“In theory, but not in practice?” Callie laughed. “That sounds like someone who wants things to change but doesn’t want to do the work.”
“Mom, this isn’t about me,” he said, clocking her attempt to turn the conversation around. “I just want to make sure I’m fully grasping the situation. How did you hear aboutthiswoman in particular? I mean, I’m sure there are plenty of other single mothers at the shelter who’d love to move into your house, but is there an organization that decides who gets sponsored? Did you have to apply for this?”
“Um, there was no formal application process, no. A social worker called me.”
“Someone just called you out of the blue and asked if you’d sponsor a random woman?” Hearing the doubt in Taylor’s voice, Callie knew she was losing ground.
Why didn’t I rehearse this more?
“That doesn’t make any sense, mom. This sounds like a scam to me.”
“I knew you were going to say that.” She sighed. “This is why I didn’t tell you right away.”
“If you knew I was going to say this was a scam, does that mean you were ignoring the red flags?”
“No, you’re twisting my words. It’s just that you always assume your father and I are sitting ducks!”
“I never called you sitting ducks. But I do wish you would’ve told me about this sooner. I could’ve looked into the situation before you let the woman come and live with you—just to ensure that there’s nothing I need to worry about.”
“I had a feeling you’d find something wrong with the situation no matter what,” Callie admitted.
“Mom—”
“Let me finish,” she said, but in a cool, collected voice. Callie wasn’t upset, but shewasgoing to explain herself fully before her son continued on with his baseless assumptions. “I know that this whole thing is a little… patched together. But that’s what happens in a small town like this. Someone needs help, another person steps up to offer that help, and that’s that. So what if there wasn’t a bunch of official paperwork? When I gave birth to your sister at the local hospital, they ran out of paper, and they couldn’t even print out any of my medical records. This was before the internet, so the records were just gone, and your sister didn’t get her official birth certificate for over a month.”
“What does this have to do with you sponsoring a homeless woman?”
“She’s not homeless… Anymore. And the point I’m trying to make is that we still do things the old-fashioned way around here, but that doesn’t mean anyone is doing anything wrong. I knew you wouldn’t see it like that though, so I held off. I wanted to let Sasha get settled so I could say with complete confidence that she’s not scamming us. Which she’s not.”
“How can you be so sure?”
Callie scoffed. “Because she’s been nothing but an angel! As I already told your sister, if she wanted to steal from us or something, she’s had plenty of chances. She hasn’t taken anything. She’s been a very sweet and generous house guest. And her baby is adorable.”
“But mom, this sounds so strange...”
“That’s probably because I didn’t explain the situation well,” she insisted. “But I promise it will all make sense to you once you come to town and meet Sasha. You’ll see that there’s nothing to worry about, I swear!”
“I want to believe you, but I’m struggling to wrap my head around this. Can you at least give me the name of the social worker? Or the shelter? I want to give them a call and make sure that they’re legit and they have more info about this woman.”
Callie let out a bitter laugh. “You and Mallory are so alike, you know that? Why is Ariel the only one who’shappyabout this? She sees the situation for what it is—a win for everyone. But you and Mallory are so focused on the details.”
“I’ve only asked for one or two details,” he corrected her. “I’d hardly call that unreasonable. It’s just something I want to look into for my own peace of mind.”
“And I’m telling you it’s not necessary. Everything is fine, Sasha is not doing anything wrong, and you’re just going to have to trust me on this.”
“But—”
“But nothing,” she said with an edge of finality. “We can talk more about this once you’re in town, but for now, I don’t want to hear anything else about it. We know what we’re doing, we’ve grown quite fond of Sasha, and that’s that.”
Taylor groaned. “Mom, you can’t be serious.”
“As serious as a heart attack,” she said. “I’m done with this conversation. If you want to air your grievances or question whatI’ve told you, then call Mallory. I’m sure she’d happily engage in a gossip session with you.”
“I don’t want to gossip! I just want basic answers to basic questions. What does dad think about this?”
Callie scoffed. “Your father is fully on board. He’s fallen completely in love with baby Dorothy, and I think he sees Sasha as his honorary third daughter. But go ahead and give him a call if you don’t believe me. But I’m telling you, he’ll probably be even more defensive than me. He’s really got a soft spot in his heart for them.”
Taylor took a beat, but she could almost hear his anxiety coming through the phone. “I don’t mean to be a jerk. I love that you and dad are trying to do something nice for a woman who needs a little help... but it’s just not adding up. I wish we lived in a time where we could take people at face value and not assume we’re all being lied to, but every week there’s a new article about some elaborate scam people are falling for. I don’t want you and dad to end up being victimized by someone who’s just using you.”
