Maizie

When I met Maizie, she was about eight years old. We were living in Kentucky and my wife's mother and brother lived near us. Her mom was a widow and suffered from some physical problems that restricted her to her home. Her son was an unemployed n'er do well who spent a lot of time drinking and living off of his mothers income. He had been married several times, none of which lasted. It was a pleasant summer day when my mother in law called and said that her sons first wife had showed up to visit, along with her current husband and their daughter, Maizie. Since we normally were over to her house several times a week to clean and shop, we soon met all of them. It turns out that the husband was “between jobs” and it soon became apparent that they were there for whatever they could get, and quickly settled in. Her mother accepted everyone at face value and couldn't see that she was being used. We kept a close eye on the situation, stopping by more often to see what was going on. It was during these visits that I noticed that Maizie was odd man out. She was a very affectionate child, but was usually ignored and or yelled at by her mom. She would frequently sit quietly on the periphery, swinging her feet and observing. I felt sorry for her and started to pay her some attention. We would talk, and laugh, and take short walks around the apartment project. Sometimes, when I would go shopping, I would take her with me. One day we found out that they were going to move on. When we went over, Maizie seemed despondent. I asked if she would like to take one last walk and she eagerly agreed. While on our walk, Daisy suddenly blurted “would you like to be my daddy”? I was at a loss for words, but finally said “Maizie, you have a father”. “I know” she said. “But I want a daddy”. That's the last time I saw Maizie. Today she would be a woman in her twenties and I can only hope she found the love she so richly deserved.