Aunt Claire watched the messy-haired boy with interest. She had seen him once before, at her brother Martin's wedding, but it had been far too much of a busy day to observe him. He seemed very nice and decent, a surprise. Claire didn't care for boys his age. They were usually loud and rude. At the current moment he and Jane and Skye were fighting for control of the soccerball. Jane and Jeffrey were quick to gang up on Skye, and Claire had to laugh at their antics, especially when Jeffrey tackled Skye just so Jane could steal the ball. Skye was quick to dump the taller boy though, and all he got was a mouthful of sand.
As their two week vacation progressed, Claire watched the three interacting and grew more and more nostalgic, she couldn't understand why though,until it hit her right in the chest as she overheard Jeffrey and Skye arguing.
"You're just being overly paranoid again, Skye." She overheard Jeffrey groan, "You know you sound ridiculous. You can trust Jane."
"Can I?" Skye sounded as if her arms were crossed and was busy glaring, "We're talking about the same girl who came up with the idea of a firegod and sacrificing little pieces of our hair, Jeffrey."
"As I recall, you put some hair in the fire too." Jeffrey reminded cheerfully, "Come on relax. All this OAP stuff is making you grow white hair and stress about the littlest of things."
"I'm not!" Skye protested, "I'm being perfectly rational and stressing just the right amount."
"Right. So watching Batty for signs that she's about blow up or trying to make her wear her lifejacket to bed is completely reasonable."
"Speaking of Batty..." Skye sounded as if she was about to panic.
"She's in her room with Mercedes and Hound, she's fine." Jeffrey assured her, "Come on now, stop worrying about Jane and her lovelorn relationship with the dashing Sir Dominic, and come play some soccer."
Claire didn't hear the two leave, she was too lost in her thoughts, or to be more precise her memories. Skye's and Jeffrey's conversation left her with a twinging bittersweet feeling and rather intense flashbacks.
It made perfect sense now, the trio of friends, Skye, Jeffrey, and Jane...they were like a repeat. A repeat of her, Martin, and Elizabeth. Martin and Elizabeth! Why hadn't she seen it before? They were so alike. All the looks, the teasing, and Skye and Jeffrey. Now that she thought about it, she had always felt a rather strange feeling of understanding towards Jane. She was just like her! Claire closed her eyes with a smile and thought back to a time that seemed so long ago, no matter how many times she had to scold her nieces for calling her old.
...
"Bill?! I told you to stay away from him!"
Claire had known Martin was going to act like this, that's why she had waited until Elizabeth had come over.
"It's not that Bill." Claire rolled her eyes, "That Bill was from History class, this one is from Science. He's a lot nicer and cuter."
Martin's eyes bulged behind his glasses, as if he couldn't believe his ears.
"Oh, is he that boy with the crooked nose that you were talking about." Elizabeth looked up interestedly from her calculus homework.
"Yes." Claire nodded gratefully, "He's brilliant. And handsome. I'm pretty sure I'm in love."
Martin shuddered as if love was a toxic disease. Elizabeth rolled her eyes at him and smiled at Claire.
"I'm sure he's a nice boy, if you like him so much."
"Oh, he really is! We're going to the park together." Claire beamed.
"You can't go to the park with a boy you barel-"
"She'll be fine, Martin." Elizabeth poked him into silence, "It's the middle of the day, the park's always busy around this time."
"As the oldest one here-"
"You're only older than Lizzy by two months." Claire protested.
"And your brother." Martin ignored her, "I at least demand to meet this boy first."
"Why? So you can bore him to death by talking about plants and flowers?" Claire groaned.
"It's Botany." Martin protested.
"Boring." Claire and Elizabeth said in unison.
"Martin. Stop stressing out so much, she'll be fine."
"But-"
"Really, Martin." Claire sighed in exasperation, "You'll understand yourself one day, what it is to fall madly in love and want to die from sorrow when you've not seen your one true love, for a whole day."
"What?!" Martin looked horrified by the thought.
"Elizabeth, tell me you at least know what I mean." Claire pleaded.
Elizabeth looked thrown off by Claire's words.
"Umm..." She looked caught as she looked in a hesitant way between the two Penderwick siblings, "I-I don't- I can't say that I have."
"As adorable as the two of you are with your suppressed feelings for each other, it is about time I left."
"Claire!" Martin and Elizabeth turned red at the same time.
"W-we're just friends." Martin looked strangled, "Best friends."
"Yeah." Elizabeth crossed her arms too, but in Claire's eyes she looked a far sight less certain than Martin.
"Fine. Fine." Claire sighed, throwing her hands up resignedly. They were such idiots, especially her brother. He was at the immature age that love was a ridiculous notion to him. It didn't make sense to him like botany and Latin. Claire had no idea how Elizabeth could stand that much Latin, maybe she ignored it in favor of her books and music. Claire suspicioned that it was love. Elizabeth was a lot more intune with her emotions than the scientific Martin.
Claire loved Elizabeth, she was a lot more understanding than Martin, but she had one fatal flaw. She always put others feelings above her own. Very unselfish, but also not too practical. Martin was far too absent-minded to listen fully, and though he would do anything Elizabeth suggested-as long it was within reason-he wasn't very good at sensing when she had a problem. Elizabeth didn't want to burden anyone, or feel like a load. Claire knew it had something to do with her parents, but Elizabeth didn't talk about her home-life or why she had a hero-complex that made her feel like she had to sacrifice herself for others.
...
"I don't know what to do? What do I do?" Skye clutched her head, "He won't saying anything, and I don't know what he needs or wants from me."
Claire's eyes followed Skye's pacing, nervous form. She was startled by how much Skye looked like her mother, but sounded so much like Martin. Maybe she wasn't as mild as Martin-her mother's fierceness made sure of that-but she was just as confused about working out emotional issues as her father was.
Claire felt somewhat more in control, than when she was younger and her brother had been asking her these same questions. Claire thought back to that situation, trying to see if it could help out in any way.
...
"What do I do?" Martin wrung his hands and fiddled with his glasses. He was pacing a hole in Claire's bedroom carpet. She hated how fidgety and restless he got. "She's quiet. Lizzy of all people! I know I always tease her about not being able to stop chattering, but I really miss it. And she seems so pale, and every now and then she just breaks down and cries."
Martin looked about ready to cry himself, but he was too embarrassed to. "Boys don't cry" he had told Claire more than once.
"I keep asking her what she wants me to do, but she won't tell me! How am I supposed to help her when she won't tell me what she needs! Does she want some space, some alone time to work it out?!"
"Martin, her parents are separating. That last thing she needs is for you to leave her too."
"Then, what do I say to her?!"
...
"Nothing. Don't say anything, unless he talks first. Just go. Go and be there for him, Skye." Jane said firmly, drawing Skye's worried gaze to her. Skye looked like she was barely holding tears back. "You're the strong one remember? Just go and be there next to him; so, you'll be ready for when he needs to get this all off his chest and when he does, just listen. You'll know exactly what to do then."
"What about Alec?"
"Don't mention a word about him or Jeffrey's mom. Let Jeffrey bring it up of his own accord. Now GO!"
Skye bolted for the seawall, her sneakers make low thuds on the deck and then soft patters on the sand.
Claire's heart ached for the broken boy, sitting motionless and looking out to sea. But she knew it was no good, at that present time he wasn't ready to listen to excuses and lengthy explanations. Which was what Alec and his mother would offer. Claire and Jane would feel the need to shower him with affection and would probably break into sobs if they tried. Batty was too young, and to be honest she didn't really completely understand what was going on. Skye was his best friend though, and a strong shoulder to lean on. Her acceptance and readiness to do what was best for Jeffrey made her the one most likely to hold herself together and help him. Because Jeffrey had done the same for her. Maybe he was better at it, but Skye would darn well do her best.
Claire smiled softly but sadly. That was the same reason Martin and Elizabeth had been such a good couple. Elizabeth had tried to distance herself to avoid causing trouble for others, but Martin had been too loyal for that.
Not to say that Jeffrey and Skye were meant for each other, or that they would ever be. That would take time and a certain kind of growing on both their parts. (It'd be hard for them to avoid it if Jane was anything like Claire, and Claire didn't doubt that.). Sometimes the best bonds and cures were friendship. And friendships like Martin and Elizabeth's and Skye and Jeffrey's were a level all their own.
Now, that she was old enough to see it though, Claire knew something else. Every strong relationship needed a Claire or Jane, if not to cause excitement, than to be the one to pull them all together.
"That was the right thing, right?" Jane turned anxiously.
"The best thing." Claire assured her niece, "Come on, let's make some lunch. Jeffrey will be starving after such a draining experience."
"We should make extra for Skye too, otherwise she won't eat at all. She's not going to be leaving Jeffrey's side any time soon."
"Good idea." Claire smiled.
...
So, I just re-read "The Penderwicks at Pointe Moutte" and been barraged by a feeling of nostalgia myself and a renewed love for Aunt Claire. Reading it though, I was struck with the strongest feeling that she seemed a lot like what Jane would be when she grew up, just minus all the books. And that kind of fit in with a chapter I have in mind for my Martin saga. This is kind of a build up to it.
Anyway, reading the third installment in this wonderful series I came across several things that I hadn't remembered reading before, and that are too beautiful to not remind everyone else of.
-Skye got kicked out of the Brownie scouts because she refused to wear the hat, and Jane dropped out out of loyalty to Skye.
-Claire's abundance of past boyfriends and how oddly a lot of them had the name Bill.
-Jeffrey was assigned OAP for one afternoon, because Skye tried to hide Aunt Claire's crutches. And he made her run to the store and back twice, run to the inn and back five times, and play two hours of "grueling" soccer.
-And when Turron gave Aunt Claire a puzzle of a dog that looked just like Hoover, and insisted that it was the "only one" the store had left.
KoalaLover-ABC-123: You're "THE BEST. THE BEST. THE BEST, and etc. Ever." I'm glad you didn't see the ending coming, I wanted to surprise the reader just as much as it did Skye and her family. Thanks, I always love hearing from you.
GM01: I'm glad to be back, thanks. And it was equally exciting for me to find your review in my email. I came home from work and it was sitting right there waiting for me, I love it when that happens. The car scene was my favorite part to write too, because I can never resist a dose of humor. And it was like a warm up before I tackled the ending discussion between Skye and Jeffrey.
Nijibrush: One of my favorite parts about the series is all the interactions too. I find it difficult to have more than two people interacting at the same time, but you probably already noticed that. You always know just what to say to put a smile on my face, thanks.
Readwriteedit: Thanks for the ego boost, but I don't think that it was good enough to be canon. Maybe, some day when I've improved a lot more. I'm always delighted that you read my stuff, it means a lot because your own work is an inspiration to me. I can't count how many times I've read all of your stories and wished there was more.