Chapter 11 - Tipped Off
Friday morning strolled into Faith's life and she couldn't have felt more excited. Since she had went to bed early, she had gotten up early. She peered out of her window at the clear blue sky which held a Neptune appearance and then went to her closet. She dressed in her favorite blue jean shorts and a red t- shirt. She pulled her hair back into a pony tail and then proceeded to her bathroom to brush her teeth. While she did so, she inspected herself in the mirror. She was taller than she remembered, thinner than she thought, and her face was losing its childlike features, but her chest was still flat and her hips were still narrow. Next month was her ninth birthday.
When she felt and saw that her teeth were clean, she inspected them. Her front teeth were bigger than her others and she hoped that their awkwardness wouldn't stick around forever. She also hoped that her cheeks would hollow out with age. She couldn't stand how round her face looked with youth. She wet a washcloth with warm water and scrubbed her face with it. It was a wonderful feeling leaving her wide awake with the coolness of the air hitting her face.
She then came down the stairs, stopping about halfway. Panic filled her as she saw a mound of sheets on the living room floor. They had obviously been taken out of the downstairs closet. She hurried the rest of the way down and came to stand beside the burgundy sheets. Gavin snored lightly in them, lying flat on his back. One of his knees was bent and his left arm was stretched above his head. He slept without a pillow. "Daddy!" Faith shook his bare shoulder.
His eyes fluttered open and he yawned with a stretch. "What time is it?"
"The clock on the wall says it's about eight," she pointed out. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine," he assured her, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. The sheets came to rest at his waist, exposing his chest. She saw his dark eyes look around the room.
"Why did you sleep out here on the floor?" She tilted her head. "It looks like the mosquitoes got you."
He looked down at his chest which had dark red marks upon it and stood. He kept the burgundy sheet wrapped carefully around his waist and walked around to the side of the couch to pick up his clothes. He then retreated to his bedroom. His shoulder blades moved beneath his thick tan skin lined with red marks. "I'll be back down to make breakfast in a minute," he told her.
Faith drew her brows together and moved into the kitchen slightly confused, but did not let the oddity plague her mind any longer. She was too excited to see Bailey in five hours. She was so excited she had packed her bag the night before after Gavin had tucked her in for the night.
After Gavin made breakfast, he placed his hands on his hips declaring his plan for the day. "I'm going to deliver a load just outside of Homer. I'll be back later. Do you want to go to grandma's house or stay here?" he asked.
"How come you never take me with you anymore?" she responded with another question.
"Well, that's an option too. I just figured you'd like to play instead of ride in the semi."
She ran to the front door excitedly. "Let's go!"
The black Cherokee pulled off to the side of the road and Bailey saw the manicured lawn. With a purse over her shoulder, she moved out of her vehicle towards the house. Miss Cyndi smiled and waved sweetly at her from her front steps. A man stood before her in a business suit which consisted of black slacks and a white button up. His tie was red silk and he had short red hair. He was slightly heavier set for his belly slightly protruded over the front of his shiny silver buckle. He had a mustache and green eyes, with colorful children's bags in his hands. He then looked away from Bailey and continued on with what he was saying as if Bailey had interrupted. "Om goin' to take the kids outta town with Kara. I'll bring 'em bock Sunday," Bailey listened as she approached the steps of Gavin's front door. The man had a heavy Irish accent.
"I'm sure they'll enjoy the water park," Cyndi smiled at him. The three children were at play in the yard. "Don't take your eyes off of them for even one second, with as much energy as they have."
"Really? I warse actually plannin' on leavin' 'em ther far the takin'. Warse gonna have 'em hold up a sign that says free, ya know?" he replied. Cyndi looked at him with a straight face. He then walked to the end of the driveway to his white Tahoe.
The children stopped their playing and went to Cyndi to give her a hug.
"Have fun and listen to your father," she told them, kissing each of them on the forehead.
The man then came back up to the front steps to walk them to the SUV. "I'll have 'em call you when wer settled in a hotel."
Cyndi waved to them goodbye after their faces were hidden behind the tinted windows. The Tahoe drove off and she turned her attention back to Bailey who was having issues getting the key into the door. She had moved it out from underneath the door mat discretely.
She set her purse down by the front door and inspected the house now that it was finished. It was nice and clean, fresh and new. Their old furniture was nearly unrecognizable in the new setting. She then walked out back to inspect the back yard, around the side, all the way back to the front door. It was a beautiful abode. As she put her hand on the handle to the front door once more, Cyndi called to her, "Can I get you something to drink?"
The young woman strode over to Cyndi. "No, I'm fine. Thank you though. This is a lovely neighborhood," she said taking in all the sights.
The woman then introduced herself and the two shook hands. Bailey wore a black skirt and a blue button up. A silver watch was upon her wrist and her makeup was done in a lovely way that complimented her natural beauty. Her brown hair was pulled back into a neat bun and she smelt of a lovely fragrance. She looked young and Cyndi felt an innocent air about her. She offered the girl a seat beside her since she was in a skirt. Bailey saw no harm in it and sat like a lady with her legs crossed at her ankles and they introduced themselves to each other.
"It's nice to meet you," Bailey smiled her pearly whites, her chocolate brown eyes gleaming. "Your children are adorable," she pointed out.
"Yes, they are." Cyndi was proud of her three little red heads. They were playful as could be. "Do you have any of your own?" she asked, hoping the girl would mention just how young she was.
"No," Bailey shook her head. She wasn't offended by Miss Cyndi's questions either due to kindness and a partial naiveté. "I only pretend that I do when it comes to Faith."
"Are you and Gavin…" Cyndi began, but Bailey quickly cut her off.
"No! Goodness no." Bailey wanted to tell her Gavin was far too much for her to handle, but she didn't want to insult his character in anyway. Instead, she explained, "I was Faith's babysitter for five years back in Indiana and I couldn't stand the thought of not seeing her anymore, so I get to see her on the weekends."
"You are very thoughtful," Cyndi complimented her with several questions arising in her mind. "It must be hard for Faith not having a mom."
Bailey looked over her shoulder at Cyndi, but did not comment on her remark. Between the two of them there was nothing else to say at the moment, for they each had their thoughts on the matter. Miss Cyndi had gone through all the struggles of raising her children practically on her own while Bailey reflected on just how unsettling things really had been for Gavin and Faith.
It wasn't too much longer until the two pulled into the driveway. Cyndi could feel the thunder in her chest from the loud diesel engine. Faith dashed out of the truck as soon as it was in park. Bailey met her halfway and the little girl threw her arms around her waist. She wept with excitement at the smell of Bailey's sweet perfume and warm embrace. "I've missed you so much!" she told the little girl, kissing the top of her forehead.
She then looked up at Gavin with a smile.
"Bailey," he bobbed his head in a rather standoffish manner. The two young women then went inside. Gavin filed in behind them after waving to Cyndi. The woman returned a half- hearted smile.
While Gavin prepared spaghetti for dinner, Bailey and Faith played card games in her room and talked about all the things each of them had missed out on about each other throughout the week. Bailey told her how she had three jobs now and how if Faith wanted, she could come see movies for free, have ice cream for free, or get a discount at the grocery store if she ever came to see her. "Wow, three jobs?" Faith looked completely amazed. "Daddy only has one! Do you sleep?"
Bailey smiled and nodded her head. She worked at the grocery store early in the morning, the ice cream shop in the evening, and the movie theatre at night. "I had trainings today and yesterday. I start next week. I'm really nervous, but anyway, enough about me, how has the first five days of summer been?"
Faith told her about the friends that she had made, about her family, and about her uncles, Grant and Graham. She went on about how they all drove semis like Gavin and how she thought grandpa Mike favored her over the other children. She told Bailey how she really didn't like grandma Leah though, because the woman asked her too many questions.
Just as they finished up their gossip, Bailey pulled the old maid card from Faith's hand. "You lose!" Faith told her. At this, she set aside her cards. "Speaking of losing, daddy raced me to his truck in the rain yesterday. He was so embarrassing." Bailey broke into laughter and asked for more details. "He was pretending the shopping cart was a motor bike and he was making funny noises, then he pretended he lost control of it. I wasn't even trying to win the race. I was just trying to avoid being seen."
Bailey laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes. It was then that Gavin stumbled slowly upstairs into her bedroom. He had two plates of spaghetti in one hand and a third in his other.
They knew the two plates in his left hand were theirs due to how small they were compared to his. He then sat on the floor and took a large fork spun bite before dealing a new hand. "How have things been for you Gavin?" Bailey asked him.
"Not too bad," he said finally swallowing his mouthful of spaghetti and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. While they ate Bailey could clearly smell the scent of diesel fuel, stale cigarette smoke, and fading cologne that radiated from him. He smelt like man. They went about playing cards during dinner until their stomachs were full and Faith had grown sleepy. Night had fallen upon them fast and Bailey couldn't believe it when it came. It seemed like just minutes ago she had arrived around noon. She assumed it was all the talking they had done.
Faith presented her packed bags which consisted of games in her backpack and clothes in a duffle bag. Bailey helped her carry them out to her Cherokee and the two returned to tell Gavin goodbye until Sunday afternoon. Just before they headed out, Gavin said, "Faith, why don't you grab a couple juice boxes and snacks out of the kitchen for the road, just in case." Faith's attention then became drawn towards the task he had suggested.
With his daughter out of the room, Gavin offered Bailey fifty dollars. She drew her brows together in confusion, slightly offended. "What? No, Gavin. I came out here because I care about her, not because I needed money. I have three jobs."
"I understand that," he said. "I just want to help pay for your gas expenses."
"I can't accept this, it wouldn't feel right," she shook her head.
"And if I hold on to this it wouldn't feel right." Gavin argued. "Look, if you guys do something fun like go see a movie or get dinner, use this to pay for Faith's half."
"No," she shook her head defiantly. "I'm doing this for Faith, not you." As if she had smacked him, Gavin's stare became distant. "I didn't mean for that to sound so harsh," Bailey apologized. "I'm sorry."
"No, I get it," he replied, turning his head toward the kitchen. He let his legs carry him in that direction. "Faith is everything okay?" he asked. When he turned the corner, he saw that she had fruit rollups and juice boxes in her hands. "Why don't you use a bag, silly goose?" He got a plastic bag that they kept from the grocery store and helped her dump her armful of items in. When at last they were ready to head out on the road Gavin walked them to the Cherokee. The moon hung in the sky, shedding light upon them. While Bailey opened the door, he crouched down on one knee and drew Faith into an embrace, kissing her on the top of her head. He then helped her in and shut the door once she had settled.
While they drove, Bailey talked with Faith until the little girl fell asleep. "I was so worried about you the whole week I actually dreamed about you! But I'm glad you made friends and you weren't bored or sad."
Faith smiled in the back seat; Bailey could see it in the rearview mirror. It then faded and Bailey could sense Faith become distant. "I had dreams too," she responded in a quiet voice. Bailey offered Faith to confide in her. The little girl debated whether or not she should tell her, and decided to come out with it. Besides, she couldn't keep secrets from Bailey. "I dreamed that during the storm the power went out so daddy came to nap with me. He had a bad dream that woke him up so he went down stairs. When he came back up, he fell in hall and didn't wake for a long time." Faith's voice had grown quieter in volume, so quiet that Bailey barely heard it over the engine. "It was just a dream though," Faith reminded her with worry in her voice.