Chapter 3

Ethel sat Ann, Brenda and Father Adams at the kitchen table and started to busy herself fixing breakfast for all of them. Just as she sat the food in front of them there was a knock on the door.

Father Adams walked into the living room and answered the door. He returned in a minute followed by another man who introduced himself as Sam Bradbury, Rosie Bradbury's son. Ethel got him a coffee and sat him down at the kitchen table. She insisted that he allow Ann and the baby to get something to eat before he started talking to her about taking care of Rosie.

After Ann finished her breakfast Sam Bradbury looked at Ethel, as if to get her approval to start talking to Ann about the position. Ethel gave him a quick nod of her head.

"Mrs. Adams tells me that you might be interested in being a live-in companion for my mother. Have you had any experience taking care of an elderly person?"

Ethel dropped her fork and glared at Sam, "Sam Bradbury, shame on you. Ann is taking good care of a baby and taking care of Rosie will be a lot easier than taking care of a child."

Sam looked at Ethel sheepishly and changed his line of questioning, "Ethel told me that you seemed to be a real nice person and that you needed a job and a place to stay. I'm looking for someone that will take care of my mother and make sure that she gets to the doctor when she needs to and to make sure she takes her medicine like she should. I'm looking for someone that will stay as long as we need you. I can't be coming back here every 3 weeks to hire someone new. Does that sound like something that would suit you?"

Ann smiled weakly, "Yes, I need a place to stay and I enjoy taking care of people. Back home I ran a day-care out of my home so taking care of one person will be like a vacation."

Sam leaned forward in his chair, "Tell me a little about you. Who are you and where are you from?"

Ann told him about her marriage to Ray and how she had to get away from him because of his gambling and his indebtedness to loan sharks. She left out the part about being raped and threatened by the two men.

When she had told Sam as much as she dared he pushed his chair back a little, "When could you start?"

"I could start immediately, Mr. Bradbury."

Sam Grinned, "Just call me Sam. Ethel told me that you ran out of gas in front of the church. I've got a 5-gallon can of gas in my trunk. How about we get your car started and I'll take you over to meet my mother. I think that you'll like her. She's always been a pleasant person and I'm sure that she'll love having someone to talk to again. I know that she'll love having your child around. Just one thing; she's a bit forgetful so you'll have to keep an eye on the medicines."

Before they left, Sam thanked Father Adams and Ethel for their help and promised to take a couple of days to help Ann get settled into the house before he left for California. After they left the house Sam put the gas into her car and made sure it started. He gave her directions to Rosie's house in case they got separated and then took her to meet Rosie. Ann listened but his directions seemed like Greek to her; she knew nothing about Alexandria, Virginia.

Thankfully, they didn't get separated on the way to Rosie's house. As they pulled in front of the house, Ann saw that it was an older home in an older section of town. The neighborhood was a quiet one, the urban sprawl had by-passed this area.

Sam walked Ann and Brenda around the house outside showing them the yard and the garage where Ann could park her car.

"My mother never learned to drive so the garage hasn't been used for years," Sam said. "I don't think that my mother has put too much stuff in the garage. You might have to clean out a bit of junk to fit your car in here."

When Ann marveled about how large the house was Sam told her that he had the house insulated a few years ago and had energy-efficient windows installed to keep down the heating bills.

When the three of them walked into the house they found Ethyl sitting next to Rosie Bradbury. They were laughing and talking loudly with much gesturing and talking. Rosie's face brightened when she saw Ann and Brenda.

"Oh my, look at this beautiful little girl," Rosie said, putting her hands out to Brenda, "You're going to be a little heart breaker when you grow up young lady.

Rosie put her hands out to Brenda and the child walked over to her and climbed in the woman's lap. Rosie started asking Brenda about her trip and how she liked Virginia. Soon the two were cuddling and talking and totally ignoring the others in the room. Brenda listened intently to everything that Rosie said and spoke the few words she knew to anything Rosie said.

Sam waited a couple of minutes and then interrupted the pair, "Mom, this is Ann and you already know Brenda I think. Ann needs a place for her and Brenda to stay and I thought that maybe you and Ann and Brenda might share this big house. I think that it would work out for all of you. You need some help with this house and they need a place to stay."

Rosie looked over at Ann and snickered, "Sam thinks that I don't know that he has been looking for someone to take care of me. I have a little trouble with the stairs and the laundry and cooking is getting to be a bit much for me. I realize that I need a little help. Sam thinks that I'm so senile that I don't know what's going on."