A Waltons Story
(The Waltons Fan Fiction)
By: Kristi N. Zanker
Disclaimer: All publicly recognized characters, settings, etc. are the property of Lorimar Productions and Warner Bros. Television. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. I, in no way am associated with the owners, creators, or producers of The Waltons. No copyright infringement is intended.
7.
The Words of Wisdom
The fierce January cold greeted John-Boy as he pulled open the door and started down the steps. His hand grazed the thick concrete and brick railing. A thin blanket of snow stretched down the entire stoop. As he held onto the railing, John-Boy's hand became ice cold. When he reached the bottom, he shoved his hands in his pockets, trying to ignore the wintry bitterness. He turned left and headed down the street. Cars struggled their way down the slick, icy avenue. He watched as one car spun into a 180 degree turn and managed to turn the right way and slither to who knew where.
He had to be careful, so he wouldn't slip on any stray ice on the sidewalk. Patches of snow lay in doorways of apartment buildings, and stores as John-Boy walked by them. The windows of the stores were dark. The only place that was open at this time of night was Marvin's Bar and Grill, the local juke-joint. As he passed the bar, he heard swing music blaring from the jukebox. A roar of laughter erupted and the clink of glasses sounded. A man came out of the bar, and stumbled into John-Boy.
"Sorry, mister," the drunk muttered and staggered his way down the street.
"Don't worry about it, sir. People have been in my way all day," he said softly, knew the wino couldn't hear him.
Lights from windows of the numerous apartment buildings dotted down the street, creating zigzag patterns in contrast to the streetlights lined at the corner curbs. John-Boy thought about the people in the glowing windows. They were in their warm, humble abode, perhaps listening to the radio or playing Monopoly and not having a disagreement.
John-Boy passed by a park. From the streetlamps, he could tell the snow had been trampled on by energetic children, for he saw several lopsided snowmen. Clumps of grass peeked out from underneath the snow, possibly trying to bring on spring early. Benches outlined the park. John-Boy entered, and found a bench that was furthest from the street. He dusted off the thin layer of snow and sat down.
He felt calmer now. He wondered what Daisy was doing at that very moment. Was she still crying? Did Melissa wake up again? Did she wonder where he went off to? He thought to himself. John-Boy didn't have his watch on, so he figured it must've been around 11 p.m. He thought about the words that had been exchanged. In a way, Daisy was right, she has had a hard life and the child had come to a surprise, changing everything. She used to work in theater and things were slowly coming together, as she had been getting parts.
John-Boy remembered how happy she was when she got the lead for a play. That had been less than a year ago. Now, she had to be there for Melissa. John-Boy knew Daisy wanted to be there for her daughter, but he could not understand why she couldn't keep up with the housework or cook a decent meal. He had great respect for his mother and grandmother, who prepared a hot meal every day for their large family. And they kept the house spotless most of the time. With seven kids that had to be difficult, John-Boy recollected.
And then his thoughts turned to his father and grandfather. They worked six or seven days a week, twelve sometimes fourteen hours a day at the saw mill. John-Boy always remembered a meal being on the table when everyone came in for lunch or dinner. There were a few times when there was no meal.
John-Boy remembered one specific time when his father reproached his mother because dinner was not on the table. It was when another lumber company came to Waltons Mountain and suddenly there was a competition. They had worked at the mill all day and were tired, not to mention very hungry. His father expected the food to be ready when they came in. When it wasn't, he became very angry.
John-Boy worked all day too now, and expected a decent meal on the table when he came home. He hoped Daisy would respect that. He could forgive her for these months of their adjustment in marriage, but what he could not forgive was the fact that she did not tell him about the contraceptive.
He saw from her point of view, she was getting used to being Melissa's mother. And they certainly could not afford another child right now. But why couldn't she tell him? They shared everything together. He just couldn't figure it out. John-Boy sat there, trying to sort out his tangled thoughts. He could not find an answer alone. He needed someone to talk to. And John-Boy knew just the right person.
He got up and began to walk home. Everything looked the same as he turned on his street. Marvin's Bar and Grill was still open. It seemed as though the same lit windows were visible. John-Boy stood in front of his building and looked up. Millie's light was on. He suddenly felt like an intruder, for it was almost midnight. But he needed to talk with someone, other than Daisy.
He slowly climbed the steps and made his way to the second floor. He quietly walked over to his door and put his ear to it. He heard nothing. John-Boy assumed Daisy must have gone to bed. There was no beam of light underneath the door. He then went over to Millie's door and gave a soft knock. He heard classical music from either the radio or Victrola.
John-Boy heard footsteps approach the door, the chain unlatching and Millie turning the knob. He was nervous.
"Well, I'll be…John! What are you doing here at this hour? Did something happen? Is little Melissa ill?" Millie said.
"Yes, Ma'am…I mean, no, Melissa's just fine. But yes, something has happened. I'm sorry to bother you at this hour, Ma'am, but I really need someone to talk to right now."
"How many times do I have to tell you? Please call me Millie. Everyone else does."
"It's just that I was—"
"Never mind that, you call me Millie."
Almost every time John-Boy and Millie met, the same statements were made. They stood there and laughed.
"Oh, look at us! You come in now…it's cold out there."
She grabbed his hand and pulled him into her apartment. The first thing John-Boy noticed about Millie's apartment was that it was always so immaculate. The classical music that he had heard, as he stood outside the door, was coming from a Victrola that was present in the corner of the room. John-Boy did not know the composer and thought that for sure Jason would know. Millie told him to take off his coat, while she went to brew some tea.
In some ways, Millie reminded John-Boy of his Grandma and the Baldwin Sisters. She had a tiny delicate, soothing voice, like Miss Mamie and Miss Emily. She dressed in the similar fashion of the turn of the century. Her face gave a stern, yet loving look just like Grandma. Her appearance was short and stocky with her silver colored hair was pulled back into a tight bun, also like his Grandma.
Millie came back a few minutes later and sat in the couch across from John-Boy, who sat in the winged-back chair.
"Well now, what seems to be troubling you?"
John-Boy told Millie nearly everything that had been going on with him and Daisy. He left out the part about their love life, for he felt it was too personal and inappropriate to tell her about something like that. He would have to think of his own way to confront Daisy about it.
Millie listened intently and nodded every so often. The kettle impatiently whistled during John-Boy's telling and Millie got up to get their tea. She brought in a tray with a silver kettle in the middle and two white tea cups on each side of it. Steam rose from the spout. She poured John-Boy's cup and then hers. He took a sip and the warm tea rushed to his stomach. John-Boy took another sip and then continued. When John-Boy was finished, she began to tell him of her marriage to Harold McVee.
"My dear Harold, everyone called him Hal. God rest his soul. I loved him dearly, but it was no picnic, I'll tell you. I met him shortly after arriving to this country from Ireland in eighteen-ninety. We married after courting for almost a year. Hal was the sun and the moon to me. He showered me with gifts every week. I often wondered where he got the money; we lived in a tenement building then. When I think back on that, I don't know how we managed to survive, but we did." Millie took a sip of tea and then continued.
"I had five children in that tenement building. One was only two days old and then she died. My only son died at age four from diphtheria."
"I'm sorry-" John-Boy began, but was interrupted by Mille.
"Well, I wanted my three girls to grow up healthy. So, eventually we moved to a better place. Oh, we were by no means rich, but it was much better than those tenements.. Anyway, eventually, I found out where Hal was getting all this money. He would stop at the neighborhood bar down the street from our apartment building and gamble his paycheck. He would win, but other times he lost. When he lost, he'd come home very drunk. The girls would be in bed by then. And we'd have a quarrel, but what's the use of quarreling with a drunken man? There times it got very bad, but I stayed by his side because I loved him so much." Millie took another sip of tea. She set her glass down on the coffee table.
"You were telling me about how Daisy doesn't keep house or cook for you? She'll come around. Her situation is a little different than mine. I know she loves you and will come around soon. You see, when you love someone, you'll get up at four o'clock in the morning to prepare their breakfast everyday, no matter what it is."
"Daisy will do that for me sometimes," he said.
"You see now? She does love you very much. As for the cleaning, well, later on, I'll give her some tips. I raised three girls and had my hands full during the day, but I managed to keep the place clean. That was how Hal liked it too. Mind you, he wasn't always a roaring drunk."
"I want to thank you for listening to me, Millie," said John-Boy.
"And I thank you, John. I hope I didn't bore you."
"Oh no, you certainly didn't. Thank you for the tea."
"You're quite welcome. Now, you get home, she's waiting for you, I'm sure of it."
He set his empty cup in the tray and put on his coat and gave Millie a hug.
"Goodnight, Millie," he said. "Thank you again."
John-Boy walked across the hall to their door. Unlike before, he saw a faint beam of light shine from the inside. He quietly opened the door to find Daisy sitting up, yet sleeping on the couch. He could tell that it was her intention to wait up for him. He smiled, took off his coat, and hung it in the hall closet. John-Boy rubbed his hands together, still not quite over the chill of the winter night air. He went over to where Daisy was sleeping and kissed her lightly on the forehead.
Her eyes fluttered open. Daisy stood up, took her hands to cup his face and kissed him. A few minutes later they hugged one another. At first, there were no words spoken. By both of their reactions they knew all would be content, at least in time it would be.
"John, I'm so sorry. Please understand where I'm coming from. I want nothing more in this life than to love you and make you happy," Daisy said. Her voice choked up.
"You already do," John-Boy murmured.
He smiled and kissed her again. She smiled back at him, and then patted the couch, indicating that she wanted him to sit down with her.
"Please understand that being a wife…being a housewife and mother is all new to me. For so long I was lonely and all I had to think about was myself. I did not have to measure up to other people's expectations. Now I'm being pulled into three directions and trying to do it all. I want to make you happy, I'm trying, but I am not your mother and grandmother. To compare your life and what you are used to, it's a tall order for me to measure up to right now."
John-Boy listened to her and it seemed like he was really hearing her for the first time. He did not realize his expectations were so high. But he understood what she meant. She was right about comparing her to what he was used to back home. He realized how unfair he was being. No one could measure up to Mama and Grandma. But he was still upset about the contraceptive.
"Daisy, I did not realize I was acting that way towards you. But now that you spelt it out, I understand. I guess I had expectations of what our life would be like. If I did not share them with you, then I'm being unfair."
"No, it's both of us who need to work on it. John, promise me…that if some thing is bothering you, please do not let it eat at you like that again. We need to discuss this. We need to communicate to each other by acting and thinking like a married couple."
John-Boy leaned over to Daisy and said in a low, husky voice, "Agreed."
He kissed her, this time more passionately than before. Not long afterward, they were in their bedroom, making love as if it was the first time. They both knew that it would be all right.
The next morning, John-Boy awoke to the smell of eggs, bacon, and sausage. He lay there for a few moments, remembering last night and early this morning. He was so glad he and Daisy made up, but there was one thing he needed to address with her. John-Boy decided to wait and talk after breakfast. His blue robe lay across the hope chest at the end of their bed. John-Boy pulled it on, and tied the sash while walking down the hall. Melissa sat at the table, stirring her scrambled eggs around the plate.
He came up behind Melissa and planted a kiss on her head. Then, he tickled her belly which made her squeal with laughter.
"How about you and I build a doll bed today? How does that sound?" he asked her.
Her blue eyes instantly lit up, "Yeah!" Melissa cried.
"You finish eating and we'll start as soon as breakfast is over," said John-Boy as Melissa took a bite of eggs.
Daisy stood at the stove, already dressed for the day in a blue flowery cotton housedress. She smiled at him, while making his meal. He walked over to her and gave her a proper good morning kiss.
"Stop that, now. You behave," she smiled at him. "Your breakfast is almost ready."
As promised, after breakfast, while Daisy did the dishes, John-Boy took the oatmeal box into Melissa's bedroom and the little girl watched as he cut it into a doll bed. The box was round. When John-Boy was finished, he had Melissa go get her rag doll to put in the bed.
"See, Honey? Now, you can rock her to sleep," said John-Boy, as he rocked the doll in the make-shift bed.
"Shhh, my dolly's sleeping." Melissa put her finger to her lips.
"Okay, I'll be quiet then," he whispered.
He gave her a pat on the head, and then got up and went to take a shower.
About fifteen minutes later, John-Boy came back into the living room to find Daisy drying and putting away the dishes. He went to the coffee pot to get another cup of coffee.
"Darling, can I pour you a cup of coffee, too?" he asked, as his cup filled.
"No thank you. I've had three already," she smiled. "Someone kept me up all last night and I'm tired now."
"Well, it appears as though someone kept me up, also," John-Boy smiled.
Suddenly, his smile disappeared. He had to talk with her, right now.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Daisy, there's still something I want to discuss with you about last night," he asked hesitantly.
"Okay…what is it."
They walked into the living room. She sat down next to John-Boy and gave him a quick kiss.
"Have I told you that I love you today, John Walton Jr.?"
He looked at her and said, "Why, no you haven't." He grabbed Daisy and gave her a playful kiss on the lips and then said, "Have I told you today that I love you, Mrs. Daisy Walton?"
"Why, no you haven't."
John-Boy was trying to settle down which was not easy for him at the moment. He wanted to carry Daisy into the bedroom and make love to her again, but knew especially with Melissa awake playing in the other room that was not possible.
"Alright, alright, that's enough now," said John-Boy.
"Oh, are you sure?" she said.
"I'm sure, at least for now. We'll pick up where we left off later on, I promise."
"I'll make sure you keep that promise," she said giving him another kiss and snuggled up next to him.
"Okay, what is it that you want to talk about, Darling?"
John-Boy took a deep breath and began.
"Well, I-I would be lying to you otherwise, but I'm bothered about one thing we did not resolve last night."
"What's that?"
"About you getting the contraceptive and not discussing it with me."
"Oh, I see."
"By you using that and not discussing it…that bothers me. But furthermore to have that seems like it's going against nature's way, against God's plans for our life or our children's lives. I know I sound old-fashioned, but I also know that we cannot afford another child right now. However, it still bothers me. I know that it sounds strange but it still bothers me."
"If you want me not to use it I won't and we will let what happens happen."
"I guess I'm a hypocrite. I want things both ways and I cannot have it. Well, for now we will continue to use it, but not forever, Daisy. I cannot wait to have a child with you. The timing is not right."
"I know, John, I know."
While they continued to talk, Daisy started to clean up Melissa's toys in the living room. John-Boy helped her out by putting the stray toys in the chest next to the chair. When they finished, they sat on the couch again.
"You know something? I wish I could take a nap. How about we take a nap when Melissa takes hers? How does that sound?" asked John-Boy, with a wink in his eye.
"Sounds like a good idea to me," Daisy replied, smiling at him.
Copyright © 2005 by Kristi N. Zanker
