Chapter Eleven

 Of course, as soon as I punched in the next day Manny sought me out for interrogation.  “There you are!  How did everything go?  Did Jay move in?  Are you two in love yet?”

 “Manny, I’m not awake yet,” I laughed.  I had deposited the check on my way in, and I knew not even the rudest customers would break my good mood.  He followed me as I grabbed an apron and manned a slicer, pestering me to tell him what happened.  “Something went right, finally,” I said.  “We had a great time at dinner.  Madison loved him, I felt comfortable around him.  I called him yesterday, or rather Madison did, to see if he still wanted to move in.  He called back right when he got home, and spent the night again.”

 “Ooh!  Again?”

 “Yes, he stayed over Wednesday too, and before you ask, no.  It was just so he could have some wine with dinner.”  Just to tease Manny I added, “Then some more after dinner.”

 “You are in love, aren’t you?”

 “Manny, we’ve seen each other about four times.”

 “Oh, that doesn’t matter and you know it.  Tell me honestly, how do you feel about him?”

 Something about Manny’s personality was like a truth serum.  I knew anything I told him would be spread around the department in no time, yet I could never help telling him everything.  Besides, it wasn’t only Manny that gossiped.  We were all guilty of that, for the simple fact that there was nothing to do during our slow periods other than look like we were busy, and talk.  “Alright, fine.  I like him, okay?”  It was the first time I’d admitted it out loud.  It felt good to say it, but that was tainted by my certainty that nothing would come of it.

 “I was talking with the girls yesterday,” Manny said.  “Not a one of them disagrees, we all thought it looked like he likes you, too.”

 From there the conversation devolved into one similar to the one I’d had with Sara.  “I’m just going to settle for having a tenant I get along with and trust, you guys,” I concluded.  “I’m not losing my house and I have a new friend.  It’s enough, believe me.”

 “Tell us about your new friend,” Kris said teasingly.

 In between customers I told them about the dinner, and Jay watching Rapunzel with Madison.  When it got to after that, we got busy enough to allow me to leave it at ‘we had a nice talk’.

 “So, you’re happy?” Manny asked when the rush was over.

 “Yes.”  Being able to say it so honestly came as a bit of surprise to me.

 “Then you should have a little celebration.”

 “Yes, celebrate Jay finding a quiet place to live with a party.”

 “I said ‘little’.  Have a nice dinner, maybe invite a friend or two.  Make it steak this time.  Enjoy your newfound friendship.”

 It was a nice idea...  “That money I’d be flaunting by buying steaks for everyone would be his, you know.”  I said steaks, but knew what I would make instead.

 “No, it’s yours.  He’s paying you to live there.  Was him telling you what you’re allowed to do with what’s in your bank account part of the arrangement?”

 “Okay, I’m sold.  It sounds like fun, and I would like my sister to meet him.”

----

 The idea grew on me as the day went on, and by the time I left work I was honestly excited about it.  I hadn’t seen Jay that morning, and his shift ended right when I would usually start thinking about going to bed.  It would be nice to have some time set aside to get to know him better.  He was living with me now, and we’d still only had a handful of conversations.

 I went to the neighbor’s to pick up Madison.  “Hi, Mommy!  Is Jay home yet?”

 At least she still said ‘hi’ first.  I noticed Julianne laughing with me.  “I think he just left for work a little while ago, sweetie.  He won’t be home until late.”

 “Is he your new boyfriend?” Julianne asked.

 “No!  Please tell me she didn’t say that,” I said as I helped Madison with her shoes.

 “No, but she did mentioned that name a lot.”

 “I’m renting a room to him,” I explained.  “He just moved in last night.  Well, started to.  That reminds me...  Madison?  Are you going to help Mommy get Jay’s room ready?”

 “Definitely,” she said with a sharp nod.

 “Alright.  Bye, Julianne.  Thanks again.”

 “Why isn’t Jay’s room ready, Mommy?” Madison asked as we walked across the lawns.  “Isn’t he already sleeping there?”

 “Mommy has to get her things out of there, so he has room for his.  I think we have a bunch of your old things in there too,” I said, pinching her neck.  She squealed and ran ahead to our steps.

 Mariah must have heard her shoes on the stone, and started barking.  For a dog that couldn’t be forty pounds, she made a good noise.  Startled, Madison carefully made her way back down and ran to me.  “It’s alright, Maddie,” I said, laughing to ease her tension.  “She loves us, remember?”

 “She’s loud,” she complained.

 “I bet she stops when she sees us.”

 I opened the door, and Mariah proved me right.  She did a sort of stretch that was also a bow, and trotted up to Madison for her kisses.  “Can we play outside?” she asked me when she stopped laughing.

 “We have to get Jay’s room ready, remember?  After that, you can.  You can eat first, though.”

 I let Mariah out and got Madison a snack, explaining how I was going to put anything that fit up in her crawlspaces.  “I thought maybe you could help me with that part.  You know how Mommy has to bend way over to put things back there, right?  You could help Jay and Mommy at the same time if you took the boxes in there,” I said as if trying to sell her on the idea.

 “I’ll help, Mommy, just like I said!”

 “You did say that already, didn’t you?  I’m sorry, sweetie.”

 When she finished eating, we got to work.  “Are we supposed to be in here now?” Madison asked in an awed hush.  “This is Jay’s room now.  Right?”

 I ran my hand over her head.  “It’s fine.  We’re helping him, remember?”  I opened the closet, where most of our work lay.  It was packed solid with boxes.  I began pulling them out for a better look, and remembered most of them were clothes and some toys Madison had outgrown.  One box I recognized immediately, and I pulled it open excitedly.

 “What’s that one, Mommy?” Madison asked, noticing how differently I had reacted to it.

 “This is the box of things from when you were a newborn little baby,” I said.  I pulled out a hat and blanket.  “These are the very first things you ever wore.”

 Madison reached out quietly for the hat, and I handed it to her.  “When was I a baby, Mommy?”

 “Five years ago,” I said with a sigh.  Time really had flown.

 “I don’t remember,” she said, puzzling over the hat for clues.

 “Nobody remembers being a baby, sweetie.”  I held out my hand for the hat, which she gave back.

 “How come?”

 “Well...”  Are we going to have to split up to get anything done?  “When you’re a baby, your little brain isn’t strong enough to remember things.”

 “Oh...” Madison said.  I could almost hear her swallowing her other questions.

 “Well, this is a little box here,” I said, pulling out another.  “Can you get it into the crawlspace in your playroom?”  Madison shook her head.  “Why not?  Too heavy?”

 “It’s not open.”

 “Oh, oh course.  Mommy’s being silly...”

 Those doors were a pain.  They were really more like panels, two foot by two foot squares of plywood held into a frame by four little latches each.  Madison wasn’t allowed to try it herself, having been knocked over by one of them before.  I opened it for her, then shamelessly took advantage of her energy by sending her up with box after box.  Finally, I took the few big ones up myself.  It took us a little over an hour, and all the boxes were stashed away.  All except for the one with Madison’s neonate things.  I left that on my dresser, for some reason.

 I resisted asking Madison about having Aunt Sara over for dinner.  I had promised Jay peace and quiet, it was only fair to bring it up with him first.  I let her join Mariah in the back yard, and attempted to tackle the computer.  I did manage to get all the hardware into my bedroom, but I could not get the desk by myself.  I hope Jay’s up to helping after work, I thought as I looked at the mess on my floor.

Reviews

[Sarah]

This chapter feels like a filler. Not that it's bad. It carries the story right along and I'm expecting for more action when Jay gets home from work!

I like the idea of a celebration. I'm wondering if Jay will be up for it. I'm sure he will, but he did say he wants peace and quiet. I think Laura is eager about what this might turn into, yet she stays reserved enough. Expecting big things!