14
"George, take a rest. I'll be back before you finish what you're doing."
When she came downstairs, Chester had just stepped out of the bathroom and was sitting on the sofa.
It seemed he had turned on the radio, soft jazz was playing in the background.
Listening to the radio Chester had left on, Nellie watered the lawn in the yard.
The wide yard was covered only with green grass, and she thought it would look much nicer if she planted some flowers.
Cyclamen, zinnias, stock, geraniums…
She recalled the names of the pretty flowers she knew.
The afternoon in Fitz Street was as quiet as could be. There wasn't a single car passing by, not even a person in sight.
Such a peaceful scene.
"Mr. Coleman, would you like me to mow the lawn in the garden?"
Chester, peering out from inside, said.
"Just leave it. I'll do it myself on a night I can't sleep."
After watering both the front and back gardens, there was still some time left before she had to leave work.
She had already prepared dinner and put it in the refrigerator, done the laundry and hung it out to dry, and the cleaning was so thorough that there was nothing more to do.
She'd even bought a carpet and laid it out in the living room, and had wiped all the dust from the radio and display shelves until they shone.
Thanks to that, Chester's house was beginning to feel a little more like a lived-in home.
"If you've nothing else to do, come and sit here, Miss McKay."
Chester gestured toward the sofa.
Nellie sat down and spoke with a sigh.
"You were right from the beginning."
"What do you mean?"
"You told me you didn't need any help and that I should go back, remember?"
"You're still holding on to that?"
"Of course. It's not something one forgets easily. My cheek still feels sore from being caught in the door."
Nellie rubbed her cheek dramatically as if to show him.
Chester gave an awkward smile. His smile still seemed stiff, just the corners of his mouth pulling slightly upward, but it was an improvement from before.
"You do hold a grudge, Miss McKay."
"Well, it was quite the memorable first encounter."
"……"
Nellie repeated herself, as if savoring the words.
"'Quite the memorable first encounter.' Doesn't that sound like the opening line of a romance novel?"
She giggled as she added.
"Anyone who went through something like that would find it hard to forget. But aside from that… honestly, Mr. Coleman, I really don't think you need much help."
"I'll take that as meaning I'm easy to work for."
"Yes, that's right. Honestly, compared to taking care of Mrs. Hudson, this is so much easier. You won't cut my wages for saying that, will you?"
She let out a soft laugh, as if finding her own words amusing.
"Mrs. Hudson's dementia kept getting worse, and that made it hard. She kept trying to leave the house. It was… really difficult."
"I see."
"So even if you were to fire me, Mr. Coleman, I think I could accept it now. Because aside from having trouble walking, you really don't need a caregiver."
Nellie added quietly,
"You even mow the lawn just fine on your own."
"…Even so, I'd like you to stay for now. It seems I do need you, Miss McKay."
Nellie quietly looked at him.
"As you've probably noticed by now, I'm terrible at lying. Please continue to eat with me. When I see you eating, I find my own appetite returning. When you're here, meals aren't something I just get through… I actually enjoy mealtime."
Chester spoke plainly, as though stating nothing more than simple facts, yet Nellie felt her face growing hot.
Why is he saying something that sounds like a confession…?
Trying to hide her flushed cheeks, she forced herself to sound calm as she replied.
"So you've been using me as your dining companion all this time?"
"You're only realizing that now? And besides, George seems quite fond of you. She's never really been affectionate with me."
"That's true."
Nellie nodded. George clearly liked her more than Chester, even though she'd only been around for a month while they'd lived together much longer.
"Then I'll look forward to your continued company, Miss McKay. And just so you know, if I ever say I'm going to fire you, don't believe me. It'll just mean I was angry. As always, come back the next day."
Chester held out his hand. When Nellie took it, he clasped hers lightly and shook it, like sealing an agreement.
Only then did Nellie truly feel that she had been hired as Chester's caregiver and it had taken a whole month to feel that way.
***
"Nellie-Dellie-Belly-Jelly!"
"Stanley! Where are you off to?"
Nellie, stepping out the door on her way to work, ran into Stanley. He had a large travel bag slung over his shoulder.
"I'm heading back to my hometown."
"Ah… it's today, isn't it?"
When Nellie said this a little gloomily, Stanley extended his uninjured arm and pulled her into a light hug.
Despite his usual easygoing, even careless demeanor, he smelled faintly and warmly of freshly laundered clothes.
"Yeah. Take care of yourself."
"Hurry up, Stanley!"
"I'll be right there!"
Someone was calling to him from the first floor.
"Heading to work, Nellie? I'll give you a lift on the way."
"It's fine. I can walk, it's not far."
"Don't refuse my last act of kindness. It's not like we'll be seeing each other again."
The sadness in Stanley's words made Nellie nod. Not seeing him again…
"…All right then. In that case, let me carry your bag for you."
When Nellie reached for the strap, Stanley gripped it even tighter.
"What do you take me for?"
Stanley actually looked offended by her offer.
"I'm still a man, you know. I can't just let a woman carry my bag. Besides, you're basically like my little sister."
"But Stanley, you're injured. Come on, give it to me."
"I've still got two arms, Nellie. Go on ahead."
Since Stanley refused to hand it over, Nellie went down the stairs first.
When she reached the first floor, a man who was lodging in another room waved at her.
He wasn't usually around during mealtimes, so she barely knew him.
"You're Nellie McKay from the 4th floor, right?"
"Yes, hello."
"Good. I'm Ronald White. I'm giving this guy a ride to the train station."
"I see."
"Hurry up and get in."
Ronald gestured toward a yellow taxi. He put Stanley's bag in the trunk and headed for the driver's seat.
"Where should I drop you off, Nellie-Belly?"
"Fitz. Number 331 Fitz Street."
"They live on Fitz Street? They must be rich."
Ronald turned the taxi around and started toward Fitz Street.
"Yes, I guess so. But… is it okay for you to give me a ride? Do you have the time?"
"Don't worry about him. We've got plenty of time."
It was Ronald who answered the question meant for Stanley.
"Right. I'm unemployed, so we can leave whenever."
"Ah, I want to go back to my hometown too."
"Where's your hometown, Mr. White?"
"Alkikima. And call me Ronald. I'll call you Nellie, too."
Alkikima was a distant place, more than a full day's drive from Newdane.
"You've come a long way, then. All the way to Newdane…"
"That's right. But there was no work back home. And my parents' medical bills keep going up."
"Why are you leaving that part out? You've got a woman you want to marry, but you can't because you've got no money."
Stanley teased Ronald, who scratched his head awkwardly and said to Nellie.
"He's right. There's someone I've been seeing for a long time, someone I plan to marry."
By then, Ronald's taxi had entered the heart of Newdane, now clogged with rush-hour traffic.
"Nellie-Dellie-Jelly."
"Yes, Stanley?"
With a coaxing tone, like one might use to tempt a child with candy, he asked.
"How about skipping work today and spending the day with me?"
"What? No, I can't."
"Absolutely not?"
"Yes. Absolutely not."
"Not even just once? I was going to take you somewhere even more fun than last time."
"I still can't, Stanley. I didn't get permission in advance."
"I see."
Stanley made a disappointed clicking sound with his tongue.
"I am sad about you leaving for your hometown, Stanley, but… my livelihood depends on this job."
When Nellie firmly rejected his offer, Ronald chimed in on her side.
"See, Stanley? Not everyone's a loafer like you. But still…"
Then, in the middle of the jammed traffic, Ronald suddenly started to turn the car.
"…Why are you turning here all of a sudden?"
Nellie asked in alarm.
The cars behind them blared their horns. Someone even stuck their hand out the window and shouted curses.
"Well, we're stuck in traffic anyway. Might as well take a little detour."
Through the rearview mirror, Ronald looked at Nellie with a playful grin.
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