And Then There Were Three
Chapter 9
When Chet unlocked the door to his apartment there was an envelope taped to his door.
"Well, what have we here?" he said to no one. He pulled it off the door and entered his apartment. He opened the envelope and read the note inside. It was written on plain notebook paper.
"Welcome home. Hope you had a good shift at work." It was signed, "Your Secret Admirer" and had a red lipstick kiss on the paper after it.
Up to this point, Chet had rather enjoyed the attention he was getting from his secret admirer, but this rather creeped him out and left him with an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He decided to call someone. He picked up the phone and dialed it. Three rings later there was an answer.
"Hola, Hello." Said Marco.
"Marco? It's Chet!"
"Hey Chet, what's up?"
"You wouldn't believe what just happened," Chet started to explain.
"What Amigo? Is everything okay?" Marco sounded concerned.
"My secret admirer knows where I live."
"You're kidding! How do you know?"
"She left a note on my door!" Chet exclaimed.
"Are you serious?" Marco asked.
"Yeah, I'm not sure what to make of it," Chet admitted.
Marco thought about it. "It is a little over the top to go to your home," he agreed. He was still very surprised because he was the one putting things in Chet's locker and he certainly had not gone to Chet's apartment. He didn't know about the card Chet had found in his car a while back. "You'd better be careful, Amigo. That's just creepy."
"Yeah, you're telling me. You sure that you or one of the guys is doing this?" Chet asked hoping that was exactly what it was.
"Chet, I swear… I don't know anything about any notes on your door. If it was one of us, when would we have had time? We were all at work!"
"Aaaah! You're right," said Chet, sounding resigned. "I gotta figure this out. I guess I'll see you in a couple of days."
"Okay, Chet. Just be careful. Watch out for your stalker." As the two men hung up their phones, a small shiver went up Chet's spine.
Roy had only been home from work about 5 minutes when Johnny called.
"DeSoto Residence," Roy said when he picked up the phone in the kitchen where Joanne was preparing breakfast for him.
"Roy, hi, it's me, Johnny."
"So I noticed."
"Hey, are you and Joanne busy? There's something Sharon and I want to talk to you about."
"No, we're not busy. You wanna come over here?"
"Yeah, that would be great. Is now a good time?"
"Hang on just a second," Roy answered. He'd better consult with his wife. She was standing next to him wondering what was going on. He looked at her and smiled. "It's Johnny. He and Sharon want to talk to us about something and wondered if now was a good time to come over?"
"Okay, have they had breakfast?" Joanne asked. She was more than willing to make more.
"I'll ask," said Roy. "Johnny, Joanne said now would be okay. Have you guys had breakfast yet or can Joanne fix you something?"
"Joanne's cooking is always appreciated! Tell her thanks. We'll see you in about 20 minutes."
"Okay. Bye now." Roy hung up the phone. He turned to his wife. "How can I help?"
Joanne had Roy poach eggs while she made hollandaise. Eggs benedict was one of Roy's favorite breakfasts and Jo didn't make it often. Roy was always very appreciative when she did. It was too fancy for the kids so Joanne had pulled some pigs in blanket out of the freezer and put them in the oven for them. She always made up extras when she served them for breakfast because they froze well and were easy to reheat and serve. Breakfast was just ready to serve when Johnny arrived with Sharon and Becca. She had Chris answer the door before heading off to wash his hands for breakfast.
"Hi! Come on in." Chris said, happy to see them all.
Sharon walked in holding Becca's hand and Johnny walked in carrying milk and orange juice.
"I stopped and picked these up, I figured they'd be gone in no time if I brought them." Johnny offered the items to Joanne. Joanne was taking thick round slices of Canadian bacon out of the oven as Johnny had approached.
"Johnny, you didn't have to do that, but thank you. That was very nice. Why don't you set them on the table, please?" She turned toward her kids. "It's time to wash up for breakfast, please turn the television off first." Chris flicked the knob on the television and the two kids disappeared down the hall. Sharon followed after them to help Becca wash up too.
Roy had managed to poach the eggs and set the table and was just finishing up the latter, setting napkins at each spot and placing a small stack of extras in the middle of the table. Kids and syrup necessitated many napkins. When Sharon returned from washing Becca's hands, she could only see the back of Roy who was standing mostly in the broom closet wrestling something out of it. Presently he emerged with a high chair. It had been Katie's but now it lived in the closet and only saw the light of day occasionally when one of Joanne's friends brought a little one over. Roy set it near the spots that he had set for Sharon and Johnny and before Becca was lifted into it, Roy wiped the seat and tray with a clean dishcloth to remove any dust from sitting. Becca was thrilled to have a special chair to sit in.
Once everyone was seated, Roy said grace for them all and plates were passed around. The kids were dished up helpings of pigs in a blanket and the adults passed around plates of toasted English muffins, Canadian bacon and poached eggs, building their own eggs benedict plates. Joanne had put the hollandaise in a large glass liquid measuring cup with a pour spout so that it could be served easily and that was passed around completing each adult's entrée.
The two families blended together nicely, as though they were always one big one and there was much happy conversation and laughter throughout the meal. Joanne was pleased to see that Roy and Johnny especially were enjoying their breakfasts. Roy would take a bite and close his eyes as he began to chew it. He always did that when food especially pleased him though Joanne doubted he even realized it. Still, it made her feel good to have made her husband happy. For Johnny's part, it was very obvious he liked it. That boy could eat! And he never gained an ounce! Joanne had given Roy a full dozen eggs to poach and even though only the adults ate them, there was only an empty plate after breakfast.
Chris had cleaned his plate well and Katie had about half of her second pig in a blanket left. "May we be excused?" Chris asked for the both of them.
"Drink you milk first please," his mother answered. She looked at Katie's plate. "Is that all you can do honey?" she asked. Katie nodded with an orange juice mustached face.
"Okay. Clear your plates then go wash your hands and faces before you go to play. Chris, please wash Becca's hands and face too then I would like the two of you to keep an eye on her while we talk. If you need anything, we'll be right here, in the kitchen." Joanne was appreciative that Chris was able to help out with Katie and Becca. Of course he was much too young to be left alone with them, but he did a fine job of babysitting when someone was around, just in case. And he never seemed to mind, either.
"Thank you, Chris." Roy and Johnny both said it at the same time causing Chris to grin because he thought it funny.
When the children were out of the room and the dishes had been cleared, coffee was poured for the four of them and they sat back down to talk. Roy started the conversation.
"Well, Johnny, what did you and Sharon want to talk to us about?" Joanne looked at Johnny, eager to know for herself. Johnny and Sharon passed a glance back and for the between them before Johnny took a breath and started to answer in classic Johnny fashion.
"Well, it's not that big of a deal really. Well, it is and it isn't. I mean, it could be, depending on how you look at it…"
"Johnny, why don't you tell us what it is and we can decide then if it is a big deal or not." Roy coaxed.
"Johnny, why don't I start?" Sharon came to his rescue. She looked at Joanne. "Johnny says that according to Roy you have been more tired with this pregnancy than you were with the others.
Is Sharon pregnant and wanting advice? Wondered Joanne. "Well, yes I have been kind of tired, but I'm older and I have two other children to look after now, too." Joanne explained it away.
"Of course, Joanne. We didn't mean you shouldn't be tired. We just were thinking about things and it came up. You see... Johnny and I are finally going to have Becca full time… No more bouncing back and forth between us and Aunt Tania."
"That's good news," said Roy, genuinely happy for them.
"Yes, it is. We're very happy about it…" continued Sharon.
"But?" said Roy, sensing a "but" would be there.
"But we have some issues with caring for her when we're both at work." Johnny finished for Sharon.
"What about the hospital daycare?" asked Joanne. Johnny was shaking his head "no" even before Joanne finished the sentence. All eyes turned to him as he was obviously going to have something to say about that.
"We would prefer to have Becca with someone we know… someone she knows. We thought of hiring you to watch her, but we knew you were already kind of worn out with two and a half kids." Johnny kind of chuckled at his reference to the unborn child and the others did too. "Roy was telling me about how he'd like to hire someone to help you look after your two and help run them around to their little engagements and all."
Joanne was unaware that Roy had even considered that and she squeezed his hand in appreciation and smiled at him. Roy could see the appreciation and love reflected in her eyes and was happy that she was pleased with the thought, even though he had decided they could not afford it. Johnny continued speaking.
"Sharon and I were talking about it and we thought maybe we could hire someone, and then Becca could come here and the person we hired could help with all three. That way Becca would be in familiar surroundings, with someone we trust –namely you- and you could direct the nanny and rest as much as you needed to. She'd be able to take Becca on short errands, after they got to know each other of course, so you could have some time to yourself when the kids were at school, and it wouldn't cost you and Roy anything because we have to hire someone for Becca anyway."
John stopped speaking for a moment and the room was very quiet. It was so quiet that Johnny was afraid he had some how offended his best friends and anxiously sat there hoping somebody would say something. Roy looked at his wife and saw tears in her eyes. He reached out and wiped them away from her face with the pads of his thumbs. He was kind of choked up himself.
"We're sorry if we upset you, Joanne… "started Sharon, feeling kind of nervous herself. Roy held up a hand and cut her off.
Finding his voice he started to speak. "You didn't offend us. You just took us by surprise is all," he explained. He knew his partner was doing this partly for the reasons he said and partly because he had already confided to John his frustration at not being able to afford to hire help. He appreciated that John hadn't said anything about that.
"Johnny…" Emotion was thick on Joanne's voice as she addressed her friends. She was very touched at their thoughtfulness, realizing that this wasn't just intended to be about taking care of Becca. "Sharon, I… I don't know what to say. I'm very honored that you want me to take Becca. I just… I just cannot believe what a generous offer you've made me to do it. It will cost more to hire someone to watch three kids than someone to watch one."
"In the scheme of things, not that much," said John. "I've already looked into that. And it is worth it to keep Becca with family, so what do you think?"
Joanne hesitated and Sharon spoke up. "Johnny, maybe they want to talk about it before they give us an answer," she said softly.
This hadn't occurred to Johnny. "Oh… right. Well, how much time do you need? OW…" He hadn't even finished asking when Sharon kicked him from under the table. Johnny looked down for a moment. "What I meant was, would you like us to leave the room so you two can talk about it?" Roy was nodding yes before Johnny finished asking.
"Would you mind?" asked Joanne.
"Of course not!" Sharon stood up and pulled Johnny out by the hand. The two of them went to find the kids while Roy and Joanne talked.
Sharon and Johnny found the kids in Katie's room playing with Barbies. Chris hated Barbies but in the interest of keeping his charges happy, he played along half-heartedly. When their aunt and uncle stood in the doorway watching them, Katie took a moment to ask a question.
"Uncle Johnny, is it almost Christmas yet?" Katie asked impatiently. The tree was up, the house was decorated, the baking had been happening off and on for a week. It seemed like it should be here by now to Katie.
"Yes Princess, two more days until Santa comes."
"Is Christmas a Daddy day?" Katie asked, hopefully.
"Yes, this time it is." Johnny and Sharon were surprised when the smile fell from Katie's face and Chris looked concerned too.
"What's the matter you two? I thought you'd be happy your daddy will be home for Christmas."
"I don't have anything to put under the tree for Daddy," complained Katie as Chris nodded in agreement. As tired as she had been Joanne had never gotten around to taking the kids Christmas shopping.
"Really, we don't have anything for Mom either," Chris added.
Johnny and Sharon looked at each other. This would never do. "That's what Aunts and Uncles are for, Kiddo," said Johnny.
Back in the kitchen a serious discussion was taking place.
"Well, what do you think, honey?" asked Roy, hoping Joanne would agree to it.
Joanne was worried that Roy might feel badly about not being able to afford it. He hadn't told her about the idea of hiring help and she realized that it was because he had decided it wasn't doable for them. She knew how strongly he felt about providing for his family. When she didn't answer right away, Roy cupped the side of her face in one hand and turned her head to look eye to eye. "Honey?"
"Well, how do you feel about it? You have to come home to an extra body in the house when you're already tired after work." She tried to give him an out if he didn't want to do this.
"I don't care about that. I care about you. Are you up to it? Do you think it would be helpful for you?"
That was Roy. Always caring about what others wanted and needed. "I… I think it would be really nice." Joanne answered a little timidly. Because Joanne was generally very self-assured, Roy realized that it was because she was trying to protect his feelings. He appreciated her for it.
"Good," he said enthusiastically. "I'll feel better knowing someone else is around when I'm not and that you can get the rest you need." That out of the way, the two of them felt more at ease and hugged for a long moment. Then Roy got up to let the others know they had come to a decision.
While Roy retrieved their friends, Joanne emptied everyone's coffee cups that varied in amounts of cold coffee and poured fresh brew in each, setting them back in their places. Johnny smiled at the sight of the steaming cup as he sat back down. He took a sip appreciatively and waited to hear the verdict. As Johnny and Sharon looked at the DeSoto's expectantly, Joanne let her husband take the lead.
"Johnny, Sharon… Joanne and I, we… we want you to know how much we appreciate your friendship." Still a bit overcome by emotion at the kindness of his partner and Sharon, he wasn't quite sure what he was going to say to them. He spoke from the heart and they could tell. "We want to thank you for your generous offer…"
Oh no. He's gonna say no. What will we do with Becca? Johnny was very surprised as the thoughts began running through his head. He hadn't planned for if they said no, and Johnny, Roy and Sharon all worked tomorrow! He didn't hear all of what Roy was saying but was tuned back in just in time to hear Roy ask, "So, when do we start this thing?"
As Johnny's brain began to register that Roy and Joanne had agreed, a crooked smile appeared and then a happy laugh. "Well awright! I knew this was a good idea. We need to start as soon as possible, but of course, we'll have to interview prospective candidates." He said.
"Oh brother," mumbled Roy. Roy realized that indeed interviews would have to take place, but his partner had a way of dramatizing every little detail when he had a plan and he could see the wheels turning already.
Johnny ignored him and kept on talking. "Actually, I know it is short notice, but we need someone for our shift tomorrow. I know we haven't hired anyone yet, but Sharon's cousin Amber is available and she's willing to come help tomorrow if that is okay with the two of you." Of course Roy and Joanne agreed.
Mike's arm was beyond asleep. It was so numb that when he willed it to move, he couldn't tell if it had without looking. He didn't care all that much. He was feeling more content than he ever remembered feeling before. Convincing Sam to wait had definitely been worth it.
Sam's skin was soft, smooth and warm against Mike's body. She slept peacefully on her side with her arm across Mike, using his arm for a pillow and she had a contented smile on her face. Mike did not sleep. He lay there watching Sam sleep for over an hour. When she awoke she simply opened her eyes and let out a happy sigh.
"Hi," Mike said softly.
Sam looked into Mike's eyes and smiled. "It wasn't a dream," she said and then hugged him. Mike reached across with his free arm to hug her back and she realized that his other arm must be asleep. "Oh, your arm!" She said with concern in her voice.
"What arm? I have more than one?" he teased. Sam sat up, turned and took Mike's numb hand in hers. She bent and flexed Mike's arm a few times then began to massage it to bring back the circulation. Mike groaned as the feeling slowly returned.
"We should go see Miss Millie," said Sam.
"Right after lunch," agreed Mike, sitting up.
"Are you hungry?
"Mmm hmmm," answered Mike as he began nibbling on her ear. Food wasn't on the horizon for the immediate future.
*Thanks for reading! Please leave me a review. I love reviews and constructive criticism is fine. I just want to know what you think. :D
