A Big Mistake
It was a sunny morning in Odyssey. The birds were chirping, the breeze was blowing, and a old friend had come for a visit.
Whit was just about to put the open sign from "closed" to "open" when the bell about the door rang. He turned around to see one of his employees, Connie Kendall, and -Whit's eyes widened- Jeff Lewis.
"Jeff Lewis!" Whit exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"
Jeff smiled and Connie looked slightly hurt.
"Whit!" she cried, "Don't greet my fiance like that!"
Whit looked shocked.
"Fiance!" He echoed.
"Yep." Jeff Lewis turned his admiring gaze on Connie, who blushed. "She said yes last night."
"Yes?! As in "yes I will marry you?""
"Don't look so shocked, Whit. You knew we were in love before."
"Yes, but- but-" Whit spluttered.
Jeff cut in. "Look, sweetheart, I gotta go, but I'll be by tonight." He kissed her lightly and was out the door before Whit had a chance to recover from his shock.
"Connie?"
"Yes, Whit?" Connie said absently, looking dreamily out the window.
"I thought you were through with that man."
Connie looked up. "I was.... until he came back to Odyssey and said he was a Christian. I called his pastor and he said he baptized him, so that's good enough for me."
"So you still love him?" Whit inquired.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do."
"Oh." Whit didn't know what to say. He was still trying to get passed the part of Jeff calling her sweetheart. "So when's the wedding?"
"We haven't set an exact date, but we want sometime next month." Connie started filling the napkin dispensers.
"Next month!" Whit exclaimed, "Isn't that kinda.... sudden?"
"Nope. We want to spend as much of our life as a married couple as possible."
"Oh. I see. Well, I have to go and fix a program on the Imagination Station, so I'll see you later. And when you tell Eugene, break it to him slowly. We don't want to have him faint or anything." Whit chuckled.
Connie frowned, but it looked as if she was trying not to smile. "Yeah, I'll remember that."
Whit went slowly up the stairs taking in everything he had just heard in the last five minutes. Jeff Lewis a Christian? His getting married to Connie?? WITHIN THE NEXT MONTH??? Whit sat down in front of the David and Goliath display and wiped his forehead with his handkerchief. Then he smiled to himself when he heard Eugene's fainting sound and Connie's cry "Eugene!"
~~~~~
Whit was awakened at two AM the next morning to hear coarse laughter drift up to his bedroom window. He sleepily got out of bed and went over to the window. He looked down into the alley and saw a bunch of people on there way home from the bar.
"They're obviously drunk..." he thought. Then one person caught his attention.
"It couldn't be!" He said aloud to himself. "Should I go down there? No, I'll wait until the morning to deal with it."
~~~~~~
The next morning, Whit went to work early, in hopes of having a little time to think about what happened the night before in silence. But, as he stepped through the door, who should be there but Connie, serenely washing dishes.
"Hi, Whit!" She greeted him cheerfully.
"Hello, Connie." Whit was taken aback by finding her there that early in the morning. "You weren't supposed to be here for another hour."
"Yeah, well, I had some dishes to finish washing before you open the shop." She looked at him curiously. "Is there something wrong?"
"No, no. Well... can a talk to you for a sec?"
"Of course." She sat down next to him.
Whit didn't know how to start. "Uhh... we're you with Jeff last night?"
Connie shook her head. "No... he want out to dinner and a movie with a few of his old friends. Why?"
"Connie... I saw him last night... umm..."
Connie looked worried. "What is it? Is he hurt?"
"No, no. At least I don't think so." Whit looked into her green eyes seriously. "I saw him last night... drunk."
Connie jumped out of her chair. "Whit!!! How could you?!"
Whit also stood. "How could I what?
"Make up such lies about my fiance!"
"Would I lie to you??"
Connie looked at him hard. "I didn't think so till now."
Whit laid a hand on her shoulder. "I'm not lying to you. I'm just telling you what I saw."
"Well, then there must be a man who looks a lot like him, cause he WOULDN'T get drunk!!"
"Yes, you're right. There must be a mistake."
"Well, next time, can you use a bit more tact?" She asked witheringly.
"Of course." Whit watched her go away with a sigh. He just didn't understand her.
~~~~~~
Once again, the next night he heard loud laughter in the alley. He jumped out of bed and ran to the window. This time there was no mistake… it was Jeff. He watched until he couldn’t take it anymore, then went back to bed, thinking that he would have a talk with Connie in the morning.
Whit walked into Whit’s End the next morning determined to tell Connie, and with tack, as she had requested.
“Good morning, Whit!”
Whit turned around to see Connie doing dishes, and tried to smile.
“Good morning.”
Connie looked at him curiously. “What’s wrong this time? You don’t seem you normal, cheerful self today.”
Whit tried to sound like his “normal, cheerful self”. “I’m ok, I was just up a bit last night. I’ll be fine.”
He quickly walked upstairs to his office. He needed time to think about how to tell her about what he had seen last night. Then Eugene appeared.
“Good morning, Mr. Whittaker!” He said cheerfully. “Shall I get started on the Imagination Station this morning?”
“Actually, Eugene, can you come in here and shut the door? I need to ask you something.”
Eugene stepped in and shut the door. “Of course. Am I in any sort of trouble?”
Whit chuckled, then became serious. “No, of course not. But sit down. This may come as a bit of a shock.
“Alright. I’m ready.”
“Well, you know how my house is right beside that pub that was built last year?”
Eugene looked thoughtful. “Hmm… oh yes, I remember. What about it?”
“Well, I was woken up by some drunk people coming out of it last night and the night before, and one of them was Jeff.”
“Jeff? As in Jeff Lewis? As in Connie’s boyfriend??” Eugene spluttered.
“Yes. And here’s why I asked you in here. I need to know how to tell Connie. I told her yesterday, but she wouldn’t listen. If she won’t believe me, I’m afraid she might marry him.” Whit looked worried.
“Yes, you’re right. He’s down there now, and I suggest that we go down there and confront him, the scoundrel!” Eugene cried vehemently.
Whit stood up and grabbed him by the arm before he had a chance to run out. “No, Eugene. That would only make things worse. She'd never listen then."
Eugene sat down. "No, you're right. But what should we do?"
Whit sighed at sat down. "I just don't know. I've really never been in this kind of a situation before."
"I've never either. Except for that time--"
Connie poked her head in. "Whit, I need to run to the store to pick up some milk; can you watch the counter for me?"
Whit stood up. "Of course. But don't be too long; there's a birthday party coming in an hour."
"Oh, I won't. See ya!"
Eugene sighed as he watched her go. "How are we going to break it too her without being beat up?"
Whit smiled. "Beat up?"
"Verbally, of course."
Oh, I see. Well, we'll just tell her as gently as possible, and everything should be fine."
~~~~~~
"WHIT!! HOW COULD YOU SAY SUCH A THING AGAIN?? ESPECIALLY AFTER OUR TALK LAST NIGHT???" Connie cried.
"I'm only saying what I saw! You HAVE to believe me!" Whit said back.
"Well, I won't!"
"Won't you at least talk to him?" Whit said, more gently.
Connie sighed, exasperated. "Fine. Just so you'll believe in him again. And if he says says "Yes Connie, I did get drunk last night, but it was only a slip of my old self", I suppose you won't want me to marry him??"
"Well, if it was a "slip of his old self" then I think you should forgive him and forget about it. But if it wasn't..."
"Then I should break off our engagement? Whit, I've already done that. I'll never again. It hurts too much." Connie looked as if she might cry.
"Connie..." Whit began.
The bell over the door rang. "Where's the most beautiful girl in the world?" Jeff called.
Connie looked imploringly at Whit. "Don't say anything, will you? I'll talk to him."
Whit sighed. "Alright."
Connie smiled at him and quickly walked down the stairs to greet Jeff. Whit sighed again as he heard their excited voices down in front of the counter.
~~~~~~
"Connie, I honestly think that you should not marry him." Whit said firmly.
"Whit. I have made up my mind. I WILL marry him." Connie said back just as firmly.
Whit put his hands in the air. "Ok, fine, if you're not going to listen to reason. But would God want you to marry him?"
"Yes. I have prayed a lot about this and I think that God is telling me to marry him!"
"But he isn't a Christian! Would God want you to marry a non-Christian?" Whit inquired.
Connie sighed. "Look, Whit, I know that God is telling me to marry him! That's all there is too it."
Whit gave up. "Alright. Fine. Go ahead and marry him, but I know it will turn out just like half the marriages in America."
Connie turned a beet red and walked out of the room. Whit buried his face in his hands and groaned. "How could this be happening?" He thought. "I thought she had better judgement. Well, let's just hope that she'll change her mind before the wedding."
But he was wrong. Connie and Jeff did get married and went to Costa Rica for their honeymoon.
~~~~~~
The years seemed to speed by for Whit after that, and all of the sudden he found himself babysitting Connie's two children, John and Joel, while she was at the hospital after just having given birth to her third, who she named Amy.
"Uncle Whit?" John said.
"Yes, John?"
"Why doesn't Daddy love Mummy?"
"Of course he does! What makes you think that?"
John looked thoughtful. "Well, he yells at her sometimes and she cries. And then he goes out with his friends and gets drunk."
Whit looked at him and felt he could cry too. John was only five years old; most kids his age didn't even know about getting drunk.
"Well, John, I'm sure that your dad loves your mum," Whit said slowly, "He just.... has a few problems, that's all."
"Oh... but I wish we could be like other families; like Eugene and Katrina. They NEVER yell at Alex and Claire, and they're only adopted!"
Whit didn't know what to say, but before he could think of something to tell him, the phone rang.
"I'll get it!!" Cried Joel, who was only three. "Hewo? Oh, hi, Mummy!"
Whit got up to take the phone from Joel. "Hello? Oh, hi, Connie!"
John looked up from his book. "Mummy?"
Whit looked at him and smiled. "Oh, we can? Ok, we'll be right over! Bye."
John jumped up. "Can we see Mummy?"
Whit laughed. "Yep. She wants you to come and meet your new baby sister!"
John and Joel gasped. "A baby sister?" John exclaimed.
"Yay!" Joel cried.
As they climbed into the car, John asked "Uncle, will Daddy be there?"
Whit looked back at him through the mirror. "Uhh... no. He had a... business meeting."
"Yeah, business at the pub." John grumbled.
Whit sighed. "John, please don't say those things. We don't know where he is."
"Yes, sir."
They pulled into the parking lot and the kids jumped out even before Whit had turned the car off.
"Hold on, you two!" He laughed. "Don't run ahead of me! You might get lost and we won't find you in time to see your mum."
John and Joel both stopped running and waited for Whit to catch up. They took his hands and dragged him quickly into the hospital.
The nurse at the front desk looked up that them and smiled.
"What room is Connie Lewis in?" Whit asked.
The nurse started typing on the computer. "Connie Lewis... hmm... Oh, here she is. Floor 4, room 245."
"Thank you. C'mon, boys." They walked away and towards the elevators.
"Uncle?" John asked.
"Yes, John?"
"Will she... look different?"
"No; what makes you think that?"
"Well, when we went to see Uncle Monty and his wife after she had a baby, she was awfully skinny and pale." John said as they stepped out of the elevator.
Whit chuckled. "Well, that's because she was skinny to begin with, and she was pale just because she was tired."
John looked relieved. "Oh."
As they walked to her door, they saw Eugene and Katrina come out with their adopted girls, Alex and Claire.
"Hello, Whit; hello, boys." Greeted Katrina.
"Greetings and salutations, Mr. Whittaker, John, and Joel!" Eugene said. Alex and Claire rolled their eyes. Claire smiled at John, whom she had a crush on. He blushed, feeling silly.
As the grown-ups were talking, Claire came over to John.
"Hello, John." she began.
"Uhh... hi, Claire."
"So, how do you feel about having a baby sister?" She asked.
"I dunno, I haven't even seen her yet!"
"Oh..." Claire felt stupid; she had made a fool out of herself, again, in front of John.
"Come on, boys!" Whit called softly.
"Coming!" They cried, and rushed to catch up with Whit before he went into the room.
John and Whit stopped suddenly before going in, but Joel had a different idea. He rushed in, scaring the nurse who was there for another woman, and flung his arms around his mother's neck.
"Mummy, mummy!" He cried.
"Hello, dear,” Connie said weakly as she hugged him back.
John came over and hugged her also, but more gently than his younger brother.
“Can we see her? Can we see her?” Joel asked eagerly.
“Yes, yes!” John cried.
Connie smiled and gestured for June to bring Amy over. She did, and Joel gazed at her with wonder.
“She’s so… small, Mummy,” Joel looked worried. “And she has no hair.”
Connie giggled. “Eight pounds isn’t small, honey, and most babies have no hair just after they’re born.” Then she looked up at Whit. “Aren’t you coming to see her?”
“Of course.” Whit walked over and took Amy from June. “She looks just like you… except for her nose. That’s just like Jeff’s.” He finished with a frown, then laughed.
Everyone laughed.
~~~~~~
“Mummy, when’s Daddy coming home?” John asked several days later.
Connie turned around from doing the dishes. “I just don’t know, hon.”
“But it’s been four days since we last saw him! And he hasn’t even seen Amy yet.” He persisted.
“I know, I know. But I’m sure we’ll see him soon.” She had just finished saying that when Jeff stumbled in the door. He had a black eye, a broken nose, and smelled strongly of stale beer.
Connie looked at him coldly. “Hello, Jeff.”
“Hiya, Connie,” Jeff began. But Connie cut him short.
“Where were you?! You go away for days and leave me to look after the children while I’m about to have a baby, and then I go into labour and I have to call Whit to watch them while I’m at the hospital, alone, when you should have been there, and- and-” Connie burst into tears. “Then you go and get drunk with your friends. What about us?!”
Jeff sighed angrily. This was not what he was expecting. “I came to say… I don’t want to be married to you anymore.”
Connie looked up and immediately stopped crying. This was not what she was expecting either. “What?”
“Yes,” Jeff continued. “I have found a new girl, and I like her better than you. That’s all there is to it.”
“Daddy!” John and Joel exclaimed, in tears. But Jeff didn’t hear them.
“I’ll just get a few of my clothes and be out of here.” Jeff marched off to his and Connie’s room.
“Oh, Mummy. What are we gonna do?” John asked, hugging his mother.
“I just don’t know,” she sobbed. “I just don’t know.”
~~~~~~
Whit was enjoying a nice meal with Jason when the phone rang.
“Hello?” Whit said into the phone. “Connie? What's wrong?” He listened for a while, then said “Oh, Connie. Just stay there, and Jason and I’ll be right over. Bye.” He set the phone down with a sigh, turned to Jason and said “Jason, we have to go over to Connie’s.”
Jason got up and reached for his coat and asked “Sure, but why?”
“Jeff has left her.”
~~~~~~
When Whit and Jason got there, they didn’t bother to know, they just walked in. They saw Connie sitting on the couch sobbing with John and Joel trying to comfort her but crying themselves. Connie looked up, saw Jason and Whit, and tried to smile, but it didn’t quite work. John and Joel let go of their mother and ran to Jason, who hugged them back. Whit sat down on the couch and just hugged her tight.
“What am I going to do?” She whispered through her tears. “I can’t live without him!”
“You’re going to have to learn to, Connie. And all this wouldn’t have happened if you have listen to me in the first place.”
“I know, I know! I’m sorry.” She sobbed.
“Don’t worry about that now. But what are you going to do?”
“I’ll have to go and live with Mum, I guess.” Connie sighed. She’d have a lot of explaining to do, for her mother had warned her also.
~~~~~~
Whit woke up in a cold sweat. He couldn’t believe what he had just dreamed, but…. Had it been a dream? He got up and sleepily walked to the kitchen where he knew a picture of Jeff and Connie on their wedding day would be on the fridge. It wasn’t there. “Oh good. Thank God.” He whispered.
“Oh good what?” Jason asked from the living room.
Whit jumped. “Jason?? What are you doing here?”
“I get up early, remember?”
“Early? It’s only… oh. 4:30 AM.”
“Yeah…. Is there something wrong?”
“Uhh… not any more. Good night!” Whit said joyfully as he went back upstairs to bed.
Life was good again.
The End :)
Whit was just about to put the open sign from "closed" to "open" when the bell about the door rang. He turned around to see one of his employees, Connie Kendall, and -Whit's eyes widened- Jeff Lewis.
"Jeff Lewis!" Whit exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"
Jeff smiled and Connie looked slightly hurt.
"Whit!" she cried, "Don't greet my fiance like that!"
Whit looked shocked.
"Fiance!" He echoed.
"Yep." Jeff Lewis turned his admiring gaze on Connie, who blushed. "She said yes last night."
"Yes?! As in "yes I will marry you?""
"Don't look so shocked, Whit. You knew we were in love before."
"Yes, but- but-" Whit spluttered.
Jeff cut in. "Look, sweetheart, I gotta go, but I'll be by tonight." He kissed her lightly and was out the door before Whit had a chance to recover from his shock.
"Connie?"
"Yes, Whit?" Connie said absently, looking dreamily out the window.
"I thought you were through with that man."
Connie looked up. "I was.... until he came back to Odyssey and said he was a Christian. I called his pastor and he said he baptized him, so that's good enough for me."
"So you still love him?" Whit inquired.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do."
"Oh." Whit didn't know what to say. He was still trying to get passed the part of Jeff calling her sweetheart. "So when's the wedding?"
"We haven't set an exact date, but we want sometime next month." Connie started filling the napkin dispensers.
"Next month!" Whit exclaimed, "Isn't that kinda.... sudden?"
"Nope. We want to spend as much of our life as a married couple as possible."
"Oh. I see. Well, I have to go and fix a program on the Imagination Station, so I'll see you later. And when you tell Eugene, break it to him slowly. We don't want to have him faint or anything." Whit chuckled.
Connie frowned, but it looked as if she was trying not to smile. "Yeah, I'll remember that."
Whit went slowly up the stairs taking in everything he had just heard in the last five minutes. Jeff Lewis a Christian? His getting married to Connie?? WITHIN THE NEXT MONTH??? Whit sat down in front of the David and Goliath display and wiped his forehead with his handkerchief. Then he smiled to himself when he heard Eugene's fainting sound and Connie's cry "Eugene!"
~~~~~
Whit was awakened at two AM the next morning to hear coarse laughter drift up to his bedroom window. He sleepily got out of bed and went over to the window. He looked down into the alley and saw a bunch of people on there way home from the bar.
"They're obviously drunk..." he thought. Then one person caught his attention.
"It couldn't be!" He said aloud to himself. "Should I go down there? No, I'll wait until the morning to deal with it."
~~~~~~
The next morning, Whit went to work early, in hopes of having a little time to think about what happened the night before in silence. But, as he stepped through the door, who should be there but Connie, serenely washing dishes.
"Hi, Whit!" She greeted him cheerfully.
"Hello, Connie." Whit was taken aback by finding her there that early in the morning. "You weren't supposed to be here for another hour."
"Yeah, well, I had some dishes to finish washing before you open the shop." She looked at him curiously. "Is there something wrong?"
"No, no. Well... can a talk to you for a sec?"
"Of course." She sat down next to him.
Whit didn't know how to start. "Uhh... we're you with Jeff last night?"
Connie shook her head. "No... he want out to dinner and a movie with a few of his old friends. Why?"
"Connie... I saw him last night... umm..."
Connie looked worried. "What is it? Is he hurt?"
"No, no. At least I don't think so." Whit looked into her green eyes seriously. "I saw him last night... drunk."
Connie jumped out of her chair. "Whit!!! How could you?!"
Whit also stood. "How could I what?
"Make up such lies about my fiance!"
"Would I lie to you??"
Connie looked at him hard. "I didn't think so till now."
Whit laid a hand on her shoulder. "I'm not lying to you. I'm just telling you what I saw."
"Well, then there must be a man who looks a lot like him, cause he WOULDN'T get drunk!!"
"Yes, you're right. There must be a mistake."
"Well, next time, can you use a bit more tact?" She asked witheringly.
"Of course." Whit watched her go away with a sigh. He just didn't understand her.
~~~~~~
Once again, the next night he heard loud laughter in the alley. He jumped out of bed and ran to the window. This time there was no mistake… it was Jeff. He watched until he couldn’t take it anymore, then went back to bed, thinking that he would have a talk with Connie in the morning.
Whit walked into Whit’s End the next morning determined to tell Connie, and with tack, as she had requested.
“Good morning, Whit!”
Whit turned around to see Connie doing dishes, and tried to smile.
“Good morning.”
Connie looked at him curiously. “What’s wrong this time? You don’t seem you normal, cheerful self today.”
Whit tried to sound like his “normal, cheerful self”. “I’m ok, I was just up a bit last night. I’ll be fine.”
He quickly walked upstairs to his office. He needed time to think about how to tell her about what he had seen last night. Then Eugene appeared.
“Good morning, Mr. Whittaker!” He said cheerfully. “Shall I get started on the Imagination Station this morning?”
“Actually, Eugene, can you come in here and shut the door? I need to ask you something.”
Eugene stepped in and shut the door. “Of course. Am I in any sort of trouble?”
Whit chuckled, then became serious. “No, of course not. But sit down. This may come as a bit of a shock.
“Alright. I’m ready.”
“Well, you know how my house is right beside that pub that was built last year?”
Eugene looked thoughtful. “Hmm… oh yes, I remember. What about it?”
“Well, I was woken up by some drunk people coming out of it last night and the night before, and one of them was Jeff.”
“Jeff? As in Jeff Lewis? As in Connie’s boyfriend??” Eugene spluttered.
“Yes. And here’s why I asked you in here. I need to know how to tell Connie. I told her yesterday, but she wouldn’t listen. If she won’t believe me, I’m afraid she might marry him.” Whit looked worried.
“Yes, you’re right. He’s down there now, and I suggest that we go down there and confront him, the scoundrel!” Eugene cried vehemently.
Whit stood up and grabbed him by the arm before he had a chance to run out. “No, Eugene. That would only make things worse. She'd never listen then."
Eugene sat down. "No, you're right. But what should we do?"
Whit sighed at sat down. "I just don't know. I've really never been in this kind of a situation before."
"I've never either. Except for that time--"
Connie poked her head in. "Whit, I need to run to the store to pick up some milk; can you watch the counter for me?"
Whit stood up. "Of course. But don't be too long; there's a birthday party coming in an hour."
"Oh, I won't. See ya!"
Eugene sighed as he watched her go. "How are we going to break it too her without being beat up?"
Whit smiled. "Beat up?"
"Verbally, of course."
Oh, I see. Well, we'll just tell her as gently as possible, and everything should be fine."
~~~~~~
"WHIT!! HOW COULD YOU SAY SUCH A THING AGAIN?? ESPECIALLY AFTER OUR TALK LAST NIGHT???" Connie cried.
"I'm only saying what I saw! You HAVE to believe me!" Whit said back.
"Well, I won't!"
"Won't you at least talk to him?" Whit said, more gently.
Connie sighed, exasperated. "Fine. Just so you'll believe in him again. And if he says says "Yes Connie, I did get drunk last night, but it was only a slip of my old self", I suppose you won't want me to marry him??"
"Well, if it was a "slip of his old self" then I think you should forgive him and forget about it. But if it wasn't..."
"Then I should break off our engagement? Whit, I've already done that. I'll never again. It hurts too much." Connie looked as if she might cry.
"Connie..." Whit began.
The bell over the door rang. "Where's the most beautiful girl in the world?" Jeff called.
Connie looked imploringly at Whit. "Don't say anything, will you? I'll talk to him."
Whit sighed. "Alright."
Connie smiled at him and quickly walked down the stairs to greet Jeff. Whit sighed again as he heard their excited voices down in front of the counter.
~~~~~~
"Connie, I honestly think that you should not marry him." Whit said firmly.
"Whit. I have made up my mind. I WILL marry him." Connie said back just as firmly.
Whit put his hands in the air. "Ok, fine, if you're not going to listen to reason. But would God want you to marry him?"
"Yes. I have prayed a lot about this and I think that God is telling me to marry him!"
"But he isn't a Christian! Would God want you to marry a non-Christian?" Whit inquired.
Connie sighed. "Look, Whit, I know that God is telling me to marry him! That's all there is too it."
Whit gave up. "Alright. Fine. Go ahead and marry him, but I know it will turn out just like half the marriages in America."
Connie turned a beet red and walked out of the room. Whit buried his face in his hands and groaned. "How could this be happening?" He thought. "I thought she had better judgement. Well, let's just hope that she'll change her mind before the wedding."
But he was wrong. Connie and Jeff did get married and went to Costa Rica for their honeymoon.
~~~~~~
The years seemed to speed by for Whit after that, and all of the sudden he found himself babysitting Connie's two children, John and Joel, while she was at the hospital after just having given birth to her third, who she named Amy.
"Uncle Whit?" John said.
"Yes, John?"
"Why doesn't Daddy love Mummy?"
"Of course he does! What makes you think that?"
John looked thoughtful. "Well, he yells at her sometimes and she cries. And then he goes out with his friends and gets drunk."
Whit looked at him and felt he could cry too. John was only five years old; most kids his age didn't even know about getting drunk.
"Well, John, I'm sure that your dad loves your mum," Whit said slowly, "He just.... has a few problems, that's all."
"Oh... but I wish we could be like other families; like Eugene and Katrina. They NEVER yell at Alex and Claire, and they're only adopted!"
Whit didn't know what to say, but before he could think of something to tell him, the phone rang.
"I'll get it!!" Cried Joel, who was only three. "Hewo? Oh, hi, Mummy!"
Whit got up to take the phone from Joel. "Hello? Oh, hi, Connie!"
John looked up from his book. "Mummy?"
Whit looked at him and smiled. "Oh, we can? Ok, we'll be right over! Bye."
John jumped up. "Can we see Mummy?"
Whit laughed. "Yep. She wants you to come and meet your new baby sister!"
John and Joel gasped. "A baby sister?" John exclaimed.
"Yay!" Joel cried.
As they climbed into the car, John asked "Uncle, will Daddy be there?"
Whit looked back at him through the mirror. "Uhh... no. He had a... business meeting."
"Yeah, business at the pub." John grumbled.
Whit sighed. "John, please don't say those things. We don't know where he is."
"Yes, sir."
They pulled into the parking lot and the kids jumped out even before Whit had turned the car off.
"Hold on, you two!" He laughed. "Don't run ahead of me! You might get lost and we won't find you in time to see your mum."
John and Joel both stopped running and waited for Whit to catch up. They took his hands and dragged him quickly into the hospital.
The nurse at the front desk looked up that them and smiled.
"What room is Connie Lewis in?" Whit asked.
The nurse started typing on the computer. "Connie Lewis... hmm... Oh, here she is. Floor 4, room 245."
"Thank you. C'mon, boys." They walked away and towards the elevators.
"Uncle?" John asked.
"Yes, John?"
"Will she... look different?"
"No; what makes you think that?"
"Well, when we went to see Uncle Monty and his wife after she had a baby, she was awfully skinny and pale." John said as they stepped out of the elevator.
Whit chuckled. "Well, that's because she was skinny to begin with, and she was pale just because she was tired."
John looked relieved. "Oh."
As they walked to her door, they saw Eugene and Katrina come out with their adopted girls, Alex and Claire.
"Hello, Whit; hello, boys." Greeted Katrina.
"Greetings and salutations, Mr. Whittaker, John, and Joel!" Eugene said. Alex and Claire rolled their eyes. Claire smiled at John, whom she had a crush on. He blushed, feeling silly.
As the grown-ups were talking, Claire came over to John.
"Hello, John." she began.
"Uhh... hi, Claire."
"So, how do you feel about having a baby sister?" She asked.
"I dunno, I haven't even seen her yet!"
"Oh..." Claire felt stupid; she had made a fool out of herself, again, in front of John.
"Come on, boys!" Whit called softly.
"Coming!" They cried, and rushed to catch up with Whit before he went into the room.
John and Whit stopped suddenly before going in, but Joel had a different idea. He rushed in, scaring the nurse who was there for another woman, and flung his arms around his mother's neck.
"Mummy, mummy!" He cried.
"Hello, dear,” Connie said weakly as she hugged him back.
John came over and hugged her also, but more gently than his younger brother.
“Can we see her? Can we see her?” Joel asked eagerly.
“Yes, yes!” John cried.
Connie smiled and gestured for June to bring Amy over. She did, and Joel gazed at her with wonder.
“She’s so… small, Mummy,” Joel looked worried. “And she has no hair.”
Connie giggled. “Eight pounds isn’t small, honey, and most babies have no hair just after they’re born.” Then she looked up at Whit. “Aren’t you coming to see her?”
“Of course.” Whit walked over and took Amy from June. “She looks just like you… except for her nose. That’s just like Jeff’s.” He finished with a frown, then laughed.
Everyone laughed.
~~~~~~
“Mummy, when’s Daddy coming home?” John asked several days later.
Connie turned around from doing the dishes. “I just don’t know, hon.”
“But it’s been four days since we last saw him! And he hasn’t even seen Amy yet.” He persisted.
“I know, I know. But I’m sure we’ll see him soon.” She had just finished saying that when Jeff stumbled in the door. He had a black eye, a broken nose, and smelled strongly of stale beer.
Connie looked at him coldly. “Hello, Jeff.”
“Hiya, Connie,” Jeff began. But Connie cut him short.
“Where were you?! You go away for days and leave me to look after the children while I’m about to have a baby, and then I go into labour and I have to call Whit to watch them while I’m at the hospital, alone, when you should have been there, and- and-” Connie burst into tears. “Then you go and get drunk with your friends. What about us?!”
Jeff sighed angrily. This was not what he was expecting. “I came to say… I don’t want to be married to you anymore.”
Connie looked up and immediately stopped crying. This was not what she was expecting either. “What?”
“Yes,” Jeff continued. “I have found a new girl, and I like her better than you. That’s all there is to it.”
“Daddy!” John and Joel exclaimed, in tears. But Jeff didn’t hear them.
“I’ll just get a few of my clothes and be out of here.” Jeff marched off to his and Connie’s room.
“Oh, Mummy. What are we gonna do?” John asked, hugging his mother.
“I just don’t know,” she sobbed. “I just don’t know.”
~~~~~~
Whit was enjoying a nice meal with Jason when the phone rang.
“Hello?” Whit said into the phone. “Connie? What's wrong?” He listened for a while, then said “Oh, Connie. Just stay there, and Jason and I’ll be right over. Bye.” He set the phone down with a sigh, turned to Jason and said “Jason, we have to go over to Connie’s.”
Jason got up and reached for his coat and asked “Sure, but why?”
“Jeff has left her.”
~~~~~~
When Whit and Jason got there, they didn’t bother to know, they just walked in. They saw Connie sitting on the couch sobbing with John and Joel trying to comfort her but crying themselves. Connie looked up, saw Jason and Whit, and tried to smile, but it didn’t quite work. John and Joel let go of their mother and ran to Jason, who hugged them back. Whit sat down on the couch and just hugged her tight.
“What am I going to do?” She whispered through her tears. “I can’t live without him!”
“You’re going to have to learn to, Connie. And all this wouldn’t have happened if you have listen to me in the first place.”
“I know, I know! I’m sorry.” She sobbed.
“Don’t worry about that now. But what are you going to do?”
“I’ll have to go and live with Mum, I guess.” Connie sighed. She’d have a lot of explaining to do, for her mother had warned her also.
~~~~~~
Whit woke up in a cold sweat. He couldn’t believe what he had just dreamed, but…. Had it been a dream? He got up and sleepily walked to the kitchen where he knew a picture of Jeff and Connie on their wedding day would be on the fridge. It wasn’t there. “Oh good. Thank God.” He whispered.
“Oh good what?” Jason asked from the living room.
Whit jumped. “Jason?? What are you doing here?”
“I get up early, remember?”
“Early? It’s only… oh. 4:30 AM.”
“Yeah…. Is there something wrong?”
“Uhh… not any more. Good night!” Whit said joyfully as he went back upstairs to bed.
Life was good again.
The End :)