Hello Dolly

Chapter 13

It was now November and the day had finally come that I got to have my cast removed and I couldn't have been any happier than what I already was!

"My my. Your ankle has healed pretty well." Dr. Everson said as he examined my foot as I sat up on the hospital bed. It was slightly thinner than my other leg and dry and paler than the rest of my tan body. He did some range of motion with me to see if I had any pain. I didn't thank goodness.

I grinned as I did the motions with him. Finally! I no longer had to wear that darn cast no more or walk on those crutches that felt so uncomfortable under my arms.

He did tell me that I still had to take extra care of my ankle for a little while longer and that in the mean time I'd have to take some physical therapy for a short time. I didn't care just as long as I never had to wear another cast again! He did though let my parents borrow a wheelchair so they could wheel me out of the hospital since he didn't want me to put any weight on it if I were to walk around the huge hospital on our way out.

"Are you happy you got to have your cast taken off?" Lori asked me as we made our way to the car.

"More than you know!" I beamed at her, extending my foot out and looking at it.

When we reached the car, mom and dad helped me get in. We then went to El Italiano, an Italian restaurant in town that was usually full because it really was the best restaurant in the whole town and because it was full of people driving from all over Maine and even other states to taste their delicious food.

We were sitting at one of the booths near the window eating our food when our waitress came by and sat a family down at the booth just across from us. I heard them talking to our waitress, their voices sounding so familiar. Then I heard her approaching our table.

"Do any of you need a refill on your drinks?" She asked us.

"Can I have some more pink lemonade please?" Lori asked, holding her empty glass out to her.

"Sure, honey." Our waitress said, smiling at her.

When she stepped away to get Lori's refill, my eyes flickered over to the family sitting across from us. I quickly turned my head back around, trying hard not to let out a huge groan. Sitting across from us was none other than the Summer family.

"Great, just great!" I muttered to myself as I shoved my salad into my mouth.

Mom and dad frowned at me.

"Daisy why are you eating like that?" Mom asked as she spooned some jello into Isaac's mouth.

I exhaled in annoyance and cocked my head to the side. Mom and dad turned their heads and saw who I was motioning to. I saw Lori from the corner of my eye lean back to look behind me.

"It's Martin and his family." She said.

"Oh." Mom said, turning to look back at dad. Ever since the accident, Mr. and Mrs. Summer haven't talked to them. They used to talk to each other every now and then when they'd see each other outside but they haven't in a while. All they'd do was just acknowledge each other and go on their business. I'm sure Mr. Summer is still mad about the accident even though both my parents and his wife have tried to convince him that it was just an accident.

"Hey Albert!" Mr. Summer yelled with a huge grin on his face, waving at us over from their table. His wife looked around the room until she saw us and gave us a small smile. Tom, who was sitting just across from them, looked at my parents with a smile before setting his eyes on me, his smile quickly vanishing. Martin, who was in his wheelchair, slowly turned around in his seat to look at us before turning back around to face away from us.

"Hey Darin!" Dad yelled back, waving at them with a friendly smile on his face. Dad wasn't one to hold grudges or anything and he was always looking to make amends with anybody for he didn't like having anyone be upset or mad at him over anything. He's so friendly that he's friends with just about everyone here in town and possibly all over the state of Maine.

Mr. Summer got up from his seat and began walking over to our table. Mrs. Summer quickly got up from hers, smoothing her dress down and patting down her curly brown hair. I, along with many of the women in town, envied her small, thin, and curvy figure, especially for someone who had four children.

Mom and dad got up from their places and walked over to them, greeting them politely. Mom and Mrs. Summer hugged each other, admiring each other's clothes, mom asking where she got her dress and Mrs. Summer asking her where she got her shoes at. Dad and Mr. Summer shook each others hands and began talking about their jobs and how things were going at home.

I continued to eat my salad, trying to avoid looking at the family and to avoid having to conversate with either one of them.

"Tom keeps looking at you." Lori whispered to me.

I slowly turned my head over and saw Tom glaring at me from his menu.

"I'm sorry if he's picking on you because of me." Lori whispered.

I shook my head at her. "It's not your fault." I said to her with a small smile. "He picks on everybody at school anyway."

"Yeah, but Lucy says he picks on you because of what I did." Lori said with a sad look on her face.

I stopped chewing on my salad and looked over at her. "And how would she know that?"

"She says she listens to you when you're on the phone talking to your friends. She doesn't mean to be nosy. She's just curious." She then began eating her mashed potatoes.

"No one should be picked on." She said, swallowing her food. "She says he's a big bully who's gonna get what he deserves one day. She calls it "karma", whatever that means."

"Lori don't say that." I said, trying to eat my salad. It didn't taste like anything and it felt dry in my mouth.

"I don't mean to but that's what she says." Lori said, looking back at me. "She believes that he'll get what's coming to him and that it ain't going to be pretty."