Page 680 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

Tuesday was waiting on her front porch when Sydney pulled into the driveway. When she got in the jeep, Tuesday reached in her purse and retrieved slips of paper with the children’s sizes scrawled on them. “Are you ready to do some shopping?”

Sydney smiled. “No time like the present.”

A few hours later,Sydney and Tuesday pulled up in front of the Nolan’s trailer with their goods. The weather had turned unseasonably warm for fall, making Sydney regret her decision to wear a sweater. They had debated about whether or not they should drop off the clothes anonymously or deliver them in person. They decided on the latter. Sydney got out of the jeep and a knot formed in her stomach. The rusty blue trailer was braced up on concrete blocks that looked about as flimsy as toothpicks. Someone had attempted to attach an aluminum piece of underpinning around the bottom, but had given up halfway through the task. The piece that was still hanging was bent up on one side, reminding Sydney of a metal can that had been chewed open with a can opener. A layer of brown leavescovered the yard that was littered with a junk car, bicycles, and toys. An overall sense of decay pervaded the place, and Sydney wondered how much longer the old trailer would hold together. She glanced at her companion. Tuesday looked tired from all the shopping, but her chin was set with determination. “I’m tellin’ you, this little family needs all the help they can get. It’s a sad situation.”

“Yes, it is,” Sydney agreed grimly.

Sydney and Tuesday went around the back of the jeep to retrieve the clothes and toys they’d placed in cardboard boxes.

“Maybe we should’ve called them first to let them know we’re coming.”

Tuesday shook her head. “No, it’ll be all right.” She approached the door with Sydney following close behind. It took a couple of knocks to get a response. Finally, one of the girls opened the door. When she saw Tuesday and Sydney, she gave them a shy smile, then turned and yelled into the house.

“Mama, Sister Phillips is here.”

This news caused an explosion of activity to erupt in the house as the younger ones started running around the living room and jumping on and off the furniture.

“Tell her to come on in. I’ll be right there,” yelled a voice from the back.

Not surprisingly, the inside of the house was the perfect match to the outside with its shabby furniture crowded into the small room. The trailer would have been a cramped living quarter for a family of three or four, much less a family of seven. Two metal butterflies were hanging on the wall, surrounded by varying sizes of family photos. Lace curtains, yellow with age, were half hanging on the windows.

“Look,” one of the younger boys said, his eyes shining with excitement, “they brought us presents.” The children gathered around while Tuesday dispersed gifts.

Patsy Nolan came into the room. She looked at Sydney’s designer sweater and jeans. They were a stark contrast to Patsy’s baggy sweat pants and stained T-shirt. When Patsy reached and pushed back a strand of her dark hair that was streaked with gray, Sydney had the urge to jump up and throw her arms around the woman.The last thing she wanted was for Patsy to be ashamed.I may look all put together on the outside, Sydney thought, but goodness knows I’ve got enough problems within to make up for it.

Tuesday did the introductions. “Patsy, this is a good friend of mine, Sydney Lassiter. She goes to church with us.”

Patsy’s face colored and she looked at the floor. “I don’t get out to church much no more ‘cause of work.”

Tuesday nodded in understanding.

Patsy extended her hand and smiled tentatively. “It’s nice to meet you, Sydney.” She looked at Tuesday and motioned at the boxes. It might have been Christmas morning in the small home as the children searched through the items, their faces beaming. Patsy sat down on the sofa. “These clothes and toys—well, how nice … I just don’t think I can accept.”

Tuesday interrupted her. “Nonsense. Well, of course you can, honey. You shore can.” The words were spoken with such complete authority that it would have been impossible for Patsy to refuse. Tuesday reached and patted Patsy’s hand.

In that moment Sydney knew for a certainty that forming Helping Hands was the right thing to do. She also knew that Tuesday Phillips was indeed the perfect person to run it.

“All of this stuff … there’s so much. I don’t know how I can possibly thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. I didn’t do it. Sydney did,” Tuesday said.

Sydney’s face turned as red as her sweater.

“Thank you,” Patsy said. Her eyes met Sydney’s.

“You’re welcome,” Sydney said.

A thought struck Sydney. Where was the oldest daughter? The one who asked to take home the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? She wasn’t among the children. No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than she looked up to see the girl standing in the doorway, watching her happy siblings. Sydney smiled, and she smiled back shyly. Sydney motioned for her to come and sit down beside her.

“What’s your name?”

“Brenda,” the girl said so softly that Sydney had to strain to hear her.

“Brenda, I’m Sydney. Let’s see, I believe there’s something here for you too.” She bent over one of the boxes and retrieved a turtleneck sweater and pair of jeans.

Brenda didn’t say anything at first. She just held the clothes in her lap and rubbed her hand over the sweater. Then, to Sydney’s surprise, Brenda hugged her. That’s when something totally unexpected happened. A warm feeling of peace flooded over Sydney, and she marveled at it. Peace. It was the one thing she sought after the most—the thing that always eluded her. And here it was, a gift straight out of the blue when she least expected it.

Patsyand the children stood by the front door and waved goodbye to Sydney and Tuesday. Looking at the family, huddled on the porch of the trailer, Sydney thought again how unfair it was that she had everything and these people had nothing. But as she and Tuesday drove away, Sydney saw Patsy hug Brenda. Brenda rewarded her mother with a brilliant smile that showed so much love, it filled Sydney with a bittersweet longing, and she knew that it was really the opposite. The Nolan family was theone that had everything because they had what mattered. They had each other, and all the money in the world couldn’t buy that.

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