The Bug Light Boys — Episode 4: The Yard Job

By Lloyd W. Alexander

Mickey was late.

That wasn't unusual.

What was unusual was that Charlie had noticed the time.

Big Donnie sat with his legs stretched out, holding a paper cup of coffee that had long since stopped steaming.

The old folding chairs stood in their familiar places around the clearing. Their legs had pressed little hollows into the packed earth over the years, marking the spots where countless afternoons had been spent.

Nobody had an assigned chair. The men simply sat wherever they pleased.

Eagle Eye was the exception.

He still chose a chair nearest the parked cars. From there, he could see the road and the way out.

He liked knowing where things were.

He liked knowing how to leave, too.

Not that he wanted to.

Not anymore.

"He's probably still driving over here," Big Donnie said.

"That's generally how people get here," Slim Donnie replied.

"Not Mickey. Mickey leaves yesterday to get somewhere tomorrow."

Charlie smiled.

A familiar car appeared in the distance, moving at a speed that suggested its driver had all the time in the world.

"Here comes the parade," Slim said.

Big Donnie turned.

"Good Lord. You could walk here faster."

"He's eighty," Charlie reminded him.

"So's half the traffic behind him."

Mickey finally turned into the little parking area, eased his car into a space, and took his time shutting off the engine.

Then he climbed out.

He was neatly dressed, as always, and wearing the pleasant expression of a man who had spent the afternoon somewhere he particularly enjoyed.

"Afternoon, gentlemen."

"Evening," Big Donnie said.

Mickey looked at the sky.

"Still plenty of daylight."

"Was when you left, too."

Mickey laughed and settled into one of the old folding chairs.

"Some of us have places to go and people to see."

"Women," Slim said.

Mickey gave him a wink.

"Among other things."

"How many other things?" Big Donnie asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know."

Charlie shook his head, smiling.

"How's Elizabeth?"

Mickey's expression softened.

"She's doing all right."

Something in his voice made Charlie look over.

"Just all right?"

Mickey settled back in his chair.

"She's had a little trouble with the house. Furnace needed some work. Cost her more than she expected."

"That's never cheap," Charlie said.

"No. And she's on a fixed income. She usually has a fellow come around to mow the lawn and keep the place looking nice. But that money had to go toward the furnace."

Big Donnie lowered his coffee.

"How bad's the yard?"

"Getting away from her a little. Grass is long. Bushes need trimming. A few things could use cleaning up."

"Why doesn't somebody help her?"

Mickey gave him a look.

"You don't know Elizabeth."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means Elizabeth has been taking care of herself for eighty years, and she isn't about to start accepting charity from a bunch of men who think they're doing her a favor."

Slim scratched his chin.

"Sounds like somebody else we know."

Mickey smiled.

"She's got spirit."

"That's one word for it," Big Donnie said.

"She'd have your hide if you showed up with a lawn mower," Mickey continued. "And she'd probably make you take it home before you started."

Charlie looked toward the road.

Then he looked at Big Donnie.

Big Donnie looked back.

Eagle Eye had begun to recognize that particular exchange.

It usually meant something was about to happen.

"Where's she live?" Charlie asked.

"South Portland. Down beyond the college, toward Willard Beach. Little house she's had for years. You can smell the ocean from her yard."

"Nice area," Charlie said.

"Lovely place. She can see the water through the trees from one side of the house. Always liked that."

Charlie nodded.

"How long have you known her?"

Mickey leaned back, smiling at something none of them could see.

"Oh, Lord. We go back a ways."

"How far?" Big Donnie asked.

"Portland. Before half of you learned how to shave."

"You weren't shaving much earlier than us," Slim said.

Mickey ignored him.

"She was a pretty little thing back then. Could dance, too."

"Here we go," Big Donnie muttered.

"I'll have you know," Mickey said, straightening, "I've danced with women all over the world."

"Every country?" Slim asked.

"Enough of them."

"That why you joined the Army?" Big Donnie asked.

"To see the world," Mickey said.

"And the women," Slim added.

Mickey spread his hands.

"Well, you can't see the world with your eyes closed."

That got a laugh.

For a moment he seemed younger, sitting there with the afternoon sun across his face.

"Army sent me places I never would've seen otherwise. Different countries, different people. Some wonderful times. Some not so wonderful."

He paused.

"But I'll tell you something. Doesn't matter where you go. You can travel halfway around the world, and sometimes the people who knew you before you went anywhere are the ones who know you best."

Charlie nodded.

Mickey glanced toward the harbor.

"Elizabeth remembers me when I was a young fool."

"Still got a good memory, then," Slim said.

"Unfortunately."

They laughed again.

Charlie waited until the laughter faded.

"Think she'd like to go for a ride tomorrow?"

Mickey turned.

"She always likes a ride."

"Maybe get some ice cream."

"She'd enjoy that."

"Down toward Kettle Cove, perhaps."

Mickey looked at Charlie for a moment.

Then at Big Donnie.

Then back at Charlie.

A slow smile appeared.

"Oh," he said.

Charlie said nothing.

Mickey's smile widened.

"Oh, I see."

Big Donnie leaned forward.

"See what?"

Slim looked at him.

"Try to keep up."

By the time the plan had been discussed, revised, argued over, and discussed again, Big Donnie had appointed himself supervisor.

Nobody remembered voting.

"We'll need a mower," he announced.

"I've got one," Slim said.

"Rakes."

"Got those."

"Clippers."

"Those too."

"Somebody needs to know what they're doing."

Charlie looked at him.

"That'll be helpful."

Big Donnie missed the remark entirely.

Mickey was delighted.

"You fellas don't have to do this."

"Apparently we do," Slim said. "Donnie's already in charge."

"Somebody has to be."

Charlie leaned forward.

"Only one condition, Mickey."

"What's that?"

"She can't know we're coming."

Mickey nodded immediately.

"Absolutely."

"And you have to keep her out long enough."

Mickey looked almost offended.

"Charlie, I can make a drive to Cape Elizabeth last an entire afternoon."

"We know," Slim said.

"You might want to leave before breakfast," Big Donnie added.

"You're all comedians."

Eagle Eye had been listening quietly.

He liked the idea.

He liked the thought of doing something for somebody who needed help.

But as the plan grew more definite, he felt the familiar tightness beginning in his stomach.

A different place.

A house he'd never seen.

People nearby he didn't know.

He tried to picture the street, the driveway, the yard.

He couldn't.

And when he couldn't picture a place, his mind had a habit of filling in the missing details with reasons not to go.

Charlie looked toward him.

"What do you think, Eagle Eye?"

He hesitated.

"Sounds like a good thing."

"You coming?"

There it was.

Such a simple question.

He looked toward the parked cars.

"Yeah," he said after a moment. "I think so."

Big Donnie grinned.

"Good. We need somebody with young legs."

Eagle Eye managed a smile.

"Maybe I could be the lookout."

Charlie considered that.

"Lookout?"

"Make sure they don't come back while we're still there."

Big Donnie nodded.

"That's actually a pretty important job."

"Especially with Mickey driving," Slim said. "We'll need somebody to tell us if he's managed to get out of second gear."

Mickey waved him away.

Charlie smiled at Eagle Eye.

"Lookout it is."

And just like that, he was part of the plan.

He hadn't been talked into it.

He hadn't been cornered.

He'd said yes.

That was enough for the moment.

The following afternoon was warm, with a light breeze moving in from the water.

Elizabeth's house stood on a quiet South Portland street not far from Willard Beach.

It was a pleasant little place, well kept in the ways that mattered, with flower beds that had clearly received years of attention and a narrow side yard that offered glimpses of blue water between neighboring houses and trees.

The lawn, however, had gotten ahead of her.

Grass had grown tall along the edges. Shrubs pushed out over the walkway. Fallen branches and leaves had collected near the fence.

Nothing terrible.

Just the sort of work that became harder to manage when time, money, and age all began making their own demands.

Mickey arrived first.

Elizabeth stood on the porch when he pulled into the driveway.

She was a small woman with carefully arranged silver hair and bright, watchful eyes.

"You took your time," she told him as he got out.

"I came directly here."

"From where? Bangor?"

Mickey laughed.

"You're looking lovely today."

"Flattery won't make you any faster."

"Never has."

She came down the steps, and Mickey offered his arm.

She looked at it.

"Planning on carrying me?"

"Just being a gentleman."

"Well, don't strain yourself."

But she took his arm.

As they reached the car, she glanced toward the overgrown grass.

"I ought to do something about that yard."

"It'll wait."

"It's already waited."

"Then another afternoon won't hurt it."

She sighed.

"Easy for you to say."

Mickey opened the passenger door.

"Come on. We're going for ice cream."

"Where?"

"Down toward Kettle Cove."

"That's a long way for ice cream."

"Not the way I drive."

Elizabeth gave him a sideways look.

"That's precisely what worries me."

He laughed.

She climbed in.

As he closed the door, Mickey leaned down toward the open window.

"Ready, Lizzy?"

Her expression changed just a little.

A private smile.

"Whenever you are."

He went around to the driver's side, climbed in, and started the car.

A few minutes later, they were gone.

The others arrived after Mickey had cleared the neighborhood.

Slim's truck carried the mower and most of the tools.

Big Donnie climbed out first.

"All right, gentlemen. Let's get organized."

Slim stepped down from the truck.

"That'd be a first."

Charlie surveyed the property.

"Let's keep it simple. Mow, trim, rake, clean up. Nothing she wouldn't have wanted done."

Eagle Eye stood near the driveway, looking down the street.

He'd made it.

The ride over had been uncomfortable. He'd watched the turns, noticed the unfamiliar houses, and wondered whether he'd made a mistake.

But the house was quieter than he'd imagined.

The street wasn't busy.

And somewhere beyond the rooftops, gulls called over the water.

He could smell the ocean.

That helped.

He knew that smell.

He'd grown up with it.

Charlie came over.

"Doing all right?"

"Yeah."

Charlie nodded toward the road.

"Good place for a lookout."

Eagle Eye looked along the street.

He could see both directions from the driveway.

"Yeah. I can see pretty well from here."

"That's why we call you Eagle Eye."

Charlie walked away.

For the first few minutes, Eagle Eye stood watching the road while the others worked.

Slim started the mower.

Big Donnie attacked a row of overgrown shrubs with the enthusiasm of a man who believed every problem could be solved through determination and a sufficiently large pair of clippers.

Charlie began gathering branches and clearing the walkway.

The sound of the mower settled into the afternoon.

Eagle Eye watched a car pass.

Then another.

Neither was Mickey.

He looked toward the yard.

There was plenty to do.

He shifted his weight.

Charlie glanced over at Big Donnie.

Big Donnie looked toward Eagle Eye.

Charlie said something too quietly for Eagle Eye to hear.

Big Donnie nodded.

A moment later, Big Donnie came walking up the driveway.

"Kid."

Eagle Eye turned.

"Yeah?"

"I need you to give Charlie a hand."

"What about watching the road?"

"I've got it."

Eagle Eye looked at him.

"You sure?"

Big Donnie folded his arms.

"Marine, remember? I can watch a road."

"Okay."

"Besides, Charlie needs somebody who can bend over without making noises."

From the yard, Slim called, "That rules you out."

Big Donnie ignored him.

"Go on. I'll keep an eye out."

Eagle Eye walked toward Charlie.

"Donnie said you needed help."

Charlie handed him a rake.

"Sure do. Let's get these leaves and branches cleaned up."

Eagle Eye took it.

"Okay."

There was no speech.

No discussion about being brave.

No congratulations for stepping away from the driveway.

Just a rake and a job that needed doing.

They worked together.

At first, Eagle Eye was aware of everything.

The unfamiliar yard.

The houses around him.

The possibility of someone coming outside to ask what they were doing.

But after a while, he began paying more attention to the work.

Charlie pointed out a pile of leaves near the fence.

Eagle Eye cleared it.

They gathered branches and stacked them neatly.

A breeze carried the smell of saltwater through the yard.

A gull cried somewhere overhead.

And Eagle Eye noticed something else.

Through a narrow opening between the trees, the afternoon light was catching the ocean.

Just a little piece of it.

Blue water.

Sunlight.

He stopped for a moment.

Charlie followed his gaze.

"Something out there?"

"Just the light."

Charlie looked.

"Pretty."

"Yeah."

Then they went back to work.

Big Donnie's supervision lasted approximately seven minutes.

After that, he became bored.

"How much longer you think we've got?"

Slim pushed the mower past him.

"Depends how long it takes Mickey to drive ten miles."

"So, Thursday."

Charlie looked toward the road.

"Keep watching."

"I am watching."

"You're watching Slim mow."

"Somebody has to make sure he does it right."

Slim stopped the mower.

"Would you like to take over?"

Big Donnie considered it.

"No. You're doing fine."

Slim restarted the engine.

By the time the lawn was finished, the yard had begun to look like itself again.

The walkway was clear.

The shrubs had been trimmed.

The flower beds were visible.

Charlie and Eagle Eye carried the last of the branches to the truck.

Eagle Eye stepped back and looked around.

It was a nice little house.

And now the yard looked like somebody cared about it.

He thought about Elizabeth coming home.

About what it might mean to her.

He was glad he'd come.

Big Donnie checked his watch.

"How long's he been gone?"

"Long enough," Slim said.

"You think they're coming back?"

Charlie glanced toward the street.

"Eventually."

Big Donnie shook his head.

"That man could turn a trip for ice cream into a cross-country expedition."

Then Eagle Eye heard something.

A car.

Moving slowly.

He looked toward the road.

A familiar vehicle was approaching the intersection.

"Charlie."

Charlie turned.

"Yeah?"

"I think they're coming."

Big Donnie straightened.

"Already?"

Slim looked down the street.

"That's him."

Charlie didn't hesitate.

"All right. Let's get moving."

The next thirty seconds were considerably less organized than the previous hour.

Slim wrestled the mower toward the truck.

Big Donnie gathered the clippers, rake, and a bag of yard debris.

Charlie checked the walkway for anything they'd left behind.

Eagle Eye grabbed a forgotten pair of gloves from the grass.

"Got everything?" Charlie asked.

"Think so," Slim said.

Big Donnie looked toward the road.

"He's still coming."

"Then let's go."

They climbed into the vehicles.

Slim started his truck.

Charlie gave the yard one last look.

Then they pulled away.

By the time Mickey's car turned onto Elizabeth's street, there was no sign that anyone had been there.

Except for the yard.

Elizabeth noticed before Mickey had even stopped the car.

"Good heavens."

Mickey looked toward the house.

"What?"

"My lawn."

He pulled into the driveway.

Elizabeth leaned forward, studying the neat grass, the trimmed shrubs, the cleared walkway.

For a moment she said nothing.

Mickey shut off the engine.

"Well, look at that."

She turned toward him.

"Did you know about this?"

"Know about what?"

"Mickey."

"What?"

She looked back toward the house.

The little garden was visible again.

The grass was neat.

The branches were gone.

Someone had even cleared the leaves from around her flowers.

She opened the car door and stepped out.

Mickey came around to join her.

Elizabeth stood quietly beside the driveway.

"Oh, my."

Her voice was softer now.

She walked a few steps toward the yard.

Touched the leaves of one of the trimmed shrubs.

Looked down the clean walkway.

For a moment, the sharp remarks and quick answers were gone.

She simply stood there.

Mickey waited.

Finally, she turned toward him.

"Those fellas of yours?"

Mickey looked out toward the water.

"Can't imagine what you're talking about."

Elizabeth studied him.

He kept his eyes on the horizon.

Then she looked at the yard again.

A small smile appeared.

"Well," she said quietly.

Mickey offered his arm.

She took it.

And together they walked toward the house.

Back at the sanctuary, the others had returned to their folding chairs.

Big Donnie was explaining how the operation might have gone differently without his supervision.

Slim listened for a while.

Then he looked over.

"So I suppose you were the human lawn mower this time."

Big Donnie frowned.

"What?"

"Last time you were the human jack. Figured you'd want another title."

Charlie smiled into his coffee.

Eagle Eye laughed.

Big Donnie shook his head.

"You fellas have no appreciation for leadership."

"Plenty of appreciation," Slim said. "Just haven't seen much leadership."

The laughter settled into the familiar sounds of the afternoon.

A bird called from the brush.

Somewhere beyond the fence, something small moved through the leaves.

Eagle Eye sat near the cars, where he'd been sitting since he first began coming there.

But this time, he wasn't thinking about leaving.

He was thinking about the yard.

About the ocean glimpsed between the trees.

About Charlie handing him a rake.

And about how something that had seemed so difficult before he'd gone had become, for a little while, simply an afternoon spent helping somebody.

Then a car appeared on the road.

Moving slowly.

Very slowly.

Slim looked up.

"Well, here comes our world traveler."

Mickey eased into the parking area and shut off the engine.

He climbed out.

There was something different about him.

A little more spring in his step.

A little more life in the way he moved.

He straightened his shirt, adjusted his hat, and began walking toward the group.

Then, just for a moment, he gave a small sideways step.

A little sway.

Almost a dance.

Big Donnie opened his mouth.

But Mickey reached the chairs before he could say anything.

He looked at Charlie.

At Slim.

At Big Donnie.

Then at Eagle Eye.

His smile was warm.

And all he said was:

"Thank you."