Since he would be at Ferndale Woods in the
afternoon, Taylor went to a morning N.A. meeting. He had had a rough night, and was glad that he could go first thing after he woke up.
Taylor left the church basement where the meetings were held feeling stronger. He walked out to his Jeep and leaned back against it, taking in a deep breath of the crisp, October air. He looked up into the clear blue sky, and felt truly hopeful. I’m going to beat this, he thought to himself. I really am.
Taylor drove to Ferndale Woods. He found Rory, who had a list of assignments for him.
“I’m putting you to work in the kitchen today,” she said. “You’ll help the staff get lunch prepared, and then you’ll serve the residents when they come in.”
Taylor’s blue eyes lit up. “Cool.”
Rory raised her eyebrows. “Cool?”
“Sure,” Taylor said. “I mean, I get to talk to the residents while I’m serving them, right?”
Rory nodded. “Sure, if you want to.”
Taylor spent the next hour running to the pantry and the walk-in cooler for the cook. He helped the prep staff set up trays, and before long the residents started filtering in.
Molly spotted Taylor as soon as she came in, and motioned for him to come over to the table where she and Frank were sitting.
“Good Golly, Miss Molly,” Taylor said, taking a seat next to her. Molly took Taylor’s hand.
“I was telling Frank what a sweet boy you looked like when you were here yesterday,” Molly said. “I was hoping you’d come back. The help never stays too long around here. You just get used to someone and they leave.”
Taylor smiled. There was no need to tell Molly and Frank why he was there, he decided.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “But I do have to work right now. Maybe we can talk after lunch?”
Molly nodded. “We go to the TV lounge,” she said.
Taylor nodded, noticing that Molly’s stark white hair brought out the bright blue of her dancing eyes. “I’ll come see you.”
Lunch was a whirl. Taylor bounced from table to table, talking and bantering with the residents. I’m actually enjoying myself, he thought. Unbelievable.
Rory stood in the dining room doorway with her arms folded. She watched Taylor as he fulfilled the requests of the dining residents, and was amazed by his instant rapport with them. Maybe he’s not completely full of crap, she thought. Maybe it is going to be okay having him here.
After lunch, Taylor pitched in to help the staff clean up. He went to Rory’s office afterward. The door was open, and she sat at her computer doing some sort of data entry. Taylor rapped softly on the doorframe.
Rory looked up. “Lunch over with?” she asked.
Taylor nodded. “What’s next?” he asked.
Rory cocked her head. “I think everything’s under control if you want to take off.”
Taylor looked at his shoes. “Can I go hang out in the TV lounge for a while?”
Rory could scarcely conceal the surprise on her face. “With the residents?”
Taylor nodded. “I kind of promised Molly I’d go see her.”
A slow smile spread across Rory’s face. “Yeah, sure,” she said. “That’s fine.”
Taylor smiled brightly. “Great. What time do you want me tomorrow?”
“Taylor, you have two years to get this 800 hours in,” Rory said. “You don’t have to come everyday.”
“I want to,” Taylor said. “I need to keep busy. Besides, we’re probably going to be starting a record soon and I won’t have as much time to be here.” Taylor grinned devilishly at Rory. “Not that you or anyone else here cares about that part of my life.”
Rory blushed. “I’m sorry I came down so hard on you yesterday,” she said. “It’s just that I work really hard here. I try to take good care of these people, and I want to surround them with people who care about them as much as I do.”
Taylor nodded. “Just give me a chance,” he said.
Rory nodded. “Okay,” she said. “You want to do lunch and supper both tomorrow? Feel up to a full day?”
Taylor smiled. “Sure,” he said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Taylor wandered down the hall to the TV lounge. He found Molly and Frank sitting on a couch, watching a soap opera. He sat down beside Molly, whose eyes lit up.
“Well hello,” she said. “I’m sorry, sweetie, I can’t recall your name. Was it Tyler?”
Taylor smiled. “Close,” he said. “Taylor.”
“Taylor,” Molly repeated. “That’s nice.”
“What are you watching?” Taylor asked.
“’The Raging Heart’,” Frank said. “It’s our favorite story. We watch everyday.”
“Have you ever seen it?” Molly asked.
Taylor shook his head. “No,” he said.
For the next hour, Molly tried to catch Taylor up with 20 years worth of “Raging Heart” plotlines. Taylor’s head was swimming.
“Now who’s this?” Taylor asked, referring to a tall, lanky brunette on the screen.
“Lydia,” Molly said.
“Is she the one who ran over Esther with the car and killed her unborn baby a year ago?” Taylor asked.
Frank shook his head. “No,” he said. “That was Carrie. Lydia is the one who’s a princess in some Far Eastern country, but doesn’t know it because she was in a plane crash and got amnesia.”
Taylor nodded. “Okay, right. Gotcha.”
Molly looked into Taylor’s eyes. “How old are you?” she asked.
Taylor smiled. “Twenty-one. I’ll be 22 in March.”
“Are you married?”
Taylor shook his head. “No,” he said. “I’ve never even been close. I don’t have a girlfriend right now.”
Molly cocked her head. “Do you live alone?”
“No,” Taylor said. “My younger brother lives with me.”
“Your eyes are tired,” Molly observed.
Taylor smiled. “I’m okay,” he said. “Just coming off a rough time.”
“Falling in love cures everything,” Frank offered.
Taylor grinned. “I used to have a lot of girlfriends,” he said. “But I decided that wasn’t what I wanted to do.”
“I can’t believe a nice boy like you doesn’t have a girlfriend,” Molly said.
“I haven’t really been looking lately,” Taylor admitted.
“Rory’s single, too,” Molly said. “She’s not much older than you. I think she’s only maybe 24 or 25.”
Taylor laughed. “Are you trying to set me up?”
Frank chuckled. “You’d better watch it,” he told Taylor. “This one’s always trying to play cupid.”
“Well, I’m not sure that one would work anyway,” Taylor said. “Rory doesn’t take me very seriously.”
“I’m not sure about that,” Molly said. “Did you see the way she was looking at you at lunch?”
Taylor cocked his head at Molly. “When?”
“When you were working,” Molly replied. “She was standing in the doorway, and she was staring at you.”
“She wasn’t either,” Taylor said.
Molly nodded. “I swear.”
Frank patted his wife’s knee. “Give it a rest, honey.”
Molly smiled warmly at her husband. “I just don’t like to think of anyone being alone,” she said. “I want everyone to find someone to love as much as I love you.”
Taylor smiled. He wondered if every convicted felon enjoyed community service as much as he was enjoying it.
