Yikes

The Writers Cramp
Prompt: Write a story using the sentence - The movers come on Tuesday.

Yikes

         My aunt Bessie called and left this message on our answering machine, “Hi, I’m visiting Ellen in Denver and won’t be home till Tuesday morning and the movers come on Tuesday.  I know it’s a lot to ask, but would you get the family together to help prepare for them.  I left instructions on the kitchen table, just the living room… You’ll see, thank you, tell the kids I love them.  Bye.”

         Now we knew she had been talking about selling the old place for years, but this was a revelation that everyone was actually looking forward to.  All of us had been taking turns to take care of her.  We looked forward to the day she would move into a smaller place that was closer to the city.  Her house was an old three story Victorian.  It had huge rooms with a gigantic living room connected to an equally large dinning room and kitchen on the first floor.

         I called everyone and spread the good news.  We only had three days to complete the job.  Saturday morning, ten of us showed up with our kids in tow at the house and discovered her note.  She had written it on a small pocket note pad and pinned it to the table with a water glass.  The note was unreadable except for “HI” and “they’re coming on Tuesday.”  All the rest had been obliterated from the condensation under the glass. 

         Not knowing what she wanted to be moved.  We began to wrap and box everything.  My brother Harry numbered each box cataloged their contents on a legal sized yellow note pad.  Our wives packed up all her jewelry and nick-knacks.  Half of the two-car garage was empty so that was the perfect place for the furniture. 

         We didn’t know what pieces she was to take with her, so she could decide on the day of the move.  Anna kept insisting on calling Denver to make sure we were packing the right stuff, but we talked her out of it. 

         Harry said, “Lets really surprise her and have the whole house packed up when she gets here.”

         Anna warned, “I don’t know.  She may not want all of this moved if she’s probably going to a much smaller place.”

         We found enough food in her large refrigerator to feed an army.  It looked like she was expecting a party with trays of or-devours, champagne, finger sandwiches and the makings for all sorts of finger food rapped in plastic. 

         So like the dwarfs in the fairytale we sang as we worked into the night, “The movers are coming on Tuesday - the movers come on Tuesday. “

         By that night we were exhausted, had eaten our way through half the food and decided to sleep over.  Our kids thought it to be a great camp out, setting up sheets over the furniture and making tents.  Anna told campfire stories in front of the old electric fireplace. 

         By Sunday evening we were pretty much set, the cavernous living room was stacked with boxes.  Harry had twelve sheets of paper stapled together.  We locked up the garage and house and went home tired and knowing we did our best.  There’s another message on the answering machine from Aunt Bessie, “I’m coming in Tuesday on the redeye at seven AM.  Could you pick me up? Sorry for the short notice, love you all.”

* * *

         Tuesday morning, bright and early, Bessie is toddling through the gate in her walker.  She is a tough old woman, stubborn and cantankerous.  “William, your aunt Ellen is in bad shape.  She needs to go to an old age home…”

         “Aunt Bessie, you’re going to live another hundred years.”

         “I don’t want God to wait that long.”  She chuckled. 

         The trip out to her home was over an hour, she rambled on about Ellen and all of her aches and pains and then asked. “So the house is ready?”

         “I think we did an excellent job, we all came over, it took two days but I think you’ll be satisfied.”

         “Two days?  All of you?  There wasn’t that much to move.”

         All of a sudden I was uneasy and I shut my mouth. 

         Everyone was at the house when we arrived, standing out front to greet Bessie.

         Just as all the hugs and kisses were in progress a large black truck pulled up with ‘The Movers and Shakers” emblazoned across the side. 

         We all stopped and stared as the driver got out in his tuxedo, “Where do we setup?”

         Bessie pointed to the side of the house.  “Around back, on the patio, if it rains you can move into the living room, there’s plenty of room.”

         My heart was beating a mile a minute, “Aunt Bess, what’s going on?”
“You didn’t read my note?  I’m having a garden party for my Glee Club.  And invited the Movers and Shakers to perform!”

         She started up the two steps to the front door and we all yelled, “NOoo!” Simultaneously.

Word Count = 835