Chapter 16
Just three days before Christmas, Janie thought she heard something at her front door. It had been one of those dark rainy days, the kind that made Janie want to hole up and go to sleep. In fact, if she could just hibernate through Christmas, she would be perfectly fine. Oh, she’d told Matthew she understood his choice to spend the holidays with his girlfriend’s family. But not having family around—especially her children—made Christmas lonelier than ever.
But there was that sound again—either someone was knocking on her door, or the wind was stronger than she’d assumed. Feeling uneasy, she set down her book and reached for her phone and almost wished she had a watchdog. Not that she was frightened, exactly. But it was past nine o’clock, and she couldn’t imagine who would be calling at this time of night, and in this weather. When she turned on the porch light, peeking through the side window, she was stunned to see what looked like a homeless person. A pitiful person with dripping hair stood on the porch, head hanging. A soggy denim jacket, holey jeans, and rubber flip-flops suggested this person either lacked common sense or was hard up on luck. As Janie’s initial surprise subsided, she was hit with a wave of shocking realization. This poor waif was Janie’s daughter.
“Lisa!” Janie exclaimed as she jerked the door open wide. “Come in!”
Lisa stepped into the house, and Janie threw her arms around her, pulling her close and holding her tight. Despite being cold and wet, Lisa felt stiff and bony. And she didn’t return the hug.
“Oh, sweetie, we need to get you dry,” Janie said as she stepped back, noticing that her own blouse was fairly soggy too. “Come on,” she urged Lisa. “You need to take a hot shower and change into some dry clothes.”
Lisa looked down at herself, then slowly shook her head. “These are the only clothes I have.”
“Oh.” Janie nodded. “Well, that’s okay. You can wear something of mine. But let’s get you warmed up before you catch pneumonia. Come on.” She led Lisa to the guest bath and pointed out where shampoo and soaps and towels were stored, produced a fluffy terry robe, then left her alone. Closing the door, Janie took in a deep breath and steadied herself. For about a minute, she just stood there in the hallway, trying to soak this in. Lisa was here! Really here—right here in Janie’s home. But how had she gotten here? Why had she arrived with only the wet clothes on her back? How long would she stay?
Janie waited, wishing she’d hear the sound of the shower. Then she decided to busy herself by finding some warm pajamas and socks for Lisa. Then she put on the teakettle. Still not hearing the shower water, she tapped on the door, then called out Lisa’s name. When Lisa didn’t answer, Janie felt a rush of fear. What if Lisa had snuck out while Janie was distracted by gathering clothes and things? It wouldn’t be the first time.
“Lisa?” Janie called again, opening the door and bracing herself for the worst. But Lisa was still there. She’d made some progress. Her soggy jeans and jacket were in a pile, but Lisa was just standing there in a dirty-looking pink T-shirt and underwear.
“Come on, Lisa.” Janie set the pajamas on the counter, then turned on the water in the shower, adjusting it to the right heat. “You need to get in here.” She reached over and touched Lisa’s arm. “You’re freezing, honey.” Janie noticed the telltale tracks of past drug use on her daughter’s thin arm, and it took all her strength not to fall apart. For Lisa’s sake, Janie had to be strong.
She peeled off Lisa’s T-shirt, trying not to gasp at the bony ribcage, and gently pushed her daughter into the shower stall and under the flow of warm water. Lisa still had on her bra and panties, but Janie didn’t care. She just wanted to get Lisa warmed up.
“Do you need me to help?” Janie asked Lisa.
“No.” Lisa shook her head. Janie wasn’t convinced. She wasn’t sure if Lisa was high or depressed or just suffering from hypothermia. But Janie decided Lisa really did need her help. And so Janie removed her own shoes, and since she was already fairly wet, she just stepped into the shower and began washing her daughter. Using shower gel and a washcloth, Janie rubbed vigorously over Lisa’s pale back, wishing she could rub more than just warmth into her daughter. If she could, she would rub hope and strength and health into Lisa. But first she had to get her warm.
Finally, with Lisa out of the shower and her hair in a towel and the terry robe tied snugly around her, Janie could hear the teakettle whistling in the kitchen. It had been full, so it couldn’t have boiled dry yet.
“Come on,” Janie told Lisa. “You can put your pajamas on in the bedroom.” Then she led Lisa to the guest room. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Janie made a cup of instant cocoa and returned to see that Lisa had the pajamas nearly on. That was progress. Janie set the steaming cocoa on the bedside table, then handed Lisa the woolly socks. “Put these on too.”
Lisa frowned at the socks as if she wondered what they were for.
“Unless you’d rather have some slippers.” Janie waited.
“No.” Lisa barely nodded. “These will be fine.”
“I’m going to go change into something drier too,” Janie said lightly although she was starting to shiver. “Then I’ll be right back. Okay?”
Lisa didn’t even look at her. Still worried that her unpredictable child could pull a disappearing act, Janie hurried to her room and pulled on a set of sweats, then hurried back to discover Lisa sitting in the living room. On the couch, with her feet tucked under her and her hands cupped around the mug, she was sipping her cocoa.
Feeling relieved, Janie sat down in the chair adjacent from her and just stared. “I can’t believe you’re here,” she said quietly. “I’m so glad to see you.”
Lisa continued to sip.
“How did you get here?”
Lisa looked up with a blank expression, like she didn’t intend to answer.
“I mean I would’ve sent you a plane ticket or come and picked you up. But how did you know how to find me here in grandma’s house?”
“I’ve been here before.”
Janie cocked her head to one side. “Yes, a long time ago. You were a kid.”
“I remembered where it was.”
Janie smiled. “Obviously. I’m so glad you did.”
Lisa looked around. “You changed it.”
“Well, yes. I wanted to make it my own.”
“I liked it better before.”
Janie told herself not to take offense. It was only natural that Lisa would say something like that. She and Lisa had been at odds for years.
“But I guess it’s okay.” Lisa looked up at the painting Marley had done. “That’s nice.”
So Janie filled the air by telling Lisa a bit about Marley and her other Linda friends.
“Really?” Lisa looked confused. “There were four girls named Linda in your school?”
“Weird, huh?”
“And you’re still friends with them?”
“More so than ever before.”
Lisa slowly nodded. “That’s cool.”
“Are you hungry?” Janie asked.
Lisa shrugged with that faraway look in her eyes again.
“Do you remember when you last ate?”
Another shrug.
“Do you still like oatmeal?”
Lisa looked up with a bit of interest.
Janie stood. “I’m going to make some. It actually sounds kind of good to me, too. I’ve been eating it with nuts and dried berries lately.”
Using the still-hot water from the teakettle, Janie made what looked to be about four helpings of oatmeal. “Do you still like it with honey?” she called.
“I guess so.”
Before long, they were seated in the kitchen, eating oatmeal together. And Lisa, in Janie’s blue and yellow April Cornell pajamas with her hair wrapped loosely in a white towel and a bit of color reappearing in her cheeks, was starting to look almost normal. However, Janie was no fool. She knew that looks could be deceiving. Still, she was glad that Lisa was here. Despite the odds, Janie felt hopeful.
The next morning, Janie couldn’t wait to call Victor—except that she knew he was on his way up to Portland to pick up his son Ben. Victor’s older son, Marcus, as well as Marcus’s fiancée, had opted to spend Christmas split between their moms, both of whom were more conveniently located in the Chicago area. But Victor had made it clear that Marcus would’ve preferred to come out here. “But he’s feeling sorry for his mom,” Victor had told her a couple of days ago. “I guess Donna’s been depressed.”
Janie wasn’t surprised, given all that had transpired around Thanksgiving. Even though Victor’s ex was seeing her therapist again, it would probably take time and meds to undo the damage of that ill-fated visit. Plus, a lot of people got blue at Christmastime. In fact, Janie had been a little down before Lisa showed up. Now she was mostly just nervous. More than anything, she wanted Lisa to stay with her. But knowing Lisa, that could be a challenge. Lisa had a history of showing up unexpectedly, getting what she wanted, and taking off again. Janie prayed that this time would be different.
For that reason, she called her son. “Hey, Matthew,” she said cheerfully into his voice mail. “You’ll never guess who showed up at my door last night.” She chuckled. Well, knowing her smart son, he would guess. “Anyway, I sure wish you could come out here and be with us for Christmas. I know you have other plans, but if you change your mind, I’ll be glad to spring for your flight.” Of course, she knew the chances of this happening were minimal. Matthew wouldn’t be willing to expose his girlfriend to Lisa, and even if he was willing to leave Cassie behind, getting tickets at this late date would probably be next to impossible. Still, it didn’t hurt to ask.
Then she decided to call Victor’s home phone. That way she could at least leave a message. She wanted him to be aware of what was happening, especially since Victor had been planning to have her and Ben at his house for Christmas Eve. She hoped he’d be okay with another guest—and that Lisa would be okay with going.
With those two calls done, Janie considered fixing breakfast. Except she had no idea how long Lisa would sleep. As worn out as she’d appeared last night, Janie wouldn’t be surprised if she slept until noon. Mostly, Janie was glad that Lisa was still here. She’d checked to be sure. However, what would happen later today or tomorrow remained to be seen.