I present more Mayhew family slices of life. Those of us who have endured moody teenagers will remember those days fondly…or not.
Chapter 11
August 28, 1925 P.D. Friday, 7:15 a.m.
Mayhew Palace
She tripped over a box as she left her room and waded into the melee that was getting all the kids to the table for breakfast. Some of them were morning people, some weren't. She entered the dining room and helped herself to a glass of milk and cup of coffee. Elaine came into the kitchen with a fussy one-year-old Michael. The baby saw Hipper on Rachel's shoulder and fell quiet.
"Are you finished packing?" Katherine asked Rachel and made sure the kids were settled before the breakfast carts rolled from the kitchen.
"Just about," Rachel answered.
While Benjamin greeted every child with a good morning kiss, Rachel set a cup of coffee at his place at the table. Everyone sat, Ben recited a blessing, and the kitchen staff rolled trays from the kitchen.
"Where's Jeanette?" Rachel asked.
"There's a trial this morning at the Magistrate, she wanted to be there early," Ben said.
"Is it all right for Matt to join us for supper?" Rachel asked.
"We're having supper with the chancellor and his family this evening, so the kitchen is yours," Ben said.
"Can we have meatloaf?" Lawrence asked.
"I'm sure Grace can arrange it," Katherine said.
"Can I be excused, I'm not hungry," Honor asked.
"We won't force you to eat, go ahead," Elaine sighed.
Honor left the table and Elaine gave a baby spoon and bowl of baby food to Rachel. "Can you take over?"
"Sure."
Elaine left the table to see what the matter was with Honor. Rachel dipped the spoon in the bowl and held up the spoon. Michael opened his mouth and Rachel fed him the food. He clapped and opened his mouth again and she made a game of it, taking a bite of her own food and then giving him a bite. His little hands reached for her pancakes, so she cut off a bit and placed it on his highchair tray.
"He's never had pancake," Katherine observed.
"Is it all right for him to have it?" Rachel asked and made to take it off the tray.
"He's such a picky eater, we never know what he'll eat or not," Ben explained.
"All we can get him to eat is rice, applesauce, or mashed potatoes," Katherine said.
"Well, cuteness, want to give it a try?" Rachel asked and took a bite of her pancakes, making a show of how good it was.
Michael watched and then opened his mouth. She placed the bite in his mouth and waited. He smacked his lips and his little teeth worked through the pancake bite. He grinned and pointed at her plate.
"I think he likes it," Rachel said, cut up a pancake, and placed the pieces on his tray.
Elaine returned to breakfast and looked at Michael in surprise. "He's eating something other than rice!"
"Thank his big sister," Benjamin said and winked at Rachel.
#
After breakfast, Ben left for the day. The boys grabbed their baseball gloves and hustled to the back yard for catch before baseball practice. Theresa took Alexandra and Arabella out for some last-minute school clothes shopping. So that left Rachel with her mothers, the baby, and Honor pouting in her room. She sat back on the couch with a book and put her feet up. Her uni-link rang; it was Matt.
"Top of the morning, love."
"Same to you, Mr. Goodson."
"What are you doing?"
"I'm here on the couch, watching my adorable baby brother scoot around. Reading and fussing at m'self for a bit. I forgot to set my alarm."
"So you didn't get your morning workout?"
"Nope."
"The gym here is good. I lift at lunch sometimes."
"Is Lew coming for supper tonight?"
"Yep. Wherever Jeanette is, Lew will be there."
"So what are you up to this morning?"
"I had a call this morning. Someone slipped down a wet ladder well at hangar two and bounced down the last five steps."
"Ouch…is there anything in particular you'd like for dinner?"
"No, whatever is on the menu is fine with me."
"Noted," she said and was startled by a siren on Matt's end.
"Gotta go! See you tonight!"
#
In Grace's office, Katherine, Elaine, and Grace looked up from their monthly review of the palace household ledgers when lively piano music was heard from the library. They heard Michael babble and Rachel's laugh. They next heard what was obviously the baby making a happy racket on the keys. Honor walked by the office, mumbling, "What in the world?"
A few minutes later they heard Honor exclaim, "But why?"
Now curious as to the direction of conversation in the library, they went to the library and stopped outside of the door to listen.
"…who knows that goes on in their minds. Males can be a strange and different species at times," Rachel said sagely.
"Yeah, but you've got a good one!" Honor replied.
"But I had to endure some stinky ones before I found my good one," Rachel asked.
"How?" Honor asked.
"I dated other men before I met Matt, and he dated other women. I think that's part of the process to discover and get straight in your mind what you like or don't like in a partner. Once you find one where everything comes together, it's pretty amazing, but it's not going to happen overnight," Rachel advised. "Can I tell you something dad told me years ago?"
"But he's one of them," Honor complained, and the mothers covered their mouths to stifle their laughter.
Rachel remarkably kept her composure when she answered, "If by them, you mean male, yes. However, dad is a good one. He's been in solid, loving marriages to two women for over 20 years with nine kids, so he must be doing something right."
Honor sighed. "Yeah, I guess. What did he say?"
"That teenaged males are the stupidest people in the universe," Rachel stated.
Honor giggled hysterically.
"There now, that's a better look than weeping over some stupid boy," Rachel suggested. "Don't ever let them make you cry. If you have to cry, don't let them see it. Don't give them that power."
Honor sniffed. "Okay…but what do you do when you get so mad that you can't stand it?" she asked.
"Hmm. Something productive to get my brain somewhere else? I work out or get busy on a sparring dummy. Other times, I lose myself to a long, detailed tech manual while I listen to music. My best therapy, however, is that treecat you're holding."
Sex was also a good way to work out frustration, but she wasn't about to tell her younger, impressionable sister that tidbit of wisdom.
Honor sighed. "You're so lucky. I wish I was adopted."
"Do you want to go the 'cat habitat? Who knows, the magic might happen this time. In any case, it'll make you feel better. I can't think of a better place to do that."
"That sounds fun," Honor agreed.
#
Ben returned home for lunch and discovered that the home had never been so quiet in years.
"Hello?" he called out and hung his jacket by the door.
"In the library," Katherine called out.
Ben went to the library and saw Katherine with her feet up, reading a magazine and sipping on a cup of coffee.
"How or why is it so quiet, and where is everyone?" he asked, perplexed.
"Elaine and Grace are at the market. Theresa took Alex and Bella shopping. The boys are at practice. Rachel took Honor and Michael to Harrington," Katherine replied, turned a page, and raised an eyebrow at him. "I also thought we might take advantage of this unique opportunity."
#
Hours later, Rachel returned home with Honor and Michael. Elaine took him and cuddled him a bit.
"Any problems?" Elaine asked.
She had been a little concerned when she returned home and was told that Rachel had taken the baby out, which was a knee-jerk reaction to the sudden absence of the baby. However, Rachel was a responsible, trustworthy adult who loved her siblings, and she would die before she let anything happen to any of them. Aside from that, between Rachel, Hipper, and the armsmen who went with them, Michael was the most protected baby on the planet.
Rachel shook her head and ran a soft fingertip down the baby's cheek. "Nope, he was an angel and we had a good time. One of the kittens paid him more attention than the others, so who knows, another Mayhew might be adopted."
She took a good look at her parents and knew what they'd been up to. Would she have another sibling in nine months?
"Some more mail arrived for you too," Elaine said and gestured to the growing stack on the piano bench.
"Thanks," Rachel said and went to her room with the stack.
She flipped through the mail and separated the garbage from the good. Aha! The marriage counseling letter. She opened it and read. The letterhead was from the Office of The First Elder, Reverend Jeremiah Sullivan, dated August 24th.
Regarding: Rachel Diane Mayhew, 22, of Mayhew Steading
Matthew Isaiah Goodson, 22, of Redmon Steading
Testers greetings to you!
For a marriage to be ordained as holy and recognized by The Church, engaged couples are encouraged and required to meet with the clergy who will perform the marriage. Be prepared to discuss the following topics:
The meaning of marriage
Your spiritual foundation
Your family of origin
Your spiritual intimacy
Your communication
Your conflict
Your view of money
Your future
If the clergy feels that the couple is unsuitable for marriage, further counseling, prayer, and reflection will be advised.
A digital copy of this acknowledgment will also be sent. Please enter a desired date and time on the line below and return either this notice and/or the digital copy to the Office of the First Elder, within one week of the date of this letter.
Many happy returns,
Deacon Patrick Zimmer
For the First Elder
#
Early that evening, Captain Webb from Palace Security entered the living room and bowed to the occupants. "Mr. Goodson and Mr. Lewis are coming up the drive."
Rachel and Jeanette smiled at each other, sharing a sense of camaraderie that their beaus were coming for a visit.
"I wish Henry could be here," Theresa added, a wistful tinge to her voice. "He's somewhere in Talbot."
The palace security door chimes sounded to indicate that someone had arrived. Matt and Lew walked into the living room and received hugs from their ladies.
"Yuck," Lawrence mumbled.
Grace came into the living room. "Dinner's ready."
"Where's your parents?" Lew asked.
"They went to supper with the Chancellor," Jeanette replied.
The group went to the dining room and took their seats.
"Lawrence, would you like to give the blessing?" Jeanette asked.
Lawrence grinned and nodded. He knew he could say one just as good as his dad, so he cleared his throat and began. "If everyone could bow their heads…"
#
The group enjoyed a delicious dinner of meatloaf, green beans, and carrots with hot buttery rolls (no pasta or potatoes) and talked about their day. After dessert, Lew and Jeanette disappeared into her office, while Rachel and Matt strolled around the backyard of the palace. What they called a backyard was considered a city park in most steadings. They sat on a bench that was surrounded by bushes and small trees, beers in hand, and looked at the night sky through the dome.
"I've always wondered about something that you might know," he said and pointed to the full moon in the night sky. "There's a smaller object there, to the right of the moon. Sometimes it's brighter."
She chuckled. "It's one of the farms. It's brighter when light reflects off the moon and the shutters stay open longer."
"How do you know that?" he asked.
She took a sip of beer and shrugged. "I've been there."
"Really? You've walked on it?" he asked.
She nodded.
"You keep surprising me, Miss Mayhew, delightfully," he murmured. "I can't get the image out of my head; you standing there in practically nothing while looking through dresses! I hadn't seen or touched you for months, then you go and do that!"
"I'm also delighted that you're wearing your ring now," he said and kissed her hand.
"I can now; I'm not in a middy uniform," she said. "Do you want an engagement ring?"
He laughed. How much beer had she been drinking? "Men don't wear engagement rings!"
"Why not? You're engaged too, right?" she returned.
"You're right, I don't know why that is!" he replied and patted her hand. "But don't you worry, you'll be putting a ring on my finger soon enough."
"Were you a stupid teenager?" she asked.
"Book smart, yes; everything else, not even close. The academy straightened me out, I'm grateful for it," he replied. "Why do you ask?"
"A conversation I had with Honor earlier," she answered.
"Boy problems?" he asked.
Rachel nodded. "Yep."
They took up their empty beer bottles and left the little grove to return to the home. The back doors opened, and Katherine stepped out.
"Oh, there you are," Katherine said. "We heard some interesting news and gossip, care to hear?"
#