16.

~ Norma had forgotten to tell Alex that she had met his father yesterday evening after Nick Ford's driver had dropped her off. She'd forgotten all about the frightening, yet reassuring presence of Sheriff Romero and that he was Alex's father. The two looked so different and, to Norma, seemed world's away from each other.

Alex had dropped her off after school at Nick Ford's house with another swift kiss on the lips. Slyly telling her it was okay to back out on Sunday with his friends.

"Alex, it's going to be fine." She told him for the hundredth time.

"I don't even like them that much. I like you a lot more." He insisted hopefully. "We can hang out at my house; watch an old movie or something. My dad has some westerns."

Norma made a face and shook her head.

"Fine." Alex sighed. "Sure you don't need me to pick you later tonight?"

"I'm sure." Norma nodded. "Blair will probably just want to play and the adults just want us out of the way. Besides, I can't have you being my personal driver."

"I like being your personal driver." He told her plainly.

She smiled at him and carefully slipped out of the car before he could pull her hands to him again. He was far too eager with the hand holding and kissing when they were alone. He'd already kissed her a few times that day already and the novelty might wear off if they weren't careful. Norma could feel her cheeks blush as she waved at Alex who patiently waited for her to enter the front door safely before he drove away.

~ Fridays was swim class for Blair and the cook had luckily found a blue bathing suit for Norma to wear so that she could join her.

"Belonged to some... girl. It should fit." The cook said. "Don't worry, it's clean. We always send them out to be washed."

Norma nodded and quickly slipped the bathing suit on. She could tell it was expensive and well made just from the fabric and stitching. Not something bought off rack at a dollar store and wondered about the girl who left it behind.

It was also a life saver because now she had something to wear with Alex and his friends. She'd always worn a T-shirt and shorts to the beach before to avoid a bad sun burn but sensed with this crowd, such attire wouldn't do. Besides, she was much thinner than she was in middle school, or even last year. She looked almost athletic in the watery blue bathing suit she intended to keep.

In typical fashion for Nick Ford, there was an unnecessary indoor pool in which Blair was receiving a swimming lesson all alone. The pool was large and had a hot tub and bar nearby. Perfectly set up for a party that Norma didn't like to think about.

"Norma!" Blair cried helplessly from the diving board of the indoor pool. The little girl was in a pink bathing suit and holding herself in a improvised hug; clearly afraid. An older gentleman, her swim coach, Norma assumed, was waiting for her to dive or jump or do something.

"Don't be afraid." Norma said soundly. "Watch me." She did a graceful dive into the deep end and swam close to where Blair was.

Blair looked fit to cry and shook her head.

"Once you do it, once you dive in, you'll never be afraid to dive again." Norma promised remembering how Caleb had taught her to swim and dive in the ocean.

Blair awkwardly took her diving pose, her arms clasped over her like a steeple and she trembled in fear.

"Good!" Norma coached and swam closer so Blair would know she was near.

Blair's little body shook and she backed away.

"Maybe the diving board is too much. Maybe off the edge?" Norma asked, and Blair nodded.

It took some doing, but after an hour, Blair was diving off the edge of the pool with ease. Norma taught her to do a shallow dive and how to protect her head and to swim up as soon as she went into the water. Something the swim coach seemed a little annoyed with; eventually leaving them alone to swim in the opulent indoor pool.

~ "Norma, you swam in the ocean?" Blair asked happily.

"Yes." Norma said spinning Blair around in the pool just like Caleb used to do when she was Blair's age. The water making them both buoyant, meaning she could hold Blair with ease.

"We had to jump with the waves and they would move in and out. And when the storms came, we had to run off the beach." She said as though she were telling a scary story.

"Why?" Blair asked.

"Because if lighting hit the water, it would electrocute everyone, and if it hit the beach, it would still electrocute us because of all the salt from the ocean." Norma explained.

Blair looked at her curiously and Norma repeated the very clever chemistry lesson Caleb had taught her about how salt water was a conductor and made the lighting more dangerous. She, like Blair had been amazed and disbelieving of this fact.

"It's true." Norma laughed and casually tossed Blair out into the water. The little girl swam back to her happily and climbed back into her arms.

"We're not gonna to get hurt by lighting are we?" Blair asked.

"No." Norma assured her. "The pool doesn't have salt in it and we're safe inside."

Blair nodded.

"I'm glad you came back." She said leaning her head on Norma's chest like a baby would. "I feel safe with you."

Norma smiled down at Blair and felt a strange satisfaction come over her that came with comforting another human being. A small, more defenses creature than her who needed her.

"I'm glad, honey." She said sincerely. "A long as we're together nothing bad can ever happen."

~ A different driver dropped Norma off at the sheriffs station that night and if it hadn't been a Friday, Norma would have complained about the late hour of almost midnight.

As it was, she didn't complain about Nick Ford paying her a weeks wage for the two days of baby sitting. Over one hundred dollars in cash in neat crisp bills all for keeping an eye on Blair who hardly needed minding at all.

Norma had given Blair a bath after their swimming class and taken a shower herself while the little girl ate her dinner with the cook. She then read to the child and tucked her into bed. Norma had intended to read herself until the cook or maid came to collect her again. Blair had a dizzying array of interesting children's books that Norma had found fascinating. She'd never been exposed to such stories as a child and was a little jealous of that luxury, despite the neglect Blair must endure on a daily basis.

Norma had been reading one of Blair's princess books when she'd fallen asleep in bed with the little girl. It was Nick Ford who'd had the displeasure of waking Norma up in his young daughter's bedroom. Norma was sure she was going to be fired but Nick quickly apologized for his meetings running long.

"I'll try not to let it happen again. Thank you for staying, Norma." He said slipping her the extra cash and asking if she needed anything else.

Norma shook her head and let the different driver take her back home in a different car than yesterday. The driver seemed a little annoyed when Norma told him to drop her off at the Sheriff's station.

"Who you meeting there?" The diver asked to which Norma didn't answer. She imagined what hard hearted Sheriff Romero would think if she gave the driver no answer and that he would be impressed. The driver turned around, properly rebuffed, and drove her back to town in silence.

Once there, with the lights of the station on and unfriendly looking police SUVs out in front, Norma quickly hopped out.

She waited until Nick Ford's driver sped off before rushing back to the old brick building.

~ "Where the hell have you been?" Fanny snapped in a dramatic tone. Norma tried to remember what movie actress her mother was imitating. It sounded like Joan Crawford.

"You know I came home and you weren't here?" Fanny accursed sharply. Norma looked around the apartment and noticed it was straitened up a little. Fanny had actually cleaned. Although not very well. Her clothes seemed put away but trash and papers were left about.

"What's going on?" Norma asked suspiciously.

"Where were you?" Fanny demanded again. "You know I came home this morning and you were gone, where were you? You should have been home hours ago!"

"Where were you?" Norma suddenly barked back at her mother. "You didn't come home last night. Where the hell were you?"

Fanny squinted her eyes at her daughter distrustfully.

"I was out with friends." Fanny said boldly. "Is that where you were? Out with some boyfriend?"

"No." Norma huffed. "This morning I was at school and I got a job babysitting."

"Is that what you're calling it?" Fanny huffed.

"What?" Norma asked not knowing what she meant.

"What kind of teenager gets home from a baby sitting job past midnight?" Fanny asked.

"What kind of mother doesn't come home at all? What kind of mother comes home at 3 in the morning and leaves dirty clothes everywhere?" Norma snapped back. She knew what was happening. Could smell it a mile away. The clothes and dishes were already packed away. The place left in a cluttered, frenzied state of panicked evacuation.

"We're leaving again, aren't we?" Norma croaked through tears.

Fanny turned around and started stuffing her clothes into a trash bag.

"That Sheriff Romero, he didn't give me much choice." Fanny said. "Warned me to get out of town or he'd arrest me again. Asshole manager at the bar wouldn't even give me my damn paycheck. We've got no money-"

"I'm not going." Norma said abruptly.

Fanny pushed her hair aside and glared at her daughter.

"What."

"Mother, I've made friends here. I've made... I'm making a life." Norma stammered.

"You've been here a week, Norma Louise." Fanny snorted a laugh.

"Long enough." Norma snapped. "I'm tired of always moving. I'm sick of it. I hate it." She could feel the tears start to well up and want to come out. She hated herself for crying but she couldn't stop it.

She sniffed and shook her head.

"You'll just have to talk to Sheriff Romero. Tell him it was a misunderstanding, whatever it was." Norma said bravely. Although she knew her mother had most likely done whatever had drawn the sheriff's ire in the first place and that Sheriff Romero was perfectly justified in wanting her to leave town.

Fanny looked sad and remorseful for a moment.

"Norma Louise." She sighed mournfully. "I think we should go back to Florida. Back to your father. Maybe see if we can work things out with him."

"No." Norma shook her head and the tears started to fall helplessly now. "No. It'll never work out. It never does."

"You're not willing to try!" Fanny pleaded.

Norma shook her head and Fanny was doing it again; gently pulling on her hair to get her attention the way a child would. Promising that if they went back to Florida, everything would be better. That it was a mistake to come here. That Norma was mixing in with the wrong kids here, a mother could tell. She was already out too late and the schools were better in Florida.

Norma could remember doing nothing but cry until she was too tired to cry anymore