CHAPTER 2: MAKING PEACE
Later that afternoon, Charlie Brown was at home with Frieda, as they were studying for finals. Then the phone rang. Charlie Brown went to answer it. "Hello?"
"CHUCK!" It was Peppermint Patty and she sounded excited. "I got great news! Franco and Hans's families finished the requirements for citizenship! They're about to become US citizens this Saturday!"
"Wow, that's great, Patty!" said Charlie Brown. "I'm happy for you and Marcie."
"Thanks, Chuck, ol' pal," said Patty.
"What's going on, Charlie Brown?" asked Frieda.
"Franco and Hans are about to be US citizens," said Charlie Brown.
"Wow! Really?! Tell Peppermint Patty I said congratulations."
"Frieda says 'congratulations'."
"Tell her I said 'thanks', Chuck," Patty replied. "Anyway what are you two up to right now?"
"We were studying for the finals this week," said Charlie Brown.
"Good grief!" said Patty. "I'm glad you reminded me. I got to hit the books myself. I'm about to have my very first D Minus-free report card, ever! Talk to you later, Chuck."
"See ya, Patty." And Charlie Brown hung up the phone and went back to studying with Frieda. They were both happy for Franco and Hans and their families becoming US citizens. And before they would leave for camp, they would join them for their ceremony on Saturday.
Around that same time a bus was pulling up to the terminal. When the doors opened, out came Thibault. He was home from military school for the summer and he planned to make the most of it. The first thing he wanted to do was get back home. He also was curious to see if that restraining order against him banning him from coming into contact with his ex-girlfriend Patty was still in effect. If it wasn't he planned on apologizing to her about the drama he put her through. He wasn't going to try to win her back, as he knew he messed that up. He just wanted to make peace with her. And although she had forgiven him before he left, he still wanted to tell her he was sorry in person.
As he was walking back to his house, as luck would have it, Patty, Violet, Ox, and Shermy were out enjoying the early evening. Thibault figured it was now or never.
"Patty?" he began.
"Thibault?" she said. "Is that you? I didn't recognize you at first."
"What are you doing back, you toad?!" asked a defensive Violet. "Just because the restraining order has been lifted doesn't give you the right to approach Patty again."
"Okay, first of all, I didn't know you guys would be around," Thibault retorted. "Second, I JUST got back in town, right off the bus. Don't you see this suitcase I'm carrying? And lastly, I'm not going to do anything to anybody, so you can lower the defenses. While you're here, at least hear me out, THEN you can go back to hating me."
"It's okay, Violet," assured Patty. "He went to military school just because he wanted to be a better person. Plus I promised when the PPO was lifted I would hear him out and give him the chance. It's not like we're going to start dating again, especially when I got Oxie, here."
"She right, Vi," said Shermy. "Even though I don't trust this shrimp, myself, we do owe it to at least let him plead his case."
Violet thought about it for a minute. Finally she relented, "Oh all right! We'll give you some privacy, PROVIDED Oxford stays with you!"
"Don't worry, Violet," said Ox. "I'll be by her side no matter what."
"Okay. Come on, Shermy. Let's give them some space. But I'm warning you, Thibault. If you start talking that chauvinistic trash again, you will wish you were still at Melendez!" And Violet and Shermy went to a nearby hot dog stand to get some hot dogs.
"So you're Thibault," said Ox. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Obviously all bad," said Thibault. "But I'm different than what I was back in September. I voluntarily went to military school because after some talking to my friend Peppermint Patty- you know her, right?" Ox nodded. "Well anyway, after talking to her, I realized that my anger and my bad attitude towards females was a product of two key factors."
"What factors were those?" asked Patty.
"My uncle Max was one, of course," Thibault continued. "The other was that my mom died when I was very young. And with my father working all of the time, my uncle watched me most of the time. And it was him that fed me that garbage about how women were to stay at home and take care of their men. Long story short, I started thinking like him, and he had divorced six times! Also the fact that some of the women my father dated didn't like that he had a son that he had to take care of. Plus I started being angry all of the time for no reason. I was thinking other folks felt like they were better than me. Like your friend Charlie Brown and his glove. I tried to make him fight for it."
"Now that you mention it I do remember him talking about that," said Patty.
"Anyway, I need to make peace with a lot of folks," said Thibault. "I have already made amends with Marcie when I was home for Christmas, and I do plan to do the same with Charlie Brown. But I want to start with you, Patty. I am so sorry for how I treated you and for threatening you and stalking you after our break-up. I know you already have forgiven me before I left, but I wanted to tell you to your face. And I don't expect for us to be back together, now that you got him, Oxford, is it?"
"Yeah," said Ox, "but you can call me 'Ox', Thibault."
"Anyway, I am so sorry for what I did to you. I just needed to tell you. And, for what it's worth, military school has changed me for the better. And I promised my dad that I would never think like my uncle Max ever again."
"Well, Thibault," Patty began, "as I told you in my letter before you left, I do forgive you. And I do want us to start over as friends. Give Violet some time, though. She's less trusting of you than my own parents."
"I believe it!" And the kids shared a laugh. Just then Violet and Shermy came back.
"Well, is everything okay, or do I have to raise heck?" asked Violet.
"Everything is fine, Vi," said Patty, with a smile. "In fact, Thibault and Oxie seem to get along pretty well. I know Thibault is being honest. I do forgive him for what he has done and I want to get past this once and for all."
"Well, I guess if Patty can make peace with you, I guess I can, too," said Violet to Thibault.
"Yeah, me too," added Shermy.
"Thanks guys," said a happy Thibault. "And I promise you, the old Thibault is gone forever."
NEXT CHAPTER: CATCHING UP WITH OLD FRIENDS
