Mr. Polkis awoke the next morning and went down stairs to see his wife and son.
"G'morning Dad", Piers said with a mouthful of eggs.
"Good morning son", Mr. Polkis gave his wife a kiss on the cheek.
After eating breakfast Piers was off to school, and Mr. and Mrs. Polkis were alone in the house.
"Honey, you're going to be late to work"
"I'm not going to work today. I need to talk to you."
The look on Mr. Polkis's face told Mrs. Polkis that she shouldn't argue.
They moved into the living room to talk. Mrs. Polkis sat down on the sofa while Mr. Polkis stood and took the letter out of his pocket. Something told Mrs. Polkis that something very bad was about to happen.
"I need to talk to you about this letter," Mr. Polkis said sternly.
"But, I thought you said that it was just a prank, a joke that Piers and his friends played on us. You told me that it wasn't real. Please Peter don't tell me that it's a real letter. Don't tell me that he's, he's a wizard!"
"Marsha calm down, listen to me. This is a long story, would you like some tea to calm your nerves?"
"No thank you. Peter just tell me the story."
"Ok, well when I was Piers's age I got a letter just like that in the mail. Green ink and everything. I read it before my father did. I wanted to go to Hogwarts so badly! So badly Marsha, but he wouldn't let me. He told me that 'no son of his would wind up in some wizard school'. I was heartbroken, the Hogwarts people kept sending letters, millions of em'. Finally, after weeks of not responding the letters stopped. My dad thought that perhaps somehow I had made the letters keep coming, and he grounded me all summer. Ever since that summer I have wished that I could have gone to Hogwarts. Marsha, I can't deny it to you or myself anymore. I could have been a wizard."
Mrs. Polkis sat on the rose sofa stunned. Her normal happy exterior was now tainted with the knowledge of the secret that her husband had been keeping from her for the twenty-nine years that they had been married.
Marsha's mouth gaped, " P-P-Peter, how could you do this to me? How c-could you keep this from me for all these years! If I had known that you were, were a-a-a," she finally brought herself to saying the words," a freak, I never would have married you!"
Mr. Polkis looked hurt. He knew that he shouldn't have kept this from his wife, but his wife should have understood his problem. He looked at her. She was uncontrollably sobbing into her bathrobe. He moved over to comfort her.
"Stay away from me!", she yelled.
Mr. Polkis backed away.
"Marsha, listen," his voice lowered to a very mellow tone," it's not my fault that he's like this. I didn't go to the school, and I am still normal. But it hurts to think about what could have been for me. I could have experienced a whole new type of life. Marsha, please, lets give this a chance."
Mrs. Polkis looked up," Y-You want t-to send him to the school? Are you out of your mind? Imagine what people would say! Imagine the talk! Ohh, what will mother say?!"
Peter Polkis, was a strong man. Not much got to him, but at this moment, for the first time since he had received one of those letters himself, he cried. Mrs. Polkis was startled at this. She realized then just how much sending Piers to this school would mean to her husband. She moved from the sofa and comforted her husband.
"Peter, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you a freak. But, are you sure that we should do this? Should we send him to this school? I mean, do you trust those type of people?"
"Yes, Marsha, I do trust them. My mother was one of them. My father told me when we got the letter. I think that we should give this a chance. If not for my sake, please think about my mother."
Mrs. Polkis did just that. She remembered her childhood, and all of the good times that she had with her mother. She couldn't bring herself to think about what it must have been like to not have a mother. Her husband's mother had died when he was only a baby in a car accident.
"Ok Peter, lets do it. If you really feal that it is the best thing for him then we will send him to this- this, what's that name of the school?"
"Hogwarts"
"G'morning Dad", Piers said with a mouthful of eggs.
"Good morning son", Mr. Polkis gave his wife a kiss on the cheek.
After eating breakfast Piers was off to school, and Mr. and Mrs. Polkis were alone in the house.
"Honey, you're going to be late to work"
"I'm not going to work today. I need to talk to you."
The look on Mr. Polkis's face told Mrs. Polkis that she shouldn't argue.
They moved into the living room to talk. Mrs. Polkis sat down on the sofa while Mr. Polkis stood and took the letter out of his pocket. Something told Mrs. Polkis that something very bad was about to happen.
"I need to talk to you about this letter," Mr. Polkis said sternly.
"But, I thought you said that it was just a prank, a joke that Piers and his friends played on us. You told me that it wasn't real. Please Peter don't tell me that it's a real letter. Don't tell me that he's, he's a wizard!"
"Marsha calm down, listen to me. This is a long story, would you like some tea to calm your nerves?"
"No thank you. Peter just tell me the story."
"Ok, well when I was Piers's age I got a letter just like that in the mail. Green ink and everything. I read it before my father did. I wanted to go to Hogwarts so badly! So badly Marsha, but he wouldn't let me. He told me that 'no son of his would wind up in some wizard school'. I was heartbroken, the Hogwarts people kept sending letters, millions of em'. Finally, after weeks of not responding the letters stopped. My dad thought that perhaps somehow I had made the letters keep coming, and he grounded me all summer. Ever since that summer I have wished that I could have gone to Hogwarts. Marsha, I can't deny it to you or myself anymore. I could have been a wizard."
Mrs. Polkis sat on the rose sofa stunned. Her normal happy exterior was now tainted with the knowledge of the secret that her husband had been keeping from her for the twenty-nine years that they had been married.
Marsha's mouth gaped, " P-P-Peter, how could you do this to me? How c-could you keep this from me for all these years! If I had known that you were, were a-a-a," she finally brought herself to saying the words," a freak, I never would have married you!"
Mr. Polkis looked hurt. He knew that he shouldn't have kept this from his wife, but his wife should have understood his problem. He looked at her. She was uncontrollably sobbing into her bathrobe. He moved over to comfort her.
"Stay away from me!", she yelled.
Mr. Polkis backed away.
"Marsha, listen," his voice lowered to a very mellow tone," it's not my fault that he's like this. I didn't go to the school, and I am still normal. But it hurts to think about what could have been for me. I could have experienced a whole new type of life. Marsha, please, lets give this a chance."
Mrs. Polkis looked up," Y-You want t-to send him to the school? Are you out of your mind? Imagine what people would say! Imagine the talk! Ohh, what will mother say?!"
Peter Polkis, was a strong man. Not much got to him, but at this moment, for the first time since he had received one of those letters himself, he cried. Mrs. Polkis was startled at this. She realized then just how much sending Piers to this school would mean to her husband. She moved from the sofa and comforted her husband.
"Peter, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you a freak. But, are you sure that we should do this? Should we send him to this school? I mean, do you trust those type of people?"
"Yes, Marsha, I do trust them. My mother was one of them. My father told me when we got the letter. I think that we should give this a chance. If not for my sake, please think about my mother."
Mrs. Polkis did just that. She remembered her childhood, and all of the good times that she had with her mother. She couldn't bring herself to think about what it must have been like to not have a mother. Her husband's mother had died when he was only a baby in a car accident.
"Ok Peter, lets do it. If you really feal that it is the best thing for him then we will send him to this- this, what's that name of the school?"
"Hogwarts"