Chapter Four - Tea Time
My story is briefly interrupted by a young lass, April's youngest daughter, Sweet Pea; one of Pearl's many grandchildren. Sweet Pea walked around the room, holding a tea tray and was offering cakes and cookies to go along with our tea. I gratefully accept the offer taking several cookies, and thank her for her kindness. Rarely do I refuse such delicacies as these, or more correctly, rarely do I refuse food at all! I had quite forgotten just how hungry I could get while telling a long and detailed story.
Sweet Pea leaves the tea tray on the center table (directly in front of me) and sits down beside her mother. I munch on a sugar cookie and make small talk as others are taking a small break from their long-winded Uncle. My mouth is full of cookie when my son, Faramir and his wife, Goldilocks (Sam's daughter), stroll inside the little study hand-in-hand. My eyes go wide at the sight of her swelling belly. I haven't seen the young lovebirds much for the past two months and am happy to see Goldilocks is doing well. Diamond and I are expecting our first grandchild to grace Middle-Earth in the near future. Faramir leans into my ear and tells me his mother is not feeling very well; she may have ate too much of the apple bread. I nod in understanding, knowing she will be fine after a small nap. I whisper back to him that I will make a point to check in on her after my story.
I look about the little study once more and I see more folks joining in on listening to the story of my sweet Pearl. After all, is she not the reason we are all gathered here? The beauty of her life has touched more than just my own.
I notice that Kalimas, Merry and Estella's son, universally known as just "Kali", is still here with his sister, Esme; they enter the room, see their cousins and make their way over to them. My younger son and daughter, Boromir and Heather, follow behind on the heels of Kali and Esme, making their way over to their brother Faramir and his wife, mingling about as only young hobbits know how to do. Merry and Estella had urgent business back in Buckland, so I offered to escort his children back to Great Smials where they could visit with their cousins for a while.
I finish my cookies and wash them down with newly filled cup of tea. I hear the murmuring in the room die down as I gather myself for the next chapter in Pearl's side of the story.
