Paradise Lake: A Love Story
Chapter Eight: What Mrs. Williams Saw
Velma
The puppets were back! Maybe it was the sleeping aid ordered by the doctor but the nightmare felt real enough! The chase, the strings and the choking sensation was the same as the other nightmares. It all changed when she jumped into Shaggy's arms.
He put her down and drew an oversized sword and with a yell she'd never heard from Shaggy, he charged the puppets, cutting the strings. The puppets fell to the floor, unable to move.
Velma jerked awake with a gasp, hugging herself.
"Are you okay?" a concerned Fred was quickly beside her bed.
Velma took a deep breath, letting it escape slowly, "yes, just a bad dream, I guess." She turned over and went back to sleep.
The dream continued; a sweet dream this time, a dream of Shaggy being there when she needed him most, making passionate love to her.
The dream ended with the good night kiss she and Shaggy had shared earlier that evening. The dream released it's hold and with a smile on her lips Velma sank into restful slumber.
-Xxxxxx
The next morning Velma woke, stretched and looked at Fred dozing in the nearby chair.
"Fred, I need some privacy. Go get some breakfast then go to the Blakes and bring me back some clothes."
"I brought a fresh change when I relieved Shaggy last night."
"Thanks, Fred but I'll need to have more than one change of clothes. Now go, if she has time, Daphne can pack a bag for you." A salmon color kissed her cheeks at the thought of Fred going through her more intimate things.
With Fred gone on the errands, Velma requested and received a few personal items and headed for the shower. She worked up a mammoth amount of shampoo, letting the cleansing agent refresh physically as well as emotionally.
Later, freshly dressed, Velma sat on the edge of the bed, eating breakfast. The food was warm and nourishing, the coffee hot and strong. After breakfast, a nurse came in to go over the discharge procedures.
"One last thing, Ms. Dinkley, you are not under 'bed rest' but Doctor wanted me to emphasize the need for total rest."
"I have a friend bringing a bag for my stay at the Care Center. Would it be okay to wait and have him drive me?"
"Of course. Just let us know and we'll have a Pink Lady take you down."
-Xxxxxx
The room at the Care Center she and Fred were ushered into was of comfortable size with a full sized bed and furniture that looked to be early Salvation Army. The curtains on the sole window had been pulled back allowing sunlight to brighten the room.
"Fred, I'm supposed to be here for a rest cure, Doctor's orders. I can't rest with you guys taking turns hovering over me," she sat on the edge of the bed.
Fred wasn't in favor of leaving his friend alone but Velma was insistent, getting off the bed and pushing him toward the door, "go do some detecting!"
Alone, a relieved Velma placed her bag on the bed. Opening the small suitcase she smiled; Daphne had done a good job. Her smile deepened at the note in purple ink laying on top of the clothes. She picked it up and read.
"Thought this would come in handy if you entertain a midnight visitor. He he, happy Valentine's day!"
"This" Velma discovered was a sheer apricot peignoir baby doll set with tiny flirty bow accents.
Setting the negligee aside, she went about the chore of emptying the suitcase into the old chest of drawers. Finished, she realized just how tired she was after the 'Code Blue' that had been called the night before, disrupting her sleep.
She couldn't resist changing into the baby doll, so different than her usual night wear, pleased at how the soft material hugged her curves. The bed looked too inviting to ignore and slipping under the covers she was soon asleep.
-Xxxxxx
Refreshed from the short nap she dressed and went out to explore her 'home' for the next few days. She had seen the expansive front yard on her arrival and determined a tour of the inside would be the first order of business.
A large fire place with a warm fire burning welcomed her to the spacious common room. Several armchairs had been placed before the fire, one chair was occupied so she took the other, stretching her legs toward the blaze. Being a detective, not to mention curious about the other guests, she glanced at her companion in the next chair.
The older lady was knocking on the door of eighty if she hadn't passed over the threshold already. Her white hair looked as if she had missed her last appointment at the salon. A light old lady mustache adorned her upper lip. The two enjoyed the warmth of the flames for several silent moments until the older woman spoke. Her voice was surprisingly strong yet cold for a lady her age.
"This room is reserved-for people staying here, not visitors that drop in. Who are you visiting?"
"You, at the moment," Velma smiled, chuckling at the misconception, "I am a guest here, just arrived this morning."
"You're too young to be taking the cure." The old lady sniffed.
"The cure?" Velma questioned. The old lady smiled.
"The cure for a broken heart. Your young man has jilted you, or you have jilted him. I don't know what young girls are thinking these days. My name is Williams, Mrs. Williams. I met my husband here at Paradise Lake sixty years ago. We were married for fifty years before he passed away. I've been coming here for the last ten years for a week on the anniversary of our meeting."
Velma wondered what it would feel like to love a man so much to make such a tiring journey for so many years. She neglected to correct this misconception. The lady drew a deep breath before attacking a different topic.
"Young girls these days don't know anything about love. And they wear trousers!" The lady looked approvingly at Velma's skirt, "trousers indeed! Or those sweaty things!" Velma took a moment to translate 'sweaty things' to the proper sweatsuit outfits. Even Daphne owned several 'sweaty things'.
But her companion was warming to her topic.
"Some poor misguided girls actually wear those revolting shorts; they wouldn't if they knew what they looked like from behind!" For the first time her companion looked properly at Velma, a disapproving frown formed on her wrinkled face when she took in Velma's short hair. "No one knows how to wear hair these days. You may not believe it but at one time my hair hung to my mid back." Mrs. Williams paused, as if gaining strength before exploding on her next subject.
"I see you don't paint your face or use that filthy stuff all over your mouth, good for you! It's disgraceful how some girls paint not only their nails but they actually put horrid red paint on their toes!
"Do they think their young men actually like that? I call it disgusting!" There was no stopping her now, Velma tactfully just shrugged and sighed. Mrs. Williams took this as encouragement and continued.
"Put her head in here the other night. All powdered and painted, wearing some blue sweaty things with her hair all tied up in a matching scarf. Indeed! Like that was acceptable attire at that time of night. I just looked at her."
What time was that? A few days ago you say?" No faint interest had made Velma's ears perk up.
"That's what I said. It was late, I don't know what time exactly. A policeman came and took her away. A policeman, indeed!" Mrs. Williams had finally ran the list of favorite topics to the ground. Old bones creaked when she rose slowly.
"I guess it's time for lunch-such as it is. Salisbury steak, indeed. I call it ground up horse!" The old companion looked down at Velma, "I like you, young lady. I'll warn you, the Care Center doesn't allow unmarried young men to 'stay over' if you know what I mean. I don't know what the world is coming to, I really don't."
Mrs. Williams shuffled off, leaving Velma to sit several minutes, knitting her eyebrows together, contemplating the preceding conversation. She hadn't corrected the conception of Fred being her 'young man'; she didn't have a 'young man', or did she?
A wicked smile curled the corners of her mouth as thoughts of Shaggy and a certain apricot nighty hanging in her room as she too rose and followed the aging Mrs. Williams.
TBC