Another Short Story by Elaine Carlson

"Judy," she says, "You should know my house has electricity."

"Yeah that is good," I say.

"And it also has indoor plumbing."

"Yeah that is good, too."

I don't know how far Hilary Branch is going to take this. Is she going to tell me she has a car? A television? A telephone? I wish I could cut off this line of conversation but I don't want to come across as being rude.

"That's good you have electricity and plumbing in your house," I say. "But me? I have a car with a carburetor."

"My father used to say that," I was happy to see she was laughing. "Did you get that expression from your father?"

"I first heard it from my uncle," I said. "But I am sure he and my father picked it up from their father, my grandfather."

I reached into the bottom drawer of my desk and pulled out some papers.

"Here is a list of our regulations I can give you."

She reached out as if she was going to take it from me.

"I have to make some corrections," I said. "After it was printed the Board changed some of the rules."

It took me hardly any time at all to cross out a few paragraphs. I started to write some of the changes into the margins but I thought none of the new rules were all that important. And I guessed she would never read the dang thing anyway. I gave it to her.

"Thank you very much," she said. "You are really sweet go to all this trouble."

"Mrs. Branch, it was no trouble at all," I say. "I am glad I was able to help you."

"I bet you don't have many people coming here who do not have computers."

"One of our former Board members doesn't have one," I say, "I print out the minutes and other stuff for him so he can keep up with what is going on."

She nodded. She seemed pleased to hear she was not the only person who did not have a computer.

"A nephew said on my birthday he is going to set me up with a computer," she said. "He said his grandson, who is a very bright kid, will teach me how to use it."

I wondered how old the "very bright kid" is. Will she have to put up with being taught a new skill by an eight-year-old?

"It's nice your relatives are helping you."

Mrs. Branch looked like she was all ready to leave when it hit me. We should discuss the upcoming retirement.

"I know you know Robert Haspels," I say. "You two were supposedly the pair back in the day."

"Where did you hear that?"

"He told me you dated," I said. "High school sweethearts is what he said you two were."

"I guess for two years and the breakup was difficult," she said. "But we didn't have a great big blow up or anything like that."

I am hanging on. I want to know why they parted.

"I met Roger – we just seemed to click."

So she decided she wanted to throw her lot in with Roger Branch instead of Robert Haspels.

"But things worked out," she said. "It wasn't long before he met Jenny and soon they got married. She is a lovely person."

"And what I heard is that your life with Mr. Branch has been good."

"Yes I have been lucky in life."

"You have probably heard that Mr. Haspels is going to retire."

"I heard, but I thought it might be a rumor," she said. "I always thought he would want to stay on the job until the end. You know the expression to die with your boots on."

"No," I say, "He said it was time for him to quit so he could get on with his life."

I don't think she believed me. And I got to admit he was probably pushed out.

"Well there is going to be a retirement party," I say. "You should come."

"His family can be there," she said. "He doesn't need me to be in his cheering section."

"I think you should be there," I said. "You can be one of the speakers and say how you knew him before he started to work here."

I gave her the phone numbers for the people in charge of the party. I was hoping someone in her family (maybe Roger) would encourage her to go the party.

I didn't go to the party but from everything I heard I knew it was nice. Both Roger and Hilary Branch made it. And she was one of the people who got up to give a speech. Everyone clapped and laughed during her speech, including Robert and Jenny Haspels.