Chapter 56 – A Test (Four Months)
Saturday, November 16th, 1918
On an overcast Saturday afternoon, Rosemary and Patrick are on the living room floor playing with Isabella, who is enjoying time being on her tummy. Lee is sitting on the settee, trying to read the latest copy of The Valley Voice, but is distracted by his family. Rosemary turns her head to say something to Lee but hears what she thinks is a laugh. She quickly turns back, questioning, "Was that you, Patrick?"
"No, ma'am," responds Patrick as he makes another funny face at his sister. They hear the sound again.
"What did you do, Patrick?"
"I made this face Mama!" which he does again, and Isabella repeats the same sound. This time Lee is watching too.
"Oh, my goodness, Lee! She's laughing!"
Lee gets on the floor with them and tries to coax his daughter to do it again. "Where's the camera, Rosie?"
Patrick offers to grab it off the desk. So, he instantly jumps up, grabs the camera, and hands it to Rosemary. Rosemary points it at her daughter, suggesting, "See if you can get her to do it again." Lee makes silly faces and funny sounds when Isabella lets out an even bigger laugh than before, showcasing her adorable dimples. Rosemary excitedly snaps a few pictures, capturing the moment for posterity!
Lee picks up Isabella, and baby talks until she does it again. "You're Papa's little girl, aren't you?"
Rosemary scoots over to Patrick and wraps her arms around him, whispering, "Love you to the moon and back."
Patrick smiles, whispering back, "Love you too, Mama!"
Friday, November 22nd, 1918
Rosemary is laying Isabella back in the bassinet after nursing her in the middle of the night. She watches her daughter for a few moments, ensuring she falls back asleep and then tiptoes across the hall to check on Patrick. Rosemary opens the partially open door and peeks inside.
Patrick quietly says her name, "Mama!"
Rosemary pads to his bed and sits beside him, asking, "Why are you awake, bud?"
Patrick wants to tell her he is nervous about the math test tomorrow. He hasn't understood his assignments lately, and Vincent has been helping him. Patrick tries to tell his mother, but all he can manage is, "I…I don't know. I guess this time it's taking me longer to fall back to sleep after Isabella woke me up."
Rosemary runs her fingers through Patrick's unruly curls, which have grown quite a bit since she had to cut them off. "I'm sorry she keeps waking you up. But, I promise you she will eventually outgrow this," mentions Rosemary.
"I hope it happens sooner than later, Mama."
Rosemary sympathetically looks at Patrick. "Well, I better let you sleep. Would you like pancakes in the morning?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good," remarks Rosemary as she walks to the door.
Patrick calls out, "Mama. Will you stay until I fall asleep?"
"Of course."
Rosemary climbs into bed next to him as he closes his eyes and groggily whispers, "I love you, Mama."
"I love you too."
Later that day
Patrick and all the younger kids take their math test while the older kids work on their geography test. Patrick reads each problem and panics. He doesn't know how to do them and can't remember what Vincent said. Patrick writes out the answer to the last one, the only one he can figure out. Then he looks around to see what his friends are doing. Not to cheat but to see if he is the only one having problems. Patrick's face falls when it appears he is the only one not diligently working.
Elizabeth meanders around the room and notices Patrick's worried expression. She questions, "Is everything alright, Patrick?" He nods as he hides what little work he has done when she passes his desk. She walks to the front, announcing, "You have fifteen minutes left." Patrick glances down at his test, burying his face in his hands. He wipes at some tears forming in his eyes, sniffling once before he draws pictures of the problems he is supposed to solve, hoping it will help him figure it out. Patrick frantically works until Elizabeth shouts, "Time is up," when he purposely waits until everyone else has turned in their tests, ensuring his is at the bottom. "How did you do, Patrick?" asks Elizabeth as she rings the bell.
"Great, Missus Grant. I need to go. My parents are waiting for me. Bye." He turns and runs outside with his bag dragging behind him. Elizabeth chuckles as she follows the rest of the students out.
Sunday, November 24th, 1918
Rosemary and Lee put Isabella down for her nap on a sunny Sunday afternoon and find Patrick in his room, where he's been most of the weekend. Rosemary inquires, "Hi, bud. Papa and I have something for you. Do you want to join us?"
Patrick nods and follows them downstairs, where they all sit on the settee with Patrick in the middle. Lee hands him a box, suggesting, "Go ahead and open it, buddy."
"What is it, Papa?"
"It's something Mama came up with to celebrate the first anniversary of you officially becoming Patrick Coulter."
Rosemary chimes in, "He's right. It has been exactly a year since we had your adoption party."
Patrick giggles and opens the box. Inside is a black leather-bound book. On the front, it reads:
To Our Son,
Patrick Michael Coulter
He glances at his parents and turns to the first page. Rosemary wrote about them meeting Patrick for the first time and how he showed them how to spin a top. Below, she added a drawing she found Patrick did of the occasion. The following page has the picture of Lee, Rosemary, and Patrick at their first picnic and a caption of their fun time together. The third page has the drawing Patrick gave them the first night he spent with them in their house. Each subsequent page has either a picture or an illustration to accompany a memory: the letter Lee and Rosemary wrote to him when he came to live with them, the first time he calls them Mama and Papa and tells them he loves them after being lost in the woods, first day of school, adoption day, him learning about his baby sister, their first picture as a family of four, and lastly, a letter they wrote him for this occasion.
November 24th, 1918
Dear Patrick,
You officially became our Patrick Coulter precisely a year ago today. We want you to know we love you even more than we did one year ago. You're the best son we could have hoped for, and we are so proud of who you are becoming. You're a great big brother to Isabella, a great friend to Jack, Allie, Vincent, Fred, and Hazel, a great cousin to Pat and Catherine, a great nephew to Aunt Susannah and Uncle Jake, and the best grandson to Pépé and Mémé who love you so much. You're compassionate, loving, polite, and brave, and our biggest hope is that you feel happy and loved every minute of the day. We know you can do anything you set your mind to, and we can't wait to see what the future holds for you and our family. We love you to infinity, to the moon and back, and more than all the stars in the sky.
Love, Mama, Papa, and Isabella
Patrick wipes a tear falling down his cheek and hugs his parents until he can get the words out. "Thanks, Mama, Papa. I will always love you forever and ever."
Monday, November 25th, 1918
Elizabeth rings the bell for lunch/recess, and all the children race outside. She calls out Patrick's name, "Can you wait a minute? I would like to speak to you."
Patrick stands still while everyone runs around him. Then, he slowly walks up to her desk, asking, "Yes, Missus Grant. What did you need?"
Elizabeth hands him his test, inquiring, "What happened, Patrick? Why didn't you solve the rest of the problems?"
Patrick keeps his eyes on his feet until he gets the courage to look up and admit, "I didn't know how to do them."
Elizabeth watches as Patrick nervously twiddles his thumbs. "How did you do your homework then?" asks Elizabeth.
"Vincent helped me…a lot."
"Why didn't you ask your parents or me for help?"
Patrick replies, "I don't know. I just didn't want to bother them. Papa is so busy at work and helps Mama at night with Isabella. And Mama is so tired from her day."
Elizabeth half-smiles at Patrick, mentioning, "You know they will drop everything if you need help."
Patrick finally looks up at Elizabeth, inquiring, "Are you going to show this to them?"
"They need to know, Patrick." She hands him an envelope. "Give this to your parents. I would like to speak with them in person tomorrow after school. We will show the test to them together, okay?"
"Yes, Missus Grant."
"Now, go eat your lunch and play."
Patrick turns and heads outside, but instead of playing with his friends, he goes to the pond alone. He searches for some rocks to skip, thinking about how his parents will react when they read the note. Patrick throws the first rock, but it sinks to the bottom instead of skipping over the water. He tries again, but the same thing happens. Patrick feels sorry for himself, thinking, "I can't even skip a rock." He sighs in frustration as he sits down, pulls out his lunch, and tries to figure out what to say to his parents.
At the end of the school day, Elizabeth rings the bell, and Patrick hesitantly steps outside. He sees Lee motioning him over with a big grin. "Patrick, over here! Mama and Isabella are waiting in the car." Patrick runs to his father, hugs him, and they both run to the car parked in front of the office. Patrick jumps in the back seat with his mother and sister while Lee jogs to the front of the vehicle, cranks the engine, and hops in the front seat.
Rosemary questions Patrick, "Did Papa tell you what is going on? The only thing he told me was Benson Hills."
"No, ma'am, he didn't."
Lee chuckles as he puts the car in gear, stating, "We haven't been out of town as a family since this little one joined us. So, I thought we needed a night out."
Rosemary questions, "You want to go out on a school night?" as she looks at both of her children. "Lee, I am not sure I'm ready to be away from home. What if pumpkin has another diaper disaster? Where do I nurse her? I'll need to find a private place. And what if she cries and everybody thinks we are horrible parents."
"Rosie, we eventually need to get back to our lives. Isabella isn't going anywhere, and we need to learn how to navigate life with two children."
Rosemary grins, responding, "I guess we can go, but now you owe me a week of changing poopy diapers." Lee laughs but happily agrees. "So, Mister Coulter, what do you have up your sleeves for today?"
"Oh, nothing big. I thought we could shop and," Rosemary perks up. "Eat and shop some more."
Rosemary giggles, remarking, "That is my kind of plan."
When they finally arrive in Benson Hills, Lee opens the door and offers to take Isabella. Rosemary passes her over, and Lee offers her his free hand. "Your shopping spree awaits, madame," announces Lee.
Rosemary glances around at all the shops, people, and her daughter, realizing, "We haven't been here since you decided to make your appearance a little early, sweet baby girl. Mémé and I shopped until you exhausted me like you always did." Rosemary chuckles at the memory. "I even had to teach Mémé to drive us home because you were so excited to join us."
"Mémé didn't know how to drive?" inquires Patrick with a giggle.
"No, she didn't."
Lee interrupts, "Where to first, Rosie?"
"Um, let me see. How about we try the toy store, the bookstore, and then the fabric store?"
"Sounds good," remarks Lee.
Over the next few hours, Rosemary wears everybody out, going from shop to shop, buying things for Patrick, Isabella, Lee, and herself. Lee has no idea where all this energy is coming from, so he does his best to keep up. Isabella doesn't seem to mind as long as she is in either Rosemary or Lee's arms. On the other hand, Patrick feels guilty the whole time because of all the nice things they are buying him. Unfortunately, he can't bring himself to mention the test or the note when they are having a good time. "Why don't we get something to eat and go home," asks Lee while they walk back to the car with their last purchases.
Rosemary inquires, "Can we eat at my favorite little café?"
"You bet."
As they get to the car, Rosemary reveals, "I need to feed her. Why don't you and Patrick go to the café? We will meet you shortly." She kisses him, stating, "You know what to order for me."
Lee kisses her back as well as their daughter, responding, "Okay, but don't take too long." Rosemary smirks, and Lee and Patrick walk away, leaving Rosemary and Isabella in the car.
They enjoy their meal so much that they lose track of time. Before they realize it, it's already after 9:00 pm. Rosemary giggles when she sees both kids are sleeping, Isabella on her chest and Patrick in his chair. "We better head home, sweetheart," suggests Rosemary.
"I will get the car and be back in a jiffy." Lee pays the bill and jogs out the front door with a smile.
Five minutes later, Lee parks the car in front of the café. He runs inside and helps Patrick walk to the car while Rosemary gathers their things and carries Isabella. Patrick sleepily crawls into the back seat, followed by Rosemary and Isabella. He then leans against Rosemary and immediately falls back asleep.
Tuesday, November 26th, 1918
The following day after school, Elizabeth waits for Rosemary, Lee, and Patrick to show up. She checks the time and glances outside more than once, but they are never there. Elizabeth finally gives up fifteen minutes after their proposed meeting time, but not before her mind thinks the worst. Elizabeth grabs her basket, including Patrick's test, and walks into town. She checks at The Valley Voice, but it is closed for the evening, which is odd since Lee is usually still around. Elizabeth lets her mind wander further to all the bad things that can happen. She takes a deep breath and collects herself, now determined to check on her friends. Elizabeth rushes home as fast as she can, hoping everything is okay. She hears Rosemary singing a song, probably to Isabella, as she gets close enough to the Coulter's house. Elizabeth jogs up their steps, relieved but thinks twice about knocking. She goes home instead, busying herself with cooking dinner for her family. However, she cannot get Lee and Rosemary not showing up out of her mind.
Nathan can tell it is bothering Elizabeth, so he tells her to talk to them after they tuck Jack into bed for the night. Elizabeth grabs her wrap and heads next door. This time she can hear the Coulter's piano but decides this conversation can't wait any longer. Elizabeth walks up the stairs to their door and knocks, but nobody hears her over the piano. She knocks again a little louder, and this time Lee answers, holding Isabella in his arms. Lee invites her inside, and she makes herself comfortable in one of the chairs.
Patrick turns and notices Elizabeth, instantly remembering the note and the meeting today after school. He mumbles, "Oh, no," as he hits the wrong key. Rosemary waves to her friend and eyes her son, thinking it's weird for him to miss a note.
Lee asks, "What are you doing here so late, Elizabeth? Is everything okay?"
Elizabeth tries to formulate what she should say but ends up blurting, "I am just going to come out and say it. Why didn't you and Rosemary show up at the school this afternoon? I waited for you, and you never came."
Lee fingers through his hair, asking, "The school? I don't remember having to be at the school today." Patrick tries his best to listen and play simultaneously, but Rosemary can tell something is distracting her son.
"Didn't Patrick give you a note yesterday?" inquires Elizabeth.
Patrick plays a few wrong notes. "No, Elizabeth, he didn't," answers Lee. Elizabeth nods, now understanding why they didn't show up. "We were out late last night, so maybe he didn't have a chance." Lee rubs his chin, trying to figure out why Patrick would keep that from them.
Rosemary sees Patrick watching Lee and Elizabeth, so she places her hands over Patrick's, suggesting, "Why don't we continue your lesson later? I want to hear what they are saying." Patrick gulps, and they walk over to the settee, joining Lee and Isabella.
"Was there something you were supposed to show me and Mama yesterday?" questions Lee. Patrick's face falls, knowing he is in trouble. "Do you want to go find it for us?" Patrick nods and races upstairs to his room before he starts crying. He jumps on his bed, burying his face in his pillows, quietly sobbing.
Meanwhile, downstairs, Isabella breaks the silence, babbling to her father. Lee talks back, repeating the sounds she made. Rosemary excuses herself when Patrick doesn't come down, offering, "I'll go check on him." She jogs up the stairs and into Patrick's room, where she sees her son sobbing into his pillow. Rosemary immediately sits down next to him, and he crawls into her lap.
Patrick looks up to Rosemary, apologizing, "I'm sorry, Mama."
Rosemary rubs up and down his back, whispering, "It's okay."
"But I messed up."
"You did, but you are still a good kid, and we love you." Patrick sniffles and Rosemary wipes the last of the tears from his eyes. "Why don't we go downstairs, and we can all talk about it?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Do you know where the note is?" Patrick glances around his room and remembers, "I think it's in my bag by the piano." Rosemary squeezes him, and they get off the bed, padding down the stairs together. When they get to the bottom, Patrick reaches for her hand, and they find his bag exactly where he thought it was. He carries it to the settee, and he and Rosemary sit down next to Lee and Isabella, but he can't bring himself to reach inside. So instead, Patrick holds the bag open, and Rosemary grabs the envelope, showing it to Lee so they can read simultaneously.
"I am sorry, Papa, Mama, Aunt Elizabeth. I was going to deliver it to you. I was, but then we went to Benson Hills, and you bought me all those nice things. I didn't want to ruin the evening."
Rosemary adds, "And then you fell asleep before we got home."
Patrick nods, apologizing again, "I am so sorry."
Elizabeth gives the test to Rosemary, explaining, "This is what I wanted to show you today." Rosemary looks it over and hands it to Lee. Patrick is too afraid to see his parents' expressions, so he clings to his mother's arm, hiding his head at her side. Elizabeth can see them struggling with what to say, so she breaks the awkwardness with, "Patrick, don't you have something to tell your parents?"
Patrick addresses Rosemary and Lee in a soft voice, "I've been having trouble with my math lessons the last month. Vincent has helped me, but instead of explaining how to do the problems, he tells me what to do. I wanted you to know I was having trouble, but I was ashamed. You two are so busy caring for Isabella and me; I didn't want to add to everything you already do."
Rosemary is the first to reassure Patrick, "You and your sister are our top priority.
"She is right. We will always make time for you two no matter what," adds Lee as Patrick climbs in his lap. "Now, here is what we are going to do, mister. Each night, we will spend some time helping you with your math lessons."
"Thank you, Papa, Mama."
"Elizabeth is there anything else?" questions Lee.
"No. And for what it's worth, I think it's a great plan."
Saturday, November 30th, 1918
Rosemary wakes up early Saturday morning with an inspired idea and is ready to try it after breakfast. Unfortunately, the week didn't go so well, even though they spent time with Patrick and his math homework each night. Patrick just wasn't understanding the concepts. So, after breakfast, Rosemary pulls out the puppets and tries to have them explain the concepts. She thinks it is going well, but he is still confused when he independently works on the practice problems.
A frustrated Patrick sadly questions, "Can I go play in my room now?"
An equally frustrated and sad Rosemary responds, "Sure, bud." Patrick trudges up the stairs, and Rosemary turns to Lee, saying, "I don't know what else to do."
"We will figure something out. We always do."
Later in the day, Rosemary and Patrick are downstairs playing a card game while Lee sits on his bed, working, with Isabella lying on her tummy. He hears his daughter grunting a little and squirming, but he doesn't think much of it. Then a minute later, he hears a happy squeal, so he glances at her, blinking his eyes and doing a double take because she is no longer on her tummy. Instead, she is on her back, grinning with those adorable dimples, legs bouncing and kicking. Lee picks up Isabella, asking, "How did you end up on your back, princess? When did you learn how to roll yourself over?" Lee yells down to his wife and son.
Rosemary races up the stairs, with Patrick following close behind. "What is it?" inquires Rosemary.
"She rolled over!" exclaims Lee.
"What do you mean she rolled over?
"She was lying on her tummy one minute, and the next, she was on her back, happy as can be."
Lee hands Isabella over to Rosemary, cooing, "You rolled over by yourself? I can't believe I missed it." Rosemary reveals, "You are growing up too fast."
Patrick suggests, "Put her down, Mama. Let's see if she'll do it again."
"Great idea, bud," replies Rosemary as she lays her baby girl on the bed and sits next to her. "Can you roll over for Mama and big brother?" Isabella smiles but soon discovers a new sound she can make. She starts entertaining herself by kicking her legs and producing all sorts of sounds with her mouth. They all watch Isabella in awe, giggling at how cute she is, when suddenly, there is a knock at the door. Patrick and Lee offer to answer, but Rosemary insists she'll go. She reaches for Isabella, and they go downstairs to see who it is. Rosemary opens the door and is relieved to see her best friend. "Hello, Elizabeth. How are you doing?" Isabella talks to Elizabeth with her sounds.
"I am doing great."
"What do we owe the pleasure of this visit?" They sit down on the settee with Isabella squirming in Rosemary's arms.
Elizabeth responds, "I thought I would see how you're faring with Patrick's tutoring."
Rosemary frowns, admitting, "Not well, I'm afraid. I am basically a failure. Even the puppets didn't get through to him."
"I have an idea," offers Elizabeth.
"I will try anything."
"What if Allie tutored him? She is good at math and would love to help Patrick."
A smile lights up Rosemary's face. "What a wonderful idea. We would want to pay her, though."
"I'll let you settle with her, but I imagine she won't ask for much, if anything," remarks Elizabeth. Isabella blows bubbles out of her mouth, causing Rosemary and Elizabeth to laugh.
"I'm sorry. Where are my manners? Would you like some tea? I can heat some water."
Elizabeth grins, saying, "Yes, if you let me hold that precious daughter of yours."
Rosemary giggles and hands her over to Elizabeth. "If she is too squirmy, you can lay her over on the blanket. She likes to stare at Patrick's puppets." Elizabeth acknowledges, eventually sitting on the floor with her. Rosemary brings the tea over and sets the two cups on the coffee table, joining Elizabeth and Isabella on the floor.
Isabella entertains Rosemary and Elizabeth with all sorts of sounds as she works hard to do something. They keep watching her, and it happens. She rolls over from front to back. Rosemary screams in delight and lifts her little girl off the floor. "You did it, my big girl!"
Elizabeth giggles, questioning, "Why didn't you tell me she is rolling over?"
"This is the first time she has rolled over in front of me. Lee saw her earlier today." Patrick and Lee come running down the stairs because of all the commotion. "She rolled over again!" exclaims Rosemary.
Lee remarks, "I guess it is time to start working on the playpen."
After the kitchen is clean for the night, Rosemary gets ready for bed. Rosemary sits at her vanity, brushing her hair when Lee brings in their daughter. He hands Isabella to Rosemary and proceeds to change into his night clothes. She shows Isabella her reflection in the mirror, and she squeals. Rosemary coos, "Is that you, baby girl?" Isabella babbles and reaches for Rosemary's long, soft curls. She tugs once, and then let's go.
After Lee buttons up his nightshirt, he walks over to them, inquiring, "Did Mama just show you how pretty you are, angel? I think you look exactly like your Mama, the most beautiful person inside and out I have ever known." Lee takes Isabella back from a blushing Rosemary, who finishes getting ready and stands up. "Are you ready to tuck Patrick in and read his bedtime story?"
Rosemary pats her husband on the chest, replying, "Yes, my love," playfully mentioning, "Now, I do believe tonight is my turn to read." Lee joins her in a chuckle, and they go across the hall. Rosemary grabs the book on Patrick's nightstand and sits on his right while Lee plops down on the other side with Isabella in his lap. "Before we start the book tonight, Papa and I have an idea we want to run by you."
"Sure, Mama."
"How would you like for Allie to tutor you in math? We are not helping you like we thought we could, so we talked to Allie and Elizabeth, and they think it is a good idea. She will come over after school on Tuesday and Thursday. What do you say?"
"Thank you, Mama, Papa!" exclaims Patrick as he hugs both of his parents.
Rosemary grins, opening the book The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk by Thornton W. Burgess, and reads the first line.