“No Ensure?”
“Not tonight.”
“And fries.”
“I’ll roast some sweet potatoes instead.”
“I love you, A.”
Damned if those ridiculous tears didn’t sting again. “Love you, too, Poppy.”
She linked arms and led him down the street. She’d just need to work harder and be more organized to get everything done. When she returned to the house with Poppy, she realized things weren’t getting any easier.
The neighbor from hell had struck.
A large truck parked next to her house proudly claimed Rusty’s Tree Service. Two bulky men wrapped up in ropes were hoisted on some type of contraption, calling orders back and forth to each other. A large buzz saw lay by their feet. Pine needles exploded everywhere, and the tree shook as if calling out to her in a plea for help. Mrs. Blackfire stood at her porch, arms crossed in front of her, watching the scene with a mad glee.
“Oh my God,” Arilyn whispered. “She is evil.”
“Who?” Poppy asked. “You cutting down that tree, sweetie?”
She launched herself toward the men. The loud buzzing screamed in her ears, and she waved her hands frantically, jumping up and down. The blond spotted her and turned off the machinery. “Hey, lady, you gotta get back. This is dangerous.”
“No!” she yelled. “It’s a mistake! You cannot cut down this tree!”
The other guy strolled over with a frown. “We already got paid. Now move aside.”
And once again her temper snapped. The beautiful peace and harmony of her morning drifted away in a trail of smoke, leaving a mess of writhing emotions that flooded out. “This is my house, and I demand you back away from this tree!”
The two men shared a glance. “You live here?”
“Of course I live here! You took a job from a neighbor who has no right to cut down this tree. If you touch one more pine needle, I’ll sue you!”
Mrs. Blackfire shouted from next door. “Don’t listen to her! She’s crazy. She believes in auras and crystals and refuses to even use a dryer!” She made motions toward the clothesline, which held all of Arilyn’s linens and organic cottons to air-dry naturally.
“I’m trying to save the environment,” she shot back. “Now back off or I’ll call the police!”
“I paid you already to do this job,” her neighbor called out. “Ignore her and cut down that tree.”
“If you move any closer, I’ll sue both of you,” Arilyn warned.
Mrs. Blackfire snapped her mouth closed and glared.
“Please pack up your stuff and leave,” she told the men.
They nodded. “Sorry lady. It won’t happen again.”
They gathered their equipment, got back in the truck, and pulled away. Shaking with fury, Arilyn tried to breathe, couldn’t, then gave up altogether. She marched next door and stopped at the bottom step. “You lied to me,” she said.
“I’m afraid for my life,” she hissed. “When that tree falls on my roof and crushes me in my sleep, it will be too late.”
Arilyn tried not to roll her eyes. “It’s not even close to your roof,” she pointed out. “You would’ve gotten me in big trouble with Genevieve.”
“I need to protect myself. Besides, what are you doing in there?” She squinted over her glasses with suspicion. “I see that strange altar. Do you sacrifice things? Are you into witchcraft?”
Her body trembled with pent-up frustration. She had no time for this. “No, Mrs. Blackfire, I meditate. And you shouldn’t be spying.”
“I’m looking out for the neighborhood. I’m the one who caught the vandalizer over the summer. You should be grateful.”
“I’m sure Gen is. I have to go.” She turned and almost bumped into Poppy. “Ready, Poppy?”
Her grandfather didn’t move. Just stared at her neighbor. “Who are you?” he finally asked.
“Joan Blackfire.” She peered over her glasses. “Who are you?”
Poppy smiled and held out his hand as if he were asking the queen to dance. “Patrick Flynn. Arilyn’s grandfather. Why are you cutting down her tree?”
Her neighbor muttered something under her breath, staring at his outstretched hand as though it were a bomb. She slowly took it and gave it a short shake. “Because it’s diseased. Are you living here now?”
“Tree looks fine to me. Does bend to the right a bit, though. I’m visiting. I live at the Best Friends Senior Citizen Center. Do you know it?”
She gave a grunt. “Place makes poisonous Jell-O and serves Ensure with every meal. Plus, their road trips are stupid.”
Arilyn’s grandfather beamed. “I totally agree. Hey, want to come over for dinner? I’m a great cook and promise no Jell-O. Or fake shakes. We’re having burgers and sweet potatoes. Arilyn doesn’t eat meat, so there’s veggie burgers there if you want.”
Arilyn blinked. Huh?
Mrs. Blackfire snapped her gaze around. “What’s wrong with meat? God put animals on the earth so we’d eat them.”
Arilyn bristled. “We’ve evolved since then. No reason to ingest bad animal karma into the body.”
“Ridiculous. The body needs protein to function. What do you eat?”
“I eat from the earth,” Arilyn said stiffly. “I also use soy protein as a substitute.”
Poppy shook his head sorrowfully. “It tastes really bad, but she’s free to make her own choices.”