The Fine Print: Daniel Knauf and HBO own Carnivale and, unfortunately, Justin and Iris.

Minutes Like Hours

By twinb80

Chapter Five: Looking Back

The party had gone on late into the evening the last remaining guests were leaving. Norman Balthus sat down in his favorite easy chair, recalling the night's festivities. Justin had charmed everyone there and Norman took pride in being his guardian. He couldn't believe that it had been 15 years since the children had come to live with them. The years had flown by and now his children were all grown up. Justin had done well in public school, considering his language barrier in the beginning. It was not until he began attending Divinity School that he really began to shine. He was eager to learn and Norman had become his mentor as well as his guardian. From his sitting position, Norman could see Rose and Iris washing the party dishes and putting them away. Norman frowned. Iris, he could tell, although polite to her guests, had not wanted to be there. Norman could not understand this. The parties in the past Rose and he had given her had always met with joy and happiness. Why was this birthday any different Norman pondered the question some more. He had caught glimpses of Iris at the party and what he had seen was not happiness. Norman could not come up with a satisfactory answer to this problem.

Looking back, Iris had always been a happy person, if not a distant one. Even with all the warmth and love Rose and he had bestowed on her, there was still a wall there. Justin, it seemed, was the only one Iris allowed to get close to her. They were close and sometimes Norman thought a little too close. But that was easily explained away by the strange and horrible circumstances surrounding their orphaning. Norman had watched the children grow up and he thanked the Lord everyday for bringing them into his life. Justin was surely headed for greatness within the Church and Iris had grown up to be a wonderful young woman. Norman had seen Allan Bakerson at the party and knew that he fancied her. Everyone in town thought it would be a good match between Iris and Allan. Allan had come to their town two years previously and taught English at the local high school. He also attended First Methodist and that is where he had first met Iris at a church picnic. The only one who seemed to not think it was a good match was Iris. Norman did not understand this. Allan Bakerson was educated and well liked. And, truth be told, Iris was not getting any younger. Not that she was losing her looks or anything. Norman considered Iris to be pretty with her bright blue eyes and fiery red hair. He sometimes forgot that there was only really a sixteen-year age gap between them. His relationship with Iris had been more like a friendship than a father-daughter one. No, she had been easy to love as a child, but not so easy to get close to. With Justin, Norman felt that he truly had a solid father-son bond with. He was grateful for that. Rose and he had tried to have children of their own, but were never blessed. Not until Norman had found and saved Justin and Iris in that dark forest not so long ago. Adopting them and bringing them into their family had cemented the need Norman felt for a family.

He was truly blessed to have them.

The weekend hurried by, and it was Monday again. Norman was taking Justin back to his school and Rose had decided to go along with them. She had been invited to visit with nearby friends and welcomed the opportunity to do so. At age forty, Rose felt that her life was at a crossroads and was trying to find herself. Norman thought this would be a good idea. The Balthuses had been husband and wife for so long that, along with their church duties, they had never really been apart for very long. In this respect, they had never been able to expand as individuals, and Rose was now feeling suffocated. She did not blame Norman. On the contrary, he had been kind and respectful towards her. They just needed a little breathing room right now. Norman wondered secretly if she still loved him. He still loved her and had tried to be understanding concerning her wishes. They had tried to not let Justin and Iris see this other side to their relationship. So Rose was off to visit mutual friends of theirs to get away from everyday life. Iris was the only one who remained behind. She had work that needed to be done at the Inn since she wasn't there on Saturday. Rose and Norman left Justin and Iris to say their goodbyes privately. The beauty of their neighborhood greeted them as they waited on the front porch. Justin and Iris's partings were always like this. Quiet and private. And though the Balthuses could not understand the need for this, they still respected their children's wishes. Not that it didn't bother them. It did. But that was just the way things were. Some times Norman thought that he didn't know Justin and Iris at all. Even after seeing them everyday, they sometimes appeared like strangers to him. Justin finally opened the door and walked silently to the car. Norman and Rose followed him and they got into the car. No one spoke until Norman pulled the car onto the main street and they were heading out of town.