"Mrs. Northridge?" A young woman of about twenty-five walked into Erin's office. Erin looked up at her.
"Hello?" Erin asked.
"Mrs. Northridge, I would like to enroll my daughter in school here. I was sent up to you because I was told you're the superintendent?" The woman asked unsure that she was really in the right place. Erin stood up and walked toward her.
"Yes, I am the superintendent here. Please call me Erin. I think that a first name basis breaks down the barrier between parents and the administration." Erin said.
"Oh, I wouldn't be comfortable calling you that. Will Mrs. Northridge be okay?" The woman asked. "It's just that there is many years difference in our ages and I would feel odd calling you Erin."
"Okay. Well, if you insist then its Ms. Northridge." Erin stated.
"I'm sorry, did Mr. Northridge pass on?" The woman asked. Erin looked at the ground and walked back to her desk.
"I would prefer not to talk about that. Why don't we sit down and talk about your daughter?" Erin asked. The woman sat down in the chair at the other side of Erin's desk opposite of where she was sitting. "How old is your daughter?"
"She's six. She has never been to a real school before. We just moved here from Charlottesville. We were living with my parents, but they kicked us out and for several months we were living on the streets." The woman said looking down at her hands that are sitting in her lap.
"Oh my, I'm sorry to hear that. Are you both okay now?" Erin asked looking at her with concern in her eyes.
"Well we are living in a house right now here on the mountain, but it isn't much of a house." The woman said.
"You and your daughter are going to come stay with me and my family for a while." Erin responded. She looked up at Erin with tears in her eyes.
"Oh ma'am I couldn't do that." The woman dabbed her eyes with a Kleenex that she took out of the box on Erin's desk. "That's too much to ask of a stranger."
"Don't you worry about that. I have plenty of money and a house big enough for all of us. You aren't from around here, but in these mountains Northridge is a pretty big name. My ex-husband is part of the largest lumber mill in Virginia. My children and I don't want for anything. I would love to be able to help you and your daughter." Erin stated.
"Well, if you are sure…" The woman started to say.
"I absolutely insist. My family is very caring about others. When I was younger my parents let anybody stay with us that needed a place to stay and now I am opening up my home to you." Erin replied.
"We'll take it." The woman paused. "But can my daughter come to school? I would love for her to be able to attend school. She's never been to a real school before. I went to school in Charlottesville and got my high school diploma, and I feel that now it's even more important for her to go to school than it was for me. With the world changing and advancing all the time." The woman said. Erin nodded.
"I agree. I want my children to graduate from high school. I remember my graduation, I felt like I didn't have anything I was going to do. I never envisioned myself as the head of the same school I graduated from." Erin responded.
"You attended here?" The woman asked pointing down at the floor meaning to Walton's Mountain School. Erin nodded again.
"I was born and bred on this mountain. I haven't really left for much of anything. This is my home. I don't live very far from my parents and the rest of my family." Erin replied.
"That's so nice." The woman stated. Erin smiled.
"Well, if you are going to stay with me, can I get your name and your little girl's name?" Erin asked.
"My name is Lucy Baker and my daughter's name is Sharon." Lucy told Erin.
"No kidding?" Erin asked. Lucy stared at Erin.
"What do you mean?" Lucy questioned.
"I have a daughter named Susan. I mean she lives in Los Angeles, California; but she is my daughter." Erin stated.
"Oh." Lucy said, but she was still confused.
"Never mind." Erin said with a laugh. "I am out of here in several hours, you go get your daughter and I will meet you back here." Lucy stood up and walked over to the door.
"Thank you so much Ms. Northridge, I don't know what we would have done without you." Lucy said.
"It's not a problem Lucy." Erin responded and Lucy walked out of the office.
[
"Peter, give that back!" Amanda hollered at her brother right as her mother entered with Lucy and Sharon. Peter ran past Erin and then Amanda went to run past. Erin grabbed her youngest child by the shoulders.
"What exactly is going on here?" Erin asked.
"Peter has my notebook. It's for art class, I need it." Amanda responded. Peter walked back over to his sister and mother, not noticing the two strangers in the kitchen.
"Look at this; she has gooey love messages written all over it. Ooh, I love you so much." Peter said.
"Peter! It doesn't say that! Give it back!" Amanda hollered. She reached to try and take the notebook from Peter and fell on Erin.
"Peter, give me the notebook right now." Erin said firmly. Peter handed her the notebook. She handed it back to Amanda. "Now, I want you BOTH to go upstairs to your bedrooms so I can get some peace and quiet around here." Peter and Amanda walked up the stairs to their rooms. Erin looked at Lucy and Sharon. "And those are my children." Erin looked at Lucy. "You will share a room with Amanda. Your mother will be in the guest bedroom of the house."
"That sounds good." Lucy replied as she looked down at Sharon and nodded.
"Yes Ms. Northridge, that sounds like a plan." Sharon responded. Erin looked at them and sighed.
"At the school I don't mind if you call me Ms. Northridge, I actually prefer it since I'm the superintendent of your school; but you are staying in my home. Please call me Erin." Erin said.
"Okay." Lucy replied and paused. "Erin."
"Thank you. Well I want to go upstairs and talk to my children. I will show you into the living room and then I will be back down." Erin stated. The three women walked into the living room.
"Wow. This is beautiful." Sharon said as she looked around the room.
"Thank you. I had a decorator come in when we first bought the place back in 1969." Erin responded and smiled. "Go on, sit down." Lucy and Sharon sat on the couch and Erin rushed back in towards the stairs and went up to Amanda's room. She knocked on the door.
"Yes?" Amanda asked.
"Can I come in?" Erin questioned.
"Sure." Amanda responded. Erin walked into her daughter's bedroom to see her sitting on the bed looking at a picture of their family. It was an old picture because it had Paul and Erin was holding Amanda when she was a baby. Erin sat on the bed next to her and hugged her.
"I remember the day that picture was taken. Grandpa took that picture of all of us." Erin stated. Amanda wiped away the tears in her eyes.
"Life has just changed so much since this time. I love you mom, but I miss Susan and dad. Susan used to stand up for me against Peter because she was Peter's big sister and mine. Now that she's gone, he has free rein to torture me." Amanda said.
"I know what you mean Amanda. I remember the times that we had with your dad and Susan. But your sister is just trying to find herself. She will be back." Erin said.
"And dad?" Amanda asked.
"He went to find himself, and I fell right out of his life. Amanda, you are getting to an age now that I can finally explain what happened between me and your dad; but right now, at this moment isn't the right time." Erin said.
"Okay." Amanda responded. "Oh, who were those people that came in with you?"
"I'm glad you asked. That's Lucy and Sharon. They are going to be staying with us for a little while. They just moved to the mountain. Lucy didn't have anywhere to go; Sharon has never been to a real school. She came and asked if she could enroll Sharon, and we got talking and I just insisted that they had to stay with us for a while." Erin said.
"Ah. Well I can share my bedroom. But you remind me a lot of Grandma. Never letting anybody need if you can help them." Amanda stated. Erin stood up.
"A Walton never ignores a person in need if they can be of any help to them." Erin replied with a smile.
"I know." Amanda responded with a smile of her own. Erin touched the side of Amanda's face.
"When you smile like that you remind me so much of your father. You have his smile." Erin stated. Amanda laughed.
"I'm sure there are a lot of things about me that remind people of dad. Grandma once told me that I look like Aunt Elizabeth." Amanda said.
"You do." Erin agreed. "Well, if you are okay with letting Sharon stay in your room with you then I am going to go talk to Peter about not bullying you."
"Alright." Amanda said. Erin walked out of the room and over to her son's bedroom and stood in his doorway since the door was opened. He was sitting on the floor looking at a magazine and didn't see his mother standing there at first. Erin coughed to try and get his attention. Peter jumped up and stood up. Erin walked into the bedroom and leaned against the wall.
"Peter, why do you treat your sister like that?" Erin asked.
"She earned everything that I give her." Peter stated.
"How can you say that?" Erin questioned moving to stand in front of him. He looked at her.
"Because she is drove dad away." Peter said.
"What do you mean she drove your dad away?" Erin asked.
"Just a little while after she was born dad left. I was only five, but I remember that he left." Peter replied.
"Peter Matthews Northridge! Your little sister didn't drive your dad away. You have been torturing her for years with all your teasing and taunting because you think she drove away your father?" Erin exclaimed. "I am going to have to give you and Amanda the same talk tomorrow about what did drive your dad away and maybe we can settle this. Now I have a few things to do right now. So, if you EVER say anything to your sister again you will be in for a severe punishment."
"I know mom." Peter responded.
"Good." Erin said and walked out of the room and down the stairs back into the living room. She saw Lucy and Sharon sitting on the couch talking. When Lucy saw Erin she stopped talking.
"Hello Erin." Lucy said.
"Hi. I have talked to Amanda, and Sharon can stay in her bedroom." Erin said.
"Okay, thank you so much." Lucy replied.
"Do you want to go see the guest room? I can have Amanda show Sharon her room." Erin asked.
"Sure." Lucy said looking at Sharon nodding and they followed Erin up the stairs.