Renee was cute… even after rounding out a little with this pregnancy. Looks weren’t everything but too much or not enough of them could cause problems for any woman… or man for that matter. In Amy’s case, she was often described as pretty to the point of being unapproachable. That meant that because of her long blond hair, hazel eyes and a smile complemented by a dimple, men often wouldn’t even bother to ask her out because they assumed they didn’t stand a chance.
The ones that did ask were typically quite nice looking themselves… and complete assholes. More than a decade of dating those types, after having been burnt quite a few times while still in high school, and she just no longer had the heart for it. In fact, at thirty one years old she no longer even made an effort to look for Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome or Mr. Right… either one.
She’d actually dated a normal guy once. If he hadn’t been so captivated by her it might have actually went somewhere. At first it had been nice that anything she wanted… anything at all… was granted in right short order. After a while it got… boring. No one wanted to be given in to every time regardless. Fighting wasn’t really what she wanted either but a man with a backbone would certainly be nice.
“Well, if I don’t find us some help by this weekend, forget coating me in icing… those kids are going to tar and feather me,” Amy replied as she loaded up a batch of freshly baked and decorated cupcakes that she’d managed to make in addition to the endless preparations for this weekend’s event onto a tray to take out to the display cases.
“Did that Ian guy ever call you back?” Renee asked.
No sooner had the words left Renee’s lips then Amy caught the faint but distinct sound of her cell phone ringing at the far end of the decorating area. Quickly placing the remaining cupcakes onto the tray and taking them out to the front counter, she set the tray down gently. Then she raced back to the little room. Skidding around the corner on the hardwood floors of the shop, she snatched the phone up from the end of the last decorating table and hit the answer button in one movement.
“AmyCakes…” she said breathlessly out of habit as she raised the phone to her ear. Then she cringed since it was her personal cell not the phone for the shop.
“Hi, Amy. It’s Ian finally calling you back. Sorry… things have been nuts lately. How’s your mom?” he asked politely.
“She’s doing a lot better. Thanks for asking. They changed her medications around a little and that seems to be working out well for her,” she replied, moving her arm around and attempting to figure out where she’d managed to pick up the streak of tan peanut butter icing from which now coated a good portion of the exposed skin below her right sleeve.
Ian had worked for her mother for a while doing yard work, cleaning house, and running errands while Amy had been away at a culinary school specializing in desserts and pastries. When she came back home several months later she realized all too quickly that the dream she’d shared with her mother would end up being achieved alone. Amy’s mother helped out as much as she could but a bad scare with her blood pressure upon Amy’s return from school meant that assistance from her was only part time at best. The new medication was helping tremendously but so was less stress in her mother’s life.
They’d put the house on the market after finding a smaller place for her mom in a condo that was well maintained by the property owners and which didn’t boast two flights of stairs. After helping them move her mother into the apartment, it was obvious that Ian’s help had no longer been needed. It hadn’t stopped her mother from raving about the man though… even now… and even trying to fix them up at one point, much to Amy’s embarrassment since Ian was already dating his wife at that point.
“Well, listen, I got your message and I’d love to help you out if I could but I have a fight this weekend in another state. I’m sorry… I hope you understand,” Ian said.
Crap! Attempting to keep the disappointment out of her voice she said, “Oh yeah… sure. That’s okay… I completely understand. You don’t happen to know anyone else that would be interested in being used and abused for almost the entire weekend, do you? I’m really up a creek without a paddle if I can’t get someone to either help back here in the shop or deliver cupcakes up to the festival. I’d throw in a free dozen cookies, some dessert bars or even cupcakes as a bonus…”
Ian sighed as though in thought and Amy’s heart picked up an extra beat when he said, “My buddy, Rusty, owns a commercial and residential cleaning company called Man Maid, the place I used to work for when I was cleaning your mom’s old house. The company’s slogan and advertising brags about being able to come in and do whatever needs done. Deliveries and baking might be a stretch but I’m sure if you asked him nicely… he’ll help you out. Just tell him you’re a friend of mine and that I told you to call.”
“My mother was right… you are a lifesaver! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” she said excitedly.
She managed to jot down his friend’s name, business phone number and cell phone number as Ian recited them to her only to have the paper then stick to the side of her hand when she straightened back up. Pulling the paper off she sighed upon realizing that along with the icing on her arm, she now sported cream colored… batter… by the smell of it… on her hand.
“Keep in touch and tell your mom I said, ‘Hi,’ the next time you see her,” Ian said before disconnecting the call.
She immediately called the cell phone number listed for the man and the deep voice on the voicemail ordered her to leave her name and number and he would return the call when it was convenient. After having done so, she set the cell phone back on the table only to notice that it now had a smear down the back of the case of the same cream colored batter that was now partially dried to the side of her hand.
Where the hell did this stuff come from?
Sighing again, she headed back to the bakery area.
“Speak of the devil… that was Ian Hamilton on the phone. He can’t help but he gave me the name of a business that just might be able to. A cleaning business no less… go figure!” she said, holding up her arm to showcase the newly adorned smear for Renee who only laughed and shook her head in amazement.
“Maybe she’ll end up becoming your new full time employee once she gets to experience the satisfaction of working her ass off for days on end only to discover there is still plenty left that didn’t get done,” Renee smiled.
Renee was now expecting her second child and wanted to cut back her hours in order to spend more time at home with her husband and children. Amy could completely get that. If she had someone waiting at home for her in the evenings… she doubted scrubbing mixing bowls and cupcake tins would rank high on her priority list either. Especially since Renee didn’t really need the job and mainly did it to hang out with Amy and to help the business succeed.
“The name he gave me was for the owner of the business so I called and left him a voicemail message. Who knows… today might be my lucky day. Maybe I’ll get someone to clean and someone else to help over this coming weekend,” she smiled. Think positive.
“Well, speaking of cleaning… we might want to get started if you still plan to run out and visit Danny this evening,” Renee said. Glancing at the clock, she knew Renee was right and that she’d be pushing it on time. Double crap!
Danny was a whole other matter that she hadn’t expected to have to worry about for several more years yet. Her half-brother from her father’s first marriage, Danny, was twelve years older than her but equally as stubborn. He also had Down Syndrome… a chromosomal disorder that meant some learning and cognitive delays, which their father had never really accepted.
When the marriage fell apart, Danny had remained in his mother’s care. To say Amy didn’t really know Danny was an understatement since he hadn’t been around much when she was growing up. That had all changed about six months ago when Danny’s mother died from a massive heart attack.
By the time their father remarried her mother and Amy had come a
long, Danny rarely visited or even spoke to him anymore. Then when their father passed away from an undetected blood clot, Amy’s mother had tried to help Danny and his mother in any way that she could, since Danny’s mother was also ailing.
If not for that Amy would know him even less than she did. However, there was only so much her mother was able to do… legally or otherwise. So now, along with a relatively new business to run, Amy was also Danny’s only living blood relative… and caregiver slash legal guardian.
While that sounded good on paper, realistically it was just the catalyst of the many arguments between the two of them. Danny had heart problems himself, was on medication and had been quite dependent on his mother when she’d been alive and vice versus.
Amy was the first to admit she didn’t really know that much about Down Syndrome but for the most part Danny was simply too much like her. Their inability to communicate and compromise with each other had less to do with him having Down Syndrome and more about the fact that they competed for who was the most stubborn.
Amy felt bad for Danny, especially since he didn’t understand that she hadn’t put him in the group home to be mean or because she didn’t like him. She just didn’t really know him or how to properly take care of him. Not to mention, where would he stay in her tiny little apartment? Quite honestly even if she did have a clue how to care for an adult with special needs, with the way things were right now, she wouldn’t have the time for him that he deserved.
If something happened to him… with his heart condition… because she didn’t take good enough care of him, she’d never forgive herself. She didn’t have time for Grudge, her twenty five pound pug, let alone another human being who required… whatever special care Danny’s heart condition required.
More importantly, how happy would he be living with someone that was just as good at arguing as he was? His mother had always allowed him his way and that just wasn’t going to happen with her. He had some of the backbone she appreciated in a man… just not coming from her brother. Maybe she’d just been an only child for too long.
After several hours of research, what felt like hundreds of phone calls and four visits to various group homes in the surrounding Dayton area, she’d come across the one Danny was currently living in. Danny had his own bedroom and the caregivers worked with him based on his individual needs and abilities. They were specifically trained to help people with special needs, like Danny, but for whatever reason he seemed to detest the place. Amy just couldn’t quite figure out why and when she would ask, his inability to put into words what it was that he didn’t like about the place only served to frustrate him further.
At her mother’s insistence, Amy had been trying to visit Danny at least three to four times a week in an effort to get to know him better. However, each time she did visit she ended up feeling like the world’s meanest sibling and worst caregiver ever by the time she left. Today would likely be no different but it was one more thing that seemed to be important to a mother Amy simply adored and therefore couldn’t say no to.
The small sliver of hope that her mother held on to that Amy might possibly bond with Danny was beginning to fade a little more each day. Instead, the two of them often seemed to bring out the worst in each other.
If she could somehow clone herself in an effort to grant Danny’s wishes she would, but that wasn’t feasible. Not to mention, it was highly unlikely that even if she could take Danny home with her, that he would like her house any better than the group home. She was a far cry from the neat freak that Danny was. Making him understand that was proving impossible, though, and for the first time in her life she understood why their father had struggled with being able to handle Danny. It had been easy to sit in judgment of her father’s lack of a relationship with his only son until faced with Danny herself… even with her mother’s help, advice and suggestions.
An hour later, after a thorough workout from trying to get cleanup tasks done as quickly as possible, she and Renee locked up and walked out to their cars together. Renee hugged her and gave her that sympathetic smile that said she wished Amy all the luck in the world with getting along with Danny for the evening. Then Renee got in her car and drove away.
The drive across town was tedious at best, especially when she was actually dreading arriving at her destination. Not wanting to visit her only sibling only added to her feelings of guilt. It could have easily been her that was stuck in a group home that she hated because Danny didn’t have room or time for her. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to spend time with Danny, she just didn’t want the arguments when she was ready to leave and go home. It wasn’t fair to either one of them.
Society seemed to want to group all people with Down Syndrome together in the same box. That container included stigmas like they were happy all the time, loving toward everyone and very affectionate. That was true for the most part… even with Danny.
Unfortunately the general public often didn’t account for the fact that they were people above all else, which meant they experienced a plethora of emotions just like anyone else. They also had reason and logic in varying degrees just like everyone else and even if a little hard to understand from time to time… the ability to communicate their emotions… all of them. Even the not so pleasant and loving sentiments.
Nothing could bring on comments or dirty looks from strangers faster than the idea that Amy could make an adult man with Down Syndrome cuss. Like a sailor. Suddenly it wasn’t Danny they were staring at anymore but her instead… as though she’d done something so horrible that it caused even the gentlest and most loving person on earth to come unglued.
This earned her stares filled with revulsion and other dark opinions. If they took a minute to actually get to know Danny, they would understand that he could be seriously frustrating, especially when his mind was set on something.
They would also find out that Danny had worse road rage than any person she knew… even though he didn’t even have a driver’s license himself. There were times she just wanted to yell at the gawkers and ask what the hell they were looking at… that she had no control over what may or may not come out of his mouth! However, that would probably just earn her even more dirty looks. The only time the man managed to control himself for any length of time was during Sunday morning church service. Thankfully.
It was almost like he reserved his bad behavior just for Amy. He was even well behaved for Amy’s mother for the most part. Trying to get her mother to let Amy in on the secret to getting Danny to behave himself only garnered the same answer as though it were a pre-programmed response.
“You’re going to have to get to know him on your own, Amy. There’s no manual on how to bond with a sibling… especially an adult one. It’s something that you just have to do all by yourself… it can’t be taught or learned,” her mother would say. That was helpful… not.
Pulling up in front of the group home, she sucked in a breath and held it for a moment. The extra oxygen was for courage and for strength. Then, getting out of the car, she headed up the walk only to be met at the door by Danny himself. He looked happy to see her and she allowed the breath she had been holding to release along with some of the anxiety she’d been carrying since leaving the bakery.
The unease she’d been feeling returned with a vengeance when she approached where he stood in the doorway and he said, “You’re late, Amy. I was waiting forever and you didn’t come on time today.”
Sighing, she said, “I’m sorry, Danny. I was at work and I was running late. I’m sorry…”
“I want to work at the bakery too, Amy. I’m a good worker if you would just let me try,” he said as she managed to step through the open door and past him.
Rather than dignifying him with a response which would only serve to start the first argument between them for the evening she said, “Did you go to the library today?”
“They still don’t have the movie I want. I reserved it over a month ago, Amy, but the person who has it now has
to bring it back first, before I can check it out with my library card,” he replied. “Maybe on Saturday, you can take me back to check and see if the person who has it now returned it… on Saturday morning.”
“I can’t take you on Saturday, remember? I have to make cupcakes for the festival all day. We talked about this…” she replied.
“I only have five days to pick up the movie once it’s returned. If the person who has the movie now brings it back, I have five days to check it out with my library card or I have to request it again. We can check on Saturday. That’s what the lady at the library said… check to see if the person who has it now brought it back… on Saturday,” he insisted.
Amy could feel her pulse rate picking up but instead of arguing asked, “Do you want to play a card game or watch a show on TV?”
Using the same trait her mother accused her of possessing, Danny stubbornly refused to let go of the subject at hand.
“We have to go to the library on Saturday to see if the person who has the movie now brought it back so I can check it out on my library card,” he argued. “If I spend the night at your house, I can walk to the library by myself. I’m a good walker… I stay on the sidewalk and I watch for the walk signals at the crosswalk and my library card is good at any library around the Dayton area.”
A migraine was settling in from gritting her teeth because now along with arguing over the library they would also be arguing about him staying overnight at her apartment. To add to the stress was the thought that prior to driving over here to see him, she’d forgotten to stop off at the apartment and let Grudge outside to use the bathroom. So chances were good, there would be a mess waiting for her when she returned from her nightly argument with Danny.
“You can’t stay overnight with me this weekend, Danny. I have to open the bakery really early because of the festival and there’ll be a lot more traffic than normal so you can’t be walking around town on Saturday. The shop is closed on Monday so I promise to take you on Monday instead,” she tried.
Maid to Order (Man Maid Book 4) Page 2
