All the Things We've Never Said - Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Daisy had dinner sitting out on the table when Daniel walked in at half past five. The first day on the job had been awkward. The crew he was working with was a good group of guys - except for what’s-his-name. He was a kid -- 24 years old -- and a smart ass to boot. Right off the bat, the kid reminded Daniel of some of the kids his father recruited. Cocky 18-year-olds looking to the Army to teach them something they didn’t already know, or thought they knew.

Punks, his father used to call them. “Those punks think they’ll handle the Army like they’ve handled the puniest kid on the block. What they don’t ever think about is how the Army will handle them, right Danny?”

The other guys on the crew said that he'd been working with them for six years. He’d left home when he was eighteen and, two years later, his parents quit looking for him. As far as anyone knew, he had no other family and no desire to reunite with the one he left. Daniel rolled his neck from side to side, stretching out the kinks of the day.

“Daisy?”

“Hi, Dad,” she said, “how was the first day?”

“Eh, all right, we got a real winner on board. Sad thing is, he has seniority over me!” he said, snorting at the joke.

“Well, there’s gotta be one in every bunch, right? That’s what you always tell me.”

“Yep. You remember that, too,” Daniel said, shaking his finger at her. “What’d you do today?”

Daisy stepped out of the kitchen and placed some napkins and glasses on the table set up in front of the patio doors. “Well,” she said, “I went to the store to get our lovely dinner here.” She swept her hand in the air above the bag of ready roasted chicken and plastic containers of coleslaw and potato salad.

“Are you going to be looking for a job again?” Daniel dropped heavily into a chair and immediately started to load his plate with salad and coleslaw until Daisy intervened, adding a chicken breast, too.

“Yep,” she said. “In fact, I found a part time one at the library, just up the road.” Daisy jutted her chin in the general direction of the library as she carefully laid her napkin in her lap.

Daniel just grunted.

Daisy smiled, reaching for the spoon in the coleslaw container. “So, tell me about this guy you don’t like. What’s wrong with him?”

“Oh, he’s a kid," Daniel said, waving his hand dismissively. "All you kids -- think you got all the answers, and you don’t know nuthin'. He’s no different.”

Daisy stared down at her plate and pushed her food around. She hated it when he talked like that.

“He’s just about your age, too. No parents, which means no discipline. He needs to be taken down a peg or two,” he said through a mouthful of potato salad. “The rest of the guys are great, though.”

Daisy watched her father eat for a few moments, and then pushed her food around the plate some more.

Daisy called Madeline Walters on Tuesday morning to tell her that she would be taking the shelving job.

“Great!” Madeline said.

“When should I start?” Daisy asked.

“Well, why don’t we just start out next week; a new week and a new start? Will that work for you?”

Daisy smiled to herself. “Absolutely.”

“Just one thing,” Madeline said. “I'll need you to pick up the employment forms sometime this week.”

“Sure, that’s not a problem at all. I could actually get them today."

“Sounds good, Daisy, see you then.”

They both hung up and Daisy sat down to make a list of things they needed from the grocery store. Her father had left her some money on the table when he left this morning, with a note: Daisy, I didn’t want to wake you this morning. I know the past week has been packed, so I thought I’d let you sleep in. I left money, could you go to the store this afternoon sometime? Not sure what we need, but I’m sure you’ll get us set. See you later, gator, Dad.

She showered and tossed on jeans and a t-shirt. Then, after peeling a banana for breakfast, she set out for the grocery store. Daisy spent just about all of the money her father had left for her, and she’d even picked up some baking supplies. Patting herself on the back for being a thrifty shopper, a talent her mother had never possessed and a point of contention that had sparked many an argument between her parents, she also grabbed local bus schedules. Over the past year or so, she’d gotten into the habit of taking lunch or coffee or bakery to her father in the afternoon. She couldn’t remember when or why she had started doing this, it was just something she did.

That night, her father asked if she had made a decision about the library job. Daisy told him that she had, and she was going to be starting on Monday.

“Well,” he said. “At least I’ll have a clean place and warm supper for one week.”

Daisy glared at him. She knew what he was doing. He’d done it countless times before. At first, his guilt trips had made her feel bad enough that she’d agree not to work. But after a while, she started to ignore him and got the job anyway. She stood up and slid her plate on the counter towards to sink, then turned around to stare at the back of his head. She was leaning against the counter top, gripping the edge as if it was the source of her strength.

“Dad, please don’t make me feel bad about getting a job. I told you last night that the job is only part time, that I’ll be home a little after one every afternoon. That leaves me plenty of time to clean up after you and make sure you have food on the table.”

Daniel grunted. “I guess we’ll just see how things go for a while, and then take it day by day.”

Daisy drew in a deep breath, ready to yell at him, tell him how much she hated him for treating her like a housewife instead of a daughter. Instead, she shoved away from the counter and strode into her room, kicking the door shut behind her.

A little while later, Daniel knocked on his daughter’s door. She okayed his entrance, but didn’t look up when he walked in. She was sitting on her bed filling out the forms she’d gotten from Madeline, using a hard cover book to write on.

“Daisy,” he said, “can I talk to you?”

She nodded and held up one finger. A minute later, she looked up. “Yeah?”

“I, uh, I want to apologize for acting that way out there,” he said. He had his hands stuffed in his pockets, and swayed his shoulder toward the door when he said ‘out there.’

Daisy looked at her hands and twirled the pen around a bit.

“You know how it is,” he said. “I’m just so used to the same routine. It’s hard to change.”

“I know, Dad,” Daisy said, sighing, “but you know that I’ll take care of the rest, too. Besides, my getting a job is part of the routine; it has been for a while now.”

“I know, Days.” He pulled out her desk chair and sat, leaning forward, with his elbows on his knees and hands folded as if in prayer. He seemed to be waiting for a sign from Daisy that everything was all right. She turned to face him fully and swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

“So,” she said, “you never told me how your day was.”

Daniel looked up and smiled at Daisy, relieved that she’d forgiven him once again.