and checked the street before she pulled out of our parking space in front of the house.
“It would. But for you, Dot, I’d do it.”
“This time you don’t have to, Gracie Lee. It’s very nice of you to offer, but I think Lucy and I will be just fine together.”
“She’s a very pretty girl. Has she lived at the group home very long?”
“Less than a year. I think she’s their newest resident. There are three women you didn’t see tonight, Tina’s roommate and two others. They must have been off doing something together with one of the aides. Lucy has a sad story, but then I suppose everybody there does in their own way.”
Dot merged onto the freeway now and I held off asking her any more questions until she got a little farther along. “Did Lucy’s situation change at home to bring her there with the others, or was she already living somewhere else?”
“She lived with her sister, who’s a lot older than Lucy is. The sister got a promotion at work at the hospital in Thousand Oaks, and she was afraid that Lucy wouldn’t get enough attention. Plus, she may have just needed a break. She’s raised Lucy since she was eight.”
“Wow. That is quite a burden. How did she manage?”
“Very well for somebody who was only in her first year of college at the time. Lucy and her parents were involved in a bad auto accident. Her parents were killed outright, and Lucy suffered a head injury that left her with brain damage.”
I shook my head, and then realized that Dot probably couldn’t see what I was doing while she concentrated on driving in the dark. “That is sad. Did the sister at least have some kind of faith to pull her through?”
“They were churchgoers. Estella hasn’t shared a lot with me, and I don’t feel I know her well enough to push the subject too far. I think she’d be another good candidate for Christian Friends if she could find a group that met while she wasn’t working. She’s a critical-care nurse at the hospital and puts in some very long hours, often on twelve-hour shifts.”
“I can just imagine.” We were nearing home now and I found myself looking forward to a little bit of studying and a warm bed. For a change I had a relatively normal day to look forward to tomorrow and that sounded very good.
When we pulled into the driveway Dot and I talked for a little while longer, then went our separate ways. Once I settled into the apartment I wished I’d gotten Sophie again to keep me company. But by then I’d already put on ratty old sweats and slippers and made a cup of tea, so instead of going out and getting a dog I just hunkered down with my books. I knew I wouldn’t sleep as well alone tonight, but I was too tired to exert myself to get company.
Wednesday almost flew by at school. I had two classes to attend and a four-hour shift at the Coffee Corner. Halfway into my shift I looked up and Linnette stood in line two customers from the front. By the time I could wait on her there wasn’t much of anybody behind her and we were able chat for a moment.
“What does your evening look like?” she asked, taking her latte.
“I’ve got to put in some time studying for finals, but I’m fairly flexible. What do you have in mind?”
“I’d like to do a partial Christian Friends get-together. Lexy and Heather can’t make it, and I couldn’t even reach Paula but I know Dot went to that funeral today and I think she wants to talk about it. I thought maybe the three of us could go out someplace casual and have dinner or dessert together and hang out.”
It sounded very good to me and I told her so. “Let me know when and where and I’ll be there.”
“I’ll call Dot while I’m still on break and set things up.” Linnette took her coffee and headed back toward the bookstore. I knew she’d been busy lately with the end of the semester book buy-back program. Not everybody waited until finals were over to sell their unwanted textbooks. Personally I wanted to
“It would. But for you, Dot, I’d do it.”
“This time you don’t have to, Gracie Lee. It’s very nice of you to offer, but I think Lucy and I will be just fine together.”
“She’s a very pretty girl. Has she lived at the group home very long?”
“Less than a year. I think she’s their newest resident. There are three women you didn’t see tonight, Tina’s roommate and two others. They must have been off doing something together with one of the aides. Lucy has a sad story, but then I suppose everybody there does in their own way.”
Dot merged onto the freeway now and I held off asking her any more questions until she got a little farther along. “Did Lucy’s situation change at home to bring her there with the others, or was she already living somewhere else?”
“She lived with her sister, who’s a lot older than Lucy is. The sister got a promotion at work at the hospital in Thousand Oaks, and she was afraid that Lucy wouldn’t get enough attention. Plus, she may have just needed a break. She’s raised Lucy since she was eight.”
“Wow. That is quite a burden. How did she manage?”
“Very well for somebody who was only in her first year of college at the time. Lucy and her parents were involved in a bad auto accident. Her parents were killed outright, and Lucy suffered a head injury that left her with brain damage.”
I shook my head, and then realized that Dot probably couldn’t see what I was doing while she concentrated on driving in the dark. “That is sad. Did the sister at least have some kind of faith to pull her through?”
“They were churchgoers. Estella hasn’t shared a lot with me, and I don’t feel I know her well enough to push the subject too far. I think she’d be another good candidate for Christian Friends if she could find a group that met while she wasn’t working. She’s a critical-care nurse at the hospital and puts in some very long hours, often on twelve-hour shifts.”
“I can just imagine.” We were nearing home now and I found myself looking forward to a little bit of studying and a warm bed. For a change I had a relatively normal day to look forward to tomorrow and that sounded very good.
When we pulled into the driveway Dot and I talked for a little while longer, then went our separate ways. Once I settled into the apartment I wished I’d gotten Sophie again to keep me company. But by then I’d already put on ratty old sweats and slippers and made a cup of tea, so instead of going out and getting a dog I just hunkered down with my books. I knew I wouldn’t sleep as well alone tonight, but I was too tired to exert myself to get company.
Wednesday almost flew by at school. I had two classes to attend and a four-hour shift at the Coffee Corner. Halfway into my shift I looked up and Linnette stood in line two customers from the front. By the time I could wait on her there wasn’t much of anybody behind her and we were able chat for a moment.
“What does your evening look like?” she asked, taking her latte.
“I’ve got to put in some time studying for finals, but I’m fairly flexible. What do you have in mind?”
“I’d like to do a partial Christian Friends get-together. Lexy and Heather can’t make it, and I couldn’t even reach Paula but I know Dot went to that funeral today and I think she wants to talk about it. I thought maybe the three of us could go out someplace casual and have dinner or dessert together and hang out.”
It sounded very good to me and I told her so. “Let me know when and where and I’ll be there.”
“I’ll call Dot while I’m still on break and set things up.” Linnette took her coffee and headed back toward the bookstore. I knew she’d been busy lately with the end of the semester book buy-back program. Not everybody waited until finals were over to sell their unwanted textbooks. Personally I wanted to
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