Meanwhile, on the way to the sewing chamber, Mary stopped off at the kitchen,
to ask William if he would bake some Gingerbread for the children.
And so after William took a quick stock of the spices he had on hand, he
agreeably said, "Looks like I have everything I need! So Gingerbread it is!"
Happy to hear all systems were go, Mary gleefully said, "Great! The children will
enjoy it!"
And then before she left, Mary cleared her throat, and subtly suggested, "You will
be tossing in a few currants won't you?"
To which William answered, "Currants? I haven't any currants Mary..."
And because Mary knew Lou had brought a bag of raisins and sultanas, she
argued, "Sure you do!"
And also because Mary was wrongly referring to the raisins, and sultanas as
currants, Lou thought he would have a little fun by correcting her, as she always
does if he misspeaks, and so he said, "No no Mary! I would know if I had some
currants."
With an all knowing look, Mary crossed her arms in front of herself, and spouted,
"Well, I happen to know Lou brought us some!"
And so William, perhaps showing off his dried fruit knowledge a bit, said, "No you
are wrong Mary, Lou did not bring us any currants...I would certainly know if he
had!"
Getting more suspicious by the minute, thinking William was hording the dried
fruits for himself, Mary argued, "Its no use William! I know he did!"
And so seeing Mary was getting upset, William thought he better wind her down,
by saying, "Well, I can tell you for certain, that Lou did not bring us a single
currant Mary! He did however...bring us some raisins and sultanas!"
To which Mary spewed, "I knew it! That's what I have been talking about!"
Clarifying, William said, "Well you never mentioned raisins or sultanas!"
In an attempt to clarify further, Mary curtly asked, "They are all currants, are they
not?"
As William went on to explain the differences, he tersely said, "In answer to your
question, No...they are not! Raisins are dried white grapes, Sultanas are also dried
seedless white grapes and Currants are dried, dark red, seedless grapes. And so
you see, they are all different. So when you talk about them, you should refer to
them correctly, so I will know what you are talking about!"
As Mary stood fuming and frowning, she was quite perturbed by this Showoff
Chef!
And so Mary corrected herself, and once again asked, "Well then allow me to ask
again. Will you throw in a few RAISINS AND SULTANAS WILLIAM?"
To which William boasted, "Hmmm, I think I will! After all, no good raisin or
sultana goes to waste, not on my watch anyway!"
Trying not to let him know he got the best of her, Mary politely said, "Well thank
you William, for the "UNSOLICITED" lesson on DRIED FRUIT!"
Knowing he had gotten a little retribution on know-it-all Mary, William bowed,
and in reply said, "You are welcome Mary, ask me anything...anytime."
Meanwhile, as Mary made her way through the tunnels, she still hosted the angst,
William caused, by his arrogant knowledge of Raisins and such!
And so as Mary entered the sewing chamber, the girls all welcomed her, and also
commented on Mary's late arrival!
To which Mary assured them, none of the events which caused her to be late
were of her doing! Firstly, Vincent was tardy, and then, she had an unintended
long conversation, with an extremely verbose William!
And so as Mary settled into the circle, they all resumed their "Sew Fest" mode,
and with threaded needle in hand, Mary noticed Olivia was busily sewing on
another bow, and so she exchanged a few looks with Rebecca, Laura and Jamie,
and with an assured nod, she prepared to delve into the D.D.D.D. situation!
With confidence, Mary cleared her throat, and commented, "Simplicity is beauty,
and beauty IS simplicity! Simple lines are best! Don't you girls agree?"
To which, Rebecca nervously answered, "Oh yes Mary, I always thought so!"
As Mary slyly looked toward Olivia, she wanted to see if what they had said,
made any kind of an impact on her.
And as everyone else looked too, they all in horror, witnessed Olivia sewing on yet
another bow, onto the bodice of her dress!
As the girls one by one looked to Mary, they wondered what she would say next
to stop Olivia!
But as it was, Mary herself sat wide eyed, wondering what to say as well! And so
finally she gleefully said, "Yes give me simplicity any day...what do you think
Rebecca?"
To which Rebecca again agreed, and all the while they made these fashion
statements, Olivia made a fashion statement of her own, as she expressed, "Oh
not me! For a special occasion such as Winterfest, I want to have tons of frills,
lace, ribbons and bows! The more the better."
As Mary realized what they said did not matter to Olivia, she looked at the other
girls, shrugged her shoulders indicating they had tried!
And as Olivia prepared another bow, she mentioned, "I hope Brooke comes soon.
She's way behind, she already missed the earlier sewing circle!"
To which Laura smiled devilishly, as she made a kissy face, and then signed, "She
probably lost track of time visiting with Michael!"
And then Jamie got in the act by singing the silly "K-I-S-S-I-N-G" song, "Brooke
and Michael sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g, first comes love, then come marriage,
then comes Michael with a baby carriage!"
To which Mary scolded, "Now girls, stop being so silly, besides, until Brooke tells
us otherwise, she claims they are just friends!"
With a knowing nod, Jamie informatively relayed, "I know she may say that, but
she acts all swoony whenever she talks about Michael."
Upon realizing Brooke may arrive at anytime, Mary advised, "Why don't we
change the subject. We wouldn't want Brooke to over hear us talking about her."
And it was just then Brooke came racing in, and luckily didn't hear the teasing, but
excitedly said, "I am ready to sew!"
With interest, Mary asked, "How was your visit with Michael Dear?"
As Brooke approached Mary, she replied, "Oh Mary, Michael is doing wonderful,
and seems to be adjusting quite well top-side too! He has this great job in a
grocery store, and gets tons of hours! In fact, they just posted the schedule, and
he will be working on Winterfest...but he says that's okay, he wants to help out
with the finances the best he can. He does really miss us, and asked me to send
his regards to everyone here back home."
To which Mary said, "Awe well sorry to hear about Winterfest, but I suppose this
can be expected. Do send him our regards when next you see him."
In response, Brooke smiled, and said, "I may not see him for a few days, Michael
has tests to study for, and he more than anything wants to make Father, Vincent
and you proud."
To which Mary responded, "We already are..."
Upon seeing all the progress the others were making on their dresses, Brooke took
a minute to walk around and check them out! With sincerity, Brooke loved all the
designs, and had a genuine compliment for each gal's dress thus far, until that is,
she came to Olivia's!
With a puzzled look, Brooke truthfully informed Olivia, "Now Olivia, all those
bows and ribbons! Oh my, that dress is looking...well I hope I don't hurt your
feelings if I use the word FLASHY?"
To which Olivia replied, "Flashy? Well I dare say, that doesn't hurt my feelings in
the least! In fact, I hoped it would stand out a bit, I aim to turn Kanin's eye!"
But because Brooke was privy to a conversation the couple had, she asked, "But
didn't Kanin tell you he didn't like flashy, flamboyant fashions, like Brigit wore?"
As Brooke's comments caused Olivia to ponder her design, she thoughtfully said,
"Well yes, Kanin did tell me he likes the more plain, and simple designs that I
wear, so much more than he liked Brigit's style...but actions speak louder than
words! I saw how he looked at Brigit!"
With a knowing nod, Mary concurred, saying, "We all looked at Brigit! But more
so out of shock than admiration!"
Thinking this was so, Olivia gladly bought into Mary's theory, and then listened as
Brooke noted, "And there is a difference between flashy and stunning!"
Brooke then walked around the dress, and then added, "I don't think those bows
around the waist line will be too flattering Olivia! And you were just saying you
were working on getting your slim waist-line back again."
Upon hearing Brooke's opinion, Olivia brought her hand up to her tummy, as she
agreed, saying, "Since I have birthed Lukey, I am a little broader around the
middle these days!"
To which Brooke encouragingly replied, "But you are getting there! Remember
you said some of your clothes are becoming looser! Well if you ask me, I think
you have worked way to hard on losing your baby weight, to hide your great
figure with all those bows."
It was then Brooke turned to Mary, and like an angel asked, "What do you think
Mary? Will the bows flatter Olivia's waistline, or make it seem wider?"
So thankful Brooke opened the discussion, Mary excitedly took the opportunity
and ran with it!
And so Mary cleared her throat, and stepped up to Olivia's dress, acting as if she
were contemplating the design, for the first time, and thoughtfully said, "Well,
hmmm, now that you mention it, the bows will add inches to the waistline. Yes, it
would make your waist appear broader! Hmm, well maybe you could remove the
bows from the waist, and move them about, let's see, maybe put a bow at the top
of each swag, and one in the back, and then perhaps...hmm I don't know! I think
you may have too many bows to disperse! In fact, the more I am thinking...the
contrasting red bows are not working for me...I am thinking monochromatic!"
See Sewing Chamber to the right
Ladies discussing dress Page
Mary then looked to Olivia for permission, and with her trusty Seam Ripper in
hand, expectantly asked, "Perhaps I could just show you what I mean...may I?"
To which Olivia agreeably pleaded, "Yes Mary please, just go for it! I would really
like to look pretty for Kanin!"
And so Mary gleefully said, "Just leave it to me!"
Then Mary instructed, "Now listen Olivia, while I dismantle the D.D.D....err the
current dress design, I need you to make new bows out of the same pink satin you
used for the dress! Capisce?"
To which Olivia gleefully complied, as she repeated, "Capisce!"
So thoughtfully, as Mary took a moment to take stock of the dress, she then with
a vision in mind, went into action, and Mary moved faster than she ever had! She
began removing all the red bows, and added back only a fraction in number of
bows back onto the dress in the pink.
Well before you knew it, Mary had managed to transform the D.D.D., into a
charming Cinderella style gown!
And so finally, with the streamlined dress finished, Mary, like a Clairvoyant
Channel, who had been possessed by a 6th century Prophet, collapsed into a
nearby chair...announcing, "It is done! Please someone bring me some water! I
am suddenly parched!"
With joy, Olivia looked over the dress and said she loved what Mary had done,
and, the rest of the girls also, "Oooed and Ahhhed" all stating that they loved the
end result too!
Olivia's revised design
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, by the time Catherine returned to work, her colleagues were so
immersed into their own cases, no one looked twice! What a blessing, because
Catherine was sure she looked as broken hearted as she felt.
And so, as the rest of the day sped by, one by one, people started to say good
night, causing Catherine to realize, she was nearly the last to leave, accept for
Rita, who was putting the final stamp on an envelope, so she could drop it in the
mail box, on her way out.
But before Rita left, she gave Catherine a double take, and with concern, said,
"Busy day uh honey...you look tired. Why don't you go home, and relax in a hot
tub of bubbles."
Thinking that sounded rather nice, Catherine tried to sound cheerful, as she said,
"I think I will Rita, now you too. Everyone is working so hard around here on
Dad's behalf...what a great crew."
With a nod, Rita said, "I so agree, now, you are leaving too right?"
Saying she was, right after she finished printing off a few things, she told Rita to
go on ahead, and then said goodnight.
And so as Catherine finished her workday, and before she turned out the lights,
she looked around at the firm her family had established...feeling so profoundly
proud, she with melancholy, locked the door.
Stepping out of the elevator, so deep in thought about all she was dealing with,
Vincent, and her imminent career change, she didn't hear Bruno, as he said
goodnight to her.
Snapping out of her preoccupied state, she stopped and asked, "Did you say
something Bruno?"
With concern he repeated, "I only said Good night Catie, and to be careful. There
has been a report or two of muggings around the area. Some guy ripping off
purses and stuff like that."
Already knowing this info first hand, Catherine didn't want to let on that she
herself, had been a victim, and so she kindly said, "Thank you Bruno, I'll be extra
vigilant."
As Catherine walked onward, she realized if Bruno heard about some muggings,
then her experience was not an isolated incident, and it must be getting worse!
And so Catherine decided to stop at the Police station, and tell them what she
knew about the guy who mugged her.
And so with an urgency, Catherine entered the precinct's revolving door, and...it
just so happened that Joe was also entering, pushing on the door right behind her.
And as Joe saw Catherine, he finally caught up with her, and said, "Radcliff!
Radcliff!"
Surprised to see Joe, Catherine turned to him, and said, "Hello Joe."
With a cockeyed smile, he said, "So, so did you get my letter?"
To which Catherine replied, "Yes I did, and I just wrote back saying I will be on
your doorstep in a couple of weeks. I do appreciate you giving me this chance."
In response, Joe sarcastically said, "Yeah, a chance to give back to society uh
Radcliffe? Working for The D.A. sure beats the $#%$ out of working at a soup
kitchen...or volunteering at a homeless shelter...or..."
Upon hearing Joe's glib comments, Catherine tearfully pleaded, "Joe...please stop.
Making this change has been a difficult choice for me...and I keep asking myself,
am I doing the right thing? Is it right to follow my heart, even if it hurts Dad? I
really don't know...but it is something I feel I gotta do! I want to make a
difference in the world, but at the same time, I hate disappointing my Dad by
leaving the family firm."
So as she caught her breath, she tearfully continued, "So yes Joe, in answer to
your question, I do want to give back to society, in the best fashion I know how.
So if that makes me a bad person then so be it. But as far as your prejudging my
motives, please stop."
And then there was silence...as it so happened, Joe's teasing was the last straw
that broke Catherine's resolve. After everything that happened today, she could
not take any teasing, no matter how innocently directed it was.
And so as Joe stood there, he felt like a heel, and didn't know what to do or say!
And so he apologized, saying, "Hey I'm sorry Radclif....errr....Chandler...err
Cathy, I'll stop...I guess I went too far uh? I am really sorry."
Catherine snuffled, and as she accepted a tissue he offered her, she asked, "Can I
have that written in blood...YOUR blood!"
Seeing they were back on track, Joe smiled and said, "There's the Radcliffe I
know and love."
And so with hope, Joe warmly asked, "Friends?"
With an ebbing smile, Catherine cautiously said, "We'll see Joe..."
With an accepting smile, Joe nodded and said, "Fair enough...fair enough..."
And it was then, with concern Joe asked, "...hey Chandler...what are you doing
here anyway?"
As Catherine went on to explain, she cautiously said, "Well...I heard there had
been a few muggings, and I wanted to report a man had approached me the other
night. He wasn't able to steal anything from me, because someone chased him off,
but I just thought I would tell the police about it, and tell them what I remember
about the assailant."
To which Joe replied, "Yeah, from what the cops tell me around here, this is
becoming a real problem. Maybe something you can tell them may help."
After Joe thought about Catherine's incident for a moment, he then scolded,
"What were you doing out by yourself for anyway Chandler? You are one lucky
lady that someone else got involved to help!"
With a nod, Catherine thought about Vincent, and yes, she knew she was lucky he
came to her and Noodle's rescue. And so she admitted, "I know Joe. I wouldn't
have been out walking normally, but I recently inherited a dog, and I needed to
take him outside."
Catherine then added, "It did open my eyes to be more cautious though. I always
felt so safe in my neighborhood. And well now I know better."
To which Joe advised, "Yeah, well it doesn't hurt to have some mace on ya, or
some kind of a weapon, along with a cellular phone, a whistle, and..."
Since Catherine has already added these things to her Dog Walking Arsenal, she
appreciatively said, "I do now...but thanks, those are all great tips."
To which Joe then replied, "Good, a person cannot be too safe these days..."
And because he was feeling good, about getting their relationship going in the right
direction, Joe hopefully asked, "Hey, can I buy you a cup of coffee afterwards?
Or better yet a burger?"
As Catherine was beginning to really start feeling the strains of the day, she could
not wait to just go home.
And so she turned Joe's invitation down, by saying, "Awe Joe, I appreciate it, but
I have to get home to take care of Noodles..."
Disappointed Catherine said no, Joe kindly replied, "Well, all right then, I'll let you
go, so you can give your statement..."
And then he playfully said, "I may still be here hanging around, so if you change
your mind..."
With a tired smile, Catherine said goodbye to Joe, and then entered the Police
Precincts doorway.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, as Vincent presided at the head of the dinner table, and recited the
petition, everyone then partook in a deliciously prepared meal.
And afterwards, William proudly presented the gingerbread dessert, which
generated much appreciation, and compliments!
As William thanked everyone, he also gave credit to Lou, who because of his
contribution of Raisins and Sultanas, the Gingerbread was so good.
William then cleared his voice, as he added, "And I....well I would be remiss, if I
did not also give Mary credit as well! For it was upon her suggestion, in which I
added the Raisins and Sultanas to the batter!"
With surprise, she had been mentioned after their altercation, Mary looked up
toward William, and as he gave her a gallant nod, she in turn gave a gracious nod
back. Both calling it even, declaring a truce, at least for the moment that is!
As no one was picking up on Vincent's well masked melancholy, there was much
talk about the sewing circle session that day, and of how lovely ALL the dresses
were turning out!
And then, because Jacob was missed so much, the talk then turned, as it always
would, to the subject of Father. And Vincent had to fend off numerous questions
Mary was firing at him, asking if Catherine had told him anything today at lunch.
To which Vincent answered the best he could, without giving away, he and
Catherine have had a falling out.
And also because of the fact, he was hoping, tonight...he will rectify his error, and
there will be nothing really to tell.
And so, as Vincent tried to change the subject, he took a sip of his tea, saying he
liked the new blend, and then asked, what everyone else thought of Dr. Wong's
new tea selection.
And just as everyone began to take sips, to solidify their opinions, the children,
filed past, and Joseph stopped to say, "Good luck when you see Catherine tonight,
I GOT ALL my fingers AND toes crossed for ya Vincent!"
Wanting to stifle Joseph the best he could, Vincent quickly stood and walked with
the boy, and quietly said, "Uh Joseph, ahem, I don't normally like keeping secrets,
but in this instance, I would like to keep the conversation from this afternoon
private. And so, this is just between you, I and the rest of the children. Perhaps I
should have requested this of all of you earlier..."
Feeling so proud to be in the loop, Joseph beamed, as he said, "Just between us?
GOT it! You can count on me Vincent, and I will tell the other kids too."
With a bit of a relief, Vincent patted Joseph on the back, and despite all his broken
hearted anguish, the teacher within him, prompted Vincent to add, "By the way
Joseph, the proper syntax, would be to say, I HAVE all my fingers and toes
crossed, not got..."
With a thumbs up, Joseph said, "Got it Vincent...or should I say, Have it?"
With a smile in his eyes, Vincent instructed, "In this case, the word GOT would
be proper to use. Now run along, it looks as if the others are waiting."
And so, Joseph ran off, and Vincent returned to the table, and as he did so, he
noticed he was being observed by Mary, and by an equally interested Rebecca,
and so he nervously said, "I felt compelled to correct Joseph's grammar..."
As the two women suspiciously looked at each other, it was Mary who first spoke
up, and inquired, "Vincent...is something wrong between you and Catherine? I am
wondering why Joseph wished you luck...and upon your return this afternoon,
you DID NOT look well."
And as Rebecca intently listened, they both waited to hear how Vincent would
answer!
Knowing the gig was up, Vincent took a deep breath, and resignedly said, "Yes
Mary, something is wrong! There, NOW you have it! Catherine and I have had an
altercation! However, tonight I hope to correct it."
So sorry to hear this news, Mary lovingly reminded him, "Now, why keep this to
yourself? I told you that you could come to me if you have any problems..."
And then Rebecca anxiously added, "Or to me!"
As Vincent looked betwixt the two, he assured them, "I know...I know you are
both there for me..."
To which Mary corrected him by saying, "You mean to say HERE for you...don't
you Vincent?"
Exasperated Mary would parse his phrasing at a time like this, Vincent stood up
and said, "Whether you are both HERE, or THERE is not the issue Mary! The
point is, the children advised me in this matter."
To which Mary scoffed, "The children? Vincent, advice from a child, is like being
taught by a novice! You need some mature advice!"
With an assuring tone, Vincent replied, "If tonight does not go well, I promise I
will consult the both of you. For now please don't concern yourselves. I will be
going above shortly and talk to Catherine, and I believe I can right my wrong."
As the two well meaning ladies nurtured him a bit by saying, they had total faith in
his ability to iron things out, and were sure all would be fine.
Meanwhile, as Vincent anxiously contemplated going to Catherine tonight, he
privately hoped he WOULD be able to make amends, and Catherine would be
able to forgive all of his ills.
To be continued
Chapter Five
| Master of my Heart! By Sharon Holtz Chapter Four _______________________________________ |
