I'd wondered briefly, what Ivy and I would talk about on our ride to Dale's, or if it would an awkward silence. But it wasn't. Ivy began
talking about some of the Murphys locals that she'd met so far, and asking me some questions about who was married to who, and all of that stuff.
I filled her in on things, finding her easy to talk to. She had Blue, her poodle, along, and he laid between us in the seat, his head resting on Ivy's leg
as she drove.
We were about halfway out to Dale's, when she said, quietly, sounding interested, "Tell me about Doc G, Harlie."
I looked at her, a little startled.
"I've heard a lot from people, but I'd like to hear something about him from somebody that knew him well," she went on.
At first I wished that I could say I didn't want to talk about him. But I understood how she would want to know more about Doc G, since
he'd been the vet in our area for so many years.
When I paused and considered what to say, I thought maybe I would just tell a couple of things, light things, nothing
that would cause my heart to squeeze in pain.
"Well, he was born in Ireland," I said, and Ivy looked surprised.
"Was he? That's interesting."
"He came to the United States when he was little. Five or six, I think. He lived all over the U.S., before he settled here."
"And he'd been around here a long time, right?" she asked.
I couldn't remember a time when Doc G hadn't been a fixture in Murphys. I thought back a ways. "About ten years, I think."
She nodded, and before I thought it out, I told her about some of the things that Doc G had done for older people in our area, who were
housebound. How he'd taken them groceries, and tended to their pets for no charge.
"He was a fine man, it sounds like," Ivy said.
"He was," I said, feeling my throat tighten. "He was one of the best people I've ever known-"
"You were lucky to know him," Ivy said.
"Yeah. I was," I agreed.
I was glad when Ivy turned the conversation to Dale DeHoff, and the reason that we were heading out to his place.
7
Once at Dale's, greeted by his raucous dogs, Ivy led the way to the barn, where Dale was standing beside a mare. He was dressed in his typical
clothing of bib overalls. He greeted Ivy with a brusque, "About time you was gettin' here."
Ivy didn't respond to that, but merely said, "Hello, Dale," and went to kneel beside the mare, unwrapping the bandages around the
horse's knee.
When I followed Ivy into the stall, Dale gave me his squinted-eye look.
"Well, it's you again, gal," he said.
I wasn't really certain just what that meant. I nodded at him, and didn't say anything.
"Started up bleedin' again last evening," Dale said. "Put some cayenne pepper on it."
Ivy gave Dale a surprised look, and then looked towards me. "Why do that?" she asked Dale.
Dale gave her a look that suggested she was off in the head. "Best thing for a bleedin' wound," he told her. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised that a city
gal like you won't have heard of it."
Ivy was professional. I'll give her that. She didn't show emotion as far as looking insulted by what he said. The only indication that I saw that showed
her annoyance was a tightening around her mouth. She went on and tended to the wound that had, as she told me in the truck, been caused by a wire fence,
dabbing on medication, and then wrapping it in clean bandages again. She finished off by giving a shot of antibiotics in the horse's rump.
I held the mare, talking to it quietly while Ivy gave the injection, and then I began picking up her supplies and putting them back into her bag.
Dale took Ivy off towards another corner of the barn, where he had one of his sheep penned up. The ewe was lying down, its' breathing labored.
"Been that way since this mornin' early," Dale volunteered.
Ivy examined the sheep, who was obviously distressed.
"It might be toxoplasmosis," Ivy said. "I'll need to do a blood test to be certain."
Dale said a few choice swear words, and started muttering about his sheep herd being contaminated.
"Well, let's check a few things out before we say that," Ivy told him.
I asked Ivy if she wanted me to get what she needed from the truck in order to do the blood test.
"Yes, Harlie, thank you," she said, sounding appreciative.
I ran to the truck, gathering things up, and then hurried back. Ivy drew the blood, and talked to Dale, telling him she'd let him know
the results. I, meanwhile, gathered things up again.
As Ivy cautioned Dale to keep the ewe, and any others that showed signs of illness, contained away from the others, Dale leveled a look at
her.
"Don't need no little bit of a gal to tell me somethin' that's just good common sense," Dale said, speaking as if Ivy was a 12 year old girl.
I saw something pass over Ivy's face, and I had to grit my teeth to keep still. Dale didn't need to be so rude to her, I thought.
After telling Dale that she'd be back the next day or on Monday to check on both the mare and the ewe, we began walking toward
the truck.
"My gosh," Ivy muttered under her breath.
We climbed into the truck, and Ivy started the motor. As we pulled out of the driveway, and Blue rearranged his head back onto
Ivy's leg, I said into the quiet, "Dale's just like that. He's that way with most everybody."
"Thanks, Harlie," Ivy said. "But I'll bet he didn't talk that way to Doc G, did he?"
"Well," I hesitated, "maybe not quite so rude as he was. But when he'd say something that he shouldn't to Doc G, or start swearing, Doc G
would tell him to take himself out of the barn, or wherever we were, until he could keep a civil tongue in his head."
Ivy was regarding me, her eyes wide. "Are you serious?" she asked, as if she thought I was joking.
"Oh, I'm serious," I told her.
"Wow," Ivy said, and for a few minutes there was silence in the cab of the truck, as if she was thinking over what I'd said.
Finally, Ivy turned to me, her smile back in place. "You were so much help today, Harlie."
"It's alright."
"Well, it saved me a lot of steps. I really appreciate it."
"It's okay. It was fun," I told her.
She gave me a measuring look. "You really mean that, don't you? That going out on calls like this is fun for you?"
"Yeah. I mean it."
Ivy smiled at me. "You know we're few, and rare, don't you? Females who find this sort of day a fun time. There's not many of us."
"Yeah," I agreed. "I haven't met too many girls my age who don't mind the mess. They like animals alright, but only the cuddling part."
Ivy burst out laughing. "That is dead on correct," she said.
"Want to grab a bite to eat before you head home?" she offered.
"Is it lunchtime already?" I asked in surprise.
Ivy gave her watch a quick glance. "Close to it. It's after eleven."
"Oh," I said in surprise. "I should probably get home, then." Then, remembering the reason I'd come to town to meet her originally, I added, "Maybe we can do the
records another time."
Ivy parked her truck on the main street, in front of the vet office, and turned to me with a questioning look. "Hmm?" she asked.
"The record books?" I reminded her.
"Oh. Yes," she said, sort of vaguely.
When I put my mind to it, I started thinking how Ivy had approached me right off, asking if I could help her out, that day outside the
grocery store. And then asking me again about it, a couple of more times.
Ivy is obviously very observant, and she caught my unspoken questioning demeanor.
She turned off the ignition, and turned to face me in the truck seat.
"Harlie, I'd like us to be friends."
"Okay," I said, wondering where she was going with this.
"And I like to be honest with my friends."
"Okay," I said again.
"When I met your brothers at the Cattlemen's meeting awhile back, remember I told you about that?"
I nodded, and she went on. "Well, they both mentioned that you had been very involved in helping Doc G, and that you were
struggling with the pain of his death."
That was all true enough and I nodded. It wasn't all that surprising to me that Adam and Crane would mention that to her.
"They felt you were at loose ends, so to speak. Struggling to stay busy and positive," Ivy said.
"Uh huh."
"They-well, Adam, he felt as though maybe hanging around with me occasionally might help, sort of cause you to dip your
feet back in to doing what you'd loved so much."
I was stunned into silence. My first reaction was hurt. How could Adam think that being with anyone else, even as nice as Ivy was,
fill the void from Doc G?
"Oh," I managed, though I wanted to say a lot more. Quick tears sprung to my eyes.
"Harlie," she said quietly. "You can say what you feel. It won't offend me."
"Well, alright," I said, winding up. "Adam shouldn't have done that. He shouldn't have asked you to do that-pretend you needed my help." I took a
deep breath. "It wasn't right of him. Sometimes he-" I hesitated just short of criticizing Adam.
Ivy was looking at me seriously. "Adam might have talked with me about it, Harlie, and suggested it. But I'm the one who made the
decision. I didn't have to do it."
When I was silent, she prompted me. "Well, did I?" She sounded determined.
I had to smile a little. "No. I guess you didn't."
"No, I didn't. And besides," she said, with a nudge to my arm, "Can you honestly think that I wouldn't need help with those
record books of Doc G's? I mean, seriously, come on. The man invented his own system of bookkeeping. And, Holy Toledo, it's a
mess." She rolled her eyes in an exaggerated expression, which was, I knew, intended to amuse me.
I smiled at her again. "Yes, it is," I agreed.
"And today, well today, I did enjoy having you along with me. And you really were a help."
"I'm glad," I said.
"So, maybe it started out, asking you to help with the books, but I'd be more than happy to have you consent to come
around every once in a while, or even more often, to go out with me on a call."
I thought about refusing, but Ivy seemed sincere. And even if Adam had gone overboard on his "dadism" and trying to look out
for me, that was no reason to refuse to do something that I would enjoy. And give me more experience in the veterinarian field, as well.
"Okay," I said. "I'd like to do that, I think."
"Great," Ivy said. As she got out of the truck, holding Blue under one arm, she said, "Sure you don't want to grab a hamburger or
something?"
I was tempted to, partly because I'd promised Marie that I would come by and see her.
"I'll have to call home, so nobody's worried about me," I said.
"Okay. Want to go in and call?" she offered, gesturing towards the vet office.
"No, I can use Marie's phone," I said, and she said, obviously understanding that I didn't really want to go into the office,
"Okay. Let me put Blue inside, and I'll meet you over at Marie's, alright?"
I said okay, and walked across the street to the café. Since it was lunchtime, it was busy. Most of the tables and booths were filled
with customers.
Marie was waiting tables, along with Trudy, a high school senior. Marie gave me a wave, motioning me over to the counter.
"Hello, honey-girl," she greeted me.
I told Marie that Ivy was going to be coming along in a couple of minutes, and Marie nodded. "Why don't you two just sit here at the
counter? That way we can visit a bit."
"Okay, but can I use the phone?" I asked her.
Marie nodded, and told me to go back to her office to call, where it was more private than the pay phone on the wall.
I went back into the immaculate little office, and sat at her desk, picking up the phone to dial. As the phone began ringing, I
looked into a picture of Guthrie and I, on horseback, taken when we were much younger. Like I said, Marie thinks of us as her
grandkids, almost.
The phone rang quite a few times, and then finally an out-of-breath voice answered.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Evan," I said.
"Hey, shortcake."
"Can you tell everybody that I'm staying in town a little longer?"
"Tell them?" Evan asked, putting an emphasis on the word 'Tell'.
"Well, ask them then," I amended.
Evan laughed a little. "I'll pass you off," he said, and I heard the phone receiver be laid down with a clatter.
I sighed, drumming my fingers on the table, waiting. The phone was picked up again with a "What's up?" from Adam.
"Ivy asked me to go eat lunch at the café," I told him.
"Oh. Well, okay."
"I'll be home after that."
"Okay," he said again. "You havin' a good morning?"
I hesitated, thinking that I would talk to Adam about what he'd said to Ivy. But not over the telephone.
"Yeah. I went out to Dale DeHoff's with her."
I heard Adam chuckle a little. "Oh, boy," he said.
"Yeah." Then I thought of something. "I have Isaac's teething stuff," I said, suddenly thinking guiltily of Isaac's red little face, all scrunched up in misery.
"Okay. Hannah gave him some baby Tylenol. He's asleep right now. Go on and eat lunch if you want to."
We said goodbye, and I hung up. If Ivy hadn't already told me, I might have, if I'd been paying attention, been aware that Adam was being pretty darn accommodating as
far as me hanging around with Ivy.
I went back out to the counter, where Ivy was already sitting, and Marie was setting two lunch specials in front of her and me.
"Working gals need something more than a hamburger," Marie said, and Ivy looked at the multitude of meat loaf and potatoes, along with carrots and a roll.
"It looks good," she said, and when Marie had bustled away to help another customer, I said, really low, "That's Marie for you. Always trying to feed people up."
We ate our lunch, and talked about where Ivy had gone to college. She asked me questions about what my college plans were. I told her I was thinking
of S.C. Davis, and she made a murmuring of approval.
"That's a great school, I've heard," she said. "Pricey, though."
I nodded, but didn't feel right about disclosing the fact that Doc G had made it possible for me to attend there. Maybe I would tell her sometime later, if we continued
to be friends.
We parted ways after lunch, standing at my truck. "I'll be glad of any help you want to throw my way, Harlie," Ivy said. "I can't pay a whole lot. Not right now, anyway, but I'd
love to have you."
"That's okay," I told her. "I'd like to help you."
"Okay," Ivy said, and smiled at me. "Thanks for helping me to weather the 'Dale DeHoff' storm."
"No problem," I said, and we said goodbye. I was halfway home before I remembered that I hadn't stopped to get gas.
7
For the guest who commented that they would like to see Harlie "rebel" a bit more, hang on, that's coming! Harlie can only be agreeable for a short while!
Lol
