Like the great-nephew of a deceased millionaire might not realise his
bounty for almost a decade, my legacy was ten years old, and growing, by
the time it was returned to me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~REAL LIFE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Uncle Seamus! Uncle Seamus, can I go home with you tonight?" Lena ran up to Seamus, down on the dirt road. Her long brown hair flew around her face and her tiny arms were around his neck the moment she was near enough to him to fly up to him.
"Why baby? Wassamatter?"
Lena looped her arms around his neck and pulled him down until he was level with her. She glanced at Hannah and Ernie out on the porch with their three children and gestured for him to come closer. "I don't think Uncle Ernie likes me very much. I don't think he wants me to live here any more."
Seamus straightened immediately and glared at Ernie. "Why?" he asked, livid.
"He just forgets about me sometimes, that's all."
Seamus sighed and looked at the little girl. "Nobody deserves to be forgotten." He said, more to himself than Lena. He took her hand and walked up to the house.
They chatted for a while and then sent the children to bed. Lena squeezed Seamus extra hard as she went up to her bedroom.
Hannah poured Seamus a cup of tea and they sat and talked for a while. "You know, I was thinking, I'd like to take Lena home with me."
"For the weekend?" Hannah asked.
"No, I'd like her to come live with me again."
Ernie looked visibly relieved but Hannah seemed quite surprised. "Well Seamus, you can't take care of a little girl."
"Why the hell not? She's ten years old, s'not like she's a baby anymore."
"But still, if she was a boy, then maybe. But she needs a mother. Ernie, a little help here?"
"What? Oh yeah, well, I think Seamus is right. To tell you the truth I think it would be the best. He is Lena's legal guardian and this house is getting kind of cramped, what with six people in it and all..."
Hannah sighed. "Only if it's what Lena wants."
"You doubt that she'll want to live with me?"
Hannah sighed again and was about to say something when her oldest son, Kellen, walked into the room.
"Mum, this house is too small. I want my own room, I can't sleep. I hate Donny, his snoring."
Hannah glanced at Seamus who raised his arms and said nothing. "You go lie down in Mum and Dad's room. We'll move you when we come upstairs. Good night Kellen." She slumped back in her chair.
"Still having doubts?"
"Shut up Finnigan. We should just trade houses, is all."
Seamus shook his head. "I need my baby back, that's all."
The next week came to collect Lena. She was sitting with her stuff on the porch, perched on suitcases that were bigger than her. Almost all the toys she owned, and indeed that the other children owned had come from Seamus. Hannah and Ernie, barely twenty-nine with four children to look after, didn't quite have money to throw around.
That morning Hannah and Lena had decided what they would be doing and Hannah had looked at her and said, "If you ever need anything, a Mum or a hug or anyhing at all, you remember I'm right here."
"I know, Auntie. Thank you very much for everything you've done." The little girl said in her grown-up voice.
Hannah smiled and turned away to brush her tears off her face. Lena, with her dark hair and tiny, lithe frame looked favoured her father looks-wise, but her manner reminded Hannah of no one but her mother, Hannah's long ago best-friend, Susan Bones. She turned back and faced Lena, smiling the hard, bright smile she had long ago adopted for job interviews and particularily nasty Mondays.
"Ready to go darling?"
"Yes Uncle Seamus."
He smiled. "Okay sweetie, go wait for me down in the trees there, we can go in a minute. I just need to talk to your Auntie for a minute."
He turned to Hannah who had her arms crossed over her chest, clutching a tissue and rubbing her nose. "Come on love, cheer up. You can come visit everyday."
"I have a job Finnigan." Hannah replied darkly.
"See! You still have it in you to be miserable to me." Seamus said cheerfully. Then his smile softened and he put his arms around Hannah. "You can come visit any time you like, and I'll bring her around for dinner and to see Maddy, don't worry pet, it'll work out."
Hannah nodded but she didn't trust herself to speak. She turned instead and went back inside with the children. Seamus walked down to the wooded area behind the house and found Lena waiting patiently for him. He took her hand and they Apparated home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~REAL LIFE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Uncle Seamus! Uncle Seamus, can I go home with you tonight?" Lena ran up to Seamus, down on the dirt road. Her long brown hair flew around her face and her tiny arms were around his neck the moment she was near enough to him to fly up to him.
"Why baby? Wassamatter?"
Lena looped her arms around his neck and pulled him down until he was level with her. She glanced at Hannah and Ernie out on the porch with their three children and gestured for him to come closer. "I don't think Uncle Ernie likes me very much. I don't think he wants me to live here any more."
Seamus straightened immediately and glared at Ernie. "Why?" he asked, livid.
"He just forgets about me sometimes, that's all."
Seamus sighed and looked at the little girl. "Nobody deserves to be forgotten." He said, more to himself than Lena. He took her hand and walked up to the house.
They chatted for a while and then sent the children to bed. Lena squeezed Seamus extra hard as she went up to her bedroom.
Hannah poured Seamus a cup of tea and they sat and talked for a while. "You know, I was thinking, I'd like to take Lena home with me."
"For the weekend?" Hannah asked.
"No, I'd like her to come live with me again."
Ernie looked visibly relieved but Hannah seemed quite surprised. "Well Seamus, you can't take care of a little girl."
"Why the hell not? She's ten years old, s'not like she's a baby anymore."
"But still, if she was a boy, then maybe. But she needs a mother. Ernie, a little help here?"
"What? Oh yeah, well, I think Seamus is right. To tell you the truth I think it would be the best. He is Lena's legal guardian and this house is getting kind of cramped, what with six people in it and all..."
Hannah sighed. "Only if it's what Lena wants."
"You doubt that she'll want to live with me?"
Hannah sighed again and was about to say something when her oldest son, Kellen, walked into the room.
"Mum, this house is too small. I want my own room, I can't sleep. I hate Donny, his snoring."
Hannah glanced at Seamus who raised his arms and said nothing. "You go lie down in Mum and Dad's room. We'll move you when we come upstairs. Good night Kellen." She slumped back in her chair.
"Still having doubts?"
"Shut up Finnigan. We should just trade houses, is all."
Seamus shook his head. "I need my baby back, that's all."
The next week came to collect Lena. She was sitting with her stuff on the porch, perched on suitcases that were bigger than her. Almost all the toys she owned, and indeed that the other children owned had come from Seamus. Hannah and Ernie, barely twenty-nine with four children to look after, didn't quite have money to throw around.
That morning Hannah and Lena had decided what they would be doing and Hannah had looked at her and said, "If you ever need anything, a Mum or a hug or anyhing at all, you remember I'm right here."
"I know, Auntie. Thank you very much for everything you've done." The little girl said in her grown-up voice.
Hannah smiled and turned away to brush her tears off her face. Lena, with her dark hair and tiny, lithe frame looked favoured her father looks-wise, but her manner reminded Hannah of no one but her mother, Hannah's long ago best-friend, Susan Bones. She turned back and faced Lena, smiling the hard, bright smile she had long ago adopted for job interviews and particularily nasty Mondays.
"Ready to go darling?"
"Yes Uncle Seamus."
He smiled. "Okay sweetie, go wait for me down in the trees there, we can go in a minute. I just need to talk to your Auntie for a minute."
He turned to Hannah who had her arms crossed over her chest, clutching a tissue and rubbing her nose. "Come on love, cheer up. You can come visit everyday."
"I have a job Finnigan." Hannah replied darkly.
"See! You still have it in you to be miserable to me." Seamus said cheerfully. Then his smile softened and he put his arms around Hannah. "You can come visit any time you like, and I'll bring her around for dinner and to see Maddy, don't worry pet, it'll work out."
Hannah nodded but she didn't trust herself to speak. She turned instead and went back inside with the children. Seamus walked down to the wooded area behind the house and found Lena waiting patiently for him. He took her hand and they Apparated home.