2 – The Train
Ann looked anxiously at her watch as Joe drove. Joe had been talking incessantly for the entire drive.
“…then Sissy chased a mouse right into the house! God, it was awful! Why me? Why-oh-why is it always me? You’re in the city all day, in your sparkling clean glass tower… I have to go back to that mess and the bugs and the rodents!”
“One mouse, Joe;” she replied. “It was a single little mouse.”
“One that we know of!” He glanced at Ann and raised a knowing eyebrow. “God only knows how many others have burrowed into the cellar or between our walls. The whole house is infested with pests…”
“I know.” Ann tried to interject, but Joe droned on.
“…rats, and roaches and spiders and ants…”
An image of the Dorthy and the Cowardly Lion flashed into her mind and she recited under her breath, “Spiders and roaches and rats—oh my!”
“…and silverfish and heaven knows what else!” Joe concluded.
Ann protested, “I’ve tried all the sprays and “motels” and service companies I could think of, dear.”
“And nothing’s worked.” was Joes rebuke.
“I know.”
“You’ve never tried that stuff Paul Harvey talks about!”
Ann glanced at her watch again as she replied, “But that’s only for roaches, Joe; I’ve told you that before. I’m going to miss the train if you don’t step on it.”
“Independent university studies has proven that it works…” Joe was quoting the radio ad verbatim.
“I don’t doubt that…”
“They’ve used it on entire towns…”
Ann was exasperated. “That’s not the point…”
“It’s patented, for God’s sake!”
Ann bit her lip trying put an end to the conversation.
The Dee’s car pulled into a parking space some distance from the train station. Ann Dee quickly got out of the car as soon as it came to a halt and started to walk briskly toward the train. The platform was nearly empty, for most of the commuters were already on board. Joe Dee followed a step behind Ann, jabbering and gesturing as he went.
Two men and a woman were looking out of the train. One man checked his watch and was saying something to the others when the woman, Beth, suddenly pointed out the window in the direction of Joe and Ann.
“Here she comes now,” she said.
Harry, the man who was looking at his watch, held it out for the others to see and tapped the dial as he spoke. “Andy was sure cutting it close this time.” (Harry, and indeed all her friends, called Ann Dee, “Andy.” Likewise contracting Joe’s name to “Jody.”)
The three commuters craned their necks to watch Joe and Ann as they approached.
“It looks like Jody’s really on her tail again today!” commented the second man, Marv.
Joe was still on his tirade, “…well, something has got to be done about these pests, Ann.”
As Joe talked, Ann made a quick stop at the newsstand and bought her usual copy of the WALL STREET JOURNAL, which she tucked under her arm.
“Yes, Ann, something needs to be done. I don’t know what, but I can’t keep on like this…”
Neither can I, thought Ann.
“…you don’t realize how much time it takes to keep a household running—to keep your clothes looking good, and to have dinner ready and waiting for you. The list goes on and on…”
“And on and on and on…” Ann mumbled
Much to her relief, they finally reached Ann’s train car.
“…so I can’t be expected to do everything. All I ask for is some cooperation…”
Ann gave Joe a quick peck on the cheek and ascended into the train.
“I want something done about these pests, Ann,” Joe shouted out as the train lurched forward. “TODAY, ANN!”
Ann waved wearily from the platform between coaches as the train pulled away from the station, “Yes, dear,” she called out before entering the coach where she new her friends would be holding a seat. Like most mornings, the commuter train into the city was crowded.
Marv, was waving his hand above the heads of the crowd. He gave a short whistle and called, “Andy, over here!”
Ann made her way down the aisle to her three friends. Beth patted the empty seat next to her, into which Ann slumped like a sack of potatoes.
Harry pointedly tapped his watch. “Thought you’d missed it for sure this time!”
“What was Jody’s gripe today, Ann?” Beth probed. Then, half singing, “You don’t send me flowers, anymore?”
Ann flushed with embarrassment.
“No, no, no, Beth! It wasn’t that at all,” offered Marv. “You’re not married, so you don’t have the experience that enables a person to read a situation like this. That was definitely a ‘you’re never home—I sacrifice my whole life for you—we never go out any more’ tirade.” He looked at Ann with a visage of good humor, “Am I right, or what?”
Ann rolled her eyes, “Among other things.”
Harry rubbed his hands together eagerly. “Other things?” he said. “You mean that Jody’s come up with something new?” He turned to the others and stated matter-of-factly, “Maggie hasn’t come up with a new line in twelve years!”
Marv was delighted too, “Knowing ol’ Jody, this ought to be good.”
The trio looked with anticipation to Ann, who remained silent.
“Well?” Harry prompted.
Ann looked at each of the three in turn before saying simply, “Well, what?”
“Aren’t you going to tell us Joe’s new gripe?” Beth demanded.
Ann snapped open her newspaper. “Shouldn’t you be reading your paper?” she said before raising her Journal and blocking the three from her sight. She read a moment, then slowly lowered the paper and peeked over the top. She saw that they were still waiting. Ann quickly raised the paper again. The trio retained their focus on Ann, practically piercing the paper with their gaze. Ann tried desperately to resist their prying.
“Pests…” she uttered from behind the paper. She lowered the paper to her lap and gave in. “Okay, it was about pests! Are you satisfied?”
In unison the trio responded, “Pests?”
Beth was repulsed by the thought. “What do you mean—bugs, and stuff?”
Marv attempted to gross Beth out, “You know, Beth, those creepy-crawly things you find slinking around the bath tub drain when you get home at night and the only thing you had wanted to do all day was to have a nice, long, warm, soothing soak?” He succeeded. Beth’s nose wrinkled and her mouth scrunched up.
“Cut it out, Marv!” she kicked him in the shin
Turning his attention to Ann, Marv said, somewhat loudly, “So Andy, you’ve got roaches!”
Ann slapped him with her paper. “Jeez, Marv, why not take an ad out in the paper! Sometimes I could just ring your neck!”
Marv leaned in closer and too a more confidential tact, “Well do you?”
Ann looked around to see if anyone has overheard, then nodded.
“Have you tried that stuff that Paul Harvey is always talking about?” asked Beth.
“That wouldn’t solve our problem.” Ann answered.
“They’ve cleaned out…” Beth started, but Ann chimed in as she said “entire towns…”
“Yes, I’ve heard it all before. What do you think Joe was harping about all morning? That stuff just wouldn’t be of much help. What I need is some sort of total pest control. We’ve got more than roaches—jeez, we’ve got more than just bugs!”
“Rats?” asked Harry
“Mice—or rather, a mouse.”
“Have you called…”
Ann stopped Harry with a gesture of her hand.
“Come on, will you? You guys are as big of pests as Joe is! I’ll take care of it at the office, okay?” With that Ann straightened out her paper and again cut herself off from the group.
– End Chapter Two –
