Chapter 7: Week 1, Monday and Tuesday
So Sebastian starts work at the Diner. The hours are long and the pay is low. His boss, Jared Frio, is mean. And they expect him to spend what little free time he has learning to cook. But at least he's working in a job where nobody knows him from before. He figures they're probably talking about him behind his back, though, as the news about him and Pippa is all over town by now.
Sebastian takes over the household's cooking. Partly this is because he hopes to get a promotion at work, and partly it's because he can't face any more of Pippa's burnt food.
Nobody could create great meals on that stove, but at least Sebastian's efforts are edible.
While Sebastian learns to cook and puts in long wearying hours at the Diner, Pippa works at cleaning up the yard.
She finds an old guitar lying in the brambles and strums a few notes.
Pippa feels proud of herself for clearing away the brambles. Unfortunately the brambles were hiding another problem: cockroaches.
She finds a piece of linoleum someone discarded and gets a good deal on a can of discontinued paint, and she fixes up the second bedroom.
She phones Child Welfare Services to enquire about adoption. The person who answers the phone says how wonderful that Pippa wants to adopt, and what age would she like. Crafty Pippa says Teenager, figuring they might as well have someone who can help out around the house and earn money. Unfortunately there are no teenagers to adopt, so she allows herself to be talked into taking a toddler. She is taken aback when the social worker asks what she wants to name the child - shouldn't a toddler already have a name? Unable to think of any other name, she calls the child Debbie after her own mother. The social worker arrives with a basket. She puts down the basket and bolts out the door as if all the demons from hell are after her. Why is she in such a great hurry to get out of there? Could it be that she feels guilty for abandoning a helpless child to her fate with Pippa and Sebastian?
Pippa circles the basket cautiously. Finally she gets up the courage to look at her new daughter.
Meet Debbie. She is Friendly and Loves the Outdoors, which means she has a far better personality than her new mother and uncle. How will poor little Debbie fare in this household with the dysfunctional duo? Time will tell.