Chapter Four - Trudy

The next morning went by in a blur for Trudy. 

The Johnsons arrived at eight on the dot, the earliest available check-in time. 
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From the reservation, Trudy had expected a family with several grown kids, but it turned out to be some sort of internet firm called Johnsons, Pike & Hayes. The five young people were unrelated coworkers, and this week at her inn was meant to be some sort of working retreat for them while their offices were renovated. 

Other than asking permission to put a few things in her fridge, which of course she allowed, the young folks didn’t seem to want or need anything from her.

With Chad laid up, Trudy had been ready to carry a lot of suitcases for a traveling family. But each of the workers carried their own things to the various rooms, and they appeared to have packed light. 

Trudy busied herself in the kitchen instead. But when no one drifted down at ten for the free continental breakfast, she decided to stop up and see how they were settling in. 

She knocked on the door of the girl who had made the reservation, and seemed to be the leader of the group.

“Come in,” a cheerful voice called out.

Trudy opened the door to find the young woman with headphones on and her laptop open, typing furiously.

“Everything okay?” the girl asked.

Trudy suddenly couldn’t remember the girl’s name for the life of her. 

“I just wanted to make sure you all knew about the free continental breakfast downstairs, dear,” Trudy said with a smile. “I made fresh pumpkin muffins this morning.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” the girl said with a horrified expression. “I forgot to tell you.”

“Do you have allergies?” Trudy asked worriedly. “I’ll do whatever I can to work with that and make you meals you can enjoy safely.”

“No, it’s not that,” the girl said. “It’s just that we’re all on Fit Challenge 7-12. It’s part of the retreat. We brought all our own food.”

“Those little containers in the fridge?” Trudy asked, trying to hide her horror.

“Aren’t they great?” the girl gushed. “They’re nesting containers made just for the program.”

“Wonderful, dear,” Trudy said. “So you won’t be needing breakfasts while you’re here?”

“No meals at all, actually,” the girl said. 

“No meals at all?” Trudy echoed in disbelief.

“Nope,” the girl said happily. “Just wifi connection so we can put in our twelve-hour days all week long. Fit Challenge 7-12 is all about working and eating in tandem for maximum efficiency. We won’t want housekeeping either. We’re on a tight schedule with this project.”

“I hope everything goes just the way you planned,” Trudy told her. “But if anything goes wrong with your containers, you can help yourself to anything you can find in the kitchen, or just let me know if there’s something I can whip up.”

“You’re so kind,” the girl said. “But I have to get back to my sprint now.”

Trudy looked around in total confusion. Where on Earth could the child be running to indoors?

“It’s a work term,” the girl confided. “For focused work efforts over a finite period of time.”

And now Trudy knew as much as she did before.

But she pasted on a friendly smile and gave a little wave before letting herself out and closing the door behind her.

Suddenly confronted with what practically felt like a week off, Trudy was surprised to feel a sinking sensation.

Phillip had always known exactly what he wanted to do with an unexpected day off. They had taken little trips to the arboretum, Cassidy Farm, or even into the city to the zoo.

But none of those things seemed like much fun without a companion. Chad was in no shape for walking, and most of her old friends were ensconced in obligations to husbands and children. As each year passed, she felt further from her old life.

She wandered downstairs to find Chad behind the desk, with his bad ankle resting on a small ottoman. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked. 

“Not one of them will want a bite to eat or a word of conversation all week long,” she told him sadly. 

“Sounds like a perfect job for me,” he declared. “You should take off and do something fun.”

“Oh, I couldn’t leave you. What if they need something carried?” she laughed.

“Do they really seem like they need anything carried?” Chad asked her.

“I’m a homebody,” she told him. “I’ll stick around. Maybe I can reorganize the kitchen again. Seems like there’s a better way to have things set up.”

“Whatever relaxes you,” Chad said. “Most likely, these guys will only call down if the internet goes out. And I can deal with the cable company.”

“I don’t know what I ever did to deserve an employee like you,” Trudy said, shaking her head. “But it must have been something lovely.”

“Oh, hey, there is one thing you could do for me if you end up in town,” Chad said. 

“Of course,” Trudy told him. “I wanted to return a few library books anyway.”

“Could you grab me some ceiling white paint from the hardware store?” Chad asked. “Just a pint in eggshell. I want to touch up the floor trim in the mudroom.”

“Of course, I’d be glad to,” Trudy said, happy to feel useful again. “I’ll just pop over there now.”

She bundled up and headed out to her car. 

It was plenty cold out, but the old station wagon started up, right as rain. Now that the roads were a little better cleared off than yesterday morning, she felt good about taking a slow journey to town. 

Trudy turned on the radio and was happy to find the Christmas station was still playing their holiday mix through New Year’s Day. She hummed along with the classics all the way to town, enjoying the sight of the snow-covered farms, trees and houses. 

She arrived to find the public parking spots out front of the hardware store were nicely shoveled. She parked, got out, and dug in her coat pocket for change to feed the meters. 

All around the village, people were pushing strollers of bundled up babies, carrying packages, and shouting hello to each other. 

It was lovely to be in the business section of Trinity Falls during the holiday season. In spite of the rising property taxes, there were usually plenty of retirees around town all year long. But Trudy loved seeing the young families enjoying time off from work.

She pushed open the door to the hardware store, inhaling the fresh scent of wood shavings and some kind of oil that always reminded her of her grandfather’s garage when she was a little girl. She had loved helping with his projects, whether he was building a step stool or oiling bicycle chains.

“Howdy, stranger,” a familiar voice said. 

She turned and was so surprised that she didn’t know what to say.
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Ward Sullivan tipped his hat at her from behind the counter, his blue eyes twinkling.

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