The Pines Family of Glass Shard Beach, NJ
As seen from the perspective of their mother
A Gravity Falls Fanfiction by Aoikami Sarah
Chapter Two
1972
The following spring, baby Alexander had yet to take his first steps, Linda's health was doing very well, Stanford had been accepted with a full-ride scholarship to Backuspmore, and Maude felt that things were going pretty well, considering.
One day while he was at school, she entered Stanford's room for the first time in probably years to retrieve the laundry basket and stopped dead in the center of the room. The lower bunk had never been made. Pinups of prize-fighters still adorned half of the walls. One dresser stood askew, drawers open, clothes hanging out. Maud covered her mouth with her hand but it was too late, a sob had escaped, and she had to remain in the room until she'd collected herself before she felt that she could emerge.
A few days later, she sat in her window seat as she did most evenings and took calls. There was a woman wondering about a disappeared boyfriend, a man calling for the winning horse in the next derby, the usual. She finished another call, fixed herself a vodka collins, and returned to her seat just as another came in.
"Ma, it's me don't hang up," he said quickly.
"I'm here," she said calmly. "Whatcha wanna know, sweetheart?"
"It's me, Ma."'
"I know that! You did call a psychic, silly."
"Oh. Right. Dad's in the room, huh?"
She glanced over and Filbrick had let the corner of his newspaper droop and cocked his eyebrow at her. She rolled her eyes and twirled her finger around her ear to throw him off. "Oh yes, that's right!" she drawled.
"I gotta leave the area soon and I wanna see ya. Is that ok?"
"Hm," she said, rubbing her temples for effect. "I see that you want to meet with someone..."
"Yeah, Ma. You."
She made a face. "Don't rush a psychic, pally. You will meet this person in the park, on Sunday. Noonish. You should go and sit on a bench and wait and this person will arrive."
His voice hesitated. "You mean it?"
"Of course I mean it. I can see the future! That'll be $17.95."
"What? Ma?!"
She grinned from ear to ear. "No, no, thank you, Sir!" she said and hung up.
Sunday was a perfect time to meet him as she always went to church alone (being the only practicing Catholic in the family) and confession usually took a good chunk of time out of her day. Skipping it after mass and vowing to do double the Hail Marys the following week, she hurried to the park not far from her home. This Sunday Filbrick was at the shop, Stanford was studying away as always and wouldn't miss her, and Linda had taken the baby to see her father who was currently in the hospital healing up from an acute case of "lead poisoning".
She spied him first, snuck up on him and flopped down next to him, causing him to shout. Maud laughed and hugged her wayward son tightly. "Oh, Stanley I missed you so much!" she cooed and grabbed his face in her hands. "Look at you! Looks like you ain't missin' no meals, anyhow!"
"Ma!" he wriggled out of her grip. "I been boxin'! It's muscle!"
She cocked her head to one side. "On your face? Seriously, though, you look healthy. You must be doin' ok," she stated, almost asking for confirmation, but not quite.
Stanley gave her a small smile and hung his head. When he lifted it back up he had a huge grin on his lips. "Things are really moving for me, Ma. I'm headed up and outta this dump. Gonna move to P-A tomorrow. Wanted ta see ya before I headed out."
"Stanley, that's great!"
"Yep! I'm a travelling salesman!" he boasted, puffing out his chest. "Got a great set of products to shill and I'm rarin' ta go!"
Maud pursed her lips. He was obviously trying so hard to please his father, still. "Oh, my special little guy," she said, and put her arm around his shoulder. "I know you'll do just fine!"
Stanley rubbed his hands together between his knees. "Thanks, Ma. I won't let you down." They sat in silence for a while and listened to the robins chirping in the budding trees around them. "How's everyone doin'?"
"Good. Stanford got into a great college and we ain't gotta pay a dime for it—he's so friggin' smart, but you know that. Linda's off to visit her dad today to show off the baby and…"
Stanley looked away as he saw the facade start to crack. "I know about Shermy, Ma. I seen it in the paper."
Maud gasped. She nodded her head and a few tears escaped down her cheeks. "Alexander is getting so big!" she said after a long pause. "And Linda's great. We're actually pretty good pals. And your dad is… working. As usual."
"Yeah."
They sat together for a few more moments, then Stanley stood and put his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. "Well, I gotta get a move on. Stayed too long already. Thanks for seein' me, Ma."
She stood and her arms ached to reach out and enfold him again, to hold him close and tell him everything was going to be alright, but she knew she had no right to lie to him like that. "Don't be a stranger. Let me know where you are. Call me," she demanded.
"Sure, Ma," he said, turned his back and waved as he walked away. "Do me a favor?"
"Anything," she lied.
"Don't tell Stanford you saw me."
.x.
In the fall Filbrick and Maud drove Stanford to the bus station early in the morning. The shop opened at ten, after all. They'd had to schedule Sherman's funeral last year for seven so that Filbrick could make it back in time.
The proud parents wished their son well. Filbrick shook Stanford's hand as an attendant tossed his three suitcases (on loan from the shop) into the baggage compartment. Maud gave him a hug, which he reluctantly accepted. She really did admire her son, not only for his superior intelligence that she was sure would take him far, but for his stoicism and focus on his studies, which she thought was a heck of a good way to deal with the lot he'd been dealt. She often wished she had a hobby or something she could focus on, but Filbrick had always discouraged anything she started, especially if the purchasing of supplies was involved. Maud released Stanford from the hug, then grabbed his right hand and shook it. Surprise lit up his face for a moment, but the intense look his mother gave him and the firmness of the handshake convinced him to keep it under wraps. "Keep in touch," she said. She felt the rolled-up piece of paper with Stanley's Pennsylvania contact information on it transfer successfully into his palm as she released him. Stanford nodded and ascended the steps into the Greyhound that would take Maud's last son far from home, rarely to return.
.x.
1977
The telephone psychic business was still pretty lucrative for Maud even after all these years. The addition of a 900-number the year before had been a big help. Suckers were so much easier to fleece if they thought the racket was legit. Once, she had an ad on the local TV station that ran at an ungodly hour for a few days, but since she turned off the ringer at night it didn't help much and Filbrick had it cancelled. She settled into her window seat, flipped the switch on the side of the wall-mount and settled down to "work". At three or so, the house line rang. If it was important and she'd neglected to take a message she'd hear about it, so she reluctantly flipped the psychic line's ringer back off, flopped down on the couch and answered the phone.
"Ma, you alone?"
"Stanley! You're brave callin' the home phone!" she crowed. "Yeah, I am. Where are you?"
"Got a pencil?"
"Yeah," she said, scrambling for the pad and pen she kept in the drawer of the end table to her left.
"1127 Collins St, Joliet, IL 60432," he said quietly. "I ain't got long, but I wanted to talk to ya."
"Aw, how sweet," she said sarcastically. "Ya don't call me for a year and you got what? Five minutes?"
"Yeah, it's, uh… I got this crazy new job and they got me doing a lot of time... uh, I mean, work."
Maud looked down at the address she'd written and any warm feelings she had about her son remembering to keep in touch with her were washed away by an icy shiver. Joliet. Doing time. Five minutes to talk. There were a lot of voices echoing in the background.
"You there for long?" she dared to ask.
"I'll be here for a year or two, maybe, then on to bigger and better things-you know me!" he laughed. "How you doin'?"
"Great!" she said, holding her head in her free hand. "Fil, Linda, Alexander, they're all great. Healthy, thank God. And Stanford too, I hear. He moved again. Oregon. Want I should mail you his address and phone number?"
"Sure, Ma."
In the background a man distinctly said "Alright, Pines. Time's up."
"Ma, I gotta go. I love you."
"Love you too!" she blurted out. "Be good. Be careful. Don't… work too hard."
"I won't. Bye, Ma."