Leech Hoose, part nine

Leta spent her Monday studying her new husband Leech Hoose’s house. Actually, since she had married him on Saturday, it was now her house as well. She learned the furniture, walls, windows, cupboards, dinnerware, cookware, beds, linens, dressers and closets. She learned that while he lived simply and kept very little decoration in the house, Leech was a hoarder. Two of the closets contained old, worn clothes. One dresser was stuffed with tattered towels and washcloths. He had three toasters stuffed in a cupboard. Only one worked. A second and third set of dishes, most of them chipped or cracked, filled two shelves in another cupboard. The kitchen closet was home to five brooms with no bristles, three mops with partial heads and four dented metal pails. Two of these leaked, including the one that looked relatively new.

Nevertheless, Leta hummed through the day. At three o’clock, she walked briskly to Dale’s school and met him at the door. The two of them then continued to their now former apartment where Vivian was waiting. They finished packing their meager belongings and talked about their new situation.

“Now, Leech has been living by himself for a very long time,” Leta informed them. “It’s going to take some getting used to for him to have three other people in the house. We need to be respectful of him and helpful to him. For the first few days especially, let’s remember that, and try to stay out of his way a little bit. We’ll all have dinner together, of course. And I think he likes to relax in the parlor, which means that the two of you can do your homework at the kitchen table. But if he does like to spend his evenings at the table, then we’ll give him that room. We’ll just have to wait and see.

“Still, the house is nice. You will each have your own bedroom. When we get there, Vivian, I’m going to need you to take our sheets and make the beds. I prepared the rooms for you already. We won’t be able to wash them to use tonight, but we’ll get to that during the week. And, Dale, you can help her.”

Leta had arranged for her brother-in-law Hiram to bring his truck the following afternoon to transport the few boxes they had. In the meantime, the threesome each carried a suitcase to the trolley and their new home.

By the time Leech arrived, she had their second meal as a family ready. The children had washed and dressed in their Sunday clothes. She wore her best dress and styled her hair. As there was no dining room, she set the kitchen table, decorating it with flowers and the nicest plates they could find in the house. The newly cleaned kitchen sparkled.

When she heard the automobile stop, she was in the kitchen stirring the green beans. She quickly removed her apron, adjusted her hair and met him at the front door.

“Good evening, darling,” she said with a smile, as he entered the front door, holding out her hand for his hat. He seemed startled at first to see her, but then smiled, handed her his hat and removed his coat. “Are you hungry? Supper’s ready.”

“Starved,” he said.

A few moments later, they were all seated at the table. She served Leech first, offering him the small platter of chicken. He took a large portion of breast and one of the legs, and immediately began to eat. The children were sitting with folded hands, and noticeably reacted with surprise. Leta looked at them intently and shook her head. She handed the platter of chicken to Vivian and returned to the stove for the boiled potatoes. Leech barely looked up as she slid several onto his plate, but continued to eat loudly. When she returned a third time with the green beans, he stopped.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“Green beans,” Leta answered.

“I said chicken and potatoes,” he noted.

“Yes, of course, darling,” Leta agreed. “And I made green beans, too.”

“Get that shit away from me,” he snapped.

“I’m sorry,” she said, withdrawing. “I didn’t know you didn’t like green beans.”

“Potatoes,” he grunted. “More potatoes.”

“Sure,” she said. First she emptied the pan, and then she gave him hers. While neither of her children seemed to notice, both ate their own potatoes immediately. This, she told herself, was a learning experience. Leech liked potatoes. He didn’t like green beans. Perhaps he didn’t like vegetables at all. She could cook what he liked.

“Dale,” she suggested as she sat to her own meal of chicken, green beans and bread, “tell Father about what you learned in science today.”

“What?” Leech gasped. “I’m eating here. Not while I’m eating.”

“But it was about engineering,” Leta clarified, “which you’re interested—“

“—I said I’m eating!” Leech snapped.

“I just thought that since we were all together now, we could use this time to—“

Leech slammed his fist on the table.

“Dammit, woman!” he yelled. “Are you deaf? Or stupid. Let me be clear this time. Shut…your…mouth.”

To be continued.