Free The Living Room by Bill Rolfe Page A

girl. It was as though there were nothing wrong with her. They talked about boys, television, and then dolls. Not once did Brenda introduce the topic of her health. Daniel just listened and waited.
    Finally, a sound he recognized pierced his anxious thoughts. A car entered the driveway, and he rushed to assure himself it was his savior. Claire walked toward the house and Daniel tried to greet her outside the doorway, but she was in a hurry and brushed passed him. “Hi, sweetheart, just give me a sec, I’m running late for Brenda.”
    Daniel wasn’t sure whether to be upset with her for rushing past him, or delighted at being called sweetheart. A minute passed, and Brenda came down the stairs.
    “Good night, Daniel, I’ll see you in the morning.” She walked straight out to her car.
    Claire called out, “Daniel, come up here for a second!”
    He felt insecure but hiked slowly up the stairs and peeked into the room.
    “This is Jennifer. She wanted to say hello before bedtime.”
    “Hello, Daniel. Thank you for letting me stay over this week.”
    The little girl was frail but managed to speak with a little effort.
    “Oh, you’re welcome, Jennifer. Sorry I didn’t come up earlier. I was busy in the yard.”
    Daniel wasn’t sure how to cover his absence, but the little girl appeared comforted.
    “I’ll be right down. Have you eaten yet?” Claire inquired.
    “I was just making”—he suddenly realized how much time had passed—“burning us something to eat. I’ll be in the kitchen.” He turned for the stairs.
    “Good night, Daniel,” Jennifer whispered, stopping him in his tracks.
    “Good night, Jennifer.” He returned an honest smile and then rushed down to the kitchen.
    After a valiant attempt at a good meal, Daniel and Claire shared a few words about the day. He was still uncertain about the sleeping arrangement. “Well, I’m pretty beat—I guess it’s bedtime.”
    Claire smiled and said, “I know Jennifer; she’s sitting there waiting for me to come up and talk so she can sleep.”
    Seeing some disappointment in Daniel’s face, she leaned into him for an embrace. She touched his back and shoulders like she didn’t want to let go. He got lost in the moment and let her go without saying a word. She smiled, kissed his cheek, and walked upstairs.
    Daniel smiled and retired to his sleeping quarters, now twice the room it once was. While dozing off to sleep, he heard something. It sounded like giggling. Two little girls giggling—except that one of them was a woman. The vent next to his bed brought down all of the conversation from the room upstairs. He snickered a little to himself when he discovered the topic of discussion. They were talking about him. Jennifer said he’s cute and that Claire should marry him and make babies.
    After a few minutes of eavesdropping, Daniel slipped into a dreamworld more peaceful than he had experienced in years.

Chapter 7
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    Daniel awoke to hear footsteps in the kitchen and decided to surprise his new sweetheart with a hug from behind. He quietly crept up to the doorway, turned the corner, and lunged at her.
    Brenda wasn’t too sure what to think, as Claire had actually left for work an hour ago. She seemed unimpressed over the mix-up. It was an awkward moment for both of them, so Daniel retreated to his room to recover from his embarrassment.
    About an hour into his workday, Daniel was outside again when he noticed the dust cloud on the road. He at first figured that another joyous visit from Mrs. Lipton was upon him. He felt panicked when he saw that it was an ambulance.
    It wasn’t traveling in any hurry. There were no lights or a siren wailing away. But there was still reason for concern. As he walked back toward the door, Brenda came out.
    “There’s an ambulance coming to the house.”
    “Yes. I called them,” she said calmly.
    “Is everything all right?”
    “Yes, Daniel. Everything is fine.” She stared off in the distance and tried to keep