ERNIE AND ERNESTINA: Searching
Book Two, Chapter 102: A Clown’s Smile
Usually I’m in my work boots when I’m at the Charles Street house, but today I’m wearing backless heels that smack the newly waxed oak floor, and Joshua’s noticeably taller in his black boots.
We’re in dressy clothes because Cindi will be here shortly. In fact she’s coming up the walk now, wearing light trousers and a soft-as-butter leather jacket fitted to her small frame. Her voice is light and high. I try not to miss anything she says.
Joshua leads her through the rooms, pointing out improvements big and small. The French doors. The Full Moon paint. The white roll-up shades. The flush-mounted light fixtures. The new oven and stove top. We head to the basement. Cindi’s fond of basements.
“Make sure your tenant changes the furnace filter once a month,” she says. “That way the furnace doesn’t struggle for its breath.”
“Just in the winter months, right?” I ask.
“Every month,” Cindi says. “The AC feeds off the furnace, too.”
We take leave of the house and head to a nearby restaurant, settling at a table by the window. But I don’t look out the window or even take in the restaurant’s interior. I’m too busy listening to the conversation between Cindi and Joshua. He’s talking about Christy.
“If I’m working on a vintage BMW motorcycle, she wants to know why I don’t buy a new Harley with a comfortable seat for her. When I buy a seat for the BMW, she says it’s not comfortable enough. Then she says I ride a motorcycle to get attention.”
“Friends don’t hurt each other. Don’t put each other down,” Cindi says. “You seem to be even-tempered, but what she says must push your buttons.”
“You’ve nailed her,” Joshua says. “Things escalate. She’s into drama. I like exciting, passionate people, but I don’t like fights.”
“Why is she like this?” Cindi asks.
“Her parents love her when they think she’s going to be a movie star and will make them famous. They loved it when she wrote roles for them in Barracuda. But if she needs their help they’re not there for her, so it’s hard for her to love someone. She does to others what they’ve done to her.”
“When we become adults, we can no longer blame our parents for who we are and how we are,” Cindi says. “It’s up to us to change, but it sounds as if she won’t change. She’s been wounded. That’s sad. I’m sure she has many good points, too. Perhaps you and she can be business partners but not love partners.”
“Yes,” Joshua says.
“Love has its ups and downs, but Scott and I share the same core values. That grounds us, keeps us together.”
“I’m keeping an open mind,” Joshua says. “Two nights ago I went to a speed-dating session. I talked to nine women. One I might call. Her name’s Ashley. She owns a house in Clifton. She has a job, and she’s studying to be a nurse. She sounds as if she has her head on straight.”
“It’s good to be social,” Cindi says. “How long did you say Christy will be here?”
“Ten days.”
“Maybe you’ll be smiling when she leaves.”
Joshua smiles, waves good-by to an imaginary Christy. Then his smile begins to droop. He looks older and sadder. His smile becomes . . . a clown’s smile.
