o O o
A/N: I thank you all for your patience while this chapter percolated; as Dr. Seuss says "un-slumping yourself is not easily done." Oh! The Places You'll Go! has once again found its way into the story.
No offense is intended to any "Flos" out there reading this story
o O o
Spencer listened carefully to the message left on his phone by the disembodied voice from the admissions office. "Mr. Shay, this is Elaine Robinson from Admissions returning your call. I understand from your message that you're interested in attending the summer session. Our regular deadline has passed," his mouth tightened into a displeased frown as the voice continued "HOWEVER, I spoke to the Dean, and under the circumstances he is willing to accept a late application provided that you can have all your documents and full payment of the tuition to me by the fifteenth of this month. Please give me a call back to let me know whether to expect your application. Once again, I'll need to have a complete package by 4PM on Tuesday…"
Tuesday? Add one more thing to his list of stressors. The application was no problem, but the money was something else again. Maybe if he hadn't emptied his savings account to buy the earrings for Sam last month… but no- he wasn't going to go there. The money would just have to come from somewhere else. It might be time to finally let his beloved Bottle Bot go, not such a bad idea considering that Granddad thought it was in the Seattle Art Museum when in fact it had been returned to its customary spot in the back of the apartment. Sacrifices might have to be made, but first he had to confirm that the well was truly dry. ..
o O o
Having fortified him as best she knew how, Sam claimed a last kiss before slipping from the bed. "I won't be gone long; I just feel like I should go spend a couple of minutes with Mom. I guess that's crazy – I probably never would have done it before. But things are different now somehow," she explained as she stepped into the shower.
Things were definitely different - he was still adjusting to the new reality himself. He went to bed and Sam was there. He woke up and Sam was there. In a matter of hours her belongings had been strewn across the room as though they had always been there, only this time she had been invited and was entitled. He tripped over sandals, shoes and boots. His share of closet space shrank from 100% to something less than 30. He lost his favorite T shirt, claimed by Sam as sleepwear because, she said, it smelled like the pulled pork he'd made her for dinner. The bathroom counter was littered with cosmetics, cleansers, and bottles of esoteric lotions whose use and purpose escaped him. The Irish Spring ® soap had been replaced by Dove ® go fresh burst (with nectarine, she'd informed him,) and more often than not, intimate apparel hung from the towel bar while the towels lay on the floor in a heap. No longer king of his hill, Sam's presence announced itself everywhere he looked; he'd joked that he should make her a new penny T. It would say simply Veni, Vidi, Vici. Yes, his space and his life had been transformed… and Spencer loved it. You just don't realize how empty your life is until it's full.
Wandering in to brush his teeth, he answered her fondly. "Of course you want to see your mother; that's kind of the point of Mother's Day isn't it?"
"She's probably at the restaurant; " Sam called over the running water. "I'll say hi – maybe have coffee or something. I can bring dessert back if you want. What time are you expecting Granddad?"
"Round about one o'clock or so. I'm planning on early dinner, probably two."
"I'll definitely be back before then; I know today is dress rehearsal," she assured him as she lathered shampoo in her hair. "How do you want to play this?"
"We're just going to play it by ear. There are some other things that I need to discuss with Granddad, getting Carly's school situation sorted, and the finances and so forth. I'm sure that an opportunity will present itself."
"Doesn't your father handle all that?"
Distracted by the water cascading down around her he was reminded again of the mermaid portrait he'd never started. He held it in his mind, ready to be brought to life and promised himself he would paint it. Soon.
"Actually, no. Since Dad's on active duty out of the country, Granddad has power of attorney. The Colonel trusted me with Carly's care, but I evidently was not considered responsible enough to be left in charge of the money. Granddad wires the household allowance in every month and I divvy it up as needed, but anything out of the ordinary has to go through him."
"So..." she started as she twisted the water off, "aside from the fact that you didn't tell him, your father never found out you left law school because Granddad was handling all the bills. "
"Right."
"Well, that makes him a party to the 'lie of omission; ' that's tantamount to siding with you on the issue. Do you think that will make him more likely to support…your other choices?" she asked tentatively.
He shook his head. "I really don't know Mädchen; honestly I'm hoping that Carly can help soften him up, because-"
"No," Sam said firmly, frowning as she stepped from the shower.
"No what?"
"NO. Don't ask Carly to get involved in this."
"Sam," he said reasonably, "Carly is Granddad's favorite. If she helps me bring him around, then I at least have a chance with Dad."
"OK, I can see why you feel that convincing Granddad is important. But leave Carly out of it. I promised her Spencer. Well, actually, I promised her that we wouldn't make her take sides against your father, but it amounts to the same thing. She's really torn over this. We have to do this on our own."
"She is not the only one torn Sam." He saw the beginning of the flash that was Hera in her eyes and realized they had reached a milestone. For the first time since leaving one and one behind, Sam was pushing back. In his mind this was significant - it meant she was confident enough in the relationship to cross him without fear, but more importantly, it showed that she was not dependent. She claimed an equal status, and this was as it should be.
"I know," she said quietly. "But we can do it. You told me yourself – 'will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)' And we will, because we're RIGHT. Doesn't everybody want to be on the side of right?"
"You are something else Mädchen. I think the issue is that not everyone has the same definition of right. But ok, I concede. No Carly." Never argue with a naked woman; the odds of winning are poor at best.
"I knew you would do the right thing," she replied serenely as she plucked the toothpaste from his hand. "Now I'm just going to pop over and see Mom, and I'll be right back."
What he said was "Take your time," in a most agreeable tone, but what he thought was 'hurry home -the mountain is waiting. Let us hope this one turns out to be only a molehill...'
o O o
The hostess greeted Sam warmly. "Good morning, are you waiting for others to join you or may I seat you now?" she inquired with a smile.
Sam fidgeted, suddenly unsure that searching out her mother in this unfamiliar territory was really a good idea. "Umm…actually ma'am, since, you know, it's Mother's Day, I thought I would come by and see my mother."
"So you'll want a table for two?"
Flushing, Sam refrained from smacking herself in the head as she realized that, of course, this woman didn't automatically know who her mother was. "No, I mean, I'm not sure. I think my mom is probably in the kitchen. With Stanley. He is here today?" Sam asked anxiously.
"Yes dear, Mr. Armistead (the younger) is in. And your mother is…"
"Pam. Pam Puckett?"
"Oh goodness, you're one of the twins. I should have seen it right away. Would you be Melanie or Samantha?"
"Samantha – Sam," she corrected.
"Well Sam, I'm delighted to meet you. I have to tell you that Mr. Armistead is forever praising the three beautiful women in his life. Your mother is the apple of his eye and he is just so proud to be gaining two such accomplished daughters; bless his heart, he …" her voice trailed off as she registered Sam's look of wide-eyed surprise.
"Well of course you're waiting to see your mother aren't you dear? Just listen to me prattling away. Jackie? Jackie!" she called out to a passing waitress. "This is SAM; one of Pamela's girls. Would you please take her back to the kitchen? "
Sam eyed the hostess' name tag. 'Your name is Flo?' she thought to herself. 'Of course it is; what else could it possibly be?'
"Thank you Flo," she murmured politely, "Umm, happy Mother's Day."
Flo beamed back at her. "Why thank you dear; I'm going to the tea at church this afternoon with my grandchildren, and – oh my! There I go again. You go on back with Jackie. So nice to meet you Sam!"
With some relief, Sam followed the much more taciturn Jackie to the kitchen. Stopping at the door, Jackie eyed her critically. "Just wait here; I'll get your mother," she said shortly.
"But Flo said-"
Jackie shook her head, tugging at Sam's hair. "Uh uh – Mr. Armistead the younger might not say anything, but Mr. Armistead the older would have your head, and mine too for letting you in the kitchen like that. Just wait. I'll be right back."
Moments later Pam emerged from the kitchen, dishtowel in hand.
"Well don't just stand there girl; find a seat." Pam shooed her back towards the tables. "Is something wrong?" Pam looked at her suspiciously. "You didn't forget to take your pills did you?"
"Mom, no! Would you quit it with the pill thing already? " She plopped down at an empty table as Pam eased in across from her. "It's Mother's Day. I just… Mom, I just wanted to stop by and tell you happy Mother's Day. "
"You did?" Pam looked truly startled, but a pleased smile crept over her face. "Thanks kid. That's…thoughtful of you. I wasn't expecting you today. "
"Why not?"
"Well, we don't exactly have a history of this-" she waved back and forth between them. "And you've moved on; you're grown; you've got a man and a life of your own to live. That's working out? Things are good?" she asked cautiously.
Sam nodded. "We're good. We're great. We do have…some choices to make once school lets out, but we're solid. Don't worry; I won't dump myself back on your doorstep."
"I wasn't going there Sam. "
"I know. I told him things are different now. I'm trying to feel like a grown up. Sometimes it works; other times it doesn't, but he always knows the right thing to say to help me figure out what I should be doing. Once in a while, I think I know the right thing to say to help him figure out what HE should be doing, and that's when I really feel successful."
In a most unexpected gesture, Pam reached across the table to take her daughter's hand. "You ARE successful Samantha; against the odds, you are. You picked the right path; you have good friends and a better partner. You know where you want to go and you'll figure out how to get there. Your father didn't believe – maybe I didn't either. But you proved us both wrong, and girl, I'm GLAD. I can sleep at night, because I know that you are safe, and you are happy. "
Sam stared at her mother. "What do you mean about Dad? That he didn't believe? What didn't he believe?"
Pam settled back in her chair. "Let's not go there Sam. It doesn't matter what chizz he thought anymore."
Sam sat up straighter. "But Mom, it sounds like you're saying that it was on Dad that he left, and I always thought…"
Pam's smile was sad. "You always thought it was me. I know. In a way it was, I guess, but only because he didn't have – oh, I don't know the right word. Your father judged me by my environment, by my family and the way they lived. I thought he was the best thing that ever happened to me, but I was wrong. He was slumming Sam. He got caught when he knocked me up, and had enough of a conscience to make it legal, but he never believed that I could rise above my circumstances. I didn't belong in his world and he didn't try to change me or himself so that I could. The boyfriends ? They came later. I only wanted your father to –"
"Pay attention," Sam whispered.
"Yes," Pam agreed, startled. "I loved him, but he never really loved me. He didn't believe in me, and he didn't believe in you girls. As far as he was concerned, your story was already written. "
Sam took a breath, trying not to cry."Mom…why did you never tell us this? Why did you let us think all this time that you drove him away?"
Pam shrugged. "Maybe that shrink Carly dragged us to could answer that. He was the only father you had. At the time I still hoped that I could win him back somehow, but I never really had him in the first place. Anyway, my point here kid, is that he was WRONG. He was wrong about you, and maybe I'm starting to believe he was wrong about me."
Sam recalled Flo's eye-opening comment and studied her mother curiously. "You know Mom, that hostess said something interesting when I came in. She said Stanley is so proud to be gaining two successful daughters. "
"He is proud Sam. Proud as a peacock."
"Mom! You know that's not what I mean. Is it true? Are you getting married?"
"Now don't get all huffy girl, I was going to tell you."
Sam briefly considered pouting (just for the sake of appearances) but couldn't keep the smile from her eyes. Impulsively she jumped up to give her mother a hug, almost knocking over Jackie who had just appeared at the table with coffee and sweet rolls.
"Calm down kid. You'd think I won the lottery or something, the way you're carrying on."
"Oh no Mom, this is so much better."
Pam could not disagree.
o O o
Carly popped into the kitchen, sniffing appreciatively. "Something smells delicious!"
"Everything I make is delicious," Spencer agreed absently, "except when it erupts in flames."
"It's delicious even after it erupts in flames, "Sam added loyally. "But that's not going to happen today I'm sure."
"I'm not, " he muttered, glancing at the clock. "Help me keep an eye on this stuff, ok? "
Sam obediently took up a position at the stove and started stirring while Spencer moved to wrestle the Bottle Bot down the hall.
"Where are you going with the Bot?" Carly asked curiously.
"Out of sight, out of mind," he replied cryptically.
Carly shrugged and turned to Sam. "So how did things go with –" She was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Oh good, Granddad's here!' she said brightly. "Spencer! Granddad's here!" she called after him.
Flinging the door open, Carly's muffled shriek captured Sam's immediate attention. Granddad had indeed arrived. And he'd brought company.