Chapter 5

By next morning, Ethan and Wendell had hauled up bags of concrete, lumber and tools enough to get a good start on the job. Sarah/Mona had a fresh pot of coffee waiting for them.

When they were seated at the table she gave them the news that she hoped would begin to un-complicate her little web of deception. "I had to call my uncle to come up and get Aunt Sarah last night. She started feeling really sick and we thought she'd better stay with them because they live close to her doctor."

Ethan looked genuinely concerned. "I'm right sorry to hear that Mona. I hope she'll be OK. Is there anything we can do to help out?"

"Thanks for offering but she's in good hands. I decided to move over to the main house so you can tear into the cabin wall whenever you want, but I'll stick around during the day to help you guys where I can."

As they sipped their coffee and chatted about a little of everything, Sarah's eyes kept drifting back to Wendell's dad. It was clear where Wendell got his good looks. The man was four or five inches taller and fifty pounds heavier but he might have been mistaken for the boy's older brother. She figured he had to be around forty but with his clear eyes, wrinkle-free face and powerful, trim body, he looked much younger. The resemblance between the two was remarkable. She wondered what Eli looked like.

She'd developed a strong attachment to these people and felt a need to try and smooth out their road to whatever extent she could. "Wendell, could you excuse us for a few minutes? I'd like to speak to your dad alone if I could."

The boy smiled and finished his coffee, carrying his cup to the sink. "You bet. I'll go out and start mixing some concrete for the footings."

When the door closed, Ethan asked, "Is there some kind of problem?"

"No, no! I just wanted to offer you a proposition. I know you've been out of work for quite a while and I know you've been struggling to make ends meet. I want to offer a little relief if I can. If you want to borrow against your wages for this job to get your truck fixed and maybe catch up on your mortgage payments, Aunt Sarah asked me to tell you she'd be happy to do that. What do you think?"

Ethan stood up. "We're pretty open about everything in our family," he said as he walked to the door and opened it, asking Wendell to come in. When the boy stepped inside, his father said, "Son, Mona's Aunt Sarah says she'd be willing to loan us the money to catch up on a few bills. What do you think about that?"

Wendell looked from one to the other and nodding his head, said, "Well, Dad, I think it'd be a good idea if she's willing. It'd sure be a big load off our shoulders to not be worrying about a foreclosure notice showing up in the mail any day, wouldn't it? I know it's nothing you'd ever ask for but if she's offering, I think we should accept it and be grateful."

Ethan put his arm over his son's shoulder and agreed, "So do I. Mona, we accept your offer and thank you and Sarah for your kindness. I figure it'll take about three thousand to satisfy the mortgage company and get the truck runnin' like it should. I calculate that to be about a third of what we'll earn for the job."

Mona pulled a signed check out of her shirt pocket and filled in the amount. Handing it to Ethan, she said, "Why don't you take this to the bank and get your truck in the shop while Wendell and I mix up some concrete and start pouring the footings. The sooner the better, right?"

"That's the truth of it, Mona." With a look of grateful relief on his face and his arms out wide, he asked, "Could I hug you?"

Sarah/Mona stepped in and hugged back, perhaps holding on to him a little longer than might have seemed appropriate. She didn't care, though. She felt a thrill go through her body when this good man's powerful arms wrapped around her.

They watched Ethan drive down the hill to take care of the immediate business and bring back another load of lumber. Wendell looked pleased as he caught the look on her face and said, "I'm really glad you like may Dad. He sure likes you a lot!"

"I hope he does. How can you be so sure?"

"I've never seen him hug any woman but my Mom. Um, could I ask a personal question? And if it makes you mad at me, I hope you won't hold it against Dad."

Sarah was a little puzzled by his sudden seriousness. "Of course, Wendell. What is it?"

"Well first, I'm glad you decided to get rid of Aunt Sarah. It must have been hard for you to stay in character all the time. So, how come you wanted to be two different people, anyhow? And how did you get past me coming over the mountain that day I cut up the trees? And I guess the last thing is, I don't know if I should call you Sarah or Mona. Which one is your real name?"

Sarah was floored! She couldn't imagine how in hell he'd figured that out. She'd been so careful! As she stared at his charming young face, a smile gradually spread across hers. Shaking her head in awe, she took his hand and said, "Come! Let me buy you another cup of coffee while I explain."