Betty’s Bakery is crowded. By the time Gabe helped Travis, Dalton, and other men clean up all the tables and chairs at the gazebo, and cleared up the entire area, the crowd seemed to be of one mind: eat at Betty’s Bakery. Gabe spots a small, two-top table in the back corner and leads Maddie there, pulling over an extra chair from a nearby table.
“I’m so glad you could come with us,” Maddie says, as Amy sits across from Gabe. Maddie takes the third chair, positioned between them.
“Guilted into it is more like it,” Amy says, trying to smile.
“Well, you did say that you wanted to hear all about my night at Beside Me.”
Amy bobs her head. “Yes, but I assumed you would tell me Monday at Glory’s Place.”
“You assumed wrong,” Maddie says, making her smile.
Travis was right: this is awkward, and every time Gabe and Amy make eye contact, they glance away to Maddie, or the sugar dispenser, or find great fascination in their silverware. But Gabe finds himself glancing at Amy again and again. Her eyes seem browner and her skin more radiant, her smile is more brilliant and her laugh is filled with an ease he’s never heard. She is more beautiful than he remembers, and despite his best efforts, he can’t will himself to stop looking.
“Gabe was my partner last night at Beside Me!”
Amy is surprised. “Really? You didn’t expect that, did you?”
“I didn’t expect it either,” Gabe says. “But we had a great time. All the kids did.”
“We made the best wreath ever and I gave it to Linda.”
Amy leans back in her chair, smiling. “I bet she loves it!”
“It looks awesome on her door! Me and Gabe could make you one!”
Amy begins to shake her head. “Oh. No. That would be too much trouble.”
“No it’s not! Is it?” Maddie says, looking at Gabe.
“No. It’s no trouble at all. As a matter of fact, we’re experts at it now and might very well star in our own DIY show on TV.”
Maddie giggles. “What does that mean?”
“Do it yourself,” Gabe says matter-of-factly. “Because that’s what we do … We do it ourselves. And we do it amazingly!” Maddie laughs and high-fives him as Amy observes, wishing she was home.
They each order a different sandwich, and to make sure the conversation never lulls, Amy says, “I can’t wait to see how much money you raised at the fund-raiser.”
“I hope it’s a million dollars!” Maddie says. She sips her lemonade and sets it down with a thud. “So! You were married!” Gabe and Amy nod, both hoping not to have to explain their marriage to a seven-year-old. “But now you’re friends again,” she says, smiling. Neither of them reply. “Right?”
Gabe looks at Amy. “I hope that we can be but sometimes adults can’t make their way back to being friends the way that kids can.”
This sounds absurd to Maddie. “Why not? Kids fight and then they make up. It’s the same thing with you, except you’re taller.”
Gabe thinks for a moment and then says, “Maybe it’s the height thing that’s the issue.”
Maddie looks at Amy. “Gabe told me that he was a bad husband but I know that he makes a really good friend.”
Amy forces a smile. “I’m sure he does.”
“Do you remember why you were friends with him?” Maddie says, taking another sip of lemonade.
Amy twists the napkin in her hands, glancing away. “He made me laugh.”
“He makes me laugh too!” She kind of bounces in her seat as she looks at Gabe. “Why were you friends with Miss Denison?”
“Because I thought she was the kindest person I ever met. I still think that about her.” He glances at Amy and she catches his eye for a moment before looking at Maddie.
“So he made you laugh,” Maddie says to Amy. “And you still think she’s kind. And pretty, right?” Gabe clears his throat and Amy looks over her shoulder, hoping the waitress will arrive with the food. “Right?” she says, pressing further.
Gabe nods. “Yes. I think she’s very pretty.” Amy is so uneasy; she can’t make eye contact with him.
“So maybe we can all go to a movie,” Maddie says, shrugging, as if all is settled and happiness has been restored.
The food arrives and, thankfully, the conversation turns to Maddie. “You should hear her presentation about Florence Nightingale,” Gabe says, biting into his sandwich. “She is very smart!”
“I know,” Amy says. “She beats me at every game we play.”
“And she’s friends with everybody!” Gabe can see that Maddie is puffing up with pride in front of him. “If Maddie sees that somebody needs a friend, she will be that friend.”
“She became my friend right away,” Amy says. “Of course she got my name wrong but I can forgive her for that.”
“Denison sounds like Jenson,” Maddie says, her mouth full of food.
“Again … not even close,” Gabe says, making her howl with laughter. “Not even in the same ballpark!” Maddie giggles, her mouth gaping wide with food, and Amy can’t help but smile. Whatever heartache and pain happened years ago between Gabe and Amy appears to be temporarily forgotten. Forgiveness and mercy seem to hover above this blue-and-white-checked tablecloth, entering each of them with, for the moment, a sense of gladness.
“So what do you like to do when you’re at Linda’s house?” Amy asks.
Maddie pops a potato chip in her mouth. “I like to play with Teddy, her dog. And I like to play video games, and read some books, not all books, because I don’t like books about boys or boogers and stuff.” Gabe and Amy smile as they listen. “And I like to play games and go outside and ride my bike in the driveway. But I’d love to play the piano.”
Gabe’s eyes widen. “You could learn!”
Maddie shakes her head. “I could never play like this,” she says, her hands racing over the tablecloth.
“If anybody could do this,” Gabe says, his hands mimicking hers, “it’s you!”
“I doubt it.”
Gabe looks at her, banging his coffee cup on the table. “If you doubt that you can do that then you don’t know the same Maddie that I do. The Maddie I know tries anything and never gives up. The Maddie I know races in the three-legged race on field day.”
“And came in last,” Maddie says.
“But she could have chosen to not race at all; however the Maddie I know said ‘I want to be in the race’!” She smiles, raising her eyebrows when she looks at Amy. “The Maddie I know takes part in square-dance week in gym.”
“It’s awful,” Maddie says to Amy. “People with CP should not square-dance.”
“But the Maddie I know would rather dance than sit on the gym risers.”
She begins to giggle. “I’m horrible at square dancing!”
“All of you are,” Gabe says, deadpan. “The whole week is hideous to watch.” Maddie and Amy laugh out loud together. “If I had a broom that could clean up the whole disaster, I would use it, but I just have to stand by and wait for the catastrophic mess to end.”
“It’s not that bad,” Maddie squeals.
As much as Amy wants to remember Gabe as the wrecking ball that he was, she can’t keep from wanting to believe that he has changed. There is a gentleness to him that she never knew. There’s compassion and warmth for Maddie that he never showed for anyone when she was married to him. His laugh is easier and his tone is light; when they were married his words were edged with hardness. She doesn’t want to be here, sitting in this small space seeing this side of him. It’s easier to think of him the way he was.
“Here come part of the triumphant fund-raising team!” Gloria says. Amy looks over her shoulder and is relieved to see Gloria and Miriam, Stacy, and her son, Ben, walking toward them. Their presence will take some of the strain away.
“Miss Glory!” Maddie says, leaning over to hug her.
“I’m Gloria,” she says to Gabe. “And this is Miriam.”
“Gabe Rodriguez,” he says, shaking her hand. “It was awesome! The kids were amazing,” he says, looking at Maddie.
“Each year I think that it was our best fund-raiser ever and we could never top it but then the very next year the kids prove me wrong! And of course I keep getting the very best volunteers,” she says, winking at Amy.
“And of course the staff who has been there from day one is an integral part of each success,” Miriam says, a bit offended. “Dalton and Heddy and…” She stops for effect.
“And you, Miriam,” Gloria says, sighing. “Whatever would I do without you?”
Miriam smiles, satisfied. “How do you know Maddie?” she asks Gabe.
“I work at the school and, as you probably know, Maddie is a superstar there.”
“And you know Amy! How wonderful,” Gloria says.
“He loves her,” Ben says, making his mom’s mouth drop open.
“Ben!” Stacy says.
“He does. He loves her. Don’t you?”
Gabe clears his throat and coughs, accidentally spilling his coffee when he covers his mouth. He scurries to use his napkin to sop it up.
“They used to be married,” Maddie says, moving away from the brown stream headed her way. Amy wonders if her face has fallen, just as her heart has.
“Oh!” Miriam says. “Isn’t that something? That’s wonderful to … I mean, it’s so nice to see … just something, isn’t it?” She looks at Gloria for help.
“Well, you both have a tremendous friend in Maddie,” Gloria says, bailing Miriam out.
“I’ve seen you in my line at Clauson’s,” Ben says to Gabe. “I’m Ben. Remember me? I bag your groceries.”
“Of course! You put the notes in each customer’s bag,” Gabe says, recognizing him. “You rock those notes, Ben!”
Ben smiles. “You don’t buy a lot and you look different today than when you’re buying groceries. You look happy. That’s why you love her.”
“Ben!” Stacy whispers, loudly enough so everyone can hear.
“I need to get going,” Amy says, uncomfortable and scooting her chair back with a loud shriek across the floor.
“Yes!” Miriam says. “We all should go.”
Gloria glares at her. “We just got here, Miriam,” she says, hissing at her. “Stop talking, okay?” Gabe and Maddie push their chairs out, standing. “We’ll see you on Monday, all right babe?” Gloria says, giving Maddie a squeeze. “Thank you again and again, Amy, for all your help this morning.”
“Nice meeting all of you,” Gabe says, putting his hand on Maddie’s shoulder and guiding her toward the door.
“That was painful,” Miriam says, watching them leave.
“Only because you made it that way,” Gloria says, sitting down in an empty chair.
“I’m pretty sure Ben helped usher in the pain,” Stacy says, looking at him, smiling.
Ben looks sheepish and confused. “I just said the truth!”
Miriam sits across from Gloria. “Amy looked miserable.” She watches the door close behind them. “What are you going to do about it?”
Gloria opens her mouth and raises her arms in a shrug. “What am I going to do about it? Nothing! My biggest question in life is what to do about you.” Miriam rolls her eyes as Gloria and Stacy laugh.
* * *
Amy’s car is two blocks away but it feels like it’s taking them days to get there. She just wants this to be over. The star on the gazebo seems to shimmer in the night air and Amy wishes some of that light would enter her, lifting the darkness from her shoulders. When they reach her car, she unlocks it and gives Maddie a quick hug. “I’m so proud of you and the other kids! It was an awesome day!” She looks at Gabe and tries to smile. “Bye, Gabe.”
Gabe lifts his hand in a clumsy wave and smiles as she gets behind the wheel. Maddie slips her hand into his and they watch as Amy backs up and leaves. But not for good, he says to himself, squeezing Maddie’s hand.