Chapter 14
Danielle
Some days later, (after adding several interesting new positions to my repertoire) I was sitting at Roger’s kitchen table with Maggie, working on homework together. As usual, Maggie was tearing it apart, and there was little for me to do except to sit and watch the clock, waiting for Roger to get home. This was about the time he usually arrived, anyway.
That’s when I noticed a small manila envelope poking out of Maggie’s backpack. I’d enough experience in raising my brothers to know that a hidden manila envelope in one’s school supplies was usually bad news.
“Maggie. What is this?” I asked, pointing towards it.
For a fleeting second, she made as if to dash it out of view, but she was a mature young girl, and after a deep breath she reached for it and offered it to me herself.
“It’s this quarter’s report card,” she sighed. From the tear at the top, I could tell that she had already seen it – and judging by her tone, it wasn’t good news.
I scowled at her, and took out the piece of paper inside.
What I saw astounded me.
“Maggie!” I said. “All Cs and Ds? What’s going on? All the work you’ve been doing with me has been great!”
She slouched in her chair, but still met my gaze. “Yes, well, that’s the average for the whole quarter. You’ve only just arrived.”
“That still doesn’t make sense.”
“Yes it does. It’s mathematically sound. Look at averages. When you add up all the parts, if many of them are low, then – ”
“That’s not what I meant, young lady, and you know it!”
We stared at each other, shocked. It was the first time I had ever shouted at her, and, by the looks on both our faces, neither of us had enjoyed it. Still, I had needed to cut her off. I wanted her to be straight with me. Not full of crap.
“Maggie,” I said. “You know what I’m talking about. All of your school work, and all of the time we’ve spent together. I can tell you’re really smart. Hell, you’re probably smarter than me and your father! So why are your grades like this?”
She frowned, and looked into her lap. Suddenly, I was struck by how very young she was. It was easy to think of and talk to her like she was just a miniature adult. But the look of sadness and uncertainty in her eyes reminded me that she was just a child – and one who had endured a terrible loss, at that.
Somewhere in the house, I heard a muffled thump. We ignored it. It was probably the heater or something, and this moment required all of my concentration.
After I moment, I said, “When I was young, sometimes I struggled with grades, too. It was so frustrating! Not only having to take care of myself, but all my brothers! It was like I never had time for anything, let alone stupid homework. But then…as I got better at dealing with my family, and with life, it occurred to me how much I enjoyed handling all the craziness. I was good at it, and I got to see other people prosper because of my hard work. I think that’s why I want to go into hospitality so badly: I like taking care of people, and a challenge to boot. Have you ever felt like that? That maybe all of your struggles are too much, but, with time, you could learn to surpass them?”
“It’s not that,” she whispered, and I was startled to see a tear fall from her nose down to her clasped hands.
“What is it then?”
“Well…after Mom died, both me and my dad were really sad, for a really long time. It was hard to focus, and to care about school.”
“So you stopped trying?”
“Not exactly…I kept doing well, for a while. But my dad was still really upset. He was like a zombie, really. That’s when I noticed…when I wasn’t doing well, he seemed to wake up. He had an issue to deal with. Something to distract him from how much he misses my mom. You know? So, I let my grades slip…and then, he hired you.”
I let this wash over me in silence. I was amazed at both how insightful and yet how naive Maggie was. At last, I said, “You are a very brave, selfless girl, Maggie. But there are better ways to cheer your father up.”
She brightened immediately. “Yeah, like you! Now that you’re here, he’s been so much happier, and I can finally focus on my grades again!”
She smiled, and reached towards me for a hug, which I gladly reciprocated. A second later, a scraping of the kitchen door made us jump, and we parted, blushing contentedly, as Roger appeared.
“Hello, Roger!”
“Hello, Dad!”
He stared down at us, and for some reason, his eyes narrowed.
“Good evening,” he said, sounding like a priest at a funeral.
I frowned. “How was work?” I asked.
“Fine.”
Maggie and I exchanged glances. We normally couldn’t get him to stop talking about his job!
“We’re working hard, Daddy,” said Maggie, waving her assignment in the air. “We’re doing really well!”
“Great,” he grunted. For some reason, he looked like he’d swallowed something sour.
I rose and went over to him. “Are you sure you’re okay, honey?” I asked. “You seem a little tense – ”
“I’m fine, alright! Fine! I said it before. Why do I have to say it again! I’m…freaking…fine!”
I recoiled, taken aback and worried. Was he mad at me? I saw anger in his eyes, yes, and sadness, though I could not for the life of my figure out where it was coming from.
“Right,” I said. “Maybe it’s best that I head home then. Maggie, you okay with the last of that page?”
“Sure,” she said, gazing at me and Roger with her eyebrows raised.
“Okay. Goodbye, then. Roger…have a good night.”
I left. I didn’t know what else to do. Roger had never talked to me like that before, and the last thing I wanted was to get in a raging fight in front of Maggie. Especially after what she’d confided.
I felt Roger’s anguished gaze follow me all the way out.