for hardwood if it had been our house. Except of course our house was old and rented, my dad not being a builder. Not one to hand out emergency credit cards, either. But he had stopped drinking. So if I decided to take Daisy to live in Regina, staying with my dad might be okay.
I stood on the mat by the door, holding the baby in her car seat. I hadn’t taken off my boots, so I didn’t dare move. Sharla is a major bitch, if you ask me. Lucky nobody asked.
“Wow, Dixie!” Ron said, catching sight of the car seat. “Who’s this?”
Ron’s a nice guy. I pulled back the blanket so he could peek at the baby.
Daisy’s hat had come undone. Under it her red hair was damp and curly. Little finger ringlets. My mom would have loved her hair.
“Look at that! Would you look at that—look, Sharla! What a princess!” Ron glanced up quick, to check that it was a girl.
I nodded and grinned at him.
Ron was shorter than Grady. Short for a Mountie, but in good shape, with a thick cap of brown hair and a nice sense of humour. I liked Ron.
At their wedding and every time we’d met since, Sharla had spoken to me exactly zero times.
“What’s the baby’s name?” Ron asked.
“Daisy,” I said. “She’s called Daisy.”
Sharla laughed.
I could see she thought naming a baby Daisy was stupid.
We had meant to call her Ruth Anne, after Grady’s mom and mine. But after she was born, she opened her eyes, dark sky blue, and stared up at me. I knew right away her name was Daisy. Grady had been sitting beside my hospital bed in his uniform. People probably thought I was under arrest. He said, “Are you nuts? Daisy? ” Then he got called out. So I filled out the forms by myself, and I named her Daisy.
Now Grady sang to her, “I’m half crazy, all for the love of you...”
He couldn’t be kind to me, but he could be soft to the baby. We did that a lot. Talked to each other through her.
“Wait till she opens her eyes,” I told Ron. “You’ll see, it suits her.”
Ron gave me a quick hug, around the car seat. He was in uniform, and the police radio sat on the counter. That meant he was on duty, even on New Year’s Eve.
“Come on, sit, sit,” he said. He took the car seat while I got my coat and boots off.
Sharla said, “I need another cooler! You, Grady?”
Grady shrugged. She gave him a vodka cooler, but he didn’t open it. Ron was not drinking, so Grady wouldn’t, either. He was polite about keeping people company. He didn’t even like to eat a sandwich while I sat without one. Eating every time he did was making me fat. Or Daisy was doing it. Something was making me pretty huge.
I said no thanks when Sharla finally shoved a cooler toward me. The doctor said it’s okay tohave a drink once in a while. Even Grady’s mom said a beer at supper would help with nursing. But I didn’t like it any more. Couldn’t drink coffee, either, since I got pregnant. If someone cooked bacon, I had to leave the house.
Even now, the chicken wing smell from the oven was making me a bit queasy.
“To what do we owe the honour,” Sharla said, still leaning her hip against the island. Not asking a question, just making us feel stupid for coming by. She had on a purple velvet dress. Her bare legs were fake tanned, and she had little diamonds pasted on her toenails. Her blonde hair fell in soft curls like she’d had it done at a beauty salon. She must have used a ton of hairspray.
“You’ve got a party going on here,” I said. There were chips and dip, M&M food boxes by the sink, platters all over the island. “We can’t crash the party, Grady. We ought to get back on the road pretty quick.”
“No, no!” Ron popped open a beer and gave it to Grady. “A couple of people were coming over—but the snow’s stopped most of them. And I’m on duty, as you see. Tim Lamont’s gone to Vegas,” he told Grady.
“Without Jade,” Sharla said.
“He’s on a golf trip,” Ron said, to excuse Tim for going without his
I stood on the mat by the door, holding the baby in her car seat. I hadn’t taken off my boots, so I didn’t dare move. Sharla is a major bitch, if you ask me. Lucky nobody asked.
“Wow, Dixie!” Ron said, catching sight of the car seat. “Who’s this?”
Ron’s a nice guy. I pulled back the blanket so he could peek at the baby.
Daisy’s hat had come undone. Under it her red hair was damp and curly. Little finger ringlets. My mom would have loved her hair.
“Look at that! Would you look at that—look, Sharla! What a princess!” Ron glanced up quick, to check that it was a girl.
I nodded and grinned at him.
Ron was shorter than Grady. Short for a Mountie, but in good shape, with a thick cap of brown hair and a nice sense of humour. I liked Ron.
At their wedding and every time we’d met since, Sharla had spoken to me exactly zero times.
“What’s the baby’s name?” Ron asked.
“Daisy,” I said. “She’s called Daisy.”
Sharla laughed.
I could see she thought naming a baby Daisy was stupid.
We had meant to call her Ruth Anne, after Grady’s mom and mine. But after she was born, she opened her eyes, dark sky blue, and stared up at me. I knew right away her name was Daisy. Grady had been sitting beside my hospital bed in his uniform. People probably thought I was under arrest. He said, “Are you nuts? Daisy? ” Then he got called out. So I filled out the forms by myself, and I named her Daisy.
Now Grady sang to her, “I’m half crazy, all for the love of you...”
He couldn’t be kind to me, but he could be soft to the baby. We did that a lot. Talked to each other through her.
“Wait till she opens her eyes,” I told Ron. “You’ll see, it suits her.”
Ron gave me a quick hug, around the car seat. He was in uniform, and the police radio sat on the counter. That meant he was on duty, even on New Year’s Eve.
“Come on, sit, sit,” he said. He took the car seat while I got my coat and boots off.
Sharla said, “I need another cooler! You, Grady?”
Grady shrugged. She gave him a vodka cooler, but he didn’t open it. Ron was not drinking, so Grady wouldn’t, either. He was polite about keeping people company. He didn’t even like to eat a sandwich while I sat without one. Eating every time he did was making me fat. Or Daisy was doing it. Something was making me pretty huge.
I said no thanks when Sharla finally shoved a cooler toward me. The doctor said it’s okay tohave a drink once in a while. Even Grady’s mom said a beer at supper would help with nursing. But I didn’t like it any more. Couldn’t drink coffee, either, since I got pregnant. If someone cooked bacon, I had to leave the house.
Even now, the chicken wing smell from the oven was making me a bit queasy.
“To what do we owe the honour,” Sharla said, still leaning her hip against the island. Not asking a question, just making us feel stupid for coming by. She had on a purple velvet dress. Her bare legs were fake tanned, and she had little diamonds pasted on her toenails. Her blonde hair fell in soft curls like she’d had it done at a beauty salon. She must have used a ton of hairspray.
“You’ve got a party going on here,” I said. There were chips and dip, M&M food boxes by the sink, platters all over the island. “We can’t crash the party, Grady. We ought to get back on the road pretty quick.”
“No, no!” Ron popped open a beer and gave it to Grady. “A couple of people were coming over—but the snow’s stopped most of them. And I’m on duty, as you see. Tim Lamont’s gone to Vegas,” he told Grady.
“Without Jade,” Sharla said.
“He’s on a golf trip,” Ron said, to excuse Tim for going without his
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