A Brilliant Idea

The sound of the front door shutting woke Gerald up from his nap. Sitting on the back patio to have a cup of coffee and do his crossword puzzle, he must have drifted off while poring over 37. Across. He blinked and stretched his neck, muttering as he upset the cold coffee over his lap. He was standing up mopping at his crotch as Bunty bustled in, followed by a lady he had never seen before.

“Gerald. This is Emily. You remember. From the book club. We bumped into each other in the supermarket… good grief, have you had an accident?”

“Not what you might think,” said Gerald, red-faced as he nodded at the guest who politely averted her eyes. “I spilled my coffee. Excuse me. I’ll get changed.”

He hurried into the house and upstairs. Looking down from the bedroom window into the garden, he raised his brows. Bunty was serving tea, using the good china that she normally only brought out for special occasions.

“Hello, I’m Gerald,” he said, returning to the garden and offering his hand.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Emily,” said the visitor, looking relieved at the interruption.

“Really, Gerald,” said Bunty, frowning. “I was just telling Emily how well Gillian has been doing at university and how sensitive she is ...”

“My goodness,” said Emily, looking at her watch. “I’ve got to rush. Thank you for the tea, Bunty. I’ll see myself out.”

Grabbing her handbag, she hurried off. Bunty, looking crestfallen, sat down. To his horror, Gerald saw her wipe a tear. He sat down beside her and awkwardly put his arm around her shoulder. Bunty leaned against him and sobbed into her napkin for a few moments before pulling herself together.

“Oh, Gerald, I thought we’d be happy in this new house,” she said, dabbing her eyes. “You worked so hard to get here. But I can’t seem to make friends. Maybe it was all a mistake.”

She stood up with dignity and began collecting the tea things, refusing Gerald’s offer of help. Watching her, he felt a pang of tenderness. At that moment, his phone rang. With delight, he saw it was from Gillian.

“Hi, princess. How are you?”

“Hi, Dad. We just survived finals and went out to celebrate,” she said. “I was calling because it’s Mom’s birthday this weekend. What are the plans? Dad, don’t tell me you forgot again. You’re hopeless!”

“Guilty as charged,” Gerald said. He cleared his throat. “Can you help me do something for her birthday? She really hasn’t settled here like I thought she would.”

“I’ll be there tomorrow, and you’d better redeem yourself by thinking up some spectacular birthday plans, Dad.”

Gerald stared at the phone and sighed. He went inside, looking for Bunty. To his concern, she was lying down in the bedroom with the curtains drawn. This was unheard of.

“I have a headache, Gerald. Please let me rest.”

Totally unsettled, Gerald went downstairs and decided to go for a walk. Strolling through the neighborhood of “executive homes” with their manicured lawns, he suddenly saw it differently. Their old neighborhood had been scrappier, a mixture of old homes in varying condition, a few new builds and some townhouses. There was nothing particularly interesting about it, but he could chat with neighbors whenever he went out for a stroll. There wasn’t a soul to be seen here apart from a Latino landscaping crew who smiled and nodded at him. With a heavy heart, he meandered around the subdivision and returned to the house. Bunty was asleep, so he decided to drive into town. As he got out of his car, he heard someone calling his name.

“Gerald! How are you?”

“Dave! Long time no see,”

He staggered as Dave, a tall, burly man, slapped him on the back.

“You got time for a beer?”

Gerald normally avoided invitations like this. He wasn’t good at small talk, especially about things like fishing and sports, which is what the main topic of conversation always seemed to be.

“Why not?” he said, following Dave into a nearby restaurant.

As they waited for their order, Dave looked at him keenly.

“You don’t seem like yourself, buddy. What’s up? Enjoying retirement? I heard you moved into one of them fancy houses over there. We miss seeing you around.”

“I did, and I’m not sure it was a smart idea,” Gerald said, staring into his beer. “Bunty can’t seem to adjust. She’s stood by me through thick and thin over the years, so I thought she deserved a nicer house.”

“Did she say she wanted that?” Dave said,

Gerald stared at him.

“You know, I don’t think I asked her in so many words. I assumed she did.”

“Maybe that’s your problem right there. Hey, did you see the game last night?”

Gerald did his best to keep up with the sports talk that followed.

Bunty seemed restored to her usual cheerful self the next day, though Gerald watched her covertly. She was thrilled to hear that Gillian was coming and bustled around getting the guest room ready. He remembered what she had said about birthday plans and went out to the patio. He was sitting racking his brains for ideas when Gillian hugged him from behind.

“Surprise! I got away earlier than I thought,” she said.

“Boy, am I glad to see you,” said Gerald, embracing her. “And before you ask, I am stuck for brilliant birthday ideas.”

“What birthday ideas?” said Bunty, appearing suddenly with a tray of drinks and snacks.

“Mom! It was supposed to be a surprise,” said Gillian, laughing. “But now that you know, what do you want to do?”

“Do you want to hear what I would like, or do you want to hear what you think I want?” Bunty said, looking directly at Gerald.

Gillian looked from one to the other, puzzled.

“Uh, is this a private conversation? Should I exit stage left? I think I’ll go unpack.”

Her parents were oblivious as she left.

“I’m sorry,” said Gerald, reaching for Bunty’s hand. “This house is what I thought you should want. To be honest, it made me feel like a big shot to be able to afford it.”

Bunty squeezed his hand gently.

“I should have spoken up. But I don’t fit in here, Gerald, and I don’t think I ever will. What I would like for my birthday is to go house hunting together.”

“You’re not the only one who feels out of place,” said Gerald. “I think that’s a very good idea. But, in the meantime, why don’t we go for a long weekend to the beach with Gillian?”

“I heard my name,” said Gillian. “Is it safe to come in?”

“Perfect timing,” said Gerald. “Listen to my brilliant idea!”