it safer for Elizabeth.

* * *

Kenny comes racing out of school at the end of the day, jumping into my waiting arms, her smile contagious. “Hiya, Munchkin. Did you have a good day?”

“Yeah. I did.” She kisses my cheek. “Mrs. Stone wants to see you about something.”

“Did she say what it was about?” Kenny shakes her head. I place her on her feet, take her hand, and we head back inside together to see Kenny’s teacher.

Standing at the doorway, I clear my throat as I knock to let the teacher know I’m here. She spins around, a friendly smile lighting up her face. “Mr. Drivas, thank you so much for coming in.” She steps forward to shake my hand. “Please come in, take a seat.” She turns to Kenny. “Would you mind tidying up the puzzles for me?”

“Okay, Mrs. Stone.” Kenny darts off to the back of the classroom, dropping to the floor in front of a set of low shelves piled high with wooden puzzles.

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