Gordie ended up staying for more than a little while. It was almost six by the time he left. Maddie had indeed been baking, and peanut butter cookies at that. Cassie sat down at the kitchen table and inhaled three or four while Gordie and Chris stood around, nibbling for an hour or so until the cookies were gone. I downed a glass of milk and had two or three cookies total, much more interested in the conversation than what I was eating.
"How are your parents, Gordie?" Maddie asked, wiping down her cookie sheets.
"They're okay." He answered, examining the cookie like it was a work of art instead of peanut butter, flour, sugar, eggs, etc. Chris threw Maddie a warning glance, pleading with her not to make any inquiries or comments about Denny.
Dennis Lachance had died in a jeep accident, almost five years to the day. It was a sensitive issue with Gordie, but not so much as it had been. His parents were the ones who couldn't get a grip on things. Never smiling, hardly ever speaking, they wandered around like they were dead themselves, and as far as I knew they'd made no attempts to reconstruct their family.
Not that it was any of my business. I just felt for the kid was all. It was kind of ironic in a way. A girl who'd never known parents pitying a boy who's parents were alive and well–just cold and bitter and worn out on life.
"I suppose you're all real glad school's out soon, huh?" Maddie smiled.
"That's no lie." Chris nodded, cramming the rest of a cookie into his mouth.
"Summer's going to be really nice." Gordie sighed with relief. "At least once we get past all this rain."
"Well, you feel free to come around as often as you want, Gordie. You're welcome up here." She said brightly, smiling at him. I could tell Maddie had taken a liking to the quiet, stick thin boy eating cookies in her kitchen.
"Thanks." He smiled back.
After a while I ventured into the living room. Cassie and I watched the after school cartoon special while Maddie went into town for some milk (I was a milk fiend, Chris took it in like it was candy, and Gordie had relieved us of several glasses during his time in the kitchen), and Chris and Gordie went up to Chris' room to waste some time. It was obvious that Gordie didn't really feel like going home all that quickly.
I got the feeling, sitting there with Cassie, that she hadn't watched too much TV before. Her young face was a light with amusement and pleasure, and suddenly something I'd always taken for granted was a wonderful invention meant for our great entertainment.
"Look, Chris!" Cassie giggled as her older brother came down the stairs, his friend close in tow. Chris peered at the screen and ruffled her hair.
"I've got to get going, Chris." Gordie said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"See ya, Gordie." Chris waved as Gordie walked out the door.
"Did he just leave?" Maddie popped out of the kitchen, returned from the grocery store.
"Yup," Chris nodded.
"Well damn, I was going to send some cookies along with him."
"I'll take them out." I volunteered boldly, standing. I had a curious eagerness to see him one more time before he left. "He hasn't driven off yet. I can get them."
Maddie slipped back into the kitchen and returned seconds later with a stack of peanut butter cookies wrapped in a towel."Hurry now, Betsy." She urged me, wanting her treat to reach the nice young man before he left.
I jogged down the front steps, my thin wispy skirt getting tangled with my legs as I tried to rush. Gordie was just pulling away, but when he saw me trotting towards him he stopped and rolled down his window.
"Maddie wanted you to have some cookies." I told him, thrusting the parcel through the open window.
"Thank you," He took them, looking grateful. "Tell her I said thanks."
"I will." I stood there for a second, trying to think of something else to say.
There was no need. He spoke first. "Betsy, you know," He started carefully. "I just want to say I think you and your aunt are really decent people, if that makes sense, for what you're doing for Chris and Cassie. No one has ever really...been nice before. And even if they both act tough, I think–I think everybody needs someone to take care of them every once in a while. Especially Chris and don't tell him I said this but he's the best guy I know. He's always looking out for everybody, like everyone else's problems are his too. And I'm not saying it's good for him. Hell, you've seen him. He looks like he's about forty five, him and Cassie both. You and Maddie will take care of them though. I can tell."
I stared, struggling to reply.
"Shit. You must think I'm crazy for telling you all that." Gordie blushed and looked down at the seat of his truck.
"No..." I answered. And it was the truth. It was odd. Gordie Lachance was a stranger to me, but he'd opened up in that one moment and told me what he felt. Odd...but not crazy. It was the kind of talking I did, the kind of talking I understood. Conglomerations of speech, connected in a way, but unorganized and awkward. Exactly the way a crazy person would talk. But I knew Gordie wasn't crazy, nor what he said. It was soothing.
"Thanks." I told him. "Good to know someone's still on our side."
"Yup." He nodded.
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence and then Gordie cleared his throat. "Well I've got to go."
"Yeah."
"But I'll see you tomorrow, Betsy."
"Mmhm."
"Hey," He turned to me once more before taking off.
"Yeah?"
"Eat lunch with us again?"
"'Course."
**I can't decide if I like this or not. It's not necessarily my favorite thing and it wasn't all that much fun to write...let me know what you think.
"How are your parents, Gordie?" Maddie asked, wiping down her cookie sheets.
"They're okay." He answered, examining the cookie like it was a work of art instead of peanut butter, flour, sugar, eggs, etc. Chris threw Maddie a warning glance, pleading with her not to make any inquiries or comments about Denny.
Dennis Lachance had died in a jeep accident, almost five years to the day. It was a sensitive issue with Gordie, but not so much as it had been. His parents were the ones who couldn't get a grip on things. Never smiling, hardly ever speaking, they wandered around like they were dead themselves, and as far as I knew they'd made no attempts to reconstruct their family.
Not that it was any of my business. I just felt for the kid was all. It was kind of ironic in a way. A girl who'd never known parents pitying a boy who's parents were alive and well–just cold and bitter and worn out on life.
"I suppose you're all real glad school's out soon, huh?" Maddie smiled.
"That's no lie." Chris nodded, cramming the rest of a cookie into his mouth.
"Summer's going to be really nice." Gordie sighed with relief. "At least once we get past all this rain."
"Well, you feel free to come around as often as you want, Gordie. You're welcome up here." She said brightly, smiling at him. I could tell Maddie had taken a liking to the quiet, stick thin boy eating cookies in her kitchen.
"Thanks." He smiled back.
After a while I ventured into the living room. Cassie and I watched the after school cartoon special while Maddie went into town for some milk (I was a milk fiend, Chris took it in like it was candy, and Gordie had relieved us of several glasses during his time in the kitchen), and Chris and Gordie went up to Chris' room to waste some time. It was obvious that Gordie didn't really feel like going home all that quickly.
I got the feeling, sitting there with Cassie, that she hadn't watched too much TV before. Her young face was a light with amusement and pleasure, and suddenly something I'd always taken for granted was a wonderful invention meant for our great entertainment.
"Look, Chris!" Cassie giggled as her older brother came down the stairs, his friend close in tow. Chris peered at the screen and ruffled her hair.
"I've got to get going, Chris." Gordie said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"See ya, Gordie." Chris waved as Gordie walked out the door.
"Did he just leave?" Maddie popped out of the kitchen, returned from the grocery store.
"Yup," Chris nodded.
"Well damn, I was going to send some cookies along with him."
"I'll take them out." I volunteered boldly, standing. I had a curious eagerness to see him one more time before he left. "He hasn't driven off yet. I can get them."
Maddie slipped back into the kitchen and returned seconds later with a stack of peanut butter cookies wrapped in a towel."Hurry now, Betsy." She urged me, wanting her treat to reach the nice young man before he left.
I jogged down the front steps, my thin wispy skirt getting tangled with my legs as I tried to rush. Gordie was just pulling away, but when he saw me trotting towards him he stopped and rolled down his window.
"Maddie wanted you to have some cookies." I told him, thrusting the parcel through the open window.
"Thank you," He took them, looking grateful. "Tell her I said thanks."
"I will." I stood there for a second, trying to think of something else to say.
There was no need. He spoke first. "Betsy, you know," He started carefully. "I just want to say I think you and your aunt are really decent people, if that makes sense, for what you're doing for Chris and Cassie. No one has ever really...been nice before. And even if they both act tough, I think–I think everybody needs someone to take care of them every once in a while. Especially Chris and don't tell him I said this but he's the best guy I know. He's always looking out for everybody, like everyone else's problems are his too. And I'm not saying it's good for him. Hell, you've seen him. He looks like he's about forty five, him and Cassie both. You and Maddie will take care of them though. I can tell."
I stared, struggling to reply.
"Shit. You must think I'm crazy for telling you all that." Gordie blushed and looked down at the seat of his truck.
"No..." I answered. And it was the truth. It was odd. Gordie Lachance was a stranger to me, but he'd opened up in that one moment and told me what he felt. Odd...but not crazy. It was the kind of talking I did, the kind of talking I understood. Conglomerations of speech, connected in a way, but unorganized and awkward. Exactly the way a crazy person would talk. But I knew Gordie wasn't crazy, nor what he said. It was soothing.
"Thanks." I told him. "Good to know someone's still on our side."
"Yup." He nodded.
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence and then Gordie cleared his throat. "Well I've got to go."
"Yeah."
"But I'll see you tomorrow, Betsy."
"Mmhm."
"Hey," He turned to me once more before taking off.
"Yeah?"
"Eat lunch with us again?"
"'Course."
**I can't decide if I like this or not. It's not necessarily my favorite thing and it wasn't all that much fun to write...let me know what you think.