by E. N. Joy
Paige nodded. “Okay, so what do you think she would have done if she’d had her child in her life?”
A tear fell from Miss Nettie’s other eye. “Caused it pain.”
Paige ignored the tears falling from her own face and continued her conversation with Miss Nettie. “So aren’t you glad you loved your child enough that you were so unselfish as to not want to bring him or her any pain?”
Miss Nettie nodded, and a smile forced its way through the tears. “Yes. That’s it. I didn’t want to hurt my baby. I didn’t want to cause my child any pain. I would have hurt it. I liked to fight. Cause trouble. Which is how I landed in jail. I got into a fight. I cut a woman. Cut her face up. I was a bad person. I would have been a bad mother. I would have hurt my child.” Tears continued to stream down Miss Nettie’s face.
“So you see, Miss Nettie, you didn’t abandon your baby. You saved it.”
Miss Nettie opened her eyes. “I saved my child from that person I used to be.” Delight at the revelation filled Miss Nettie’s eyes.
“Right, Miss Nettie,” Paige said, elated. “So you can wipe that guilt and shame away, the same way I’m wiping these tears away.” Paige proceeded to use her hand to wipe Miss Nettie’s tears away.
“Oh, Lord, child, thank you.” Miss Nettie threw her arms around Paige. “Thank you for helping me see that.” She pulled away and looked Paige in the eye. “That’s just what I needed to uncover in order to dive into this thing headfirst without the fear of drowning.”
“To God be the glory,” Paige said, not about to take any credit whatsoever for what God had just done.
“Yes, to God be the glory,” Miss Nettie agreed. “Now let’s find my child.”
Chapter 9
“There’s something Miss Nettie wants to tell you both,” Paige said to the Vanderdales as she stood next to Miss Nettie in the Vanderdales’ parlor.
The atmosphere was calm, and the smell of food being prepared wafted through the house. Vegetable beef soup, if one had to guess. And nine times out of ten, Miss Nettie would make some homemade corn bread and rolls from scratch to go with it. Mrs. Vanderdale preferred the sweet yellow corn bread, while Mr. Vanderdale’s mouth watered for the buttered-down yeast rolls. Taking in the strong scent, one could practically taste the meal in one’s mouth.
Wearing an apron, Miss Nettie stood with her hands folded in front of her like a frightened teenager. Miss Nettie wasn’t joking. She really did need Paige there for moral support while she confessed to the Vanderdales about her fraternizing with the other help.
Paige didn’t mind at all being there for Miss Nettie. The times Miss Nettie had been there for Paige, especially after the death of Norman, were countless. Paige was going to help Miss Nettie any way she could, even in the process of finding her child. Last week, when Miss Nettie had come to Paige’s home to request her help and had opened up to her about her and Stuart and the fact that she had given birth all those years ago, the girls had come home from school before they could even get started on their Internet search.
Paige had suggested that she and Miss Nettie find the time to get together and talk about some details that might help them with their search, rather than just diving in, clueless. Miss Nettie had agreed, but first she wanted to conquer the issue of telling the Vanderdales about her relationship with Stuart. So here they stood.
“Well, what is it, Nettie?” Mrs. Vanderdale asked. “I must admit I’m a little caught off guard, with Paige giving an introduction.” Mrs. Vanderdale looked at Paige and then back at Miss Nettie again. “You’ve always been able to talk to either myself or Norm.” She nodded toward her husband. “So what’s going on?”
Miss Nettie looked at Paige. Paige gave her a nod of encouragement. She then faced her employees. “Well,” Miss Nettie began, “let me start off by saying that I have truly loved working for the Vanderdale family and—”
“Oh, dear Jesus, she’s quitting,” Mrs. Vanderdale screeched, looking at her husband. “Do something, Norm. We can’t let her quit.” Mrs. Vanderdale stood up from her seat and walked over to Miss Nettie. “It’s that Mrs. Lampkins, isn’t it?” she asked Miss Nettie. “Uh-huh. I knew it.” She walked over to her husband, who sat in his chair, silently waiting for his employee to say exactly what it was that was on her mind. “Every time she comes for dinner, she goes on and on about how amazing Nettie is and how, if I don’t watch out, she’s going to steal her from me. That witch.”
“Honey,” Mr. Vanderdale said to his wife in a scolding tone.
“Well, she is a witch.” Mrs. Vanderdale walked back over to Nettie. “What’s she offering you?”
Miss Nettie went to speak, but Mrs. Vanderdale raised her hand to silence her. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter. I’ll double it.”
“Mrs. Vanderdale,” Miss Nettie said, managing to squeeze in a few sentences, “Mrs. Lampkins hasn’t offered me anything. I wasn’t going to tell you that I quit.”
Mrs. Vanderdale paused for a moment and then let out a huge sigh of relief. “Oh, my goodness, Nettie. Why didn’t you just say so?” She threw her arms around Miss Nettie and laughed.
Miss Nettie hesitantly wrapped her arms around her boss and hugged her while giving Paige a “What should I do now?” look.
“Tell her,” Paige mouthed, using her hands to talk as well.
“I’d never quit on you and Mr. Vanderdale,” Miss Nettie said as she began to pat Mrs. Vanderdale on the back. “And I’m glad to see you react that way at just the thought of me leaving you. Which means maybe you won’t fire me when I tell you what I have to say.”
Mrs. Vanderdale, suddenly concerned again about what Miss Nettie had to share, went to pull away, but Miss Nettie jerked her right back into the hug. “Nettie, why on earth would we fire you?” Mrs. Vanderdale said, trying to breathe, as Miss Nettie’s hug seemed to have tightened.
“I don’t know how to say this,” Miss Nettie began, “but I’m going to start by saying exactly what I said to Paige when I told her.” Miss Nettie swallowed and then just spit it out. “I’m in love.”
There was a pause as everyone waited for more.
“In love?” Mrs. Vanderdale questioned, trying to squirm out of the hug, to no avail. “Why on earth would we fire you for being in love?” she asked. “I mean, unless . . .” Mrs. Vanderdale’s face turned as pale as a ghost. Suddenly she found the strength deep within to burst out of the hug. Horrified, she looked at Miss Nettie. She looked at Mr. Vanderdale and then back at Miss Nettie. “Unless the person you are in love with is . . . is . . .” She couldn’t even get the words out. She snapped her neck to gaze at Paige. “And, Paige, you mean to tell me you knew about this? She told you? Nettie is secretly in love with my husband, and you didn’t say a word?”
“What?” Paige’s mouth dropped open to the floor. How in the world could Mrs. Vanderdale possibly think that they were there to tell her that Miss Nettie was in love with Mr. Vanderdale? But then again, that was the first thing that had come to Paige’s mind when Miss Nettie had shown up on her doorstep and told her she was not too old for love.
“You heard me,” Mrs. Vanderdale said to Paige. “She’s been sleeping in our house, in bed at night, desiring my husband.” Mrs. Vanderdale pointed an evil finger at Paige. “And you knew. You’re almost as bad as her!”
“Naomi, you know darn well I would never allow such a . . . ,” Paige began, but then she figured, Why waste any more time trying to explain the situation? She’d come to lend moral support only. It was Miss Nettie’s responsibility to tell the Vanderdales about her relationship with Stuart. But things were starting to get out of hand. The last time she was in the Vanderdales’ parlor, things had gotten heated between her and the lady of the house due to confusion and misunderstandings. Paige could not—would not—allow it to happen again. “Miss Nettie and Stuart have been kicking it.”
Mrs. Vanderdale had a puzzled look on her face.
Paige explained, “You know, kicking it? Seeing one another. Diggin’ on each oth
er. He might even ask her to marry him. There. Dang!” Paige flung her hands up in the air, let them drop heavily, and then huffed as she made a half turn. She added a “Geesh” for good measure.
Mrs. Vanderdale stopped her ranting and looked at Miss Nettie. “Nettie, is that true? Is that what you wanted to tell us?”
Miss Nettie, whose actions resembled those of a teenager who was being scolded by her parents for missing curfew, looked at her boss and nodded. “Yes, it’s true. I knew it was against the rules that you and Mr. Vanderdale set when you first hired me. And I swear, from the day I started working here, I have followed every single one to the tee.” Miss Nettie, with newfound courage, lifted her head high and with an adamant tone announced, “But this is one rule I can’t help but break.” She stepped around Mrs. Vanderdale, walked toward Mr. Vanderdale, but stopped midway so that she was positioned between the couple. “I owe you so much, Mr. Vanderdale. You gave me a chance when nobody else would.” She looked at the missus. “And you’ve been the best boss and confidante I could have ever imagined. But I’m in love. I’m in love with a fellow coworker. I’m in love with Stuart.”
There was that smile on Miss Nettie’s face again. The one that lit up the room every time she mentioned Stuart. She was a woman in love, all right. And it was written all over her face.
There was silence in the room as Miss Nettie, as well as Paige, waited for the Vanderdales’ response.
Mrs. Vanderdale looked at her husband, who looked at her. She then looked at Nettie. “Is that it?” She shrugged her shoulders. “Is that what this whole meeting is about? To tell us you and Stuart are an item?”
Miss Nettie, leery and unable to read Mrs. Vanderdale’s reaction, replied with a reluctant tone. “Well, yes.”
Mrs. Vanderdale once again looked at her husband, who wore a frown on his face. Catching everyone in the room by surprise, she burst into laughter mixed with yelping. She clapped her hands together and stomped over to her husband. She stood right in his face, put one hand on her hip, and held the other out flat. “That’s one hundred bucks, buster. You lose.”
That was not exactly what Miss Nettie had thought Mrs. Vanderdale’s reaction to the news would be. She got even more confused when she watched Mr. Vanderdale begin to dig into his pocket with a grunt. He pulled out his wallet, then flipped through bills as he looked up at his wife with disdain.
“What are you looking at me like that for?” Mrs. Vanderdale said, happy as a lark. “Hate the game, not the player.”
Mr. Vanderdale extended a crisp one-hundred-dollar bill to his wife.
Mrs. Vanderdale snatched it up. “Yes!” she exclaimed, tucking it down into her bra for effect.
Paige got a kick out of the couple’s actions. Miss Nettie was confused.
“What’s going on here?” Miss Nettie asked. “You’re not even the least bit mad?” She looked from husband to wife.
“Mad?” Mrs. Vanderdale said. “I’m ecstatic. I just won the hundred-dollar bet between me and Mr. Vanderdale.” She looked at her husband. “Told you.” She stuck out her tongue, then patted the spot where she’d safely tucked the money.
“Told him what?” Miss Nettie said.
“I bet sore loser over there”—Mrs. Vanderdale pointed to her husband, who was still frowning—“that you and Stuart had a little something going on, and I was right.”
Miss Nettie was relieved. Confused, but relieved, nonetheless. “So you knew about Stuart and me already?”
“Well, I kind of sensed something,” Mrs. Vanderdale said. “We all talked about it.” She turned and said to Paige, “Remember?”
Paige nodded.
“Well, later on that night Norm and I were discussing it. That’s when we placed the bet,” Mrs. Vanderdale said.
Miss Nettie wanted clarification. “So even though Stuart and I broke the rules about workers not fraternizing with one another, you two aren’t mad?”
Both Vanderdales shook their heads.
“No.” Mr. Vanderdale waved the idea off. “That rule was made back in the Stone Age, when you guys were much younger. You’re older and mature now. You guys know how to handle a relationship.”
Miss Nettie exhaled and clasped her hands together. “Thank you so much, Mr. Vanderdale,” she said with a smile.
Now it was Paige who was frowning. “What? He calls you old, and you thank him? I say it, and I get attitude.” Paige sucked her teeth. “Ain’t that about nothing?”
“It’s not what he said. It’s how he said it,” Miss Nettie replied. “Sometimes it’s all about the delivery.” She looked back at Mrs. Vanderdale. “I’m glad you won a hundred dollars, but I’m even gladder that you’re not upset and you’re not gonna fire Stuart and me.”
“Fire you two?” Mrs. Vanderdale said. “This house would fall apart without the two of you.”
“The house would be just fine,” Mr. Vanderdale said, jumping in. “It would be this one right here who would fall apart.” He pointed to his wife. “God forbid that woman had to make her bed every day.”
“I’d be like Oprah Winfrey,” Mrs. Vanderdale announced. “She had no problem telling the world that she makes her bed only on the weekends.”
There was light laughter in the room.
“But just so we’re clear,” Mr. Vanderdale said, “so that there is no more jumping to conclusions, because I don’t think I can bear witness to one more episode of Three’s Company taking place right here in my living room.” There was laughter again before he continued. “You and Stuart have a place here in our home for as long as you two will have us.”
Miss Nettie looked at Paige with excitement. Her worries were over. “I can’t wait to tell Stuart.”
“By the way, where is Stuart?” Mr. Vanderdale asked. “Why isn’t he here with you during your moment of confession?”
“He wanted to join me, but I thought it just coming from me, and having Paige by my side, would be better.” Miss Nettie looked at Paige and winked.
Mrs. Vanderdale wasn’t buying it. She whispered to Miss Nettie, “Didn’t want all that testosterone in the room when talking about something as mushy as love, huh?”
“You hit the nail on the head.” Miss Nettie laughed.
Once all the laughter had died down, Paige said, “Well, I’m about to go. I need to be home when the girls get off the bus.”
“And Norm and I can get back to the game of Scrabble we had going on in there, on the dining room table,” Mrs. Vanderdale said.
Mr. Vanderdale stood to his feet. “We’ll see you later, Paige,” he said, and then he and his wife headed for the dining room.
“Oh, there’s just one more thing,” Miss Nettie called out in a serious tone.
Mrs. Vanderdale stopped in her tracks and turned around. “What is it, Nettie?” she asked with concern.
“You know all that talk you did when you thought Mrs. Lampkins was trying to steal me away from you?”
Mrs. Vanderdale nodded.
This time it was Miss Nettie who put her hand out in the collection position. “Well, about that raise . . .”
Once again they all shared a moment of laughter. There was one thing both Miss Nettie and Paige could say. They’d all had their disagreements with one another. There had been quite a few rocky moments. In the end, though, it felt good knowing that they could all laugh together.
But just how long would it be before their laughter turned to tears?
Chapter 10
It had been such a long day for Paige. The whole situation at the Vanderdales’ with Miss Nettie trying to tell her employers about her relationship with Stuart, blah, blah, blah . . . It was too much. Then, on her way home, she’d gotten stuck behind a school bus that was transporting the handicapped. She had had to wait for the bus to stop, for someone to come out of the home, and for the driver to operate the lift that allowed the wheelchair-bound rider to be lowered off the bus. Then, of course, the driver had had to roll the person off the ramp and over to the caregiver. I
t had seemed like she’d spent another five minutes watching the lift rise and slowly tuck itself back into the bus.
Although heated and anxious inside, Paige had thanked God that she had two healthy, beautiful daughters who were able to catch regular school buses. Besides, things could have been worse. There could have been a bad accident that held up traffic, and Paige could have found herself spitting bullets in standstill traffic that didn’t even move an inch. Since Norman’s death, though, Paige had become far more sensitive about car accidents. Instead of being angry that an accident was holding her up and preventing her from getting to her destination, she would pray for those involved in the accident and their families.
This time while she’d prayed to God and thanked Him for giving her healthy children, she threw in a selfish prayer—that she’d get home on time to meet Adele and Norma at the bus stop. Norma was in kindergarten, and it was the school district’s policy not to allow kindergarten children off the bus without an adult being there to pick them up.
When Paige pulled up to her house, she could see the bus pulling away without having dropped her children off. She panicked at first. She had no idea where the bus took children who didn’t have an adult there to pick them up. But then she realized that all she had to do was follow the bus to the next stop, which was exactly what she did. As soon as the driver turned on the stoplight and the stop signs poked out from the sides of the bus, Paige threw the car in park and then hopped out and ran to the bus door.
As kids filed out, Paige apologized to the driver for not being at the stop to get Norma off. Paige was so excited to see the faces of her daughters as they got off the bus.
“Mommy!” Little Norma was the first one to jump into her arms.
“We were worried about you,” Adele said.
“Aww, how sweet,” Paige said. “I was worried about you two as well. But come on. We need to get back in the car before traffic starts moving again.”
Paige scurried to get the girls in the car just as the bus pulled off. “Seat belts,” she reminded her daughters, and then there were three consecutive clicks in the car. Paige pulled off behind the bus, prepared to circle the block and head back home.
