Blond, Black, and Blue Page 5

  “We all agree. When shall I start, ”she asked.

  “Tomorrow night for me, but the customers sent you this tonight.” He emptied the basket in his hand onto the table. When they counted it, there was one hundred eighty dollars there!

  Caitlyn looked at Aunt Betty, her eyes sparkling, Aunt Betty knew what Caitlyn was thinking; she could at last, contribute to the household.

  If it turned out that she was indeed pregnant, she could at least work for awhile.

  The second week Caitlyn worked for Mr. McCloud, she told him her reason for moving to Branford, Mass.

  “I wrote a song about my marriage, although it is kind of silly, I would like your permission to include it in my program one night,” Caitlyn asked.

  “Could I hear it now?” Mr. McCloud said.

  “Oh, yes, it is called ‘THE WORM HAS TURNED.’

  Married eight years, with eight years of abuses.

  Too much poverty too many bruises.

  You sent me ‘tail over teacup’, but now I quit

  If you catch fire, I will not even spit!

  This worm has turned, so let me give you a clue,

  This battered wife has a surprise for you.

  The world is too big to live in the mess you made.

  So now I’m marching in my own parade.

  Take care of that woman who gets your money.

  Cause I do not live here anymore, honey.

  If you come here, when you leave that dive,

  You will get a taste of my new forty five.

  Well, you were put in the ground a week ago.

  At least you reap just what you sow.

  You are only a bad memory buried in that place.

  It is a much better world without your face.

  My uncle, the Sheriff, said he had to agree,

  It was the worst case of suicide he ever did see.

  But then Uncle Bob has never been out of town,

  And four bullets in the head has a suicidal sound.

  Tonight I’m on the town, feeling fine looking good.

  Why I could not come with you, I never understood.

  And the friends I’ve made love having me around.

  While I’m doing the two step, you are in the ground.

  As Caitlyn finished singing, Mr. McCloud laughed said, “My opinion is, all the abused women in the audience will love it. If you get a good reaction, go for it.”

  It surprised them both when it became the most requested song in her repertoire.

  A large group of women who always came in together twice a week, had memorized the song and they would laugh uproariously while they sang along with Caitlyn. It was such a happy group and Mr. McCloud’s business was booming.

  Ben and Betty came in often for dinner and a sing-a-long. Ben loved Caitlyn’s voice and he loved Caitlyn’s Aunt Betty too. He was a happy man these days. It felt good to be part of this loving family.

  Caitlyn walked on air for days, she was so happy over her new job. She loved to sing and the customers were so responsive and everyone had fun. It was a week later when she got her notice to appear before the judge for the dissolution of marriage. Jessie did not even ask for part time custody or visitation rights to see the children. Caitlyn was not surprised at this , since he wanted the children fed and in their rooms when he came home each night.

  She had been working in McCloud’s Restaurant a month when she got another surprise. The banks had foreclosed on Jessie’s house, and he had bankrupted against his other bills, which were unknown to Caitlyn. Her attorney had found out he and the girlfriend had moved to California. He had made a large salary, but the girlfriend was expensive. Jessie had dug himself quite a hole.

  This meant no child support, but somehow Caitlyn was relieved. If she could make ends meet at all, she would rather be completely free of Jessie.

  Aunt Betty was her usual positive practical self. “We can not see the future anyway, so let us just take one day at a time. We will not begin to worry until we start missing meals,” she said with a smile.

  When Caitlyn began to get bigger, she told her boss she was pregnant.

  He was very understanding. “That is a tough break Caitlyn, but, again, it could also be a blessing in disguise. We will put some plants in front of the microphone when your clothes can not conceal it any longer. We’ll work it out for you,” he said kindly.

  Then at the end of February their neighbor, Daniel Connelly returned from his assignment abroad. He was very thin and his face was drawn and gaunt. He was pale and his eyes looked haunted.

  One look at him and Betty thought, he has either been sick or in prison somewhere, the very life seemed to be drawn out of him.

  The children saw nothing wrong with Daniel and were excited to see him. He sat on the sofa with a child on each knee. When Betty tried to pry them away from him, he pleaded with her to let them stay.

  “I’ve missed these guys and need to make up for lost time,” he said, pulling the children near.

  Betty told him of Caitlyn’s job and other news of local interest.

  “A singer you say,” he said in surprise, then leaned toward her,

  “Miss Betty,” Daniel said in a confidential tone of voice. “I need to talk to Caitlyn so will you make an excuse that you need the car one day and let me bring her home?”

  “I do love a conspiracy Daniel, I’ll do it. Truthfully, I do need the car Sunday night. How will that be?” Betty asked.

  “Perfect, absolutely perfect, that will give me two days to get over jet lag,” Daniel said.

  He had the strangest request for Caitlyn anyone had ever heard of. She would probably order him off the property or slap his face, or both, but he intended to ask her anyway. He had come back from the Middle East a disillusioned man. The chaos and cruelty he saw there had made him want to quit his job, and he probably would. He did not have the stomach for it anymore.

  The children were delighted to show him how much the puppies had grown and they played with them until Daniel said he had to go home. He realized he was exhausted from the long flight.

  Logan put his hand out to shake and said, “Captain, we are glad you are home. We missed you.”

  Sarah had her arms tight around his neck and said, “We missed you every day. Please do not go away for so long again.”

  “Sweetheart, I promise you I will never be gone that long again,” Daniel said softly as he wiped tears from her cheeks.

  The next morning Betty told Caitlyn about Daniel returning and how the children had responded.

  “He stole Sarah’s heart the first time he sat her on his lap. Then when he gave her a puppy, that sealed it. For Logan it was letting him be first mate on the sail boat. For a bachelor he is very good with children,” Caitlyn said pensively.

  On Sunday, Betty drove Caitlyn to work so she could use the car. Millie needed her today as it was the anniversary of her daughter’s death. Betty always spent this day with her.

  Millie had come to love Logan and Sarah. She had the day planned around them. Her daughter had miscarried twice and Millie felt it was from the beatings she received. Her children would have been about Logan and Sarah’s ages. Her greatest happiness was being ‘Aunt Millie’ to Logan and Sarah.

  Caitlyn was in the middle of a song when Daniel walked into the restaurant. He smiled and lifted his hand to give her a little wave. When the set was over, she walked over to his table.

  He stood until she was seated, then said, “Aunt Betty asked if you would ride back with me tonight. The kids have had a busy day with their Aunt Millie and they are all tired. How late do you sing on Sunday night?”

  “I have one more set which will last about an hour. The last half hour is a sing-a-long. It seems to be a favorite of most people. Do you have a personal favorite?”

  “Not me, b
ut my grandmother’s favorite was ‘Just a Closer Walk With Thee’. She was my favorite person in the world and that is a song she sang a lot. I really would love to hear it again,” Daniel said pensively.

  “No sooner said than done. We will do that one first,” Caitlyn promised.

  “While you are on your break, will you have a drink with me?” Daniel asked.

  “I‘d better just have an iced tea, thanks,” Caitlyn answered.

  They both thought the new restaurant was a great idea and discussed the merits of the food and entertainment until it was time for Caitlyn’s last set. Daniel watched her as she walked to the mike.

  As promised, she sang Daniel’s favorite first. The band seemed to sound better than they ever had, Caitlyn’s voice seemed to fill the room as the beautiful notes seemed to float through the air.

  Daniel was awed by Caitlyn’s talent. She even had him singing the beautiful hymn. As he sang, he could feel the tensions ease that he had carried with him from the war zone.

  Caitlyn’s set lasted twenty minutes over time, but she did not mind. To look at all the happy faces of her audience was more than enough pay for the extra time.

  When Daniel and Caitlyn rode home she asked about his latest assignment and the country he was in.

  “That is something I wanted to talk with you about. First, let me explain something about myself. Other than my Grandmother, I’ve never loved anyone in my life. I’ve wanted to be in love but it just never happened. Now here’s the tricky part, I love your children to the point of obsession. Do not for a minute think I’m a man who likes children in a wrong way. I’m just a man without relatives or family.

  “While I was gone I saw so much death and devastation. I came home determined to see if you would marry me so I could be their Dad. Do not say no right away please. Think it over. I know your marriage was not a bed of roses. Marriage to me might not be either, but I’ll treat you like a lady. I’ll never strike you or the children. I have plenty of money and you would have your own checking account and never have to answer for anything you spend,” he said with passion.

  “Daniel, you are one of the finest people I know. This odd proposal is very touching, but I have to say no before I even tell you the reason. You’ve surely noticed I’m pregnant!” Caitlyn asked incredulously.

  “No, as a matter of fact, I thought it one of the newer fashions,” he answered smiling, then as a thought struck him he said, “That is not the reason you are saying no is it?”

  “Of course,” Caitlyn answered. “I can not imagine you’d want to marry someone six months pregnant!”

  “Why that just makes it better. The little one will be born with my name. We have plenty of room in that house for three children,” Daniel said enthusiastically.

  “Daniel, I can not make a decision like this all at once. I’ll be home the next four days, could we talk about it again tomorrow?” Caitlyn asked, feeling very confused.

  “Sure we can, I did not mean to rush you. Look, I had our drinks put in a carryout cup. Let us just sit in the car, talk about something else and just relax,” Daniel said, hoping he had not spoken too soon.

  “So, what did you all do while I was gone? Any more fishing expeditions?” Daniel asked.

  “We’ve just fished off the pier, however, the children keep some fat worms in reserve, just in case it is warm enough to go on the water. Aunt Betty wants to have the boat painted before we go on the lake again. The children spend all their days with their dogs. I do not know what they did with their time before those puppies. The therapy alone is priceless,” Caitlyn said smiling.

  “Say, how about if I come get all of you for dinner at my house tomorrow night. I‘d like for you to see the house, think about what life might be like. At any rate, we will all have a steak dinner and chocolate cake, if you will bring the cake,” Daniel enthused.

  “I remember your steaks I’ll be glad to make a cake. The school bus will bring Logan home at three thirty, so any time after that. You have already been so good to all of us,” Caitlyn said gratefully.

  Aunt Betty was waiting up for Caitlyn when she got home. “I was getting worried about you, I hope you did not have car trouble, she said”

  “Not at all. Daniel wanted to talk, and you could not guess in a hundred years what he wanted to talk about,” said Caitlyn.

  “Does he want his dogs back? It will break the children’s heart if he does,” Betty answered worriedly.

  “Aunt Betty, he wants to marry me so he can have the children. Is that backward or what? Before you ask, I told him I would have to think about it awhile,” Caitlyn explained.

  “Does he realize you’re pregnant?” Betty asked.

  “He’s excited over it. He says the baby would be born with his name. He was rendered sterile by a mishap with mumps. He has me so confused, because it is the last thing I expected. Truthfully, I do not think I could trust another man enough to marry him. He’s invited all of us for dinner tomorrow night. He wants me to look over the house and see if I think I could happy there. I can not believe this has even happened. From a romantic standpoint, I feel dead. What should I do Aunt Betty?” Caitlyn asked.

  “For tonight, you should have a nice long soak in a perfumed bath. It seems we already have plans for tomorrow, so we will take one day at a time and the decision will present itself at the proper time,” Betty answered. “Now off you go and enjoy your soak. It sounds as though Ben’s predictions about you two hitting it off on our first night out just could have some merit,” she continued.

  Caitlyn awoke the next morning with a tingle of excitement. “What is this?” she thought. ‘I’ve got no reason to feel excited. I’m not jumping into a problem again, I have not decided anything, why do I have this uncontrollable urge to smile? To weigh the pros and cons, he is a handsome man, the children adore him, he certainly appears generous, and he is great with the children. That is it! He is too nice, maybe he is hiding something. Tonight I’ll look for flaws. We all have them, but some are too big to live with.’ Even though she tried hard to be casual, Caitlyn could not help the warm feeling of happiness that crept in.

  The children were ecstatic over the prospect of going to Daniel’s house. Sarah spent most of the day drawing him a picture on poster paper. Caitlyn wanted to discourage her from giving it to Daniel, but Aunt Betty persuaded her to allow Sarah to give it to him.

  After making her chocolate cake, Caitlyn carefully did her nails, then her hair, and decided to wear the new pants suit she had just bought.

  When Logan got home from school, he brought the pencil holder that he had been working on in his craft class. He had painted a sailboat on it then asked his Mom if he could give it to Daniel.

  “It really looks more like a man’s pencil box than a woman’s Mom. The next thing I make will be for you,” he promised.

  “You are right darling, it does look like a man’s pencil box. I will bet Daniel will love it, you did such a good job on it,” Caitlyn said lovingly.

  Daniel was there to get them promptly at four pm, looking great in white slacks and a black cotton shirt.

  After the children gave him a hug, they gave him his presents they had made for him.

  “You two made them for me?” Daniel asked incredulously. “No one ever made me a present before. I have been needing a pencil holder for my desk. Logan, how did you know just what I needed most? This box is so well made and you made it for me.”

  “Do you not like my picture?” Sarah asked looking sad.

  “Like it? I love it. I’m going to have it framed and put in my living room, or maybe in my office. You will have to help me decide where it will look the best,” Daniel answered enthusiastically.

  Logan and Sarah were all smiles over Daniel liking their gifts.

  “Thank you,” Caitlyn whispered later.

  “I meant every word I said to those children,
” Daniel replied.

  When Daniel gave Caitlyn and the children a tour of his home they were in awe. The home had six bedrooms, each with a large bathroom. Two of the bedrooms had a spacious room between them.

  “What do you think of this as a playroom?” Daniel asked.

  “What a happy kid it would be to have a playroom like this,” Logan answered with enthusiasm.

  “How about you Sarah, what do you think of the bedroom being next to the playroom?” Daniel asked her.

  “I could never leave my Mommy, but if I ever slept in this room, I would need a bed!” Sarah answered practically.

  “Daniel, why did you buy such a big house?” Caitlyn asked quizzically.

  “I did not buy it, I inherited it. It has been in the family for four generations. We are not a very prolific family I’m the last one of us.” he explained. “This is the Master Suite. Just a few doors down from the childrens’ room.”

  When Daniel opened the door to the Master Suite, Caitlyn gasped.

  “Daniel, I’ve never seen anything like it,” she enthused.

  The sitting room was furnished in the finest of antiques. Caitlyn surmised many of them were imported. A lovely oriental rug covered the center of the hardwood floors. Triple windows looked out over the beautiful lake and the panoramic view was enough to take your breath away. Caitlyn had to turn her eyes away from it all.

  The bedroom was another delight. The furnishings echoed the sitting room, there was a large dressing room with closets on three sides. The other wall was all mirrors. The bathroom was a place one could spend the day, with marble vanity top, double sinks, marble floors, and gold water faucets. The shower was for two and also with a Jacuzzi tub for two. The toilet and bidet were in a soft blue as were the double sinks. Everything was so beautiful. Caitlyn felt she could weep.

  She turned to Daniel and said, “You can not possibly want three active children in a house like this.”

  “It is the desire of my heart. This house needs some life in it I need some children in my life, I need and want a wife. Not just any woman, but you; your beautiful face, your gentle personality. I know you’re not in love with me, that is why I’m trying to sell you a package deal. A good home for the children a good father for them. I believe that, in time, you and I will come to love each other. I already like and respect you as a woman and mother. You are everything I want and I’ll try to be what you want,” Daniel said persuasively, and placing a hand on either of Caitlyn’s arms, he drew her close and said “Say you’ll marry me Caitlyn. Together we can do so much for our children.”