After that things moved quickly and it wasn't until a week later when I was
on my way with Jem to meet Atticus that I realized something was missing.
It happened when we passed the Radley house and I was straining for a
glance of Boo. When it hit me "Boo!" I gasped and stopped short. Jem had
taken a few more steps before he noticed I was no longer beside him and he
turned.
"C'mon Scout. We're already late without you making us more so. Now hurry up." I turned to him with such a horrified look that he was taken back for a minute. "What is it Scout??" He asked worried as he hurried back to me.
"Oh Jem. I forgot Boo." I said sadly shaking my head. How could I have forgotten? Dill and I couldn't have a wedding without us at least asking Boo to come even if he chose not to. In fact I decided that I was willing to have it at night if Boo would come. Then I came back to the present and Jem staring at me worriedly.
"What do you mean you forgot Boo?" Jem asked puzzled.
"Dill and I were going to have our wedding without ever asking Boo to come and he saved our lives. That just wouldn't be right. I'm gonna ask him." I started towards the Radley lot when I felt Jem's hand on my shoulder.
"I agree that you gotta ask him but not right now, k Scout? We gotta go meet Atticus now." I stared at the front porch and the lonely swing before reluctantly agreeing. It was only my love for Atticus that kept me from marching up the steps right then and there. I told Atticus my troubles later that night and he agreed that I should go ask first thing in the morning.
Next morning I met Dill early and he agreed to accompany me to the gate but he wouldn't go any further.
"I'm not a chicken Scout. Really!" He protested when I asked why he wouldn't come and ask Boo with me. "It's just that living in your house and never comin' out just ain't natural. You go ahead. You're friends!" He spoke the last word almost reverently. I finally agreed that that'd be ok with me.
I walked up to the gate with Dill and paused as I stared at the house. Childhood memories of being scared to death of that house suddenly came back to me and I shivered as a weak gust of wind blew through making the porch swing creak and sway. Although it took me a long minute I gathered up the courage to walk through the gate and up the porch to the door. I raised my hand to knock and the door came swinging open. I abruptly came face to face with Mr. Nathan Radley.
"Jean Louise Finch." He growled. "What are you doing on my porch?" He demanded of me.
"Hello Mr. Nathan sir." I greeted him. "If you wouldn't mind I would like to ask Mr. Arthur a question."
"Well, I mind very much Miss. Finch. My brother is in no mood to talk to you or anyone. Go away before I call Mr. Tate to come and remove you from my property." I swallowed deeply and could barely contain my legs' urgings to run.
"Mr. Nathan. It's like this: Mr. Arthur saved my brother about six years ago and my friend, Dill, and I" I gestured vaguely over my shoulder at Dill as I said this. "are going to get married in about a week and I wanted to invite your brother over. I'll even do it at night if it'd be easier on him." Mr. Nathan glared down at me before speaking again.
"I have already said that my brother has no desire to ever see you again. You're a crazy little girl who should go away and leave us alone. My brother hates you." I was so stunned and horrified by the tone of Mr. Nathan's voice and what he said that I burst into tears, turned, ran off the porch, through the gate, past Dill and all the way to my porch where I threw myself down sobbing. It took Dill almost a full minute to catch up with me and he sat down next to me.
"I heard what that mean Mr. Nathan said. Don't believe any of it. He just doesn't want Boo to have any friends." He patted me awkwardly on the back. I shook my head and looked at him through my tears.
"It was true. I bet he does hate me 'cause I've never tried to see him in the last six years! The wedding is off!" I threw off Dill's comforting hand and stomped upstairs to my room. Dill went and found Jem who appeared to ask me what was wrong. "Go away!" I yelled and surprisingly he did. After a while I stopped crying and waited gloomily. Sure enough Atticus' head appeared around the door as soon as he got home.
"What happened honey?" He asked concerned. "Jem told me it was bad but wouldn't tell me what." I started crying again and explained the whole thing to him. I looked up at him when I finished and he gave me a very serious look. "That was a very mean thing for Mr. Nathan to do to you honey. Mr. Arthur doesn't hate you. It's just the way he is. That's why you haven't ever seen him again. I bet he's watching you and keeping you safe all the time. Want to know what else?" I was intrigued at this point and I nodded. "I bet he'll watch the whole wedding from his window." Atticus was quite shocked when that caused me to burst into tears again. "What is it??" He asked.
"But now he won't be able to 'cause I called the wedding off. Oh, Atticus what am I supposed to do?" He smiled knowingly at me.
"Well I bet Dill will be willing to give it another try if you are. We haven't even lost a full day of preparation." I looked up at him and thanked him profusely. "Why don't you run over to Dill's and tell him right now?" I agreed that that would be a good idea and went over to tell Dill, who was very happy to see me feeling better.
Before long it was the wedding day and Cal told me I looked fabulous. I didn't think so since I was wearing a dress but I suffered. It was a joyous affair and everyone had a lot of food and we all danced. Dill and I were ecstatic and even Jem had only compliments and praise for the whole affair. I made sure that I looked at the Radley house and that I stayed within sight of upper windows. At one point I even fancied that I saw a shade flicker.
Maybe I did. Maybe Boo did get to see my wedding. I hope still to this day that he did because although he was physically part of my life for only a short time Boo taught me a lot about family and other life lessons. Of course he also saved Jem's life, which is worth the world to me.
A/N: That's it-hope you enjoyed!
"C'mon Scout. We're already late without you making us more so. Now hurry up." I turned to him with such a horrified look that he was taken back for a minute. "What is it Scout??" He asked worried as he hurried back to me.
"Oh Jem. I forgot Boo." I said sadly shaking my head. How could I have forgotten? Dill and I couldn't have a wedding without us at least asking Boo to come even if he chose not to. In fact I decided that I was willing to have it at night if Boo would come. Then I came back to the present and Jem staring at me worriedly.
"What do you mean you forgot Boo?" Jem asked puzzled.
"Dill and I were going to have our wedding without ever asking Boo to come and he saved our lives. That just wouldn't be right. I'm gonna ask him." I started towards the Radley lot when I felt Jem's hand on my shoulder.
"I agree that you gotta ask him but not right now, k Scout? We gotta go meet Atticus now." I stared at the front porch and the lonely swing before reluctantly agreeing. It was only my love for Atticus that kept me from marching up the steps right then and there. I told Atticus my troubles later that night and he agreed that I should go ask first thing in the morning.
Next morning I met Dill early and he agreed to accompany me to the gate but he wouldn't go any further.
"I'm not a chicken Scout. Really!" He protested when I asked why he wouldn't come and ask Boo with me. "It's just that living in your house and never comin' out just ain't natural. You go ahead. You're friends!" He spoke the last word almost reverently. I finally agreed that that'd be ok with me.
I walked up to the gate with Dill and paused as I stared at the house. Childhood memories of being scared to death of that house suddenly came back to me and I shivered as a weak gust of wind blew through making the porch swing creak and sway. Although it took me a long minute I gathered up the courage to walk through the gate and up the porch to the door. I raised my hand to knock and the door came swinging open. I abruptly came face to face with Mr. Nathan Radley.
"Jean Louise Finch." He growled. "What are you doing on my porch?" He demanded of me.
"Hello Mr. Nathan sir." I greeted him. "If you wouldn't mind I would like to ask Mr. Arthur a question."
"Well, I mind very much Miss. Finch. My brother is in no mood to talk to you or anyone. Go away before I call Mr. Tate to come and remove you from my property." I swallowed deeply and could barely contain my legs' urgings to run.
"Mr. Nathan. It's like this: Mr. Arthur saved my brother about six years ago and my friend, Dill, and I" I gestured vaguely over my shoulder at Dill as I said this. "are going to get married in about a week and I wanted to invite your brother over. I'll even do it at night if it'd be easier on him." Mr. Nathan glared down at me before speaking again.
"I have already said that my brother has no desire to ever see you again. You're a crazy little girl who should go away and leave us alone. My brother hates you." I was so stunned and horrified by the tone of Mr. Nathan's voice and what he said that I burst into tears, turned, ran off the porch, through the gate, past Dill and all the way to my porch where I threw myself down sobbing. It took Dill almost a full minute to catch up with me and he sat down next to me.
"I heard what that mean Mr. Nathan said. Don't believe any of it. He just doesn't want Boo to have any friends." He patted me awkwardly on the back. I shook my head and looked at him through my tears.
"It was true. I bet he does hate me 'cause I've never tried to see him in the last six years! The wedding is off!" I threw off Dill's comforting hand and stomped upstairs to my room. Dill went and found Jem who appeared to ask me what was wrong. "Go away!" I yelled and surprisingly he did. After a while I stopped crying and waited gloomily. Sure enough Atticus' head appeared around the door as soon as he got home.
"What happened honey?" He asked concerned. "Jem told me it was bad but wouldn't tell me what." I started crying again and explained the whole thing to him. I looked up at him when I finished and he gave me a very serious look. "That was a very mean thing for Mr. Nathan to do to you honey. Mr. Arthur doesn't hate you. It's just the way he is. That's why you haven't ever seen him again. I bet he's watching you and keeping you safe all the time. Want to know what else?" I was intrigued at this point and I nodded. "I bet he'll watch the whole wedding from his window." Atticus was quite shocked when that caused me to burst into tears again. "What is it??" He asked.
"But now he won't be able to 'cause I called the wedding off. Oh, Atticus what am I supposed to do?" He smiled knowingly at me.
"Well I bet Dill will be willing to give it another try if you are. We haven't even lost a full day of preparation." I looked up at him and thanked him profusely. "Why don't you run over to Dill's and tell him right now?" I agreed that that would be a good idea and went over to tell Dill, who was very happy to see me feeling better.
Before long it was the wedding day and Cal told me I looked fabulous. I didn't think so since I was wearing a dress but I suffered. It was a joyous affair and everyone had a lot of food and we all danced. Dill and I were ecstatic and even Jem had only compliments and praise for the whole affair. I made sure that I looked at the Radley house and that I stayed within sight of upper windows. At one point I even fancied that I saw a shade flicker.
Maybe I did. Maybe Boo did get to see my wedding. I hope still to this day that he did because although he was physically part of my life for only a short time Boo taught me a lot about family and other life lessons. Of course he also saved Jem's life, which is worth the world to me.
A/N: That's it-hope you enjoyed!