Chapter Three – Learning to Trust by Playing in Laundry

July could tell Molly was scared. "It's okay, Molly. We're right here," she said soothingly as she hugged Molly.

"Annie agreed. "Yeah, we'll always be there to protect you. At least you're getting better at not hiding behind us when she yells 'Boo!' at you," Anie said positively. Her excitement got a smile from Molly.

"That's the way, Molly. You've got such a nice smile," Duffy said. Pepper reminded her how she'd handle nightmare monsters – and, if she had to Miss Hannigan. Still, the four-year-old wondered if she'd ever get used to being there.

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Back in the present, Annie Stacks was astounded. "I hope she never did that! I'm sure it'd be illegal to treat a kid like a cat even in the 1930s."

"She didn't. She had to obey the law and avoid abusing us physically. She always taught us to never tell a lie. That meant she couldn't risk us having to tell the truth about something bad. People watched 'cause of her drinking. And she used that to draw attention away from the illegal sweatshop she ran."

"You mean like they talk about in Asia now?" Molly nodded. "You were really little. Did she make you work?"

"I was little, so I had a bit of a break. I had an area where I practiced tumbling and other physical play, but usually in the sewing room I sat on Annie's lap helping her. That's where we sang a lot of our songs. But we got free time when we weren't sewing or cleaning." Molly thought for a moment. "Sometimes we worked through a meal or something and just got a little something at the end of the day, I guess. I don't remember that too much. But, she couldn't be any worse, 'cause her drinking made people watch out for us."

"Did you play in the laundry a lot?"

"Sometimes. And you know, in some ways I was a lot like you. I was pretty confident – I took after Annie, she taught me how to do that. So, I didn't shy away from it when I first got out. I used it to get used to being close to people. So, I had to get used totrusting others. But I did it in different ways than girls your age and older," Molly explained. "Tessie cuddled more like a little kid with her new family…"

Liz asked about Pepper. "I think Aunt Pepper said she did a lot, too, at first." She called all of Molly's orphanage friends "Aunt" – after all, the girls were like sisters.

"True; at first she had a whole lot of tears to let out, because she was the fighter. She was always ready for a fight with Miss Hannigan that thankfully never had to take place. She always talked about how she was ready to face a violent drunk while we got away," Molly said.

Annie was amazed at the stories. She thought about what some of her foster care friends told her, and how she'd had to be a bit of a caregiver where she'd been. Well, her friend Tessie was actually a leader, ironically. "The Tessie in my grade is a bit of a worrier, but she sounds more like you said July was. 'Cause Pepper kinda wants her space, Mia's real young, and Isabella just has lots of issues 'cause she's been moved around so much."

"I'm glad to hear they're all getting good homes," Liz said.

"Same here," Annie said. "So, who watched out for you since you weren't in school? Didn't they used to deliver milk?"

"And bread. Plus, we got laundry service," Molly said.

"Makes sense," Annie said. "But, yeah, bad drunks and stuff, I've seen some of that on the street; believe me, I stay far away from that!" She shifted gears; she decided she felt comfortable asking Molly about this, since she would understand that Annie was struggling a little. "So, how did you learn to really feel comfortable? 'Cause even Mr. Stacks has had problems with that. That's why he has almost no employees in that huge house."

Molly chuckled. "Well, it might be kind of hard for you – and really hard for him. But I'd gotten used to ignoring Miss Hannigan by the end. So, once I got out, having Daddy Warbucks' staff around really helped."

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Annette heard a cheerful giggle coming from the pile of laundry she'd just folded. She remidned herself to be calm and patient with whoever was hiding in there.

"What are you doing?" Annette asked with a chuckle.

"Nothing."

"Come here." Annette pulled Molly out and sat the little girl on her lap. "I know it's getting chillier; do you want to try swimming tomorrow?"

"If Annie's with me. Or July," Molly decided she felt comfortable adding.

"We'll make sure one of them is. And you'll always have an adult within arms' reach at all times," Annette reminded her. She was glad Molly remembered the rule. "Now, listen. I know you like to hide in piles of things. But, I had just folded those clothes."

"I'm sorry," Molly said mournfully.

Annette squeezed her. "It's okay; I'm not mad. And, Mr. Warbucks won't be, either. But, when you make a mess, you should clean it up."

"You mean the whole house?" Molly asked worriedly.

"No, not the whole house," Annette assured her. "Just help me fold the cloths that got messed up, okay?" Annette requested.

Molly began helping. In the middle, she asked: "Do you like me being here?" Her voice had more confidence than it had had when she first came.

"I sure do. You and Annie are both so much fun to have around," Annette said. Molly leaped into her arms and they hugged.

Drake was fixing himself a snack before bedtime. He smiled as he saw Molly's feet sticking out from under the table. "Miss Molly, it's past your bedtime. And everyone else's. Did you have a bad dream?"

"A little. I was kinda thinking about scary stuff," the girl said as she let Drake help her out of her hiding spot. When asked what it was about, she answered: "Lots of water."

"Oh, because… yes. I see." Drake had been about to mention the ferry boat accident that had taken Molly's parents' lives, then realized that all that swimming that Thursday had probably reminded Molly too much of it. "Perhaps some warm mil will help you?" He began to prepare some for her, as well as his own.

"Thanks, Mr. Drake. How come you're a butler?"

"I enjoy organizing things. I have a knack for working as sort of a behind-the-scenes leader running the household. And so, I went to school to learn how to be an excellent one." He sat close to Molly as the milk heated up. "Did you enjoy the swimming?"

"It was fun. I like how all of you are so nice."

Drake nodded solemnly. "Yes. Mr. Warbucks – well, your future dad – said you like being close to all of us. Especially having us find you in odd places," he said with a chuckle. More seriously, he asked, "Did you do that a lot… before?"

"My mommy and daddy laughed when I did it," Molly said.

"I see." Drake thought for a moment, then noticed the milk seemed to be getting warm enough. He turned off the stove and poured some for himself and some for Molly while he gathered his thoughts. "Here you are." Molly thanked him. "That is one of the fun things about you. You and Annie are quite different, given your ages. I'm glad we will have both of you here."

"Thanks." Molly sipped from the glass of warm milk, the simply began to study the man with some awestruck wonder as he sipped his own.

Drake was uncertain if he reminded her of her birth dad, or if the scene reminder her of him. And, he really wasn't sure how to approach the subject. He didn't want to make her think of the loss. Yet, he imagined there might be something there she wanted to share.

"What are you thinking about?" he finally asked.

"I don't know," she said with a shrug.

He sensed that perhaps she couldn't verbalize it. Drake hadn't been around young children for many years, but he imagined that this wasn't uncommon, given their limited vocabulary. So, he went on with his previous comments: "I love being a butler. I'm glad you have the chance to play so much here. If you do start working, it should be something you like, with an employer like Mr. Warbucks who always treats us kindly. Not slavery."

The hug she gave him as she asked to be carried upstairs after she finished her milk made him wonder if he'd actually sounded more like a dad than he'd intended.

Oliver heard a cheerful giggle in his closet the following Thursday morning. The others had all gone with their prospective parents, and now it was just Annie and Molly there. Tuesday, January 2nd, he and Grace had given Molly the same kind of night on the town he'd given Annie when she had first time.

She'd been really tired the next morning. But, now she looked quite chipper as she smiled out at him while he grabbed some choes.

"Hello, Molly. Drake told me you've had lots of fun doing that to the whole staff."

"That was so much funt he other night with you and Miss Grace," Molly said.

Warbucks agreed. Annie had enjoyed spending time back at the mansion with one of her friends and that future adoptive family, while they'd given Molly a night she'd never forget. "Come on out of there, Molly." He invited her to sit by him,which she did. "Molly, I struggled with Annie trying to express myself. Of course we've got the adoption going now, so you're a little more certain – at least I hope you are. Are you?"

"Am I what?" Molly wanted to say the right thing, but wasn't sure what it was.

Oliver found it frustrating that, unlike business dealings, it was so hard to understand kids sometimes. He was glad Annie was helping him with that. "Molly, I just want to make sure you feel, you know, safe and happy and cared for. And, well," he said as he put on his socks and shoes, "I suppose I want to know if I'm doing a good job, and if my staff is. And, what what we could do better, if there is anything," he went on.

"You do a great job," Molly said.

"Thank you." He let out a whoosh and signalled for Molly to follow him downstairs. "Molly, there are times I worry I can't give you enough attention, even if Miss Grace cuts back on her hours once we're married… I want to be the best, Molly. The best father for Annie and you, and I want to make sure I can be. Do you know what I'm saying now?" he asked.

Molly was concerned by the intensity with which he'd spoken those words. Had she known an athlete, she might have understood – in later years she would compare it to the way Boston's Ted Williams would say he wanted to walk down the street and have people say, "There goes the best darn hitter who ever lived!" But, the only person remotely comparable was Pepper.

Still, it was a start. "You mean like Pepper?" she asked with a hint of curiosity and timidity.

"Yes, I suppose so. Just like she wanted to protect you from everything, and run those fire drills, and be ready to fight Miss Hannigan. I suppose that is what I'm thinking about. Wanting to be someone you can trust. And, I worry I can't provide everything. I'm not used to not being sure like this," he confessed as he sat at the breakfast table, with Molly close by. "But, maybe you're feeling that way, too. Are you?"

"A little. But you're all nice and laugh when I play at hiding," Molly said.

"And that's what gives you more confidence, right? Well then," he said as Annie and Grace also came out to the table, "I suppose I'm just going to have to figure I'm doing okay, then. It would look very strange for the world's richest man to go around hiding in laundry baskets, wouldn't it, Grace?" Oliver was glad to see the others all giggling, including Molly.

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"The more people I got to know, the more confident I became. So, having Mr Warbucs there helped, although like Annie I was pretty confident to begin with. I could stand up to Miss Hannigan in my own simple way, after all," Molly said.

"Sure, you had Annie as a role model," Annie Stacks said.

"When I began working at Warbucks Home for Girls, I was pretty young; I was like a wartime replacement player in baseball," Molly said. And it was just summer and some weekends. I made sure those kids felt loved. Even if they didn't get adopted. And, a few did."

Annie turned to Liz. She was starting to understand the need to start making more attachments than just Mr. Stacks, her close friends, and the guys she knew from the streets. But, she figured this was just as good, the way she was getting to hear these stories. "You were telling me about one that Miss Kathy even adopted; I guess back then it wasn't uncommon for black kids to get adopted after the war."

"Right; there was a high demand to have them adopted rather than be in segregated orphanages or the foster homes that started to spring up in the '50s and especially the '60s," Liz said.

"What made this special was Miss Kathy came to get her a couple days before Jackie Robinson brok ethe color barrier; she was living in Cleveland then." Molly began. Drifting off topic a little, she added, "Lucy was her name. She had a few kids. One even came here to New York to try to be a celebrity at eighteen; she was kind of wild. She had a boy at nineteen, and went back to live with Lucy. David came out here with his wife Margaret, then-"

"Wait," Annie said, suddenly sitting up straight. "David…?" Her mouth flew open. She wasn't sure, though, if she dared to ask. She'd been looking for parents all this time, and now – while they might not be her parents – she might know someone with some connection to them.

She'd been wondering about getting close to Mr. Stacks – she'd been doing well, but she still had questions sometimes. But, what would that mean if she suddenly found out that, somewhere in Ohio, there were actually living relatives of hers? More importantly, would they want to meet her?

On the other hand, if it wasn't her father, did she want to risk that disappointment; the disappointment of asking and hearing it wasn't, or the disappointment of asking and being disappointed that the family she had always wanted wasn't what she had expected.

Frozen in time, Annie Stacks wasn't really sure what to do – or even what to ask next.

A/N: If you haven't read "Unending Trust," Lucy was introduced there. I recently came up with this idea to create a connection to 2014's Annie. Miss Kathy adopting Lucy is quite plausible in 1947,, as interracial adoptions by whites grew quite a bit after World War 2. Yes, she and her husband would be in their late 40s, with with Lucy being around 10-12 it wouldn't be that odd not like adopting a newborn at that age back then; plus relatives could take care of her if need be.