This “short” is from The Red Trailer Mystery, #2, and takes place between pages 119 and 260 of the new “Retro” versions. Honey receives a note from her mother that indicates Madeline isn’t enthused with the idea of adopting Jim and yet when she arrives at Autoville and Jim appears to hesitate when the subject of adoption comes up, has changed her tune so much so that she says, “You don’t have to answer now, Jim. We’d like to take out adoption papers right away, but it wouldn’t be fair not to give you a chance to get to know us better first.” Just ‘sploring here.
Four Seasons Hotel,
Madeline Wheeler sat at the vanity brushing her long light brown hair. She’d long since stopped wondering why she had been staring into the mirror at her reflection. What she wanted to know now was… why it made her uncomfortable. It never had before. The brush had gotten slower and slower as she made her way up to stroke 100 until she finally laid it down with a sigh, her hazel eyes troubled. The door opening took her away from her reverie and she looked up at her husband as he entered, holding a sheaf of papers, flipping through them.
“Business?” she asked quietly.
“Mmm hmm,” he nodded. “I had them couriered up from the city. They need to be signed and sent back as soon as possible. I just can’t seem to ever leave it at the office,” he answered, finally putting the stack on the bed and looking at her.
“No… but… that’s who you are,” she said with a small smile.
“Well I promise that tonight will be for pleasure only. The courier won’t be here until morning for them.”
She nodded but said nothing, looking once more at herself.
“Maddy? What’s wrong?” he asked slowly, walking towards her and stopping just behind the stool she sat on, placing his hands on her smooth satin-robed shoulders. “You’re… quiet.”
She sighed, her eyes rising to meet his. They held for a moment until she stood up and turned away, beginning to pace in front of the windows of their penthouse unit that overlooked the historic part of the city. “It’s… Honey.”
He looked concerned. “Is she okay? Have you heard from her?”
“No, no… it’s not that. Well… no more than since the letter she wrote us about… adopting… Win Frayne’s boy.”
He tilted his head to one side, following her as she paced back and forth. “And…”
“And I told her that while you were… considering it… *seriously* considering it… I didn’t know if it was such a great idea.” The last part of her sentence came out in a rush, not sure what his reaction would be, even though she knew perfectly well he knew her reservations on the matter.
“As much as I hate to think so… I would imagine that she probably had an idea that would be how things stood right now,” he replied cautiously. “Has something changed?”
Her pacing stopped and she turned and pressed a hand against the cool glass. “I’m not sure.” Turning to face him, she looked at the floor and then at him. “I don’t feel good about what I sent her. Why?”
Matthew heaved a sigh and walked to sit on the corner of the king bed that was closest to her. “Why don’t you feel good about what you sent her?”
“Yes.”
“Are you having second thoughts? Do you… maybe think you were too hasty in feeling that it wasn’t the best idea? Or too hasty in letting her know of your feelings?”
“Both.”
“Maddy,” he said softly. “Talk to me here. You look upset and I want to know what you’re feeling so I know how to help.”
She walked slowly over, the long elegant flowing robe draping and swirling around her legs. She was so graceful, it was doubtful that she’d even make waves if walking through or on water. Sitting on the bed beside him, she stared ahead, her dejectedness paradoxical to her presence. “Matthew… I haven’t done the best job of raising our daughter. In fact… truth be known… I haven’t done *any* job of it. Why should we add another child to the…” She paused. “Family… when I don’t even feel sometimes like we have one now. It’s mostly my fault. I know it,” she finished in a hurry as he began to protest. “But…” She shrugged her shoulders. “How in the world can I even consider another child when I’m not even sure if my own loves me?” Her last words ended on a sob.
Matthew was stunned and a bit uncertain as he wrapped her in his arms. “Maddy, shh. That’s not true. Honey loves you. She… she loves us both.”
“Does she? A mother who can’t even show her open displays of affection? A father who’s never around?” She pulled away and looked at him. “You bought us that big house and that trailer and earlier in the year you got us all horses so that we could try and begin to grow closer you said… and nothing’s working. I can blame it on the fact that New York is just too hot in the summer, or that the trailer isn’t nice enough for my tastes… but those are excuses, Matthew,” she shrilled. “Excuses! The plain and simple fact is that I don’t know HOW to be close to my daughter. I’m not even sure where to start. And I sometimes think maybe it’s too late!” She stood up once more and turned away from him, not wanting to see the look of shock and anger that she was sure was beginning to spread across his face. Upon hearing nothing from him, she slowly turned around to face him, surprised to see him calmly looking at her. “What?”
He shook his head. “Come here.”
She wrinkled her brow for a moment and then slowly made her way to him, sitting down in the middle of the bed, away from him a bit.
“Maddy… do you really believe that? Do you honestly believe it’s too late for you and Honey? I don’t. I think that’s just one more excuse to cover your fear. All of this is one more excuse not to have to face the fact that deep down, the chance to grow closer to her, and the chance to have a son as well, scares you to death,” he said quietly. “And that’s okay. But what’s important in life is… can we overcome our fears? Not how many of them we have or what they are. I did it when I asked you to marry me,” he said, not half-joking.
“I… I don’t know if I believe that. But Matthew… a boy? After all this time? And right when I’m *supposed* to be working on a relationship with our daughter? Is it really a good idea?” She peered at him.
He said nothing back… merely raised his eyebrows, willing for her to answer the question on her own.
She nodded. “Or is it only one more excuse.” It wasn’t a question.
“I wouldn’t blame you,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong about that. I know you’re fearful and I know that shying away is a natural reaction for most people. But… Maddy… do you honestly want to continue on like this? Like we have been? Silent dinners, when we have them with Honey at all? Maybe this is just what we need. Not to mention that although we didn’t know each other like family, I do know that Win and I knew one another well enough to know that he’d be there for Honey if the circumstances were reversed. But that’s not even the primary reason I’m growing more excited about this. A son? A brother for Honey? She’s already changing… I can tell and it must be Peter Belden’s daughter’s influence. The country air has been good for her too. I can only see this as a good thing. For Jim… for Honey…” He gave a significant pause. “For us.” His hands came gently to her shoulders and he turned her to face him. “Can you honestly say that we’ve been… as we should have this past year?”
She tried to look everywhere but at her husband’s face. “I… I know I can be… difficult.”
“Shh,” he whispered. “I’m not blaming. I share in the responsibility for our marriage. I knew you and your personality before I married you and I loved and love you for it. You’re shy… you’re delicate… and to be honest…” He smiled and traced the contours of her face with a finger. “The part of me that enjoys being a man… enjoys that part of you immensely. But… while we’ve been missing out on Honey… I think we’ve been missing out on one another as well. I made a pact to myself when she came home from being so sick, to make more time for her… and to make more time for this family. For all of us together. And… I’d like that to include Jim as well.”
Maddy looked into his eyes. “You really want this. You think it will be good for everyone.”
“Yes,” he answered her. “I do.”
Madeline ran her hands down his front, pushing aside the lapels of his suit. “When have I ever doubted you?” she asked, shyly but demurely at the same time.
“Oh… I can think of one or two times,” he grinned, playing with the tie on her robe.
“I must have been remiss,” was her response. “That’s certainly not my place, Matt.”
He bent down, his lips gracing hers momentarily. “I'll forgive you. It seems that you have a… desire to… turn over a new leaf.”
“I have desires… yes.”
He smiled, turning them so they could lie on the bed. “This will be good for us… for our children… both of them, Maddy,” Matt whispered, his hand covering her abdomen briefly before moving lower. “I promise.”
“Show me,” she whispered back.
And he did.