Rock and a Hard Place (23 page)

“
Nice to meet you Jill.”
DarLynn shook her hand. “Take your coat off and sit right here.”
She pulled a small kitchen stool into the middle of her narrow
kitchen.

Libby took off her coat, laid it on a sofa
covered with an old bedspread then sat on the stool. DarLynn
grabbed a comb and worked through Libby’s hacked up hair.

“
You just can’t cut your
own hair. Bangs yes, but the rest, forget it. Never works.” She
began to snip away, talking as she went. Libby relaxed at the touch
of the young woman’s hands and her constant chatter.

“
Not too many young girls
come to stay at the Twilight, at least not without a guy hanging on
‘em.”

Libby worried this would happen. She
couldn’t talk about herself, or she’d get shipped back.

“
Reminds me of myself at
your age. Trouble everywhere I turned. Those were some awful times.
At least til I met Jimmy. My lord, he was a good looking piece of
man. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still damn fine, just life’s been
catching up with him. You gotta boyfriend?”

“
No. Not anymore.” Libby
pretended it didn’t matter.

“
I see. Well honey, you’re
better off without him. If he was too dim to see how wonderful you
are, he was the wrong one.” She snipped and combed, then suddenly
paused. “He didn’t hit you did he?” DarLynn popped in front of
Libby, her face etched with concern.

“
Oh no, nothing like that.
He just broke it off. Actually, he had his brother do
it.”

DarLynn looked outraged. “That’s terrible.”
She resumed her trimming. “I tell ya, I had a guy break up with me.
He walked out of a restaurant while I was in the ladies room. Can
you imagine? Stuck me with the bill too. Honey, I tell you, men are
pigs. No getting around it.”

She couldn’t ever imagine Peter leaving her
stranded on a date, but then again, he didn’t bother to break up
with her himself either.

“
He leave you for another
girl? That’s what a lot of ‘em do.”

“
I don’t think so, but he
plays in a band, so I guess there could be someone else.” Another
girl hadn’t occurred to her until now. It made her stomach hurt.
Whether it was from lack of food or thinking about Peter she
couldn’t say.

“
A musician. Oh honey, love
a rocker and you’re heart’ll get broke every time. All those
groupies pining away while they’re up on stage playing, waiting for
the end of the set so they can get their claws on him. You’re
definitely better off without him.”

Libby couldn’t believe how close DarLynn
came to hitting the mark.

DarLynn examined her handiwork, as if she
were a high priced stylist. “Not bad if I say so myself. Gives you
a fresh new look. That boy who dumped you wouldn’t even know you
now. Or anyone else who might be looking for you.” She stood in
front of Libby and held her eyes in knowing question. “Honey, you
want me to call someone for you?”

The seconds ticked by.

“
No, I’m fine.”

There was no one out there to call. Not one
person, except maybe the police. Heck, they didn’t really care
either.

The phone rang loudly, interrupting Libby’s
thoughts.

“
Hang on just a sec, while
I get that.”

While DarLynn spoke on the phone, Libby
grabbed a broom and swept the hair from the kitchen floor and
dumped it in the trash. She put her stool back under the kitchen
counter then peeked into the next room and discovered the little
boy, Damien, glued to a television show with talking vegetables.
How simple his life was.

DarLynn hung up. “You know, if it’s not one
thing it’s another. That was school. Jimmy, Jr.’s having another
asthma attack. I’ve gotta pack up this crew and get him to the
doctor. Again.” She sighed, lifted the sleeping baby out of the
swing and laid him on the floor to stuff him into a coat. “When
little Jimmy was born, I told his daddy not to smoke around him,
but that man never listened to me a day of his life.”

“
Can I help?”

“
No, I got it, but could
you grab Damien’s coat over there and get him into it.”

Libby reached for the miniature-sized
coat.

“
No Momma I don’t wanna
go.” Damien slipped away from Libby and dove onto the
couch.

“
I can stay with the kids.
If you want.” Libby offered.

“
Really? Are you sure?”
DarLynn hesitated. “Does it make me a bad mother to leave them with
a stranger? Hauling this mangy bunch takes every bit of energy I’ve
got, plus when I get back I’ve got rooms to clean.”

“
It’s okay. I’ve got
nowhere to go, other than to look for a job. I really don’t mind.
You trimmed my hair, so this will help pay you back.”

“
Well, okay, there’s a
bottle in the fridge and Damien likes mac and cheese. I’ve got
plenty of food, so help yourself. You must be hungry, so don’t be
shy.” She handed the sleeping baby to Libby. “I’ll have my cell
phone, so I’ll call you if it gets too long. The number is taped to
the fridge if you need anything.” She pulled her coat on, grabbed
an oversized purse and threw it over her shoulder.

“
Don’t worry, I’ll take
care of everything.” Libby looked down into the innocent little
face of the baby. He felt warm and smelled of milk and fabric
softener.

“
Be good boys, Momma will
be back soon.” She kissed them both and dashed out the front door
and into a rusty old pick up.

Libby sat on the couch, the baby cradled
close with Damien on her other side. Holding the innocent babe
filled a void. For once she felt a purpose, a meaning in this
world. It might be a small thing, but helping DarLynn was the most
important thing she’d done in a long time.

Two hours later, Libby had fed the boys,
stuffed herself with food, and tidied the small living area.
DarLynn returned with a tow-headed boy about five or six years old
and a prescription bag.

“
I see the place is still
standing. I can’t thank you enough.” She looked around at the clean
counters and organized room. “Oh my gosh, you did the dishes. You
didn’t need to do that, but honey, I’ve been trying to get to them
since yesterday morning, never enough hours in a day. Thank you. I
hope you got a bite to eat.”

“
Yes, thank you I did.”
Libby smiled.

“
You’re a lifesaver, how
can I thank you?”

“
You don’t need to thank
me, you trimmed my hair and trust me, I ate a lot.”

“
Well, it’s my pleasure,
but how bout your room is on me tonight?”

Libby wanted to refuse and say she could pay
her own way, but a free room would save her almost fifty dollars.
“Are you sure?”

“
Absolutely, we girls have
got to stick together.” She gave a knowing wink.

Libby warmed at her generosity. “Thank
you.”

“
I don’t know how long you
were thinking of hanging around, but Penny needs a waitress down at
the Fork in the Road. It’s a café, nothing fancy, just a bunch of
farmers and truckers coming through, but they’re good
people.”

“
Thanks, I think I
will.”

Chapter 21

Six months later.

“
Good morning Jerrold.”
Libby poured coffee for the kind older gentleman who had become her
closest confidant, even closer than DarLynn.

“
Morning, Jill.” Jerrold
knew her true identity, unlike the rest of the town. He kept his
knowledge private under client lawyer privilege. He called her by
the name printed on the plastic name badge pinned to her waitress
uniform.

Shortly after she started at the Fork in the
Road, Jerrold became one of her regulars. Five mornings a week he
came in for coffee, eggs basted, wheat toast and a half grapefruit.
They immediately hit it off. Jerrold retired two years before. His
wife still worked the morning shift at the local hospital. Used to
getting up early to work for the past forty-five years, he came in
for breakfast each day. He always sat in Libby’s section.

“
Catch any fish yesterday?”
Libby knew Jerrold struggled with retirement. He tried hard to keep
his days full fishing, and puttering around his workshop, but his
heart remained with his law practice. He spent his career working
as a lawyer for Family Services.

When she first learned of his legal
background, Libby feared he could see through her facade and would
send her back to Wisconsin. Instead he became her angel of mercy,
guiding her through the mess of surviving as a teenage runaway.

“
Yeah, I caught a couple,
but threw them back.” He drummed his fingers on the counter as if
impatient. “I spent all evening reading.” His head tilted to the
side and a smirk lit his face.

Libby placed the coffee pot on the heating
element behind her then returned to Jerrold. “Anything good? All I
ever get to read are text books.”

“
Oh it’s very good. It’s a
little something that arrived in the mail from Wisconsin
yesterday.” He patted his pocket, where a white
envelope stuck out. He grinned.

“
Is that my letter?” He had
her full attention. “Don’t you dare tease me. Did my appeal pass?”
She reached to snatch the envelope, but Jerrold blocked her move.
“I’m not afraid to jump over this counter and take it from you.”
She twisted the towel that hung from her apron in
impatience.

Jerrold took a slow sip of coffee. His eyes
darted to everything in the diner except Libby. She slapped her
hands on the counter in front of him.

“
Listen here, old man. Give
it up. Am I free? You can’t withhold information from me. I’m
you’re client.” Jitters fluttered through her stomach. Her future
depended on that envelope.

“
Spill it!”

In what seemed like slow motion, he removed
the envelope from his pocket, methodically pulled out the papers,
then patted his pockets. “Where did I put my reading glasses?” His
stalling tormented her.

“
They’re on your head.”
Libby pointed out in short, impatient words.

“
Ah yes, so they are.” He
pulled the cheaters off his head, put them on and began to scan the
document line by line. “Hmm. Mmhmm. Yup, looks good.”

“
Oh for Pete’s sake get to
the point.” Libby wanted to strangle the man. “Give me the darn
papers.” She snatched them out of his hands and read. Her hands
shook as she scanned the pages looking for the magic words that
would give her freedom.

Then she saw it.

Elizabeth Ann Sawyer is here by awarded
emancipation and independence from the State of Wisconsin.

It was over. She was no longer a runaway or
a ward of the state. Jerrold had navigated the process of filing
papers for emancipation of a minor. Now she could make her own
decisions, and no longer need a parent or guardian to decide her
future. No more Aunt Marge, no more fear of group homes or anything
else. Better than that, she could start college in the fall. For
the last six months Libby had worked her tail off getting her GED,
taking the SATs and applying to graphic design schools. She’d been
accepted to a school in Boston. For the first time in a long time,
she felt her world glide into place.

She looked up at Jerrold. “It’s done?”

“
Yes.” He nodded. “It’s
done.”

“
Woo hoo!” She tossed the
pages in the air.

Penny, owner of Fork in the Road, peered
around the corner. “Jill, what’s all that racket about?”

Libby rushed to her side and hugged the
plump woman and plastered a kiss on her cheek. “Penny, I just got
the best news of my life.”

“
You win the lottery hun?”
Penny asked.

“
Better than that. I’m
free.”

Penny’s eyes moved to Jerrold, she nodded
some unspoken words and the two older people smiled. Apparently
Jerrold hadn’t kept her situation entirely confidential after
all.

# # #

After her shift ended, Libby returned to the
motel with a box of cupcakes tucked under her arm. She all but
floated down the street thinking of her new found independence. Now
she was free to start college in the fall. She couldn’t wait to get
there. It was her life long dream. Between all the money she’d
saved since landing in Pebble Creek and the financial aid package
Jerrold said she’d qualify for, no more obstacles stood in her way.
She could do anything she wanted. Heck she might even get her
driver’s license.

She entered the office and hollered out to
the boys. Their sweet little heads popped around the counter. “Look
what I’ve got.” She opened the box to reveal five yummy
cupcakes.

“
Are those for
us?

Their lovable little faces warmed her heart.
“Sure are. One for everybody.” She smiled at her little
buddies.

“
Mom too?” Jimmy, Jr.
asked.

“
Absolutely, you want to
pick one for her?” She held the box out while he carefully selected
a pink cupcake with a flower on top. “Good choice.” Libby ruffled
his hair.

“
Hey Mom, look what Jill
brought us.” Damien ran around the front counter to the living
quarters where DarLynn folded laundry. After one look at Libby,
DarLynn bit her lip. She wore an odd expression on her
face.

“
Is something wrong?” Libby
set the box of cupcakes on the table.

DarLynn examined Libby as if she’d never
seen her before. “Jill, where did you live before you came
here?”