Part 5

Maggie

It took her an hour to drag her mattress to the floor of her room. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and sighed. It would just have to do; at least they weren’t sleeping on the floor. When that was done, she made herself a sandwich, and fed Melody the pumpkin she’d cooked earlier.

It was just past 7 p.m. when Melody finished her bottle and yawned. “Let’s get you bathed and ready for bed.”

When headlights flashed across the windows, Maggie walked to her front door. It was still open but the screened door was locked. The heat was insufferable. She squinted out into the darkness, but Asher’s size and the way he moved were unmistakable. She had no idea how she knew it was him, but she did.

Two doors were closed, then the little gate was opened, and Asher was walking toward her porch. She unlocked the screened door, and Melody started to make gurgling noises, lifting her arms toward Asher.

“I’m sorry to bother you so late,” Asher said.

“Is everything okay?” She didn’t know what else to say because they weren’t friends or even acquaintances.

Asher rubbed the back of his neck, looking very uncomfortable. “I brought you something.” He turned on his heel, and walked back to his truck, leaving Maggie standing on the porch.

Maggie’s mouth gaped open as Asher and someone that resembled him placed the sparkling white crib on the porch. The floorboards sagged, and groaned under the crib’s weight, and Asher frowned as he looked down at them.

“A crib? You bought me a crib?”

Asher looked everywhere but at her, and the other man chuckled. “Evening. I’m Dylan Fitzgerald.”

“Maggie,” she said, absentmindedly, as she watched Asher.

“It’s the crib you were looking at this afternoon. Marvin asked me to give it to you,” Asher said.

“Who’s Marvin?”

“Oh, he’s the owner of that store where you bought the microwave,” Asher said. “I take it the first room down the hall is Melody’s?”

Maggie nodded her head again, stepping to the side as the two men shuffled past her with the crib. Her stomach was doing strange flipping motions, and she had no idea how to feel about Asher’s generosity. Nobody just gave a crib away. 

Dylan walked past her with a smile, and headed back outside to the truck. He returned a few moments later with a small thick mattress and a box in his arms. Maggie followed him back to the bedroom and watched, transfixed, as Asher started making up the crib with a pillow and blankets.

When Asher turned to face her, Melody stuck her little arms out again. Asher took her and placed her on his hip. “What do you think, Melody? Do you like your new bed?”

Melody babbled, and clapped her hands, and Asher chuckled. They all turned toward the kitchen as the kettle on the stove started whistling.

“A cup of coffee will go down mighty well after all that lugging,” Dylan said, and Maggie snapped out of her trance.

“I was boiling water for Melody’s bath,” she said, hurrying to the kitchen.

Asher and Dylan exchanged a look, but followed her through the house. Asher took in everything, which was basically nothing, and it seemed Dylan was doing the same. Melody was still babbling, talking up a storm as she gripped Asher’s T-shirt in her tiny hand.

“We didn’t mean to intrude,” Asher said, as Maggie poured the boiling water into a bucket.

She felt uncomfortable having them watch her. Earlier that day, she’d been proud of what she’d done all by herself, but now, in the stark lighting of the kitchen, she knew how it looked. Her house was basically empty, creaking and groaning, but it was clean.

“We’ll get out of your hair,” Asher said, as he gave Melody back to her. They left without another word, and, for a moment, she stood looking at their retreating backs. The truck pulled away from her house, and then the street was dark.

“What just happened?” Maggie asked out loud, and Melody started babbling again.

Maggie bathed her, dressed her in a short-sleeved onesie, and stood over the crib looking down at Asher’s work. The mattress had a sheet folded over it, with the pillowcase and blankets to match. The cream-colored bedding had yellow ducks embroidered on it with small deer, two frogs, and an owl sitting on a rock. It was beautiful, and Maggie could feel the tears welling up in her eyes.

As Melody shifted in her sleep, Maggie closed the door behind her. The crib was a bright white and looked brand new. It resembled the crib in the store, and Maggie realized that Asher had to have cleaned and painted it.

She stood in the dark kitchen and lowered her head. Melody had a crib. She couldn’t believe it, and when the first tears rolled down her cheeks, she didn’t wipe them away. This man didn’t know them, yet he’d done the unthinkable.

That night, she slept on the mattress on the floor. She didn’t have the energy to try and get it back on the frame. She’d worry about that tomorrow. She lay awake for a long time, listening to hear if Melody fussed while wondering how she was going to pay Asher back.

A small smile crept onto her face as she thought back to his own uncomfortableness. It was amusing to see the big man at a loss for words. She got the idea that he was used to issuing orders and people jumping to obey them.

That night, Asher filled her dreams, and for once, no nightmares plagued her. She slept through the night, and when she woke up the next morning, she had a smile on her face. She’d already formed a plan. She’d make Asher a pie, or five pies. How many pies did it take to thank someone for a crib? She didn’t have long to ponder that thought as she heard Melody babbling up a storm in her room, and the faint sound of an engine, reminding her of a lawnmower.