Chapter Three – 9:30 a.m.
"Good morning, Captain Gregg!"
Sam turned around. Has to be Jonathan . . . Sam thought, waving to the seven-year-old boy with what he hoped was a 'natural' response. "Uhh . . . good morning . . . Uhh . . . Jon-Jonathan! How are you this morning?"
"Fine, Captain!" the boy responded. "Mom wants to know if you were planning on joining us for breakfast. She said it would be all right. Grandpa and Grandma left early this morning." He started back down the stairs, and then turned back around. "Martha made pancakes!" He looked at his hero again. "Well? Aren't you coming? You know you love Martha's pancakes!" He turned again and started clattering down the stairs to the kitchen.
Sam watched the boy leave, and scratched his head. With the attic stairway door open, he could smell the fragrant pancakes, the bacon cooking and fresh coffee. His mouth watered. How long has it been since I've had a real home-cooked breakfast? Ages. Not since . . . since I leaped into myself at sixteen years old in Elkridge Indiana. Then it was Mom who cooked . . . he thought, and sniffed the air again. Well, strange for a 'ghost' to be eating breakfast! But . . . he reasoned, but if they don't find it odd . . . what am I waiting for?' Sam started down the stairs after the boy.
"Good morning, Captain!" said Martha, as he entered the kitchen, two steps behind Jonathan.
Sam looked at the older woman making pancakes in front of the old-fashioned stove. Oh, of course . . . guess she would have a housekeeper. Sam thought to himself as he looked for a place to sit.
"Good morning, Captain Gregg!" Carolyn and Candy echoed from their seats.
Carolyn pointed to the chair directly across from her as Martha placed a steaming plate of pancakes in front of him. "We saved you a place!" Carolyn smiled as he sat down and put the butter and a pitcher of syrup in front of him.
"Uhh . . . Thanks . . . Thank-you." Sam stammered, trying to get his bearings. He still didn't get it. Ghosts that eat? But he didn't care . . . the food smelled too good, and looked to good to resist!
"Coffee, Captain?" Martha asked, pot in hand.
"Yes . . . Thanks again." He smiled, and took a sip. It was heaven. Best coffee he had tasted in ages! "Great coffee . . ." and he tackled the pancakes.
Martha sighed. "Nice to see you enjoying yourself, Captain! I love watching men eat!" and she grinned at him.
"Martha says we're celebrating," said Candy, pausing between bites of her pancake and bacon sandwich.
"What's that?" Sam asked with his mouth still half full — The pancakes were light as a feather. He was hungry and this breakfast was a dream come true!
"All boarders repelled, Sir!" Jonathan said as he threw Sam a jaunty salute, "Grandma and Grandpa left for home without us 'spilling the beans,' and Claymore has dropped anchor somewhere else!"
"Jonathan!" said Carolyn reprovingly, "You know that's not very nice! What would we have done without Claymore pretending to be the Captain?"
Jonathan nodded. "I know, Mom, but it's still nice that everything worked out Okay last night."
"Yeah, Captain!" said Candy, looking at Sam. "The wedding ceremony redo for Grandpa and Grandma was really neat!"
"It's called a Renewal of Vows Ceremony, sweetheart." Carolyn said looking at her daughter with a smile. "And you're right . . ." She turned and looked at Sam with a soft glow in her emerald eyes. "I told you last night, Captain, it was a beautiful ceremony. I thank-you for it . . . for your idea . . . and thank-you also for the pearls you finagled Claymore into giving me last night." She stopped, her face turning pink, obviously thinking of something that had happened that she was not about to mention at the breakfast table.
So that's what she was talking about! Sam thought as he listened to the conversation intently, filing the information away for future reference. Martha poured 'Captain Gregg' another cup of coffee and the children pushed themselves away from the breakfast table.
"Great breakfast, Martha!" they chorused.
"So . . . " said Sam, desperately looking for something to say, "What time are you two due home from school again?"
Candy groaned. Jonathan rolled his eyes. "Captain!" Candy said. "I thought you were listening last night! We're on spring break this week, remember?" Candy heaved a sigh at the inconsistencies of grownups — ALL grownups — ghostly or otherwise.
"Yeah, Captain!" chimed in Jonathan. "Spring break! Baseball camp starts Thursday, but you promised to take me fishing sometime this week too! Don't you remember?"
"Me too!" said Candy. "Just because I haven't known about you as long as Jonathan has doesn't mean you can forget about me!"
Sam smiled at the pair and grinned. "Just wanted to see if you were really paying attention!" He covered himself. Candy's right, he thought. Her grandmother did say they were on spring break this week! And he took another swallow of his cooling coffee — reluctant to leave the table any sooner than he had to.
"Just think," Candy mused, "a whole week! No homework, no car pool . . ."
"Nothing to do but relax!" Jonathan added, smiling, "Just fun!"
Carolyn shot them a 'mother look' and Sam picked up on it, remembering his own childhood, when spring break meant extra work on the Beckett Dairy Farm his late father had operated.
"Oh, I don't know . . ." Sam paused and looked at the children. "I imagine one could keep themselves pretty busy around here . . . looks like there's lots of things that need doing."
The children gave 'the Captain' a questioning look, and Martha and Carolyn turned to see what the 'ghost' had up his sleeve.
"What do you mean, Captain?" Jonathan queried, looking at his friend.
"Well . . ." Sam said slowly, "The front yard needs to be picked up, the car needs to be cleaned; inside and out, that front gate is sagging, needs to be fixed . . . " he continued, warming up to his joke. "Those flagstones in front should be dug up and leveled — I think the flowerbed has weeds that need to be removed, the widow's-walk really could stand to have the banister repainted . . ." The children's groans cut him off. He smiled, first returning Martha and Carolyn's grins, and then at the children. "But I think we can settle for keeping your room neat and helping Martha when she asks you to — okay?" he said, and then he turned and winked back at the women at the table.
"We get it, Captain!" said Candy. "Martha and Mom aren't on vacation . . . right?"
"I gotcha, Captain Gregg!" added Jonathan. "Hey! That was pretty sneaky!"
"Sneaky is what grownups do best!" said Sam, and he buried another smile in his coffee cup.
Carolyn and Martha hid smiles of their own — wondering what had suddenly made 'Captain Gregg' so aware of what it took to keep his house 'Ship-shape and Bristol-Fashion,' and beamed back at him.
There was the sound of barking on the outside of the kitchen door and Jonathan looked at his mother.
"Can we let Scruffy in now, Mom? We're all done . . ." he said, pointing to his empty plate, and reaching for the door.
"The Captain's not done yet!" said Martha and Carolyn, at the same time.
"Uhh . . ." said Sam, dreading the inevitable when it came to dealing with animals, "I'd rather you . . ."
But Jonathan had opened the door, and the terrier had plunged inside — and headed straight for 'Captain Gregg.'
Sam braced himself for the worst, already trying to think of explanations he would surely need. The little animal was sure to growl at him.
"Groufff?" Scruffy barked, and looked at Sam with his ears perked up. The little animal pranced around Sam's feet, and then rolled over on his back — waiving his legs in the air and whining.
"Scruffy wants you to give him a belly rub," said Jonathan.
"Looks like he is finally beginning to like you, Captain Gregg!" said Candy, "Better go along with him or he'll never leave you alone!"
Sam grinned. Well isn't this a switch! he thought, reaching down to pat the dog's stomach, I wish THIS happened more often!
"Wonder what's up with Scruffy?" Martha mused, half to her herself, "Never thought I'd see the day Scruffy would want Captain Gregg to give him a belly rub!" After a few minutes of watching 'Captain Gregg' placate Scruffy, Candy and Jonathan headed for the door.
"Can we go practice baseball out in the front yard, Mom?" asked Jonathan.
"Yeah, Mom!" said Candy "We really need to if we're going to be ready for this weekend!" she added, as she stood and waited for her mother's answer.
Sam took another sip of coffee and looked at Carolyn, waiting for her response.
The Imaging Chamber door opened and Albert Calavicci stepped through it. Instead of appearing as he usually did, however, as a realistic holographic image, his figure shifted in and out with static — like a badly tuned television set. Al glanced at Sam.
"It's about time I found you!" he shouted, "Ziggy! He's here — get a lock on him!" Al's image shifted and became clear. "Sam . . . excuse yourself . . . we gotta talk . . ."
"I know the drill, Al . . ." Sam muttered, then, standing, he said. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I need to go the restroom — "
"WHAT?!" chorused the family, looking at him.
"Sam!!" Al hissed, "You're a GHOST! Ghosts don't DO bathrooms!!!"
"I mean, I think I left my . . . Uhh . . . telescope in there . . ." Sam paused. "Well, I guess I'll see you all later . . . " He vanished from sight quickly, willing himself back to the widow's-walk, and waited for Al — leaving a befuddled group in the kitchen.
"What would Captain Gregg be doing in the bathroom — with a telescope?" Jonathan asked, wonderingly.
Carolyn Muir looked at the space that Sam had vacated — a frown replacing the smile that had been on her beautiful face.