Waif

I could tell Mom wasn't nearly so enthusiastic. "Rogers, she's a minor child," she said. "You could get in very serious trouble."

"Are you going to rat me out?" I asked.

She laughed. "No. I just... I know what you're doing, Rogers, and I admire you for it. I know she's a tragic story. Just be careful, okay?"

"That's my plan," I said. "She'll be 18 soon, and that won't be a problem anymore. Do you know, she asked me for a job?"

"Are you going to give her one?" Talley asked.

"If she still wants one when she's 18," I said. "I think she should finish school, though, don't you?"

Talley nodded, and Mom also approved. "How long do you think she'll stay?" Mom asked. "I guess a better question is, how long will you let her stay?"

"I have no idea," I said. "Where would she go? Back out on the street?"

"I wasn't suggesting that," Mom said.

"I think she should stay as long as she needs to stay," Talley said. "It'll be like having a big sister, Dad. You know I've always wanted a sister or a brother."

"Yes, I know." I chuckled. "You've told me every day since you were like four."

"Well, I still do," she said. "Since you and Mom... aren't together, you aren't going to give me one, so I want Maia."

"Talley, Maia isn't a puppy," Mom said. "Why don't you just see what happens. I know she'll love you, and I expect you'll love her. You do that: love people, and you have so much love to give. Your grandfather and I thank God for you every day."

Talley dimpled up. "Well, I do love you and Grandpa. I just know I'll love Maia, too."

"I'm sure you will, button," I told her. "She's been hurt a lot, baby, and we have to let her go slow if she needs that, okay?"

"Yeah, I get it," she said.

"How long are you staying?" I asked Mom.

"Not long," she said. "Your father wants to go to the swap meet. Why?"

"I was going to see if you wanted to go out on the river," I said. "You and Dad got dinner plans?"

"Not really," she said.

"Wanna come over?"

"I'll ask him and let you know, okay?"

She left and Talley helped me make sandwiches and pack coolers. We took them down to the dock, and when we got back, Maia was up, also indulging in the dreadful cereal. Talley squealed and ran to her, wrapping her up like an anaconda.

"Good morning, Maia. We're going out on the boat," she said. "You're gonna love it."

"If I'm going to be with you, I know I will," Maia said, giving Talley the same hug she was getting.

Talley looked up at her, and did a double-take. "Wow! Maia, you look so pretty!"

She did, too. She had on a little makeup, just eye makeup, and it really made those obsidian eyes pop. Her lashes were incredibly long and thick, and the mascara just made them stand out even more.

"Can you swim?" Talley asked.

"Yes, but not very well," Maia said. "I haven't... had a chance to swim very much."

"That's okay," Talley said. "You can wear a life jacket and we can swim in the river."

"That sounds like fun," Maia said. "What should I wear?"

"Well, I wear shorts and a top," Talley said, "and my swimsuit under. I take off my stuff to swim, then put it back on when I get out."

"I... I don't have a swimsuit," Maia said.

"Dad, why didn't you get her one at Target?" Talley asked. "We gotta get her one, dummy."

I thought about that for a minute. "Maia, can you drive?" I asked.

"Yes, I took driver's education at school," she said. "I have like a provisional license."

"Talley, would you want to go with Maia to get a swimsuit while I get the boat ready?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah," she said. "There's a shop not too far, Maia. I got my last one there. They have dope stuff."

Maia was looking at me oddly. "What?" I asked.

"I... I just... I'll be really careful, Rogers, and take really good care of her, I promise. I just can't believe you trust..." she started crying.

"Hey, none of that," I told her. "This is happy day. I do trust you, Maia, so let's forget about that, okay?"

She nodded and dried her eyes. I walked them out to the garage and Maia gasped. "I... I can't drive that," she stammered. "Noo, Rogers. I might have an accident or scratch it or something. Please, let me take the truck."

"That," was my 2010 Lexus LFA, and it was beautiful, sitting there under the lights, the bright yellow gleaming.

"Umm... Maia, we drive it all the time," Talley said. "It's really cool. You'll love it."

"It's too expensive, I just know something bad will happen." She was practically in tears.

"Maia, I have insurance," I assured her. "Nothing is going to happen, and if it does, we'll just fix it, okay? Really, sweetheart. I need the truck to move the boat. Remember, I trust you." I handed her the keys and my money clip.

She looked at the clip and again she looked at me with anguish in her eyes. "It's... It's too much," she said.

"Bring me back the change," I told her. I turned her around, swatted her butt and she laughed.

"Oh, my God, I can't believe I'm doing this."

I closed her door and watched as they buckled in; I raised the door and Maia backed carefully out. She eased down the driveway and I was smiling, both on the outside and on the inside. There went my baby, and another girl who was rapidly winning a spot in my heart. I hooked up to the boat, launched it, pulling into the dock slip, tied it off and pulled the truck back up to the house where I dropped the trailer. I went in and changed, packed a bag with sunscreen, towels and sunglasses, then grabbed straw hats. I didn't think Maia would need one, but I got her one, just in case.

I heard the garage door, and they came in, chattering away at each other. Maia ran to me and gave me a hug and a kiss. "Oh, my God, Rogers. I can't believe you let me drive that fire car! Thank you. I didn't have an accident or anything, and we parked way away from all the other cars."

I laughed. "I'm glad you had fun. Go. Change."

She ran up the stairs, carrying a bag, and Talley scampered off to her room, also carrying a bag. "Hey," I called after her. "I see you took advantage of old Dad and bought you something."

She pretended to be shocked. "What? Where?"

I laughed and she disappeared. They both came outside where I was waiting on the back patio in a few minutes. They grabbed sunglasses, and it turned out Maia wanted the hat. We boarded the boat and we were off.

We had one of those jet boats with the reinforced slick hulls so we could navigate really shallow water, and we ran down the fiver for a couple of miles at speed. Talley was an old hand, but Maia was glowing, the wind whipping all those curls, one hand holding her hat on and her eyes shining with excitement. We ran a rapid into a large pool and I eased the boat onto the bank. Talley had blankets and we spread them under a big cottonwood tree. It was hot as fuck, and it wasn't long before Talley wanted to swim.

She took off her outer clothes and waited for Maia. Maia was a little hesitant, but Talley's urging soon had her pulling off her top, then her shorts. I was a little stunned. Good God she was gorgeous. She had on a bikini that matched Talley's one-piece. It wasn't bleeding edge, but it was clear that this was a smoking hot girl. She was thin, very thin, and had obviously not been eating well, but that was going to change. She had lots of bones showing, looking a little like one of those anorexic models you see. I hadn't really thought about it, with her wearing baggy clothes, but damn. She was willowy perfection, acres of gorgeous brown skin, slender, but definitely female, gentle curves that I suspected would be dramatic as she got to an ideal weight for her. I would see about her working out with me.

She glanced at me and saw me watching, blushed and crossed her arms in front of her defensively. I pulled off my tank, ending the awkward moment, and ran into the water, picking Talley up and carrying her, shrieking, into the water until the cool liquid embraced us. I let her go and she swam back until she could touch.

"Come in, Maia," she demanded.

Maia came slowly toward us, sinking down as she got about waist deep. She had put her hair up in two big knots on top of her head, and she looked hilarious with just her head and all that hair out of the water.

"Oooh, it feels nice," she said.

I grabbed them pool noodles out of the boat and they floated around, relaxing in the cool water. I swam across the river and back, getting a little exercise. We got out after about half an hour, relaxed in the shade until we were hot again, then played in the water some more.

It turned out that Maia had never skipped rocks, and we taught her how. We had sandwiches, chips and drinks, lounged around until late afternoon and headed back. Maia became comfortable in her bikini in front of me, and she and Talley had the time of their lives.

I told them Mom and Dad were coming for dinner, which Talley knew but Maia didn't. She looked at me. "Rogers, can I cook dinner?" she asked.

"Yeah, I guess, if you want to," I said. "Are you sure?"

She nodded excitedly. "Yes. I like cooking. Mom taught me and I know a bunch of recipes. I want to cook for you guys."

We showered, and Maia wanted to start dinner. I became her assistant. I knew where everything was, and she didn't. She kept me busy. She had me run to the store for some things, while she cooked meat. She had both chicken and ground beef, and when I got back, she took the tortillas I got her and rolled them up, making two dishes, one with the beef and one with the chicken.

It was interesting watching her as she bustled around, almost at a jog, and by the time Mom and Dad arrived, the house was filled with delicious odors. Dad hadn't met Maia, so I introduced them.

My dad was a character. He was an old lecher, always had a joke, some pithy saying, and completely harmless. He flirted with every woman he met, and would have been horrified if any of them had ever taken him seriously. He was completely devoted to Mom, and she tolerated him with amusement.

He hugged everyone, and Maia was no exception. "Something smells awesome," he said. "It's obviously not Rogers. When did you learn how to cook, Rogers?"

"I didn't," I said. "This is all Maia."

She was blushing, and Dad wouldn't let her go. "Beautiful, AND you can cook," he said. "We just have to figure out how to get rid of Kristen and Rogers, then you and Talley can move in with me."

"Pay no attention to him, honey," Mom said. "He would have a heart attack in a week with you and Talley around."

We all laughed, even Dad, and he let Maia get back to her cooking. We sat around the bar, watching her and talking, and I got up to help her from time to time. She didn't want to eat at the bar, and insisted we eat at the table. Mom and Talley set the table and Dad and Maia carried in the food while I poured drinks.

"Do you want a glass of wine?" I asked.

She looked at me. "I don't know. I've never had any."

I poured her a bit, and she tasted it, wrinkling up her cute little nose. "Yuck," she said. "No, I don't want that."

I poured the glass for me, and got her Dr. Pepper.

The enchiladas were delicious; she had made a tomatillo sauce to cover them and they were smothered in cheese. They were pretty spicy, and just amazing.

"How old did you say you were?" Dad asked her.

"I'm 17," she said. "I'll be 18 next month."

"Well, any woman who can cook like this will be married before she's 20. You are the total package," he said.

She blushed and got all shy again. When we finished, we had ice cream and Talley and I cleaned up the dishes while Dad and Mom got better acquainted with Maia. I gave Talley a little squeeze. "How's my baby doing?" I asked in a low voice.

"So good," she said. "Maia is so fire, Dad. I love her. She loves me, too, I can tell."

"Of course. You're very lovable," I told her. "Everyone loves you. You wanna play some board games?"

"Oh, yes," she said. I knew she'd be down for that, and Mom and Dad were always fun.

I got the dishwasher started. "Anyone want a margarita?" I asked.

Mom and Dad both did, and I made one without alcohol for Talley. Maia came to stand beside me. "Can I really have one?"

"Maia, as far as I'm concerned, in this house, you're an adult," I told her. "Jesus, sweetheart, you've been taking care of yourself for a while. Do you like margaritas?"

"I don't know," she said. "I've never had one."

I gave her a sip of mine. She had an interesting reaction, both seeming to like it and maybe not, at the same time. She cocked her head to one side in a cute little "I'm thinking" gesture. "I'll take one," she finally decided.

We played games and with the encouragement of my whole family, she just blossomed, all that sparkling personality I was getting to know coming out, and Dad was totally in love with her. I could see Mom getting that warm caring look she had when she looked at Talley, too, as she interacted with Maia.

They left about 11, and I sat on the sofa while the girls put away the games. Talley came and snuggled up against me, and I could tell I'd be carrying her to bed in a few minutes. Maia came and stood in front of us. She looked at the sofa on the other side of me, hesitantly.

"Is it okay?" she asked.

I patted the cushion, and she sat close, snuggling me on the opposite side of Talley. I put my arms around each of them, and Maia and I spoke in quiet voices as Talley's eyes closed and she was asleep.

Maia reached her hand across me to smooth a wisp of Talley's ash-blonde hair behind her ear. "She's so beautiful, Rogers. I love her."

"Yes, she is, and I love her with all my heart," I said. "You're beautiful, too, Maia."

"Thank you," she said. "I... I don't feel very beautiful. I've thought there must be something wrong with me, like I would never find a place... find someone to love me." She snuggled in tighter against me. "Thank you, Rogers. You make me feel so good. You let me in your life, made me feel like I'm part of something. You didn't have to do that, but you did, just because you could. I'll never forget."

"It makes me happy for you to be happy," I told her. "That's what matters. We all deserve to be happy."

She kissed my cheek and climbed the stairs, giving me a little wave at the top. I carried Talley to bed and tucked her in before I fell into my own bed. This had been a good day, I thought.

*****

We soon worked out a routine. Talley had a sitter, or she stayed with Mom when I worked, but Maia insisted that we didn't need a sitter, that she was perfectly capable of watching Talley, who really didn't need much watching, anyway. Talley stayed with Maia, or they both went to Mom's.

Sarah finally came home, and we got her and Maia acquainted. They immediately became besties, and Sarah and I had a talk.

"I don't want her going to foster care or some shit," I told her. "God, Sarah, you know how awful that is."

"Yes, I do. There are plenty of unhoused kids around, Rogers. I try to help them, be their advocate, but it's overwhelming."

"I know you do," I said. My little sister was a special kind of caring person. "What do you think I should do?"

"Well, no one is looking for her, obviously," she said. "Why change anything? It seems like you have a perfect arrangement. Unless you don't want her. If you don't, I do."

"Oh, no," I said. "You aren't getting her. You'd corrupt her in a week."

She laughed. "Right, bring her over to the dark side." It was a joke between us. Sarah was gay, and we were cool with each other about it.

"So just go along and wait for her to turn 18?" I asked.

"That's my advice," she said. "You might want to have a talk with Talley, so she doesn't spill any tea to Anna. She might start some shit."

I hadn't thought about that. I'd have to mention it. We had that talk the next morning. It was Talley's weekend to spend with her mom, and I figured I'd better put a bug in her ear.

"Baby, you know that Maia is 17, right?" I said.

"Yes, so what?"

"Well, people have rules, laws. Kids aren't supposed to live by themselves when they're 17," I explained.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Well, you're considered a child until you're 18," I said. "Your parents are supposed to take care of you."

"But Maia doesn't have any parents," she said, "and we take care of her. She lives with us, and not by herself."

"Yes, baby, I know, but other people wouldn't understand," I told her. "That's why we tell your grandparents' neighbors she's your babysitter. If someone found out she's only 17 and lives with us instead of her parents, they might tell the people who would take her away from us and make her go somewhere people wouldn't love her and would be mean to her. That's why we don't ever tell anyone she lives with us. She's just your babysitter. Do you understand?"

"Oh," she said. "Oh! I get it. You don't want me to tell Mom about Maia."

"You are so smart," I told her. "You can tell your mother anything you want after Maia's birthday, okay? I don't like secrets, but this isn't our secret to tell, okay? It would be bad for Maia."

"I won't say anything, Dad. I love Maia, and I would feel so bad if something happened to her."

*****

I was careful to make arrangements to drop Talley off Friday evening, rather than have Anna pick her up. Anna, of course, tried to "talk" to me, but I told her I was in a hurry. I actually was. I was taking Maia to dinner. She had been out shopping with Sarah, and Sarah had told me on the down-low that she'd bought Maia a new dress, and that Maia was dying to show it off to me.

I was going to give her the occasion; I had reservations at Cocina Madrigal, and I thought she'd like it. I had only been there once, with Talley, but I was impressed.

I got home and heard the shower running in Maia's room. I showered, put on a pair of black slacks with a pink dress shirt, and waited for her. I was idly scrolling through memes on my phone, and I heard a noise. I looked up and Maia was at the top of the stairs, just taking her first step down. God, she took my breath away.

She had on a dark plum-colored number that just made her a spectacular vision. Her dusky skin just glowed, and she had new shoes, as well: black heels, not too high, but they accentuated the line of her legs perfectly. The dress was short, showing off those legs, and she was long, slender elegance. She had her hair up, showing her graceful neck and as she came closer, I could see she had made her little baby hairs into the cutest little curls, carefully arranged on her forehead. God, she was gorgeous. She had begun to fill out a little, getting enough to eat putting some weight back on her. She was still very thin, but she was getting there.

I just watched her, and I could tell she wanted me to. She had that little peachy blush she got when she was feeling shy or embarrassed, and she came to stand in front of me. She was wearing makeup. She really didn't need any; her skin was beautiful, but she had just accentuated it; she had on a pale-yellow eye shadow and lipstick that matched. Her nails were yellow, as were her toenails in the open-toed shoes.

Her face was something out of a magazine. She had high cheekbones, a little declivity below, a broad, high forehead and her little pointed chin gave her face an elfin quality.

"My God, Maia, you are gorgeous!" I exclaimed.

Her blush deepened. "Thanks." It was almost a whisper. "Sarah helped me. I wanted to look pretty." She looked me over. "You look very nice, too, Rogers."

"'Pretty' doesn't begin to describe you," I said. "You are a beautiful woman, Maia. Never doubt it. You're the star of this show. I'm just a supporting actor. Still a little skinny, though. Let's go and do something about that."

She giggled, I stood, offered her my arm and we walked out to the Lexus. I opened her door and she got gracefully in, flashing a mile of gorgeous brown leg as she did.