Petra cradled a bowl of ice cubes in one hand as she knocked. The sound resulted in a clattering of boxes and a string of mutters. Someone said, “It’s those cops again.”
“Hush,” came the reply. “You sound like you have something to hide.” The voice approached the door. “You just tried to make a case for being upfront.”
As the door opened, the more distant voice replied, “Applesauce.”
Petra’s new neighbor smiled and thrust his hand through the doorway. “Atticus Fenton. I see you are selling ice cubes. That must be a disappointing business.”
“No,” Petra said, blushing at the joke. “I overheard…I wasn’t eavesdropping but I realized I have more in my fridge than I’ll ever need…including ice cubes…and—”
“I see,” Pug replied. “You want to dump all your expired food on us.”
“For Pete’s sake, let her in, Pug,” Wyatt called.
“Who the heck is Pete?” Pug asked, stepping aside. “And why should I care what he wants?”
Wyatt groaned and pushed a box aside with his toe. “You need new material, Pug.”
Pug waved towards Wyatt and said, “My illustrious associate, Wyatt Carson.”
“I’m Petra James,” Petra said. “I just wanted to let you know who I am in case you need anything.”
“We do,” Pug said, removing the bowl from her hand. “Ice cubes.”
Wyatt dodged his retreating partner and extended his hand to Petra. “Sorry the place is so trashed. We just got here today.”
“Where did you come from?” Petra asked.
“We moved here from Boston. Pug…Atticus…followed a promotion here at the bank. I’m starting up a new business.”
“I work as a nurse in a nursing home. It’s my day off.”
“For Pete’s sake,” Pug remarked, returning from the kitchen. “Why would you throw that away on us?” He handed the empty bowl to her.
Petra muttered her thanks and then shrugged and looked down. “I like feeling useful. With my…Omar…over in Iraq, I don’t have anyone to look out for at home.” She raised her head again and looked to the two men, both seeming to search for a reply. She watched them struggle with embarrassment and gratitude a moment and then said, “I don’t mean to intrude on you gentlemen. I just wanted to make a neighborly gesture. I promise I’ll keep to myself but if there’s ever anything you need, don’t hesitate.”
Pug smacked himself on the forehead and said, “Ope. I just thought of something. We need you to come back this afternoon about 4:00.”
“What?” Wyatt murmured.
Pug continued, “By then we’ll have the Scrabble set unpacked and the table cleared and we need another player. We play every night and I have learned over the years that someone needs to be here to keep an eye on things. He’s a harsh one, this guy. You gotta make sure he doesn’t go overboard with the rules.”
“He cheats,” Wyatt said.
“See?” Pug implored.
Petra nodded gravely and said, “Okay. I accept. For Pete’s sake only.”
