Chapter 7

Ed showered and dressed for the dance and then got Paul ready to spend the evening with Emmy and George. When they arrived at the doctor's home, Sally and Penny had shawls over their heads so Ed still didn't know what the women were going to look like.

Cindy, of course was all excited about her first trip to the beauty parlor and gave a minute by minute description of what went on to make her so lovely. Cindy reveled in the admiration that Ed bestowed on the lovely twelve-year-old. He was more anxious though, to see the two older women.

Supper finally over, the two of them retired to Emmy's bedroom to change. Penny was the first to emerge. Always attractive, she was beauty personified. She was wearing one of his dead wife's better gowns. Tall and almost statuesque, she was beautiful--even more so than his wife had been. Cindy was beside herself in seeing her mother appear in all her glory.

Cindy kept looking at Ed to see how he was receiving what she thought was the most beautiful person ever. It was obvious that the child wanted Ed to fall in love with her mother, so she could have him for her dad.

And then Sally appeared. Everyone but Penny was speechless, for she had helped her friend become this vision. Sally was several inches shorter and somewhat older than Ed and Penny. The beautician had rolled away the years and Sally shyly stood before them, knowing for once that she was pretty.

No one could say just what exactly did the most for her. The black cocktail dress that disguised her thin hips, or the upper enhanced foundation that made her rounder and fuller than she really was. Maybe it was the skin treatment that made her glow with youth. The chic hairdo with its sheen and highlights gave her a pixie look that just made you fall in love with her.

Ed couldn't keep the admiration from his face and Cindy recognized it for what it was. She ran running from the room with tears in her eyes, feeling that Ed would never have that look in his eyes and heart for her mother--and yes, maybe for herself, too. Was she too young for jealousy to rear its ugly head?

George and Emmy stood there mystified as to what was wrong with the little girl. Penny said, "I'll talk to her. This is supposed to be a happy event and she is just spoiling it for everybody."

"No, let me. She has it in her mind of how she wants things to be and she thinks they just aren't working out for her. I had a feeling this was coming sometime, so I guess it is my place to try and fix it."

As Ed went past Sally on his way to Cindy, she whispered, "I'm sorry Ed. I never should have come here with you for Thanksgiving."

Ed squeezed her hand and whispered back, "I'm not sorry. I'm glad you are here." He went forward into the bedroom where Cindy lay face down on the bed.

"Cindy, come sit up and let me hug you while I talk to you. Tell me if I'm wrong in what I am going to say. I do need to hold you when I'm talking to you, though." Cindy reluctantly sat up and let Ed put his arm around her. "I think you want me to be your dad, don't you? I wished I could be, but that would mean that your mom and I would have to marry. Let me ask you, "Do you remember how your mom and Bob acted when they first got together? I suspect they were all kind of lovey-dovey because they were attracted to each other.

"I don't feel that way about your mother and I don't think she feels that way about me. That doesn't mean I don't have a great affection for her just like I have a great affection for you. I think you are also worried that I will go out of your life, but that isn't going to happen, because I love you just like you love me.

"Some day your Mom may find someone to love just like she did with your real dad. Until that happens, I want you to think of me as your dad. If you have a problem or need something, you come to me and we will talk about it and I'll try to help you just as any father would.

"One other thing, your Aunt Sally isn't your real aunt, but she loves you just as if she was, and I know you love her. I don't know her real well yet, but I want to know her better and maybe we will fall in love. If that should happen, that means together this would double our love for you and we would always be there for you."

Cindy sat away from Ed and looked at him. "Is it a secret that you are falling in love with Aunt Sally?"

For a minute Ed felt he had dug a deeper hole for himself and would have a lot of explaining to do to Sally if Cindy declared to the world that Ed loved Sally. "It hasn't happened yet, but the minute it does, I will come and tell you. Until that time I think it is best we keep it a secret, okay?"

"Okay, but do I have to go back out in the other room? I don't want anyone to know I was crying or why."

"I think it would be best because Emmy wants to take some pictures of everybody dressed up. I think you should have some lipstick on to show up real beautiful in the photos. Who do you want to come in and make you pretty to get ready for Emmy and her camera?"

Cindy thought for a second, "I think Aunt Sally. I want to look at her real close to see if you should fall in love with her."

Sally and Penny, before entering the dance club hall, went into the lady's room while Ed secured a table for the three of them. He was nervous, for it had been a weekly event his wife dragged him to. It was in fact as long ago as three years previously when his wife had died.

Several of the people that knew him greeted him as he made his way to an empty table. Stopping him occasionally, everyone expressed their pleasure at his being there. The lights were fully on while the band prepared to resume playing after their brief break.

Ed stood talking to his immediate boss, Bill Brokaw, who was seated at the table adjacent to Ed's. "If you are here alone, Ed you are welcome to sit with us. I'm sure the ladies here will give you a dance. I remember that you and Alice cut a fine figure out on the floor."

"No thanks, Bill. In fact I might just introduce you to someone that you would enjoy dancing with yourself." Ed knew that Bill was single and was actually odd man out sitting with his two sisters and their husbands. Penny and Sally stepped through the door and onto the floor. Both in their own way were as beautiful as any of the other women in the club. Standing there searching for Ed they were getting looks of admiration from all the males. The women--well, envy was uppermost in a lot of their minds.

Spotting Ed, they slowly made their way across the room toward him as he went to meet them. Eloise Hartley, who of course recognized the two, scuttled toward them before Ed got there and loudly exclaimed how lovely Penny was. Ed forestalled any comments Eloise was bound to make because Penny wore another of Alice's dresses.

"Eloise you look nice tonight. That is a beautiful dress, but then you always know how to look the best. Maybe later you will let me have a dance with you. For now, I must get Penny and Sally seated and find something at the bar to drink."

Bill Brokaw was standing at Ed's table when the three reached it and was waiting to be introduced. "Bill, I'd like you to meet Penelope Peters. She and her daughter have been helping me around the house. This is Sally Goodwin. I invited her and her son for Thanksgiving to join Penny, who is her dear friend. Sally lives upstate where Penny is from originally. Ladies this is Bill Brokaw who is my friend as well as the one that gives me orders where we both work."

Bill introduced his sisters and their spouses. "Ed, if you let me join you, I will buy the first round of drinks, but you have to help me carry them." Ed was laughing to himself because this was Bill's way of getting him alone to find out more about these two lovely ladies. Just out of hearing of the seated ladies Bill exclaimed, "Damn it, Ed, you go without women for three years and then you show up with two beauties. Is it going to bother you if I ask the one you called Penny to dance with me?"

"Be my guest, Bill. In fact it will be doing me a favor. Sally asked me to teach her to dance because she hasn't had much opportunity to learn, so I'll be concentrating on showing her how. Penny is a widow and has had it kind of rough. I wouldn't want to see her hurt in any way, but she can hold her own in most instances.

"Sally on the other hand has a sixteen year old son that is developmentally challenged. Her husband divorced her several years ago and she has had to bring the boy up by herself. You know my circumstances and how little fun I've had in the last few years. They both have had even less, so this is my way of giving us all an outing, looking for a pleasant time."

Early in the evening Ed did dance with Penny before Bill monopolized her attention totally. The floor was quite dark and Ed set out to teach Sally some of the steps of the slow numbers. A natural grace and rhythm and the darkness gave her confidence to really enjoy herself with Ed.

Eloise, who knew that Ed didn't approve of her, was very pleasantly surprised when Ed appeared at her side requesting the next dance. Two quick steps and a rumba had the floor cleared and the crowd clapping as Ed and Eloise finished the round. Eloise watched sadly as Ed thanked her and returned to his table where petite Sally was waiting for Ed to take her in his arms again.

As the evening wore on and it was nearly time to pick up the kids, Bill said to Ed, "I know you have to leave soon. If you would like, I can give Penny a ride over to George and Emmy's and you can get in another couple of rounds on the floor with Sally. Penny suggested it. I thank you, Ed, for bringing Penny so I could meet her. I am going to ask her for a date before I leave here tonight. Would that bother you too much? I mean I really don't know what your situation with her is."

"Go ahead and ask and I hope she answers yes for your sake." Bill had been Ed's friend forever and knew that Penny was safe with Bill.

Sally had gained enough confidence dancing so that when one of Bill's sisters suggested that they exchange partners, Sally agreed. Tammy, the sister, wanted to find out from Ed if her brother was safe with Penny. She asked this while she and Ed were dancing. She said that she had never seen Bill so taken with a girl like he had tonight with Penny.

Tammy had caught that Penny was a single mother and wanted to know about her child. "Cindy is a beautiful twelve-year-old. She has latched onto me and I have promised gladly to be a father to her until a better one comes along. She is so nice; I will be reluctant to let her go if and when that time comes. If it comes to that, anyone that becomes a dad to the child will love her as much as I do."

Sally and Ed decided that after the next dance they would leave. It was slow and Ed asked what Tammy's husband and she had talked about while dancing. "He asked me all about Penny. He needs a secretary and wanted to know what I knew about her. I think he may try to hire her. What did you and Tammy talk about?"

"Tammy wanted to know all about Cindy. She was worried that the widow with a child was looking for a meal ticket and had targeted her brother. I assured her that Cindy was an asset, not a liability. From now on though, I'm going to let Bill and Penny chart a course of their own."

"Penny is so lucky in finding someone that might love her and Cindy, and Cindy certainly is not a liability."

"Do you feel that Paul is a liability? You don't act like he is to you."

"Of course he is a liability, but that doesn't mean I love him any less. It does narrow my options a considerable amount though, you have to admit that. Especially if I was to find someone that loved me and then I introduced him to Paul. How long do you think someone that loved me would hang around after he met him?

"I know how much it would hurt me to lose that love. I'm afraid I might start to resent Paul. I have never tried to find someone to love because I know that could happen." Sally was silent as Ed steered her around the dance floor. "Let's not talk about it. Tonight I have felt just like Cinderella and I know it is going to end in a few minutes and I don't want it to."

"Don't give up hope, Sally. Some day someone will love both you and Paul. Then you can live your life just like Cinderella and be happy ever after." Ed brought Sally a little closer into his arms as the dance ended.

When Ed and Sally reached George's house to see if Penny was still there with the kids, they found that she had taken them home already. It was a companionable silence on the way home and Ed held Sally's hand all the way. Just before entering the house, Ed brought Sally into his arms saying, "I suppose tomorrow is back to the real world. I have had a wonderful time tonight. Would it be okay if I kissed you?"