"Daddy, I'm tired!" Sunny announced to her dad & his friends so Hawkeye says, "Just lay down and go to sleep". Sunny looks up at her Aunt Margaret and Margaret smiles and her then says, "Pierce, I think she's talking about being in the car, let's just stop and rest for a day" Hawkeye looks back and forth at her and the road and asks, "But we are headed to B.J.'s!" She rolls her eyes and says, "From what his letter said, we still have a week and a half to get there, I don't think stopping for a day somewhere will ruin it for him" He looks around then says, "Where? we're in the middle of Oregon! I don't see any place to stop and rest" Sidney looks around then says, "There's a gas station up the road, why don't we stop and I'll go in and ask" Margaret says, "Good, there 's no excuse now, go ahead and pull in Pierce" He rolls his eyes but does as she says, Sidney gets out to go in the station to ask about where to go while Margaret and Sunny also get out to go to the bathroom and Hawkeye just sits and waits in the car.
Five to ten minutes later, Sidney, Margaret & Sunny come out at the same time from the station , Sidney gets back in the front passenger seat and Hawkeye asks him, "Well?" Sidney then tells him, "Well, the only place that's nearby is this lodge/camping site. It has comfortable cabins or tent areas where you can stay, if we don't go with that...the next place is not for miles and miles." Margaret speaks up, "I say , we go for there, sounds perfect" Sunny pleads, "Please daddy!" Hawkeye smiles then says, "What am I going to do? I'm outvoted" Margaret and Sunny sit back and smile.
A little while later, Margaret and Sunny walk in first into the cabin they have rented and she gasps in delight and says, "It's wonderful!" Hawkeye looks around then says, "It's a nice place for eight dollars a room" Sidney then asks, "Sixteen dollars ? I'll pay you back for my half" Hawkeye waves him away then Margaret asks, "Where are the rooms? You did get rooms for all of us?" Hawkeye gives his sarcastic smile then says, "Of coarse Margaret, there's a room for you and Sunny and Sidney & myself...here"
He goes and opens a door that shows a room with a bunk bed and a single bed and on the other side of the room is Hawkeye and Sidney's but as soon as Sunny sees the bunk bed, she runs inside the room like the quick little pixie she is, and she climbs up the ladder and bounces on the top bunk and shouts, "I want to sleep here!" Hawkeye goes in there and playfully grabs his little minx and says, "Oh no, you don't! You sleep down here!" He swings her down to the bottom bunk and she squeals with laughter and says, "Oh daddy!" Hawkeye laughs then goes back out to the living room and says, "This is a nice place" "Oh yes, and did you see that lake just down the road? Oh, gorgeous!" He then says, "I'm going to go down and check out that lake, are either of you coming with me?" Margaret says, "I'm going to go check out the rest of this cabin" Sidney then says, "I'm going to lay out on this couch and take a nap. I think Sunny had a good idea when she wanted us to stop for awhile" He lays down on the couch and puts a pillow over his face and Margaret flitters around and Hawkeye turns and goes outside, he stops and stretches his back and looks around and sees children running around and parents not far from them. A man or two fishing and he smiles and walks a little way in the direction of the lake then after a few minutes, he yells, "I don't believe this! Sidney! Margaret!"
They run out of the cabin to see Hawkeye hugging and shaking hands with none other than...Father Francios Mulcahy! Margaret sees him and worry lines disappears from her face and she breaks out in a huge grin and she runs and hugs him and Sidney comes and shakes his hand and Hawkeye asks, "W-w-what are you doing here?" Father Mulcahy starts to answer but then Sunny comes running out and she asks, "What's wrong Daddy?" They all turn around to see her and Hawkeye smiles and goes over to pick her up and says, "Nothing's wrong sweetie, daddy was just excited. I want you to meet a old friend of mine...Sunny, this is Father Mulcahy, Father, this is Sunny"
Father shakes the little girl's hand then he asks Hawkeye, "This is the little girl you wrote me about?" Hawkeye shakes his head yes and Father Mulcahy says, "Well, I'm very glad to meet you Sunny" Hawkeye then asks again, "What are you doing here Father?" Father Mulcahy then says, "Well, actually, I'm here on buiness" Margaret asks, "Here?" Father Mulcahy shakes his head then says, "It's really pleasurable business just a minute"
He goes to the cabin next door and signals for somebody to come out and out comes a little five year old girl and Hawkeye and company drop their mouths when they see the small child who is clutching a small stuffed rabbitt and Hawkeye asks, "Who is this?" Father Mulcahy then says, "This is Marie" He then bends down in front of the little girl and in sign language he says and also out loud, "These are my friends Marie, say hello" The little girl shyly looks at them then she falls in Father Mulcahy's arms and buries her head in his shoulder and Sunny asks, "What were you doing?" Father Mulcahy turns around then tells Hawkeye's daughter, "That was sign language, it's the way she talks"
Sunny boldly walks up to the other little girl and waves 'Hi' to her then points to the little girl's bunny and they slowly start a friendship and Father Mulcahy joins the other grown ups and he answers they're unspoken questions by saying, "You all know that in those last few months and weeks, I've developed a hearing problem in Korea." They all shake their heads then he continues to say, "Well, it took about a year but I got all my hearing back and I became interested in working with the deaf and a few months ago, I got assigned to a deaf orphanage here in Oregon. Marie is one of the children there and well, she has some...problems and we hoped by me bringing her here, I could help her" Hawkeye then asks, "What's the problem Father?" Mulcahy looks back at Marie and Sunny then he says, "Well, as you can see, she is a shy child...so shy that the other children make fun of her and well, I bought her here to be alone and hoped that I could...help her" Margaret asks, "How's she doing?" Mulcahy thinks on that then says, "Well, I have taught her a few more words but basically that's it, she's just so shy...she's not willing to meet anybody" Sidney observes the girls playing with the rabbit then says, "It looks like they are getting along" Father Mulcahy looks at the little girls playing and laughing and he says, "We'll see how it goes"
A few hours later, as the evening sun falls on them, Margaret brings out silverware for them to eat at the picnic table and they all catch up with each other then Sunny and Marie come running up and Sunny says, "Daddy, look what Marie taught me!" Hawkeye looks at his daughter and everybody else does and she turns and points to the rabbit and makes the little sign for rabbit by doing bunny fingers beside her head and Hawkeye asks, "What's that?" Sunny says, "It's what she calls the bunny!" Mulcahy says to everybody, "It's the sign for rabbit" Margaret then asks, "What else did she teach you sweetheart?" Sunny beams and turns to look at her friend and says, "This" The little girl crosses her fingers back and forth and Mulcahy says, "Friends" Sunny and Marie smile and put their arms around each other and Margaret takes a picture to keep forever.
A/N-Please read and review!
