When it came time for the girls to go to bed Elle ‘suggested’ that I stay downstairs since I wasn’t needed to move the mattress for Barbara to sleep on. I wasn’t expecting that and wondered if Barbara had said something to Elle. As with the previous night, Barbara stayed upstairs with Kaye until she fell asleep. Elle had come down and and it gave me a chance to ask if Barbara had said anything about Elle’s ‘accident’ when they’d been at the school or afterwards. She said that she hadn’t but wanted to know why I wanted to know. I knew at that point that I’d gone too far and was struggling to give her an answer. The timing for Barbara to come down the stairs was perfect and we talked about her plans for college even though she was only a sophomore. I’ve mentioned that I’d noticed her maturity and it appeared she had her ’plan’ pretty much in place. If she could earn enough scholarship money she wanted to go to the University of Pennsylvania and to study psychology. I asked why and she smiled. She looked right at me and answered that she was curious as to why people do what they do. I remember thinking that she was, in some way, referring to the conversation we’d had a few days before.
I was disappointed in that she’d come down wearing pants and not in the robe she’d worn the night earlier. As we climbed the stairs on our way to bed I started to think that hopes for a reprise of the morning ‘peeks’ were fading. Lying in bed i could only hope I was wrong. I wasn’t. When Elle’s 7am alarm went off I sat up in bed and looked into Kaye’s room and saw the mattress was empty. After pulling my pants on I got up and took a look into the room. Kaye was still asleep but barbara was gone. A look down the hall towards the bathroom found it empty. I looked into both Jean and Anne’s rooms and still no Barbara. That left no where to look but downstairs. By then Elle was on her way into the bathroom so I headed downstairs. Halfway there I could hear sounds from the shower. That confirmed that I wasn’t going to get the peeks I’d hoped for and made me a bit sad.
Barbara had to work that day but the store didn’t open until 10am. Elle and I asked her to watch the kids while we voted. I drove her to work and on the way I asked how she came to get the job. She laughed and said her mother got it for her. The people who owned the store were originally from Germany (as was her mother) and once the ‘connection’ was made they were fast friends. I told her I didn’t understand her work schedule... Saturdays and holidays. She laughed again. The son of the owner worked for the railroad as the assistant station master but only a few hours a day on weekdays but full days on weekends and holidays. The rest of the time he worked at the store. She added it was perfect for her because she was busy after school with extra curricular activities. As she got out of the car I asked if she liked what she did. Another smile... and the answer... ”No“ (38)
Elle got a phone call from Barbara’s mother during the afternoon saying that they expected to be back before dark. Because they weren’t sure exactly what time she asked if we could pick Barbara up at work. Because the weather had turned cold and nasty I spent my time working on a sign in the basement. I knew Elle had rounded up all of Barbara’s things... sheets, towels and clothes and had placed them on the end of the kitchen counter to make it easy for Barbara to make the transition back home. When I came upstairs to go get her I was surprised to see Elle putting a pile of sanitary napkins into a paper bag and I asked why. Her answer seemed simple... Barbara had told her that after she got used to the ‘package’ it gave her a better night’s sleep even if she did wet in it. So, Elle decided to give her some and a pair of plastic panties to see if her mother would go along with it. That little bit of information prompted me to comment on Barbara’s condition and I remember saying that I hoped it wouldn’t affect her as she got older and headed off to college.
As I left to go get Barbara I noted that there were no lights on next door. In a way I hoped her parents wouldn’t be there when we returned because I wanted to hear what Elle would say about the pads and plastic panties but they were. We could see the lights as we approached my house and Barbara asked if I’d take her right to her house. I mentioned that all her things were ready for her but she said she really wanted to see her parents, brothers and sister. When she exited the car she said she’d be over later to thank us. Returning home I remember thinking that her visit was a good experience for me and my kids. I hoped that she felt the same.
Back home I told Elle and the kids that Barbara would be over later to get her things. The girls were already sad. It was a much more subdued meal without her. Elle commented that she hoped Barbara would be able to find time to visit from time to time. When the clock started creeping up towards 8pm, the time the girls headed for bed, I began to wonder if She’d show up. Almost immediately there was a knock on the door. The light for the patio was on so it was easy to see it was Barbara. When I opened the door there was Phyllis as well. She had a shopping bag in her hand and as soon as she stepped inside reached in and started handing out packages to each of the girls. Of course they were excited and we watched as the opened them. They turned out to be small ceramic headed dolls dressed in traditional German costumes. Barbara explained some of the things they were wearing and as she did Phyllis handed Elle a much bigger box. I was standing there and remembering how difficult it had been to get to know her and here she was handing out presents and with a smile. Elle fought her way through the wrapping and found an authentic German beer tankard but different from any I’d ever seen. It was Santa Clause. The girls all came over to look. I’d never seen one like it before (or since).
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| Ho, Ho, Ho! |
Both Phyllis and Barbara proceeded to thank all of us for the hospitality. There were plenty of hugs both individual and group. As they were leaving Elle told Barbara that she expected periodic visits and she promised that she would. The last thing she did was to give Kaye her picture and her reaction was priceless. Unfortunately, it was over before I could get to the camera. It was bed time and when she climbed in Elle had to pry it out of her hand.
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| Barbara |
To be continued...
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