The Days Before the Day
The initial onslaught began with little Elijah as he and Vivienne helped Miss Talia rake leaves and pine straw into neat piles in the backyard one crisp autumn morning.
Green, golden, and red leaves blanketed their lawn, and the three of them worked the foliage into little mounds.
Actually, Miss Talia performed ninety nine percent of the physical duty while the little ones used their kid sized rakes to build up the remaining one percent.
Elijah and Vivi started the task enthusiastically and cooperated dutifully the first few minutes, taking pride in their contribution as they witnessed the pile grow. Slipping her fingers from her mouth, Vivienne babbled excitedly each time she added to the communal mound.
Half an hour later, however, Vivi accidentally stumbled into one backwards and giggling delightedly, regained her balance while she yanked her little knit cap from over her eyes.
Elijah seized upon the new play opportunity and the toddlers indulged in the fun of leaping into the mound of leaves together. Then changing course, they hurled themselves in and out of the colorful foliage until they finally lay exhausted minutes later, sprawled upon their backs.
Talia, who genuinely enjoyed the outdoors and had suggested the activity, appreciated the fact that she was getting some good exercise while the little ones played in the fresh, crisp air, something Tony demanded. Her new boss rarely handed her unequivocal instructions, but he remained firm that he wanted all five children involved in outdoor physical activities every day, even if it meant playing under the carport to avoid rain, or waiting until evening approached to take a walk around the block.
Consequently, the toddlers owned smaller versions of rakes, a wheelbarrow, shovels, and gardening gloves to encourage outdoor activities.
Still, the day resembled any other fall school day until Vivienne and Elijah wandered to the side of the house and temporarily out of Talia's sight. Giggling and grabbing armloads of fresh pine straw that had fallen under the eaves they abruptly stopped to inspect a man who hurriedly approached the latched gate nearest them.
Short and stocky, the stranger had tried to conceal his crew cut with a baseball cap.
As he moved in their direction, the man snapped frame after frame with a hand held camera before he slipped closer to the kids, who stood transfixed.
Seizing upon the opportunity to befriend them, the stranger spoke, inviting the children to come to him.
His sickly sweet words galvanized Elijah.
Hadn't the Daddy instructed him innumerable times to not follow strangers?
Elijah grabbed Viv's hand protectively and jogged them back to Talia's side of the yard.
Busy transferring leaves from a pile the kids hadn't yet decimated into an outdoor paper bag, Talia focused on her task. Elijah had to grab her hand to get her attention.
"Miss Talia," Elijah reported solemnly as he pulled Vivi in front of him. "The stranger man took our picture but I didn't talk to him. The baby didn't either."
Alarmed, Talia wheeled around with a start, moving panoramically in an attempt to locate the stranger. "Where? Where did you say, Baby?"
"Over there," Elijah pointed helpfully.
"Stay here, you and Vivienne," she ordered before jogging across the yard to investigate where Elijah had indicated. Searching all that she could see of their yard, she discovered neither man nor camera.
A grin announced her return and she tousled the coppery hair. "I think you must have mixed up the man who reads the water meter, Big Boy. As far as I could see, the three of us are the sole conquerors of the yard, today."
Not satisfied, Elijah frowned and fingered a button on his shirt. "The Daddy doesn't want me to talk to people I don't know. He said so."
"Correct, smart boy, and you didn't do anything wrong. I just meant that the guy probably was someone we do kinda know," Talia explained, pointing the kids towards the house. "Anyway, though, I believe it's time for us to take a break and go help ourselves to a snack. I managed to hide a small bowl of boiled peanuts so that you can have them. Remember the last time when Ava and Levi and Ethan gobbled them all as soon as they came home and the rest of us didn't get any?"
By the time that Tony returned home that afternoon the backyard encounter with the strange man had been forgotten.
Equally unsettling, a few days later Ethan and Levi emerged from the woods near the subdivision's river after having spent a couple of hours climbing trees and practicing swinging over the narrowest area of the water, only a couple of feet wide in places.
A glorious Saturday afternoon, they had earned the great playtime by finishing their chores on time and by displaying good attitudes, according to Tony.
Laughing and still excited over their ability to swing so agilely from tree branches, the boys stumbled onto the roadway and ran smack into the path of a man.
He furrowed his brow as he regarded the youngsters appraisingly.
Tall and lanky, his steel grey hair fell onto his forehead thick and unkempt.
Startled, the boys shared greetings but skirted around him, still excited over their recent playtime activity.
The man called out to them and they both turned back to regard him.
He crossed his arms behind his head and stretched, appearing relaxed and friendly. Then he asked about the distance from the road to the river, and nodded thoughtfully as Levi and Ethan supplied helpful directions.
"Aah," the man smiled. "I don't suppose I could get you to act as tour guides, could I? I'm a bit worried that I might get lost with all those trees and you two seem to know your way around these woods."
"Of course we'll help," Levi volunteered enthusiastically, flattered at the man's faith in them and determined to ignore Ethan's elbow jab to his ribs. "We know everything about everything that has to do with the woods."
He marched a couple of steps in the man's direction.
Before he could actually double back, though, Ethan grabbed Levi's arm and jerked him back towards the road.
Levi sputtered in outrage but Ethan tightened his grip and called firmly, "Sorry, mister, but we need to get home right now or we will get in all kinds of big trouble."
Not waiting for the man's reply, he dragged Levi forward until they topped the hill from which they could spot the house. Taking a much needed deep breath, Ethan pointed down the hill towards the woods.
The man was nowhere in sight.
Regarding Levi's stormy expression Ethan turned him loose and regarded him seriously, "Hey, look, sorry about that but remember we are not supposed to talk with strangers. That means any strangers and any time. Did I hurt your arm?"
"That man was nice!" Levi contradicted, scowling with annoyance. "We could have just shown him and then gone home. All he wanted was some directions, Ethan. You didn't have to be so hateful."
"Maybe," Ethan agreed, tapping Levi under the chin, "but so far you and I have escaped making the daddy angry enough to spank, and I'm not about to give him a reason to change his mind. Something like this, like talking to a stranger when he's told us over and over not to do that- I think this would push him in the tearing up our butts consequence. You had better remember that."
Levi bit the edge of his lip and stubbed the toe of his tennis shoe against the asphalt. Despite his longing to continue the role of wounded victim, he recognized the wisdom in the warning. "Ok, I understand."
Maybe because they almost acceded to the man's wishes, or maybe because it seemed inconsequential by the time that they walked home the final block, Ethan and Levi failed to report the encounter to Tony.
Instead, they regaled him with an account of their tree climbing, river jumping prowess.
Just a couple of days after that the school nurse phoned Tony to share Ava's complaint of a stomach ache. Working quickly to juggle his schedule, Tony picked her up within fifteen minutes, and checking her symptoms he agreed that she genuinely felt bad.
On their way home he pulled into Bell's, a local smaller grocery with a long established history in the Athens area. Ava clung to him when he lifted her out of the car, but he set her down inside the store, overriding her request for a shopping cart. With a glance Tony confirmed that the medicine aisle and frozen foods aisle were two rows apart, so he instructed her to go ahead and pick out some popsicles to take home to make her feel better.
Tony would join her as soon as he grabbed the tummy medicine.
Always a lady, she smoothed the skirt of her plaid dress before following the directive.
Despite her queasiness, the appeal of the frozen treats won and Ava strode purposefully down the row until she located first ice cream, then popsicles.
Regarding the choices with care, she settled on some freezer pops above her reach. Unable to touch them or engage the door latch, Ava stood beside the door patiently waiting for Tony.
An attractive blond woman turned into the same aisle, walked quickly and purposefully, and joined Ava by the ice cream.
She smiled brightly at the little girl as she addressed her. "My goodness, are you here alone, all by yourself?"
Ava shook her head no and turned to gaze in the direction in which she expected Tony would appear.
"Well, how about that then? My, you are such a cute little girl. Did you know that you look like one of those kids on television commercials? What's your name?"
Ava tilted her head to regard the woman, hazel eyes masking her thoughts.
She refused a reply.
Though annoyed at the lack of response, the woman plastered a fake grin onto her face. "I bet I know your name. Are you Ava?"
Ava's involuntary blink confirmed the name, but she remained pressed against the case, waiting for Tony.
Thankfully, he appeared moments later and when he did, the woman whispered, "I'll see you again, and soon, Ava," before slipping down the aisle and out of sight.
Missing the other shopper's presence, Tony smiled brightly and held out his arms as he pivoted into the aisle.
Ava jogged to him and Tony swung the little girl onto his hip, then followed her instructions as she pointed to the popsicles she had chosen.
She stayed silent, in fact, as Tony carried her, the medicine, and the popsicles to the store's front, to the cashier, and then to the car.
Outside, Ava glanced around the parking lot but could not see the woman.