Chapter 6 - Runaway

“Run away, run away, run away...run." The words echoed through Crystal’s mind, as she sat down on a rock beside the water, under the bridge. “Run away…run”

Crystal had not gone home, as Penny suggested.

Instead, she decided to go somewhere else to think about what had just happened. She had taken Tanya’s lighter at the bonfire. Penny had recognized it as Tanya’s, as soon as she tried to give it to her as a gift.

“Taking things is something that we always do in our community,” she thought to herself. “To our people it is an accepted practice, a way of life. Penny does not understand. She thinks I stole the gold lighter from Tanya. I guess, to her way of thinking, I did.”

Crystal sat tall and straight like an Indian Princess, as she braided and tied her long, dark hair back.

“I am an Indian princess according to my grandfather, but now I will be shamed by my people for stealing.”

Her notebook on her lap and pen in hand, she wrote, “Run away, run away, run away…run.” No other words came to her.

She paused for a moment, put her notebook down and pulled the gold lighter out of her jeans pocket.

“It is getting cool,” she thought to herself. “I should build a fire on the rocks.”

She quickly gathered a handful of dry grass, dead leaves, small twigs and sticks. The lighter was almost out of fluid, so she knew one attempt was all she had. Moments later, she managed to get a fire going. The smoldering smoke wafted gently in the breeze, rising above the bridge.

“I will have to get more lighter fluid somewhere,” she thought to herself, warming her hands over the small fire. “Do I have to steal that too? Steal, I hate that word.”

“Run away, run away, run away…run.”

Crystal could not seem to get past those words. No other thoughts would come to mind, as she tried to write.

“Maybe I have writer’s block?” she thought to herself. “I have heard others talk about that, but I thought only adults had that problem. Maybe young writers get it too. I may not be able to write anything until I deal with that gold lighter situation and make things right with Penny. I may have to tell her the truth.”

A tall, blonde, young man stood on the riverbank, quietly watching her.

“That young girl is so beautiful!” he thought to himself. “Her long, dark hair and black eyes and the way she sits, reminds me of an Indian princess, but they would use flint or matches to light a fire, not an expensive gold lighter like that. Maybe it is stolen.”

As he watched her, the sun was gradually starting to set. Her silhouette against the dark rocks grew larger and larger, in the firelight.

“Perhaps I should stay here for the night,” thought Crystal to herself. “Maybe I will sit here forever.”

Just then, a gust of wind raised a large wave that splashed against the rocks and put out her fire.

She heard the sound of crackling footsteps behind her. As she turned, she saw a young man approaching.

“Hey, my name is Janus,” he said gently. “I am sorry if I frightened you. Would you like me to help you rebuild your fire?”

“No, that is all right. I have to head home now,” said Crystal, putting on her sandals and getting on her feet. “It is getting dark.”

“What is your name?” asked Janus.

As Crystal saw his face in the light of the setting sun, she was pleasantly surprised. He seemed to be older than she was, but clean cut and well dressed.

“I am Crystal,” she said shyly. She was still not sure whether she should stay or run.

“Run away, run away, run away…run,” the thoughts re-echoed through her mind.

“I have seen you down here by the water before,” said Janus.

“I have been coming here for a while,” replied Crystal. “It is a good place for me to write.”

“I like to write too,” said Janus. “Maybe we could compare our notes, sometime.”

“That might be fun,” said Crystal. As their conversation continued, Crystal began to realize that Janus might prove to be a good friend.

“I am fourteen, almost fifteen,” he said to Crystal. “How old are you?”

“We are just about the same age,” replied Crystal, not about to tell him that she was only twelve, going on thirteen. “I have to head home now.”

“We will meet here again,” said Janus. “I would like to get to know you better. By the way, where did you get your gold lighter? It looks really expensive.”

Crystal grabbed it and put it back in her pocket.

“It is almost out of lighter fluid,” she said, as she headed up the bike path.

“I don’t want to lie to him,” she thought to herself, as she biked home.

“Where were you?” asked her grandfather, sternly, as she walked through the door. “It is late, almost dark. We were beginning to get worried about you. Go help your grandmother. Did you forget that making supper is supposed to be your job, now?”

"I am sorry,” said Crystal apologetically.

“I had better get rid of this gold lighter,” she thought to herself. She took it out of her pocket and placed it on the kitchen table. “Now it feels like it is burning a hole in my pocket.”

“Where did this gold lighter come from?” wondered Crystal’s grandmother, as she and Crystal began to prepare supper. “I think it is Tanya’s. She must have been here earlier. I will take it up to her apartment, after supper.”

“You found my gold lighter, Marie,” said Tanya, with a smile. “Thank you for returning it.”

“It was that native girl that took it then, not the twins after all,” she thought to herself. “I should have known.”

“You wanted to talk to me about something, Tanya?” Crystal’s grandmother asked.

“Yes, I did. The twins are interfering in our private time. Can I send them downstairs to you and Crystal?”

“Anytime,” replied Crystal’s grandmother. “They are like own grandchildren. We love those little girls dearly.”

“I hate them,” thought Tanya to herself. “I have to figure out how to get rid of them. Maybe this is my answer.”

Just then, the twins walked in, giggling about something.

“The gold lighter is on the kitchen table by her cigarettes,” whispered Dana, moments later.

“I saw it,” replied Dani, breathing a sigh of relief. “She cannot accuse us of stealing it now. Crystal must have brought it back.”

“Don’t say anything about it,” said Dana.

“I won’t,” replied Dani.

“Not so fast, you two,” said Tanya, as Crystal’s grandmother left and headed home.

“We have to have a bath and get into our pajamas before our dad gets home,” replied Dana, not wanting to have another encounter with Tanya.

“It will take us a while,” said Dani, locking the bathroom door to prevent Tanya from entering.

“There is our dad,” whispered Dana, as they heard his voice.

“Saved by the bell,” replied Dani.

“Are my girls here?” he asked Tanya.

“They are in the bath tub, my love,” replied Tanya, giving him a quick hug.

“That is super!” replied Terry. “I brought chicken and fries for everyone.”

“If we get them off to bed early, then maybe we can have some private time tonight,” suggested Tanya.

“Not too early,” replied Terry. “I have to spend some quality time with them, too.”

“That figures,” thought Tanya. “They come first in his life, but not for long. I am not going to settle for playing second fiddle to them.”

Chapter 5 - Hunters and Gatherers

“We know how hunters and gatherers live,” said Dana. “Crystal taught us that.”

“We could live forever that way,” replied Dani. “We would still be homeless though and that might not be good.”

The twins had made the decision to run away from home and were not about to change their minds. They did not like Tanya and did not want her to assume the role of their mother, even if it appeared to be what their father wanted.

“I think our dad is love struck,” said Dana. “But maybe it is the beer talking.”

“Maybe,” replied Dani. “You don’t think he is really in love, do you?”

“I don’t know,” replied Dana. “What is love anyhow? It is not an excuse to abuse someone's children.”

“I agree. Threatening to send us to live with our mother is abuse,” said Dani. “Even kids our age know that.”

“She won’t get away with it, as our dad has custody of us,” replied Dana.

“He might lose that if we run away,” said Dani.

Dana and Dani had taken their bikes and back packs which contained snacks and juice, in case they needed something to eat and drink, when they went to the lake. They always carried jackets too.

“What is happening in our home is not good. That is why we are running away,” said Dana. “It may be the only way we can convince our dad what he is doing is not right for us, as a family.”

“Where do you think we should run away to?” asked Dani. She was amazed when Dana had agreed with her suggestion to run away. “Do you have some place in mind?”

“If we hide out at the lake, they will come looking for us there, so that is probably not a good plan,” suggested Dana. “You got any better ideas?”

“They will find us right away, if we go to Penny’s,” replied Dani. “She is a teacher, so I don’t think that she will approve of us running away. She might report us.”

“I don’t think so, but let's take the gravel road that goes up the hill, away from the lake,” suggested Dana. “Crystal said it goes down to the river, a few miles past the lookout point at the top of the hill. We could camp beside the river.”

“There are people who live beside the river in trailers,” replied Dani. “We could get food from them, like the hunters and gatherers.”

“But we are not native, so we might get in trouble, if we get caught,” said Dana. “We would have to pretend to be native and live like natives, in order to qualify for ‘first nation, first portion’ rights.”

“We know enough about natives to pull it off, at least for a while,” said Dani, chuckling at the thought of becoming a native.

The gravel road was dusty, but the twins were determined to run away. They got off their bikes part way up the long, winding hill and pushed them. When they reached the top, it would be downhill the rest of the way to the river.

“It’s too bad we don’t have a tent,” said Dana. “Maybe we can find one somewhere around the trailer park.”

“Maybe we could build a tent from evergreen tree branches, if we hide deep in the woods,” replied Dani.

“I don’t have a pocket knife in my back pack?” asked Dana. "Do you?"

“No.”

“How are we going to cut tree branches, then?”

“We will find a knife in one of the trailers,” replied Dani. “Or maybe we will pick up an axe or a saw somewhere.”

Survival on their own was beginning to turn into a challenge for the twins.

“Crystal taught us how to survive,” said Dana. “We know enough.”

“It is time to see how well we learned what she taught us,” replied Dani.

“This is a really long way,” said Dana. It had taken them almost an hour to reach the top of the hill. “It is beginning to sound like a storm is coming.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” replied Dani, as loud rumbles of thunder echoed in the distance. “Maybe we should head back home?”

As they reached the lookout point at the top of Trembling Ridge, they could hear a truck coming up the hill. It pulled up beside them before they had a chance to get off the road.

“Hey, there's my girls!” thought Terry, breathing a sigh of relief, as soon as he recognized them. “Hey, Tanya, look who’s here!”

She was anything but pleased, as this was supposed to be their outing. They would get most of his attention.

The twins appeared tired, but excited and happy to see him.

“I am going to take all of you ladies out to dinner.”

Terry had come home from work early, with just that in mind. When the girls were not at home, he had decided to take Tanya on a brief, sight seeing tour, with the hope of finding them biking somewhere in the area.

“Tanya, let’s step out of the truck for a minute and take a look at the view.”

“No, it is raining,” replied Tanya, who was upset about having to spend time with the twins again. “I don’t want to ruin my hairdo.”

“A bit of rain won’t hurt you!” replied Terry, as he quickly jumped out of his truck and put the girl’s bikes on the back.

“Have you two ever been here at the lookout before?” Terry asked the twins out of curiosity.

“No,” said the twins, at the same time.

“Crystal told us about it,” said Dana.

“Let’s take a quick hike to the lookout point then.”

From the lookout point, the twins could see that it was still several miles down to the river. A collection of white trailers dotted the river’s edge. The storm clouds made it look eerie, as streak lightning lit up the distant horizon.

“This is beautiful, dad,” said Dana.

“We want to go all the way down to the river someday,” said Dani.

“Go fishing together?” asked Terry.

“Dad, we are so glad you came along just when you did,” said Dana.

“We would have gotten drenched,” said Dani.

"Next time you two want to run away, run to me, not away from me,” Terry said to them sternly. “I am your dad, remember?”

He hugged the girls tight and waited another moment for Tanya, who still refused to get out of the truck. As they headed back to the truck and climbed in, Tanya, dressed in a tee-shirt, blue jeans and runners, did not seem nearly as foreboding, but she remained distant and aloof.

“How did he know?” whispered Dana.

“She told him, of course,” said Dani.

“We have our answer now,” said Dana. “Run away home.”

Chapter 4 - Tough Love

“Oh no!” said Dana. “This cannot really be happening to us.”

“I cannot believe it!” said Dani. “This has to be the worst day of our lives!”

The twins had raced back to their apartment, just in time to see Terry and Tanya carrying suitcases into the master bedroom.

“Hi my little sweeties, Tanya is moving in,” Terry announced, as he walked past them carrying two of her suitcases. There were already five in the master bedroom. “She is your mother, as of today. Help her get unpacked, as I have to head back to work.”

Terry immediately went the bedroom where Tanya was sitting on the bed and kissed her.

“I have to run, honey,” he said, as he headed out the door. “See you all later.”

Tanya was stunned and angry. She had not expected to left on her own, with the twins who she had just met.

“Terry, you and I are going to have a talk about this later,” she said to herself.

This was no longer a happy day for the twins. All of their hopes and dreams about Penny had been instantly shattered. Tanya was taking over as their mother, immediately.

Tanya looked around the bedroom. It was relatively clean, but sparsely furnished with only a bed and one dresser.

“Anything but the height of luxury,” she thought to herself. “I should have suspected as much, when Terry told me how much alimony he is paying.”

As she came out of the bedroom and looked around the living room and kitchen, all she saw was bare basics. Even in the twin’s room, there was only a set of bunk beds.

“All right, you brats,” said Tanya, placing her package of cigarettes on the kitchen table. “Which one of you stole my lighter, at the bonfire?”

“Not me!” replied the twins in unison. After her threat to them at the birthday party, they were terrified of her.

In the meantime, Crystal who was still with Penny in her apartment, was very upset.

“You accepted the gift of the gold hearts from the twins, but you would not accept my gift!” she yelled at Penny. “Is that because they are white and I am a half breed?”

Penny was stunned at what Crystal had just said.

“That would be prejudice, would it not?” asked Penny, after a moment of silence.

“Yes, and that is not fair to me,” replied Crystal.

“I agree,” replied Penny. Crystal did know what racial prejudice was. “May I ask why you gave me the gold lighter?” asked Penny. “You know I do not smoke.”

“I just wanted to say thank you for helping me with my song,” replied Crystal, as tears welled up in her eyes. “It was just a gift.”

“A simple thank you would have been enough,” replied Penny. She knew that she had to take this further with Crystal, as it was Tanya’s lighter. “You do not have to give me gifts.”

“That is what our people do. We give each other gifts. You have helped me to start writing,” said Crystal. “You are going to give me guitar lessons, too.”

“Crystal, there is something that I must ask you,” said Penny.

Crystal knew immediately that she was in trouble.

“Where did you get the gold lighter?”

Crystal turned away and did not say anything.

“Be honest with me,” said Penny. “This is really important if we are to continue a student-teacher relationship of any kind.”

“Does it really matter where I got it?” asked Crystal, slipping something into her back pocket. Penny assumed it was the gold lighter she had refused to accept from her earlier.

“Yes, it does matter,” said Penny, sensing Crystal’s reluctance to tell the truth. “You will have to tell me the truth about where you got the gold lighter.”

Crystal stubbornly remained silent.

“Crystal, you go home right now and when you are ready to tell me the truth about where you got the gold lighter, you can come back. Not until then.”

“That is fine. I will give it to my grandmother,” said Crystal, as she headed out the door. “She will love it.”

To Penny, the words she had spoken to Crystal were intended as tough love.

“Crystal, please do what is right!”

Little did Penny realize that Crystal had just pocketed the watch she had left sitting on the kitchen counter.

“Thank you,” said Crystal, as she quickly left and ran towards the elevator.

“I am not certain why she is thanking me,” thought Penny to herself. “That may be the end of our friendship and the guitar lessons. I might have been too hard on her and she may never return.”

Upstairs, the twins were still in conflict with Tanya. They knew that Crystal had tried to give the gold lighter to Penny and that Penny had refused to accept it, but they were not about to tell Tanya.

“We will be back at suppertime, when our dad is home,” said Dana.

“You cannot take off like that,” said Tanya. “I am your mother! You have to listen to me."

“I don’t think so,” said Dana, as they ran down the stairwell.

“Not our mother,” replied Dani. “We will run away, first.”

Chapter 3 - Waft Me Away

“Waft me away in the north wind, waft me away in the south wind, waft me away in the east wind, waft me away in the west wind,” the words of Crystal’s song echoed in Penny’s mind.

“Crystal has such a beautiful, soft voice!” she thought to herself. “What a night that was!”

“Half of something is nothing, I am nothing. I have no anchor…have no anchor…no anchor,” her words continued. It was a haunting melody to Penny. “Waft me away in the wind.”

What really surprised her was how Crystal had ended her song. She concluded it stating, “You are my anchor, replied the wind. You are my anchor.”

Marie commended Crystal for her new song in front of everyone, which surprised both her and Penny, considering how she had been treating Crystal lately.

The twin’s dilemma with respect to a new mother coming into their life so unexpectedly, confounded Penny.

“How could that woman say something so cruel to eight year old girls who she had just met?” Penny wondered. “That was so mean!” She knew that it was probably Tanya’s way of assuming immediate authority over them.

Even more surprising to Penny was the way Terry had told his little girls about his engagement. He should have talked to the twins about his relationship with Tanya, when they were alone. That is what she would have done.

“Maybe Terry is right. There is no right time to tell children they are going to have a stranger for a new mother.”

Terry and Tanya had been drinking beer.

“They will get used to the idea,” Tanya had replied angrily, when Terry’s first wife told her that the girls seemed upset. Devastated, she had walked away from Terry and Tanya, rather than give them her best wishes.

“They are my children, not yours.”

Ron and Marie did not seem to see any problem with the engagement; neither did Franklin and Irene, so the majority of the best wishes came from them. Penny politely offered her congratulations and then got ready to head home, as it was getting late.

“Let the families work this out together,” she thought to herself. “They are the ones that own the problem. The twins will likely come see me tomorrow.” Penny hugged them and their brother, reassuring them they could always come and talk to her about anything.

Crystal seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, after Terry made his engagement announcement. Seeing the disappointment on her face, Penny decided to take what was left of the birthday cake to her apartment for the children.

“Want to give me a hand with my guitar, Crystal?”

“Sure. It looks like Terry is not ever going to be my dad,” she said to Penny, as she put the guitar in the back seat of the car for her. “Maybe it is better that way.”

“Extended families happen,” Penny suggested to her. “It will all work out, somehow.”

“I wanted more family, but not this way,” replied Crystal. “I feel sorry for the twins.”

“Crystal, I can give you guitar lessons once a week, if it is all right with your grandparents. You can let me know and we will set a time.”

“I have to ask them.”

“Your new song was beautiful and you sang it very well. I will teach you chords for it. You can add more verses too, if you like.”

When Crystal showed up the next day, Penny had not seen the twins yet. She immediately spotted the gold lighter in Crystal’s hand and recognized it as one that Tanya had left sitting on the picnic table next to her cigarettes.

“Maybe Tanya gave it to her as a gift for singing her new song?” she thought to herself.

Penny knew it was not an appropriate gift for a twelve-year old girl. She decided to ask her about the lighter, but just then, the twins showed up with a gift for Penny.

“We have to talk to you about Tanya. She said she is going to be our new mother. We don’t like her,” said Dana.

“We brought you a present,” said Dani, holding out small package, wrapped in leftover wrapping paper from the birthday party.

“You did?” replied Penny, with amazement. “You two are so sweet, but it is not my birthday yet.” She untied the ribbon, took the wrapping paper off and opened the tiny box. Inside, she found two miniature gold hearts, nestled in soft, white tissue paper.

“Our mom gave us those hearts when we were just little,” said Dana. “We had chains for them,” said Dana. “But, we broke them.”

“We want you to have them, not Tanya,” added Dani. “We don’t want her for our mother.”

“These are very special,” replied Penny, as tears welled up in her eyes. It was obvious that the twins wanted her to assume the role as their mother. “How can I accept these under the circumstances?” she asked herself. “Tanya is going to be their mother.”

“Thank you, girls,” said Penny with a smile. “But, I can only be your friend.”

“They are our gift to you,” said Dana.

“We love you,” said Dani. “Now, may we have some cookies and milk?”

“Maybe we should have leftover birthday cake?” suggested Penny. “There is enough for everyone.”

Penny made a quick decision. She would accept the hearts graciously, as the girls had given them to her in the spirit of love. She would also purchase new gold chains for them and at some time in the near future when the moment was right, give them back to the twins.

“Thank you again, Dana and Dani,” she said, giving each of them a hug. “That is a wonderful present.”

Crystal slipped the lighter into the back pocket of her blue jeans, along with a handful of red and white peppermints Penny had left sitting on the kitchen table.

“One or two,” said Penny.

“Thank you,” replied Crystal, putting the rest back.

“May we have some, too?” asked the twins, at the same time. “We love peppermints.”

“Thank you!”

“Penny, I brought you a gift, too,” she said, as she reached in her pocket and pulled out the lighter. “This is for for helping me with my song.”

That was the last thing that Penny expected to happen.

“Crystal, I cannot accept that lighter,” replied Penny. “You and I will have to have a talk about it, after the twins go home.”

Chapter 2 - The Bonfire

Overall, the Saturday evening bonfire proved to be a huge success, even though it meant different things to the families who attended Terry’s birthday party.

Crystal had been taking care of the twins all day, so the three girls went down to the lake with her grandparents to set everything up. Penny drove her own car down, so she could take the birthday cake, as well as her guitar. That way, she would be able to leave early, if the family tensions ran too high. Franklin and Irene, a happy and peaceful, older couple, showed up shortly after she got there.

“Franklin and his wife are here,” said Ron. “Excuse me, please. I have to go to the car to get something.” He waved at them, as he walked by. “I will be right back, with the beer.”

“How do you do!” said Franklin, greeting everyone else with a heartwarming smile. Irene stood quietly at his side and smiled sweetly at the children. Penny liked them both instantly.

“Hello,” said Marie to them. “Thank you for coming.”

She was surprisingly gracious to everyone.

“Folks, you know everyone else, but I don’t think you have met Penny yet, have you?”

“Hello everyone, it is so nice to see you all,” said Penny, as she put a new set of strings on her old guitar. “This should be a fun evening, right, Crystal?”

Crystal nodded. She stayed close by Penny’s side, but was very quiet. She still seemed to be at odds with her grandmother.

“Where is our dad?” asked Dana. “He is supposed to be our guest of honor.”

“He should be here by now,” replied Dani. “After all, he is the birthday boy!”

“Oh, no!” said Dana, when he finally appeared, with a strange woman on his arm. “Dani, I think our dad has a new girlfriend,” she whispered.

“Who is she?” asked Dani. “We have never met her, have we?”

“No! I already know we are not going to like her.”

“He looks happy,” thought Penny to herself.

The twins were devastated, as this was not what was supposed to happen. They had planned the birthday party for their father, with the expectation that Terry would get to know Penny better. To them, it was going to be their dad’s first date with her.

“Hello everyone, I would like you to meet Tanya,” said Terry, with a smile. “I know you are all going to love her, just like I do.”

For the twins, at that exact moment in time, Tanya was their worst nightmare come true. She was too dressed up for a bonfire and wore an 'icy-nice', fake smile that frightened them.

“Oh Terry, your twins are so sweet!” said Tanya. “Come over here, girls and let me give you a big hug.”

“We don’t want her as our stepmother,” whispered Dana, hesitating for the moment. “Do we?”

“No way, I don’t like her, at all,” replied Dani, quickly hiding behind Dana’s back.

Dana and Dani were reluctant to meet Tanya, but at their father’s insistence, they went over to talk to her.

Penny smiled. She was not surprised at this unexpected turn of events, as Terry had shown no interest in her, at all. At least, now she knew why.

“I am not that unattractive,” she thought to herself.

Crystal was shocked at what had just happened. This was the last thing she ever expected at Terry’s birthday party. “So much for my step-sisters and little step-brother,” she thought to herself.

Ron and Marie were not surprised, as they knew that this was not the first time he had been involved with someone. Franklin and Irene were too busy putting wieners on the long willow poles, to pay much attention to anyone.

It was not long before Terry and Tanya were chasing the twins up and down the beach. Penny could hear their laughter from a distance. She felt almost envious of Tanya.

Unexpectedly, Terry’s former wife showed up with her husband and son, much to everyone’s surprise. Terry had invited them. They all stayed down on the beach for a while.

Ron and Marie, Franklin and Irene, sat in their lawn chairs, drinking beer.

Penny declined Ron’s offer to join them.

“Thank you,” she said. “I have juice for later.”

She took advantage of the moment to show Crystal a few chords on her guitar. Crystal’s grandmother had been far too busy talking to Irene, to pay much attention to what they were doing.

“I wrote a song,” said Crystal, quietly. “I don’t know how to put chords to it.”

At that very moment, Marie glanced over at Crystal.

“I am your guitar teacher, Crystal,” replied Penny, loud enough so that Marie could hear what she was saying. “It is my job as your guitar teacher, to show you how to do that.”

Marie did not seem to have any problem with that relationship and the tensions between them seemed to ease up. Penny knew that music was a legitimate part of Crystal’s heritage. As her guitar teacher, she also knew that she had found her place in Crystal’s life.

“Hot dogs!” everyone, hollered Marie. “There is salad, too.”

“Save room for birthday cake!” said Penny, with a grin. Later, after Terry and Tanya blew out the candles, she cut it in pieces and passed them around.

After supper, Crystal sang her new song for everyone, accompanied by Penny, who had given it some chords. Then, they all enjoyed a sing-a-long.

Terry did not pay much attention to Penny throughout the entire evening, but he was kind to her. She knew that juggling all these people in his life, was not going to be an easy task.

He knew that somehow, he had to find a way to reveal his plans for the future, without upsetting anyone.

Ron pulled out his peace pipe, a while later. The men sat back and enjoyed smoking it, while the women chatted in front of the bonfire.

Crystal and Penny took a short walk on the beach, in the moonlight.

“If I am to be your guitar teacher, then you have an excuse to visit me.”

“That works for me,” said Crystal. “Look at that moon. It is so beautiful! I could write a song about it!”

“Listen, you brats, if you think you are going to break up your dad and I, you have another think coming,” said Tanya to the twins, as they were returning to the bonfire. "You can go live with your real mother."

Penny could scarcely believe her ears. She could see that the twins were on the verge of tears. Their little brother was tired and upset too.

“Listen folks, Tanya and I have an announcement to make,” said Terry. “I know that there is probably no right time to say this, but Tanya and I just got engaged!”

Part Two - Chapter 1 - A Cinderella Story

"Cinderella always had a hard life,” said Crystal to Penny, several days later. “Do you think she ever ran away from home?”

“Cinderella? Why are you asking that, Crystal?”

Penny looked at the sad expression on Crystal’s face. She was serious.

“Penny, all I ever do now is work. When I am not taking care of my grandparents, I have to do all the housework, at home. My grandmother just sits in her wheelchair, watching television. My grandpa sits beside her, in his big, leather chair and smokes his pipe. I have to wait on them and take care of everything else, too. Then, I look after the twins and clean up their place. Dana and Dani never do anything, but play. It is like having two step-sisters.”

“They are such cute little girls, though,” replied Penny, with an understanding smile. “Don’t you just love them?”

“Sure, the twins are sweet, but I am only twelve. I am not a servant. I need to find a prince to take me to a ball, like Cinderella. Maybe then, he can rescue me from my horrible life, with some horses, a carriage and a pair of glass slippers,” she said wistfully.

“Sounds like a modern day Cinderella story to me,” said Penny, after a few moments. “I think you should be allowed to have some fun.”

“I do have fun when I am with the twins,” replied Crystal, who was tired. “When I get a moment to myself, I write. I sit under the old bridge, at the end of the lake and put my feet in the water.”

“Do you want to show me what you have written?” asked Penny, seeing the sheets of crumpled paper in Crystal’s hands. “I would love to read it.”

Crystal hesitated for a moment and then handed it to her.

Penny was stunned and shocked, at what she read.

“Half of something is nothing. I am nothing. Maybe I should jump into the swirling water and let my life go wherever it will,” Crystal had written on the first couple of lines. Her words were poetic, but seemed almost suicidal. “I do not know my purpose in life. Maybe it is only death.”

“Life is sacred, so you cannot just let go of your life,” said Penny, after reading the first paragraph. “That would be like ending your life intentionally.”

“You mean like committing suicide? A lot of young people in our community do that.”

Penny nodded and gazed at her intently.

“Crystal, everyone has a reason to be born and we each have a purpose in life. Maybe you are destined to become a writer, because you write well.”

“You meant that I might become a famous writer, someday?” asked Crystal, amazed at what Penny had just said. “Do you really think so?” Her expression changed from one of despair to that of sheer joy.

Just then, the twins stopped by to invite Penny to a family picnic, scheduled for Saturday night.

“We are going to have a bonfire with hotdogs and marshmallows, down by the lake,” said Dana, excitedly. “We want you to come, too.”

“Our dad said we could invite you because you are our friend,” said Dani. “Then, he can get to know you better, too.”

“Crystal, you can bring your grandparents, if you want,” said Dana. “Do you think that they would like to join us?”

“Maybe, but I will have to ask them,” replied Crystal, with a smile. “Thank you for inviting us.”

“Crystal, we also invited Franklin and Irene, an older French couple who live across the hall, so your grandparents won’t be by themselves”, said Dana. “Tell them that they are coming.”

“Thank you, I will do tell them.”

“What is the special occasion?” asked Penny. “May I ask?”

“Our dad is turning forty-five,” replied Dani. “We are having a birthday party for him.”

“Penny, would you make a birthday cake for him, please?” asked Dana.

“I could help,” said Crystal. “If my grandmother says it is all right.”

“Ask her,” suggested Penny. “She will probably be fine with it.”

“Thank you,” The twins said, at the same time and giggled heartily, as they headed out the door.

“We did it!” said Dana. “Our dad and Penny are going to spend the evening together.”

“She is going to be our mother yet,” replied Dani. “I just know it!”

“I hope so,” said Dana. “Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

Penny smiled at the thought of going to a picnic on Saturday night, but had no idea that the twins were setting her up, or that the three children were stealing from her, every time they visited. As her ‘sisters’, Crystal was teaching them ‘first nation, first portion’ principles, too.

“A picnic with all three families might be fun,” thought Penny, trying to decide how to decorate a birthday cake for Terry.

“Maybe I should bring my guitar along,” she suggested to Crystal, who agreed heartily. “Then we can have a sing-a-long.”

“Would you teach me how to play the guitar?”

“Sure, I can do that. Maybe you could even write a song and sing it for everyone.”

Crystal smiled at the thought of being able to play a guitar and sing songs she had written.

“Crystal, keep on writing. Put your name and the date on everything that you write. Number your pages and never throw away what you write. It is really important.”

“Thank you, Penny, I will do that,” said Crystal, as she headed home. “And thank you for reading what I wrote.”

“Maybe I won’t run away after all,” she thought to herself. “But, I still have to find my prince.”

Chapter 10 - Half Breed

Crystal’s grandparents became upset, when Crystal walked in several moments later, carrying a plate of brownies, an anniversary card and a box of herbal tea. At the same time, they could not help but see the joy on their granddaughter’s face.

“Thank you,” said Crystal’s grandmother graciously, as she accepted the gifts and placed them on the dinner table.

“Crystal, tell me where you got all this!” demanded her grandfather.

“Penny and I made the brownies this afternoon,” replied Crystal, uncertain as to why her grandparents were upset. “The card and the herbal tea are from the corner store. We wanted to help you celebrate your anniversary!”

“This is not right,” said Crystal’s grandmother to her husband, later when Crystal had gone out with the twins for a bicycle ride, around the lake. “Crystal is spending too much time with Penny. She is getting too attached to her.”

She looked at the beautiful anniversary card that Penny and Crystal had both signed, wishing it had been from her own daughter.

“Crystal is our daughter’s daughter, our granddaughter, not Penny’s daughter. Crystal has to take care of me, not her. Even if Penny makes a peace offering like this, it is not right for her to take Crystal from us. We are getting too old to be left alone.”

“I agree,” Crystal’s grandfather replied angrily, as he tore up the anniversary card. “We are the ones who have been raising Crystal. She is at the age now where she should be earning money for us too, not for someone else. Penny is not going to take Crystal from us.”

Of course, that was not Penny’s intention at all. Crystal had invited Penny to adopt her, not the other way around.

Meanwhile, Penny was trying to decide whether to talk to Crystal’s grandparents about the possibility of adopting Crystal, at some time in the future.

“It is probably too soon to talk to them about the possibility of adoption. I will wait a few months before I mention anything about Crystal’s proposition to me.”

She was glad she had not said anything to them earlier, when Crystal’s grandmother showed up at the door, in her wheelchair.

“Thank you for the brownies, the beautiful card and the herbal tea,” she said graciously. “That was kind of you.” Inwardly, she was furious.

“Herbal tea?” asked Penny. “I wonder where Crystal got that?” she asked herself, but promptly dismissed the thought, as it could have come from someone else.

Marie was obviously upset, on the verge of tears and wringing her arthritic hands together. Penny could see the anger in her eyes.

“We will enjoy this, but I want to make it very clear to you that Crystal does have a mother, my daughter, who may show up and take her away, at any time!” Marie said abruptly. “She also has a father.”

“I understand,” replied Penny, as Crystal’s grandmother turned her wheelchair around and headed for the elevator, immediately. “Thank you for telling me.”

“I was never trying to replace Crystal’s mother,” she thought to herself, after Marie left. “What Crystal and I did was simply intended to be an act of kindness and love, with no ulterior motive.”

Penny was upset now too, as she had expected to receive better treatment from Crystal’s grandparents.

“Your loss,” thought Penny. “I don’t have to adopt Crystal. There are thousands of children waiting for adoption. Right now, I don’t even want to think about the possibility.”

Crystal’s grandparents kept her busy at home after that, although Crystal made a point of coming to see Penny, whenever she could break away from them.

“I barely remember my own mother and I still want you to be my adopted mother,” explained Crystal. “My grandparents are getting too old. When they die, I will be all alone.”

“We will have to settle for being friends, at least for the time being,” Penny advised Crystal, who was devastated by what had happened.

“We can only be friends?”

“It is best that way,” said Penny.

“What is a half-breed?” Crystal asked Penny, about a week later. “I need to know, because Grandma told me that the native couple taking care of me abandoned me because I am a half-breed. I do not know what that word means.”

Penny realized that the word half-breed had to do with Crystal having been born to a French mother and a native father.

“Why are you asking me this question now?” Penny wondered. She was curious as to what Crystal’s grandparents were telling her.

“My grandmother said that nobody likes half-breeds. You probably do not want to adopt a half-breed, either.”

Penny began to realize that Crystal’s own sense of self worth was at stake.

“My grandmother says I have to stay closer to home and accept more responsibility.”

“Well, you are growing up,” said Penny. “Your grandparents do need your help.”

“I don’t think that Grandma wants me to come here anymore, because I am a half-breed.”

“I don’t think they would hold that against you. Your grandparents are the ones who are raising you,” replied Penny. “You must do what they want you to do. Let’s agree together that we will always be good friends, regardless.”

Penny reached into a cabinet drawer, found a floral notepad and handed it to her. When she turned her back, Crystal pocketed her gold, ballpoint pen.

“If you are sad, write down your thoughts and feelings and I can read them later,” suggested Penny. “Then, we can talk about them.”

"Thank you. It is pretty, but I cannot take this note pad home,” said Crystal. “My grandparents will find it and throw it out, but I can write on a piece of blank paper.”

Penny immediately missed the gold pen that Crystal had taken. The pen had been a gift from other teachers in a public school, where she had been teaching. She assumed she had left somewhere and would find it eventually.

“I wonder what is really happening in Crystal’s home,” wondered Penny, after Crystal left. “I hope that they are not abusing her, because she is regarded as a half-breed in her community. They have no right to do that to any child. Maybe that is why she wanted me to adopt her.”

Soon after that, Penny became aware of the smell of scented smoke, when she entered the elevator.

“What is this, sage or cedar?”

Little did she realize that Penny’s grandparents were practicing a cleansing ritual, intended to purify their home.

Chapter 9 - The First and Last

“This is a lot of work,” thought Penny. “I will be glad when everything is put away.”

She was washing and drying her crystal glasses, when Crystal showed up asking for a favor.

“Penny, do you think you and I could make some brownies?” Crystal asked Penny, “Today is my grandparent’s anniversary. I want to surprise them with something special. Please help me.”

“This young lady is so sweet,” Penny thought to herself. “It is wonderful to see a girl who is so considerate of her grandparents.”

“What a great idea!” she said to Crystal, with a smile. “It appears that a celebration is in order.”

Although Penny was still busy, she decided it was time to take a break and spend some quality time together.

“Making brownies with Crystal might be fun,” she thought to herself, carefully placing her crystal glasses in the china cabinet.

“We will have to check my cupboards and see if we have everything we need to make brownies.”

Penny soon realized they needed more dark chocolate, so the two of them walked to the store together. For Penny, it was wonderful to see the glow on Crystal’s face, as she skipped along beside her.

“Thank you so much,” said Crystal. “You are the best!”

“Maybe we can find an anniversary card for them,” replied Penny. “You can help me pick it out.”

“Super,” replied Crystal. “They will love that.”

“Why not do right by them, particularly if they are going to be my family too,” thought Penny.

While Penny was paying for the chocolate and anniversary card, Crystal was searching for something she could give her grandparents as a present, but not having any money, she knew that she would have to ask Penny to pay for it, or just take it.

“First nation, first portion,” she said to herself, as she tucked a small box of herbal tea in her backpack. “That is what my people taught me.”

Penny had no idea that Crystal was stealing, or that she felt it was her right to help herself to the first portion of anything that she wanted, wherever she was.

“Thank you,” they called out to the sales clerk who had assisted Penny, as they left the store.

When they reached Penny’s apartment, making brownies proved fun for both of them. While the brownies were baking, they drank lemonade and chatted about Crystal going back to school. They both signed the anniversary card and Penny put it back in the envelope.

Crystal helped Penny make chocolate icing, ice the brownies and cut them up. They carefully arranged them on a paper plate.

“Keep some for later,” suggested Crystal. “If you are going to be my mother, you will be a first nation person, too.”

Penny looked up at her, wondering what she meant by that.

Crystal gazed at Penny intensely.

“As my mother, you will be entitled to ‘first nation, first portion’, just like I am. My grandfather said that I am a princess, because he is the native chief in our community.”

“Your grandmother told me that. I think it is wonderful.”

“We will have brownies for dessert tonight. My grandparents will be so thrilled. Thank you for helping me with them.”

“You are welcome,” replied Penny. “Have a wonderful evening!”

“I need to do some research into native culture,” thought Penny. “Imagine hearing that expression for the first time from a twelve-year old native girl.”

Penny had no idea what the full implications would be for her, or for them.

“That reminds me of the Christian concept of the ‘first and last’.”

She wondered if Crystal and her family knew what that meant.

“Just one more thing we will have to talk about,” she decided.

Chapter 8 - The Initial Meeting

“Good morning,” said the soft-spoken, clean-shaven man, who appeared at Penny’s door, early the next morning. “I am sorry to bother you, but I am looking for my two girls. They said they were heading downstairs. Are they here by any chance?”

The chubby, reasonably well dressed man appeared to be in his mid-forties and had a receding hairline. Penny immediately liked his smile.

“Good morning,” replied Penny. “You must be Dana and Dani’s dad. No, I am sorry. I have not seen them.”

“I have to give them some lunch money, before I leave for work.”

“What is your name?” asked Penny, as he quickly turned and headed for the stairwell.

“I am Terry,” he hollered to her from the open doorway. “Thanks.”

“There you young ladies are,” he said to the girls, as he spotted them standing at the bottom of the stairwell and handed them some change. “Mind your manners and behave yourselves today. I will try to be home early.”

“We will, dad,” replied both girls, giving him a hug at the same time. “We love you. Bye.”

“They met,” whispered Dana to Dani, as he left. Terry had no idea that his girls had set him up. “I listened at the door.”

“That was such a neat idea!” replied Dani.

“Now, we just have to keep our fingers crossed,” continued Dana, with a mischievous grin. “We might become a family before we know it.”

“Maybe, but I still don’t know if I want that to happen.”

“It will be great. You will see.”

Dani was not too excited about the thought of being part of Penny and Crystal’s family, but decided that because Dana was a few hours older, she was smarter and probably knew what would be best for all of them.

Penny had no idea what the twins were up to. She was not really looking for a family and did not expect to find one in the apartment building.

She was still contemplating Crystal’s proposition, weighing the pros and cons of adoption. There were many things to take into consideration, including Crystal’s nationality and native upbringing. She had not factored the twins and their little brother into the equation, much less their father.

“I will have to spend some quality time with that young lady,” she decided. “But, I need to get a lot of other things done first.”

The thought of having a twelve-year old daughter, after many years of being alone, had a certain appeal to it. She knew that because she was semi-retired as an elementary school teacher, there were things she could teach Crystal.

“I may have just been blessed with a beautiful daughter,” she thought, smiling to herself.

Chapter 7 - A Possibility

“I have always loved children,” thought Penny, when she heard them running down the hallway. She opened the door to greet them, as soon as they knocked. “Coming for another visit?”

“We just wanted to you to meet Cody,” said Dana, who was holding a young child with dark, curly hair, by the hand. “Our mom said that we could come, but only for a minute, while she talks to our dad.”

“Then, we are all going out for lunch together,” added Dani.

“Are you ever a cutie!” replied Penny. “Cody is your brother.”

“Right,” said Dana, just as Cody pulled away from her, ran down the hallway and waited for them, by the door. “He always makes strange.”

“May we come back later?” asked Dani, who was gradually becoming bolder and more talkative.

“We will come downstairs when Crystal gets home,” said Dana. “She said she wants to ask you something.”

“Sure, that will be great,” replied Penny, pleased that the children would ask permission to visit her later. “Children are always welcome in my home.”

“Thank you,” hollered the twins, as they headed for the stairs.

True to their word, the children showed up with Crystal, after Cody and his mother went home.

Crystal was very quiet at first and let the twins chatter on about their day.

“I have some things that the twins can do, so that you and I can have a heart-to-heart talk,” Penny said to Crystal. She set them up with pencil crayons and paper, at the oak desk in the second bedroom. “Let’s talk in the kitchen.”

Crystal was hesitant. Penny waited to see what she was going to ask her. Obviously, this was something serious to her.

“My grandparents really liked you,” Crystal said. “Is there any possibility that you would adopt me?”

Astounded by her question, but in another way, not really surprised at what she was asking of her after having the talk with Crystal’s grandmother, Penny did not really know how to respond. She smiled, but said nothing.

“Please, I would help you with all of your housework and take care of you, if you got sick,” Crystal pleaded with her.

“Adoption is a serious business, Crystal. We just met, so I do not really know you yet. We would have to get to know each other first,” Penny finally said. “You would also need permission from your grandparents, as they are the ones who are taking care of you now. I will tell you what. Help me make a snack for everyone and we will talk more about it.”

“That may be one way I can bring a positive change into all of their lives,” thought Penny to herself. “I would like to be able to do that for them.”

“Thank you so much,” said Crystal, excitedly. “I would love to be adopted by you.”

“It might be fun!” said Penny. “But, I have to think about it for a while.”

“Think fast, please” said Crystal to herself, as she took the tray of peanut butter sandwiches and hot chocolate into the bedroom where the twins were happily engaged in their artwork.

“She said she would think about it!” Crystal whispered to the twins.

“If she gets to be your mom and marries our dad, we would be sisters,” whispered Dana. “That would be so neat!”

“What about our real mom?” asked Dani, not certain that she liked the idea of having a second mother. “Don’t forget, we have a little brother too.”

“Penny already likes him.”

Shortly thereafter, while Penny talked to the twins, Crystal disappeared into the washroom and pocketed a new tube of lipstick that Penny had left on the counter. “Grandma will love this!”

Penny was deep in thought and had often considered adopting a child, or even several children, but had never experienced having a child ask her to adopt him or her.

Nor did she realize that to Crystal and her grandparents, adopting her would also mean allowing total access to everything that she owned.

Chapter 6 - An Indian Princess

“Please, do come in and sit down,” an older woman called out from the master bedroom. “I will be with you shortly.”

Penny’s first reaction when Marie came out, was that in appearance, she bore a striking resemblance to Crystal, her granddaughter.

She was a spunky, but fragile-looking, elderly woman with long, dark hair and brown eyes. Marie was so petite that she almost seemed to get lost in her huge wheelchair. Her arthritic hands, knees and feet were gnarled and swollen, but her smile was warm and welcoming.

“Thank you for coming upstairs,” she said to Penny. “I wanted to meet you, so that I would know who Crystal is visiting, when she goes downstairs. She told me that a nice lady had moved in.”

“Thank you for inviting me for tea,” replied Penny, with an understanding smile. “You have a lovely granddaughter, who looks very much like you.”

“Crystal, plug the kettle in, please,” ordered Marie. “Then, take Tippy out for a walk.”

“I will, Grandma. Keep your blanket over your knees, so you stay warm,” Crystal ordered, as she headed out the door with their dog. She obviously enjoyed his company. “You are such a good boy!”

“He certainly is sweet,” said Penny. “But, so tiny!”

“Too noisy, but he protects us.”

“I have never heard him barking,” said Penny. She hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

“Marie, tell me about Crystal.” Penny knew that if she was going to assist Crystal and her family in any way, it was important to understand their world.

“Crystal is a twelve-year old, Indian princess,” replied Marie. “She helps my husband take care of me, as I can barely walk, now.”

“An Indian princess!” replied Penny, with amazement. “That is wonderful!”

With Crystal’s petite frame, long, dark hair and brown eyes, Penny could picture her as an Indian princess, a very beautiful one, at that. “May I help you with the tea?”

“We will have our tea in the living room.”

Marie made tea in a China teapot and then carefully manipulated her wheelchair into the tiny, sparsely furnished, living room, where she served the tea and cookies to Penny. In spite of her disability, she was very gracious and in control of her own world.

“We are of French Canadian and native descent, hunters and gatherers, from way back,” she told Penny, as she quietly sipped her tea from an elegant, flowered, China teacup. “Hunters and gatherers never stay any place for very long.”

“I understand,” said Penny, waiting for Marie to continue.

“Crystal’s mother is my only daughter. She and her husband abandoned Crystal, when she was just five years old. They left her behind in our northern community, expecting some people to take care of her, after the local mine closed. My daughter and her husband were forced to leave the community along with many others, as no one had work and our people were starving to death.”

“How tragic that must have been for everyone!”

“I am French Canadian. My husband, Ron, who is the native Chief in the community, found her in a broken-down cabin, in the back woods. Whoever was taking care of Crystal had left, too. She was alone, cold and starving. We decided to bring her here with us, when we moved to this area. We both needed regular medical care, as I have severe arthritis and Ron has a bad heart.”

“I am so sorry,” replied Penny. “How can I help?”

“We are getting old and trying to raise Crystal as best we can, but neither my husband nor I will live forever” said Marie, sadly. “Crystal’s parents are nowhere to be found. We only want what is best for her.”

“I see,” said Penny, knowing it was probably not easy for Marie to confide in her. She had a lot to think about, as she graciously thanked Marie for the tea and cookies and then headed downstairs to her apartment.

Little did Penny know that while Marie was ‘playing’ on her compassion, Ron had not attended a Council meeting at all, but instead, he was busy ransacking her apartment.

Penny discovered the broken lock on her filing cabinet later, but had no idea who was responsible.

"That probably happened before I moved,” she thought to herself. “Maybe I should be more concerned about the lock on the door?”

Chapter 5 - An Invitation to Tea

“Hi Penny, my grandmother wants to meet you. She would like you to come upstairs for a cup of tea and some brownies,” said Crystal with a smile, as Penny opened the door to her apartment.

Penny was amazed at the eager anticipation evident on Crystal’s face.

“I am kind of busy,” she said, but seeing the obvious disappointment on Crystal’s face, Penny immediately changed her mind. “Thank you ever so much. I would love to come with you for a cup of tea. It is so sweet of your grandmother to invite me!”

“I hoped you would accept her invitation. Thank you,” said Crystal, walking into the living room and sitting down on the chesterfield. “I know you are really busy unpacking, but I can wait while you finish what you are doing.”

Crystal immediately spotted the collection of antique jewelry in an open jewelry box on Penny’s coffee table. She gazed around the living room, wondering what else was in the rest of the unopened boxes that were scattered around the room.

“You have so many boxes,” said Crystal.

“I still have a lot of things to unpack, but I am not too busy to meet your grandmother,” said Penny. “I can work on those boxes later. It will take me a moment to brush my hair and change my sweater, though.”

“There’s no hurry,” replied Crystal quietly. “My grandmother is in a wheelchair and she is not going anywhere.”

To Penny, it appeared that Crystal was embarrassed about her grandmother's status, as she quickly looked away from her.

“My grandfather is going to a Council meeting.”

“I would like to meet him too.”

“If we hurry, he will still be there.”

“I will just be a moment.”

While Penny was changing, Crystal spotted a tiny, child-sized ring, in amongst the collection of old jewelry. She quickly picked it up and tried it on her baby finger. It fit perfectly. Moments later without any hesitation, she put it in her blue jeans jacket pocket.

“Do you like children?” asked Crystal, as they headed up the stairwell, several minutes later.

“Yes, I do,” replied Penny. “I like elderly folks too.”

Penny had already made the decision to help Crystal and was determined to do whatever was necessary to make a good impression on her grandparents.

“I am Ron. Sorry, but I am just on my way out the door,” said Crystal’s grandfather, a heavy-set, tall, dark-haired elderly man, as they entered the apartment. “Thank you for coming to visit my wife. She does not get many visitors.”

“Make sure you mind your manners, young lady,” he said to his granddaughter. “Remember to say please and thank you.”

“Be quiet!” he hollered at their tiny lap dog, now creating a ruckus.

"This is Tippy," said Crystal, picking the dog up.

Little did Penny realize that while she was visiting Crystal’s grandmother upstairs, Ron would be checking out her apartment, looking for things to sell in order to obtain money to purchase food for their family.

"Marie," hollered Ron. "You have a visitor!"

Chapter 4 - An Understanding

Later that afternoon, Penny heard a gentle knock on the door and expected it to be the girls.

“Hi Penny, I am just checking to see if you are settling in all right,” said Nick, a tall, slim, young man with long, blonde hair and intense blue eyes. “Is there anything you need help with?”

“Hello there, Nick. I was not expecting to see my new landlord today,” replied Penny, with a welcoming smile.

On meeting Nick, she had immediately liked his personality, soft-spoken voice and gentle mannerisms.

“No, I am doing just fine. Thank you for asking though. I do appreciate that.”

“I am just letting you know that I will be changing the lock on the door, tomorrow morning, about eleven o’clock,” said Nick, with a smile. “No, there is no problem, but I always change the locks when I rent to new tenants.”

“Thank you. That is probably a good idea,” said Penny. “You are welcome to stay for lunch, when you come. I may even bake a fresh lemon cake.”

“Super!” replied Nick, heading down the long hallway. “My mom used to do that before she passed away, several years ago.”

“So, he does not have a mother, either,” thought Penny to herself. “Anyhow, we need to have a long talk, as those twins are too young to be left alone.”

Penny was growing increasingly concerned about the girls, as she had heard them tearing up and down the hallway and stairwell, into the wee hours of the night. “I thought I had rented an apartment in an adult building.”

“Those two families have been here ever since I bought the units in this apartment building,” explained Nick, the next day, when Penny made a comment about having met the three girls. “We have a mutual understanding. Their unit rentals are government subsidized, so I know that I will always get my rent money. I just love those girls!”

Penny decided not to say anything more about the twins being alone all day.

They both enjoyed their conversation over lunch.

True to his word, Nick changed the lock on the door, as planned. He became concerned when he found a partly burned piece of paper in the lock. He was stunned, as he read the words written on the paper.

“Kids, always something,” he thought to himself, as he handed the piece of paper to Penny. “I will show you where the fire alarm is in the hallway, just in case,” he said.

“I may have to have serious talk with those children about the danger of playing with fire,” Penny thought to herself, as Nick left shortly thereafter.

Chapter 3 - A Pound of Coffee

For some, life is not easy, as Penny knew only too well. She had been partly disabled in a motor vehicle accident, approximately ten years earlier and lifting anything was never easy for her.

The next morning, as she was carrying groceries from her car into the apartment building, she spotted the twins heading for the doorway that led to the underground parking.

"Good morning, young ladies," Penny said to the twins. "This is a really beautiful place to live, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. We love it here,"Dana replied and paused momentarily. "We live with our dad. Our mom left us when we were five. She took most of our furniture, too."

"She went to live with a younger man," Dani added cautiously.

"He got her pregnant and she had a son." added Dana. "He's our step-brother. His name is Cody."

"I see."

Penny decided she had better change the subject, as she did not want to appear to be prying into their personal life.

"So, where are you girls off to, today?"

"We are just going to get our bicycles," replied Dani, the quieter of the twins.

"You can come bicycling with us, some time," offered Dana. "Do you have a bicycle?"

"That would be fun!" said Dani, her eyes lighting up. "We could have a picnic together."

"Thank you for inviting me," replied Penny graciously, looking more closely at the twins. They seemed to be happy, well adjusted girls, in spite of everything. "Yes, I do have a bicycle. That might be fun. Not today though, as I have a lot of unpacking to do.

"You have a lot of stuff," said Dana.

"A lot of work," suggested Penny.

"We don't have anything," said Dani.

"Would you young ladies like to help me carry my grocery bags to the elevator?"

"Sure, we can do that," replied Dana. "Then we going to spend the day at the park. Crystal usually comes with us, but she had to go to the doctor with her grandmother, today."

"We packed our own lunches," said Dani, pointing at her bright pink and yellow backpack. Dana's backpack was bright yellow and pink. "Peanut butter sandwiches."

Each of the girls picked up one of Penny's grocery bags.

"Crystal lives with her grandparents," said Dana. "Her mom and dad both left a long time ago. She was all alone until her grandparents took her in."

"Her grandmother has to sit in a wheelchair, all day,"added Dani. "Her grandfather is really old."

Penny could see that for the three girls, life was not easy either.

The girls headed for the elevator with the grocery bags, as Penny brought in a few more from her car.

"Would you like bananas for later?" Penny asked the girls, as she caught up with them at the elevator with the rest of the bags. She handed each of them a banana. "They are just right, not too ripe."

"Yes, please," both twins said simultaneously, accepting the bananas graciously.

"Thank you for helping me with my grocery bags."

"Thank you," they hollered together, racing for the doorway to the underground parking .

"Have a wonderful day!" Penny replied, with a smile. "Such sweet young girls, but such a sad story."

They were chubby but cute, with their brown eyes, short hair and bouncy curls.

"Now I need to get these groceries upstairs," said Penny to herself. "These bags are heavy, but from now on, I will only need to buy a few things at a time."

She hummed to herself as she got into the elevator and carried several bags of groceries down the long hallway to her apartment. "Two trips. I am really glad I rented the apartment right beside the elevator."

She sat down in the kitchen and rested briefly.

"I was sure the sales clerk packed that pound of coffee in one of my grocery bags," thought Penny, as she put her groceries in the cupboard. "Where is it?"

Several moments later, she checked her grocery store receipt and sure enough, she had purchased a pound of coffee, but it was nowhere to be found. "It must have fallen out of a grocery bag. I will have to take a look in my car or go back to the store and ask the sales clerk about it."

Meanwhile, the girls were giggling, as Dana pulled the pound of coffee out of her backpack and showed it to Dani.

"Dad is going to love this coffee," she said. "I am so glad we got it for him."

"Penny is not going to be happy when she finds out that it is missing," replied Dani.

"She's old and will never miss it," said Dana. "Besides that, now Dad can invite her over for coffee.