Chapter 9

Vicky left after we had lunch together. Life was good and things were going well. That should have been a sign that it was time to get back to work. I got a call and Ellen told me that Gayle and Katie were coming over for a sleepover. That was something we had started a few months back. If anyone needed time to chill out all they had to do was call us and tell us that we had invited them over for a sleepover.

Gayle and Katie came in and ran off with the girls. This left me for the first time alone with their mother. The over the top woman reached out a hand to me. “Well it’s about time we met, I’m Mary.” I took her hand and introduced myself to the woman. “Oh I know about you. You are the guy who helped out all the girls at one time or another.”

An alarm sounded in my head. “What do you mean?” “Oh come on, I may look like an airhead but I listen. You helped Elian get those two poor girls find a home that was out of the gutter. Then I hear your daughter was abused and took her in and helped her through addiction problems. Then you adopt that little Spanish girl and now that girl with the psycho mother. That made the newspaper and if you knew who they were then you knew who the abused girl was.”

I shrugged and did the humility look. “Well, all the girls were connected in one way or another. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time to help.” She lifted an eyebrow. “Like I said Dave I’m not an airhead. You are one of the nice guys. You went out of your way to help all these girls. I also know that you must have a nice nest egg if the courts would let you take all these girls in.”

I felt a shakedown coming. I invited her to sit down and asked if she wanted something to drink. I ended up getting her a beer and a soda for me. “I can feel your walls going up Dave. No need for that. I owe you a lot Dave. You took my girl off the street. I know she was doing something for money. I figure in some way she was hooking in order to bring in money. She would go out at odd times and then there would be food and clothes for the both of them.”

The woman actually started to cry in front of me. I reached out and took a hand. “Don’t try to deny it for her. I am a horrible mother and I have known it for years. I wanted to be a good mother but it just wasn’t in me. I was a party girl in high school and I never grew up. I tried, lord knows I tried but I couldn’t stop.”

I looked around for help. I saw Ellen and she looked at me. I gave her the help me look and she disappeared. Gayle came in the room and saw her mother crying. For a second she was stunned. Then she came over and hugged her mother. “What’s wrong mom?” The woman tried to put on a brave face but her makeup was smeared away. “Nothing, sweetie. I was just telling Dave here that I was so happy that you and Katie had found such good friends.” I took the woman’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “It’s fine dear. Why don’t we go see how your sister is doing?” I got up and told Mary to stay for a bit and that I would be right back. As soon as we were out of hearing Gayle looked at me. “That is the first time I have seen our mother cry like that. What’s going on?” “I’ll tell you when I know more. Just keep your sister entertained.”

I walked back into the kitchen and the woman was sitting there pulling the label off her beer. “Sorry about that. I calmed you daughter a bit and asked her to take care of Katie.” She smiled at me. “That’s you to a tee isn’t it? Making sure the girls are ok.” I reached out and took one of her hands in mine. “So, where were we?” She set the beer down. “I don’t know where we were but I know I was cracking up. I don’t really get along with Elian and Mike. They look at me funny. I know they don’t like me. But you haven’t had time to form an opinion of me first hand.”

She squeezed my hand. “I was saying that I am a tragic excuse for a mother. I blow what little money we have on clothes, cruising the bars and clubs looking for a man who will take us in. At least that is the excuse I make to myself when I’m drunk and crying at two in the morning.” She looked at me and the sight actually tore at my heart.

Her makeup was ruined, her eyes red and swollen. “I don’t know how you do it. You reach out to these girls, help them, talk to them, see and hear what I can’t or don’t want to. A few months back I noticed that Gayle and Katie were home a lot more, they both smiled more, and they never asked for anything anymore. The fridge has food and they both have better clothes. They tell me that you have been giving them Ellen’s old clothes but I can tell they aren’t.”

She gave a big sigh. “I don’t know what’s going on here but I am glad they have you. I guess that is all I am trying to say.” I took it all in and thought for a minute. Mary was cleaning the smears of makeup off her face and I saw the freckles through the makeup. When she had wiped it all away I saw a slightly older version of Gayle in front of me. She started to get up and I held onto her hand. “I let you have your say. Please sit down and let me say a few things.” She squared her shoulders and sat down, ready for a chewing out. “Mary, why do you go to bars and clubs? There are no men there that would take you or your girls in.” She shrugged her shoulders. “It’s the only place a woman who looks like I do can go.” I added a touch of sternness to my voice. “Only whores and their ilk go to those kinds of places. I don’t see that when I look at you.”

She looked down and shook her head. “No that is exactly what I am. Old, and used up.” I hopped up and drug her by the hand to my room. When we got there I shut the door and turned to her. She hung her head and looked around. “Stay right there.” I walked over to my closet and pulled out a large box that had been there for a long time. It was clothes that Ellen’s mother had left behind and for some reason I had never thrown away.

I pulled out things I thought would fit and had the look I was trying to create. “Take those in there. Wash all that putty off of your face and brush out that hairspray. Then try them on till you find something that fits.” I crossed my arms and she was too beaten to object.

A few minutes later a beautiful woman walked out of my bathroom. She had dainty, bare feet. She wore a pair of jeans that looked painted on. The blouse I had picked out showed off the shape of her breasts without showing them off so much. Her hair was glossy and shone with a glorious red sheen. Her freckles made her face look spritely and the green eyes topped it all off.

“The pants are a little tight because of the baby fat. I have tried to lose it so hard but it never leaves.” I walked around the woman and took her all in. “If you can’t catch a good man looking like that they must all be dead.” She looked at me and her eyes sparkled. “Are you dead?” I smiled at her and took her hand. “I am afraid my ex killed me a few years ago but I know how to look still. If I was alive I would definitely be trying to get better acquainted.

I took her hand and guided her into the girl’s room. Gayle and Katie looked at their mother and they were both stunned. “Mom you look beautiful.” They said together. A blush came to the woman face. Even Ellen and Theresa made comments on the change. Mary just looked at me and smiled. I told the girls to hang out and that Mary and I needed to talk.

We went into the kitchen and I called Elian and asked if she could come over for a few. Mary got nervous at letting anyone see her like this. I sat her down and placed a soda in front of her. We started to talk and then my back door opened and Elian came in. She walked in and for a few seconds she didn’t recognize Mary. She even introduced herself to a woman she had known for years.

When it hit her I saw Elian blush for like the third time in her life. “I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you. I don’t think I have ever seen you like this before.” Mary explained about what I had done and said. I then went on to give Elian a cliff notes version of what Mary had talked to me about. “Well he’s right Mary. I have wanted to talk to you about it for years but we were never that close.” Mary looked uncomfortable. “I have wanted to talk to you for years too but I thought you didn’t like me.” Ellen tried to reach out. “What I didn’t like was the way you looked. I figured a woman who looked like that knew what she was doing and why. I figured that was who you were and liked it like that.”

Soon they were talking with each other like old friends. I knew it would take time for Mary to really pull her head out of her ass but maybe with a little help from Elian and myself she might just get back where she needed to be. I slipped away and went to my room. I check her shoe size and figured Ellen had a close fit. I asked Ellen for a pair of deck shoes and socks. I barely had the words out of my mouth when the girls handed them to me.

I went back into the kitchen and knelt down and took one of Mary’s feet and slipped the socks on and then the shoes. I hadn’t noticed but it had grown quiet and when I looked up both women were looking at me. “Would you look at Prince Charming slipping on the slippers?” Elian said to me. “Are you kidding me? This is the first time a man has put clothes “on” me since my dad dressed me when I was five.” They both giggled at me as I stood up.

“Laugh all you want, but I didn’t think it was proper for a woman to go out in bare feet.” They both looked at me with dog look number four. “That thing you wore over here is not going back on you again. I want you to turn heads not tricks. Also I will help you get back on your feet if you promise to stay off your back.” The blunt way I said this wiped the smiles the women had on their faces. That was the effect I had wanted.

“Mary I will help too. If you really want to change, for you and your girls I will be here for you too.” Elian told her. The tears came flooding back and she fell into Elian’s arms. “I will I promise. I will do whatever you say, I just want to be treated nice, to be loved for once.” “Well I think that’s already being done, by us. Just keep trying and we will keep helping.”

Mary stayed for a long time and so did Elian. The girls came through a few times and Mary got hugs every time. Mary loved the friendship and the love she was getting from her daughters. It got very late and I offered Mary the couch for the night rather than driving home so late at night. She accepted and she wore an old night shirt from the box.

The next morning I guess the girls found Mary sleeping on the couch so they played it very cool. Breakfast was made by all the girls helping each other. Mary woke up and looked around the unfamiliar surroundings. When she heard the girls voices she got up and watched as they all worked together getting breakfast ready.

When they saw Mary watching there was hugs from her daughters and a cup of coffee from Theresa. She sat down and enjoyed the scene. “Hey, Gayle would you wake dad up and give him this coffee for me?” The little redhead grabbed the mug from Ellen and headed back to wake me up. I awoke to a little snuggle from a warm girl and light kisses. I smiled and sat up. “Dave I don’t know what you did for my mom but I know what you are doing for me and Katie.” She gave me a huge hug and ran off. I took a quick shower and got dressed.

When I went into the kitchen I admired Mary and got a little thrill at the sight of a full grown woman sitting in my kitchen in so little. I then sat down and a plate was set in front of me. We all ate and I told the girls the news. Elian was coming over later and all of us were going over to Mary’s to get rid of all the things that held her back and then to the mall to continue the makeover.

Mary tried to make me not go too far and I just waved her off. As the day wore on I just stood back and let the women go crazy. They shopped and I stood back and quenched my credit card once in a while to cool it off before melting it. By the end of the day I was glad we took two vehicles. Now that I had three girls in the house I was going to need to trade in the old four door for a minivan.

I had never been to see where Gayle and her family lived, so I was rather surprised when I found they lived not very far away in a very nice neighborhood. I could tell though that house and yard keeping was not at the top of her list of things to do. Mary did the usual try to hide trash under things as we walked in and we could tell she was embarrassed at the state of her home.

I asked the girls to help me out in an effort to clean up downstairs while Elian and Mary went upstairs to clean out the clothing and such that needed to be removed. It took some work and a trip to the store for cleaning supplies but when Mary and Elian came down with bags of trashy clothes we were done. Mary looked around the house like she was in a dream.

“I can’t believe it. Yesterday I left the house planning to go out and hope I woke up in a dream, and for once it actually happened. I had forgotten that the house looked like this once.” She looked at all of us and the tears just came pouring out. “I don’t know if I can keep my promise. I don’t know if I can get the slut out of me. But thanks to you, I can for once in my life try to be the woman and mother my girls can be proud of.” We all went over to the poor woman and gave her a giant group hug.

I packed the boxes of clothes into my car and the ladies all crammed into the other cars. I got back to the house first and packed the boxes into a corner of my garage. Then I went into the house and waited for everyone to get back. After an hour I began to wonder what was going on. They hadn’t shown up and I knew they weren’t that far behind me. I texted Ellen and got a text back saying they had decided to have a girls trip on the way home. They didn’t know when they would be home but to order a few pizzas for dinner. Well that was mysterious. I decided to go ahead and do as they asked. I took a nice hot shower and changed into shorts and a t-shirt. When it got a little closer to dinner I called in for an assortment of pizzas.

The pies arrived about ten minutes before the women came in. They were chatting and giggling as women should rather than the tense unease that had existed before. We all sat down to eat and no matter how much I tested the waters I never found out anything that had happened during their little girls chat time. After clean up the girls went into the back and I took a seat in front of the tube for a show.

Not long after there was a call for me from the girls and I headed back. I passed the dining room and saw Elian holding Mary’s hands and talking in earnest. I walked into the girl’s room and found myself confronted by them all. Ellen led me to sit down on the bed as Gayle closed the door. The girls sat on the floor in front of me with very concerned looks on all their faces.

“Alright, I’m getting a very odd vibe here girls. What’s wrong?” Ellen sat there and smiled. “There isn’t anything really wrong. It’s just that we all have talked and have something to ask of you.” I nodded. “Well it sure seems serious to me. Usually this kind of meeting precedes something big.” The girls all looked to each other and then at me. “Well it is kind of serious. Over the last year you have taken a bunch of very damaged girls and taught them the value of themselves and each other.” Ellen took a deep breath and looked at each of the girls. “We have one more person we would like you to teach what love is and means.” I looked at them and it was my turn to do the dog move number five. I thought about it and when it hit me I felt like a huge idiot.

“Well. I don’t know what to say.” The girls were sitting on the floor but they all seemed like they were on the edge of their seats. “Dad, you have shown that you have a huge capacity for love. We were just hoping that maybe you could find room for just one more.” It was my turn to take a deep breath. “Girl’s it would be a bit different with Mary. I am afraid that a woman like her might want much more from me than you girls would.”

“Well that was kind of one of the things we talked about while we were out. While we didn’t actually say anything that could come back to haunt any of us, it was talked about. Mary talked about how she wished she could find a stable man like you. Elian told her much of what mom did and how you didn’t ever want to have a long term relationship.”

My daughter took a deep breath. “I even went so far as to tell her some of my story. She feels kinda sorry for everything that happened and understands the situation. Mary and Elian talked and we all added a bit here and there. What it all boils down to is that right now Mary is sitting in the living room and she is as nervous as a new bride. She is hoping you will accept her offer as friends with benefits, and we all hope you will too.” Well they had laid out all the cards and were wondering what to do now. I thought about it from every angle I could before going forward. “Girls I know you have talked about it in group but I want to talk to each of you quickly alone before I give you an answer.”