Chapter Twenty-Three: Father and Son
It was dark in Merry's room and well past midnight, yet it wasn't much more than an hour ago that most everyone had retired to their beds. The evening was full of hard labor with cooking beans, peas and the glass jars (separately of course!) in preserving for the winter food stores. Afterwards, the clean up process took them through to the midnight hour. Eglantine was quite pleased with the progress made that day, and rewarded everyone's effort with a large batch of sugar cookies.
Presently, Merry lay awake in his bed; he was exhausted and felt he would have no problem falling asleep right away. Easier said than done. He tried twisting this way or turning that way, but to no avail. His legs and arms ached, yet Merry was still grateful it wasn't his head that was aching! He lay on his back, his arms behind his head with eyes staring up at the ceiling. He felt he had been doing more and more of this lately!
He was thinking about his father--as his uncle had suggested earlier, when he heard the door handle turn. Unsure of who else would be up this late--or early, he lay as still as a stone pretending to be asleep.
Whoever it was brought a candle with them; Merry noticed his eyelids grew bright. He heard the person shuffle...and limp as they stepped over to grab a chair. My father!, he thought. Merry opened one eye to a slit and stole a peek; watching his father labor with the chair. Then he closed it again when he saw Saradoc reach out to.....Merry felt him bring the blankets up to his chin and tuck in the rest of the covers. He heard his father settle into the chair with a heavy sigh.
"Why are you here?" Merry whispered.
Saradoc jumped when he heard Merry's voice. "I'm sorry, Merry! I didn't mean to wake you!" He whispered back. "I only wanted to....to watch you sleep. I'll leave if you want."
"Well...I'm not used to having anyone watch me sleep. I'd feel your eyeballs all over me."
"I understand." Saradoc got up from the chair. Merry watched as his father, once again, made a face when he put his weight on his leg.
"How did you injure your knee? You seemed fine when I left home in Wedmath."
Saradoc turned red at the ears. "I, um....I...." He stammered. At a strange look from his son Saradoc came out with it. "Very well. I fell out of your little cart."
Merry looked incredulous at his father. "You mean my little wagon? You fell out of my little wagon? How did you manage this?"
"When I found out that you were gone for good, I....I would sit in my study while memories of you filled my head. The memory of the last time you rode your wagon kept playing on my mind. I could again see you and Merimas dragging it up the hillside and then jump inside as it rolled back down towards the stables. I could hear you squealing with laughter as if you were a ten-year-old again." Saradoc smiled.
"I haven't rode down the hill in my wagon since I was twelve. You used to watch me?"
"Through the window." Saradoc replied. "Very few things in this world bring me more pleasure than to hear you laugh, Merry. Your laughter is like a new spring morning; like listening to the laughter of a waterfall."
Merry never knew this. A part of Merry was angry with Saradoc for not sharing this part of his life with him. The other part of him was amused that his father would go to such lengths to touch the memory of his son with a wild ride down a hillside. Saradoc watched the conflict upon his child's face and at once understood the stress he was under.
"Merry, please don't fret over coming home right away. I can see you need time away still. Come home when you're ready, but whatever you do, please stop by every now and then to see your mother. You don't even have to speak to me, but please visit your mum."
"Then I can stay with Uncle Paladin?"
"Yes. I like Frodo well enough, Merry, but he's not quite responsible yet, and well, old Bilbo's getting up in age. And I happen to know that your auntie and Paladin are the only ones in Middle Earth that love you more than we do." He watched as Merry rolled onto his back; his face appeared more relaxed.
"Tell me one thing. Please tell me you rode the little wagon after nightfall and not during the daylight where all of our relations could see you!"
Saradoc was please to tell his tale to his son. "Ah, well, to tell you the truth--I wasn't alone! It was your Uncle Merimac and myself along with a couple mugs of brew inside us that took us up the hill! It was a grand flight down the hill, I'll tell you! But when we reached the bottom, all I can say is that I fared better than my brother!" Saradoc laughed and looked over to Merry to expound on Merimac, but lo and behold--Merry had fallen asleep.
Once again, Saradoc tucked his son in bed, kissed his forehead, and quietly limped out the door.
