"Here Maddy. I grabbed your bag for you," Nina said, holding out the bag to her.
"Thanks Nina. I'll just sit here and quickly take my skates off." Maddy sat on the bench behind her, and swapped her skates for her converse joggers.
"Okay, let's go!" Maddy led her friends out to Hank's car. They piled in, and chatted to each other all the way home. Hank didn't try to interrupt. Being in a car with four noisy twelve year old girls was a new experience for him, and it was a challenge to keep focused on driving.
Sarah was waiting for them as he pulled into the driveway. Maddy introduced her friends to her mom, and Sarah chatted easily with them all. She led them to the outdoor area where she'd laid out a magnificent spread.
"Mom! You're spoiling us!" Maddy said as she picked up a huge piece of chocolate cake.
"Yes, this looks lovely, Mrs Wilson," Jasmine said. "Thank you having us over."
"Our pleasure, Jasmine. It's nice to meet you all. Maddy's been talking about her new friends all week, so it's good to finally meet you."
Once they'd finished eating, the girls relaxed together in the rumpus room until it was time to go.
Jasmine's mom arrived to collect all three girls.
"So this is where the great doctor lives! Hello Hank. This must have been an interesting afternoon for you, having all these girls around," she said when she stepped out of the car and saw Hank in the front yard.
"Hi there, Andrea. Yes, it's certainly been different, but the girls seem to have enjoyed themselves. Come inside and meet my wife, Sarah."
They were almost knocked over by the girls who came running out as they were going in. "Whoa, girls!" Hank called out. "Steady on!" He and Andrea side stepped to get out of their way, but the girls hardly seemed to notice as they chased each other out onto the front yard.
"Good to see them having fun," Andrea said. Sarah had come to the door by this time, and Hank introduced her to Andrea, who he knew from the hospital.
"Yes, I'm so relieved that Maddy has made such good friends so quickly," Sarah said. "They all seem to get on very well."
The three adults spent a few more moments together before calling the girls to order.
"Do we really have to go, Mom?"
"Yes, sweetie, we do. There'll be lots of other times you can see each other, but we need to get going now," Andrea replied to Jasmine, who was almost pleading with her mom to let them stay.
After the girls had left, Maddy, Hank and Sarah retreated to the now quiet house, and spent the rest of the evening at home.
Chapter 6
Maddy was relieved to see Alex at school the following Monday morning. She saw her from a distance and raced to catch up with her on the way to first period. "Are you okay, Alex?" Maddy asked, stopping in front of her locker.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Alex looked over quickly at Maddy as she opened her locker which happened to be beside Maddy's.
"Oh, no reason, really. Just you weren't at school the other day, and I thought something might have been wrong."
"You should mind your own business," Alex retorted, slamming the door of her locker and walking into the classroom on her own.
"What was all that about?" Nina asked. She’d just turned up and saw Alex walking off in a huff. "She looks upset about something."
"Oh, nothing. It's just Alex. Something's going on with her, but she's not letting on," Maddy replied as they walked into class together.
Maddy looked over to where Alex was sitting on her own, and a wave of sadness floated over her. Alex was leaning back on her chair, and had a very sullen look on her face. I wonder what's really going on, Maddy thought.
The following afternoon, Alex went home again with Maddy to work on their project.
"I really don't want to be doing this," she said on their way to meet Sarah in the car park.
"It's not that much fun for me either," Maddy replied tersely, forgetting that she'd promised herself she'd try to be nice to Alex, regardless of how she was. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to talk to you like that."
Alex just turned her head to look at Maddy, and gave her a strange look.
The drive home was very similar to the previous one. Sarah tried to engage Alex in conversation, but got nowhere. Maddy sat in the back and prayed.
"God, I really don't know what's going on with Alex. Help me to be nice to her, and if I can help her in some way, then please show me how."
Sarah had made some more yummy treats for the girls for afternoon tea. Maddy suggested they take them to her room so they could get started on the project straight away. Alex followed Maddy to her room without speaking.
"Did you have a look at the information you took home?" Maddy asked as they sat down at her desk.
"No."
"Okay then. Would you to hear what I've been thinking we should do?" Maddy asked, not really sure how to proceed, but knowing she had to take the lead.
"Go ahead." Alex picked up a chocolate cup cake and proceeded to eat it.
"They're good, aren't they? Mom always makes yummy things to eat."
"Mm." Alex nodded her head, as she took another bite.
"Does your mom bake?"
Alex looked at her with cold, hard eyes. "Mom doesn't live with us."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Maddy said. "I didn't know. Where does she live?"
"Not sure. I haven't seen her in a while. Could be anywhere."
"That must be hard for you. You must miss her."
"Not really. She drinks a lot. Better off without her."
"Do you just live with your dad, then?"
"Yes, it's just me and him." Alex picked up another cup cake, and peeled off the casing before placing it in her mouth.
Maddy wasn't sure if she should continue asking questions or not. She was surprised that Alex had told her this much, so thought that maybe she should just leave it at that for now, and not risk upsetting her.
"We'd better get started on this," she said.
She proceeded to share her thoughts on the project, including how they should go about approaching people who had the disease. Alex went along with all that she suggested, having no real interest herself.
"Would you like to stay for dinner?" Maddy asked as they packed up their books an hour or so later.
Alex look startled.
"It's not a problem. Mom always cooks too much, so there'll be plenty," Maddy said when she saw Alex's reaction.
"Okay," she ended up replying. "Dad probably won't be home til later, anyway."
"I'll just let mom know. You can sit on my bed and listen to some music if you like," Maddy said, as she headed for the door.
"Mom, Alex has agreed to stay for dinner!" Maddy whispered to her mom when she found her in the kitchen a few moments later.
"That's great news, Maddy! Well done!" Sarah turned and gave Maddy a cuddle. "I'll call you down when it's ready. Run along now. You'd better not leave her on her own for long."
Maddy ran back up the stairs, and into her room. Alex quickly put down the photos she'd been looking at, and sat back on Maddy's bed.
"It's okay. You can look at them."
"You look nice in that dress," Alex said.
"Thanks. It felt a bit strange. I hardly ever wear dresses, but I didn't have a choice, since it was for the wedding," Maddy replied.
"Where'd do you live before here?" Alex asked her.
Maddy proceeded to tell Alex all about Riversleigh, and how hard it had been leaving all her friends behind, and how she still missed them a lot.
"I've made some good friends here, though, so it's not as bad as I thought it was going to be."
"I don't have any friends," Alex said.
"That's sad," Maddy replied. "I don't know how I'd live without friends. You must have had some once upon a time?"
"A while back, when we lived in Boston, I had a friend called Josie. But then we moved. We seem to always be moving. It's not worth the effort. Making friends." She picked at her nail polish, and looked sad, Maddy thought.
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"How long have you been in Smithtown?" Maddy asked.
"About six months," she replied.
"Are you planning on moving again soon?"
"Don't know. I never know. Dad just comes home one day and says we're going. He doesn't even say where, sometimes. We just pack the car and drive."
"That must be so hard! Is it to do with his work?"
"Nah. He just does odd jobs. I think he just gets fed up with a place and wants to move on. No real reason."
"No wonder you don't want to make friends. It's not really fair on you, though." Maddy said, feeling sorry for Alex.
"Yeah, well. That's the way it is."
Maddy heard her mom calling them for dinner. The smell of roast chicken had been wafting into the room for the past few minutes, and Maddy could see that Alex was keen to eat.
They jumped off the bed and hurried down the stairs to the dining room where the table had been set for four. Hank had just arrived home from work, and kissed Sarah as he entered the room.
"Hank, this is Alex," Sarah said. "She's staying for dinner. Take a seat, Alex."
"Hello Alex. Nice to meet you," Hank said, reaching out to shake her hand.
Alex didn't know what to do. She reluctantly put out her hand, and allowed Hank to shake it before taking her seat.
Hank smiled at her and then at Maddy.
"How's the project going, girls?"
"Good, thanks," Maddy replied. "We've worked out what questions to ask people, so now we need to find some people to interview."
"I can help with that," Sarah said as she entered the room carrying two plates in her hand. "I spoke to some ladies in my Bible study group this morning who have Diabetes, and they said they'd be happy to help you out."
"That's great, Mom! Thank you," Maddy said, standing up to take the plates from her.
"These are for you and Alex," Sarah said, handing them over before heading back to the kitchen for the other two plates.
"This smells wonderful, honey", Hank said as she placed his dinner in front of him. Alex noticed how they looked at each other. How odd, she thought.
"Let's give thanks, Hank said, reaching out to take Sarah and Maddy's hands. Maddy reached out tentatively for Alex's hand. She knew this would be very strange for Alex, and didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable, but didn't want her to feel left out either.
"It's okay. We don't have to hold hands if you don’t want to, Alex," Maddy leaned over and whispered.
Alex looked at her, but didn't reach out her hand. Maddy let it go, and bowed her head as Hank began praying.
"Lord, we give you thanks for the day, for each other, and for this wonderful food. Amen."
They proceeded to eat, and Hank and Sarah chatted easily to each other and to Maddy during the meal. Alex ate quietly, but took notice of how comfortable they were with each other. Maddy tried to involve her in the conversation several times, but decided best not to force it, for fear of ruining their tentative friendship.
"Mom can drop you home when you're ready, Alex," Maddy said after they'd finished eating. "I just need to help with the dishes, and then we can go."
"I can walk, it's okay."
"It's dark outside! We can't let you walk home on your own!" Sarah said, quite shocked that she'd even be considering it. "I'm more than happy to take you. We can leave now if you like."
"Okay then, but just drop me at Dad's work. I can go home with him when he finishes."
Maddy went with Sarah to drop Alex to her dad's work, which wasn't far from the school. She said he was working back as he often did, but she didn't say what he was doing. It was all a bit mysterious, Maddy thought.
Alex thanked Sarah for dinner, and waved to Maddy as she walked towards the run down building where she said her dad was working.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Sarah called out, concerned about her entering the unsavory looking building on her own.
"Yes, it's fine," Alex said, looking back briefly before she opened the door.
She disappeared inside. Sarah and Maddy sat in the car for a few minutes just to make sure she didn't need help. When she didn't return, Sarah started the car and drove off slowly.
"I was really concerned," Sarah said to Hank later that night as they sat together on the sofa. "I wouldn't have let Maddy go in there on her own, that's for sure." She rested her head gently on Hank's shoulder.
"Yes, there certainly seems to be some mystery surrounding our Alex. It looks like Maddy is making some progress with her, so it's probably just a matter of time before she has a break through."
Alex weaved her way slowly through the rubbish lying in the hallway of the dilapidated building. The smell was nauseating. She held her breath until she reached the small dingy room at the back where she knew her father would be. He was hardly aware that Alex was standing beside him until she tried to get him to stand.
"Come on Dad, let's get you home."
Alex bent down and lifted him to his feet. She supported his thin bony body with her strong arms, and wondered how much longer this could go on for.
His breath reeked of stale alcohol. Alex almost vomited as he turned his head to look at her.
"Alex, my love, you're a good girl," he spluttered. "I don't deserve you."
Alex led her father out the back door and across the yard strewn with bottles and rubbish. They reached a gate which she managed to open with her one free hand, and walked slowly along the darkened laneway until they came to another gate which led into a rundown apartment block.
Alex helped her father up the stairs and into their small two bedroom unit. She pulled what was left of his shoes off before he fell asleep on the bed. Within minutes he was snoring so loudly that Alex had to close the door.
She collapsed on the sofa and turned the television on, but her mind was elsewhere. Memories that she'd been trying to forget had toyed with her mind since the unexpected dinner at Maddy's. Tears streamed down her face. She buried her head in the cushion and sobbed herself to sleep.
Chapter 7
The next day at school Maddy looked for Alex, but she was nowhere to be found. It appeared that she was absent from school again. Maddy shared her concerns for Alex with Nina, but got so busy with the day's activities that she didn't give her much thought again until that afternoon on her way home from basketball training.
"Do you think we should do anything, Mom?" Maddy asked on the way home in the car.
"You could try calling her to see if she's okay. At least she'd know that you're thinking about her."
"Yes, I think I'll do that," Maddy replied thoughtfully.
"Good girl. That's probably all you can do for now. You don't want to drive her away."
Maddy looked out the window. Sarah had the hood of the car up as rain had been threatening all day. The sky was gray and overcast, almost matching her mood.
"How was training?" Sarah asked, noticing that Maddy was unusually quiet.
"It was good, Mom. I'm a bit nervous about the first game on Saturday, though. The coach says I'll be fine, but I don't know."
"I'm sure you will be. We're looking forward to seeing you in action!"
"I think I'll call Alex straight away," Maddy said to her mom as soon as they got home. She hadn't eaten much since lunch, but thinking about Alex had made her lose her appetite, so she went straight to her room instead of grabbing something to eat.
She sat on her bed and took out her cell. She was only supposed to use it for emergencies, but she thought that this was a kind of an emergency. She called the number that Alex had given her, and let it ring several times. Finally, a sleepy voice answered.
"Hello. Who's this?"
"Maddy. Alex, it's me, Maddy. Are you okay?"
"Yes. I've just been asleep."
"I was worried when you weren't at school today. Did you meet your dad okay last night?"
"Yes. It's all good. Thanks for calling."
"Will you be at school tomorrow?" Maddy asked. She wasn't conv
inced that everything was alright even though Alex had said it was.
"Yes, I'll be there. See you then." Alex hung up.
Maddy sat there for a few moments and thought about the conversation.
"I still don't know what's going on with Alex, but she seemed kind of okay on the phone," Maddy said to Sarah and Hank over dinner.
"Well, it's a start," Hank said, giving Maddy a nod of approval.
"Maybe you could ask her to the game on Saturday?" Sarah suggested.
"That's a thought," Maddy replied. "I might just do that."
Alex did go to school the next day, but when Maddy tried to talk to her, she turned her back and ignored her.
Very strange, Maddy thought to herself. It's as if our conversation last night didn't happen.
Maddy got on with her day, and decided to attempt to talk with her again later on. The opportunity came when they were leaving school. Nina had already left, and Maddy was walking on her own when she saw Alex up ahead. She raced to catch up with her.
"Hey Alex, wait for me!" she called out.
Maddy was surprised when Alex stopped and turned around.
"I was just wanting to ask if you'd like to come and watch our first basketball game on Saturday. Are you doing anything then?" Maddy looked at Alex hesitantly, not sure if she should have blurted it out like that.
"I didn't know you were playing basketball."
"I've only just started. It'll be my very first proper game ever. The other girls have all played before."
"I used to play. But since Dad…." She stopped mid sentence and kept walking.
"Alex! Stop! I didn't mean to upset you." Maddy ran after her.
"I'll think about it, alright?"
"Okay then. I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yes, I'll be there."
"Bye," Maddy called as Alex walked off in the opposite direction.
Maddy jumped into the car and updated Sarah.
"Well, at least she said she'd think about it," Sarah said to Maddy. "That's progress. You can check with her again tomorrow."
The Madeleine Richards Box Set (The Madeleine Richards Series Book 4) Page 17
