CHAPTER 5: MOMENT OF TRUTH
The day had arrived where Peppermint Patty was finally going to meet her father's girlfriend. She was wondering if she would like her, or if she would think that her nose was too big or she had too many freckles, or just was plain ugly. Despite reassurances from Franco that it wouldn't be the case, Patty was still nervous, but also excited to finally meet her. She was also excited about the prospect of possibly having a mother for the first time, as she never got the chance to know her birth mother, Marie. Her father had told Patty about her and that she gave her life for her daughter so she could live. It made Patty feel warm knowing that her mother sacrificed herself so she could have a life.
Franco was with her when her father pulled up. She said, "Well, Franco, this is it. The moment has arrived."
"Be calm, fraulein," said Franco. "No matter what, everything will be okay. Ich bin bei dir, zum Besseren oder Schlechteren*."
And the door opened up. Richard Reichardt walked in with his new girlfriend. He had introduced his daughter and her boyfriend to her. The lady's name was Colleen Ferguson. Patty nervously introduced herself, as did Franco. Colleen seemed very warm and nice towards the freckle-faced tomboy. Patty, in a rare show of restraint, didn't ask if she and her father were going to marry. She didn't want to mess things up for her father That's how much she loved and adored her old man. She was his rare gem and she wanted to make a good impression on Colleen.
Later, Patty was on the phone with Charlie Brown telling him about Colleen. "She was the sweetest lady I ever met, Chuck," she said. "I do hope she and my dad continue to date."
"Well, all you can do is pray for the best," said Charlie Brown.
"And I will do that, Chuck. I always wanted a mother, and the closest things I ever got to that was either Marcie's mother or Franco's mother. But I always wanted one of my own. And now I may get that chance."
"Well, whichever way things go, I'm rooting for you, Patty."
"Thanks, Chuck. You really are a good friend. Talk to you later, okay, pal?"
"See ya, Patty." And he hung up the phone.
Later that weekend, Patty was with Marcie and Claudia at a familiar cemetery. Marcie was curious. "Isn't this the same cemetery that Lucille's friend, Python, is buried, sir?" she asked.
"It is, Marcie," Patty responded. "But we're not here to visit her. We're here for someone else." And the girls kept walking. Then they stopped at a huge gravestone. On it read:
Here lies
Marie Ann Reichardt
Loving Daughter, Wife, and Mother
It was Patty's mother gravesite. She never told anybody about where her mother was buried. Not even Charlie Brown, Roy, Franklin, or Franco. And yet, during Python's funeral, only she knew that they were mere yards away from where Marie was buried.
"This is my mother's grave," said Patty somberly. "Not too many folks know about this place. She was just a few yards away from where Python is now. I don't usually share this part of me with anyone. Not even Franco, but I may bring him here one day when I'm ready."
"W-we understand, Patty," said Claudia.
"Absolutely, sir," added Marcie.
The girls looked at the grave for a while. Marcie and Claudia decided to give Patty some space so she and her mother could visit. Patty kneeled down in front of her mother's marker. She placed a stone on top of it. She felt tears coming to her eyes, so she wiped them away, and sighed deep.
"I'm thinking of you, mom."
THE END
(*) "I'm with you, for better or worse."