Instant Family

by Donna Gartshore

  Rae appeared wounded but dignified. Frankie stood in her familiar hands-on-hips stance, her face sporting a ferocious scowl, and Danny looked slightly shell-shocked.

  Despite the severity of what had been thrown into his lap, Ben experienced a jolt of amusement. He guessed that Danny hadn’t seen Frankie coming.

  The brief, jovial moment passed when he saw that the boy was fixing him with a look filled with both fear and fury and that Frankie’s expression so acutely demanded an explanation she might as well have hung a sign around her neck.

  “You can’t keep me here,” Danny said. “I’ll charge you with kidnapping or somethin’.”

  “Is that before or after we discuss your artistic endeavors?” Ben replied drily. “Besides, your grandma knows you’re with me, so you might as well settle in. She’ll come get you when she’s ready. Do you want something to eat?”

  Confusion reigned on Danny’s face. Ben could tell that he couldn’t piece together someone who was going to make sure he paid his dues with someone who would offer him food.

  “No?” he said uncertainly.

  Rae announced that she was going back to her own cabin. “I don’t like him!” she declared haughtily.

  Frankie nodded and murmured that she would be there as soon as she could and that Rae should come get her if she needed anything. Ben could see that she was distracted and troubled by a litany of unanswered questions.

  Her mother lion ferocity had subsided and she once again appeared fragile and vulnerable, eyes shadowed with worry.

  “You!” Ben’s father roared, snatching back all the attention. Al was glaring at Danny. Was it possible he knew or had seen something that he hadn’t been able to express? Then again, it could just be his father directing an outburst to the nearest target.

  To his surprise, Danny didn’t appear to be particularly rattled or concerned by the force of Al’s negative attention.

  “Me,” he replied simply and didn’t look away from Al’s glare.

  Al jabbed a finger in the air at him a few times, then mumbled something and his emotions quieted down.

  Well, that’s interesting, Ben thought.

  He saw that Frankie had noticed, too; her head tilted to one side, her eyes speculative. He couldn’t put off talking to her any longer, Ben thought. He needed it as much as she did.

  He got his dad settled with a bowl of cornflakes and directed Danny to sit at the table with him.

  “We’ll be right outside,” he cautioned.

  The boy made an ugly face but sat down without protest.

  Once they were outside, Ben suggested that they move away from the cabin a bit so that Danny wouldn’t overhear their conversation.

  “You must be wondering what’s going on,” he said. He congratulated himself for making the understatement of the year.

  He expected Frankie to point that out to him, but she only nodded and kept her anxious eyes fixed on him.

  “Oh, boy,” he said and scratched his head. “Where do I start with this?”

  “How about at the beginning?” she suggested. “You got him in your car and...”

  “Well, at first we just drove around. I couldn’t get him to tell me anything, not his name—nothing.”

  Ben paused, took a breath and scaled his fingers through his hair, signaling the agitation he felt.

  “Why didn’t you just drive him to the police station?” Frankie demanded. “They do have one here, don’t they?”

  “There are local authorities, yes.”

  “So?”

  Ben shrugged, feeling a bit like a scolded schoolboy.

  “I’m not sure I can explain,” he said finally. “He was just so much younger than I expected. I couldn’t get my head around this skinny kid being the cause of all the fear and speculation.”

  “But you found out that he was?” Frankie asked. “I mean, for sure?”

  “Yes,” Ben said. “The strange thing is that once he got talking, he had quite a bit to say. It was almost like he had just been waiting for someone to tell his story to.”

  After a moment, Frankie nodded, and he could see in her eyes that she, too, had seen something in Danny that made her hesitate in seeking his punishment.

  “Were you right?” she asked. “Does he have too much money and time?”

  “It sounds like his parents do,” Ben answered. “Danny has been left with his grandmother for the summer, apparently for them to hash out a divorce settlement.”

  “Oh, I see,” Frankie said very quietly.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you know his grandma?” Frankie asked. “Is she a regular in the community?”

  “She might have looked a little familiar, but we didn’t know each other by name until today.”

  “I take it she didn’t know what her grandson has been doing?”

  “She might have suspected,” Ben said. “It’s hard to say.” He hesitated, wanting his words to be accurate but not cruel. “She strikes me as a woman who doesn’t cope with things very well.”

  Frankie’s face revealed that she struggled with the same mixed emotions that he did. He’d somehow had an unquestionable certainty that she would understand, the same way she understood the complex struggles he had with his father.

  It didn’t take a genius to realize that the boy was acting out deep emotional wounds. Still, there would be consequences for his actions.

  “I still don’t understand why he’s back here with you,” Frankie said.

  “Danny’s grandma knows that the authorities will have to deal with this,” Ben answered. “She asked me if I would do her the favor of keeping Danny with me for just another hour or so while she prepares herself. I felt badly for her—for both of them—so I said I would.”

  Distress brewed on Frankie’s face. Ben knew she thought he had possibly put them in jeopardy.

  Ben sighed. “I honestly did what I thought was best in that moment,” he said. “I have to believe she’s doing as much as she can. She’s not a young woman anymore by any means, and I can’t help thinking how all of this—” he made a sweeping gesture with his arm “—has been dumped on her without her wanting it. She says that Danny is a good boy at heart and I want to believe her.”

  He added silently, Because the Lord knows we all do things we regret doing.

  Frankie looked thoughtful. “What do you think?” she asked. “I trust your opinion.”

  Surprise and gratitude blossomed in Ben at Frankie’s declaration of trust, and he noted that she looked a bit surprised at her own words. She kept her eyes on his as she waited for his answer.

  “I tend to agree with her,” he said slowly.

  “You think Danny is a good person?”

  “I don’t think he’s a truly bad one,” he clarified. “I...” He hesitated, not sure how much he should say. “I feel that on some level I understand him.”

  He could tell that Frankie was waiting for him to explain himself further, but he didn’t want to get into all of that, not with his dad and Danny waiting inside.

  “Even so,” Frankie said, “something has to be done.”

  “Something will be done,” Ben said. “It will be over with soon enough and we can get back to enjoying our summers. For right now, though,” he said, “we’d better go back inside and make sure everything’s okay. At least, I’d better.”

  Frankie opened her mouth as if she was about to say something, then clamped it shut.

  “I should get back to Rae.” She furrowed her brow. “I wonder what I should tell her.”

  “The truth,” Ben suggested gently. “It seems to be working well so far. She’s a very resilient person—like her mom.”

  That observation appeared to fluster her, but at the same time there was a spark of gratitude in her eyes.

  After enlisting a promise that he would
keep her posted, Frankie returned to her own cabin and at once Ben felt acutely alone. The last thing in the world he wanted to do was go back inside the cabin to deal with his postnap grumpy father and a surly teen with issues very likely deeper than he could contend with.

  He cautiously opened the cabin door and tried not to envision some sort of wreckage or the severe agitation that Danny might provoke in his dad.

  He was not at all prepared for the sight that met his eyes. His father and Danny sat side by side at the kitchen table, utterly engrossed in folding towels.

  Chapter Twelve

  Frankie found Rae in her room, flipping through a book about animals that she had picked up from the library. Frankie knew her daughter was studying the finer details and poses of the animals for possible sketches later.

  “I need to tell you something, Sweet Pea.” Frankie sat on the end of the bed and said, “Danny—the boy that Ben brought back with him—well, he’s the one who’s been vandalizing around here. His parents are getting a divorce and he’s very upset about it.”

  Rae sat still for what felt like a long time, her face in repose. Frankie watched her anxiously, but Rae looked thoughtful rather than upset.

  “It’s like he can’t help it, like Al. Right, Mom?” she finally said.

  “What do you mean?” Frankie asked.

  “Well, like there’s something sad and scared in him that has to come out,” Rae explained. “Al yells and sometimes says things that he shouldn’t and Danny draws those bad pictures.”

  Wordlessly, Frankie reached for Rae and gathered her into a hug so tight that Rae eventually squirmed and said, “Ow! Mom!”

  “I’m sorry,” Frankie said, “but you are, like, the best kid ever.”

  “I still don’t like Danny,” Rae said, making sure that was very clear. “He called me stupid.”

  “Which everyone knows isn’t true in the least,” Frankie said. “Danny is a very unhappy person, and often people like that try to make sure that everyone around them feels the same way. It’s up to us to make sure he doesn’t succeed.”

  “How long will he be with Ben and Al?” Rae wondered. Her face puckered with worry. “He won’t do anything to hurt them, will he?”

  “I don’t think so. I’m sure that Ben has things under control.”

  “We should go see,” Rae declared. She put her book to the side and swung her legs around. “Let’s go!”

  Frankie had been hoping for a longer reprieve from the situation, but she felt she couldn’t do that to Rae. She considered her daughter’s perceptive reaction and thought again about what Ben had said, about Rae being resilient—perhaps more so than she gave her credit for.

  Rae had been a strong, unique little girl, before the whole situation with her ex-husband. And this time in Silver Lake was all about healing. But when they returned to Ben’s cabin and saw his face lit with surprise at seeing her again so soon, and she thought about the support he had given her, she suddenly wondered if what she really wanted was more complex.

  Ben rose from his chair and met them at the door. “Check this out,” he said under his breath, and tilted his head in the direction of Al and Danny.

  “How long do you think he’ll be here?” Frankie hissed her question.

  Rae folded her arms across her chest like a barrier and shifted from one foot to another.

  “That’s not the point,” Ben said, his voice edging into impatience. “Look at what they’re doing.”

  Frankie observed the unusual pair for a couple of minutes: Al would fold a towel, then would get agitated and shake it out with a violent jerk. Danny would patiently pick it up and smooth it out and hand it back to him.

  She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

  “They’ve been doing that since you left,” Ben explained quietly. “He—Danny—won’t give me the time of day, but he’s sure been good with Dad.”

  “That’s good,” Frankie said slowly as her mind explored the implications. “I’m just surprised he’s still here.”

  Ben checked his watch. “I should probably get him back,” he agreed, “and check on his grandma.”

  Frankie saw his eyes cloud with worry as he confessed, “I kind of lost track of time and I was enjoying the peace and quiet.”

  “I get that,” Frankie said.

  She noticed that Rae had edged closer to the table where they sat and heard her daughter, in a small but resolute voice, say, “I’m not stupid.” Then she added for good measure, “Al is my friend.”

  Ben raised his eyebrows at Frankie in a slightly comical look, and Frankie had to smile in return, noting how Rae had rallied herself to mark her territory. An instant later, her nerves were on high alert for how Danny would respond.

  He tilted his head up in Rae’s direction and Frankie assumed he was looking at her, though it was hard to tell under that concealing curtain of hair.

  “I guess you should help then,” he said, and tossed a handful of towels in her direction.

  Frankie watched Rae bend over to retrieve them and her thoughts zigzagged in all directions. What kind of a person was Danny, really?

  When she looked over at Ben, his face reflected her puzzlement.

  The tap at the cabin door startled both of them.

  It’s Danny’s grandma, Ben mouthed to Frankie as he opened the door.

  “I know you said you’d bring Danny back,” the older woman said. “But I thought I’d better take him off your hands even though I still have this headache...” She grimaced and touched two fingers delicately to her temple.

  She had one of those whispery but wheedling voices, Frankie thought, as if she’s used to making excuses.

  Help me not to be so judgmental. Frankie caught herself up short. Had she just prayed?

  “I’m Irma Conroy,” she said, introducing herself to Frankie. Her hand felt cold and bony within Frankie’s grasp.

  Under the circumstances it hardly seemed appropriate to respond with Nice to meet you, so Frankie mustered a smile and said, “I guess there’s a lot to think about.”

  “Daniel’s parents will be here tomorrow to deal with the authorities.” Irma winced as if the words caused her physical pain.

  Frankie felt an acute stab of sympathy for the boy. She knew that what he had done wasn’t right and that there had to be consequences, but he was so young—not much older than Rae—and there were clearly extenuating circumstances in his life. Not that she should be making excuses for him, but still...

  She saw Ben looking at the boy, and his face mirrored her own conflicting feelings.

  He said quietly, “I hope that they can work out something that benefits everyone, including Danny.”

  “Well, we shall see,” Irma said. “It’s out of my hands.”

  She told Danny that it was time to go. Just as they were about to make their exit, Frankie blurted out, “How is he so good with Al? I mean, how does he know...?”

  Irma looked slightly taken aback at the question.

  “Oh,” she said. “His grandfather had horrible dementia before he passed on. Daniel always had a lot of patience with him.”

  “Was that your husband?” Ben asked.

  “Yes. It was a dreadful time.”

  “I’m sure it was,” Ben said. After a moment he added, “I will pray for you and your family. I’ll pray that God helps all of you with the decisions you’ll have to make.”

  Irma hesitated for a moment, then gave a brief nod.

  “Thank you,” she said. “Come, Daniel. Please thank Ben and his wife again for their hospitality.”

  Frankie’s mouth flew open to correct the misconception, but they were gone before she could.

  The shock of those words felt like a slap, like a joke at which she had no desire to laugh.

  Then she noticed Ben’s mouth quirking in that familiar way. />
  “What?” she demanded.

  “Nothing—it’s just that you don’t have to look quite so appalled at the thought of being married to me.”

  Frankie could see Rae at the table, pretending not to listen. Her cheeks were red and her hands had paused over the pile of towels. Frankie decided that she’d better quickly change the subject.

  “What do you think they’ll do to him?” she asked. “I’m still hoping for community service.”

  “I’m trying to trust that God has a good plan for Danny’s life,” Ben said. “Sit down, if you like. I’ll make coffee or there’s tea or juice if you want.”

  “Tea would be nice,” Frankie said. “Whatever you choose is good.”

  Settled into one of those old couches with a flowered pattern that Frankie was sure must grace every cottage in Canada, her thoughts returned to Irma’s words.

  It shouldn’t rattle her so much, she thought. It was an innocent mistake. But she wasn’t a wife anymore. She roused herself from those hurtful musings when Ben handed her a cup of tea. But when she took it from him and the tips of their fingers touched briefly, she considered that perhaps those feelings weren’t as dead as she thought they were.

  “Quite the day,” he said.

  She took a sip and nodded. “Was it really just this morning that we were at church?”

  “Yup, hard to believe.” Ben took a sip from his own cup. “Is this okay? Too strong?”

  “It’s fine, thank you.”

  They sat in silence, each lost in thought. At the table, Al and Rae put the towels aside and Al watched, with some pointing and blurted suggestions, as Rae worked on a puzzle.

  “Did you eat again?” Ben asked. “I think we should have something.”

  We, Frankie thought. It was such an easy word to say but so hard to be part of. But Ben disarmed her in ways she hadn’t anticipated and she didn’t know how she felt about that.

  Her speculations were taken over by hunger pangs. “I guess I am hungry,” she said. “I didn’t even realize until now. Rae, you must be hungry, too.”

  “I had a banana,” Rae said calmly, her eyes on the puzzle.