Runaways (Orphans 5)

He squinted, squeezing his hazel eyes into slits, and then smirking rather than smiling at us, as if he was disappointed in either what he saw or what he had heard. He had a soft mouth with a lower lip that appeared swollen, and a small cut on his chin. He had Patsy's nose, a little broader at the bridge, but his ears were larger and came more to a point at the tops.

Danny wasn't fat or physically impressive, but he did have the beginnings of a beer belly. There was no question he wouldn't win any contests, unless it was a contest to choose the least hygienic looking man under twenty-five.

"You could say hello, Danny," Patsy urged. "Hello," he muttered and turned back to his coffee. "What the hell are they going to do?" he asked her.

"Mostly what you should be doing," she replied. "Come along, girls, and I'll get you some linen and things to use to clean up the place. Danny, could you pull the boards off the cottage windows, please?"

He grunted.

She shook her head sadly and we followed her to the trailer. The moment she opened the door, she began a string of apologies. Danny had his clothes strewn about, empty beer cans, cigarette butts, and dirty dishes on the kitchen table. She made an attempt to pick up some of it.

"I begged him to clean up before he came out today. He had some of his friends over last night. Late," she added. She groaned and put her hand on her lower back as she straightened up after getting a beer can off the floor. "Be right back," she said, going farther into the trailer.

Crystal looked at me and shook her head. "Why is he so mean to his mother?" Butterfly asked.

"What he needs is a good kick in the rear end," I mumbled.

Patsy brought us sheets, towels and a pail with cleaning liquids. She gave Raven the mop and some sponges.

"Let me know what else you need. About four, we'll get ready for the dinner crowd. We've been getting a pretty good one la

tely," she said. "Well," she added, "welcome to the Crossroads, girls."

We were at a crossroad, I thought--a place to catch our breath and decide if we were just fooling ourselves with our dreams or if we were really halfway toward finding a real home.

8 In Sickness and in Health

Since both Raven and I had experience working as waitresses, we decided that for the first day or so at least, Crystal and Butterfly would be in charge of cleaning up the cottage. Danny had grudgingly removed the boards from the windows and we realized immediately that we'd need curtains or shades. I improvised using towels so we would have some privacy and keep the sunshine from waking us too early in the morning, although getting ready for the breakfast crowd meant we'd usually be up before the sun anyway.

Raven was the first to grumble about the early hour, though we all wanted to crawl back under our sheets and warm blankets. "It's turning out that we're worse off being free!" she exclaimed.

Crystal started to laugh and then stopped, put on her schoolteacher face, and told Raven that real freedom meant responsibility, not only for yourself, but often for someone else.

"I know, I know, I just wish we could sleep in a little longer," she said with a yawn. Crystal looked at me as if to say, "I tried," then dropped the subject. Whether we liked it or not, we would be up very early every morning for as long as we stayed.

Charlie was always there before daylight, making fresh pancake batter, grits, oatmeal and coffee. He could make some wonderful omelettes, too; and from what we quickly learned, his reputation as a cook was, along with the attractive prices, what kept Patsy's following consistent and loyal.

"You girls are a breath of fresh air," he told us. "I ain't seen Patsy this bright and cheery for a long time. Lately," he added, "she ain't had all that much to make her bright and cheery."

Hanging around Charlie, you would never know there was any doom and gloom about the place. No matter how busy we got or how flustered one of us became, Charlie was always cheerful and lighthearted. He was easy to work with, patient and friendly. He never lost his temper when one or the other of us would mix up an order, but I did see his eyes grow darker and the smile leave his face whenever Danny appeared. Danny didn't speak to him with any respect either. He always made demands rather than requests and he never thanked Charlie, or anyone for that matter.

That first night we all ate dinner early. I asked Patsy where Danny was. She didn't know and I was sorry I had asked. It brought darkness to her eyes. By the time we were ready to greet our dinner customers, Danny appeared. He wasn't exactly cleaned up, but he had changed his shirt to a newer, fresher-looking tee shirt with the words Lions 5, Christians 0 on the front, and a pair of less faded and grubby-looking jeans. He wore the same grungy sneakers and no socks. Some attempt had been made to brush his hair back and he had shaved.

Not only had he avoided all the dinner preparations, but it was quickly apparent that he wasn't there to work.

"It doesn't look like you'll need me here tonight, Ma. I'm going out with Terry and Mark," he announced. Before Patsy could respond, he added, "I need ten bucks."

He marched right to the register, took out a ten, glared my way, and then closed it.

Okay?" he said to Patsy.

She wiped a dish and looked down.

"Where are you going, Danny?"

"I said out," he replied. "Out's out. Right?" he said, challenging me.

"Well, there's far out, there's out of the way and there's out of your mind," I responded.