Strained Impairments

Chapter 5

Dean entered the house with Dotty and the boys right behind him. The three had come home a day early, having been on a Trailblazer camping trip, and Dean, helping them inside with their things, began saying to Amanda, who had come out to the foyer, "I think you ought to-"

Dotty interrupted him by saying, "Oh, Dean! I didn't know you were coming for dinner!"

"I'm starving!" Jamie exclaimed.

"Grandma, what's for dinner?" Phillip asked.

Amanda, after hugging the boys, put up a hand and wrote on her notepad to Dean, "Please call for pizza. I'm afraid I don't have anything ready right now."

Dean shrugged, putting down the camping gear as he read her message and stated to Dotty, "Uh, okay. Well, who wants what on their pizza?"

As the boys voted for pepperoni, Dotty asked for mushroom, and looking at Amanda worriedly asked, "Dear? What happened to your voice? Are you sick?"

Dean answered as they all followed behind him to the kitchen and he went to the phone with a gesture, "It's laryngitis, Dotty. She should be fine soon, and that's Lee Steadman, who works with Amanda at her new job at IFF..."

While Dean was on the phone, Dotty, puzzled, looked at the man she suddenly saw by the couch, commenting, "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Steadman."

Then concentrating on her daughter once more, she asked, "What new job? You never told me."

Amanda shook her head and glancing at Lee quickly wrote to her mother on the notepad," Mother, it was supposed to be a surprise. I got it soon after giving up the pet sitting job and after the Honeycutt Typewriter job didn't pan out. My first assignment for IFF-International Federal Film-was on location, but there was an accident the other day, and we were both injured. He can't hear, and I can't talk for a while."

Dotty gasped, going to Amanda's side and giving her a hug stated, "Oh, gosh! Well, I'll take you to Dr. Goodman in the morning-"

Amanda once more shook her head, writing, "Set doctor said I should heal in a few weeks-just the larynx was affected-nothing else I can do."

"The larynx? How? Dotty asked, reading Amanda's response.

Amanda wrote, "Piece of equipment hit my neck when the explosion happened. They called it laryngeal trauma. But the doctor assured me nothing was broken, just my voicebox was affected. Please don't worry, Mother. I will be fine soon."

Dotty sighed reading her answer and remarked, "Alright, Darling, if you say so. What about Mr. Steadman? Will he be staying for dinner?"

Amanda wrote to Lee, "She asked if you were having dinner with us. I'll explain the rest to her."

As Lee read her message, he nodded to her to go ahead.

Amanda wrote to Dotty, "Mother, since he can't hear I thought he could recover here. He lives alone, and I was worried about him, so..."

Dotty smiled, reading her message, and answered, "Of course, Dear. He'll be in the den, I assume?"

Amanda nodded writing, "Yes. I hope it's alright with the boys as well? He'll try not to be in the way at all."

Dotty shrugged saying as she saw Amanda's message, "Well, let me ask them."

Facing the boys, she asked with a gesture, "Boys, this is Mr. Steadman who works with your mother at her new job at IFF. He and your mother are trying to recover from injuries from a location accident the other day. She was kind enough to ask him to recover here. Would that be okay with the two of you?"

Phillip shrugged and looking at Jamie said, "Okay with me. What do you think?"

Jamie nodded but added, "It's kind of weird though, having Dean and another guy here. Hope everybody gets along. I mean, since Mom and Dean are dating."

Amanda smiled hearing Jamie's comment and wrote to Lee answering, "Jamie thinks there may be a problem between you and Dean."

Upon reading Amanda's remark, Lee cleared his throat and replied to Jamie, "No problem at all, Jamie. I only just met him. I'm sure it'll be fine."

Amanda wrote and showed Jamie, "Sweetheart, I think it's very nice of you to be concerned about Dean and I. But Mr. Steadman is right. They only just met, okay? Now, why don't you and Phillip go put your stuff away and wash up, huh? We'll be having dinner before you know it."

Jamie, reading his mother's message, nodded answering as he looked at her and then Phillip, "Right, Mom. C'mon, Phillip. Mom wants us to clean up and put our stuff away."

As the boys left the kitchen, Dean hung up the phone and responded, "Well, I ordered two pizzas with both pepperoni and mushroom. They'll be here within the hour-"

Then noticing Lee, he replied, "Oh, I'm sorry. Were you staying for dinner as well? I could order more-"

But Amanda shook her head writing to Dean, "Yes, he is but there will be plenty as long as you ordered two large pizzas?"

Dean nodded answering, "Of course, assuming he likes the toppings?"

Amanda sighed writing, "Of course he likes the toppings. Who doesn't?"

When Lee saw what Amanda wrote, he asided to her, "How obtuse can he be? Just for that, I should have made him order anchovies-"

Amanda smirked and playfully smacked his arm writing, "Don't be difficult!"

As Lee chuckled, Dotty observed the two carefully thinking, For only just starting the new job, Amanda seems to get along with this man quite well...Wonder if Dean has noticed?

Meanwhile, Dean, watching Amanda himself thought, She seems a bit too relaxed with this stranger. Should I be worried? Maybe he isn't aware that she and I are dating. Ah, well. I'll have to let him know sometime tonight if she hasn't told him already...

TBC