THE MINERVA MINK STORY
"Three Girls and a Little Lady"
Chapter 13
Tuesday Morning:
Minerva forced herself to get up extra early, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, and get ready to go see Corrie that afternoon.
She was especially silent as she moved about her bedroom, finding cloths and appropriate jewelry, as not to wake Stephanie who was still sleeping soundly.
The elder mink had a feeling that she would need all the rest she could get, and that today was going to be particularly hard on her.
Although Steph had been outwardly excited at the prospect of seeing her father, Minerva had a feeling that when it came time to go home and leave him there, the little girl would be heartbroken.
Well duh, would you be any less if it was your dad in the same situation?’ She guessed not, or rather she would probably be in a worse state.
Slipping down stairs, and making sure to avoid the one that creaked, she went through some papers she had laid out on the kitchen table the night before.
Her endeavor to start her own business was going along swimmingly. Far from fool proof mind you, but considering she had never done anything like this in her life, it was going far better than she had ever planned.
As so far, she had two investors, Terry and Sawyer, who had doubled her original bid before Minerva had left her house that night. Naturally, she declined the offer, but the feline wouldn’t hear of it, and even threatened to withdraw completely if Minerva didn’t take the full amount.
She looked at the two checks that she had paper clipped to the inside of a manila folder and felt a shiver. It was a lot of money, no where near what she fully needed, but still a lot of money.
“I’m actually doing this aren’t I?” She mumbled to herself in the early morning gloom of her kitchen, and felt another shiver.
There was also a list of potential investors she had yet to call on, plus sever people she wanted to touch base with for modeling, and last but not least, talking to the Ford motor company to haggle them down in price for the building they had looked at the day before.
Her eyes inadvertently went to the phone hanging on the wall, and when she realized why, she blushed. “He’ll call when he calls, right?”
Putting the papers in the order she wanted, Minerva showered, trimmed her fur, primped her hair, and ironed the cloths she had picked out for her and Stephanie to wear that day.
Hanging up the freshly ironed blouse and skirt she had bought for her niece so it wouldn’t get wrinkled, she spied the clock on her dresser through the bathroom door. The readout said ‘10:45'.
‘Already?’ She thought, laying her own powder blue blouse on the
the ironing board and working the wrinkles out of it. ‘I better get Steph up and in the tub so we can go. Trudy and Dee will have a fit if were late.’
But before she could go wake up the sleeping little girl, the bathroom door slowly pushed open and Stephanie shuffled in, blanket and stuffed animal in tow, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
Minerva smiled and put her hands on her hips. “Bout time you woke up sleepyhead.”
“G’morning Aunt Nerva.” The little girl said between a yawn. Her fluffy pink pajamas were wrinkled and kinked up, and her red hair was tousled and messy.
Steph scratched her head and tried her best to focus her eyes on the older mink who had resumed ironing her cloths. Her aunt stood behind the iron board that folded up into the wall, in a light pink bra and frilly slip, her hair all done up and big gold hoop earrings dangling from her ears.
Normally, the little girl would have pointed and laughed, telling Minerva that she looked silly or maybe teasing her by singing ‘I see London! I see France!’ But this morning, Steph didn’t feel much like laughing or singing, rather she wanted to go back to bed.
This didn’t go unnoticed by her aunt.
“What’s wrong honey?” Minerva finished with her skirt and hung it over the bottom of a hanger and sat it on a brass hook that hung on the wall next to her closet. “Are you feeling okay?”
“I dunno. I’m still sleepy....” She yawned again and sat her stuffed bee down on her blanket and folded it around him. “And.... I’m worried about daddy.”
“Awwww, sweetie.” Minerva gently stepped over and scooped up her niece, rested her head against her neck. She slowly rocked the little girl back and forth and nuzzled her hair.
The excitement that Stephanie had felt the night before at seeing her father, had dropped away, and mixed with her sleepy state, were changed into the first fear she had felt since Corrie had told her his eyes were getting worse.
She didn’t know much about hospitals, other than it seemed to her that a lot of people who went to them stayed for a very long time then usually died. Was her papa going to die? Just like her mother had?
The idea petrified her and she felt tears start to grow on the sides of her eyes. She fought bitterly to keep them back, for she hated to cry in front of her Aunt Minerva who never seemed to cry about anything. She loved her aunt fiercely and wanted to be like her in every way, but she was still a little girl, and the tears rolled down her cheeks and dripped into Minerva’s white fur.
“Shhhhh, princess. Don’t cry. Your papa is going to be just fine. You let your Aunt Minerva worry about him, ‘kay? She’s good at it, not to mention years of practice.”
Minerva’s voice was soothing and the fur on her neck was soft. Sweet smells of flowers drifted up from her body and the sound of her breathing made Steph feel better, more reassured.
Yes, Aunt Minerva was right. Her daddy would be just fine. Especially since Aunt Dee Dee worked at that hospital, and she wouldn’t let anything happen to him. She knew that.
Kissing her niece gently on the forehead, Minerva wiped a few stray tears from the little girls cheeks and set her back on the floor. “Now, do you feel better sweetie?”
Stephanie nodded, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. “Yes Ma’am.”
“Okay. Why don’t you hop in the tub real fast and then we can go pick up your Aunt Trudy and Dee Dee. You know Trudy will scream a fit if were late.”
“*Sniff* Okay Aunt Minerva.” She slipped by the older woman and started stripping of her wrinkled PJ’s.
“Your cloths are right here on the door knob Steph. Would you like me to make you a pop-tart to nibble on the way?”
She plopped down into the water and started to splash herself. The warm water helped to wake her up and dipped underneath getting her messy hair wet. Coming back up she nodded to Minerva. “Yes please. Thank you.”
“Your welcome sweetie.”
Minerva left her niece to bathe and get ready, getting dressed quickly in her room, and running down stairs to put Stephanie’s pop tart in the toaster.
Returning to her room, she helped a freshly washed Stepth brush her hair and tail, get into her outfit, with some complaining about wearing a skirt.
“Awwwww! Do I gotta Aunt Nerva?!”
“Yes you do. Were going to where your Aunt Dee Dee works, and to see your daddy. There is no reason you can’t look like a proper lady.”
“If I hafta.....”
The clock flashed 11:10 and Minerva knew they had to go get the other two minks quickly and get to the hospital.
“Can I were some perfume Aunt Nerva? Huh? Please!”
Minerva smiled and reached into her little black leather purse and removed a small clear bottle with a red cap. Kneeling down, she covered Stephanie’s eyes with one hand and spritzed her twice with the bottle. “There! Now at least you smell sweet! Hehehe.”
“Hey!”
Minerva gently swatted the little girl on the rump. “Hurry now, your pop-tart is on the table and the car is unlocked. I’ll be right down.”
“Okay!”
Stephanie rumbled down the stairs, grabbed her snack off the table and hopped out the door to Minerva’s Mustang.
On the way out of her room, Minerva spied her grandmother’s crucifix hanging from a hook on her vanity. She walked up to it, and ran her hand along the golden chain down to the cross itself.
Jesus face was worn and tired, his head hanging down between his shoulders in a stance of agony. However, there was glimmer of defiance in his handsome face, and despite the crown of thorns around his head, he looked out with calm knowing.
Corrie wont know I have it on. And if he does somehow, like tough toenails for him.’
She locked it around her neck and went downstairs to get in the car.
*******************
“They’re late.” Trudy mumbled looking at her watch and then looking down the road toward Minerva’s house.
Dee Dee scowled and rolled her eyes, sliding her sleeve up to look at her own watch. “Uh, ya, they are. Like by three minutes. Would you take a chill?”
Trudy didn’t answer, rather she started tapping her foot in an irritating manor.
Dee Dee simply sighed and looked down the road herself, trying to see if Minerva’s Mustang was winding down the road.
She had noticed that Trudy had seemed uncommonly edgy this morning, not at all her normal self. The red-head mink had shown up at Dee Dee’s house that morning with a surly attitude, not to mention one of her best outfits.
It was all so totally weird.
A gust of wind blew over the pine trees that surrounded Dee Dee and Terry’s home, swooping down to rustle the girl’s skirts and send some of Dee’s hair into her eyes
“So, you think Corrie is going to be okay?”
Trudy’s voice was so sudden and strange that Dee Dee wasn’t sure for a moment that she had even spoken.
“Hard to say. It differs from person to person, but I would be lying to say his chances were good. Minerva told me he lost more weight the last time she had seen him. It’s an iffy operation for a young healthy person. I dunno...”
Again Trudy only grunted a reply.
‘Maybe it’s her period or something? Gawd she’s witchy this morning.’ The brunette took her eyes away from the road for a moment to look at her friend. Trudy was wearing her best navy suit coat, matching skirt, and a eggshell blue blouse, the outfit she normally only wore when she was going to show a house or had a large meeting to attend.
She also had her short hair perfectly done, mousse, brushed, and tossed over her left eye in a peek-a-boo style, but that wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.
Dee Dee gave up, shrugging her shoulders gently and turning her head back down the road, instantly seeing Minerva’s Mustang come creeping around the corner.
“Hey, there she is!”
"Bout time!” Trudy snapped putting her hands on her hips.
The car wound it’s way up the road till it came to Dee Dee’s drive, then slowly turned into the paved drive and came to a stop.
The back door popped open and Stephanie jumped out. “Aunt Trudy! Aunt Dee Dee!”
“Hi Sweetie!” Both girls embraced the little girl in turn, and Trudy took a moment to sniff Stephanie’s hair.
How’s Aunt Trudy’s favorite little girl in the whole world?! Oh, someone smells good!”
“Yup! Aunt Minerva let me wear some of her perfume if I promised to wear a stupid ol’ skirt today.”
Trudy giggled and set the little girl back down. “What took you so long Blondie?”
Minerva rolled down her window and unlocked all the car doors. “Sorry girls, late start. I’ll tell you all about it on the way, but we gotta run or were not going to make it before afternoon visitations start up.”
Trudy got up in front and Dee Dee helped Stephanie into the back seat before sitting down herself. “Ah, who cares about why you’re late, we want to know how it went yesterday! Tell us about that. Are you going to buy the place?”
“Woo Woo! Aunt Minerva got a boyfriend instead! And he has a cute butt too!” Stephanie piped up from the back before breaking out in giggles.
“WHAT?!” Both older minks gasped in unison.
Minerva flipped down her visor, aiming it on her niece and began to back out of the drive. “You little snitch.”
Stephanie only grinned, showing that she was missing a tooth, and started kicking her feet.
Trudy put a hand on Minerva’s shoulder. “Okay, okay, spill it sister! Who is this guy, and don’t spare the details on how cute he and his bottom are.”
****************
“John.... Oh John.... Jonathan?.... John!... JOHN!!”
John Mink quickly jerked his hands back only seconds before a fifteen ton hydraulic press slammed down on the piece of sheet steel he was pushing through the cutting machine.
“Dude! You okay? What the hell was that about? You trying to kill yourself or something?”
On the other side of the press, a thin Raccoon lifted his protective goggles and frowned at him.
John looked down at his hands, making sure all his fingers were there, and thankfully they were. “Oh, sorry Tony. Guess I wasn’t paying attention.”
“No crap man.”
John picked up another sheet of steel and fed it into the machine.
“You feeling okay man?”
“I’m fine Tony.”
“Sure?”
The press lifted back up again, and John carefully loaded the last steel sheet. “Very sure. Just didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“Okay, if you say so.”
“I do, and if you don’t mind, I think I’m, going to go on break. I’m done here.”
The raccoon bent over the pieces of cut steel that had come out of the back of the cutting machine and tossed a wave over his shoulder.
“Okay man, see you in ‘Paint’ later. Oh, and look out, I saw your buddy hanging around the brake room a bit ago.”
John scowled and clenched his hand into a fist. “He isn’t any friend of mine! Besides, thanks to shift changes, he’s your personal anal fungus now, remember my big hearted liberal friend?”
It was Tony’s turn to scowl but he didn’t answer back, his face relayed his dislike of John’s statement. Neither of them wanted much to do with their mutual ‘friend’.
“I’ll see you in paint guy, later.” John hustled down from the cutting room and made his way toward brake room.
Satisfied that he didn’t see Brendan, the obnoxious pig that sometimes frequented the break room more than he should and that he and Tony had just been so affectionately talking about, John grabbed himself a cup of coffee and plopped down into one of the many chairs scattered about the room.
Before he had even taken the first sip, he pulled a wrinkled piece of paper from his front breast pocket and began staring at the phone number on it. Especially at the smudged two numbers at the end.
Twenty-five? Hmmm, it looks like twenty-five. That has to be it.’ John swished his coffee about in the Styrofoam cup and took another sip. ‘Or it’s twenty-three, but it looks more like twenty-five.’
The number that Minerva had printed on the palm of his hand the day before, had been carefully reproduced by a copy machine and was available for him to study without having to worry about smudging any more of it.
A close examination of the phone number had lead him to believe that the last two numbers were either 2, 3, or 5, because they closely resembled, as best as he could tell, those same numbers used in the earlier part of it.
‘But the number isn’t what’s bothering you is it ol’ boy?’
That was true, it really wasn’t. What was bothering him, was that he was sure he knew that woman, ‘Minerva’, from someplace, but couldn’t quite remember where.
He had first thought school, but on review of his first, sixth, and twelfth grade year books, no Minerva showed up in his grade or any other for that matter. Strike one.
Past jobs were a definite no as well. John had worked several jobs in his adult life, but none of them were anything that a delicate girl like this Minerva would have worked at. Strike two.
So where do I know her from?’ The question was driving him nothing short of crazy, and was in part responsible for his lack of concentration earlier at the cutting press, not any sleep deficiency.
However, he couldn’t get the image of her, in a purple bathrobe out of his head. But that was ridiculous. He was sure he didn’t know her that well. Strike three.
Setting his cup down he suddenly noticed that his hands were starting to shake, and that a few beads of sweat had formed on his brow.
‘Heh, Looks like my body didn’t care much for the shock of almost losing my fingers today. Oh well....’
He folded the paper back up and tucked it back into his pocket.
‘Well, there is one thing that I do know for sure, and that she is easily the most beautiful woman that I’ve ever seen. And on top of that, she gave me her number, so there isn’t any reason I shouldn’t call her.’
John downed the rest of his coffee just as the next shift bell sounded. Tossing his cup into the trash he took a look out the room’s side window just in time to see Brendan, lumbering down the factory floor, with an obvious intercept course with the break room door.
Ugh.” John groaned. “Looks like my cue to skidoo.”
“Brendan’s coming eh John?” Lesley, a Husky and one of the few women that worked at the plant, shouted from the other side of the room. Connie and Jack who were sitting with her at a circular table chuckled.
“You can smell him coming too huh? Damn, the guy looks like he’s going to have a heart attack just walking the floor. Think I’ll slip out the back and you guys can enjoy his company.”
“Thanks a ‘Ton’ John!”
Slipping out the back door, John saluted them, then headed down to the paint room, and the second part of his shift.
End Of Chapter 13