Contract Extensions

"Okay, sure let me just -"

"He says he wants to come!"

Ted seems to run on either conversational, indoor voice or megaphone, ear-bleed volume. They were right across the street, not across the state. I put the plate in the sink and joined them on their walk. The kids talked about school and Maria mentioned that she got another job. She was now the associate editor for a magazine that covered cattle ranches and the beef industry as well as a magazine published by the Colorado Board of Tourism.

The sweet smell of honeysuckle mixed with the aroma of neighbors grilling and smoking. It was one of those nights when the sunset seemed to suffuse the evening with shades of orange. It was a pleasant walk and took us past a schoolyard. We put Wendy and Julie on the swings and let them enjoy themselves for five or ten minutes. Always cautious with his sisters, Ted refused to push Wendy hard enough to get her as high as she wanted to go.

I found myself letting them walk ahead of me a bit. They seemed content where I was melancholy. I enjoyed watching them. Maria seemed to be a good mother and they were a happy family. I'd listen to her laugh at Ted's jokes and how seriously she answered Wendy's questions. She treated her children with a respect that many parents didn't think was necessary. When we made it back they made their way to their house and I made my way to mine.

"See ya' tomorrow, Mr. Hernandez."

"See ya, Ted."

We fell into a rhythm. If we didn't garden that day we would take a walk. Sometimes it was quick, sometimes it was longer but we always stopped at the school playground.

* * * * *

Three weeks had gone by. Mrs. Cruz was back on my porch, drinking one of my beers.

"So, what are you growing?"

"Here, or," I tipped my beer towards Jerry's house. "over there?"

"Both."

"Well, I've got some baby carrots, kale and green onions coming up soon. They've got radishes, spinach, and squash. Ted's got a bunch of hot peppers going."

"About another week?"

"Tired of the farmer's markets, Jennifer? Yeah, about another week."

"Did you hear Phillip is retiring? Between you and me, it's not voluntarily. He was with his boss's daughter and then dumped her pretty callously."

I was surprised. "Isn't he, like sixty?"

"Yeah, and she's about forty-two I think. He really got her hooked and then broke her heart."

"So, she's single?"

She raised an eyebrow at me. "I guess so."

"Jennifer, do you have an agenda here? I'm not interested."

"Don't be an idiot, Mark. That wasn't what I was implying. He's almost twenty years older than her and she adored him. It happens. Age difference isn't as big a thing as people make it seem. Especially not if both people are emotionally mature."

Realization dawned and I was struck by her implication. "C'mon, there's nothing there. She's just a neighbor. The last thing she wants is the middle-aged guy next door. And I'm definitely not in the market."

"Keep telling yourself that. Thanks for the beer, Mark."

She got up, put the empty in the recycling bin and headed home.

* * * * *

Wendy didn't have much interest in gardening but her sister did. Whenever Ted and I pruned, watered trimmed or cleaned up, little Julie would be following right along behind us. She was a cute kid. They all were. They were almost professionally cute, as if they just stepped out of a commercial for Target.

We put the tools away in the shed and made our way to the house. I was going to tell Maria we were done for the day and head home when Wendy grabbed my hand.

"Look, Mr. Hernandez! I got all A's!"

I looked at her report card and made sure I gave her the 'wow, I'm very impressed' look.

"That's great Wendy. Nice job. Is your mom going to put it up on your refrigerator?"

"I think so. Did you want to put it up on yours?"

I paused for a second, thinking about my nieces and nephews. It still hurt. I hated my siblings sometimes.

"I'd love to, honey but they only give you one. Maybe your mom can send me a copy and I'll use that."

"Mom! Can Mr. Hernandez have a copy of the report card?" Wendy yelled to her mother who was at most fifty feet away.

Maria walked into the kitchen, head tilted as she fastened an earring. "Sure, if he wants one."

"Mom says we're going out for dinner and for ice-cream after to celebrate. Do you wanna come?"

"Oh, no. Thank you, Wendy. You guys have a great time."

Maria looked at my shirt and pants. "No dirt stains. You look presentable, Mark. You sure you don't want to come?"

"Okay, as long as I get to pay for the ice-cream."

As we headed out the door, Ted ran to the car and Julie held my hand. It was nice.

"Mr. Hernandez gets the front seat, Ted."

"I know!" He called out as he moved from the front to the back.

* * * * *

Sardoni's is a continental grill on the outskirts of Durango. It was an excellent choice. The food was what critics called rustic and there were plenty of choices for the kids. As Ted was asking the waitress if their vegetables were organic, I leaned over to quietly talk to Maria. I wasn't sure if it was her perfume but she was wearing something with floral overtones.

"Have you ever had him tested? I don't know that much about it, but I think he's pretty bright. Maybe he should be in some special program or something?"

"Mark, every class he's in is advanced. If I put him in any more advanced classes I'd have to enroll him in night school."

"Oh." I felt a little foolish. Of course a mother would know that her son is gifted.

The elder kids scoured the menu for dishes that used ingredients that we were growing. Wendy and Ted patiently read the dishes off to Julie who didn't seem terribly interested. Her dinner choice was written in stone. If they had them, she was getting chicken strips that her mother would cut up and call nuggets.

When the food arrived, Ted wouldn't allow Maria to start on hers.

"Wait, wait!" He took out his phone and took a picture of the dish. "We can make that."

"The chicken?" Maria asked.

"No, the green beans almondine. We're growing string beans next! We can make that. We just need to get a recipe. Can we buy some green beans tomorrow?"

After dinner, we went to Benji's Freezatory for ice-cream. I sat at a picnic table with Maria as we finished our cones and watched Wendy and Julie in the little playground. The bench wasn't very wide and her leg touched mine often. We saw Ted walking towards us from the farm-stand next door. He held a bag up high.

"I got some green beans!"

"Ted, you can't just walk off. You need to ask me if you want to go somewhere." She looked nervous and it seemed that she was as upset with herself for not realizing he was missing as she was with him for leaving. "Do we owe them money?"

"No, I used my allowance. I showed them the picture. They gave me some good ones."

He got me thinking.

* * * * *

"Mr. Hernandez, can I hang out here for a while?" Ted was standing on my porch by the screen door.

"Sure. Come on in. Does your mom know you're here?"

"I left her a note. She was crying, so I didn't want to bother her."

Should I pry? If there was something that I could have done I would feel horrible if I hadn't.

"Is... is everything ok, Ted?"

"Yeah, she just gets sad sometimes."

"Where are the girls?"

"Wendy's helping Julie color."

I wasn't comfortable having Ted just sitting around here if his mother didn't approve it.

"Grab a soda, if you want. I'm going to text your mom."

Jennifer and I r headed to town. Picking up fertilizer, tools, groceries. I thought Ted should come to the garden center. If that's ok, maybe the girls can come 2 and we can stop for ice cream.

A few minutes went by.

That would be great. Thanks.

I immediately called Jennifer.

"So, please tell me that you're free for the next few hours. Don't make a liar out of me."

When I explained the situation she was happy to go. Ted got the girls and carried Julies booster seat to my SUV. He also gave me a twenty from his mother for the ice cream.

"Guys, your mom gave us some money. Let's use it for dinner. What does everyone want?" The vote was two for pizza and one for chicken nuggets. We got both and they brought it home to share with Maria.

Jennifer stopped before walking home.

"Wendy mentioned that today was her parents anniversary. She dropped it in the conversation pretty casually but I could see she was worried. If Maria's not doing okay tomorrow, give me a yell. You know, she asks about you, Mark."

"Did you tell her about Jerry and Christine?"

"A little about Jerry. Was that wrong?"

"No. What happened, happened. If she asks, tell her."

* * * * *

The previous year I had planted a butterfly bush in the corner of Jerry's yard. I had no idea if it would actually attract butterflies but I wanted to find out. It thrived, growing quickly, and this year it was larger than last with many more buds that flowered.

The workings of the bush and how it attracted the butterflies were a mystery to me but it performed as advertised. I was working with Ted as he carefully watered the garden and heard incessant giggling. Julie was laughing as only a four-year-old can while she tried to catch some of the colorful insects. Maria was walking towards her, explaining that they weren't pets and they should be watched and not touched.

She picked Julie up and kissed her cheek. As they watched the butterflies, I watched Maria. I didn't realize what I was doing until I finally heard Ted.

"Mr. Hernandez!"

"I'm sorry, what Ted?"

"I said, do we need more fertilizer?"

"No, no, we're fine."

I sighed and went back to work.

* * * * *

It took me two rings to find my phone. It was our resident scandal monger. "Jennifer?"

"Mark, you need to go talk to the kids. Don't tell them I called you. It's not the end of the world, but it's serious."

"What happened?"

"Just go. Don't panic. It'll be fine, but you can help."

Less than two minutes later I was knocking on the Frost's screen door. "Maria?"

"Come in, Mark."

"Hey, is..." I started asking when I saw Wendy sitting on the couch with her head tilted back and a huge ice-pack on her left eye.

"What happened?" I asked. "Honey, are you ok?" She shook her head.

Maria came out of the kitchen holding Julie in one arm and carrying a plate of cookies. She left the plate next to Wendy.

"Sweetie, I'm going to talk to Mr. Hernandez for a minute. I'll be right back."

I followed her out to the front lawn.

"Some middle-schoolers were picking on Ted. Wendy got upset and yelled at them. They laughed at her and it got worse for Ted. She pushed one kid and she says he pushed her back and she hit her eye on a rock. I don't know if that's true or she just doesn't want to say that he hit her. Ted's in his room and won't come out. I don't know if I should call the police or try to track down the parents or, I don't know. They're older, they don't even go to the same school so I can't go there."

"What did the doctor say."

"The x-rays are all good. She'll be sporting a heck of a bruise, but she'll be fine."

"Call the cops, Maria. Get a record of it so there's a paper trail. This won't happen again. Tell that to Wendy. I'll be back in a few hours."

She seemed concerned. "We'll take care of it. You don't need to get involved. Don't go looking for the kids, Mark. I want to strangle them but they're just kids."

"I'm not going to look for the kids. I gotta go. I'll be back in a bit."

The drive out to Jerry's gym took about half an hour. I spoke to Javi, the trainer that works with the kids there. We discussed things for a while before he shut everything down, called the kids in and introduced me. I knew most of them in passing. I spoke to them for a little while and showed them the photos I could find on my phone of Wendy and Ted in the garden.

After receiving some assurances, I headed back. Maria didn't ask and I didn't say anything about where I'd been. Ted was sitting with his sisters when I returned.

Maria came over the next afternoon and took the seat Jennifer Cruz usually uses while dispensing her daily neighborhood updates. I put down the laptop and lifted my Shiner.

"Can I get you a beer or anything?"

"No, I'm just going to be a minute. Wendy has a new friend. A twelve-year-old girl. I think Ted's in love. Apparently this girl scared the hell out of the boy that pushed Wendy. Made him and his friends apologize to Wendy and Ted. Know anything about that?"

"Nope."

"She was trying to show Ted how to throw a punch while he stood there with a goofy grin on his face. You have no idea why a girl four years older than her would become Wendy's new best friend?"

"Nope."

"I'm not saying I don't appreciate it and your brother sounds like he was a great man but I don't want Ted boxing or fighting."

"Sounds good but you should probably tell that to him. He's never said anything about it to me and I've never brought it up. Tell Annabelle I said thank you."

"I never told you her name, Mark."

"She seems like an Annabelle. It's a strong name. Just a guess."

A few hours later Wendy brought me some peach cobbler, still warm from the oven.

"Mom wanted you to have this."

* * * * *

Ted was working with me outside while Wendy was in the kitchen doing her homework. Their mother was on their porch, editing an article.

Wendy's voice called out. "What's the capital of New York?"

"Albany." Maria and I called out at the same time. We looked at each other and laughed.

A while later I went into their kitchen to get a glass of water when I noticed a new photo on the wall. It was of a tall, red-haired man with a receding hairline. He was holding a younger Julie and had his arm around Wendy while Ted leaned into his side. He was beaming out of the photo and you can almost feel the love and pride he had for his children.

I guess Maria was the one that took the picture.

"That's our dad. He died helping people." Wendy sounded a little sad but strong for a little girl, as if it was a difficult memory she had learned to live with.

"He sounds like a great man, Wendy. What did he do?"

"He helped people in other countries. He worked for Doctors Without Borders. But not all the time, just some of the time. He died in Africa."

"I'm really sorry. I would have liked to have met him."

"He would have liked you. He liked smart people."

I tousled her hair.

"Thanks, Wendy."

* * * * *

Jennifer switched things up and sat on the rocker I kept on the porch instead of her usual chair.

"So, did you hear about the Malone's dog? Broke through the fence and killed two of the neighbor's chickens."

"Have you reduced yourself to gossiping about pets? Where is your dignity woman? At least give me a scoop about some people!"

She looked at me and smiled.

"Ok, Mark. Here's a good one for you. You know that woman with the three cute kids that moved next door to me? The ones in Jerry's house? It turns out that she likes this guy that lives across from me but he's a complete idiot. He's lost some people that he cares about, so he's decided that he'd prefer to not risk winning someone so he can't get hurt again."

She stood up and started walking down towards the steps, speaking over her shoulder. "How was that? Good scoop for you?"

* * * * *

The knocking reverberated through my skull as I threw a shirt on and got up off the couch I had been sleeping on. Rubbing my eyes, I opened the door to see Maria standing there looking none too pleased.

"Mr. Hernandez, this is the end of our six weeks and we'll be ending our contract effective today."

I was exhausted, confused and had a pounding headache.

"Did I do something wrong?"

She sighed and slumped a little.

"No, Mark. I did. I shouldn't have let the kids get close to you. It was a bad time for us and I was weak. It wasn't your fault."

"What happened? Is everything ok?"

"Mark, they haven't seen you in ten days. Ted thinks that he did something to offend you. Wendy's trying to be a farmer pulling out half the carrots trying to see if they are ready. She absolutely hates going into the garden and getting dirty. She's doing it anyway. Julie's always looking out the window at your house wondering where you are. It's not your fault, it's mine. You were very kind, but they got too close, so thank you but I think we'll call it quits at this point."

"Wait, let me explain -"

"It's not necessary. I'm not being noble or anything. It really isn't your fault. Truly. You have nothing to explain. We'll see you around, I'm sure. If you see the kids, just say hi or something so they know you're not mad." She made her way off the porch and over to her house.

* * * * *

This hadn't gone the way I wanted it to. I took a quick shower, put on a change of clothes and drove into town. I spent time thinking during the drive. The haircut gave me more time to think. I was still going over things at lunch.

The florist had three beautiful sets of flowers ready for me fairly quickly. When I went to pay she put a fourth on the counter and placed her hand on mine. "Please leave these for Jerry, Mark. He was a good man. Tell him I think about him."

I had to wipe my eyes before I could continue. I keep things pretty bottled up but there are times when feelings push their way out. "I will. Thanks, Faith."

The cemetery was a short drive away. I looked for evidence that there had been other visitors but nothing stood out. The grounds-crew were meticulous, so that didn't mean anything. I laid one set of flowers on my mothers grave and said a prayer. I lay the second on Jerry's and then put down the one Faith gave me.

"So, it's been two weeks. Things are about the same. I'd ask how you're doing, but I don't think I'd get an answer. I've been doing some programming again. Things are coming together quickly on a new project. Those other flowers are from Faith. She says she thinks about you. You really messed that one up, Jerry. I think she was the one. You should have stepped up and said something to her."

I stopped and marveled at my hypocrisy.

"Anyway, remember that family I was telling you about? I think I messed up. You know how I get when I'm working. I sort of dropped the ball and she called me on it. I think it's over before it got started. I love you, man. I'll be back next week."

I moved over to the next grave and looked at the headstone.

Christine Hernandez

Beloved Daughter of Julio and Angelica

Wife to Mark

You Were Taken Too Soon

"Ok, you can stop now. I can hear your voice as clear as if you were talking to me, Chris. Jennifer Cruz keeps telling me the same thing. She's still the same, always in everyone's business. I know that I have to let things go. I know it but knowing doesn't help. Things were bad when you... when you left us. And then Jerry got sick and they all pulled back and then, I don't know. When you left, part of me went with you. When Jerry died I felt like I lost the rest of me, who I was. There was nothing left."

The tears came slowly.

"I fucked up, Chris. I started feeling something again. It wasn't like with us but it was something. You know how I get when I jump into something. I didn't sleep for two days and then I flew straight to England. She's not like you. She didn't understand and she has to protect her kids." I smiled through the tears. "I'm going to try to explain it to her, so you can stop your nagging already. I love you."

I stepped forward, kissed my fingers and placed them on the headstone.