Chapter Four
Angel followed Thomas into the kitchen. It was the prettiest room she’d ever seen. Everything was bright with greys and creams mixed together. There was also an abundance of plants and herbs in pots around the room.
“Daisy, I’d like you to meet Angel.”
Angel watched as an older woman walked their way, wiping her hands with a towel. Angel stepped behind Thomas, suddenly terrified that the woman would hate her.
She heard Thomas sigh before he reached behind him to take her hand and pull her in front of him. He held her in place with his hands on her shoulders.
“Angel, meet Daisy. She’s excited to have you here,” Thomas said.
Angel couldn’t get herself to look at the woman because she was afraid of the distaste she’d see. She tensed when the woman’s skirt got a few feet from her.
“Child, look at me,” Daisy said gently.
Angel reluctantly raised her head and braced herself. When she saw the gentle acceptance on the woman’s face, she felt tears burn her eyes. She’d never had a woman look at her like this.
“I ... it’s nice to meet you, ma’am,” Angel stuttered.
Daisy smiled. “I’m so pleased to have you here. You and I are going to have so much fun.”
Angel glanced at Thomas over her shoulder and then back at the older woman. “I have to warn you that I don’t know how to do anything. I’m very ignorant and clumsy.”
Thomas’s hands tightened on her shoulders. “Stop saying that. I’d bet you’re probably smarter than I am.”
Angel sputtered and laughed. “No. That’s not true.”
“Well, you’re certainly not dumb, Sweetheart. As long as you have the interest, you can learn anything you want.”
“And I’d love to be the one to teach you, dear,” Daisy said. “I had an aunt teach me everything I know. I’d like to be that person for you if you let me.”
Angel’s heart felt like it would burst. She clasped her hands together in front of her and bounced. “Yes. I’d like that a lot. I’ll try my very best every day. I’ll work hard and not mess anything up.”
“I don’t care if you do. I still make mistakes,” Daisy said.
Angel’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“Absolutely. Everyone does.”
Angel looked back at Thomas. “I bet you don’t.”
Daisy snorted. “Oh, yes, he does.”
Angel looked back and forth as the two started to bicker. She could tell it seemed fun for them.
“Okay, Mr. Smarty,” Daisy said. “Let’s talk about last week.”
Angel glanced at Thomas to see his cheeks redden. “What happened?” she asked.
Neither said a word for a moment, and then Daisy snorted before talking.
“This guy got distracted when he was trying to corral a cow, and he knows better. He ended up on his bottom in a big pile of cow poo,” Daisy said and laughed. “He stunk up the whole house when he walked through to his room to shower and change.”
Angel pressed her hands to her mouth and ducked her head.
“You don’t think that’s funny, do you?” Thomas growled behind her.
She shook her head, but she knew if she opened her mouth, her laughter would burst out.
Daisy chuckled, and Thomas sighed again. Angel didn’t hear or sense any anger, so she looked up at him again. When she saw his grin, she burst out laughing.
Thomas rolled his eyes and squeezed her shoulders. “I can see the two of you ganging up on me.” He grinned. “How about I show you to your room?”
She stopped laughing and frowned in confusion. “I-I really don’t need a room.”
“Well, you’re going to get one,” Thomas said.
“But...”
“Listen to him, child,” Daisy said gently.
Angel nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
She took the hand he held out to her and walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs, grabbing her sack on the way.
He stopped at the first door on the left and opened it.
Her breath caught in her chest. It was painted a light blue color, and the furniture was white.
The bed had a striped comforter on it, and several pillows were stacked against the headboard. Two big windows let in bright light.
Thomas walked to a door and opened it. “This is your bathroom, Sweetheart.”
Angel walked slowly across the room and stared. The bathroom was fancier than anything she’d ever seen, and it intimidated her.
He must have seen her shock because he walked to her and set his hands on her shoulders. “Everything is going to be okay, Sweetheart.”
She looked up at him and saw the concern on his face. She didn’t want him to feel sad, so she just nodded.
“How about you take a shower and then a nap before lunch? You looked exhausted,” he suggested.
Angel nodded again because she didn’t know what else to say.
“There should be everything you need in the shower, and extra toothbrushes and paste in the drawers. Can you think of anything else you might need right now?”
Angel shook her head.
“Okay, I’ll come get you in a few hours. We’ll eat lunch together, and then I’ll show you around. How does that sound?”
“Okay.”
He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead before he walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Angel stood frozen, unable to decide what to do.
She clutched her hat to her chest. She stared around the bedroom before picking up her bag and walking into the bathroom.
One look in the shower told her it would be impossible for her to use.
There were so many levers, she wouldn’t be able to figure it out.
One of the truckers who had given her a ride had stopped to refuel his semi and eat, and had shown her the rooms she could clean up in. One of the waitresses had been nice and helped her figure out how to use the basic shower.
It had been pure heaven. She’d never felt so clean in her life, but had been extremely nervous the whole time she was naked, so she hadn’t tried again. At the convent, everyone took sponge baths, or sometimes half of a wine barrel was brought out for a shallow, tiny bathtub she had to kneel in.
Angel decided to wash her clothes and hang them to dry over the shower rod. She took off what she was wearing and washed it as well. She hated being naked, so she wrapped a towel around her torso.
She knew her phobia had to do with Sister Mary’s comments about how ugly her body was, and no one would ever want to see it. Now that she thought about it, the woman hadn’t had anything nice to say to her in the seventeen years she’d lived at the convent.
When she was done with that task, she used a washcloth and the sink to wash her body, just as she’d done most of her life.
When she was dry, she unbraided her long, thick hair and used her fingers to comb through it before washing it in the sink. She’d become so used to living like this, she didn’t think anything of it.
The sink was a little high, so she had to contort herself to reach it, and it took a bit longer to finish. When she finally got all the soap out of it, she wrung out as much water as she could before wrapping a towel around her head.
At the bottom of her bag, she pulled out the small Ziplock baggie that contained all her belongings, including a toothbrush, a comb, hair ties, a small amount of money, and a few other essentials.
She picked up her rolled-up blanket and walked into the bedroom.
She stood next to the bed for a moment before pressing her hand down on it.
In the convent, she’d only had a cot to sleep on, and since she left, she made do with the blanket, and if she was lucky, she could place some straw under it.
The thought of lying in a real bed made her stomach ache.
As the minutes passed, she felt increasingly like an impostor for some reason. Her thoughts were becoming muddled because of her lack of sleep the night before, so she lay down on the floor by the bed and rolled up in the blanket. She was out a moment later.