Ashbee & Son

I Spy

Mother Nature swept a swift, freezing hand, laying an icy slap on the cheek. Thousands of tiny white hitchhikers rode the gale. It made the assault ever more painful. I dashed to my car, which I had parked along James Street, and got inside. I checked my phone. Due to the weather, I was a little late coming back from my meeting at the office. I'd promised Aubrey I'd pick up the twins, but I was afraid I'd be late. I fired up the car and dialed her to let her know I would be. It reminded me of the first time I picked them up from school. It was a warm, sunny Monday afternoon in late June, and I was late coming back into town from the weekly meeting.

I dialed Aubrey. "Hey," I said, pulling away from the curb.

"Toby, hi," she said. It was obvious she was in the middle of something at work.

"Hi, I'm back from my meeting. I'm on my way to get the twins."

"You sound flustered."

"There was a delay on the Lakeshore West line," I said, setting my indicator signal for a turn.

"Don't rush. It's fine," she said. "Marcus and I are always a little bit late picking them up. Miss Jeffries will wait with them at the door."

"So, she won't kick them to the curb?" I said. She laughed. "No, no," she said.

"Okay, good."

"I've called ahead and let her know that you're coming to get them. Thanks again, Toby."

"Not a problem, Aubrey. I'll have them home in a jiff."

I pulled up in front of the school about 10 minutes after ending the conversation with Aubrey. Miss Jeffries was waiting with Sebastian and Lucille inside the front entrance. I set my four-ways to blink and jogged through the snow and in through the door. "Sorry I'm late," I said, catching my breath and brushing snow from my tan slacks.

"Are you the one who Mrs. Wetmore said was coming to collect Sebastian and Lucille?" she said. She was an older woman. Likely around 65, I'd wager. And she dressed in some old-world garment. It might have been fashionable during the later years of the suffragette movement.

"Yes," I said.

She eyed me sidelong. "Your name?"

"Tobias Ashbee."

She eyed me again. "Could I see some identification?"

I dug my wallet out from my seat pocket and showed her my driver's license. She scanned piece of plastic, and then she looked up and scanned my face. "Very well," she said.

"Goodbye, Miss Jeffries," said the twins in unison.

"Goodbye, children," she replied with warmth in her voice. And she turned on her heel and marched down the hallway. Miss Jeffries had become much more cordial with me now. Her icy demeanor had thawed, and she'd even smiled when she saw me come strolling up to the door.

"Can we get ice cream, Uncle Toby?" said Sebastian as we walked to the car.

"No, we can't, Sebastian," I said.

"Pleeaaase," he begged.

"Ice cream! Ice cream!" chanted Lucille.

I grinned. "We can't!" I said. "Your mummy doesn't like you two having so much sugar before dinner."

"But we did before..." Sebastian whined, opening the back door. I helped Lucille into the front seat and got in. Lucille buckled her seatbelt, but I had to check to ensure Sebastian did. He didn't.

"Seatbelt, Sebastian," I said, looking at him through the rear-view mirror. He slid the male end into the female, and it clicked. "I can fix you guys a snack when we get home. How about that?"