Web of Dreams (Casteel 5)

When we reached the hotel I asked the hotel receptionist to let Daddy know I was here. I was going to run into Daddy's arms and hold him as tightly as I could the moment he came downstairs. I stood waiting, watching the indicator that told what floor each elevator was presently on. I saw one moving down five, four, three, two . . . the doors opened and Daddy stepped out, but I didn't run to him as I had planned.

He was holding a woman's hand. She was a thin woman with gray and black hair cut just below her ears, and she was very tall, as tall as my father. She wore a dark blue cardigan suit and thick-heeled shoes. Daddy smiled at me, but he didn't release the woman's hand. She smiled too and they both began walking toward me. I waited, my heart pounding. This had to be the woman he had written about in the letters, the woman he said made him happy, Mildred Pierce.

"Leigh," Daddy said, finally holding his arms out to me. I embraced him, but I didn't hold on to him. Instead, I stepped back quickly and looked at Mildred Pierce more closely. Unlike Momma, she had pale skin, a hard, bony face and deep, dark eyes. Her thin lips looked as if they would snap like rubber bands when she smiled and stretched them. Daddy kept his hands on my shoulders.

"You look older and more beautiful than ever," Daddy said.

"Thank you, Daddy," I replied. They were the words I'd wanted, waited to hear, but right now they almost didn't matter. I was still staring at the woman beside him.

"Leigh, this is Mildred," Daddy said.

"Hello, Leigh. I've heard so much about you. I couldn't wait to meet you," she said and extended her hand. She had long, thin fingers, and her hands were not anywhere as soft and feminine as my mother's hands.

"Hello," I said. I shook her hand quickly.

"Are you hungry?" my father asked. "I have reservations for us here at the hotel. I thought that would be most convenient. Actually," he said taking Mildred's hand again, "Mildred thought that. She's a wonderful planner, what we call a details person."

"Oh Cleave. I just do what seems most efficient."

"Just like her to belittle her work. Mildred's an accountant, Leigh, so she knows about efficiency."

"Let's not talk about me," Mildred said taking my hand and leading us toward the hotel restaurant. "Let's talk about you. I want to know all about you. I have two children of my own, you know."

"You do?"

"Yes. They're both in their twenties and both married with children of their own, so I don't have anyone to baby anymore."

"I'm not a baby either," I snapped.

"Of course you're not, dear," Mildred said. She winked at my father. "Anyone can see you're a young lady."

We entered the restaurant and the maitre d' took us to our reserved table. Daddy pulled out Mildred's chair and the maitre d' pulled out mine. Now that we were seated, I looked at him more closely. There were no major differences in his appearance, although he looked much happier than he did the last time I had seen him. His beard was trim, his cheeks rosy. I thought his hair was cut shorter, but he wore the same suit and tie, what Momma had despairingly come to refer to as his "uniform."

"So tell me, how was this school you attended?" Daddy asked.

"It was all right," I said.

"Just all right?"

"It's a good school," I confessed. "But I like being in a public school more and none of my teachers are as good as Mr. Abrams," I added quickly.

"Mr. Abrams was the tutor I employed whenever we took Leigh on a voyage during school session," Daddy explained to Mildred. She nodded with approval.

"I can't wait to go on another voyage," I said. Daddy nodded, a smile around his eyes, but he didn't make the offer I had hoped he would make instantly.

"And how is your mother doing?" he asked.

"She's happy, I suppose. busy with her bridge and theater and friends."

"And Mr. Tatterton? His business must be doing well."

This was my chance to talk about the portrait doll, I thought, but I didn't want to do it in front of this woman I hardly knew. I decided I would wait until Daddy and I were alone.

"I guess so. I missed you, Daddy," I said quickly. I didn't want to talk about anything else but him and me. Again, he nodded without saying any of the things I had hoped to hear. I wanted him to tell me how much he had missed me and how much he wanted me to be with him. I wanted him to explain how we would be together more and I wanted him to propose a trip, a plan for us to spend time together, but instead, he looked at the menu.

"Let's order. I'm starving," he said.

I didn't care about eating. I didn't care if we never ordered.