The kitchen gleamed, and I sighed as it was only noon and my work was done for the day. Ray was out with Mr. Currier, so he didn't even need me to prepare his lunch, and it was much too soon to start dinner. Once a week, I cleaned for Ray's daughter, Paige and her husband, Dan Currier, but even that was only for a few hours.
I hated being idle and worse I was afraid Ray would let me go. Eventually, he would realize the house was too big for just him. Then he would no longer need a housekeeper. The Curriers had sold their house around the corner. I was afraid Jim Currier might have moved in, like a widower's version of the Odd Couple, but instead he moved to the house on The Point year round.
I set to work organizing the already organized pantry. Ray had something to discuss with me. Dread filled my belly as ideas filled my head. I had to keep busy. After he let me go, I wondered if Paige would hire me as a nanny when her baby was born. Truthfully, I was afraid of leaving the safety I had found under this roof.
I had been working for the Ouellette family for almost twenty-four years. Brenda, God rest her soul, rescued me. She came to volunteer at the shelter where I had been living. I was seven months pregnant and alone. One day, she brought Paige along. She was five and cute as a button, so I smiled and spoke to her. Paige, I learned was a shy girl, but she took to me. Brenda offered me a job and a home. Along with housekeeping, I helped mind Paige. Brenda wasn't fazed that I was about to have a baby.
I raised my daughter, and they treated us like family. Paige was like an older cousin to my Callie. The girls didn't always get along, but they loved each other. Callie was lucky, because we lived in a good town with good schools. She complained, because we lived in the apartment above the garage, but it was our home. We had a family, and that was more than I had when I entered the shelter.
I thought of Callie and smiled. She was in New York making a life for herself. I still couldn't understand why she didn't make it as a model. She was beautiful. I know all mothers think like that, but it was true. My only complaint was she didn't call enough and hadn't been home in almost three years. Still, she had a wonderful job and was in love with a man who appeared to be perfect.
What more could a mother want?
Ray came home before three and said, "Come sit down. I have got a surprise for you."
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