Melinda’s Story
Sunday morning, I was just getting out of the shower when my mother knocked on the bathroom door. “Melinda? You in there? I wanted to talk to you.”
I threw on my bathrobe and opened the door. “What’s up?” Returning to the vanity, I started combing out my hair, watching my mother through the mirror.
“Your father worked well past midnight last night, and your brother is still sleeping. How would you feel about missing church this morning?”
I frowned. “My CCD teacher really doesn’t like that. But, I can go with Pat and Walter. They’re probably already awake.”
“Would that be okay with you?”
I tried not to roll my eyes. “I go with Walter every week. Pat used to come with us but, well, he goes on Saturdays now. Long story.”
“If you don’t mind.”
I shrugged. “Nah. It’ll be fine.”
My mother smiled. “Tell you what. Why don’t you go to Saint Mark’s and then take the boys out to breakfast? My treat. There’s a new breakfast place down the street from there.”
It sounded fantastic. I smiled. “I’d like that. Thanks.”
“Any idea what you three would like to do today?”
I shrugged. “Last night, we were talking about maybe going to the sportsplex, but we weren’t sure we wanted to go on a Sunday.”
“Well, let me know what you decide.”
With a smile, she left the room. I hurried to finish getting dressed so I could go find my friends.
Walter and I had been attending mass together nearly every Sunday since September. It had been a while since Pat had joined us. Part of me was thankful my mother had suggested Saint Mark’s. Technically, the church was closer to our house than our regular parish across town. But it was in Wycomb, and there would be less of a chance of me running into someone I knew. While being seen with Pat didn’t embarrass me, I didn’t like the idea of anyone knowing I was Patrick McGregor’s girlfriend. That was a secret I preferred keeping closely guarded.
The breakfast place wasn’t very difficult to find. It was in a small strip mall down the street and extremely crowded. I turned to Pat as he circled the parking lot.
“I doubt this place has a private room. Are you okay being here?”
He pulled into a space, turning to me with a smile. “Believe it or not, crowds are even better for hiding.”
I wasn’t sure how, but I climbed out of the car. I expected him to disguise himself in his winter hat and scarf as he had done for church, but he didn’t. Instead, he opted for a ball cap and sunglasses. Taking my hand, we followed Walter into the restaurant.
We had to wait a few minutes for a table. Walter grabbed a menu and the three of us huddled in a corner to examine it. By the time a hostess led us to the table, I was fairly certain I knew what I wanted to eat.
Our table was in the corner. Walter slid into the booth while Pat and I sat across from him, our backs to the room. A moment later, a server arrived to take our orders.
As we waited for our breakfast, I glanced between the two boys. “So, what are we doing today?”
Pat glanced out the window. “It’s not that nice of a day. I think the sportsplex will probably be packed.”
I nodded. “I vote staying in, watching movies.”
Pat smiled. “I second that vote.”
Walter frowned. “Well, I vote sportsplex. Maybe Joey and his friend will go with me.”
When we got home, however, Joey decided he would rather Walter help him get to some next level on their favorite video game than go play minigolf or laser tag. Pat and I were just getting comfortable on the couch when my mother knocked on the door frame.
As Pat scooted away from me, my mother entered the room. “What did you guys decide to do today?”
I gestured to the television. “We’re going to watch some movies. Walter’s upstairs killing elves with Joey.”
My mother sat on the opposite couch, glancing between me and Pat a moment before turning to me. “You can say no, but I was wondering if you were available to babysit today.”
I raised my eyebrows. “For Joey?”
My mother gave a small laugh. “No. I don’t think you’ve met the Kennedys yet, have you? They live in the Johnsons’ old house.”
I shook my head. I knew where she meant. It was right across the street. But the neighbors had moved right when I went off to school in September and I had yet to meet them.
My mother nodded. “Greg is an engineer of some sort. Carrie is a nurse. He works days, and she works nights, so they usually don’t need to leave their son with a sitter.”
I sent my mother an expectant look. “But?”
My mother sighed. “Greg went to Texas a few days ago for some business meeting. His flight was canceled, and he’s stuck there. He’s trying to get back, but the storms in the Midwest are causing all sorts of travel problems.”
I tried not to roll my eyes. “While that’s fascinating, I’m not really seeing your point.”
My mother pursed her lips. “Carrie has to go to work tonight and needs a sitter.”
I glanced at Pat. He was playing on his phone. I nudged his leg with my toe. “Would you mind?”
He smiled. “No. Go ahead. I don’t mind killing elves.”
I turned back to my mother. “Yeah, I guess I can.”
My mother shook her head. “Before you say yes, you should know about the boy. I forgot his name. But, he’s special needs. He’s about three, I think, but he has developmental delays. Like Gracie McCrory.”
I thought about the younger sister of my former best friend. Although she was about nine years old, she was several years behind in her intellectual and emotional development. But she was a sweetie and, unlike her sister, I had never minded when she wanted to play with us.
I looked at my mother. “Yeah. That’s fine. I don’t mind.”
My mother bit her lip. “It’s possible Greg won’t get home until around two in the morning. Are you okay with that?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I mean, I’ll probably fall asleep on the couch, but I don’t mind staying that late.”
My mother smiled. “Great. I’ll call Carrie and let her know. She has to leave around five, but she’d like you to go over around lunchtime so the boy can get used to you before she leaves.”
I tried not to roll my eyes. My mother was making it sound like I would be dog sitting. While she went to call the neighbor, I turned back to Pat.
“You sure it’s okay if I spend my day across the street?”
He smiled, moving closer and putting an arm around me. “It’s fine. I don’t mind spending my day with our brothers. Besides, I’ll just text you every five minutes.”
Pat’s Story
Since I usually attended Mass on Saturday nights, getting ready for Church Sunday morning felt weird. I wasn’t sure what was stranger: attending with my girlfriend or her family. Sure, Melinda and I used to go together all the time, but not since Christmas. And I couldn’t remember ever going to Mass with someone else’s family.
When I got to the kitchen, however, I was a little surprised to see Melinda’s mother in her housecoat. Maybe she was already dressed and didn’t want to ruin her outfit? I was too intimidated to ask.
She smiled as I filled a glass with water. “Good morning. How was your run?”
I shrugged. “Punishing. I’ve been running on the track for too long. Uh, what time are we leaving?”
“Mass is at ten, but the church is a good twenty minutes away. Melinda said you three would be okay going by yourselves?”
I was a little taken aback. Melinda’s family wasn’t joining us? I knew they weren’t as devout as my family, but I thought they at least attended Mass. I tried not to let my surprise show.
I shrugged. “Yeah. It’ll be like when we’re at school.”
She nodded. “I told Melinda to take you both out to brunch afterward. My treat.”
Melinda and Walter appeared in the kitchen only a few minutes before we had to leave. I smiled at my girlfriend as we got into the car.
“So, Miss Navigator. Where are we heading?”
She grabbed my phone from the dash, typing in the map program with a frown. “Saint Mark’s, but I don’t remember how to get there. It’s in Wycomb.”
“Where’s that?” Behind me, Walter bit into an apple. He tended to interpret that no eating an hour before communion rule as feel free to eat until reaching the church parking lot.
Melinda shrugged. “Next town over.” She placed the phone on my dash. “We don’t go here often, but it’s closer than our regular parish.”
As I pulled out of the driveway, I glanced at Melinda. “Why aren’t we going to your regular parish?” Was she uncomfortable being seen with me?
Melinda frowned. “It’s on the other side of town. This one’s closer. And my mom said there’s a new breakfast place nearby.”
“Works for me,” said Walter, taking another bite of his apple.
I just shook my head.
When we reached the church, I let Melinda lead the way inside. The interior reminded me a lot of the church near our school. As we settled into a pew in the back, I could almost imagine we were there.
Although it had been a while, the three of us had a routine. We always sat near the back, where fewer people were likely to notice my red hair. Which people were more likely to see because my brother always yelled at me to remove my hat. Melinda always sat between us, hissing at us to stop fighting and sounding a lot like my mother. As usual, we had just enough time to find our missals before the bell signaled the beginning of the service.
After Mass, Melinda navigated to a nearby strip mall. The tiny parking lot was packed. I had to do a lap before finding a space.
Melinda turned to me. “I doubt this place has a private room. Are you okay being here?”
I knew Melinda wasn’t worried about anyone seeing us together. She rarely saw me as a celebrity. However, when the diners around us did, well, the best word to describe the situation would be bedlam. Walter and I experienced this every few months, but Melinda had only witnessed it once.
The thing was, my girlfriend wasn’t concerned about ending up in the tabloids or whatever. I knew her concern was that if I ended up causing a scene, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy my breakfast. I loved that she cared about me like that.
Besides, she had little reason to worry. Pulling into a recently vacated spot, I smiled at her. “Believe it or not, crowds are even better for hiding.”
Of course, a little disguise couldn’t hurt. I threw on my ball cap, trying to hide as much of my red hair as possible before taking my girlfriend’s hand. My brother was already halfway to the restaurant. We quickly followed him.
Walter gave his name to the hostess and grabbed a menu. The three of us hung out in a corner, reading its contents. Everything sounded amazing. Scrambled eggs. Made-to-order pancakes with a plethora of add-ins. Fresh Belgium waffles.
Eventually, the hostess led us to a table in the corner. Walter slid into the booth facing the restaurant. Melinda sat across from him. I settled beside my girlfriend, although that was mostly so I could avoid making eye contact with most of the restaurant.
I stared at the menu some more. Melinda had decided on an egg sandwich and home fries before we had even sat at the table. My pig of a brother was getting an egg platter with French toast, potatoes, and who knew what else.
But those were all foods I could get at school, albeit they were all most likely better here. I wanted something I rarely had. Something our housekeeper wouldn’t even make for me.
When the server arrived, I pointed to my menu. “I’ll have the pancakes with blueberries and chocolate chips.”
Nodding, he scribbled my order on his pad and took my menu. As he left, Melinda made a face at me.
“That sounds either really good or really gross. I can’t decide.”
Walter smirked. “That sounds like a sugar coma waiting to happen.”
I made a face at both of them. “Well, I was going to share, but fine. More for me.”
Melinda rolled her eyes, but I had no idea what she was saying about me. Instead of translating, however, she changed the subject.
“So, what are we doing today?”
I looked outside. The day was gray and not predicted to improve much. We had been toying with the idea of visiting this center that had minigolf, bowling, and a bunch of other activities. However, with crummy weather, I was willing to bet nearly everyone in town would have the same idea.
I sighed. “It’s not that nice a day. I think the Sportsplex will probably be packed.”
Melinda nodded. “I vote staying in, watching movies.” She moved a little closer to me.
I threw my arm around her. “I second that vote.”
Walter made a face. “Well, I vote Sportsplex. Maybe Joey and his friend will go with me.”
Although the restaurant was full, we didn’t have to wait long for our food. I spread a healthy layer of butter on my pancakes, watching it melt almost instantly. After drowning them in real maple syrup, I took a bite.
They were heavenly. The pancakes were light and fluffy. The blueberries added just the right amount of tartness to balance the sweetness of the chocolate.
Melinda traded me a bite of her potatoes for a sample of my breakfast, agreeing they were pretty good. I even let my brother try some, although he found them too sweet.
We were still eating when the server brought the check. I wasn’t surprised. The line of people waiting to be seated was out the door and along the sidewalk. Finishing our meals, we left the restaurant with a full day ahead of us.
I couldn’t wait to spend it watching movies with my girlfriend.
We didn’t get very far. Melinda and I were just settling onto the couch when her mother came into the room. I wasn’t sure if we were in trouble, so I put some space between me and my girlfriend, just in case.
Miss Christina, however, smiled at us. “What did you guys decide to do today?”
Melinda pointed to the television. “We’re going to watch some movies. Walter’s upstairs killing elves with Joey.”
Nodding, her mother sat on the other couch. She wasn’t going to join us, was she? I wasn’t sure I would be comfortable even putting an arm around Melinda with her mother in the room.
But Miss Christina didn’t seem interested in the television. She turned to Melinda instead. “You can say no, but I was wondering if you were available to babysit today.”
Okay. This had nothing to do with me. I pulled out my phone, checking my social media while I half-listened to the conversation. The neighbor across the street needed an emergency babysitter and someone had nominated my girlfriend.
When she kicked me, I glanced at her. She sent me a hesitant look. “Would you mind?”
Yes. But helping the neighbor was more important. Especially on Sunday, God’s day.
I sent her a reassuring smile. “No. Go ahead. I don’t mind killing elves.”
I went back to my phone while Melinda worked out the details with her mother. Eventually, Miss Christina left, and Melinda turned back to me.
“You’re sure it’s okay if I spend my day across the street?”
Smiling, I closed the space between us, pulling her close. “It’s fine. I don’t mind spending my day with our brothers. Besides, I’ll just text you every five minutes.”
Melinda couldn’t stay long. Although the neighbor wasn’t leaving for a while, she wanted Melinda to get to know the baby before she left. After a quick kiss goodbye, I went upstairs to see what the boys were doing.
Attention Hammerheads
Melinda is always trying to build her vocabulary. What were some words in this episode that were new to you? She will add them to her vocabulary journal.
Hartfield Chronicles 