The Gingerbread Boy (10 page)

Mrs. VanHoofstryver’s jaw dropped slightly. Gone was the look of tough detachment that had seemed to surround her like a mantle from the first time Catherine had set eyes on her. Now there was a look Catherine felt difficult to describe; a softening of features, an almost reverent awe.

“Cinder,” the old woman whispered, her eyes lowering toward the carrier. Catherine backed
up
as
the lady
stepped down from the doorway, shutting the door resolutely behind her. Then she lowered herself to peer into the carrier, the black folds of her dress flowing across the cement like spilled ink.

Catherine also lowered to her knees. “I’ll open the
carrier
door and let her out if you like. She’s been quite upset and frightened being trapped inside, but I’m sure she’ll be fine now that she’s home.” She pinched open the metal hinges that kept the door latched, and lifted it. She watched as the cat slowly, carefully crept out, looking warily this way and that. Then Mrs. Vanhoofstyver said the cat’s name, held out her hands, and the animal climbed into her arms. The old woman glanced at Catherine. A tear charted an erratic course down her cheek.

“You’ve healed her,” she whispered.

Catherine shrugged. “Cinder did most of the work. I just believed in her.”

“You believed,
and
you cared.”

Catherine raised her eyebrows. “I saw hope in Cinder’s eyes that day. I couldn’t just ignore it.”

“Most people would have ignored it. Even if they saw hope in her at all.”

Catherine felt a little uncomfortable. “It’s not a big deal, it’s just part of my job.”

Mrs. VanHoofstryver rose to her full height, gently stroking the now content and purring cat in her arms. She stared down at Catherine still squatting on the porch.

“Oh it is a big deal,” she said. “It’s a big deal, indeed.” She lifted a withered hand and gestured toward a set of wicker chairs. “Please sit with me for a little while. I get so very little company. I want to know all about you.”

Trembling inside, Catherine nodded.

What appeared in Catherine’s mailbox several weeks later astounded her more than the meeting on Hazel’s front porch. She opened a formally sealed envelope to discover a check made out to her for an enormous sum accompanied with a letter:

Dear Catherine,

Thank you for your kindness and friendship. Especially thank you for returning my beloved cat Cinder back to health when everyone else wanted to give up on her. You are a very special young woman and I want to see you succeed. Please use the enclosed money to help with the tuition expenses you desperately need. Please understand that this is a gift, not a loan.

Best wishes.

Hazel V

Chapter Six

Joanne was sitting on the sofa, painting her fingernails with purple nail polish when Catherine and Daniel walked through the front door.

“I hoped you’d be home,” Catherine said to her suddenly bug-eyed friend. “I want you to meet someone.”

“He’s not an ax-murderer, is he?” Joanne asked.

Daniel raised his hand as if giving an oath. “I’ve never murdered an ax in my life.”

“Cute,” said Joanne, her infectious laugh taking over. “You don’t have to tell me who he is, Cath. I know Daniel LaMont when I see him. Besides,” she added, smiling like a starry-eyed schoolgirl, “Penny was talking about you all day.”

“Er, Daniel,” said Catherine, “this is my roommate, Joanne Prescott.”

Daniel was wearing leather boots, and the heels were caked with mud. “I’d come in to shake your hand,” he said, “but I’d hate to dirty the carpet. These boots take a while to yank off.”

“Oh, come on in,” Joanne gestured, “A handsome man can be filthy anytime he wants to around me.”

Daniel shrugged, then stepped carefully in. Joanne rose and scurried over to him, her eyes shining.

“Honestly,” she said, shaking his hand vigorously, “You look just like Robin Hood with those tall boots and white shirt. This is so exciting, to actually meet Daniel LaMont. I can’t believe Cath didn’t know who you were the instant you met, scarf and hat or not.”

“Thanks, Jo.” Catherine groaned, her face warming.

“Well, Cath…” Joanne said, at last releasing Daniel’s hand, “You do lead a rather sheltered life.” She snorted a little, “And someday, you may work in a shelter.”

“Animal shelter.” Catherine explained, glancing at Daniel.

Suddenly footsteps thundered down the adjacent stairway. A door popped open, and there stood Penny, her eyes as round as quarters. She stood with a nervous smile, wringing her hands as she stared at Daniel.

“I thought I saw your van pull into the driveway,” she said, coming closer.

“You probably mean you
heard
it,” Daniel joked.

“Daniel,” said Catherine. “This is another roommate, Penny Hudson.”

“Pleased to meet you,” said Daniel, stretching to shake her trembling hand. He leaned back to glance around the room. “This is a friendly house. It reminds me of my mother’s home in Ann Arbor.”

“We like it. We all rent it together,” Joanne explained. “We’re too broke to do anything else. Well,” she added, rolling her eyes, “all of us except Beth, that is. She’s our fourth roommate. I’m not even sure why she lives here sometimes.”

“She’s not home right now,” said Penny. “But I expect her at any time. If you can stay a while, you can meet her too.”

Daniel shook his head. “I’d like to, but we have to practice some new songs for tonight. I appreciate the invitation, though. Another time, I’d be happy to.” He winked at Catherine, “I’m sure I’ll return.”

Joanne and Penny looked at their roommate, speechless, as Daniel headed for the door. Catherine followed him, ignoring their stares. He tipped Catherine’s chin up with his index finger and looked into her eyes. “I’ll see you soon.”

Catherine nodded, and they stared at each other a few moments. Then Daniel opened the door, and was gone. When Catherine closed the door after him, Joanne and Penny descended on her.

“Do you know how
lucky
you are?” Penny asked.

Joanne clutched her arm and herded her into the living room as Penny peered through the door window to watch Daniel leave.

“I want to hear
all
about last night,” Joanne said, pushing Catherine into a chair. “I heard how Daniel fought off that jerk for you at the bar, now I want to hear why you went home with him. That’s so not like you, not even with someone as gorgeous as that man!”

Catherine glanced helplessly at Penny.

“Penny, didn’t you tell her why I left with Daniel?”

Penny shook her head. “Not exactly.” She turned to Joanne. “She was afraid Calvin might show up at the house to get even with her after the fight last night. And if he did show up, I could honestly tell him Catherine wasn’t home.”

“What?” Joanne blustered, raising a fist,”
I
would have handled him much differently if I was here! And you know Beth could put him in his place, too. She’s the scariest person on this block. Honestly, Penny, I just don’t understand why you cater to that girl. She uses you.”

“I don’t think so,” Penny argued. “She’s just a little difficult is all.”

There was a period of silence as the three girls looked at one another. At last Joanne took a seat near Catherine and threw an arm around her friend’s shoulders.

“Tell me what you did after you left the bar last night, girlfriend, and don’t leave out any of the details.”

Catherine shrugged. “It was all quite innocent. Daniel is a gentleman. I slept in his spare room the whole night.”

Joanne looked at her oddly, then patted her on the knee. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

Catherine glanced at Penny, who was eagerly listening. She wanted to tell Joanne all about her nightmare and how Daniel rushed in to help her, but Penny’s imploring look made her uncomfortable. Maybe it was because Catherine knew that anything she said about Daniel would get aback to Beth as soon as Penny was alone with her. Still, came the thought, maybe it’d be
good
for people to learn the truth about Daniel. He wasn’t just an egotistical rock and roller. Far from it, in fact. She then decided to tell the whole story, including Daniel’s missionary background, the scare with Yoo-Hoo, and their morning cup of coffee over Looking Glass River. Just as she was about to finish her story, though, the front door squealed opened. In stepped Beth.

“Hi, Beth, did you get your shopping done?” Penny asked sweetly.

Beth didn’t reply. Her mouth tightened as she kicked off her shoes and glared at the girls. She didn’t even bother to take off her coat as she strode over to Catherine, her hands jutting firmly into her coat pockets.

“I see our resident
groupie
has made it home,” she hissed.

Catherine squinted her eyes. “I am
not
a groupie.”

“I’d have to say otherwise making a fool of yourself by falling all over Daniel like you did last night. Honestly, it was all rather sleazy, Sealey. You know,” she added, putting her finger on her lip, “that’s probably what people will call you from now on. Sleazy Sealey.”

Catherine took a deep breath. Her hands balled into fists. “Not unless you start the rumors. I’ve done nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Oh?” Beth raised her voice. “Daniel could have dropped you off here, but no you spent the night with him. Just like a common groupie. He’s using you, you know.”

Catherine resisted the urge to slap Beth. She fought the urge to shout that Beth was all wrong, that Daniel wasn’t the kind of person who’d use anyone. She wanted to add that anyone like Daniel who grew up with South American Indians and had missionary parents and still had a pet Macaw named ‘Yoo-Hoo’ wasn’t going to even
be
the kind of person Beth would be interested in anyway. She wanted to shake Beth until her false eyelashes fell off. But she bit back her anger, as she’d realized some time ago that Beth was in the same league as Calvin, and just as pitiful. Catherine had already lost herself in an immature display of anger with him. She wasn’t going to lower herself even more by succumbing to that girl’s childish ploys and accusations. Finally she merely smiled.

This made Beth all the angrier. “Daniel would never be truly interested in a nobody like you,” she continued. “I’m telling you this for your own good, Sealey. You’re a novelty to him is all. It would never work.”

“Your jealousy is embarrassing.” Catherine grinned again.

“Beth,” Penny hesitantly interrupted, “You just missed Daniel. Catherine introduced us to him a few minutes ago. Did you pass him on the road?”

“No.” Beth snapped. “I did not. What would you expect me to do if I had, jump out of my car and flag him down?”

Penny laughed nervously. “No. I guess not.”

“Of course not. Oh and Catherine,” Beth added, cocking her head, “thank you very much for being the reason that a psycho now knows where we live. If that ‘friend’ of yours from the bar ever shows up here to see you again, he could have a gun or a knife. You certainly made him look like a fool. I was scared to death here last night! I couldn’t sleep at all.” Beth looked from Penny to Joanne, who just glared icily at her. “We’re all going to have to stay on our toes now, girls,” she added, ignoring the look,

“I doubt Mr. LaMont is always going to be nearby to fend off Catherine’s enemies.”

Joanne and Penny traded troubled looks after that statement. It was the only thing Beth could have possibly been right about.

Catherine had no reply.

The thought of Calvin Prigg hanging around the neighborhood chilled her, too.

****

Daniel tossed the pen down on the library desk. He leaned over the song he had been writing for Catherine and buried his hands in his hair, frustrated.

Why wouldn’t his fingers allow him to write?

It felt worse today. His hands were weak from the wrist on down. This tenosynovitis problem was becoming more exasperating each day. He’d barely been able to play his beloved Rickenbacker guitar for over a month already. One agonizing month.

“Be content just to sing,” the doctor had said. “Relax. You’ve been playing too hard for too long. Your muscles are tired.”

But today Daniel could barely write a single lyric.

Pretending not to notice as several co-eds ogled him from behind a shelf, Daniel lifted the pen once more. The smooth roundness felt alien in his grip, almost like a sixth numbed finger between his own. At least he
could
write albeit slowly, he reasoned. It was frustrating to have a head full of words and not be able to drain them out on paper at the speed he was accustomed to. There was too much of a chance of losing something. And he wanted Catherine’s song to be perfect.

He longed to know Catherine, to understand her. His eyes moved toward a few books on the table in front of him about veterinary medicine. Between these and the internet, if he could get a better idea of what was involved in the field she’d dedicated herself to, maybe he could connect with her on that level. She certainly seemed self-confident now, but he had lingering doubts she’d always been that way; she was still concealing something from him. He’d felt that from the first day they’d met. She finally did reveal to him that her best friend back home was a suspicious old woman named Hazel. But he wondered why she was reluctant to talk much about her own family, and hoped she’d open up to him. Maybe this song would help her to trust him.

He smiled. He rested his cheek in his hand, flipping the pen over and over in his fingers in a dreamy kind of trance. That’s what Catherine did to him: put him in a trance.

Then something she said came back to him
. Look what you do for living. The kind of women that performers attract are not usually the kind you
want
to attract.
Daniel raised his eyebrows and glanced toward the rack where the girls were still staring at him. All turned away, embarrassed. He tipped a wan smile in their direction. A redhead who noticed the smile punched one of the others playfully in the shoulder and the girl’s face lit up.