Chapter 4: Phillip's Impact

It was Sunday afternoon and Phillip still didn't know what to do. Tomorrow he had promised to tell P.T everything about what was going on but he was starting to have doubts. He was torn between the two options because whichever one he picked, there would be consequences. Phillip looked at his mail from yesterday, which was still on the table. He hadn't had time to look through it last night so he had left it there. He went through it and saw a letter from…

"Charity?" Phillip questioned. He opened it and read it silently.

Dear Phillip,

I'm just reminding you that we're all here for you. And if you need someone to talk to, I'm here. I know what it's like to have to deal with snobby parents and to feel haunted by them. My parents sent me threatening letters for the first few years of mine and Phin's marriage and I remember the feeling. You feel alone and that you have to solve this on your own, but you don't have to and you're not alone. We're all here for you, especially Anne. Don't forget her in the mist of all of this and make her apart of this. Ask her what she wants instead of assuming what she wants. Ask her! Talk to her! Don't leave her out of this. Remember that as husband and wife you share your problems and triumphs. For better or for worse. Remember that.

Love, Your Friend,

Charity

Phillip smiled at the letter. "Good old Charity. Always knows how to help."

The circus' show that evening went amazingly well and there was a joy among the troop of having Barnum back. But there was also a great sadness for most of them. While they loved Barnum, they missed Carlyle and the way he did things. P.T actually called W.D out on his sadness after the show.

"What's with the sour face?" P.T asked. "Do you dislike me that much?"

"No, I just miss Carlyle," W.D admitted.

"Really? I thought you'd be relieved that you didn't have to watch him smooch with your sister," Barnum responded.

"And I am but I miss the way he did certain things during rehearsals," W.D said. Barnum shook his head. "He would always add or take away something from whatever routine we're working on and then build on it to make it bigger and better than last time. One time he added glow sticks into mine and Anne's routine and he dimmed the lights down a bit. Then slowly he started adding and taking away other things. And in two weeks he had us doing trapeze in almost pitch black while tossing sparklers back and forth in glow-in-the-dark outfits."

"Well, I'd pay to see that," Barnum said. "You're gonna have to show me that at some point."

"Yeah, the audience loved it," W.D added. "They love what he's done as much as what you have. While your approaches are different, they both have their pros. You're all jump-in and ask questions later. Let's start all the way at the big thing. While Carlyle, on the other hand, will have us start with something small and if we have doubts he either says, "trust me", "yes, I'm serious", or he'll teasingly dare us. And usually by the time we're doing the big thing, he always saying I told you so."

"Yeah, now we never question his ideas. Regardless of how silly they look at first," Anne said. Barnum was grinning from ear to ear from what he was hearing. He was proud of how well Phillip was managing the circus. He knew the guy had a flair for show business and he was proven right. He knew now more than ever that he had made the right choice to hand it over to him.

"Though some people are still skeptical," Anne said.

"How so?" Barnum asked.

"Well, they don't show it but some people don't like Phillip because of where he came from," Anne told him. "Mostly it's just a few of the newer recruits, but they think he's secretly trying to destroy us."

"Does he know?" Barnum asked.

"Yes, and the problem is that he hasn't addressed it," W.D told him. "And it's getting worse than just insults. He needs to get back here and handle this before this gets out of hand."

"Of all the times to have a problem at home and at work," Barnum muttered. W.D frowned.

"What do you mean by that?" W.D asked.

"When Phillip asked me to fill for him in his letter he said that the reason was related to his parents," Barnum told him. "But he didn't say how or why."

"Well, he'd better fix it soon, or the other'll get suspicious," W.D said. "And right now the last thing they need to hear about is his parents."

The Next Morning

"Charity, there's a letter for you," P.T told her. "From…Phillip?" Charity took it from her husband and opened it. Once she had read it, she smiled. "What is it?"

"He's thanking me for the letter I sent him and that he'll be at the usual spot to have drinks with you on Monday, today," Charity said. "Also he said he'd like to come over and talk to me about what's going on with his parents. I'm thinking about tomorrow night. Does that sound good?"

"That sounds perfect," P.T answered. He kissed her briefly. "I'll see you and the girls later. I've gotta get to work." He left the door without another word.

"Mr. Barnum, may I ask you a question," a performer asked. She must have been new since he did not recognize her. She wore a blue outfit that looked like Anne's, had blue eyes, and tan skin. What made her unique was that she had no hair or eyebrows.

"Of course," Barnum responded. "What is it you wanted to ask Miss…"

"Marie, Marie Turner," she told him. "I'm an acrobat and I do stunts on the elephants."

"Oh, I remember seeing that when I came by about a month ago," Barnum said. "I wonder why I didn't think of that."

"It wasn't your idea?" Marie asked.

"No, I'm surprised that he had thought of something like that," Barnum responded. "Since usually the crazy is my domain. But then again, Carlyle always does find new ways to surprise me. So what was it you wanted to ask me?"

"Why did you quit?" Marie asked. "It just seemed so out of the blue for you to quit as soon as the circus came back." Barnum sighed.

"Well, I wanted to spend more time with my girl and I just knew that they needed me more than the circus did and does," Barnum started. "It's not that I don't like it here, but home is home and I knew it was time. I will always love this place but it was time to give it to someone else. Besides, Phillip needed to the ringmaster more than I did. Since he was always backstage and hiding. It was time for him to step out into the light and in order for him to be able to I had to back down."

"So you're not staying?" Marie assumed.

"As great as it is to be back, no, I'm not," Barnum told her. "Phillip just needed a break. He'll be back. Why? Is there a problem with that?"

"NO," Marie said hastily. "Of course not." Barnum knew it wasn't the case but decided to drop it.

After the show that night, Barnum went to the usual spot for his and Phillip's drinks. It was the bar where Barnum had offered Phillip the deal that changed his life around for the better several months previous. P.T arrived first and waited.

Phillip arrived a few minutes late and sat beside him. Barnum cleared his throat to get Phillip's attention. Phillip turned to face him and sighed.

"My parents are threatening the circus, P.T. And I don't know what to do."