Chapter 2: Telephone Hour
"Ben!" called Hawkeye's father from the kitchen. "Telephone for you! I think it's Francis Mulcahy."
"The Father?" asked Margaret, who was at the counter, cleaning up the kitchen after dinner as her daughters washed the dishes. "I get the phone after you, Ben."
Hawkeye abandoned his relaxation in front of the television to take the call. "Hello? ...Well, hi, Father, it's great to hear from you! ...Sit down? Why, is something wrong? ...Nothing? Okay..." With a shrug to his family members, who were listening in interest to the Crabapple Cove side of the conversation, Hawkeye pulled a chair from the table and sat down in it. "Okay, I'm sitting. Let me have it." Hawkeye listened--and suddenly sat forward in his chair. "...You *what*? *Where*? ...*Ya-haaah!*" This last word was a shrill, delighted cry that made Becky and Beth turn and stare, abandoning their dishrags and towels to devote their full attention to the strange goings-on. "I can't believe it! She's really here! Father, I'm going to kiss that nun sister of yours, chastity vow or no chastity vow! For twenty years I've wondered where she was and whether she was okay, and now she's *here*! ...Well, of course! We'll come!"
"Ben!" burst in Margaret finally. "Who on earth are you talking about?"
"Hold on, Father," Hawkeye said, and covered the phone with one hand to speak to Margaret. "The half-Korean baby girl, the one we took care of back during the war and gave to the monastery--she's *here*, and she's met Father Mulcahy! Well, she's here in America, not in Crabapple Cove, but--"
"Give me that phone!" Margaret cut in, running over and snatching the receiver from her husband's hand. "Father? It's Margaret! I just can't believe it! How is she? ...Well, of course! We've all thought of her so often--it's just incredible to know--I'm sorry, what? ...Well, of course we'll come! Just tell us when!"
"You told us about that girl once, Dad," Becky piped up. "So she's really here!"
"Yes, she is, and as soon as we get the date, the whole family's going to meet her. Gosh, she must be twenty and more by now..." He trailed off, barely able to restrain himself from getting out of his chair and jumping up and down. Three children of his own had been, of course, joy beyond joy...but suddenly it seemed like he'd found a long-lost fourth.
"But what about school?" asked Becky, as Beth turned to scowl at the sensible older sibling.
"Oh, it's just for a weekend. Leave on Friday, stay Saturday, come back late Sunday. Where's that Benjamin John, anyway? Still playing baseball at Scott McDermott's house? Well, when he comes back, I'll tell him, too. It'll be all six of us--that is, if you want to come, too, Dad."
"Of course," said the elder Doctor Pierce. "I wouldn't miss it."
By the end of the night, the details were planned. It wasn't quite so easy for some to get to Pennsylvania as others, but a weekend not far away was finally set where the Pierces, Hunnicutts, Klingers, Winchesters, and Potters could convene with Father Mulcahy and Sisters Maria Angelica and Naomi.
"See, Naomi? Just what I told you," Father Mulcahy said the next day, coming back to visit his sister and the girl. "They're all coming to see you, and they couldn't be more thrilled. But there's so many that we'll be taking you to a hotel in New York City, like our families did when they had the party for us. Ask my sister; she remembers."
"That I do. I met all the relatives of everyone Francis lived with."
"New York City!" breathed Sister Naomi, excited and startled together. "All I've seen of the outside world is that small patch of Korea and part of Philadelphia. ...And everyone's going to be there? Everyone you mentioned in all your stories, like the one who wanted to adopt the Korean boy Kim-- Trapper John, was it?" Naomi had loved the story, and had been happy for Kim but sad for Trapper when she found out that his mother came for him in the end.
"It was him, yes, but Trapper won't be coming, no. Just those who were there when you were there."
Naomi's face fell for a minute, but she nodded. "I see."
Mulcahy's sister shrugged. "Well, why, Francis? It's high time for a reunion weekend anyway, and this certainly qualifies as an occasion. Why not invite them, too?"
She was referring to the former M*A*S*Hers' newest custom, adopted only a few years ago--a weekend, taken about every three months, where as many as could make it got together for a day to celebrate a specific occasion--a birthday of one of their crew, a notable event, et cetera. Families could be brought along or left at home, as the doctor-nurse-or- otherwise chose. Real reunions were less frequent, and much bigger affairs. Everyone heard about those months in advance and planned their lives around them, but reunion weekends, like this one, were more spontaneously called.
Sister Naomi looked up hopefully at Maria Angelica's suggestion--then tried to conceal her excitement. But Mulcahy smiled and shrugged. "You're right. There are two weeks still until the date we set. Why not?"
So it was that Trapper John McIntyre was added to the group--the others had conflicts and simply couldn't be there, but sent their greetings to Naomi once they heard her story. (Radar nearly sent one of his family's many young pet rabbits as a present, too, but remembered in time that the convent wouldn't have approved.) The two weeks passed slowly, but were finally over. All were ready for New York and the reunion weekend.
"Ben!" called Hawkeye's father from the kitchen. "Telephone for you! I think it's Francis Mulcahy."
"The Father?" asked Margaret, who was at the counter, cleaning up the kitchen after dinner as her daughters washed the dishes. "I get the phone after you, Ben."
Hawkeye abandoned his relaxation in front of the television to take the call. "Hello? ...Well, hi, Father, it's great to hear from you! ...Sit down? Why, is something wrong? ...Nothing? Okay..." With a shrug to his family members, who were listening in interest to the Crabapple Cove side of the conversation, Hawkeye pulled a chair from the table and sat down in it. "Okay, I'm sitting. Let me have it." Hawkeye listened--and suddenly sat forward in his chair. "...You *what*? *Where*? ...*Ya-haaah!*" This last word was a shrill, delighted cry that made Becky and Beth turn and stare, abandoning their dishrags and towels to devote their full attention to the strange goings-on. "I can't believe it! She's really here! Father, I'm going to kiss that nun sister of yours, chastity vow or no chastity vow! For twenty years I've wondered where she was and whether she was okay, and now she's *here*! ...Well, of course! We'll come!"
"Ben!" burst in Margaret finally. "Who on earth are you talking about?"
"Hold on, Father," Hawkeye said, and covered the phone with one hand to speak to Margaret. "The half-Korean baby girl, the one we took care of back during the war and gave to the monastery--she's *here*, and she's met Father Mulcahy! Well, she's here in America, not in Crabapple Cove, but--"
"Give me that phone!" Margaret cut in, running over and snatching the receiver from her husband's hand. "Father? It's Margaret! I just can't believe it! How is she? ...Well, of course! We've all thought of her so often--it's just incredible to know--I'm sorry, what? ...Well, of course we'll come! Just tell us when!"
"You told us about that girl once, Dad," Becky piped up. "So she's really here!"
"Yes, she is, and as soon as we get the date, the whole family's going to meet her. Gosh, she must be twenty and more by now..." He trailed off, barely able to restrain himself from getting out of his chair and jumping up and down. Three children of his own had been, of course, joy beyond joy...but suddenly it seemed like he'd found a long-lost fourth.
"But what about school?" asked Becky, as Beth turned to scowl at the sensible older sibling.
"Oh, it's just for a weekend. Leave on Friday, stay Saturday, come back late Sunday. Where's that Benjamin John, anyway? Still playing baseball at Scott McDermott's house? Well, when he comes back, I'll tell him, too. It'll be all six of us--that is, if you want to come, too, Dad."
"Of course," said the elder Doctor Pierce. "I wouldn't miss it."
By the end of the night, the details were planned. It wasn't quite so easy for some to get to Pennsylvania as others, but a weekend not far away was finally set where the Pierces, Hunnicutts, Klingers, Winchesters, and Potters could convene with Father Mulcahy and Sisters Maria Angelica and Naomi.
"See, Naomi? Just what I told you," Father Mulcahy said the next day, coming back to visit his sister and the girl. "They're all coming to see you, and they couldn't be more thrilled. But there's so many that we'll be taking you to a hotel in New York City, like our families did when they had the party for us. Ask my sister; she remembers."
"That I do. I met all the relatives of everyone Francis lived with."
"New York City!" breathed Sister Naomi, excited and startled together. "All I've seen of the outside world is that small patch of Korea and part of Philadelphia. ...And everyone's going to be there? Everyone you mentioned in all your stories, like the one who wanted to adopt the Korean boy Kim-- Trapper John, was it?" Naomi had loved the story, and had been happy for Kim but sad for Trapper when she found out that his mother came for him in the end.
"It was him, yes, but Trapper won't be coming, no. Just those who were there when you were there."
Naomi's face fell for a minute, but she nodded. "I see."
Mulcahy's sister shrugged. "Well, why, Francis? It's high time for a reunion weekend anyway, and this certainly qualifies as an occasion. Why not invite them, too?"
She was referring to the former M*A*S*Hers' newest custom, adopted only a few years ago--a weekend, taken about every three months, where as many as could make it got together for a day to celebrate a specific occasion--a birthday of one of their crew, a notable event, et cetera. Families could be brought along or left at home, as the doctor-nurse-or- otherwise chose. Real reunions were less frequent, and much bigger affairs. Everyone heard about those months in advance and planned their lives around them, but reunion weekends, like this one, were more spontaneously called.
Sister Naomi looked up hopefully at Maria Angelica's suggestion--then tried to conceal her excitement. But Mulcahy smiled and shrugged. "You're right. There are two weeks still until the date we set. Why not?"
So it was that Trapper John McIntyre was added to the group--the others had conflicts and simply couldn't be there, but sent their greetings to Naomi once they heard her story. (Radar nearly sent one of his family's many young pet rabbits as a present, too, but remembered in time that the convent wouldn't have approved.) The two weeks passed slowly, but were finally over. All were ready for New York and the reunion weekend.