A House of Men Ch. 05

“Holly, there is someone at the door!”

“Are your legs broken or are you just too lazy to get up and answer the door, Joe?”

“My legs are broken.”

“Yup. I believe that one. You’re lucky I am such a nice person, Joe Tolbert, or you would be hauling your butt off the couch to answer the door halfway across the room from you.”

“Thank you, Holly.”

“Can I help you?”

“My name is Mildred Leavenworth. I am with Social Services. I have been assigned to conduct an inspection of this home to see if it is fit for the occupancy of a small child.”

I survey the social worker carefully. She seemed pleasant enough despite her professional demeanor; she reminded me of my Grandma Trudy.

“Please, come in. Is there anything I can do to help? Would you be interested in a drink? Coffee perhaps?”

“No, but thank you. I should be able to manage just fine.”

Knowing that a social worker was due sometime today, I got up bright and early, called into work, and made sure everything was still neat and tidy along with ushering all but Joe out of the house for the day and night. Jay is at Louisa’s house, despite the ‘breaking up’ he was suppose to have done, Rob is with a new girl, Tamara, so he is at her house, Carlos is staying at his mom’s for the night, and Mark is shacking up with Giselle and her new roommate, Lisabeth. I have a feeling that Giselle is out and Lisabeth in, now is not the time to ponder that one.

Almost an hour after the arrival of the social worker, I am startled awake by somebody clearing his or her throat behind the overstuffed chair I have fallen asleep in. I have spent most of the last hour working out menus and food items that need to be ordered for Ty and Holly’s Kitchen and must have just dozed off just in time for someone to come bug me. A girl can never get any sleep around this house.

“Yes.”

I instantly regret my sharp reply as I turn to see Ms. Leavenworth frowning at me. This is not a great example of my ability to care for a child.

“Ms. Luxembourge, I see that I have interrupted your nap. Maybe I should go speak with someone else about the condition of this house?”

“I apologize for my rudeness. I must have dozed off. I am definitely interested in your view of the house. Shall I go ask Joe to join us? After all, he his Danielle’s father.”

“Yes, let’s involve Mr. Tolbert in this discussion. It does bear most heavily upon him.”

I walk out of the room slightly rattled. Grandma Trudy is nowhere to be seen; in her place is a starchy older woman with steel gray curls and a demeanor to match. I get the sinking feeling that this change in demeanor does not bode well for Joe and Danielle.

I look all over the first level for Joe. He is nowhere to been seen. Crossing my fingers and hoping he’s where I think he is, I head down to the basement and into the dark cave of his room. I can’t see a thing, but in this pitch black room, Joe could be right in front of me and I wouldn’t know it.

“Joe, are you in here?”

“Yeah, Holly, I’m here.”

“Can you turn on the light please, Joe?”

The light clicks on and I stand there in stunned silence. The room is spotless. I haven’t ever seen the carpet before, it’s green, and he has actually put his clothes in the dresser and closet. His bookcase is in use and his bed made. I am so shocked that I am incapable of speech.

“Holly, are you okay?”

“Um, yeah. It’s just so . . .”

“Clean? Yeah, I know. I cleaned it because I really want to be able to see Danielle, Holly. I couldn’t stand it if I lost her. I have even stooped drinking beer in the past few days.”

“Wow, Joe. I’m really proud of you. Let’s go show that social worker that you are a capable father. She’s upstairs waiting to talk to us.”

“Okay. You think we did it, Holly?”

“I really do, Joe. I really do.”

“Mr. Tolbert, Ms. Luxembourge, I do not know if you remember this, but I am the same social worker who conducted the examination of this same house one year ago. Then, I was absolutely disgusted at the state of this house. Today, I am happy to report that there have been vast improvements in its condition. I am assuming it is in part due to a woman’s influence. My three sons were the same way. They were complete pigs when it came to housekeeping. I also must deduce, however, that you, Mr. Tolbert, and the rest of your roommates are willing to accept the responsibility of this little girl based on the fact that all this cleaning couldn’t have been done this morning. That and every one of the bedrooms are clean. I commend you both on the condition of this house and shall be recommending to the court that you receive the partial custody you are seeking. There is nothing more I can do to influence the judge’s decision but wish you the best of luck. It has been a pleasure.”

Joe and I stare at each other as Ms. Leavenworth lets herself out the front door. A few minutes fly by and as what we have just heard begins to sink in, joy bubbles up inside both of us. Joe is going to get to see Danielle!

“Holly, oh my god, Holly, we did it. Thank you so much. We did it!”

“We did, didn’t we? Now, how should we celebrate? We need to get everyone who helped over here to celebrate with us. Joe, I am so happy for you.”

A few strategic phone calls and a trip to the supermarket finds the eleven of us together two hours later. We create a comical ring around the kitchen, leaning on counters, sitting on the floor, pulling up chairs to camp out in. In the center of the table are two carrot cakes; one frosted, one not. It is the only cake we can all agree on, believe it or not. Ty is cutting pieces from both cakes and passing them around the circle based on the preferences he receives over the buzz of the crowd. I hand beers, lemonade and milk out in the same fashion. After everyone is served, Joe clears his throat and looks to me to explain why this mini-party is taking place.

“As you all know, the social worker came today to survey our handiwork on this house. I am proud to say that . . .”

“. . . we passed the test! I’m going to get Danielle back!”

A collective surge of noise rises over the room as everyone congratulates first Joe then each other. The din rises to a roar and feet shuffle as people dissipate or head back for more cake. The rest of the day passes quickly and before I know it, it is well into the morning hours. I have to work the next morning and have class from six to nine thirty afterwards so I head off to bed. I make my way to my bedroom over a rough path of sleeping people. It seems that we have added quite a few bodies to our midst, but at this point, I am too tired to care. I’ll deal with it all in the morning.