Princess Claire

Chapter 7

Disclosure and Acknowledgement:

I am using JE's wonderful characters for fun, not profit.

"Frank, what's wrong with Frankie?" asked Helen Plum. She looked at her only grandson, lying in a fetal position on the couch. Frankie hadn't taken his coat or shoes off when he entered his grandparents' home. He simply went to the couch and curled up. He stared into the middle distance, past the bridal photograph of his grandparents. Tears dripped from his eyes.

The house wafted of pre-Thanksgiving preparations as it was the day before the feast. Frank walked into the living room with a beer in one hand and a salami sandwich in the other. He said, "Don't know, he's been a mope since I picked him up."

"Frank for heaven's sake, crumbs!" Helen walked to the kitchen and returned with a plate, a napkin and her mother. Helen asked, "Did you ask him if anything was wrong?" as she took the sandwich from her husband and put it on the plate. Her mother, Grandma Mazur, rolled her eyes at her son-in-law.

"Helen, sometimes a man needs some time to himself."

"Frank, the man in question is three years old." Perturbed. Helen turned to her grandson, "Frankie, honey, are you alright? Tell grandma." She placed the back of her hand on Frankie's cheek. No fever.

Grandma Mazur leaned over and said to Frankie, "What's the matter Kiddo? Better get those shoes off before your grandmother gives you a time out." She reached for Frankie's feet to take off the shoes, but he curled more tightly into a ball.

"Okay, but remember when you're in the time out corner, I told you so." She winked and ruffled Frankie's hair. Grandma Mazur turned to Helen and pursed her lips, "Hmm."

Helen tried again. "Frankie, are you sick? Are you hurt? Are you hungry? A sandwich? Ice cream? How about the little pumpkin pie I made just for you?"

Frankie refused all offers and continued to stare at the wall. How could he tell them? How could he tell them that the worst had happened?

oOoOoOo

"Stephanie, something's wrong with Frankie. I think you need to come get him," Helen leaned her head into her mobile phone, worried and upset. Grandma Mazur stood by her daughter's side to eaves drop.

"But Stephanie, I think he needs his mother and I think he needs you now." Helen's face flushed in frustration.

Edna Mazur, pulled the mobile phone from Helen's hand. "Stephanie, stop being a horse's patoot. Your boy needs you. Get here." Having said what was needed, Edna Mazur disconnected the call.

oOoOoOo

Stephanie rushed into her parent's home and to her son's side. He was still curled on the sofa, looking into space and leaking tears. She put her hand on his forehead. No fever. "Angel, are you okay?"

Helen Plum and Grandma Mazur assembled by the sofa. Frankie didn't respond. Stephanie asked, "Do you want to go home?"

Grandma Mazur glared at Stephanie. "Of course he wants to go home."

"Do want to go home?" asked Stephanie again.

Frankie sniffled and nodded.

oOoOoOo

Frankie went directly from the entrance of the apartment that the Manosos called home to his room. He clambered into bed and huddled with his beloved Bat Bear, Belfry.

Stephanie followed behind. She struggled to removed Frankie's coat and shoes. He resisted, but she prevailed. She tucked Frankie and Belfry in and draped Frankie's favorite blanket over the them.

Frankie drew Belfry near and telepathically told his bear everything because Belfry would understand. Belfry understood everything. After quietly listening to the story, Belfry agreed that it was a very bad thing, but perhaps not the worst thing ever. Frankie listened but did not answer. Then Belfry suggested that they nap because napping made most things better. And so hugging Belfry close, boy and bear snoozed for the remainder of the afternoon.

oOoOoOo

Ranger noticed the hush in the apartment when he came home from work. He found Stephanie in the living room paging through a sale catalogue. He sat by her on the couch, kissed her and said, "Babe."

"Shh, Frankie's napping."

"Odd. Is he okay?"

"I don't know what's up with him. He's been quiet and he's been weeping."

"He's been crying? Is he hurt?"

"No, he's not crying, he's weeping. It's like he's leaking tears."

"So what's wrong?"

Stephanie shrugged. "He won't talk about it."

"Did you try?"

Stephanie rolled her eyes.

Ranger nodded. This must be serious thought Ranger. If Frankie was anything like him, he would go quiet when things were troublesome. "I'll go check on him."

oOoOoOo

Ranger surveyed the scene before entering his son's bedroom.

Frankie, still in bed, still holding Belfry, was awake and staring at the picture of Claire and him at the Little Turtles' Halloween party. Tears were etching his cheeks.

"Hey Big Guy."

Frankie blinked, looked at his father and then returned to looking at the photo.

Ranger looked at Frankie and then at the photo. "How's Claire?"

Frankie burst into tears. "Claire, Claire's goin' way. Won't see her ever."

"Why won't you see her again?" asked Ranger as he sat on Frankie's bed. He wrapped his arms around his son and hugged him.

"Cause Claire's not goin' to school with me."

"That's bad?" asked Ranger.

"It's the worst. The worst thing ever."

"Got it." Ranger held his son until his tears subsided. By the time Frankie calmed down Ranger had formulated his plan to manage the situation.

oOoOoOo

Stephanie interrogated Ranger when he returned to the living room. "You were in there a long time. Did you have a Manoso to Manoso talk with your son? Did you find out what's the matter with Frankie? What is wrong with Frankie?"

"Women trouble."

Stephanie grimaced. "Women's trouble?"

"No, women trouble." Ranger grinned. "Something's up with Claire."

"Is that all?", Stephanie sighed.

Ranger stared at his wife. "It's serious to Frankie."

Ranger went to his office and made telephone calls to the Little Turtles school, Ella (Rangeman's incomparable housekeeper), his mother-in-law and finally to Claire's mother. When everything was arranged to his satisfaction, he walked through the living room and gave Stephanie a thumb's up. She followed him as he walked into Frankie's bedroom.

"Frankie, get up. It's time to go fight for your woman."

oOoOoOo

Frankie held on tightly to his Dad's hand as Ranger rang the doorbell to Claire's home. Claire's mother greeted them and said, "Claire, Frankie's here."

Claire ran to the foyer and hugged Frankie.

oOoOoOo

Claire's mother explained, "Claire's been crying all afternoon. I knew that switching her from the morning session to the afternoon session would be difficult, but since we no longer have a sitter for the afternoons, we have to make the switch."

Ranger listened as Sarah O'Malley said, "When we told Frankie about the change and he realized that they wouldn't be going to school together, the waterworks began. Claire has been distraught all afternoon."

"Frankie has a solution to offer.", said Ranger. "Frankie come here and tell Mrs. O'Malley and Claire your plan."

Sarah looked quizzically at Ranger. "Frankie has a solution?"

"He does."

Frankie and Claire came to where the adults were talking. "Frankie, tell Mrs. O'Malley your plan."

Frankie looked at his Dad.

"The plan for school."

Frankie brightened. "Missus Malley. Claire can stay with me after school."

Sarah looked at Frankie, then at Ranger. "I don't know."

Both children were crestfallen.

Ranger said, "I squared it with the school and our family. Claire can continue to go to Little Turtles in the morning, then she can go with Frankie after school. Frankie's grandmother and Ella, our housekeeper, know Claire and are happy for her to stay with Frankie in the afternoons. It would make Frankie happy."

"And Claire. Are you sure?"

Ranger nodded.

"I'll talk with Claire's father when he gets home. He'll agree. He can't bare it when Claire is sad."

Ranger said, "Good." He looked at the children. "You'll go to school in the morning and after school you'll play together. Is that good?"

Claire and Frankie whelped for joy and hugged each other, then they hugged Ranger.

As they were leaving the O'Malley home, Frankie hugged Mrs. O'Malley and said, "Happy Tanksgibin'!"