SEPTEMBER 2017 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC Ashley exercises the power of persuasion When we left off last month,


Kenneth was giving the paramedics a piece of his mind as he was escorted by ambulance to the hospital, and Jimmy Vincent had successfully


Woodshed


Chronicles by BOB COLLINS


distracted pushy reporter Harriet Murray from pursuing the exact nature of the predicament Kenneth had put himself in. Rural Redemption, part 90, continues: Clayton Garrison walked into the Henderson’s kitchen, still rubbing a towel across the back of his neck. “I’m soaked right through. I should probably be on my way – unless there is anything I can give you folks a hand with?” “We’re fine,” said Deborah.


“Thank you so much for all your help.” “Coffee is made,” said


Ashley. “What do you take in it?”


“One of each, but only if


you folks were having one yourselves.” “How do you want yours,


Mom?” “Black,” said Deborah as she watched Ashley serve her and Clay, then pour herself a cup. Deborah looked at her daughter quizzically. Ashley detested coffee, until now. The conversation stopped as they all sipped their coffee. Ashley stood. “I just have to run out to


Clay’s truck. I left my backpack on the seat.” Clay’s eyes followed Ashley


through the back door. “Thanks for giving her a ride home,” said Deborah. “That was my pleasure


ma’am. Your daughter is a feisty young woman.” Young woman? No. She’s


hardly more than a child, for heaven’s sake, thought Deborah. But she knew deep down that Ashley had been perched on this threshold for the past year and though Clayton Garrison seemed to


have thrown the door wide open, Ashley was indeed a young woman. A beautiful and confident young woman. Feisty, as Clay had said. “I don’t suppose Ashley’s had time to ask you but, with your permission, I’d like to take her to a movie next Saturday.” Deborah was caught off guard. “Oh, umm. Ashley mentioned she


thought you were dating…I just assumed you probably had a girlfriend or something…” “No, ma’am.” “I’ll have to discuss this with her father. Ashley isn’t allowed to date. I mean she’s never been asked before – except when she was 13 but she was too young and we said no. Have you asked her yet?” “Sort of. I suggested we might go to a movie. She was wondering if the ride home was a kind of date. I told her if someone asked her on a real date, they should call for her at home and meet her parents.” Ashley and Christopher


blustered through the back door on a gust of wind. “Ho-lee,” said Christopher.


“Is it ever raining hard out there! Maybe the power will go out again.” “I should really be on my


way,” said Clay. “Thanks for the coffee and take care on the road tonight, ma’am.” The road? Kenneth burst back into Deborah’s mind. The hospital! “Yes, thank you. I will.” “Nice to meet you, Chris;


evening, Ashley.” Ashley walked Clay to the back door. “Did you mean it about


Saturday?” she whispered. “Yes, I did, but you need to


talk to your folks about it first. I’ll see you at the farm in a day or so.”


They said good night and Ashley watched him


disappear into the storm, then closed the door behind him. “Mom, I’m going on a date


Saturday night.” “Whoa, no way!” said Chris.


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“Yes, with Clay. Not that it’s


any of your business.” “Cool.”


“I think we need to talk about it, honey. Chris, would you go to your room and give us a few minutes please?” said Deborah.


Christopher grumbled


reluctantly off to his room. “Ashley, this is all very


sudden. You’ve never dated anyone before and Clay seems nice but you don’t know anything about him.” “Alright, Mom. Let’s discuss it one thing at a time. First, it’s all very sudden. Isn’t that how you meet everyone? Isn’t that how we met Mr. Pullman? And Mr. McLeod? And everyone else we know here? “Second, I’ve never dated


anyone before. Remember when I was 13 and I used to go to the Cineplex in the mall with Penny Reynolds every Saturday? Well, we used to meet Kevin Sutherland and Eric Whalen there. I went steady with Kevin for six months. “Third, I don’t know


anything about him. I know he’s handsome, I know he’s funny, I know he has good manners, I know his mom is Mrs. Fitzpatrick’s sister and her name is Mary and I know that Mr. Pullman has known him since he was a little kid.” “You went steady with Kevin Sutherland for six months? Even though your father forbid it?” “Yes, Mom, even after


Daddy forbid it.” “Did he try to kiss you?”


“Endlessly, but Penny’s St.


Bernard was a better kisser than Kevin Sutherland.” Deborah smiled in spite of


herself.


“Did he try anything else?” “Geez, Mom, why the third


degree? All Kevin ever did was pay for the popcorn every week.” “This is different, Ashley.


You’re not 13 now. You’re nearly grown up, and Clay isn’t Kevin Sutherland. You might think you know him and I can see how you might be attracted to him but you can’t judge a book by its cover.” “Isn’t that exactly how


you’re judging him? How do you know what a book is really like until you read it? I’m going to be 17 on my next birthday. Weren’t you 17 when you met Daddy?” “Nearly 18.” “And how long did you


know him before he asked you out? And how long did it take him to start kissing you? If I remember the story correctly, it was love at first sight. You were 17 and Daddy was 21 and you kissed the first time you met. How would it be so wrong if Clay kissed me?”


“Did he?” “No. I asked him about it but he said a ride home wasn’t that kind of date. He said a kissing date was when you asked a girl out and went to meet her parents. The cover on this one looks really interesting, Mom, and I’m going to be seeing him at Fitzpatrick’s anyhow. Wouldn’t


it be best if we just went on a real date?”


Deborah was waging a losing battle. “I’ll talk to your father.”


Cranky


The wind died down but the rain fell even harder. Kenneth was waiting impatiently when she arrived at the hospital. “What the hell took you so


long? I’ve been parked out here in this wheelchair for the last half hour,” said Kenneth. She’d expected to find him in a bed with a cast on his leg. “It’s raining really hard. I took it easy. How is your leg?” “I’ve got a badly sprained


ankle. It hurts like hell and the doctor says it’s worse than a broken leg. I have to wear this brace and stay off it for at least three weeks. No stairs. I’ve got a prescription for pain killers. Let’s get out of here.” Kenneth spent the ride home berating the hospital staff in general and the emergency room doctor in particular. He berated the clumsy clown who x-rayed his ankle and the bitchy nurses who ignored all his requests. He raked the ambulance staff over the coals and bemoaned the jokers from the fire department and the old vulture from the newspaper. At the end of the list, he came to Clay. “And who was that idiot in


the cowboy outfit that Ashley dragged home. Thank gawd we’ve seen the last of him.” To be continued ...


41


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