Friends: Tea Time
* * *
It was clean.
That was the first thing Annie noticed about the Shaw house.
Clean.
She tried, of course, with her own home, worked hard and insisted that the kids work too, that they each have chores and that they do them. But Sam and David were still young, and the young make messes, even if they are small ones, and Sam and David had taken so long to learn to eat and talk that Annie had finally broken down and simply picked up after them without protest. The result was that the Camden home was clean where people could see it, and not so clean elsewhere.
Somehow she just knew that Rebecca's home would be clean throughout.
And it was.
She had come over because Simon had asked her to, Annie had. And it was midday and her own house seemed so empty, just her and Sam and David, so she had taken the twins by the hand and walked across the street with them and had rung the doorbell, and Rebecca had answered and had seen the boys and had admitted them with a smile. Barry was in the living room playing with the plastic sword and shield of his "Crusader of the Lord" play set, which Sam and David seemed more than content to watch, allowing Annie and Rebecca to renew the custom of tea among ladies that they had enjoyed at their first meeting, several weeks ago.
They sat in the kitchen now and Rebecca smiled as she poured.
"It's so nice to see you, Annie. How have you been?"
Annie smiled, added a bit of sugar to the mug as Rebecca sat down.
"It's been busy," she said. "A little crazy, but you know how that is."
Rebecca nodded. "God makes life a challenge," she said. "But of course he also brings us joy."
Somehow this wasn't what Annie had hoped to hear. Of course God made things challenging, and good, but what Annie had hoped to hear was something about how hard it was to run a big household, how hard it was to be a mother to seven or eight kids.
Hard. No one had ever told her it would be this hard. It had to be hard for Rebecca too, didn't it? Couldn't they sit and trade stories, commiserate a bit, share the weight they both had to be feeling?
"Of course," Annie said politely, hoping to spur further conversation. "It looks like you've all settled in all right."
"Of course," answered Rebecca.
"Did you get that bathroom problem settled? I'll be happy to take a look."
Rebecca sipped her tea. "It's fine. We had a plumber out."
They talked a bit more. There was no commiserating and Annie finally resigned herself to the fact that there would be none. Maybe that was fine, too. Maybe what she needed was to see that her new friend was a successful mother, that things in her own life weren't as bad as she thought.
Rebecca had faith in God, after all, and Annie knew full well how powerful that could be.
She turned at last to Simon.
#
He had come over here yesterday, dressed well and without his earrings, and had sat patiently with Edward and Rebecca, and had asked if he might take Samantha to the pool hall or a movie, or even just out for pizza. This had happened without Annie knowing, without Eric knowing. It had in fact been Ruthie who had told them why Simon was late for dinner.
"He's asking her parents if he can take her out on a date?" Lucy had asked.
Ruthie shrugged. "I guess they're picky," she said.
Lucy didn't answer. Kevin had come in and sat down and her eyes were now for him alone. He acknowledged her with a smile and took a helping of potatoes.
"I think it's nice," Annie said. "I wish more boys had done that with Mary and Lucy."
Lucy, despite the fact she was still in the room, said nothing.
Eric nodded. His attention seemed elsewhere.
Simon returned an hour later and Annie had asked him how it went. He shrugged.
"They said maybe."
"Maybe?"
"They want to talk to you and Dad. I guess they don't trust me."
Annie smiled at her son. "I'm sure they do, Simon. The fact that you went over there must count for something. Not many boys do that anymore."
He nodded. "Will you go?"
#
Of course. Now here she was.
Only now did it occur to her that she had no real idea what she should say.
Rebecca watched her now.
"Your son was very nice," she said finally.
Annie nodded.
"Simon, yes?" Rebecca asked.
Again a nod. "He's a good boy," Annie said.
"Any trouble with drugs? Alcohol?"
The question was very direct. So was Rebecca's gaze now.
"No. Never with drugs. There was a misunderstanding with Matt once, and Simon went ballistic when he thought his brother might have used marijuana. Simon hates drugs."
"Alcohol?" asked Rebecca.
"Only once. He got so sick I think it was worse than anything Eric or I could have done for punishment. He won't go near it now."
"Did you punish him for it?"
Annie nodded. "Oh, yes."
"He tells us his nickname at school is 'Virgin Camden'."
"Oh, yes. He's very proud of that."
Rebecca smiled. "That's good. I'm sure you know how boys are, Annie, especially when they come from permissive households. Edward and I are very careful about our children and who they see. There's a lot of evil in the world. A lot of unchristian people. You have to be careful."
Annie said nothing now. It felt a bit strange, to be on this end of the questioning. But good, too. She had met too many parents who didn't care, who didn't worry about who their children saw, about what sorts of influences they might fall under. She knew from her own youth that there were real dangers in the world, dangers of temptation.
She thought, without knowing why, of Mary.
Rebecca asked for Annie's recipe for the potato salad from the barbecue. Annie complemented her on how clean her kitchen was. They had just gotten to the very exciting subject of the benefits of sewing knee patches on their boys' pants before the holes formed, rather than after, when Ellen appeared in the doorway.
"Mom?"
Annie looked over at the girl, smiled. Rebecca turned to her.
"Yes, dear?"
Ellen looked at Annie for a moment, then back at her mother.
"Can Samantha and I go down to the store?"
Rebecca watched her daughter. "Did you ask Franklin?"
Ellen looked suddenly uncomfortable.
"He said he doesn't want to."
"Then you know you can't."
Rebecca turned back to Annie. Annie watched Ellen for a few seconds. Disappointment played over the girl's face, but she didn't say anything more. Finally she turned and stepped out of the room.
Rebecca was back on the subject of knee patches. When that topic played out Annie spoke, keeping her voice just a bit quiet.
"I hope I didn't interrupt anything with Ellen. Is she grounded?"
Rebecca's eyebrows went up.
"Oh, goodness no. Has she done something?"
Annie shook her head, and Rebecca looked satisfied.
"She tests me, you know," she said then. "And her father and brother. I suppose they all do. Kids are like that. But you know that already, I'm sure."
Annie chuckled. It felt a bit forced.
"Kids need rules," Rebecca said. "Boundaries. Thank heavens for the Bible or I don't know how we would have managed. Thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ my children all know their place. They all know where they stand. That's what makes a home healthy for children, don't you think?"
Annie nodded. The thought came again, intrusive, of Mary, of Captain Smith, and this thought was followed by the memory of Simon, sulking about the house, wearing the weight of hidden pain on his features. More and more and more; her kids, protesting, struggling against the rules, and she and Eric and Sergeant now Detective Michaels talking about this crisis or that crisis.
But Simon had come over here and had asked Samantha's parents for permission to take her out. Maybe he really was learning responsibility. Maybe when Ruthie started to date Annie should be as careful as her new friend was.
Boundaries, she thought. Kids need boundaries. That's how they know they're loved.
She sipped again at her tea and looked around as she chatted with Rebecca.
The Shaw house was clean. Spotless. It was not, Annie reflected, like her own, and as she sat with her new friend, Annie found that she couldn't quite suppress the kernel of growing envy she felt.
* * *
It was clean.
That was the first thing Annie noticed about the Shaw house.
Clean.
She tried, of course, with her own home, worked hard and insisted that the kids work too, that they each have chores and that they do them. But Sam and David were still young, and the young make messes, even if they are small ones, and Sam and David had taken so long to learn to eat and talk that Annie had finally broken down and simply picked up after them without protest. The result was that the Camden home was clean where people could see it, and not so clean elsewhere.
Somehow she just knew that Rebecca's home would be clean throughout.
And it was.
She had come over because Simon had asked her to, Annie had. And it was midday and her own house seemed so empty, just her and Sam and David, so she had taken the twins by the hand and walked across the street with them and had rung the doorbell, and Rebecca had answered and had seen the boys and had admitted them with a smile. Barry was in the living room playing with the plastic sword and shield of his "Crusader of the Lord" play set, which Sam and David seemed more than content to watch, allowing Annie and Rebecca to renew the custom of tea among ladies that they had enjoyed at their first meeting, several weeks ago.
They sat in the kitchen now and Rebecca smiled as she poured.
"It's so nice to see you, Annie. How have you been?"
Annie smiled, added a bit of sugar to the mug as Rebecca sat down.
"It's been busy," she said. "A little crazy, but you know how that is."
Rebecca nodded. "God makes life a challenge," she said. "But of course he also brings us joy."
Somehow this wasn't what Annie had hoped to hear. Of course God made things challenging, and good, but what Annie had hoped to hear was something about how hard it was to run a big household, how hard it was to be a mother to seven or eight kids.
Hard. No one had ever told her it would be this hard. It had to be hard for Rebecca too, didn't it? Couldn't they sit and trade stories, commiserate a bit, share the weight they both had to be feeling?
"Of course," Annie said politely, hoping to spur further conversation. "It looks like you've all settled in all right."
"Of course," answered Rebecca.
"Did you get that bathroom problem settled? I'll be happy to take a look."
Rebecca sipped her tea. "It's fine. We had a plumber out."
They talked a bit more. There was no commiserating and Annie finally resigned herself to the fact that there would be none. Maybe that was fine, too. Maybe what she needed was to see that her new friend was a successful mother, that things in her own life weren't as bad as she thought.
Rebecca had faith in God, after all, and Annie knew full well how powerful that could be.
She turned at last to Simon.
#
He had come over here yesterday, dressed well and without his earrings, and had sat patiently with Edward and Rebecca, and had asked if he might take Samantha to the pool hall or a movie, or even just out for pizza. This had happened without Annie knowing, without Eric knowing. It had in fact been Ruthie who had told them why Simon was late for dinner.
"He's asking her parents if he can take her out on a date?" Lucy had asked.
Ruthie shrugged. "I guess they're picky," she said.
Lucy didn't answer. Kevin had come in and sat down and her eyes were now for him alone. He acknowledged her with a smile and took a helping of potatoes.
"I think it's nice," Annie said. "I wish more boys had done that with Mary and Lucy."
Lucy, despite the fact she was still in the room, said nothing.
Eric nodded. His attention seemed elsewhere.
Simon returned an hour later and Annie had asked him how it went. He shrugged.
"They said maybe."
"Maybe?"
"They want to talk to you and Dad. I guess they don't trust me."
Annie smiled at her son. "I'm sure they do, Simon. The fact that you went over there must count for something. Not many boys do that anymore."
He nodded. "Will you go?"
#
Of course. Now here she was.
Only now did it occur to her that she had no real idea what she should say.
Rebecca watched her now.
"Your son was very nice," she said finally.
Annie nodded.
"Simon, yes?" Rebecca asked.
Again a nod. "He's a good boy," Annie said.
"Any trouble with drugs? Alcohol?"
The question was very direct. So was Rebecca's gaze now.
"No. Never with drugs. There was a misunderstanding with Matt once, and Simon went ballistic when he thought his brother might have used marijuana. Simon hates drugs."
"Alcohol?" asked Rebecca.
"Only once. He got so sick I think it was worse than anything Eric or I could have done for punishment. He won't go near it now."
"Did you punish him for it?"
Annie nodded. "Oh, yes."
"He tells us his nickname at school is 'Virgin Camden'."
"Oh, yes. He's very proud of that."
Rebecca smiled. "That's good. I'm sure you know how boys are, Annie, especially when they come from permissive households. Edward and I are very careful about our children and who they see. There's a lot of evil in the world. A lot of unchristian people. You have to be careful."
Annie said nothing now. It felt a bit strange, to be on this end of the questioning. But good, too. She had met too many parents who didn't care, who didn't worry about who their children saw, about what sorts of influences they might fall under. She knew from her own youth that there were real dangers in the world, dangers of temptation.
She thought, without knowing why, of Mary.
Rebecca asked for Annie's recipe for the potato salad from the barbecue. Annie complemented her on how clean her kitchen was. They had just gotten to the very exciting subject of the benefits of sewing knee patches on their boys' pants before the holes formed, rather than after, when Ellen appeared in the doorway.
"Mom?"
Annie looked over at the girl, smiled. Rebecca turned to her.
"Yes, dear?"
Ellen looked at Annie for a moment, then back at her mother.
"Can Samantha and I go down to the store?"
Rebecca watched her daughter. "Did you ask Franklin?"
Ellen looked suddenly uncomfortable.
"He said he doesn't want to."
"Then you know you can't."
Rebecca turned back to Annie. Annie watched Ellen for a few seconds. Disappointment played over the girl's face, but she didn't say anything more. Finally she turned and stepped out of the room.
Rebecca was back on the subject of knee patches. When that topic played out Annie spoke, keeping her voice just a bit quiet.
"I hope I didn't interrupt anything with Ellen. Is she grounded?"
Rebecca's eyebrows went up.
"Oh, goodness no. Has she done something?"
Annie shook her head, and Rebecca looked satisfied.
"She tests me, you know," she said then. "And her father and brother. I suppose they all do. Kids are like that. But you know that already, I'm sure."
Annie chuckled. It felt a bit forced.
"Kids need rules," Rebecca said. "Boundaries. Thank heavens for the Bible or I don't know how we would have managed. Thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ my children all know their place. They all know where they stand. That's what makes a home healthy for children, don't you think?"
Annie nodded. The thought came again, intrusive, of Mary, of Captain Smith, and this thought was followed by the memory of Simon, sulking about the house, wearing the weight of hidden pain on his features. More and more and more; her kids, protesting, struggling against the rules, and she and Eric and Sergeant now Detective Michaels talking about this crisis or that crisis.
But Simon had come over here and had asked Samantha's parents for permission to take her out. Maybe he really was learning responsibility. Maybe when Ruthie started to date Annie should be as careful as her new friend was.
Boundaries, she thought. Kids need boundaries. That's how they know they're loved.
She sipped again at her tea and looked around as she chatted with Rebecca.
The Shaw house was clean. Spotless. It was not, Annie reflected, like her own, and as she sat with her new friend, Annie found that she couldn't quite suppress the kernel of growing envy she felt.