I stared at him as he walked around the store, picking up a bunch of cauliflower, eggs, a container of goat’s milk hand lotion, and a box of homemade chocolate candies.
John had been acting truly weird lately. It seemed as if he had transferred his creepy lurking previously saved for Robin over to me, and possibly Rachel, although it may just have been that she was usually around. He stopped in frequently at the store, often hanging around when we closed and walking out with us. Lingering long after he purchased his items. Moving uncomfortably close to me when having a conversation. I had mentioned it to Archie, but of course he hadn’t noticed anything.
I went to the register and rang up his purchases.
“How’s business?” he asked.
I smiled. He should know. He was in here every other day. How much jam could he and his grandma eat?
“Busy.”
“I’m surprised Archie’s other bench hasn’t sold yet,” he remarked. “Grandma and I love ours.”
“Glad to hear it,” I replied. I handed him the bag. “I’m sure it will sell by Christmas.”
“Hard to believe Thanksgiving is just around the corner,” he said, picking up the bag.
“Sure is. Have a good day, John,” I said, trying to nudge him out the door.
“What are you and Archie doing for Thanksgiving?”
“Making turkey like everyone else,” I replied. When was this guy going to leave?
“Are you having company over?”
“Um… maybe. Not sure yet.”
“Okay, what about you, Rachel?”
“Having dinner with my family,” she replied in a quiet voice.
The door jingled and two customers walked in. Saved by the bell. Thank goodness.
“Thanks, John, have a good day,” I repeated, hurrying over to the customers.
John finally got the hint and left the store. After the other customers exited, with bags of squash and homemade yogurt, Rachel wiped the counter by the cash register.
“Are you friends with that John guy?” she asked.
“My husband is,” I said vaguely.
She nodded. “He’s strange, I think. My mom says stay away from him; he’s an odd one.”
“I think your mom is right,” I agreed. “He is an odd one.” Well, it was good to know I wasn’t the only one who found John unsettling. Rachel’s mother sensed it too and warned her daughter. I still didn’t understand why Archie couldn’t see it.
My cell phone rang shrilly and I glanced at it. Poplin National Bank. I wondered what they wanted. “Hello?”
“Hello, this is Alice calling from Poplin National Bank. Is this Aimee Greencastle?”
“Yes.”
“Mrs. Greencastle, there is an overdraft on your checking account this morning in the amount of two thousand, seven hundred twenty-three dollars and forty-five cents. Will you be able to cover that today?”
“Overdraft, what? How has that happened?”
“Give me a moment,” Alice said. A minute or two passed.
“Okay, your husband transferred fifty thousand dollars from the business account to the personal. That is what caused the overdraft.”
“Oh, um, I thought we had overdraft protection with our savings account.”
“No, I don’t see that you signed up for that. Do you think you could stop in and sign that agreement authorizing us to pull funds from your savings? You could do it online too if you choose.”
“I’ll come in. I’ll be there soon. Thank you, Alice.” I clicked off my phone.
I called Archie.
“Hello?”
“What’s up with the fifty-thousand-dollar transfer from the business account? It overdrew the account. The bank just called.”
“Oh, shit, sorry. I thought we had more in that account. I had to pay for that side-by-side ATV we ordered. Remember we talked about it?”
“It cost fifty thousand dollars?”
“No, but close to thirty. Then we had other expenses coming up like insurance bills and those repairs for the barn, that kind of stuff. I just thought it would be easier to transfer enough for everything.”
“Oh, okay, when do we get the ATV?”
“This weekend. It’ll be so much fun to drive around. We can even drive it into town.” Archie’s voice was tinged with excitement; it was nice to hear him so jolly.
“Okay, well I have to go to the bank to sign a paper,” I said.
“Sorry, babe. Look I’ve got to go, but I promise it’ll be worth it.” Archie hung up.
I stared at the phone, walked out to my car, and headed to the bank.
THIRTY-FIVE2023
Aimee
Blanketing the world outside my window was the first frost of the year. Icy little pockets covered the dead grass and the fields beyond creating a magical looking fairyland. A fire crackled from our living room fireplace, the mantle decorated with bright orange pumpkins, yellow gourds, and creamy white candles, softly flickering.
Archie and I nursed our coffees and ate buttered toast with apple jam. Nothing too heavy since we’d be eating a large meal later. I’d planned to make Thanksgiving dinner here, just the two of us, but John had invited us to dinner with him and his grandma, and Archie accepted, much to my annoyance, without checking with me first. I decided to brush it off and enjoy the day, even if spending time with John wasn’t something I relished. I hadn’t met his grandma yet, so hopefully she was pleasant. I told Archie I was spending two hours there, tops, and then we’re out of there. And this would be the only holiday I’d be spending with John. I could only imagine him wanting us to get matching Christmas jammies and opening presents together on Christmas morning.
Oh, hell no.
I had some serious concerns about Archie’s lack of insight toward John. He thought he was such a great guy. A good friend. But if Rachel and her mother could recognize that John was odd and to keep your distance, how was he oblivious to it? Is it only women who hold a particular instinct about certain men?
