To Have It All(30)

I laughed.

Loudly.

Then Pim started laughing, or more like bellowing too, and I laughed even more.

Helen, try as she did, shook a little as she tried to stop herself from laughing, too. Holding one hand up, she blocked her other hand from Pim’s line of sight as she flipped me the bird. “Asshole,” she mouthed. As I said before, we were crazy, just not entirely.

After we had eaten, I gathered Pim up and handed her to Helen. “You mind taking her outside so I can talk to Mary for a second?”

“Come here, baby,” Helen cooed as she reached for Pim. When Pim looked up at me before nestling her head against my chest, I couldn’t help but grin. She liked me. She didn’t want to leave me.

Helen’s mouth quirked up as she rubbed Pim’s back. “Looks like you’ve got a fan.”

My throat tightened. Something about that moment felt so good. I felt . . . happy? Or was it sad? I kind of wanted to . . . cry? What the hell was that about? I don’t cry . . . ever. Damn these emotions! Steroids were the epitome of evil. Maybe my reaction was over the top due to the steroids, but that didn’t change that the moment was incredibly sweet, but with that thought came a brutal reality. Pim liked me which meant maybe she was getting attached. Of course, I realized it wasn’t just her. I was getting attached, too.

Kissing the top of her head, I told her, “I’ll be right out, little sweetheart. Go with Helen, and then we can play in the park for a bit.”

She squawked a little as Helen took her, but when I handed her some more Cheerios from the baggie, she quieted down as she frantically shoved her entire little fist in her mouth trying to eat them. Helen and I both chuckled.

“Better hand me that baggie, just in case,” Helen said. With Pim on her hip and the baggie in her free hand, she headed outside. As soon as they were out the door, Mary came over and began clearing the remaining dishes from our table. When I cleared my throat to get her attention, she set the dishes down and turned to me, a bright smile on her face.

“You guys forget something?”

“I actually wanted to give you something,” I began. I knew handing Mary a large sum of cash would be met with refusal, so I braced myself. With a quick glance around the restaurant, I checked to see if anyone was watching us. I didn’t want to make Mary a target for some thief because they saw her accept a lot of money. When I felt it was safe, I began. “This is for you.” As I held out my hand with the folded hundred dollar bills, Mary’s smile faded into a confused frown as she realized what it was.

“That’s too much for a tip,” she stated, her tone holding a hint of skepticism.

“This isn’t just a tip. This is for you.”

“What?”

I lowered my hand when she didn’t take the cash. “You’re a good person, Mary. I know, every week, you take a sandwich out to a homeless woman. I know you pay for that out of your own pocket. I want to give this to you to maybe help you out with whatever you may need it for.”

Mary stared at the cash, a little longingly, but I could tell no matter how bad she needed it, she didn’t want to take it. “It’s nothing, really,” she insisted. “I wish I could do more. Especially when she started bringing the guy with her. I just can’t afford more.”

“And that’s why you deserve every penny of this,” I stated, taking her hand and placing the money in it. “You gave even when you didn’t have much to give.”

Mary’s eyes got teary. “I can’t take this.”

“Yes, you can. Please take it. Please,” I begged.

She stared at the money, before glancing around, probably checking to see if anyone else was watching like I had done a few minutes before, before she shoved the money in her apron pocket. “I’ll take it,” she finally acquiesced, “but I’ll use the money to feed them. I’ll tell them to come back a couple of times per week so they can have a few confirmed meals.”

It took everything in me not to hug her. People like this were few and far between. “No. This is for you.” I pointed at her to emphasize my words. “This,” I added as reached into my back pocket and pulled out the envelope I’d prepared before we’d left the apartment. “This is for feeding Pearl. Maybe you can give her some of the cash so she can get a hotel room for a few nights.”

“You know Pearl?” she questioned, her brow furrowing.

“Not personally,” I blurted quickly. “I’ve just seen you feed her and that other guy.”

“Liam,” she said simply, with a sad smile. My stomach knotted. She remembered my name. So many of those days I’d wondered if she even saw me. Taking the envelope, she didn’t even open it, just put it in her apron. “He hasn’t been around as long as Pearl, but he’s such a nice guy. I’ve wished I could afford to feed them each their own meal. You can tell he’s got a heart of gold, just a man that’s down on his luck is all.”

I realized she must not know about the accident; that I wouldn’t be coming back for a while . . . or ever for that matter. “They’re both grateful for what you do, Mary,” I assured her. This woman would never know what that meal meant to us.

“You know Liam, too?”

“No. Just seen you feed them is all. I just wanted to give someone good something good. The money in the envelope is for them.”