A Love Story
CHAPTER FOUR
Michelle opened her eyes, only to have tears begin running down her face. Remus reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, and handed it to her.
�Are you alright?� asked Remus.
Michelle looked up into his face, choked out a sob and said, �You ate the scraps. My table scraps. Right off of the ground.�
Remus looked highly embarrassed at this announcement, but broke that look suddenly by exclaiming, �You saw that?!�
Michelle laughed and said, �What, didn�t you believe me when I said I could see into your memories?� Remus looked at her in amusement and said that he had never thought anything of the kind, to which Michelle replied, �Yeah, right. I don�t have to be a seer to know when a man is lying!�
They both laughed and then looked down when James said, �Mommy, did you forget about me? I�m hungry!�
Remus said, �Well, I�d better be going. Sounds like he�s pretty hungry. I�ll leave you two to your lunch.�
Michelle grabbed his hand and said, �Oh no you don�t, you have to at least try my cooking on plates this time. I insist!� and Remus found himself once again being pulled by the hand. Only this time James got in on the fun and grabbed his other hand.
As he was being led through the shop door, towards the back of the house and the main living area, he had a sudden thought of what it must be like to be a part of a loving family. But he pushed this thought aside as he told himself he�d never be part of a loving family. It just didn�t work out that way for someone like him.
He was startled out of his brooding by Michelle�s voice saying, �Now you sit right here and I�ll have this put together in a flash!�
Suddenly, James asked his mother, �Mommy, why were you saying that about Remus eating the scraps? What did you mean?� Michelle looked at Remus and asked him if she could tell him.
Remus replied, �Do you think you should? He�s only a child.� To which Michelle said that she always told her son the truth. She felt it made things easier in the end. Remus nodded his approval as if saying ok, if you really think you should!
�James,� Michelle began, �do you remember when I said I saw a werewolf outside last night? Well,--�
James broke in by saying, �Was that Remus, Mommy? Is he the werewolf?�
Remus looked stunned. He couldn�t believe that a child could make that assumption so easily, but was most surprised at the way it didn�t even seem to faze the child, much less scare him. Michelle gave Remus a look as if to say see, I told you so. He�s ok with it. I knew he would be!
�Yes, James, that was Remus.�
�Oh, okay,� said James, �Can I go outside while you make lunch, Mommy? I want to play with my broom!� Michelle nodded her assent, and he scampered off, as only a little boy could do.
�Well, that went better than I could have thought it ever would,� said Remus.
�I know, he�s really a remarkable little boy,� said Michelle. �Very gifted. He even knows how to make a swelling solution, likes to put it onto bugs and then try to scare me with them!� They both laughed and made small talk about things until lunch was almost ready. Michelle realized that Remus was a thoughtful man as well. She mentally added that to her growing list of good things about this stranger she was coming to regard as a friend. Especially when she watched him get up and search her cabinets for plates and cups and began setting the table, without even being asked. Not even James Sr. was that thoughtful, she said to herself.
Michelle walked to the back door and searched the yard for her son. When she didn�t see him, she called out his name. Remus came up behind her and asked her where he could be. Then she said, �I�ll call him like this. If I use his full name, he knows to come running!� Remus laughed and Michelle yelled, �James Alan Gardner, you come out this instant!�
Chapter Five
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