Chapter 77

The fog was long gone but it was still overcast when we got home. I was really starting to see the difference in when it got dark the closer we got to Thanksgiving. It seemed to get dark quicker, too. No gradual darkening, just the realization that it was starting to get dark, then, a minute or two later, darkness. We should have a couple of hours of light left but with the clouds, I didn't know what to think.

Charlie pulled over to the curb and Laurie ran up to my door, followed by her faithful companion. I got out of the car, picked her up and gave her a hug.

Where's Mary?"

"In the house. With Mr. Danij."

"Do you mean 'Dandridge'?"

"Yeah. Dan ... d ... dridge"

"Charlie, your father's inside."

He sighed. "Yeah, I know. That's his car across the street. Hi Laurie."

"Hi, Charlie."

He headed off towards the house. I gave Posie a quick pat and got my box of books out from the backseat.

"Can I help?"

"I don't know." I pulled my rolling case out. "Do you think you can pull this over to the stairs?"

"I'll try."

I pulled up on the handle, snapping it in place, then tilted it so she could grab hold of it. She ended up with her hands over her shoulders, pulling it behind her.

I took the box upstairs and held it against the stucco with my leg while I unlocked the door. Bozo was all set to make his escape but a forceful "Uunnhh! Stay there!" forced him back inside.

Laurie was a few feet from the stairs, trying to muscle it across the lawn. I heard her muttering to herself, "I know I can, I know I can."

I stood on the bottom step, giving her a "Good Job!" when she got to me a few seconds later.

"You want to come up?"

"OK."

"I'll take this. You can bring Posie."

"Ok. Here, Posie."

Bozo was waiting for us when we got to the door. I made him sit until Laurie, Posie and I were securely in the apartment. "OK. Go ahead." He was out the door like a shot.

We went into the kitchen. I looked but didn't see any evidence of the mouse.

"You want an apple?"

"Yes, please."

"Milk?"

"Uh huh."

"Sit down and take an apple from the bowl. I'll get us both some milk."

I put two glasses of milk on the table. "I'll be back in a minute."

I went into the bedroom and called downstairs. Mary answered.

"Hi. Is Charlie's dad still there?"

"He's just leaving."

"Everything OK?"

"I'll talk to you later."

"OK." I hung up the phone and went out to to landing outside the front door. Bozo squeezed inside.

A minute later, Claude came out the back door. He looked worn out, like a man who was losing the fight against the world and life.

"Hi, Mr. Dandridge."

He looked up, startled.

"Oh. Hi Jill. You surprised me."

"How are you doing?"

"Not so good, Honey. I just found out I need to start looking for work."

"Oh, my. Weren't they supposed to hold your job for you?"

"My boss told me he'd try when I left. Evidently his boss didn't feel the same way."

"That's a real drag. Do you have any ideas what you'll do?"

"I don't know. I'm going to have to do something pretty soon if I don't want to lose the house."

"That sucks. Oh. Sorry."

"That's OK, Jill. You're right. It does suck."

"Do you have to rush? Do you have time for a cup of coffee?"

"I really ... No, you're right. There's no place I need to be. I'd love a cup of coffee."

"Come on up, then. It'll give me a chance to show off my new coffee maker."

His shoulders slumped and he took his time making it up the stairs. Depression. It was pretty obvious. They had drugs for that. The same drugs that put his wife in the state she was in now. Which caused him to take care of her and lose his job. It would be ironic if he ended up taking the same drugs that were at the root of his depression.

How do you fix a man like him? Going all bubbly and Mary Poppins on him wasn't the answer. There are legitimate reasons for his state and ignoring them wouldn't do anybody any good.

I think the first thing we needed to do was show him he wasn't alone. From the way Mary had been on the phone, I'd bet she and Charlie were backing off from him. I was sure he already already felt isolated, so more isolation was the last thing he needed. When you have the weight of the world on your shoulders, another pair of shoulders can make a big difference. It just gets easier as you add more and more shoulders.

Once he had some hope, it would be time to find him a job. Sending a depressed man out looking for work would be like going hunting without any bullets.

After he had some control of his finances back, then we would need to find some way for him to feel he was contributing to his wife's recovery. Something more than staying away from her.

I gave him a hug when he got to the landing. He started to pull away but I just pulled him tighter.

"What was that all about?" he asked, when I finally let him escape.

"We've missed you, Claude. It's good to have you back."

"It's worth coming back for a hug like that. I just wish everything else wasn't as bad as it is."

"Come on in the kitchen and I'll put on some coffee."

"Oh, Jill, I thought it was already made. Don't go to any bother for me."

"It's no bother. And I told you I want to show off my coffee maker. Plus, I want a cup of coffee."

Bozo was sitting patiently, watching the two of us.

"Claude, have you met my dog?"

He knelt down and Bozo bounded over to him. "Of course. How are you doing, Bozo?" He roughed him up, his hands on the back of his neck, just above the shoulders. It looked like Bozo was smiling at him.

"Who's this little one," he said.

"That's Posie. She's my sister's baby."

He and Posie made friends. "I saw a little girl out front when I got here earlier. I didn't know you had a sister, though."

"Half sister if you want to get technical about it. My mother and somebody else. You never met her, did you?"

"No, she was gone long before I came on the scene."

"She showed up a few weeks ago, fighting cancer. Daddy said he'd take care of Laurie and helped her get her affairs in order and a couple of days later she was dead. Mary has been watching her during the day and my father takes over at night. He's trying to find someone to watch her."

"Well, I've got the time but I know I don't have the patience. I'm afraid I wouldn't be very good company for anyone right now, much less a child."

"Well, come on in the kitchen and I'll introduce the two of you."

I could see Laurie was wrapping her apple core in a napkin when we got to the kitchen.

"Whatcha doin' with that?"

"I'm gonna take it home and plant it. That way I'll have peaches, watermelons and apples."

"Sounds pretty good. Is there going to be enough room back there for Posie?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Don't know. We do have grass all over the front lawn, you know."

I stuck my tongue out at her. "Well, Excuuuuuse me!"

She giggled.

"Claude," I said, "I'd like you to meet my sister, Laurie"

He said, "Hello, Laurie."

"Hi Mr. Dan-er-edge."

He looked surprised. "How did you know my name?"

"From when you told Mary. At the door."

He looked at me, a look of astonishment on his face. "She's right. I said it when I was at the front door and she asked who was there." He looked back at her. "I'm very happy to meet you."

"Mr. Dandridge is Charlie's father," I told her.

"Oh."

"Are you going to be another Johnny Appleseed, Laurie?" he asked her.

"Who's that?"

"He's a man who lived a long time ago. He grew apples all over a few states in the East. At least they're in the East compared to here. When the trees got big enough he would trade them with people for clothing or food and would give what he got to people who needed it."

"I'm not big enough to do that."

"Oh. OK."

I had swapped filters and filled the reservoir and was scooping in the beans when he said, "That's some machine. Does it grind the beans?"

"Yup. Wait till you taste it."

I closed the cover and pressed the button to start the process. I put my lid back on the beans and put them in the freezer. I'd have to ask Jack to stop for some more coffee while we were out tonight. We had enough for a couple of days but our coffee was a lot more popular than it used to be. I had a pretty good idea I'd use a lot on Thursday.

Laurie had charmed Claude into lifting her up to the sink and helping her wash her hands. From the smile on his face, he may have been wrong. Maybe being put in charge of her would snap him right out of his doldrums.

The phone rang and I ran back to our room to answer it. It was Mary.

I took the phone in the kitchen with me. "Laurie, Mary's on the phone. She wants to know if you''re going to stay up here or go downstairs."

"Can I play up here?"

"Sure. You want to eat here, too? If Daddy doesn't come before dinner?"

"Yes, please."

"OK."

I told Mary what was going on.

"Did Daddy say when he'd pick her up?"

"Nope. He had some appointments at the hospital and didn't know when he'd be free."

"OK. Jack and I have an appointment tonight. One of my web pages. I'll feed her if he's not here in time but we have to be out of here for a 7:00 appointment. I'm not sure how far it is but I'll bet we need to leave by 6:30, maybe even 6:15."

"That's fine. We'll be here."

Laurie took the two dogs out to the living room while Claude and I sat at the table with our coffee.

"I haven't had a cup of coffee this good for a long time. Certainly not in Mexico."