Page 20 of Theo of Golden

She waited for him to say more. When he didn’t, she prodded. “Theo who?”

“For now, just put Theo.”

“Yes, sir. Anything else?”

“Yes. Call our cleaning service, and have them do a deep clean of the apartment. Mr. Theo will be moving in soon.”

Her mouth dropped open, but she did not speak. Her face was a mixture of disbelief and mild horror. What was the cautious Mr. Ponder getting himself into?

“Yes, sir.” She turned to leave the room.

The guardian angel of Ponder House was not happy.

CHAPTER 11

Theo and Mr. Ponder met several times in the days following their introduction. On each occasion, Mrs. Gidley greeted the mysterious old man with the same frown and the same cold, dismissive eyes that she had displayed at their first encounter.

You old snake. Who are you?

As Mr. Ponder’s tenant, Theo was asked to honor a small number of reasonable requests: proper upkeep of the premises, immediate notification concerning problems or appliance malfunctions, cautious use of the balcony (and, particularly, no children; the original railing, still in place, was eighteen inches below present-day safety code), no smoking, discretion concerning houseguests, and entrance through the back stairs only. Mr. Ponder would provide a cleaning service, if needed, once a week or at whatever interval Theo felt necessary. He could also have groceries delivered to the apartment, if Theo wished, so he would not have to carry heavy items up the stairs. Theo paid six months’ rent, insisted on doing so, “so you can’t throw me out on the street.”

Theo moved in on a Tuesday morning. A cab drove him to the rear of Ponder House, and the old man, refusing the cabbie’s offer to carry his bags, heaved two large suitcases, one at a time, up the three flights of stairs. It was a workout. He unpacked, mostly clothes, books, and papers. Then he went to a small market on Broadway and bought several items of food and bottles of wine. The less food in the kitchen, he thought, the more I’ll get out, the more I’ll see, and the better off I’ll be.

As Mr. Ponder’s client, Theo provided him with appropriate bits of personal information, including the names of contacts and significant business associates in case of an emergency. “I’m an old man; you never know.”

He also deposited a hundred thousand dollars to be held in trust and used by Mr. Ponder for expenses and costs that might arise.

Theo also explained his plan concerning the portraits at the Chalice. “I want to purchase them all, a few at a time, and give them to their rightful owners. I will meet them at the fountain, but I will need help getting their addresses and scheduling the meetings.”

Mr. Ponder was intrigued and considerably mystified by the idea. He had questions and words of caution for Theo. He even offered an alternative proposal.

“If you’d like, we could buy all of them at once and let the artist or the coffee shop people deliver them. That would be a lot easier and quicker.”

Theo flatly rejected the suggestion. “No, no. I want to give them myself. It is very important I do it this way. I will give them one at a time.”

He gave Mr. Ponder a list with three names on it. He had already purchased the portraits and was eager to make the bestowals.

As Mr. Ponder’s neighbor, Theo settled into an almost-daily routine of slow walks along and around Broadway. On one such walk shortly after leasing the apartment at Ponder House, he stopped by the Verbivore to thank Tony for the referral. And he promised to buy books regularly.

“Well, praise the Lord!” Tony raised a hand and shook it like an old woman at a tent revival. He turned to the three PLs sitting there. “Somebody take a damn picture! Finally! A paying customer. Theo, maybe you’ll rub off on somebody. I sure hope so. At the rate I’m going, I’ll be closed at the end of the month.”

Theo delivered a folder of documents to Mr. Ponder, consultant and confidant, for safekeeping. He would add others in the future, but for now he was comfortable with his arrangement and thankful.

CHAPTER 12

In her first official act of employment for Theo, Mrs. Gidley (at Mr. Ponder’s direction) found the addresses of three local residents and mailed Theo’s handwritten letters to them. She also began a log (again at Mr. Ponder’s direction) to ensure that the letters reached their intended destinations in a timely manner. Addresses were sometimes difficult and time consuming to obtain, and the somewhat demeaning task did nothing to elevate Theo’s place in Mrs. Gidley’s mind.

Still, she did the work, did it well, and was paid handsomely in return.

Why on earth is this old man giving away free portraits? She wondered. Very suspicious.

She did have to admit, however, that she had never seen such beautiful handwriting before. Not exactly the penmanship of a con man, but one never knew.

Theo’s second, third, and fourth recipients all showed up at the fountain on time, talkative, curious, and appreciative of what the gentle old man was doing.

Bestowal number two was Junior Perryman, a mixologist at the Bowleg Bar and Grill. Years earlier, in a previous career, Junior had lost an arm in an accident at a local textile mill. In his portrait, a prominent scar from the same accident was visible over his left eye, and his nose was slightly misaligned.

He was on his way to work (his shift began at eight) when he strolled up to the fountain, introduced himself to Theo, sat down, and entered into friendly, unhurried conversation, not terribly different than the thousands he’d had over the years while serving whiskey and beer at the Bowleg. Junior personified the gift of gab.