"Have you two had breakfast?" Maddie asked, having seated Chris and Cassie at our kitchen table. I lurked silently in the doorway, watching like it was a TV show, some new sitcom I'd discovered.
"The sheriff's wife gave us some oatmeal." Chris answered, his voice deeper, more grown up than I remembered.
"Yeah, but it was yucky!" Cassie declared, wrinkling her small nose.
"Cassie!" Chris whispered, throwing a reprimanding glance in her direction. Maddie laughed.
"Well how would you like some non-yucky pancakes?" Maddie began digging around the cabinets for her frying pan.
"Yes!" Cassie shouted her approval. Chris merely grunted, and looked appreciative.
"Come in and sit down, Betsy!" Maddie called. I shrunk back, but it was too late. "Yes, I see you hiding over there and I know you haven't eaten a thing since you got up. You'll be having pancakes if I have to force them down your throat."
"No need," I whispered, taking a seat next to Cassie. "Maddie makes great pancakes."
"Darned straight," Maddie whistled at the greatness of her own skills. "Pancakes to die for."
She served up a series of her pancakes; blueberry, chocolate chip, even a few banana, which Chris wolfed down in the blink of an eye. The kid ate like a horse. Cassie picked along, mutilating six pancakes, but consuming about one. Maddie, knowing my appetite, set five on my plate, and the amount was just right. I privately marveled at how close we were.
Would Maddie get to know Chris and Cassie that way? I hoped so.
I was tempted to go back to my room after breakfast, but I knew I had duties elsewhere, and lingered around the kitchen while Maddie finished washing the dishes. Chris and Cassie were waiting quietly in the living room, though Chris had offered to help with the dishes.
"Say, Betsy," Maddie stuck the last plate in the cabinet."Why don't you show those two around?"
I stared at her, open mouthed. "But Maddie, aren't you going to–"
"Now don't get to fussing!" She tossed the dish towel into the sink. "I've got a few things I need to take care of around the kitchen. We can't just leave them waiting out there, can we?"
"You're abandoning me?!"
"Betsy Gnol!" She turned and scowled at me. "Have I ever abandoned you in your entire life?"
I shook my head.
"That's right." She nodded smugly. "I haven't." She pulled me into a hug. "I just need to make sure we've got enough food around here. Chris eats like there's no tomorrow. I guess I forgot just how hungry teenage boys are." I nodded, and smiled bravely. "Now, you just show em around, and don't be shy, Betsy. They seem like nice kids, nothing to be worried about."
I walked slowly from the kitchen into the living room, dragging my feet with every step. I was never any good at talking to strangers. School was generally uncomfortable for me and I hated going into town. I always got the feeling folks were criticizing me. That feeling sat in the pit of my stomach as I worked up my courage, just outside the living room doorway.
Our "parlor", as Maddie called it when she was feeling fancy, was small, papered in a blue floral print. We had an overstuffed red sofa, an armchair, where Maddie did a lot of her evening smoking over the newspaper, and a coffee table with a vase full of daisies on top. It was cozy, and comfortable, and Cassie had made herself right at home. The small girl was asleep, strung over the couch with her feet in Chris' lap.
"She drifted off." Chris looked up at me, almost apologetically.
"That's alright." I smiled, trying to look my friendliest. "Would she be more comfortable in bed? Maddie and I've got her room all set up and ready."
"I'm sure she would." He nodded, appreciatively. I was just about to wake her when much to my surprise, Chris bent over and took her into his arms, in a sincere gesture I'd never expected from him.
"Right this way." I led him up the narrow stairway, into the first room on the right of the hall. It was a shade darker than the rest of the rooms in the house, having only two windows, but it was still warm and cheerful, and I could almost feel Chris smiling beside me as I pulled back the sheets on the bed for Cassie.
"She'll really like this." He said quietly. I played with the corners of a pink quilt Maddie had found in the attic and placed on the bed, nodding while he lay Cassie down.
"Would you like to see the rest of the house?" I asked.
"Sure."
"The bathroom is here," I opened the door and pointed. "I guess that's the most important thing to know. That door, to the left, that's Maddie's room, and the one down the hall is mine." Chris nodded, absorbing all this information. I pulled open a small, skinny door at the very end of the hall and led him up a final set of stairs, even narrower and steeper than the first.
"I know it looks like a twisted old tower," I muttered. "But it's really–"
"Lord!" He exclaimed, stepping into the bright red room. "Lord almighty!"
"Bright, huh?"
"It's the brightest thing I've ever seen." He shook his head. "It's beautiful."
I beamed. Maddie had been right. The red worked. "Glad you like it."
He sat down on the quilted bed and looked around. "You know it's hard to believe," He whispered. "That I have my own room. Never had my own room before."
"No?"
"Uh-uh. I shared a room with Eye-ball until he moved in with Ace and the boys, and then I shared with Cassie. Hell, I might get lonesome up here."
I smiled.
"Sorry," He blushed. "For cussing. Didn't mean to offend you or anything. Just...forgot I guess, that I was living in a civilized place with two women and–,"
"Hell, Chris." I laughed at him. "You ought to hear Maddie carry on. You'd think she was a sailor from the likes of her talk."
He smiled. I'd made him smile. Feeling triumphant, I turned to leave him alone for a while, but then he called out, "Betsy?"
"Yeah, Chris?" I turned around.
"Thanks."
"The sheriff's wife gave us some oatmeal." Chris answered, his voice deeper, more grown up than I remembered.
"Yeah, but it was yucky!" Cassie declared, wrinkling her small nose.
"Cassie!" Chris whispered, throwing a reprimanding glance in her direction. Maddie laughed.
"Well how would you like some non-yucky pancakes?" Maddie began digging around the cabinets for her frying pan.
"Yes!" Cassie shouted her approval. Chris merely grunted, and looked appreciative.
"Come in and sit down, Betsy!" Maddie called. I shrunk back, but it was too late. "Yes, I see you hiding over there and I know you haven't eaten a thing since you got up. You'll be having pancakes if I have to force them down your throat."
"No need," I whispered, taking a seat next to Cassie. "Maddie makes great pancakes."
"Darned straight," Maddie whistled at the greatness of her own skills. "Pancakes to die for."
She served up a series of her pancakes; blueberry, chocolate chip, even a few banana, which Chris wolfed down in the blink of an eye. The kid ate like a horse. Cassie picked along, mutilating six pancakes, but consuming about one. Maddie, knowing my appetite, set five on my plate, and the amount was just right. I privately marveled at how close we were.
Would Maddie get to know Chris and Cassie that way? I hoped so.
I was tempted to go back to my room after breakfast, but I knew I had duties elsewhere, and lingered around the kitchen while Maddie finished washing the dishes. Chris and Cassie were waiting quietly in the living room, though Chris had offered to help with the dishes.
"Say, Betsy," Maddie stuck the last plate in the cabinet."Why don't you show those two around?"
I stared at her, open mouthed. "But Maddie, aren't you going to–"
"Now don't get to fussing!" She tossed the dish towel into the sink. "I've got a few things I need to take care of around the kitchen. We can't just leave them waiting out there, can we?"
"You're abandoning me?!"
"Betsy Gnol!" She turned and scowled at me. "Have I ever abandoned you in your entire life?"
I shook my head.
"That's right." She nodded smugly. "I haven't." She pulled me into a hug. "I just need to make sure we've got enough food around here. Chris eats like there's no tomorrow. I guess I forgot just how hungry teenage boys are." I nodded, and smiled bravely. "Now, you just show em around, and don't be shy, Betsy. They seem like nice kids, nothing to be worried about."
I walked slowly from the kitchen into the living room, dragging my feet with every step. I was never any good at talking to strangers. School was generally uncomfortable for me and I hated going into town. I always got the feeling folks were criticizing me. That feeling sat in the pit of my stomach as I worked up my courage, just outside the living room doorway.
Our "parlor", as Maddie called it when she was feeling fancy, was small, papered in a blue floral print. We had an overstuffed red sofa, an armchair, where Maddie did a lot of her evening smoking over the newspaper, and a coffee table with a vase full of daisies on top. It was cozy, and comfortable, and Cassie had made herself right at home. The small girl was asleep, strung over the couch with her feet in Chris' lap.
"She drifted off." Chris looked up at me, almost apologetically.
"That's alright." I smiled, trying to look my friendliest. "Would she be more comfortable in bed? Maddie and I've got her room all set up and ready."
"I'm sure she would." He nodded, appreciatively. I was just about to wake her when much to my surprise, Chris bent over and took her into his arms, in a sincere gesture I'd never expected from him.
"Right this way." I led him up the narrow stairway, into the first room on the right of the hall. It was a shade darker than the rest of the rooms in the house, having only two windows, but it was still warm and cheerful, and I could almost feel Chris smiling beside me as I pulled back the sheets on the bed for Cassie.
"She'll really like this." He said quietly. I played with the corners of a pink quilt Maddie had found in the attic and placed on the bed, nodding while he lay Cassie down.
"Would you like to see the rest of the house?" I asked.
"Sure."
"The bathroom is here," I opened the door and pointed. "I guess that's the most important thing to know. That door, to the left, that's Maddie's room, and the one down the hall is mine." Chris nodded, absorbing all this information. I pulled open a small, skinny door at the very end of the hall and led him up a final set of stairs, even narrower and steeper than the first.
"I know it looks like a twisted old tower," I muttered. "But it's really–"
"Lord!" He exclaimed, stepping into the bright red room. "Lord almighty!"
"Bright, huh?"
"It's the brightest thing I've ever seen." He shook his head. "It's beautiful."
I beamed. Maddie had been right. The red worked. "Glad you like it."
He sat down on the quilted bed and looked around. "You know it's hard to believe," He whispered. "That I have my own room. Never had my own room before."
"No?"
"Uh-uh. I shared a room with Eye-ball until he moved in with Ace and the boys, and then I shared with Cassie. Hell, I might get lonesome up here."
I smiled.
"Sorry," He blushed. "For cussing. Didn't mean to offend you or anything. Just...forgot I guess, that I was living in a civilized place with two women and–,"
"Hell, Chris." I laughed at him. "You ought to hear Maddie carry on. You'd think she was a sailor from the likes of her talk."
He smiled. I'd made him smile. Feeling triumphant, I turned to leave him alone for a while, but then he called out, "Betsy?"
"Yeah, Chris?" I turned around.
"Thanks."