PROMISES OF SUNDAES

by JRo

Vincent softly landed on Catherine’s balcony and tapped on her French door. When she didn’t come to the door, he looked into her living room and saw her asleep on the sofa. He let himself in and sat down at her side. At his touch, she stirred and woke with a start.

“Vincent, I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“It’s all right.  You’ve been busy.”

“The meeting with the real estate agent and my lawyer went well. We accepted an offer.”

Vincent tilted his head and looked at her carefully. “How do you feel? You’ve been putting off the sale of your father’s house for two years, and now it’s only taken two weeks to sell.”

She gave him a sad smile. “I’m okay. I’m sad that it’s no longer my house, but I know that it’s a good family that will be moving in. Now I just have to finish emptying it. The buyers did want a few pieces of furniture, but the rest needs to be out by settlement in three weeks.”

“How much is left? I thought you packed up quite a bit already.”

“I did. I already kept all the items I wanted and put them in storage. All the books, clothes, jewelry, and most of the artwork have been donated or sold. You’ve helped me donate most of the linens, everyday dishes, and kitchen items Below. I still have to deal with the china, silver, and serving pieces, the rest of the artwork, furniture, and rugs. Can you use any more furniture Below?”

Vincent pulled her into his arms. “As much as I’d like to say yes, our storage rooms are full, and what remains of your furniture is much more ornate than what we usually have. Do you have any idea what to do with it all?”

She sighed. “I’m still trying to find an estate dealer. There must be an awful lot of estate sales in the area, because they all seem to be booked out through next month.”

“Your parents’ belongings were well-made and of a classic style. I’m sure there must be a buyer somewhere.”

“Perhaps,” Catherine pulled away and stood up. “Enough about that. I have a cheesecake in the fridge if you’d like dessert, and then we could read or do something else.”

Vincent smiled. “I would love some, especially if that ‘something else’ includes whipped cream, like last time.”

* * *

A few days later, Catherine went Below for a children’s concert. There were cookies and tea afterwards as everyone mingled. Vincent stepped away to get Catherine a cup of tea, and returned with tea and a helper who Catherine hadn’t met yet.

Vincent introduced them. “Catherine, this is Mark. He has recently moved back to New York and is opening a new business on the Upper East Side.”

“Really,” she said. “What type of business is it?”

“It’s a high end consignment shop. Vincent mentioned you might be willing to be one of my first consignors.”

Catherine looked at Vincent, then smiled at Mark. “I’d love to. Would you be willing to come by my father’s house soon?”

“I would love to see it. Vincent mentioned that you’re in a bit of a time crunch.  Are you available to meet me there tomorrow?”

“Yes, if you can meet me in the afternoon, say three o’clock?”

* * *

A week later, Catherine, Vincent, Mark, and about a dozen tunnel residents were wrapping, packing, and moving the remaining items from the Chandler home.  Catherine and a few women were safely packing the china, silver, and smaller decor items. The men were carrying the furniture to the front door and out to a moving truck, being careful to use packing blankets to protect the pieces. Once the furniture was moved, they took out the rolled area rugs, and then the boxes, art, and remaining items.

When they were finished and only the items being sold with the house remained, Mark took the truck to his store, where he had employees to unpack it. The rest of the workers gathered at the front door to wait for Catherine, who was talking to Vincent.

“Thank you for coming. I’m sorry you had to be here so early this morning to get in unseen. Why don’t you get some rest. I’ll be back in an hour with your surprise.”

Vincent smiled and gave her a kiss. “Don’t forget the cherry on top.”

“How could I?” Catherine kissed him back.

She took all the workers a few blocks away to an ice cream shop. She’d had lunch delivered to the house, but as a special thank you for all their hard work, she fulfilled her promise and treated them all to ice cream sundaes. Once they had all finished and thanked Catherine, they headed back Below. Catherine made a final order and packed it in a cooler that she had brought with her.

Back at the house, she made her way to her old bedroom, where Vincent was waiting. Her canopy bed was one of the pieces of furniture staying in the house, and she’d purposely put clean sheets on it the previous evening. They sat together on the bed to eat their desserts. When they finished, Catherine reached into the cooler again and pulled another container.

“Catherine, what is that?”

She had a gleam in her eyes and gave him a smile. “This is your special surprise.  Since we’re stuck here until it’s dark, I thought we might need something to pass the time. So, I asked for some extra whipped cream.”