The Fool
Butch knew that he should feel bad that his parents had left for three weeks on their honeymoon, but he really didn't feel bad at all. He knew that Mom really missed Dad when he wasn't around. So he was glad that now she had him all to herself.
He thought that it was kind of weird because she hadn't missed him at all when she was their Nanny. She would go around, doing all of her jobs in the house and taking care of them. She did bug Dad when he worked too hard, but that was because she wanted him to spend more time with them. But things really changed when they fell in love.
Dad was around more, but it was because he wanted to be with her. And she had always managed things just fine by herself, but now she had Grammy and Grampie to help. She even liked having them help. When they helped her, then she got more time alone with Dad. Butch knew that that was good.
Probably no one was happier than he was when Grammy and Grampie said that they were going to be living up the street. He loved having his Grampie around. It wasn't until he had Grampie that he realized why Dad would rather spend time with Hal than with him. Dad and Hal liked to talk about the same things. It was hard for him to talk with Dad. Dad always listened, but Butch could tell that he got bored sometimes. But when Butch talked to Grampie, he didn't just listen. He cared.
Grampie liked to listen to him when he talked about building the fence last summer. He really was interested in how they put it together and painted it. Everyone else had listened, but they had only pretended to be interested. Then he showed him how to use all the really neat tools that he had in his workshop in the basement. He was real proud of the spice rack he made. He was very careful to measure and cut all the pieces perfectly and then fit them together.
It was really cool because he also showed him how there was all kinds of math in the measuring and making all the pieces even and fit together. He had always thought that math was a waste of time, but now he knew that if he wanted to build things, then he would need some of his math.
It was kind of like when he had money of his own to spend in the store. If he went in, he always knew how to buy the most things for the amount of money he had, especially if they were on sale. One time when he was shopping with Mom, she laughed and told him that he could be really good at math if he tried. He had rolled his eyes and said that this wasn't math. This was money.
But Grampie was special for other reasons too. Because Dad was so busy at the university, sometimes it felt like there was no man around the house. He knew that Hal tried to be the man of the house, but Hal forgot that he was just a kid too. Grampie was there when they needed someone to help with some of the hard stuff. He didn't understand most of it, but it had to do with Mom and Trelawney.
He felt bad because even though Trelawney was Mom's sister and if she hadn't come to live with them then Mom would have gone away, he thought that she was a pain. Sometimes it was just that she was a pain like Prudence was a pain, because she was an annoying girl.
But sometimes she made everyone in the house upset because she had nightmares or she started to talk weird. Hal said that she was weird in school too, but that they all had to take care of her because she was special and she was real sad because she missed her Mom and Dad.
Butch had thought about it and decided that if they were all happy now because they had a new Mom, then maybe Trelawney needed a new Mom and Dad and then she would be happy too. And she could go live somewhere else. But when he told Hal his idea, he yelled at him and said that it was the meanest thing that he ever heard. That was when he decided that he would ask Grampie.
One day during Christmas vacation he found his Grampie reading alone in the living room.
"Grampie," he said. "Can we have a man-to-man talk?"
"Of course, Butch. What do you want to talk about?" he answered with a smile. It was the smile that he always had when he wanted to talk man-to-man.
"Well, I had an idea, but before I tell you, I want you to promise not to get mad at me," he said.
"Why do you think that I would get mad at you?" he asked.
"Because Hal did. And then he yelled at me," he replied.
"Well I'm not Hal, so I promise not to get mad," he said.
"Okay," said Butch. "This is the thing. It's starting to be a pain to have Trelawney around. It seems like everything is going good and Mom is happy, she goes and causes trouble and then Mom gets all sad again. I just want us all to be happy all the time."
"Well, Butch," answered Grampie. "Trelawney has had a real hard time. I don't think that she means to cause trouble. She just misses her parents a whole lot."
"Well," said Butch. "That's what my idea is about. You see we were all sad because we didn't have a Mom. But then Dad married Mom and now we're all happy, until Trelawney has a nightmare or starts talking all weird again. So I thought that if Trelawney had her own Mom and Dad then she would be happy. And then she could go live with them and then we would be happy all the time."
Grampie started to look at him funny when he said that. He didn't look mad. He looked like he didn't know what to say. He thought for a minute that maybe he even agreed with him, but then he said something he didn't expect.
"Butch," he said. "If you want your Mom to be really, really sad then we could send Trelawney away. Come here, I want to show you something."
Grampie went over to the picture albums that Cousin Emmeline had brought from England. He opened one of them. On the front page it said, "Our Two Angels" in old-fashioned handwriting. He opened to the next page.
"Do you know who this is?" he asked pointing to a blonde girl who looked a little older than Hal.
"That's Mom!" said Butch. "Who's the baby?"
"The baby is Trelawney. Do you see how Mom is looking at her?" he asked.
Butch didn't like that question. Mom was looking at her like she really loved her. He didn't answer and Grampie started to turn the pages. There were lots of pictures, but only two people in them. All the pictures were of Mom and Trelawney. It looked like there were pictures from every year.
In every picture Mom looked like she really loved Trelawney a lot. She was hugging her and smiling. He looked at the last picture. Mom looked like Mom when she first came to them as Nanny. And Trelawney looked almost like she did when she came last year.
They were sitting in front of a house. Trelawney was sitting on Mom's lap and they were both smiling at each other. He had never seen her smile that happy, Trelawney that is, since he had known her. He realized what Grampie was trying to tell him.
"I guess that it was a pretty bad idea," admitted Butch.
"I'm glad that you can see that," said Grampie. "You're growing up now. One of the things that happens when you grow up is that you begin to understand that your feelings are not the only feelings that are important. Now I know that even though you said that you wanted Trelawney to be happy, I think that you were really thinking about yourself."
"And my family, especially Mom," said Butch. "But I forgot that even if Trelawney was a pain, then Mom would still love her a lot. I guess that she would be sad if she went away."
"Yes, she would," said Grampie. "One of the things that everyone has to realize sooner or later is that being in a family is hard and it takes work. Sometimes you have to love family members even when they make you sad."
"Like Nana?" asked Butch.
"Yes, that's a very good example," said Grampie. "And that's also a really great example of how much your Mom loves all of you. Nana hurt her feelings a whole lot and made her very sad. But she knew that it was important for you to have her in your life as your grandmother. It would have been very easy for her to just tell your Dad that she didn't want her to see you anymore. I think that if she asked your Dad that he would have agreed."
"Oh, I know he would have agreed," said Butch. "Especially after all the really mean things that Nana said about Mom when we went to visit her."
"But she didn't," said Grampie. "Because she loves you. Someday you will understand why she did that for all of you. Now I would appreciate it if you don't ever mention your idea about finding Trelawney a new home to anyone again. If your Mom knew that you had even thought of it then that would make her very upset."
"I understand," said Butch. "I promise I won't. Grampie, what's a midlife crisis?"
"Why would you ask that, Butch?"
"Well, when Nana was being mean to Dad she told him that he was having a midlife crisis and that was why he married a sweet young thing to keep his bed warm," explained Butch.
Grampie looked at him really strangely. He looked like he wanted to laugh and that he didn't know what to say. Finally he answered.
"Butch, a midlife crisis is when a man tries to act younger than he is and becomes interested in women who are younger than him. But I don't think that that applies to your father, even if your Mom is much younger than he is," he said.
"I don't either," said Butch. "But come to think of it. I think that Uncle Ben and Uncle Bob are having a midlife crisis. They sure are acting pretty goofy around Cousin Emmeline."
This time Grampie did laugh and told him that he was a real sharp kid. Then he told him that he thought that Emmeline could take care of herself. Butch agreed. Dad had fallen in love with Mom, but he had never acted goofy. He just acted like he loved her. He took care of her. He never had to say goofy things to get her attention either. She gave him her attention because she loved him back.
Butch didn't like school, but he was glad that vacation was almost over. He had too much time to think about things when he was on vacation. He didn't like that. It made him think of things that might hurt other people's feelings and make them sad. Once school started, he could think about Cub Scouts and basketball. That stuff was fun to think about. He would much rather not have to think about anything like this again for a very long time.
The Wise Fool
Hal was really relieved when Nana decided that she did like Mom after all. It had been so hard when she didn't because she made him feel like he had to choose between his old Mom and his new one. But deep down, he knew that he really didn't have to choose.
When Prudence asked her if she could have an angel Mom and an earth Mom and they could both be her real Mom and she said yes, it made him feel better too. It seemed to be a confirmation of the feeling that he had had that his mother in heaven loved his mother on earth.
This year was the weirdest Christmas that Hal could ever remember. Part of it was that he was too old for all the kids' stuff of Christmas, but too young to be one of the adults. Trelawney was kind of stuck in the middle too, but once she had her books, no one could even talk to her. She even left Uncle Bob and Uncle Ben alone. She just rolled her eyes whenever they tried to get her cousin's attention.
Hal had felt kind of funny hanging up a stocking for Santa Claus when he knew that there was no such thing. Even Butch didn't believe anymore, but he was smart enough not to say anything. He didn't want to miss out on any chances to get gifts because he was an unbeliever. But Mom and Dad hung up their stockings and so did Trelawney. She was certainly not a believer either, but she went out of her way to pretend she was for Prudence. It was a really nice thing for her to do.
That was why he had defended the idea of the "secret wish" that got Prudence her dollhouse. When they were alone, Butch had tried to start an argument with her by saying that she made it up. But she really hadn't. When she was a little girl her Mum told her about it and she always had a secret wish. She told Butch to leave Prudence alone and let her believe in Father Christmas while she was still a little kid. Hal agreed.
Butch didn't remember, but their Mom used to make really great Christmases for them. That was when he believed in Santa Claus himself. It wasn't until after she was gone that he had realized that she was the one who made them. Dad was no good at it. By the time that Mom had come and made them their first Christmas as Nanny, he already didn't believe in Santa.
But he remembered the Christmases his Mom had made for them. He figured that she would want him to help Nanny. So he pretended to believe in Santa. He helped Butch and Prudence write letters to Santa and then gave them to Dad and Nanny. Butch had even believed last year but now he pretended that he hadn't.
Butch's friend Martin had laughed at him for believing in Santa and told him that there was no such thing. Hal didn't know why Butch even had him for a friend. He was just as big a jerk as his father. They both seemed to think that they were real funny, but Hal knew that they were really just making fun of other people.
Hal had thought a lot about Christmas. He wondered why it seemed like there were really two Christmases going on at the same time. He hadn't realized it before because until Mom came they didn't go to church. He didn't even remember going to church when his other Mom was alive, but maybe he had just forgotten. However he knew that they had never had a creche before. It was almost like they didn't know half of the Christmas story.
Since Grammy was so smart about these things, he decided to ask her. One of the great things about having Grammy and Grampie living with them while Mom and Dad were away was that they were always there to talk to. He found her alone in the kitchen one day.
"Grammy," he said. "Can I talk to you about Christmas?"
"Of course, Hal," she said. "What do you want to know?"
"Well," he explained. "I'm a little confused. You see before Mom came, the only Christmas that we ever knew about was Santa Claus. We never even had a creche before. I mean, we all knew that it was Jesus' birthday and that's why we gave each other gifts, but it just wasn't important."
"But you used to go to church on Christmas, didn't you?" she asked.
"Well," said Hal uncomfortably. "Not really. To be honest, we never went to church at all before Mom came. I tried to remember if we went to church when my other Mom was, well, with us, but I really don't think that we did."
"Oh," said Grammy. She was quiet for a long time. Hal thought that maybe she forgot that he was there. But then she asked a question.
"Hal, you said that you only started going to church when your Mom came. Why did you start then?"
"Mom was kind of surprised when we didn't go to church," he replied. "I think that she talked to Dad about it because then he said that we had to go with her. But Butch complained that he shouldn't have to go, if Dad didn't go. You see, Dad liked to play golf on Sunday morning. He wasn't very happy. It was one of those times that after we talked to him he yelled 'Nanny!' And she came and he yelled at her."
Grammy seemed to be trying not to laugh. "Did he yell at her a lot?"
"Well," said Hal. "I wouldn't say a lot, but he did get annoyed with her a lot. It was kind of funny because he would get mad at her and she would smile at him. He would try to argue with her, but she never argued. After a while he would just throw his hands up in the air and say something like, 'Why fight it?' She always got her way. Yeah, come to think of it, it was pretty funny."
"So, what happened when he yelled at her about going to church?" asked Grammy, who was now smiling.
"She asked him if he had any objections to us going to church. He said no, as long as he didn't have to go," Hal told her. "But Butch said that he objected to going if Dad didn't have to go and that if Dad didn't go then it must not be important."
"So what did he say to that?" she asked.
"I don't really know," admitted Hal. "Dad made us leave the room. All I know is that after that he came to church with us on Sunday. She must have talked him into it."
"Well, Hal, your Mom does think that church is important and because you go to church you have met some really great people, haven't you?"
"Oh, yeah," said Hal. "And we've done some really groovy things like the show last summer and the work project and now the Nativity pageant."
He thought for a minute. He realized something.
"You know Grammy, a lot of the things we do at church are to help other people. That's kind of like Mom. She always wants to help other people. And when we're at church we hear all about loving other people. And Mom loves everyone too. Do you think that Mom likes to go to church because it's all about helping and loving other people?" he asked.
"What do you think?" she asked in her "I know that you already know the answer" voice.
"I think so," said Hal. "We hear a lot about Jesus and how good He is. I guess that's why His birthday is so important. If I know Mom, that's why the creche is so special to her. Maybe it's a good thing that we never had a creche before."
"Now why would you say a thing like that?" asked Grammy, looking puzzled.
"If we already had a creche, then we wouldn't need hers. But hers is really special to her, so I'm glad that we needed one," he explained.
Grammy didn't look like she was so sure about that. She still seemed to be trying to figure out why they hadn't gone to church until Mom came. He had a feeling that he had just made Grammy wonder about a lot of things. He started to feel bad for his Dad. When he came home he was going to have a lot of explaining to do.
But he felt better about Christmas. It didn't feel weird anymore. He realized that because he was growing up that Santa Claus wasn't so important, except for making little kids like Prudence happy. When Mom and Dad had more little kids then he was going to have to help them make Christmas special for them. But Christmas was special to him for another reason.
He realized that when he was making the presents for his family it was because he loved them and he wanted them to be happy. That was how his Mom was all the time. And that was how Jesus was. He remembered a couple of months ago when his friend Topher had told him that it was important to love other people and take care of them.
Topher did it because he loved Jesus and when it was hard, Jesus helped him. He knew that Topher had gone to church his whole life. He was starting late, but he knew that he didn't even need for Topher to tell him that it was not too late. You could always learn to love Jesus and Jesus could always teach you to love other people. It was even worth going to church if you could learn all that stuff there. He could see why Mom had wanted them to go.
The Wise Gentleman
Rob was concerned when Emmeline asked if she could speak with him alone. He was afraid that now that Phoebe and Hal were gone, she would try to persuade him to allow her to return Trelawney to the family in England. But she set his mind at rest right away.
"I brought Trelawney here because I felt that she needed to be with her sister," said the young woman up front. "I still feel the same way, but you have to realize that I am the only one in the family who feels this way."
Rob breathed a sigh of relief. "So I guess that we can consider you an ally?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes," she answered. "However I have to be very careful. I could very easily end up cut off from the family and that would be no good for Phoebe or Trelawney."
"In what way?" he asked.
"I am right now the only source of information for them from within the family." she explained. "I am also presently only one of two sources of information about them. The other source is Aunt Henrietta. It is fortunate for all of you that she is so unobservant. We have not had even a hint of how thin and frail looking she is. If certain members of the family knew, they would have her back in the village in a heartbeat."
"I am her legal guardian," said Rob. "I would fight it with everything I have to keep her. Ben and Bob would also support me. Annoying as they may be, they both have the influence that comes with money. On that score, Bob has a lot of influence."
"Rob, you need to understand something," said Emmeline. "This is not about money or influence. It is not even about American or British law. The Figalillys are powerful in ways that are completely unrelated to such things. I can't explain, however there are a couple of things that you must be aware of and ready for."
"Okay," answered Rob. "Since Phoebe and Trelawney clearly trust you, then I will too. Catherine told me that you reiterated Trelawney's warning."
"Reiterated?" she replied puzzled. "What have I reiterated?"
"You know," he said. "The statement about the good queen, the lovely lady, the wise gentleman, the gallant knight, and the fair maiden. Catherine said that you repeated it almost word for word the other day."
"Trelawney told you that? Almost word for word?" she asked, looking very surprised.
"She has told us a couple of times. But we first heard it from Prudence, after Trelawney gave her permission to talk about her secrets," he replied.
Emmeline looked troubled. For some reason, she seemed to think that this was something that either Trelawney wasn't supposed to know or wasn't supposed to say.
"Rob," she said. "Has Trelawney been talking a lot about the good queen?"
"Yes, she has, as a matter of fact," he said. "Whenever there is cause for worry, she soothes Phoebe by talking about the good queen, and about the wise gentleman."
"I think that you should know, that before Catherine was the good queen, the good queen was her mother," she explained. "Phoebe has told me about her various names for people in the family here. She used to have these kinds of names for the people in her life, however she never spoke about them to anyone but her parents."
"If she only told her parents, then how did you know?" he asked curiously.
"Phoebe's mother told me a couple of years ago when it started. She never got around to telling Phoebe, but she wanted me to know because Phoebe and I are very close. She knew that, if necessary, I would tell her," she explained.
"And you did?"
"No, once I heard about the unicorn story, I was afraid that if Phoebe knew that it might make things harder. I believe that that was the origin. However there is no way to know for certain. Fortunately, my aunt and uncle never knew of that. It would have broken their hearts," she said.
"However, I know from speaking with Trelawney that Catherine is the good queen and you are the wise gentleman, that was why I used them in my advice to your wife. Phoebe had told me that Catherine understands Trelawney's symbolic language."
"Was the wise gentleman her father at home?" asked Rob.
"No, her father was the good king. The wise gentleman was the pastor of our local church," she replied. "Like Pastor Jason, she would go to Rev. Flynn when her spirit needed soothing. Her sensibilities to the world around her are really much too heightened. She has also reached a point where she knows Phoebe's mind better, in some cases, than she knows her own. This is not good for either of them."
"I have sensed that and I agree," admitted Rob. "Phoebe has many more distractions now. However, the biggest one is Trelawney."
"Yes," said Emmeline. "And that is why I wanted to talk to you. It would be best for all concerned if you could take Trelawney into physical custody when Hal and Phoebe return. Presently, the strongest case that the family has for requesting her return is that you only have nominal custody, which you do. Trelawney will accept living down the street from Phoebe rather than living with her. I think that as long as they can see each on a daily basis they will be happy."
"I am not sure of how Phoebe will take that," answered Rob. "She was very upset when we changed over all her school records to reflect our guardianship. Trelawney herself seemed to willingly accept it."
"I am sure that she did," replied Emmeline. "This is an area where Trelawney knows what is best for all concerned, better than Phoebe does. You know that it is only a matter of time before Phoebe has her own children to care for in addition to Hal's three. As things stand now, she won't be able to manage it all. Taking Trelawney out of the equation will be a big help. And moving her out of the house will give Phoebe and the Professor more privacy."
"Catherine and I realize that and I suspect that Hal does too," said Rob. "If Trelawney is willing then Phoebe won't have much choice. I know that Hal will help her through it."
"I know that he will too," replied Emmeline, smiling. "He has a profound love for her. He has always acted in her best interest, even if it hurt himself very much. He is a very honorable man as well. You should be very proud of him. There are not many like him in the world."
"Including his brothers," Rob grimaced.
"Well, yes," said Emmeline.
"I hope that they are not . . . bothering you too much," he said.
"Not at all," replied Emmeline smoothly as always. "They are an entertaining diversion."
"You know," commented Rob. "You are very different from Phoebe."
"In some ways, yes," she said. "But in other ways we are alike. We are very evasive when asked personal questions and guard our privacy with care."
"Yes," said Rob, with a smile. "I can see that, but you seem much more worldly."
"That is true, however I did not spend my life working with children and knitting families back together again," she replied. "And don't even think of asking what I do spend my life doing. Suffice it to say for now that my primary concern is my cousins. That is all that you need to know."
"I understand," said Rob. "And if you can keep the two girls safe then I am satisfied."
"Good!" she replied, standing up. "I will be leaving the day after New Year's Day. I had promised Phoebe that I would stay and see Trelawney through her holiday blues. She seems to be on the mend now and your wife will take good care of her. If you ever need me, tell Trelawney and she will get in touch with me."
"You won't even tell me that?"
Emmeline just looked at him, arched an eyebrow, and left the room. Rob pondered everything that he had just heard. It was one of those times when he had to wonder if his son really knew what he had gotten himself into with his marriage. Phoebe was a sweet and lovely girl. She adored him and was clearly devoted not only to him, but to the children as well. He was looking forward to Emmeline's departure. She made him too aware of the family that seemed to not be able to let go of either of the sisters.
He would have to talk to Catherine about moving Trelawney into their house. He knew that there would be no objections on her part. In fact she enjoyed mothering the little girl. At least they weren't going to have to face it for a couple of more weeks.