The Michigan Visitors By Daniel Thomas Fraleigh

The Michigan Visitors

By Daniel Thomas Fraleigh

The house was a buzz of excitement. Mary Jo’s eldest sister Helen and her handsome husband Jim were soon to visit the family farm. Ethel (Mary Jo’s mother) had been busy in the kitchen for several days canning jams and pickles – the oven had been baking nonstop and the whole house was fragrant with savoury smells. Ethel was an extraordinary baker and despite poverty knocking on the door there was never a lack of food – albeit portions were modest – especially for the women.

Ethel would occasionally have to remind her two youngest daughters that the boys required more food because they laboured on the land. Mary Jo would respect the “house rules” but as far as she could see – in her mind – her chores in the barn, gathering eggs, feeding the pigs, mucking the stalls, and tending to the garden compounded with laundry, housekeeping, and helping her mother in the kitchen put anything the boys did in the field to shame!

The visit day had arrived and both Elyse and Mary Jo were constantly looking down the long dirt laneway in anticipation of the dust clouds that would signal Helen and Jim were finally here. At about 1 pm there were dust trails and the girls and their mother ran to the front verandah to greet their guests. Jim’s ebony-coloured Packard was impressive to the eye and the girls knew instinctively that Helen and her husband were prosperous. They were curious how Helen had married so well given their modest background, but they were too shy to pry or ask too many questions of their mother.

When Jim opened the boot Mary Jo and Elyse’s eyes would pop open as wide as saucers! They would shake inside with excitement as Jim would lift a wooden case of Coca-Cola out of concealment of the truck and onto the front steps – followed by a fresh carton of clementines, an assortment of linens and fabrics plus a couple of tins of fine chewing tobacco for Lawrence. The gifts were not expected but they were certainly appreciated. Ethel especially appreciated the assortment of fine teas the young couple would bring. Jim had an executive position with the Bigelow Tea company; so, there was never a shortage of tea in the house.

The afternoon visits were never long but the house was always filled with laughter when Helen and Jim were present. Even Lawrence (Mary Jo’s father) was on his best behaviour. The table would be laid with a crisp ivory linen tablecloth with small rosettes embroidered on the corners by her mother’s skillful hand. A fresh meat pie, baked bread, cold cuts, home-churned butter, and an assortment of fruit pies adorned the table and on these special visits house rules didn’t apply and the girls could join in without reservation or scolding eyes from their father.

Long after Helen and Jim had left their hospitality gifts would be treasured. Ethel would sip her “special” teas for months, and Lawrence would carefully portion his chewing tobacco to ensure he had enough until their next visit. The Coca-Cola bottles were saved and on every return visit, Helen and Jim would take the empties back home with them. And long after the tasty clementines were eaten; Ethel would fold and press the tissues each clementine was wrapped in and place them in a special tin. On occasions when company was visiting, one of the girls was tasked with placing the ‘special’ tin in the outhouse as toilet paper for guests only. Shortly after any company left the tin would be returned to its coveted place on the top shelf of the larder.

Mary Jo always felt a certain underlying tension when Helen and Jim visited. She could not put her finger on it, but she always found it strange that their rare visits were shared with the Cook family that lived just down the road. They were an elderly childless couple with a very prosperous farm and Helen was quite fond of them. Years later Mary Jo would come to know why there was such a profound bond. A best-kept secret for another day.

Part 3 is to be continued in another issue…

Author’s Bio: Daniel Thomas Fraleigh of Canada is a real estate agent by day and at night enjoys writing poems and stories. His poems have appeared in Literary Yard & Chewers and Masticadores. The author has fond memories of visiting Turkey.