“Hold on.” She pulled the receiver away from her mouth. “Allen wants the three of us to spend the day at his house—a swim and barbecue.”
Lacy jumped from the couch, spilling coffee in the process. She ignored it. “I’ll ask Angela.” She raced from the room, shouting Angela’s name as she ran down the hallway. Brenda laughed, thinking, she hasn’t done that since she was six.
“I think it’s a go, Allen.”
“Good. Do you want me to pick you all up, or shall we meet up?”
Lacy returned to the room, dragging a sleepy Angela behind her. “She said yes, Mom.”
Brenda and Angela exchanged smiles.
“We’ll meet you, Allen. Henry’s?”
“If that’s okay with you.”
She said it was and hung up the phone. “Let’s get going. We’re meeting him for breakfast first.” They showered quickly. Angela and Lacy were waiting at the front door when Brenda finally emerged. They both looked quizzically at her. Lacy smiled. “Are you wearing makeup, Mom?”
Brenda touched her cheek and blushed, turning her cheeks even redder. “I hope you don’t mind, Angela. I borrowed some of your makeup.”
Angela smiled. “It looks good on you.”
“Peter hated it when I wore makeup. He said I looked like a whore in it and thought it was a frivolous expense.”
“Mom?”
Brenda turned to glance at Lacy, who looked down at the floor.
“Can we not mention Dad today? I just want to have fun.”
Brenda smiled and nodded her head. “No problem. Sorry.”
She found Allen already seated when they walked in. Elaine was there with her children. Brenda hardly recognized Reuben out of his uniform.
“Look who I ran into,” Allen said, rising to greet them. He swept his hand toward Elaine. “You remember Elaine?”
“Yes, of course,” Brenda said. “It’s nice to meet you again.”
“And of course, Reuben,” Allen said. He turned to two girls. They looked to be about twelve and maybe ten, Brenda guessed. “This is Tessie and Tammie,” he said.
“Beautiful girls,” Brenda said.
“Thanks,” Elaine said. She saw Angela behind Brenda and grinned widely. Throwing her arms open, she flew in to embrace her. “Oh my God,” she squealed. “I haven’t seen you in ages.”
Angela giggled. “Yes, it’s been too long. What have you been up to?”
Elaine stepped back. Smiling, she said, “I passed my lab-tech exam.”
“Congratulations,” Angela said, embracing Elaine again. “Come here, girls,” she told Tessie and Tammie. “My, how big you’ve grown,” she said, after sizing them up. “How’s school?”
“Fine,” they said in unison.
Brenda felt timid, as did Lacy. They stepped to the side, watching as the group held their little reunion.
“Are you joining us?” Angela asked.
Elaine shook her head. “We’ve just finished eating. Tammie has a piano recital in a couple hours. We need to get going.” She stepped toward the door and her children stepped in line behind her as if they were her little ducklings. She turned and waved, saying a final goodbye. The children copied.
They sat down and within moments the waitress brought them menus.
“In case you haven’t guessed, Angela was Elaine’s social worker for a while. She helped them a lot.”
Brenda tried to smile. “I think you mentioned that before.”
She was uncomfortable with the whole social worker thing. It was embarrassing to have her child taken from her, let alone have to live with her social worker. She felt like a failure. Marrying an abusive husband and having her only child taken away hadn’t been her life’s goal. She’d had dreams—at one point at least. She certainly hadn’t asked God to send her a husband to abuse her, or a father who ignored her.
She had lost her mother at an early age, requiring her to step into the role of mother, daughter, housekeeper…while all her friends had been out enjoying their high school years.
She often wondered how different her life would have been if she had had a set of supportive parents to cheer her on. Her father certainly hadn’t put much stock in education. He had barely graduated high school. As long as he eked out a living, that was good enough for him. “My cable, my beer, food in my belly, and a roof over my head,” was all he had ever said. A role model he certainly wasn’t.
When her high school counselor, Mrs. Moraty, had called her in for a planning session, Brenda had shaken her head. “There’s no money for college in my house,” she had told her. “There’s barely enough money for food.”
A few weeks later, she summoned her again. “Brenda, here’s some money to take the SAT exam.” She handed her a hundred-dollar bill.
“I can’t accept this,” Brenda had protested, trying to shove the money back at her. “It’s generous, but I can’t.” Mrs. Moraty had refused to take it back. Brenda had given it considerable thought, and because she was curious about how well she might do, she took the exam. To her surprise and delight, and despite the lack of encouragement on the home front, she managed to pull off a 750.
Mrs. Moraty had been more excited than she had. “That’s wonderful, Brenda. With your grades and those scores, any state university, and some private schools will certainly accept you—and probably with some significant grants or scholarships.” Brenda had even checked out a book from the library on finding scholarship monies. When she had approached her father with the idea, however, he had laughed. She had returned the book to the library and absorbed herself in learning how to make the home run more efficiently.
“They seem like such a nice family,” Lacy was saying, now.
Brenda looked at her daughter: so beautiful, so smart, so caring, so deserving—and wondered how she had let this happen to her. Hadn’t she promised to protect her from harm? Hadn’t she taken a vow to be everything her father hadn’t been?
“They do,” Brenda agreed, putting her arm around Lacy.
“Reuben’s getting ready to start college soon,” Angela said. “He just got his acceptance letter in the mail, early admission,” she added when Lacy looked puzzled. “How about you, Lacy, what is your plan for college?”
Lacy shrugged. “I don’t have any right now.”
A flash of anger swept across Brenda’s face. “That’s not true, Lacy.” She looked at Angela, then at Allen. “Lacy’s been saving for college. She’ll have at least enough put away for junior college by the time she graduates.”
Lacy’s jaw went rigid as she clenched her teeth. She looked at her mother, saying in a low tone, “We’ll need that money to live.”
Brenda shook her head as tears brimmed in her eyes. She picked up her napkin and wiped at them. Then addressing her daughter, said, “I’ll not take your college savings to live. I’m going to get a job.”
A young girl came over and took their order. Brenda had lost her appetite but didn’t want to appear rude, so she ordered eggs and toast. Lacy didn’t want to eat at all, but Brenda ordered the same for her. Angela and Allen exchanged worried glances, ordered the same for themselves, and a large platter of fruit, hoping the mood would have lifted by the time the meal came.
“I know things look bleak now,” Angela said, “but things will work out.” Nobody responded, so she continued, “You remember Elaine, who was in here earlier? When Allen first met her, she was living on the street with her three children. Reuben’s a lot like you, Lacy.”
Lacy looked up and into Angela’s face. “How is Reuben like me?”
“He was so disheartened when I first met him. He was sweeping this place after school just to help his mother put food on the table—now he practically runs the place in Henry’s absence. Like you, he’s been putting as much money as he can away for college. Due to their family’s circumstance and a little help from a knowledgeable financial aid staff, he’s going off to a four-year university.” She touched her hand, inclined her head toward her. “It ca
n happen to you, Lacy. You must have faith.”
Then she turned toward Brenda. “What about you, Brenda? What are you interested in doing?”
Brenda shrugged. “The only things I know how to do are clean and cook.”
Angela shook her head. “You’re a domestic engineer.” Brenda couldn’t help but smile. Even Lacy managed a short snicker. “There is way more to running a household than cooking and cleaning.” She started ticking things off on her fingers while their server returned with their food. “Domestic engineers know how to: organize, prioritize, budget, juggle, produce…get the point?”
Brenda nodded. “I do.”
Angela said, “You need to get started writing a resume. I’ll help you if you want.”
“What is your dream?” Allen asked.
“I really do like cooking,” Brenda said, a slight lilt coming to her voice, a glimmer of hope in a previously dark existence. “I’ve always enjoyed finding new recipes to invent. I guess I could see myself as a chef in a restaurant somewhere.”
“Mom’s a terrific cook,” Lacy chimed in, a genuine smile coming to her lips.
Brenda had to admit her mood was lifting a little, and seeing Lacy smile was making her happy, too. She looked around. “Do you think Henry would hire me?”
“He will if I ask,” Allen said, making a promise to come back on Monday to see him.
They finished the meal, including the fruit platter. From there they went to the grocery store. “Let me cook today. Please,” Brenda begged. “You said you’d let me cook in your kitchen. No better time than the present,” she said, giving him a pleading grin.
He shrugged and watched helplessly as she piled ingredients into the shopping basket. When they got to the checkout counter, Allen unloaded the basket and whipped out his bank card. “I don’t think I have ever spent this much at the grocery store,” he teased.
Brenda turned red. “Did I spend too much? I’m so sorry.”
Allen laughed. “Not at all, that statement simply was a testament to the amount of food I buy—or don’t buy, I should say.”
Allen helped Brenda in the kitchen while Angela gave Lacy a tour of Allen’s house. He washed tomatoes and mushrooms, chopped onions, sliced olives, and grated cheese. Brenda minced, sliced, marinated, and sautéed. In a very short time, the kitchen came alive with heavenly aromas.
Angela and Lacy were laughing when they joined them in the kitchen. Allen and Brenda looked up from their tasks. “What’s so funny?” Allen asked.
“Lacy thinks you need a woman’s touch around here.”
“She’s probably right,” Allen said. He dumped olives into the sauté pan as Brenda indicated. He wiped his hands on a towel and picked up the knife. “There hasn’t been a woman in residence since my grandmother.”
Brenda smiled. Knowing there had been no other women here made her happy.
“Can I go swimming? Or do you need my help here?” Lacy asked.
“It’s okay with me,” Allen said, “unless your mother needs you.”
Brenda shook her head. “I’m okay, here.”
“Why don’t we both go,” Lacy said, pulling Angela’s arm and nodding her head repeatedly toward the cooking duo as if she had a tic.
“I don’t want to go swimming…” Angela began, breaking off as she caught Lacy’s meaning. “I sure could use a little sunshine, though.”
They ran off, giggling. Brenda shook her head, pretending not to know what they were planning. “Taste this,” she said, popping a triangular corn chip into his mouth.
His eyes flew open wide as he cried, “Water.”
She laughed. “That’s the jalapenos. A little too much I’m guessing. I’ll cut it back.”
He shook his head. “No. It’s perfect. I just wasn’t expecting it.”
Allen got down two trays, and they began to put the appetizers on them. Then they carried them out to the pool. Lacy immediately jumped from the water, dried her hands, and began to devour the treats. “I can’t believe I’m this hungry after all I ate for breakfast,” she said.
“You’re swimming it off,” Brenda reminded her.
A chime sounded, and Barney began barking.
“I wonder who that could be,” Allen said. “I’m not expecting anyone.”
He disappeared into the house, reappearing a moment later with a middle-aged, well-dressed but slightly overweight woman. She carried a small dog that wagged his tail with so much vigor the woman could barely contain her. “This is Florence Howell,” Allen said. “She lives next door.”
Florence smiled, put her dog on the ground, and watched as the two dogs chased each other around in a circle. “Candy does so love Barney,” she said as if it weren’t evident from the way they played. She turned her attention to Allen. “I do apologize for intruding on your little party, Allen dear, but I’m in one hell of a pickle, and I’m so hoping you can help me out.”
“I’ll certainly try,” he said, wondering how he possibly could be of any help. Despite the fact they were neighbors, they weren’t even close to moving in the same social circles.
“You see, Allen, dear, I have this huge,” she spread her arms wide, “soiree planned for tomorrow evening. And I’ve just been informed my usual caterer has come down with a case of food poisoning—I warned her about buying those imported shrimp.” She shook her head at Brenda as if it were she who had purchased the shrimp. “She wouldn’t listen to me, and now I have a house full of people scheduled and I don’t have a menu.”
Allen looked puzzled. “I don’t see how I can help with that, Florence. I’m a doctor, not a caterer. The only thing I could do is treat your caterer’s food poisoning, but even then I’m afraid she wouldn’t recover in time.”
Florence waved him off. “No, no, dear. She’s already seen a doctor for that. Besides, I’m not sure I’d trust her food supply after being sickened by it herself.” She rolled her eyes. “I have a reputation to uphold, you know.”
Allen nodded, tried to hide a smile. “Yes, I suppose you do,” he said. “Again, Florence, I don’t see how I can help.”
She sighed and shook her head. “I was hoping…” She suddenly noticed the dogs had collapsed near the water dish and smiled at how cute they were. Suddenly, her smile fell as a thought came to mind. “That is fresh water in that dish, isn’t it, Allen?”
“Of course, Florence,” he said, doing his best to hide a grin. It was a lie. He hadn’t changed the dog’s water since the morning before yesterday, but she didn’t need to know that. “The party…” he prompted.
She nodded and continued. “Yes, of course, the party. Well, seeing how I’m without a caterer for tomorrow and since you…uh hum...” She cleared her throat, “hardly ever use your caterer, I thought I might borrow her.”
She saw Allen about to protest and rushed on, “I promise to use her only for tomorrow evening. I wouldn’t even think of stealing her away from you—that wouldn’t be at all neighborly now, would it?”
“I was going to say I don’t have a caterer.”
She spotted the plate of appetizers and then eyed him suspiciously. She pointed at the tray. “Do you mind, terribly, dear? I’ve been in meetings all day and haven’t had a thing to eat.” He indicated she should help herself. She picked up a stuffed mushroom, took a small bite of it, and her eyes grew round. She held the mushroom out for inspection, exclaimed, “Oh dear!” Then she stuffed the rest of the mushroom into her mouth and reached for another. When she finished eating that one, she reached for a chip with the jalapeno topping. She nibbled this, and her eyes rolled in ecstasy. She laughed suddenly and waved her hand in front of her mouth. “A bit of a kick, but so delicious,” she said. She spotted a pitcher of lemonade and poured herself a glass.
When she had downed the glass in a most unladylike manner, she narrowed her eyes at Allen. “Allen, I thought we were friends—and here you are feeding me the moon, just so you won’t have to share your secret. I absolutely promise not to steal her away from you.�
� She put her hand behind her back, crossing her fingers so she wouldn’t be telling a lie.
Allen laughed and shook his head. “I’m not lying, Florence.” He nudged Brenda forward. “Here’s your caterer.”
Brenda stood in front of the woman, lost at what to do—so she just smiled.
“Wonderful, dear,” Florence said. “Whatever he’s paying you I’ll double.” She looked around Brenda and smiled apologetically at Allen. “Sorry, dear. I know what I promised, but keeping this girl all to yourself is purely selfish. I insist you share her with me.”
Brenda shook her head. “I’m not a caterer. I’ve never cooked for anyone but my own family.”
“Nonsense dear, the ruse is up. Come on, what will it cost me to,” she looked at Allen, then back at Brenda, “borrow you for the evening? One thousand?” Brenda blinked twice. Florence cocked her head. “Two thousand?” Brenda’s mouth dropped open. “All right,” Florence said. “Three thousand. That’s a generous offer, and you know it.”
Brenda started to shake her head no, but Lacy rushed to her side. “How big is the party?”
“Small dinner party, twenty guests,” Florence said.
“You can do that, Mom. Remember Misty Holbrook’s wedding? They must have had at least sixty people there.”
“That was at church, Misty was a friend, and I had lots of help.”
“I’ll help,” Lacy said.
“I’ll help, too,” Angela said.
Allen spread his hands. “We’ll all help.”
Brenda bit her lip, thinking, three thousand dollars is a lot of money.
“Come on, Mom,” Lacy urged.
Brenda smiled. “Okay,” she said, and they all cheered.
“Wonderful,” Florence said. She looked at Allen and positively glowed with gratitude. “Thank you, Allen. You’re back in my good graces.”
Allen rolled his eyes. “Gee—I was worried for a moment.”
Ignoring him, she turned back to Brenda. “My guests will arrive at seven, so you could setup at six. We’ll eat at seven-thirty, but please have appetizers circling beforehand.”
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