Chapter 5
Tuberculosis
"So, Meriadoc, what sort of meals shall I prepare for tonight's dinner?"
"I don't know, Mama... anything will be fine."
"Mashed potatoes," Saradoc Brandybuck suggested.
"That sounds good," Merry said shrugging his shoulders. Merry watched his mother run around the kitchen preparing everything for the nights dinner. Merry's father sat at the table next to him reading. Merry stood from the table, "I'm going to the room."
"OK, remember, dinner at six o' clock! That gives us an hour and a half!" she chimed.
Merry walked into his room. He looked to the far corner of the room, where there was a stack of clothes; Pippin's clothes. Merry walked over to them and picked up a scarf that sat on top of the pile. He turned it over and over in his hands, smiling, remembering the day he gave it to Pippin, on his twenty eighth birthday. He wore it during their journey with the Fellowship.
"Merry?"
"What?" Merry looked up and saw Estella standing there, looking naturally beautiful, "Estella! You... you're early."
"Just twenty minutes early," she said.
"O, really? Whoa, I've been here for an hour..." Merry chuckled softly rubbing his head.
"What have you been doing for an hour?" she looked at the clothes on the floor, "Are those yours? They look a little small."
Merry shook his head, "My cousin's."
"Pippin's?"
Merry nodded.
"Where is he? Did he go back home?"
"Yesterday." Merry folded the scarf and placed it on top of the pile.
"That's a lot of clothes..."
"He was planning to stay for another week..."
"And what happened?"
Merry sighed, "It's a long story..."
"Tell me," She walked over to Merry and they sat down on the bed.
"This morning, we got in a fight."
"And?"
"And he left."
"What was the fight about?"
"Pippin said I was ignoring him last night."
"Were you?"
"No!"
"Then why would he think that?"
"I don't know..."
"Maybe you should ask him. Did you ask him?"
Merry starred at her.
"Merry, it probably was a misunderstanding. If you apologize and prove to Pippin that you didn't ignore him, then he'll see that he was simply mistaken, and all will be well. Am I right?"
Merry thought for a moment, "Yes, I suppose so..." Merry smiled, "A misunderstanding, right. We both were mistaken... Estella..."
"Yes?"
"Thanks."
She smiled, "Well, I had to help! You two have been friends forever! I'd hate to ever see the two of you split up!" She stood, "Ready for dinner?"
Merry nodded and the two left to the kitchen.
***
"Mother?"
"Yes, Pippin?"
"Father still has the flu?"
His mother sighed and put down the wooden spoon she was using to stir the mushroom soup, "Pippin, sweetie..." she placed a hand on his shoulder?
Pippin drew back, "Mother, I'm of age now. Tell me the truth. I can handle it."
"Pippin... your father has tuberculosis. He's had it for years; the flu was just a trigger."
"Well, what's tuberculosis? Is it serious? Is Father OK?"
"It affects his lungs. It's not that serious... yet. It can get serious, but he's OK for now."
"Can he... die?"
"Pippin, I don't know."
"Mother, you have to!" Pippin was desperate. He clenched his fists and swallowed, "Please, tell me."
"Yes, he can, and probably will die from it, but it could take years."
His mother turned and continued cooking. Pippin left the kitchen, went to his room, sat on his bed, and cried. He cried for his father, he cried for Merry, Frodo, and Diamond. He cried for every single problem and obstacle in his life. His face in his hands, his sobs muffled, yet audible, he just cried.
"Pippin?"
Pippin lifted his head. His cheeks were wet with tears, and his eyes red. There, stood Merry at the doorway. "Pippin, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Merry rushed over to his cousin. He sat on the bed next to him. Pippin moved away from him.
Merry starred, "Pip..."
Pippin buried his face in his hands again and sniffed; he mumbled something angrily, but Merry couldn't understand it.
"Pip... I'm sorry. Please don't cry. Pip, please."
Pippin mumbled again.
"What?"
"Go away," he said, his hands still over his face.
"But, Pip, I came--"
"Please, just leave me alone."
Merry stayed still, looking at his cousin. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped. Merry walked out of the room and stood by the closed door for a while, listening to the soft sniffs and sobs from his cousin. He wanted to go back in. He had left home immediately after dinner with Estella, and now Pippin wouldn't even talk to him. Merry felt this tremendous sense of guilt, that it was he who cause this depression.
"Merry?"
"O, Hullo, Pervinca."
Pervinca walked over to Merry, "What are you doing here?"
"I came to apologize to Pip, but--"
"What?"
"Pervinca, I feel terrible... I didn't mean to make Pippin cry. He's my best friend..."
"Pippin's crying?"
Merry nodded.
"O, Merry, I don't think it's you, I mean Pippy's been upset about the fight you two had, plus he just found out about Father..."
"What about Uncle?" Merry asked in a concerned tone.
"He's ill... tuberculosis."
Merry said nothing, but starred with his jaw dropped.
Pervinca nodded her head. She looked at the dial, "Mer, it's late? Are you staying the night? It's too late for you to ride home."
Merry nodded, "I suppose. Hopefully Pip will talk to me in the morning."
Pervinca smiled, "If not, I'll make him," she said with a wink, "Come, I'll get the guest bed ready for you."
Tuberculosis
"So, Meriadoc, what sort of meals shall I prepare for tonight's dinner?"
"I don't know, Mama... anything will be fine."
"Mashed potatoes," Saradoc Brandybuck suggested.
"That sounds good," Merry said shrugging his shoulders. Merry watched his mother run around the kitchen preparing everything for the nights dinner. Merry's father sat at the table next to him reading. Merry stood from the table, "I'm going to the room."
"OK, remember, dinner at six o' clock! That gives us an hour and a half!" she chimed.
Merry walked into his room. He looked to the far corner of the room, where there was a stack of clothes; Pippin's clothes. Merry walked over to them and picked up a scarf that sat on top of the pile. He turned it over and over in his hands, smiling, remembering the day he gave it to Pippin, on his twenty eighth birthday. He wore it during their journey with the Fellowship.
"Merry?"
"What?" Merry looked up and saw Estella standing there, looking naturally beautiful, "Estella! You... you're early."
"Just twenty minutes early," she said.
"O, really? Whoa, I've been here for an hour..." Merry chuckled softly rubbing his head.
"What have you been doing for an hour?" she looked at the clothes on the floor, "Are those yours? They look a little small."
Merry shook his head, "My cousin's."
"Pippin's?"
Merry nodded.
"Where is he? Did he go back home?"
"Yesterday." Merry folded the scarf and placed it on top of the pile.
"That's a lot of clothes..."
"He was planning to stay for another week..."
"And what happened?"
Merry sighed, "It's a long story..."
"Tell me," She walked over to Merry and they sat down on the bed.
"This morning, we got in a fight."
"And?"
"And he left."
"What was the fight about?"
"Pippin said I was ignoring him last night."
"Were you?"
"No!"
"Then why would he think that?"
"I don't know..."
"Maybe you should ask him. Did you ask him?"
Merry starred at her.
"Merry, it probably was a misunderstanding. If you apologize and prove to Pippin that you didn't ignore him, then he'll see that he was simply mistaken, and all will be well. Am I right?"
Merry thought for a moment, "Yes, I suppose so..." Merry smiled, "A misunderstanding, right. We both were mistaken... Estella..."
"Yes?"
"Thanks."
She smiled, "Well, I had to help! You two have been friends forever! I'd hate to ever see the two of you split up!" She stood, "Ready for dinner?"
Merry nodded and the two left to the kitchen.
***
"Mother?"
"Yes, Pippin?"
"Father still has the flu?"
His mother sighed and put down the wooden spoon she was using to stir the mushroom soup, "Pippin, sweetie..." she placed a hand on his shoulder?
Pippin drew back, "Mother, I'm of age now. Tell me the truth. I can handle it."
"Pippin... your father has tuberculosis. He's had it for years; the flu was just a trigger."
"Well, what's tuberculosis? Is it serious? Is Father OK?"
"It affects his lungs. It's not that serious... yet. It can get serious, but he's OK for now."
"Can he... die?"
"Pippin, I don't know."
"Mother, you have to!" Pippin was desperate. He clenched his fists and swallowed, "Please, tell me."
"Yes, he can, and probably will die from it, but it could take years."
His mother turned and continued cooking. Pippin left the kitchen, went to his room, sat on his bed, and cried. He cried for his father, he cried for Merry, Frodo, and Diamond. He cried for every single problem and obstacle in his life. His face in his hands, his sobs muffled, yet audible, he just cried.
"Pippin?"
Pippin lifted his head. His cheeks were wet with tears, and his eyes red. There, stood Merry at the doorway. "Pippin, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Merry rushed over to his cousin. He sat on the bed next to him. Pippin moved away from him.
Merry starred, "Pip..."
Pippin buried his face in his hands again and sniffed; he mumbled something angrily, but Merry couldn't understand it.
"Pip... I'm sorry. Please don't cry. Pip, please."
Pippin mumbled again.
"What?"
"Go away," he said, his hands still over his face.
"But, Pip, I came--"
"Please, just leave me alone."
Merry stayed still, looking at his cousin. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped. Merry walked out of the room and stood by the closed door for a while, listening to the soft sniffs and sobs from his cousin. He wanted to go back in. He had left home immediately after dinner with Estella, and now Pippin wouldn't even talk to him. Merry felt this tremendous sense of guilt, that it was he who cause this depression.
"Merry?"
"O, Hullo, Pervinca."
Pervinca walked over to Merry, "What are you doing here?"
"I came to apologize to Pip, but--"
"What?"
"Pervinca, I feel terrible... I didn't mean to make Pippin cry. He's my best friend..."
"Pippin's crying?"
Merry nodded.
"O, Merry, I don't think it's you, I mean Pippy's been upset about the fight you two had, plus he just found out about Father..."
"What about Uncle?" Merry asked in a concerned tone.
"He's ill... tuberculosis."
Merry said nothing, but starred with his jaw dropped.
Pervinca nodded her head. She looked at the dial, "Mer, it's late? Are you staying the night? It's too late for you to ride home."
Merry nodded, "I suppose. Hopefully Pip will talk to me in the morning."
Pervinca smiled, "If not, I'll make him," she said with a wink, "Come, I'll get the guest bed ready for you."