“Not officially, but if someone asked, then we do what we can. No one is going to win a fashion contest here, but we know how to give a good trim. Well, at least Patty can. Don’t you dare give Lori a pair of scissors. Not unless you want to wear a hat for a year.” She extended a hand. “I’m Caroline.”
“I’m Sofia. So nice to meet you. Can I give you a hand until Patty is free?”
Caroline said, “If you wait for that to happen, you’ll never get to talk to her. Come on over, I’ll introduce you.” Sure enough, when Sofia got there, Patty didn’t even stop. “Patty, this is Sofia. She wants to give us a hand today.”
“And I have a donation as well,” Sofia added. She pulled the money out of her pocket and handed it to Patty.
Patty didn’t even count it as she slipped it into her apron pocket. “Thank you. I’m sure I can put this to use. Since you’re here for the day, how about giving Caroline a hand? She’s on laundry duty.”
“I’d love to. Thank you so much for letting me help,” Sofia said wholeheartedly. This was exactly how she wanted to fill her free time.
Sofia thought she’d be doing people’s personal laundry, but in fact, there were a lot of linen and towels, a constant flow. She lost track of how many people had come and gone, some individuals and some families. All were welcomed without any question. By the end of the day she was exhausted. She thought waitressing was tough, but standing in one place for hours played havoc on her feet. Of course, she hadn’t worn working shoes and only had on her flat, no-support sandals.
As she was about to leave, Patty called her over. “Sofia, I think this is yours. It was with the money you donated, which, by the way, was very generous, thank you.”
She handed Sofia the business card. She’d forgotten all about it. The man had handed it to her telling her he’d help her get off the street. She handed it back to Patty. “The money actually came from this person. I’m just the middleman, or woman, in this case. Thank you again for letting me help.”
Patty looked at the card and said, “It must be nice to have such…generous friends. We have been trying to get their support for a long time. Guess this is a good start.” Patty slipped the card back into her apron and said, “I’ll give him a call myself to thank him.”
She was tempted to ask her not to, but what did it matter? The man had no idea who she was, and they surely weren’t going to cross paths again. Even if they did, he wouldn’t know who she was any more than she would recognize him. The entire thing was a blur, and it was best to keep it that way.
Before she left, Patty asked, “Would you mind if we took your picture and put it up on our wall of honor?”
“Wall of honor?” Sofia repeated, puzzled.
“Yes, it’s where we put people who stop in but decide to stay. Our goal is to fill this wall up. Of course, as you can see, we have a long way to go.”
Sofia looked in the direction Patty was pointing. There were about twenty photos, but room for a hundred times that amount. “Patty, I hope I didn’t give you the wrong impression. I can only help today. I work full time and at night I have…rehearsals.” She said the truth. No harm in that. The information wasn’t going anywhere.
“I didn’t expect you to.”
“But I don’t deserve to be on that wall. It was just one day.”
Patty smiled. “If everyone gave one day to helping another, imagine what a beautiful place this world would be. Sofia, you do belong there, whether you believe it or not.”
Sofia nodded and said, “If I can find time at all, I promise I’ll come back.”
Patty nodded. “Fate brought you through that door, and it will again.”
Actually it was Google.
She stood still for a moment while Patty snapped her picture with a camera Sofia had never used. It was something she might have found buried in her parents’ closet. How was this old-fashioned instant camera even functioning? The photo slid out the front and the clarity wasn’t great at all, but it was her.
Sofia handed the picture back to Patty and left so Patty could lock the doors. It had been a long day, and she was ready to get home. Yet she didn’t regret it one bit. Not only was it productive and educational, but it was also the type of fun she enjoyed and needed. But right now, she needed something else too….sleep.
Dylan had never seen Charles look as happy as he did right now, holding his baby girl.
“Guess you won’t be calling her Charles. You’ll have to go for number two,” Gareth teased.
Rosslyn shot him a warning look. “I do hope you’re joking.”
Gareth grinned, “Of course I am.”
Dylan knew he wasn’t. It fell onto Charles to keep the name going. Since he was Charles Joseph Lawson the Seventh, he needed to ensure there was an Eighth. I wonder if he told Rosslyn that. From the expression on her face, he didn’t think so. Right now definitely wasn’t the time to bring it up, either.
“Don’t you boys have something to do other than take up space in here? I’m waiting to rock my grandchild to sleep. That’s not going to happen with all your chatter.”
One by one they all walked over and kissed Rosslyn goodbye, then did the same to their mother. No one put up any argument, as they were all waiting for an excuse to bolt. They were happy for Charles and Rosslyn, but nobody wanted to be in the room when she tried feeding the baby. It might be natural and the best for the baby, but he wasn’t that close with his sister-in-law. Since little Penelope was starting to fuss, she was probably getting hungry. Funny, so was he.