I recall in the timeline of events that SS, just prior to knocking on the door of the DW house, had pulled up the the Gull Harbor Mercantile, but its pay phone was out of order.
Was there no other businesses that might have a pay phone in that area? Was it essentially a residential area? It's just another curious thing that she'd take a chance calling upon a stranger's house rather than keep looking for a pay phone.
Come to think of it, though, I imagine that there are a lot less pay phones nowadays because most people have no need due to the proliferation of cell phones.
No idea, of course, but I wonder if when she drove up to the DW house she happened to see them through a window (in addition to the Christian car decal), and just got those indefinable feelings of trustworthiness by looking at them.
It's just that I find it sad what I read the aunt of AC had said about SS: "I think she was just being a silly, stupid woman who trusted the wrong people." I wonder if this aunt regrets the way her words came out--it made me wince a bit..
At any rate, I feel SS's instincts were right---I don't get any sense from DW family that they were anything but kind to her and her son. I'm glad AC had this last bit of kindness from this family; I'll bet he enjoyed that pizza, as all kids do!