Hidden Beauty

Chapter 1

Mable Lawrence's lower lip quivered as she stared at her father's prone figure on the kitchen floor.

She studied the wreckage of the kitchen, at the broken glasses and shattered dishes, at the pots and pans scattered beneath the kitchen table. She mourned the loss of her late mother's favorite blue vase, one the many victims of her father's distracted purge as he rummaged under the refrigerator. At her sharp inhale, he glanced up and scowled at her.

"Where are the keys?" he demanded irritably.

Mable took several deep breaths, and ran her hands through her red-gold hair. "What keys, Daddy?"

"My keys. You know..." He got up off the floor and looked around, lost.

Mable slowly crouched down and started to pick up some of the broken pieces of glass. "Your house keys are on the table near the front door." She said, fighting to keep her voice calm. "Your car keys are in your room." Her vision blurred for a moment as she gently picked up the piece of her mother's vase. She had been so proud to display the fresh flowers she had bought at the grocery store in her mother's old vase.

Her father glared at her as she threw the few pieces of glass she had collected in the trash. "Well, help me find them, Bella. I have work."

Mable picked up the pot her father was nudging with his toe. She didn't bother to correct him when he called her by her late mother's name; the doctors said that happened a lot in Alzheimer's patients. If she tried to correct him, he would just get frustrated and that would make things even worse.

"Daddy, I don't think you have work today," she straightened up and watched his expression carefully. He looked like he was starting to get more confused, so she quickly changed the subject. "It's almost eight 'o clock. Do you want breakfast?"

Her father's hazel eyes, the same shade as her own, narrowed. "Do I want breakfast?"

"Yeah."

He made a mumbling noise, trying so hard to remember but failing to grasp the right words. Dejected, he walked out of the room.

Mable followed him anxiously, making sure he went into his room before sighing and cleaning up the rest of the mess. She would have to check on him in a minute. Her father often wasn't able to dress himself, and the fact that he was up this early meant that he hadn't slept well the night before. On the nights when her father was plagued with nightmares he spent the next day even more ill-tempered and confused. She was in for a rough day.

Her cell phone rang right as she was pulling out the broom. With a quick glance at the screen, she pressed the answer button and said curtly, "Not a good time, Jeanne."

There was a second of silence. "I just wanted to see if you got my check." Her eldest sister said in a huffy voice. "I sent it last week, and I don't see that it's been cashed."

"I haven't had the chance to get out of the house." Mable started to sweep the floor.

"What's that noise? Are you cleaning?"

"Yes, I'm cleaning. Dad had an episode this morning, and there's broken glass all over the floor. I'm trying to get it clean before he comes in here and hurts himself." Mable held back a sigh. She had only managed to seriously clean the kitchen a few days ago, while he father napped on the couch. It would be at least another week or two before she could get the same results.

"I'm guessing he didn't sleep well last night?"

"No, I guess not. I heard him bumping around, but I must have been more tired than I thought, because I didn't even know he was up until I came in and saw him on the floor."