Lacy's End (23 page)

He frowned. “Do you still consider it your trailer?”

She sighed. “It’s all so new, Allen. I don’t know which way my head is spinning these days. I know I can’t go back to Peter, but I don’t have a home, either.” She spread her arms wide. “All this, sitting here by the pool with you, relaxing instead of working, it’s not what I’m used to. All my life I’ve looked after either my father or my husband. There hasn’t been any time for this.”

Allen stood and took her wine glass from her. He set it on the table beside the lounge. Then he straddled the chaise. She moved her legs to accommodate him. Her heart began to beat rapidly, just the nearness of his body made her tingle. Once seated, he took her hands in his, pulled her into a sitting position. With their faces just a few inches apart, he said, “It’s time for you to live. You were not born to be Peter Waldrip’s slave or his punching bag. God made you into a beautiful woman with talents to share with others, not squander on the sadistic whims of a brutal man. You are still young, Brenda. The sky is the limit. You can do or be whatever you want.”

She took a deep breath, trying to keep from crying. Her eyes misted over. He reached up and with his finger wiped the first tear as it began to fall. He leaned in, kissing her mouth with an eager hunger, tasting the nectar of the wine. She responded by putting her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. Then he pulled away gently. She smiled at him. His arms went around her, and she moved her legs to straddle the lounge. He pulled her close to him, so their bodies touched. Even through the fabric of their clothes, they could feel each other’s heat. They stayed that way for several moments, locked in an embrace of mutual need. She had never felt so loved.

On Saturday, Brenda was stretched out on the couch in Angela’s living room. She pulled her blanket up to her chin and smiled, thinking back on her evening with Allen a couple of weeks ago.

In the last two days, she had filled out at least ten job applications, made a dozen or so useless phone calls, and presented herself in her best business suit to numerous employers—all with heart-thudding failure. Whom was she kidding? She had no marketable job skills on which to rely. Homemaker and mother for the past decade and a half didn’t count. She was thirty-two years old, had a daughter on the cusp of turning seventeen, and never had done anything except clean and cook. Although she knew how much organizational skill it took to run a household, try telling that to a prospective employer.

She had promised herself not to get discouraged, but it was getting harder to abide by that promise with each passing day. Lacy was trying to be a good sport, but Brenda could tell she was tiring of living out of a suitcase. Angela had been great, but, it had to be irritating to have two extra people underfoot—not to mention the fact that her back was killing her from sleeping on Angela’s couch. Two nights ago, Lacy said she couldn’t go to bed early enough to be fresh for her mid-term exam because Angela was working on the computer in her office, which is where Lacy was sleeping. When she left for school that morning, she had dark circles under her eyes.

What was just around the corner for Brenda, certainly had to be the work of God, for no twist of fate or coincidence could claim credit.

The phone rang. Brenda jumped, raced to catch the phone before it could wake Lacy or Angela. “Hello.”

“Good morning,” Allen’s cheerful voice greeted. “It's a day off for me and I wondered if I could spend it in the company of three beautiful, charming ladies?”

Lacy emerged from her room, yawning. She waved a hand at her mother as she headed for the coffee pot.

Brenda carried the phone back to the couch and lay down. “What did you have in mind?”

“Breakfast out—assuming I’m not too late for that. Then maybe we can head back to my house for an end-of-the-season swim and barbecue.”

Lacy brought her coffee to the couch and indicated her mother should move her legs so she could sit down. Brenda sat up, tucking her legs underneath herself as she did.

“Hold on.” She pulled the receiver away from her mouth. “Allen wants the three of us to spend the day at his house—a swim and barbecue.”

Lacy jumped from the couch, spilling coffee in the process. She ignored it. “I’ll ask Angela.” She raced from the room, shouting Angela’s name as she ran down the hallway. Brenda laughed, thinking,
she hasn’t done that since she was six
.

“I think it’s a go, Allen.”

“Good. Do you want me to pick you all up, or shall we meet up?”

Lacy returned to the room, dragging a sleepy Angela behind her. “She said yes, Mom.”

Brenda and Angela exchanged smiles.

“We’ll meet you, Allen. Henry’s?”

“If that’s okay with you.”

She said it was and hung up the phone. “Let’s get going. We’re meeting him for breakfast first.” They showered quickly. Angela and Lacy were waiting at the front door when Brenda finally emerged. They both looked quizzically at her. Lacy smiled. “Are you wearing makeup, Mom?”

Brenda touched her cheek and blushed, turning her cheeks even redder. “I hope you don’t mind, Angela. I borrowed some of your makeup.”

Angela smiled. “It looks good on you.”

“Peter hated it when I wore makeup. He said I looked like a whore in it and thought it was a frivolous expense.”

“Mom?”

Brenda turned to glance at Lacy, who looked down at the floor.

“Can we not mention Dad today? I just want to have fun.”

Brenda smiled and nodded her head. “No problem. Sorry.”

She found Allen already seated when they walked in. Elaine was there with her children. Brenda hardly recognized Reuben out of his uniform.

“Look who I ran into,” Allen said, rising to greet them. He swept his hand toward Elaine. “You remember Elaine?”

“Yes, of course,” Brenda said. “It’s nice to meet you again.”

“And of course, Reuben,” Allen said. He turned to two girls. They looked to be about twelve and maybe ten, Brenda guessed. “This is Tessie and Tammie,” he said.

“Beautiful girls,” Brenda said.

“Thanks,” Elaine said. She saw Angela behind Brenda and grinned widely. Throwing her arms open, she flew in to embrace her. “Oh my God,” she squealed. “I haven’t seen you in ages.”

Angela giggled. “Yes, it’s been too long. What have you been up to?”

Elaine stepped back. Smiling, she said, “I passed my lab-tech exam.”

“Congratulations,” Angela said, embracing Elaine again. “Come here, girls,” she told Tessie and Tammie. “My, how big you’ve grown,” she said, after sizing them up. “How’s school?”

“Fine,” they said in unison.

Brenda felt timid, as did Lacy. They stepped to the side, watching as the group held their little reunion.

“Are you joining us?” Angela asked.

Elaine shook her head. “We’ve just finished eating. Tammie has a piano recital in a couple hours. We need to get going.” She stepped toward the door and her children stepped in line behind her as if they were her little ducklings. She turned and waved, saying a final goodbye. The children copied.

They sat down and within moments the waitress brought them menus.

“In case you haven’t guessed, Angela was Elaine’s social worker for a while. She helped them a lot.”

Brenda tried to smile. “I think you mentioned that before.”

She was uncomfortable with the whole social worker thing. It was embarrassing to have her child taken from her, let alone have to live with her social worker. She felt like a failure. Marrying an abusive husband and having her only child taken away hadn’t been her life’s goal. She’d had dreams—at one point at least. She certainly hadn’t asked God to send her a husband to abuse her, or a father who ignored her.

She had lost her mother at an early age, requiring her to step into the role of mother, daughter, housekeeper…while all her friends had been out enjoying their high school years.

She often wondered how different her life would have been if she had had a set of supportive parents to cheer her on. Her father certainly hadn’t put much stock in education. He had barely graduated high school. As long as he eked out a living, that was good enough for him. “My cable, my beer, food in my belly, and a roof over my head,” was all he had ever said. A role model he certainly wasn’t.

When her high school counselor, Mrs. Moraty, had called her in for a planning session, Brenda had shaken her head. “There’s no money for college in my house,” she had told her. “There’s barely enough money for food.”

A few weeks later, she summoned her again. “Brenda, here’s some money to take the SAT exam.” She handed her a hundred-dollar bill.

“I can’t accept this,” Brenda had protested, trying to shove the money back at her. “It’s generous, but I can’t.” Mrs. Moraty had refused to take it back. Brenda had given it considerable thought, and because she was curious about how well she might do, she took the exam. To her surprise and delight, and despite the lack of encouragement on the home front, she managed to pull off a 750.

Mrs. Moraty had been more excited than she had. “That’s wonderful, Brenda. With your grades and those scores, any state university, and some private schools will certainly accept you—and probably with some significant grants or scholarships.” Brenda had even checked out a book from the library on finding scholarship monies. When she had approached her father with the idea, however, he had laughed. She had returned the book to the library and absorbed herself in learning how to make the home run more efficiently.

“They seem like such a nice family,” Lacy was saying, now.

Brenda looked at her daughter: so beautiful, so smart, so caring, so deserving—and wondered how she had let this happen to her. Hadn’t she promised to protect her from harm? Hadn’t she taken a vow to be everything her father hadn’t been?

“They do,” Brenda agreed, putting her arm around Lacy.

“Reuben’s getting ready to start college soon,” Angela said. “He just got his acceptance letter in the mail, early admission,” she added when Lacy looked puzzled. “How about you, Lacy, what is your plan for college?”

Lacy shrugged. “I don’t have any right now.”

A flash of anger swept across Brenda’s face. “That’s not true, Lacy.” She looked at Angela, then at Allen. “Lacy’s been saving for college. She’ll have at least enough put away for junior college by the time she graduates.”

Lacy’s jaw went rigid as she clenched her teeth. She looked at her mother, saying in a low tone, “We’ll need that money to live.”

Brenda shook her head as tears brimmed in her eyes. She picked up her napkin and wiped at them. Then addressing her daughter, said, “I’ll not take your college savings to live. I’m going to get a job.”

A young girl came over and took their order. Brenda had lost her appetite but didn’t want to appear rude, so she ordered eggs and toast. Lacy didn’t want to eat at all, but Brenda ordered the same for her. Angela and Allen exchanged worried glances, ordered the same for themselves, and a large platter of fruit, hoping the mood would have lifted by the time the meal came.

“I know things look bleak now,” Angela said, “but things will work out.” Nobody responded, so she continued, “You remember Elaine, who was in here earlier? When Allen first met her, she was living on the street with her three children. Reuben’s a lot like you, Lacy.”

Lacy looked up and into Angela’s face. “How is Reuben like me?”

“He was so disheartened when I first met him. He was sweeping this place after school just to help his mother put food on the table—now he practically runs the place in Henry’s absence. Like you, he’s been putting as much money as he can away for college. Due to their family’s circumstance and a little help from a knowledgeable financial aid staff, he’s going off to a four-year university.” She touched her hand, inclined her head toward her. “It can happen to you, Lacy. You must have faith.”

Then she turned toward Brenda. “What about you, Brenda? What are you interested in doing?”

Brenda shrugged. “The only things I know how to do are clean and cook.”

Angela shook her head. “You’re a domestic engineer.” Brenda couldn’t help but smile. Even Lacy managed a short snicker. “There is way more to running a household than cooking and cleaning.” She started ticking things off on her fingers while their server returned with their food. “Domestic engineers know how to: organize, prioritize, budget, juggle, produce…get the point?”

Brenda nodded. “I do.”

Angela said, “You need to get started writing a resume. I’ll help you if you want.”

“What is your dream?” Allen asked.

“I really do like cooking,” Brenda said, a slight lilt coming to her voice, a glimmer of hope in a previously dark existence. “I’ve always enjoyed finding new recipes to invent. I guess I could see myself as a chef in a restaurant somewhere.”

“Mom’s a terrific cook,” Lacy chimed in, a genuine smile coming to her lips.

Brenda had to admit her mood was lifting a little, and seeing Lacy smile was making her happy, too. She looked around. “Do you think Henry would hire me?”

“He will if I ask,” Allen said, making a promise to come back on Monday to see him.

They finished the meal, including the fruit platter. From there they went to the grocery store. “Let me cook today. Please,” Brenda begged. “You said you’d let me cook in your kitchen. No better time than the present,” she said, giving him a pleading grin.

He shrugged and watched helplessly as she piled ingredients into the shopping basket. When they got to the checkout counter, Allen unloaded the basket and whipped out his bank card. “I don’t think I have ever spent this much at the grocery store,” he teased.

Brenda turned red. “Did I spend too much? I’m so sorry.”

Allen laughed. “Not at all, that statement simply was a testament to the amount of food I buy—or don’t buy, I should say.”

Allen helped Brenda in the kitchen while Angela gave Lacy a tour of Allen’s house. He washed tomatoes and mushrooms, chopped onions, sliced olives, and grated cheese. Brenda minced, sliced, marinated, and sautéed. In a very short time, the kitchen came alive with heavenly aromas.

Angela and Lacy were laughing when they joined them in the kitchen. Allen and Brenda looked up from their tasks. “What’s so funny?” Allen asked.

“Lacy thinks you need a woman’s touch around here.”

“She’s probably right,” Allen said. He dumped olives into the sauté pan as Brenda indicated. He wiped his hands on a towel and picked up the knife. “There hasn’t been a woman in residence since my grandmother.”

Brenda smiled. Knowing there had been no other women here made her happy.

“Can I go swimming? Or do you need my help here?” Lacy asked.

“It’s okay with me,” Allen said, “unless your mother needs you.”

Brenda shook her head. “I’m okay, here.”