Chapter 10

I see Danny reach up and ruffle my hair. He's smiling at me, like I'm really his little girl. No… I still don't like him and I know he's trying to take Mom from me.

"Mom, can we go home now?" I ask, going back to her.

"Hey, uh, shift's almost over, Linds. What do ya say I take you and Maddie out to dinner tonight?"

Dinner? Did Danny say he wanted to take us out to dinner? Cool!

"Sure…" Mom says, "I think we've both had enough of peanut butter and jelly huh Squirt?"

"Uh huh…" I answer. It's true… Mom and me have eaten peanut butter and jelly all week. It's nice that Danny wants to give us some time together but I do not like him, I do not like him, I do not like him.

"What about this?" I hold up a sundress Grandma made for me. It's a nice yellow colour with a design that just reaches my knees.

"Yeah, that's fine," Mom helps me pull it over my head while we're getting ready for dinner. Danny is gonna pick us up from the hotel where we're staying. Mom's room phone rings and says we'll be down there right away. She finishes taking a hairbrush through my hair and we go downstairs.

Danny is there waiting. He's wearing a suit, and I almost start laughing. Mom looks like she's biting her tongue, trying not to say something that could hurt his feelings.

"Wow, you two look gorgeous." Danny says, holding out his hand for Mom, or maybe he wants to hold my hand, I don't know. I don't take it.

"You're not so bad yourself," Mom says. We get into the car and drive to the restaurant. It's a place called Acappella. We walk in and I see the chef cooking out by a table. He just lit something on fire.

"Cool!" I whisper. "Mom, can we sit there?"

Danny almost laughs as the waiter comes to see us. Danny says "Reservations for Messer", and we're led to our table. It's right by the kitchen, so we can watch the chef. That's awesome! I actually get to see my food being made.

"Anything to drink?" the waiter asks as he gives us menus.

"I'll have a white pinot," Mom says. White pinot? That's wine, isn't it? I didn't know Mom liked wine.

"And I'll have a Perrier, I'm driving," Danny says.

"And you, miss?" the waiter asks me.

"Oh, um, ginger ale please," I say, using my manners so Mom doesn't have to remind me.

"Excellent choices, I'll be right back," the waiter leaves and now the table's quiet. It's almost scary.

"Uh…" I say, "Mom, did you know I brought the sweater Stephen gave me?"

"You did?"

"Yeah, it's at the hotel."

"That's nice." I can tell she doesn't really care about my sweater, but I'm trying to say something so the table isn't quiet.

"Who's Stephen?" Danny asks.

"He's Mom's friend," I tell him, "every time he comes to visit he brings me something."

"Like what?"

"Uh, shoes, or a sweater, sometimes paper and pencil crayons, I like to draw."

"Are you good?"

"I guess so," I say. I don't really know. Mom said when I was three I ended up colouring on the wall with a purple marker, and it took her weeks to clean it up. There was another time when I decided I was going to paint my bedroom, and I was going to do it with peanut butter. She said it actually looked pretty good, but then she got mad and sent me into the living room so she could scream in peace before having me wash the walls.

"Show me," Danny pulls a piece of paper from his jacket and a pen. I set to work while the waiter comes back with our drinks. I don't know what I'm drawing yet, but when it comes out I think it'll look good.

"Ready to order?" the waiter says as he sets my ginger ale in front of me.

"Uh, sure," I hear Danny say, but I don't look up, I'm too interested in what I'm doing. "I'll have the saltinbocca alla romana. Sounds nice."

"And you, ma'am?" he says to Mom.

"What do you recommend?" she asks.

"The Bresaola, ma'am. It's a spice-rubbed, air-cured beef from the Valtellina region of Lombardia, it's served carpaccio-style with fontina cheese, greens, and truffle oil to highlight the beef's gamey flavor."

"Carpaccio, does that mean raw?" Mom asks, like it's something strange.

"Yes ma'am."

"Okay, I'll try it." I can tell she's handed the menu back to him.

"Miss, what would you like?" he asks me.

"Could I please have spaghetti and tomato sauce?" I ask, looking up from my drawing. It's almost done anyway, and I can feel my tummy growling.

"Just plain, nothing on it?"

"Yes please," Manners again, like always.

"No problem," the waiter takes Danny's and my menu and goes to the kitchen.

"What did you draw?" Danny asks before I let him look. I don't even know what I drew, I just let my hand talk.

I look down and see. It's a picture of Mom and Danny holding hands in front of a big house, and I'm in the middle. The sun is in the sky, and we're all smiling. Underneath the picture I wrote "Mom", "Danny", and "Madison"—My family.

What? Is that what I drew? Really?