Two Daughters
Copyright© 2021 by DB86
Chapter 7
Mary and Sabrina’s house was old and needed a lot of work. The yard too. The lawn was full of crabgrass. The shrubs were overgrown, in need of a good trimming. Inside and outside, the house needed paint and repairs. No wonder Social Services were on Mary’s back.
A quick inspection told me that the electric service was inadequate and the kitchen was dreadful, with old-fashioned linoleum countertops, cheap cabinets, a gas range that was an antique, a portable dishwasher, and a small refrigerator with no ice maker.
We started with the yard. Sabrina and I spent hours upon hours in that yard, planting new flowers, trimming all the bushes, mowing the lawn methodically, and yanking out weeds at the root. We managed to get the garden into a shape where we could put in flowers and some yard games I bought for her. Sabrina began to dance in the grass, and my chest tightened.
During the next two days, we became inseparable. I helped Sabrina with her homework, just as I had helped Elise. She was a smart kid. She just needed guidance and stability, two things she wasn’t getting in her present situation. Her grades started to be adequate and they kept improving, as time went by.
My job as a pro-bono babysitter, handyman, and tutor became permanent. I was having dinner at Mary’s house every day.
“It’s the least I can do to pay you back for what you’re doing for my daughter,” Mary said.
Of course, I was still sleeping in my camper.
I also got some part-time jobs welding things and a steady job with the local contractor. My new boss and his wife were the owners of the only bed and breakfast in town. His name was Percy and he was a good man.
“If you are as good as you said you are you’ll have a lot of work with me,” Percy assured me.
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