Loving Miss Libby (17 page)

“I’ll go with you, Daddy,” Marky said.

Dan extended a hand to him, and then took both
Libby’s and Kate’s orders, and then the two men walked to the order counter.

Libby took the chance to talk to Kate.  “Are you all
right, sweetie?  I know the incident at the park must have been scary for you.”

She nodded.  “I’m fine.  I mean, that was scary, but
that girl shouldn’t have done that to her mom.”  She dropped her eyes.  “She
should be glad she has a mom, instead of worrying her like that.”

Libby took her hand and gave it a squeeze.  “Honey,
you are wise beyond your years.”

The little girl glanced up tentatively.  “I’m just
glad Grandpa is going to be all right.  I’m not ready to be without my
grandpa.”

Libby smiled.  “Well, it sounds like he’s going to
be around a long time.”

Kate gave a shrug.  “I hope so, but only God knows.”

“That’s true, sweetie.” 

The little girl turned her face away from Libby,
obscuring it from her view.  Libby could sense she was near tears.  She reached
toward her and gently touched her chin, prompting her to look into her eyes. 
“Hey, Kate,” she said, as she reached up and unclasped a small necklace from
around her neck.  “I want you to have this.”

Kate’s eyes went to the small cross, dangling on a
gold chain.  She gasped.  “You’re giving it to me?”

“Yes.  I want you to have it.”

“Thank you,” she breathed.  “It’s so pretty.”

Libby nodded.  “I’ve had it since I was a little
girl.  Kate,” she said, tapping her on the knee, “I was a lot like you when I
was little.  My dad died and I guess I felt like the very ground I was walking
on was shaky.  I was so afraid.  I didn’t know what might happen next.”

Kate’s eyes widened and she began nodding her head
up and down.  “That’s how I feel.  I worry all the time.”

“I know, sweetie.  But from now on, when you feel
that scary feeling come over you, I want you to reach up and touch this cross. 
I want you to say, ‘God, I’m giving my worries over to You.’  Hold it and talk
to God until the scary feeling passes.”

“Does that work, Miss Libby?”

“For me, it did.  I learned to trust that God knew
what was best for me.”  She stared intently into Kate’s eyes.  “Honey, I had
to.  My worries got too big.  I felt as if I was carrying a big sack of
potatoes on both my shoulders.”

Kate nodded, as if she too carried a burden too big
for her thin shoulders.  Her lips began to tremble and tears formed in her
eyes.  “I have to give my worries over to God too,” she said.  “I can’t do it
anymore either.  Worry about Grandpa, and Grandma, and Marky, and Daddy, and
you.”  She gave a shudder.  “I even worried about the kids in my class.  Even
the mean ones.”

“Oh, sweetie,” Libby said, reaching out and pulling
her onto her lap.  “You’re the best kid I know.  Marky too, of course, but you
two are definitely the best.”

Kate smiled and laid her head on Libby’s shoulder. 
Libby rocked her from side to side, until Kate sat up tall.   The little girl
sought Libby’s eyes.  “If you could have a kid like me, would you?”

Libby gave a surprised laugh.  “Honey, if I could
special order a kid from God, it would be you.  And Marky, of course.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Kate grinned.  “Miss Libby?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.  I feel better.”

Libby gave her a final squeeze.  “I’m so glad.”

“Thank
you so much for all your help today, Libby,” Dan said, as they arrived back at
his house.  He, the kids, and Libby had just finished lunch.

“Are you going back to the hospital now?”

“Yes.  I told Mom I’d be back after lunch.”

“Okay, well, we’ll see you later then,” Libby said,
and began to usher the children out of the car.

“Actually, Libby, I think I’ll take the kids with
me.  I want Kate to have a chance to visit with her granddad, even if it’s just
for a couple minutes.”

She nodded and climbed out of the car.  She turned
and smiled at the kids.  “I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

“Bye, Miss Libby,” they called.

She stepped back and closed the door.  She nodded at
Dan, and then turned and walked to her house.

She wasn’t sure why, but she felt a slight
melancholy.  She knew it was ridiculous, but she almost felt as if she were
being left out of something.  Feeling silly for her odd reaction, she entered
her house and glanced around.  This was her sanctuary, yet she suddenly felt
lonely.  She missed the sound of the children, the constant activity of the
kids at play.  She even missed Marky’s never-ending questions.

Reaching for her Bible, she remembered she’d left it
at Dan’s house.  Sighing, she retrieved another one from her bedroom.  She sat
down and began reading, and when done, prayed for Dan’s father, as well as the
entire family.  She asked for God’s protection for everyone she loved, and then
she sat back in her chair and fell asleep.

She woke a couple hours later to the sound of
someone at her front door.  To her surprise, it was Mary, Dan’s mother.

“Mary, hi!” she said.  “How are you?”

“Fine, fine,” she said, smiling.

“And Luther?”

“He’s doing well,” she said, obviously relieved. 
“I’m so glad to have the surgery behind us.”

“I know you are,” Libby said.  “If there’s anything
I can do for you, will you let me know?” 

Libby suddenly realized she’d left her guest
standing on the porch.  She stepped aside.  “Come in, come in,” she said,
smiling self-consciously.  “I’m afraid I fell asleep.  I must look awful.”

“I’m sorry I woke you,” Mary said, stepping inside. 
“But you certainly don’t look awful.”

“Can I get you anything?” Libby asked.

“No, but thank you.  Dan is having dinner delivered
and we were wondering if you’d like to join us.  He’s going to drive me right
back to the hospital after we’ve eaten.”

Libby smiled gratefully.  “Mary, it’s so sweet of
you to ask, but I think I’m going to stick around home this evening.  I have
several chores I’ve left undone.” 

She wasn’t making excuses.  She had a pile of dirty
laundry waiting, as well as a stack of bills to pay.

Mary smiled sympathetically.  “You’ve been so busy
taking care of the children, you’ve put your own life on the back burner.”  The
older woman reached over and squeezed her arm.  “We’re so grateful to you,
Libby.  The kids adore you.”  She smiled with affection, thinking about her
grandchildren.  “We’ve been so worried about Kate.  The little things has
always been older than her years, and has always worried herself sick, but
you’ve made such a difference for her.”

Libby smiled uncertainly.  “I have?”

Mary nodded.  “You have.  I was concerned about her
coming to the hospital to see her granddad—hoping desperately she didn’t
revisit the awful memories of losing her mother.  Dan and I were both on edge,
but she surprised us.  When we arrived, we noticed she was holding onto a
necklace.  When we asked her about it, she told us you’d given it to her and
had told her whenever she was worried, the necklace was to remind her to give
her worries over to God.”

Libby smiled.  She was happy to hear that Kate was
relying on her faith to cope with her fears.  It was a good lesson to learn,
particularly as a child. 

“I was a lot like Kate when I was little,” Libby
told her.  “My mother gave me that necklace and told me exactly what I told
Kate, to touch it as a reminder to give my worries over to God.  Later, of
course, I came to truly understand the meaning of His suffering on the cross,
but until then, the necklace reminded me that He was always there for me.”

“Libby, that was so sweet of you to give away
something so precious to you.”

“Kate is precious to me too,” she said, smiling
softly. 

***

The next several weeks passed quickly.  Libby
continued to arrive at Dan’s each morning a moment or two before six and
watched the kids until he got home from work each evening.  She and the
children developed a routine, in which they spent part of the day at Dan’s
house, the remainder at hers.  Each morning, they decided whose home to start out
at.  They also chose one day each week to go somewhere special, like the local
swimming pool, but for the most part, they enjoyed the lazy days of summer at
one or the others’ home.

Mary and Luther dropped by a time or two to visit
and the group enjoyed lunch at a picnic table in Dan’s backyard.  On a couple
occasions, Mary invited Libby and the children to join her for an afternoon
matinee.

Libby always prepared supper for the family, in
order to continue to free up Dan’s evenings.  She knew he was grateful every
time he came home to the delicious scent of food cooking in the oven. 

The two developed an easy camaraderie, and Libby
managed to put their kiss behind her.  She began to doubt it had ever
happened.  She decided it was an anomaly, and had only happened because Dan had
been feeling sad and vulnerable after a particularly traumatic event on the
job.  He hadn’t made any further overtures, and Libby decided that was for the
best.

When her final day of babysitting arrived, Libby
couldn’t deny she had mixed feelings.  She would desperately miss the kids and
being a part of their daily lives, but she knew it was time she got back to her
real life.  The longer she remained with Dan and his family, the more difficult
it would be to extract herself from their world.

The kids were uncharacteristically glum on Friday;
Marky, in particular, was clingy and unhappy.  Kate seemed sullen and
uncommunicative.

“Kids,” Lacey cried, as she ushered them into the
kitchen for lunch.  “What’s wrong?”

“We’re going to miss you,” Marky said, trying not to
cry.

“It won’t be the same without you,” Kate said, also
near tears.

“Hey,” Libby said, gathering them into a hug, “I
still live right next door, you know.  It’s not as if I’m going anywhere. 
We’re still going to visit all the time, and Marky, I expect you’ll spend as
much time in my back yard as you always did.”

He gave a sheepish smile.  “Probably.”

“Let’s have a terrific last day together,” Libby
urged too cheerfully, though she too felt glum. 

Dan had told her there was no need for her to
prepare supper for them, and when he arrived home that evening, he came bearing
pizzas, which went a long way toward enlivening the sullen children.  He sent
Libby a tentative glance, and she smiled in return.

Was she mistaken, or did he too seem a tad
melancholy?

He shed his work clothes and gear and joined Libby
and the kids in the kitchen.  Libby had already doled out the pizza slices and
poured sodas—a rare treat.  He dropped into a chair, smiling.

“Well, time sure flew, didn’t it?”  He grinned. 
“For us, anyway.”  He watched Libby through twinkling eyes.  “I suspect it may
have felt like an eternity for you.”

She gasped and then bit back a chuckle.  “The time
definitely flew for me too,” she said, smiling at each child, before meeting
his gaze. 

“Well, we’re going to miss you,” he said, his eyes
fixed on her face, before he finally dropped them to his plate.

“If you need me, you know where to find me,” she
said brightly.

“That’s reassuring,” he said with a smile.

Marky suddenly pushed back from the table and ran
from the room.  Libby rose to follow, but stopped herself when Dan also rose. 
“I should probably talk to him first,” he said.

He hurried after him and found him lying face down
on his bed.

“What is it, son?”

“Nothing,” he mumbled.

Dan rolled him over and smoothed his bangs off his
forehead.  “Come on, son.  What’s wrong?”

“I don’t want Miss Libby to go!” he said, his lips
trembling.  “I want her to keep watching us.  I love her.”

“Oh, honey, I know you do,” Dan said, as he reached
for his little boy and pulled him into a hug.  He began stroking his back. 
“Aren’t you happy that Grandma and Grandpa will be watching you again?”

“I love them,” he said earnestly.  “But I want them
to be Grandma and Grandpa only—not our babysitters.”

“Why, son?”

“It’s hard on them,” Kate said from the doorway.

She crossed the room and dropped onto the end of the
bed.  “They’re getting older and need a break,” she added, sounding much, much
older than her years.

“You think so, huh?”

She nodded.  “They love us a lot,” she assured him,
“but we have a lot of energy, and well…”  She gave a shrug.  “They don’t. 
Plus, I know they get up early in the morning, but when we’re in school, they
have to drive us every day and pick us up.  Grandma doesn’t like to drive when
there’s a lot of traffic, and it’s crazy at school in the morning and
afternoon.  That means Grandpa has to drive, and he gets shaky in all the
traffic too.  It’s … just … hard on them.”