The Mountain Lights

Chapter 8

Two months passed and there was no word from Helen. Dany was sad on and off about that. Matt had her call her mother, but each time she did, she was too busy to talk to her and there was little more than hello and goodbye between them. Sometimes she was too distracted even for the goodbye part. She had mixed emotions. On one hand, she was scared that her mother would take her back. On the other, she felt sad that they were drifting farther apart and she could do nothing to stop it.

She'd cry about it, and then Matt would comfort her and draw her attention away. He hadn't touched a drop of alcohol in those two months. And after the initial first weeks, where Dany unintentionally distracted him from it, he didn't miss it either.

When Dany started going to Ahnah's school, the sadness about her mother's absence became less and less. She made lots of friends. She really liked Ben, who was sixteen, because he helped her with any schoolwork she struggled with. And then there was Jax. He was nine and Dany helped him. She liked River too. She was five and really cute. She made friends with everyone in her class, though. It was really cozy and personal to be in such a small class.

And she met Nanook and Silla too, Ahnah's dad and brother. Nanook reminded her a lot of her grandpa and she soaked up everything he said about the natural world. His skin was darker, wrinkled, and he had long, braided grey hair and slanted eyes. He had a round face and a big belly. And an even bigger gun. Silla was young and strong, and he was nice too. He knew a lot about fishing and plants. She learned about the woods and the river, and Ahnah taught her and the other girls how to weave baskets out of grass, make dolls, and needlework.

The hole her mother left behind was filled in by Matt, school, homework, friends...and Rose.

She and Matt went out to breakfast at the Inn three times a week. And she loved Rose. She kind of got the idea that her uncle loved her too. But he was too shy to say so.

They were having breakfast at the Inn on Thursday. As Matt dug into his omelet, he caught Dany staring at him while she chewed her pancakes with a half open mouth. She didn't want eggs. And the pancakes came with berry jam and fruit, so there was at least something somewhat nutritious about them. She wore a big frown and narrowed eyes.

Matt cleared his throat, lowered his fork and smiled at her. "What are you doing, Dany?"

Her mouth curved. "Counting your grey hairs."

"Okay. How's that going?"

"How old are you again?"

"Forty-seven."

Her eyes widened. "That's really old!"

Matt snorted. "Thanks."

"But I think you have maybe that many grey hairs. I lose count when you turn your head."

Rose came with more coffee. "You two still alright over here? Can I top that up for you?"

"Please," Matt said.

"Rose! Did you know that Uncle Matt is forty-seven?"

She took a little box of fruit juice off her tray and gave it to Dany. "For school. Yeah, I know how old he is." Rose smiled and placed a hand in her pocket.

"Uncle Matt, you should ask Rose to marry you! He makes a mean salmon stew even if he is old."

Matt almost choked on his omelet, and Rose beamed and tilted her head, intrigued.

"Dany," Matt said, trying to sound educational, "I can't just ask her to marry me. I have to get to know her first."

"How long have you known her?" Dany asked.

Rose took Dany's empty glass off the table. "Ever since he came here, Dany. It's been seven years."

Her eyes widened. "That's a long time. Almost as old as I am!"

"Yes it is," Rose agreed innocently, and Matt slanted her a look. "Maybe he's waiting until I have as many grey hairs as him."

"Who's side are you on here?" Matt laughed.

Rose shrugged and smiled. "My own."

"Uncle Matt likes you, Rose! Like like-like." Dany beamed.

"I know he does. I like him too, Dany." She winked. "Like like-like..."

Matt wiped a hand over his face. His ears turned red. "Dany..."

"You should ask Rose to dinner, Uncle Matt."

"Dany..."

"Yeah Uncle Matt," Rose winked. "Or maybe, ask me out to the movie in the community hall tomorrow night."

He raised a brow at her. "You sure you want to do this, Rose?" With me of all people.

She tilted her head. "Why, is there something wrong with you?"

He shifted uncomfortably under their gazes. "You know."

"Hasn't deterred me. Besides, you've been doing really well. Even Martha's impressed. I've been sure about you ever since you came to Harlem."

"I never knew you felt that way," he said.

She smiled. "Yes you did. You just didn't want to hear it. I considered changing my mind at one point. I'm not getting any younger, you know. And Harlem, well, there are very few options here. But I just couldn't get myself to feel the same way about Neal O'Malley. And you saw that, even if you were stone drunk, which is why you punched him in the face that night when he touched my behind."

Dany dropped her half-eaten pancake. "You punched someone, Uncle Matt?"

He shook his head. "Don't take notes, Dany."

Dany had learned that her uncle had this stare. She didn't see it very often...only when she did something he really didn't like. She'd only seen it twice, and it kind of made her want to hide somewhere. But she didn't know he could get mad enough to punch someone. She laughed.

"The age gap doesn't bother you?" Matt asked Rose.

"Nine years? You know that Ahnah's mother and father have a gap of fifteen, right? Besides," she winked, "I like a more experienced man."

Matt turned red and Dany frowned at him. It wasn't like it was that hot in the inn. She hoped he wasn't getting sick.

"Are you going to ask her out to the movie now?" Dany asked.

Matt looked at Rose, who was waiting expectantly with her fist on her hip.

He sighed. Even though he was married to Stephanie, he never had much of her after their children were born, and even before that. He worked too much, because she demanded so much. And for a long time, his work was what held his marriage together.

She was happy with him, as long as he provided. In a particularly rough year when he was starting up a new office in New York Central, and he had to turn over his pennies again and again, she nearly wanted to divorce him because she couldn't live as luxuriously as she was used to. In the end, he couldn't remember a time when there had been love between them.

He missed the presence of a woman in his life. And maybe having Rose around would be more incentive to keep him away from drinking. And what if Helen came to take Dany back one day? It was becoming more painful to think of that as the days passed. He'd be alone again. He just didn't know if he'd be that good for her. And if things ended badly, their friendship would be ruined.

"Stop thinking so much," Rose said. "This isn't a court case."

Matt swallowed. "Rose, this could change our friendship."

She raised a brow. "Ohh, that's what you're afraid of? If I don't like you anymore, I'll burn your toast every morning and bring you stale coffee? Come on, Matt. We're both adults. If it doesn't work out," she shrugged. "Well then I'm doomed in Harlem, and so are you. So we'll probably call it off and then still play strip poker together until we're ninety."

He chuckled.

"Ask her already!" Dany demanded impatiently, slamming a fist on the table.

He inhaled. "Rose, will you go to the movie with me tomorrow night?"

She smiled brightly. "Absolutely." Then she bent down and planted a kiss right on his lips, soft and easygoing, in front of Dany. She winked at his astonishment, then left their table.

"See! I knew it!" Dany said. "She likes you!"

He looked at the child, merely shook his head and laughed at her. He paid for breakfast. And she went to school, very satisfied with herself.