Simple Hearts
Chapter 22
The lasagna dinner Ellen brought and baked in the oven at Villa Park hit the spot with the afternoon of unpacking and getting settled in as best Stephanie and Reilley could. Even without the bedroom furniture and remaining new fixtures, it was livable. Pudding found the wide window sill by the kitchen table to his liking and spent part of the day tanning. Frank with the help of his helpers only had a small section remaining to frame on the side of the porch and screen and install the door. With the measurements he had, an over-the-summer project would be making inserts for each panel with heavy plastic to keep the snow and wind off the porch in the winter. The new fancy curtain rods Stephanie selected were attached above the window frames and the shears were hung in each room.
Ellen was quite surprised at Stephanie's choice for the bedroom, dark charcoal shears for the two large windows. It was rather seductive she thought. Ranger thought so, too! She showed the dining room table the sham going with the comforter she purchased. It was white with big black and smoky blue flower outlines vining down the middle. Hence, the color choice of the window coverings to compliment the bedding.
"You've done enough here today, Stephanie. You can come home for a good night's sleep and we can finish unpacking tomorrow," Stephanie's mother said in her motherly way as the five of them were eating the layered vanilla and chocolate pudding dessert made for her grandson.
Reilley was glancing around the dining room with his smeared pudding face thinking about something. "Mommy," he said, "we can stay here and camp."
That surprised the young mother. "Here?" Ranger had mentioned they could stay in his 7th floor apartment with him until the remaining furniture arrived if they didn't want to go to the 'Burg'. He even offered one of his window sills for the cat.
"Yeah." Her son rationalized in his child like way of seeing things. "We got food, a bed, a bath tub, and we can watch TV to camp. Our things are here. This is where we live now."
It made sense and Stephanie wouldn't need to pack things for overnight at her parents. "You wouldn't be afraid, Sweetheart?"
"It's Power Ranger's house. It's safe."
She saw the shock in her mother's face and displeasure flash across a certain Cuban face at Reilley's plan. Staying in Villa Park would keep to the routine both the mother and son were used to in Wilmington and establish one in Trenton. The motherly instinct in Stephanie told her to go along with her son's wish. Although both had been looking forward to moving back to Stephanie's hometown, there were her new jobs and Reilley's new pre-school for the little boy to adjust to now, staying put in the Rangeman Cape Cod would help with the changes. It would be consistent. "OK, Rye."
"Yeah, Mommy! Let's camp!"
Ellen Plum protested at the idea, "Stephanie, you don't have any beds!"
"Mom, Reilley and I have slept on the lounger before. We've fallen asleep on it watching movies or on bitterly cold nights in Wilmington we slept on it if I felt the bedrooms were too cold."
His objections Ranger wanted to add, but he had discovered one very important fact when it came to his 'Burg' girlfriend, Stephanie was independent. He did not like the idea of her and her son sleeping here on the sofa when he had a very comfortable apartment on Haywood. Why she agreed he didn't understand and it meant Ranger would he sleeping there alone. He hated that most.
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His Bad-Ass pick-up hadn't gone far on the trip to Haywood when Ranger pulled over, he was confused. There were comfortable beds in his apartment and her parent's house, but Stephanie chose to sleep on her couch with her son. Why? He didn't understand.
"Hello," Lucia Manoso spoke into his ear.
"Momma."
His mother knew something was wrong. The tone of 'Momma' told her so. "What's wrong, Ricardo? You and Stephanie didn't break up did you?"
"No, Momma." He had to shake his head at Mrs. Manoso's thinking. "Stephanie and Reilley are here finally in Trenton, but they are sleeping in the house without their beds. They are sleeping on the sleeper-sofa to 'camp' as Reilley calls it."
"That is so adorable."
"It is?" His mother just perplexed him more.
"Yes. Looking at it from a mother's perspective, Stephanie is keeping this change as an adventure for her little boy. She's keeping them on the schedule they had where they lived. Children adapt and she is making it easier for Reilley. It's as plain as that nose on your face, but you aren't a mother."
"Momma."
"I remember the fun you had camping in the backyard, Ricardo, when you were a little boy. You snared your brother in a net when Julio and his friends tried to scare you. All those little Army guys you positioned around your campsite and how you rigged it so if they were moved a light came on I'll never know. They hurt when I got them between my toes checking on you. You were having the time of your life."
He did remember the fun as a little boy he had pitching his tent and setting up those little green Army guys. Catching his brother in his trap was a bonus and it worked. "I understand now, Momma."
"Stephanie wants the best for her son. It may be uncomfortable to you, Ricardo, but they are happy together."
"I know. That quality makes Stephanie so special and why I love her."
"I knew that! I'm your mother."
He chuckled as that one important and very permanent piece of knowledge. "Yes, you are, Momma. Bye."
"Mothers know best, Ricardo. Come visit Newark soon. I can send you a map!"
The Bad-Ass realized he was stuck. "After Stephanie and Reilley are settled."
"Good, I'll be expecting you. Good Night, Ricardo."
He pulled out with a plan in his mind heading to Haywood.
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Before going up to 7, Ranger rummaged in his storage room in the garage for something in particular to take back to Villa Park. It took moving boxes and opening a locker or two, but he found what he wanted.
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Stephanie came into the kitchen fresh from her shower, Reilley had pulled a kitchen chair over to the counter, climbed up on it so he was standing on the black granite, and was looking out the kitchen window above the sink. "Reilley!"
"Mommy, he's out there!" He was crouched down peeking under the white swag curtain with green polka dots she hung.
Stephanie was becoming somewhat concerned since it was their first night in the house and a stranger was outside, but she was pretty certain of the identity of the mystery man. "Who?"
"Power Ranger."
"He came back?" She peeked out the window. There was just enough light from the dusk falling for Stephanie to make out the distinctive car outline of a Porsche parked by the carport. He traded his truck for his sports car coming back to watch the house. "That man!"
Stephanie lifted her son off the counter and unlocked the backdoor. She and her son in her arms went past the carport with her Subaru parked in it. The windows were down in the late Spring evening. The air wasn't cool, but just perfect to be in short sleeves. "Hello. Nice night isn't it?"
"Babe."
"You showed me the security system this house has yourself. Don't you trust it? Your company installed it."
In the little light, Ranger's eyebrow was arched. No matter how he answered her question he was caught. "Babe, this is your first night in a strange house."
"A house your company owns. I have two choices here," Stephanie said with 'Burg' attitude. "I can call your friends to drag you back to your apartment to baby sit so you stay there. Or, ask you to come in and protect us from inside just on the outside chance the little green Martian Men decide out of all the houses on this planet to attack this one."
She heard the windows go up and the key come out of the ignition. 'Babe, if you insist, but I don't think aliens are green."
"Power Ranger, you can camp with Mommy and me," Reilley invited.
He tucked something under his arm from behind the seat and grabbed his Army green duffel following Stephanie and Reilley up on the porch and into the lit kitchen. The little boy went running in the direction of the living room with his slippers making slapping sounds. He could hear the TV. The sight in the living room made him chuckle when he followed right behind the little boy. It was 'Burg' resourcefulness. On the floor by the lounger, Stephanie had a single wide inflatable mattress. Reilley's sleeping bag was on top of it with the 'Snuggie' and Woody waiting for him. Pudding was stretched out at the bottom of the air bed. The television was resting on the small side table in front of the fireplace as the screen. A couple of empty boxes were covered with a white table cloth for a coffee table with a plate of peanut butter crackers, grapes, and a cup of juice for a bedtime snack. A lamp was raised up off the floor on another box stood up. The blue lounger was reclined for Stephanie's bed. They were ready for their first night in the small Cape Cod bungalow. It wasn't the normal everyday interior decorating, but it worked for the temporary time.
"I'll be back," he told them placing his things on the carpet in the living room turned bedroom. He strolled back out the back door and within a few minutes was back with some bricks.
Stephanie returned into the living room placing his navy lounge pants and T-shirt on the lounger. "We are quite comfortable and I bet more than sitting in a sports car all night."
"Babe," he said kneeling on the carpet brushing any dirt off on a paper towel from the bricks.
"Whatcha doing, Power Ranger?" Reilley asked watching him intently.
"Well, if you are camping then you need a tent," he explained unfolding an old green Army tarp he had in storage. "I've had to make my own shelter at times to get out of the weather."
"Wow! You did that?"
"Yes. I've had lots of survival training." Ranger told him spacing the lawn chairs Stephanie had in the room for extra seating to his liking. The tri-colored cat was laying there watching his movements intently. He tied a thin rope to one chair walking over to the other and fastening the other end to it. He moved one so the line was taunt between the chairs, but not enough so one was pulling the other over. Flipping the canvas over the rope, it was almost complete. Next, he tied the corners to the bricks placing them out on the carpet making the triangular shape. Next, he slid Reilley's air bed inside with the cat and Woody along for the ride.
"Mommy, I'm really camping!"
Stephanie watched lovingly at her happy son bouncing all around his Army tent and ducking inside. He eagerly was going to bed.
"Thanks, Power Ranger!" He called from his tent.
"You're welcome, Blue Power Ranger."
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Stephanie and Ranger were enjoying cold beer sitting on the front porch steps. Reilley was sound asleep in his camping adventure.
"So," Stephanie inquired bumping Ranger's shoulder with hers, "what took you so long?"
"I didn't understand. Momma explained it to me," Ranger said with all honestly, "you were just making the move and the changes easier on Reilley. She explained it as mother's intuition."
Her curls nodded he could see in the glow of the street light.
"I forgot how much fun I had as a little boy camping out in the backyard in my tent. I had to search through my stuff for my old Army tarp, too."
Stephanie kissed his cheek. "Thank you. He's so happy."
"Me too, Babe."
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When he closed his eyes even knowing the lack of proper furnishings and the make-shift ones would still exist when he opened them again, it felt like a home already with Stephanie beside him and hearing the soft breathing of her son from his make-shift tent. It was camping 'Burg' style.