Dating, Dining, and Desperation (A Dear Daphne Novel)

by Carlson, Melody

  “The trash can is full.”

  “Then find a bag and put the trash in it.”

  “Okay!” Mabel nodded like this was a good plan.

  “And I’m going to talk to your grandma for a few minutes.”

  Mabel looked uncertain but didn’t say anything.

  “Excuse me.” Daphne tapped on Vera’s bedroom door.

  “Yes?” Vera said weakly.

  “May I speak to you?” Daphne entered the dimly lit room where a TV was quietly playing on a nearby dresser. It smelled as musty and airless as the rest of the house, but it seemed a bit tidier and roomier than Mabel’s room. Plus it had a master bath. “I feel I must talk to you about Mabel, Vera. I’m concerned for her welfare.”

  Vera sat up in bed and sighed. “Yes . . . so am I.”

  “I can see you’re in no condition to care for a child.”

  “No, but I’m all she has.” Vera’s brow creased. “You’re not from CPS, are you?”

  “CPS?”

  “Child Protective Services?”

  “Oh no. Not at all. Like I told you, I live down the street. Dee Ballinger was my aunt.”

  “Yes . . . I know. But I worry that CPS might come here and take Mabel away.”

  “I can understand that.” Daphne wanted to say maybe it would be best if they did take Mabel away, but she could tell by Vera’s concerned eyes that she loved her granddaughter. “The thing is, I would like to help you. I’d like to do more than just get some groceries. I’d like to help with some cleaning and organizing. I’d like to make Mabel’s room more habitable for her.”

  “I used that room to store things.”

  “Perhaps Mabel and I could move those things to the garage.”

  Vera looked worried but then waved her hand. “Yes. Do whatever you like with them. I certainly can’t.”

  “So you don’t mind then . . . if I help out?”

  “Mind?” She let out a tired sigh. “I would be very grateful.”

  Daphne smiled. “Good. Now we’ll be on our way and you can rest.”

  Daphne felt victorious as they walked back to her house. She told Mabel about how she had to learn to do things like laundry and housecleaning when she was Mabel’s age. “Because my daddy worked. But my aunt taught me how to help out around the house.”

  “You mean your grandma-aunt, the one who lived in your house?”

  Daphne smiled at Mabel’s quick memory. “Yes, you’re right. But I always thought of her as my aunt when I was little.”

  “I wish I had an aunt.”

  “Maybe I can be like your aunt.” Daphne hoped she wasn’t crossing some invisible line by saying this. But really, what was wrong with adopting an aunt?

  “Can I call you Aunt Daphne?”

  “I don’t see why not.” As they went inside the house, Daphne asked if Mabel had breakfast.

  “I had Froot Loops.”

  “With no milk?”

  “Yeah. We’re out of milk.”

  “How would you like some eggs and toast?” Daphne offered.

  Mabel eagerly agreed. And as Daphne fixed her breakfast, Mabel explained how she usually ate both breakfast and lunch at school. “On Saturday and Sunday I get hungry.”

  Daphne set the plate of food in front of Mabel, trying to disguise how disturbing it was to hear all this. And yet she felt she needed to know the real details. It was surprising that someone hadn’t turned Vera in for child neglect, and yet where would that put Mabel? In a foster home with strangers? What if it was a worse situation? Anyway, Vera had given Daphne the green light. She wanted help. And she was certainly going to get it.

  “Do you know what kind of sickness your grandma has?” Daphne poured herself a cup of coffee.

  “Cancer,” Mabel said soberly.

  “Oh . . . I see.”

  Mabel looked up with worried eyes. “Is she going to die?”

  “I . . . uh . . . I don’t know. I mean I don’t think so.”

  Mabel just nodded, forking hungrily into her eggs.

  However, as Daphne watched her eating, she realized this was a question she needed to know the answer to as well. What exactly was Vera’s condition? Was she in treatment? Remission? What?

  As Daphne and Mabel piled their cart high at the Fairview Walmart, Daphne couldn’t remember ever enjoying shopping as much as today. And since she’d been living rather frugally these past few months, her generous monthly allowance from Aunt Dee’s will had been accruing steadily. And according to Aunt Dee’s will, Daphne wouldn’t be able to take any of the saved money for living expenses with her in May, in the likely event that she was still unmarried, so she felt delighted to be able to share it with Mabel.

  In fact, she suspected Aunt Dee would thoroughly approve. And having seen the condition of Mabel’s clothes as they loaded the washer this morning, she was well aware that the little girl was in severe need of everything. From practical school clothes like jeans and shirts to underwear and socks.

  “Are those your only shoes?” Daphne looked at the dirty, worn canvas shoes.

  “I think so.”

  “Well, it’s time for some new ones.” Daphne led her to the shoe department to measure her feet, but seeing the condition of her socks, Daphne knew it would be wrong to let her try on shoes. “Take those off.” Daphne reached for a packet of clean socks and pulled out a pair. “Put these on.”

  “Will we get in trouble?” Mabel frowned.

  “No, we’re going to buy them anyway.”

  “Okay?” Mabel looked uncertain as she peeled of her soiled socks. And Daphne, trying to hide her disgust, picked them up and dropped them in a nearby trash container.

  Mabel’s eyes grew wide as Daphne had her try on several pairs of shoes, putting the ones that fit into the cart.

  “Are we getting all of those?” Mabel asked incredulously.

  “Yes. It’s good to have a spare pair or two.” Daphne picked up some rubber boots with pink, blue, and yellow polka dots. “What do you think of these rain boots?”

  “They’re pretty!”

  Daphne checked the size and then dropped them into the cart too. “And that reminds me, you probably need a warm coat and maybe a raincoat too.”

  With each additional item, Mabel’s big brown eyes lit up. And she even let out some squeals of delight when Daphne let her pick out two sets of pajamas and a nightgown and pink bunny slippers. Clearly, the little girl felt like she’d won the lottery. And Daphne thought that seeing Mabel get so thrilled over even the smallest things, like a Cinderella toothbrush and strawberry toothpaste, was a huge payoff. They picked out more hygiene essentials like shampoo and conditioner, a good hairbrush, and even a small pink hairdryer.

  Finally they went to the hardware department where Daphne got a closet rod and several packs of clothes hangers. “I think this will do for now,” Daphne told Mabel as they wheeled the heaping cart up to the registers. Of course, all the Halloween merchandise was near the front of the store, and Mabel’s eyes grew wide as she saw the row of children’s costumes.

  “Do you have a Halloween costume yet?” Daphne knew this was unlikely.

  With her eyes fixed on one particular costume, Mabel shook her head.

  “Well, why don’t you pick one out while the selection is still good?”

  “Really?” Mabel looked up in disbelief.

  “Sure. Which one do you like?”

  Mabel reached for The Little Mermaid costume. “Ariel,” she said quietly. “She’s my favorite.”

  Daphne smiled. “The Little Mermaid was always one of my favorite fairy tales too . . . when I was little.” She helped her to find the right size and this time, instead of dropping it into the cart, Mabel clutched it to her chest as they walked toward the checkout area.

  “Do you have enough money for all this?
” Mabel asked nervously as Daphne got into a line for a cashier.

  “Don’t worry. My aunt was very generous to me so I can be very generous to you.”

  “I like having an aunt.” Mabel grinned. “Thanks, Aunt Daphne.”

  The man in front of them turned around. “Daphne!” Jake exclaimed with a broad smile. “I thought I heard your name.”

  “Jake?” Daphne blinked. “What are you doing here?” Somehow Jake did not strike her as a typical Walmart shopper.

  “Just picking up some essentials.” He held up a shopping basket containing a variety of small sundries. He peered at her heavily loaded cart with interest. “Nothing compared to the damage you’re doing.”

  Daphne tipped her head toward Mabel. “That’s because I have help.” She introduced him to her young friend.

  “Pleased to meet you Miss Mabel.” Jake shook the little girl’s hand with curious eyes. “Did I hear you say that Daphne’s your aunt?”

  Mabel grinned. “She said I can call her that.”

  Daphne put a hand on Mabel’s head. “We’re neighbors, but I decided to make Mabel my honorary niece.”

  “Nice.” He nodded as if he approved.

  “As we know, there’s more than one way to get an aunt.” Daphne inched her cart forward.

  “That’s true.” For a long moment he stared deeply into her eyes—almost as if he wanted to say something but was holding back.

  She waited, experiencing a warm rush of pleasure combined with a self-conscious uneasiness. “Your turn to check out, Jake.” With relief, Daphne pointed to the cashier who was waiting for him.

  “Yeah . . . right.” He started to unload his items onto the counter.

  She watched as he set a package of batteries, a bottle of shampoo, and several other things out, then proceeded to pay for them. With his bag of purchases in hand, he turned back and gave a little wave. “Good seeing you, Daphne. And nice to meet you, Miss Mabel.”

  They both told him good-bye. But as Daphne unloaded their items, she couldn’t help but wonder—what was it that Jake had wanted to say to her? Or maybe she misread him. Maybe it was just her imagination.

  After she and Mabel packed their purchases into every available space of her small car, she realized that they’d worked up an appetite. So they went to a drive-through and picked up sandwiches and drinks, taking their makeshift picnic lunch to a nearby park.

  “This is the best day ever,” Mabel told Daphne as they were throwing away the bags and paper cups afterward. “You are the best aunt in the whole world.”

  Daphne laughed. “And you are the best niece!”

  Mabel looked longingly to where other children were playing on the playground. “Can I play for a while?”

  “Sure.” Daphne sat on the bench, watching as Mabel ran and jumped and climbed around on the playground equipment. Having fun, just like a normal kid. Playing and laughing with the other kids as if her mother wasn’t dead or her dad wasn’t in prison or her grandmother didn’t have cancer. As if her little life was just peachy.

  After about an hour, they went to the grocery store and got everything on their list as well as a number of other things that seemed kid-friendly and easy to fix. Then Daphne drove them back to the little blue house in Appleton. She could hardly believe how much they’d managed to pack into her car. It took lots of trips before it was all unloaded.

  “I’ll go see if Grandma is hungry. She likes those kinds of yogurts we got. She might want one.”

  “Good idea.” Daphne started to unload a grocery bag. She attempted to clean the kitchen and fridge as she put food items away. However, it was going to take much more time and effort than she could give it today. But suddenly she remembered how Sabrina often said how she owed Daphne some “favors” for her help with unpacking. Daphne closed the fridge. It might just be payback time.

  She got out her phone and called Sabrina, quickly explaining what was going on here and how it was getting a bit overwhelming. “I really need some help.”

  “You want me to come down and lend a hand?”

  “Yes!” Daphne said eagerly.

  “Well, why didn’t you just say so? I’ll be right over. What about Tootsie? Will he be in the way?”

  “Maybe he should stay home this time. It’s pretty messy here. I wouldn’t want him to get into something that would hurt him. Plus Mabel’s grandma needs quiet to rest. And be sure to put on some grungy clothes. It’s a real roll-up-your-sleeves-and-get-dirty kind of project.”

  “Gotcha.”

  After Daphne hung up, Mabel reminded her of the clothes still in the washer. So they went out and Daphne showed her how to load them in the dryer. “And see if you can find that box of dryer sheets I got. I think it’s still in the kitchen.”

  While Mabel hunted down the dryer sheets, Daphne strategized for where to store junk from Mabel’s bedroom. Like the rest of the house, the garage was pretty packed, but there was an open section near the big garage door that could be put to use. And Daphne’s plan was to get that little bedroom cleared out and cleaned up before Mabel’s bedtime. The image of a cleaned up Mabel, wearing clean pajamas, tucked into a clean bed in a clean room was enough motivation to keep Daphne working hard.

  Chapter 20

  Your grandma said it would be okay to rearrange your bedroom,” Daphne told Mabel as she pointed out the space in the garage. “We’ll stack all those boxes and stuff right there for now. You ready to go to work moving it all out here?”

  “I guess so.” Mabel looked a little uncertain.

  “Just think,” Daphne said as they returned to Mabel’s jam-packed little room. “With all this stuff gone, it will be like a real bedroom for you.”

  “A real bedroom?” Mabel echoed with what sounded like disbelief.

  They were just making their second trip to the garage when Sabrina arrived. Dressed in an old shirt and blue jeans, she had a bucket of cleaning supplies with her. “Help has arrived,” she announced as Daphne let her into the house.

  “Thank you!”

  “Where do I start?” Sabrina looked around with wide eyes.

  “The kitchen is in the greatest need.” Daphne pointed her toward it. “I’ve opened some windows in there. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to open some more in here.”

  “Not at all.”

  Daphne introduced Sabrina to Mabel and explained that they were working on Mabel’s bedroom. “This is no small project,” she told Sabrina.

  “I can see that.”

  Back in the bedroom, they continued to carry out load after load. Daphne made sure that Mabel got the lighter boxes. Even so it was hard work, but Mabel didn’t complain once. But after it was cleared out and all the boxes and junk were stacked in the garage, Daphne could see that there was mildew on the bedroom walls. Probably due to years of being covered by all that junk. She opened the window to let in fresh air, but it still didn’t seem like a healthy place for a child—or anyone—to sleep.

  She told Mabel to take a break, then went outside to use her phone. She called her painter friend and started to leave a message, but then he answered. “Oh, hello, Tom,” Daphne said. “I have a painting problem I thought perhaps you could help me with. I’m sure you’re busy and it’s a Saturday, but perhaps you could just advise me.”

  “What’s up?”

  So she quickly described the situation, including the details of how Mabel recently lost her mother and how Vera had cancer and the horrible condition of the house. “Her little bedroom probably isn’t even safe and I’d just like to clean the walls so she can sleep there, but I have no idea what to use and—”

  “Where is this house?”

  Daphne explained how it was just down the street.

  “How about if I drop by and give you a hand?”

  “Really?” Daphne was so moved, she felt close to tears. “You could
do that? On a Saturday?”

  “Sure. I was just sitting here watching UCLA getting whooped by Stanford. I could use a good distraction about now. It would do me good to help out.”

  “Great. Thank you!” As Daphne closed her phone, she got an idea. If Tom was so glad to give of himself . . . who else might be interested in helping? The words: You have not because you ask not reverberated through her head. That was it—she would do some more asking. She looked around the overgrown yard as she opened her phone. Before long, she had called Mick, explaining the situation and asking if he could spare one of his yard guys to come over and cut this grass. To her surprise, Mick offered to come himself.

  Daphne went back inside to find Mabel flopped in front of the TV with a granola bar. And considering how hard the little girl had been working the last couple of hours, who could blame her for taking a break? She went past Mabel and tapped on Vera’s door again. When Vera responded, Daphne went in and explained Tom’s and Mick’s interest in helping out.

  “I can’t afford to pay them.”

  “That’s okay. They just want to do it out of the kindness of their hearts.”

  “Really?” Vera’s eyes were misty. “People are still like that?”

  “Some of them are.” Daphne smiled. “In fact, there are quite a few generous people in this town. Do you mind if I invite them to help?”

  Vera sighed. “There was a time when I would’ve minded . . . quite a lot. But not anymore. I’m too tired and worn out to care about much of anything—except for Mabel. And even then it doesn’t do much good.”

  “Well, you just rest. And if you don’t mind, I’ll do what I can to help you out, Vera.”

  Vera gave her a weak smile. “Thanks . . . that means a lot.”

  Daphne stood for a moment. How would it feel to be so helpless? “Is there anything I can get for you?”

  “No, thank you. I just need rest.”

  “I’ll tell people to keep it quiet—”