New Beginnings-chapter 5
By Sampast and Huggedlots
Copyright © 1999, All
rights reserved.
Jennifer woke up about an
hour after her spanking. She changed and went to find the rest of the family.
She found Robin and her dad in the den.
"Where's Mommy and
Maggie?" Jenn asked.
Charlie said, "Hi,
honey. Did you have a nice nap?" He took Jenn in his arms and cuddled her.
Jennifer felt so loved. "Mommy went to rent some videos, and Maggie is
still resting." He looked at his watch. "We'll get her up in a few
minutes."
Robin said, "Maggie
has been pretty sad, Daddy. She isn't herself."
Jenn agreed, "Yeah, I
don't know how to cheer her up. She was sooo excited about the wedding. Do you
think she just misses her mom and Uncle Bob too much?"
Charlie replied,
"Well, that sure is a part of it."
"Well, she will see
them tomorrow and feel better, right Daddy?" Robin asked.
"Right, Robin. I think
she sure will feel better when she sees them," Charlie answered.
When Lisa got home with the
video, the girls went in to wake Maggie. She was down in the dumps, but agreed
to watch the movie. Lisa had gotten "The Parent Trap" with Haley
Mills. Jenn and Robin insisted that it was a very funny movie.
Charlie watched, too, but
kept looking at his watch. He had forgotten to ask Bob what time he was
planning to get in. After the movie was over, the girls were deciding what to
do next, when the doorbell rang. Charlie nonchalantly asked Maggie to go get
it.
Puzzled she said,
"Sure, Uncle Charlie," and ran to open the door. Seeing Heather and
Bob there, she screamed and threw herself into her mom's arms.
"Ohhhh Mommy, I missed
you soooo much!"
"Ohhh me too, baby, me
too," Heather cried.
"What about me?"
Bob asked, teasing her.
Maggie clung to Heather,
and seemed shy about going to Bob. She finally let him pick her up and hug her,
but Bob sensed something was wrong. He looked over his shoulder at Charlie, who
mouthed that he would tell him later. Bob hugged her tight.
"Well, how would you
like to go home?" Bob asked.
"I'll go pack,
Daddy," Maggie cried, jumping down from his arms.
Charlie said, "Robin,
Jenn, why don't you help Maggie?"
"Sure, Daddy,"
Robin said.
"Okay," said
Jenn. The twins ran off to help Maggie pack.
The adults waited until the
girls had left the room. Then the four of them sat at the kitchen table.
Bob said, "Okay,
Charlie, what's up?"
Charlie took a deep breath.
He knew this would be hard to say. "Well, Maggie is worried that you are
not her real dad, Bob."
"Why does she think
that?" Bob asked, confused.
"Well, she wants to use
your last name, and can't because you haven't officially adopted her,"
Charlie stated.
"Wow, when did all
that come up?" Heather asked.
"This afternoon but I
think it has been on her mind for awhile. Actually, it came up after she
received another spanking," Charlie declared.
Bob rubbed his face with
his hand. "Again? What happened now?" he asked.
Lisa jumped into the
conversation. "Well, I hate to say it. But she ran off again without
permission, in the mall."
"The mall? Oh, that's
bad!" Heather observed.
"Hmm," Charlie
said. "You know, I hate to say this, Heather, but she really came back a
changed little girl after staying with your mother. I don't want to be
critical, but when I got there, she looked as if she hadn't had a bath in a
week. Also, she was out in the neighborhood and your mom had no clue where, she
wasn't packed and she started sassing me as soon as I got there."
"THAT is not the new
Maggie; that sounds like the old one," Heather declared.
"And, she has had bad
dreams, and is turning inward. I think she is feeling pretty insecure about all
of this," Lisa added.
"It did happen rather
quickly," Charlie said.
"Well, once we get
settled into our own home, and a routine, maybe that will help," Bob
pondered.
"Well, that and a good
dose of discipline, too," Charlie stated.
"Yes, I am sure that
will be needed as well," Bob agreed.
Heather spoke up.
"Thank you both for keeping her this weekend."
Charlie said, "Well we
love having her with us."
"Yes, but we prefer it
when she behaves," Lisa chuckled.
They all laughed at that
one.
Just then, Maggie ran out
of the twins' room with her suitcase all packed.
"Okay, Magpie, ready
to roll?" Bob asked.
"Sure, Daddy,"
Maggie agreed.
Heather said, "Okay,
then say thank you to your aunt and uncle and goodbye to your cousins."
Running up to Charlie, she
gave him a big hug and kiss, and did the same to Lisa. Then the girls all
hugged and jumped up and down, and promised to call soon.
"We don't live in
Australia," Bob joked. They all laughed, and the twins waved to Maggie
from the window.
Charlie and Lisa sunk into
the couch. "Okay, now maybe things can get back to normal around
here," Lisa said.
Charlie looked around and
said, "What's normal?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the car, Maggie started
asking about one hundred questions without waiting for anyone to have time to
answer her. Laughing, they asked her to settle down and take one at a time.
Before they knew it they were home. Laughing, Maggie watched as Bob carried
Heather over the threshold. Then Bob went back, caught Maggie up, and did the
same to her.
Maggie walked around and
saw everything as if for the first time. Bob and Heather watched her, waiting
for some reaction.
"I really love this
place," she said. "Can I go down and say hi to Mrs. Warner?"
Heather replied, "Sure
hon, I'll start to unpack."
"And while you're
doing that, I'm going to run to the grocery store and get some stuff. Need or
want anything special?" Bob asked.
Heather beamed. She had
found the best husband: one who didn't mind doing the grocery shopping.
She turned to Maggie who
hadn't left yet, and said, "Be back in a half hour, okay?"
"Okay, Mom,"
Maggie said before she ran off.
Heather turned to Bob. He
was sitting at the kitchen table writing out a grocery list. "Hon, do you
think she is okay?"
Bob answered,
"Truthfully, I don't know, hon. I sense her holding back, and I have the
feeling we are going to have our hands full with her."
Sighing, Heather said,
"I think you are right."
After forty five minutes,
and still no Maggie, Heather decided to call Mrs. Warner. She figured the old
woman and Maggie had started playing checkers and lost track of time.
Mrs. Warner was glad to
hear from Heather. "So you came back a day early? Did you wear out the bed
in the Bahamas?" the older woman chuckled.
Heather blushed and
responded, "No, Mrs. Warner, we came back to be with Maggie before school
starts."
"That's nice,"
Mrs. Warner said. "She's such a cute little girl. A real spitfire, though.
She likes to have her own way."
"That's my
Maggie!" Heather exclaimed. "Speaking of the little devil, could you
do me a favor and send her up? I haven't really seen her, and wanted to spend
some time alone with her while Bob is out shopping."
Mrs. Warner gasped.
"What do you mean, send her up? Isn't she up there? She left here about
fifteen minutes ago."
"Are you sure?"
Heather inquired. "Because she's not here."
"Oh, my
goodness," Mrs. Warner exclaimed. "Where could she be?"
"I don't know,"
Heather declared, "but I'm going to find out."
Heather shook her head as
she slipped on her sneakers. "Where could that child be?" she asked
herself.
She headed out front and
looked up and down the street. No Maggie. Thankfully, they didn't live on a
busy street, so she didn't start to really worry yet. Heather decided to check
the backyard. She hoped Maggie hadn't wandered off into the woods.
Heather was grateful that
she didn't need to look much farther. There Maggie was, in the backyard,
picking flowers!
"Margaret Anne! What
do you think you're doing?" Heather shouted.
Maggie jumped three feet at
the sound of her mother yelling. And at the sound of her full name; she knew
that was bad news.
"What? Mommy, you
scared me!" Maggie cried.
Heather took a deep breath.
"Maggie, what do you think you're doing?" she repeated.
Innocently, Maggie turned
toward Heather and said, "I'm picking flowers, Mommy." Then more
nastily, "What does it look like I'm doing?"
"Don't be fresh!"
Heather warned. "You know what I meant."
"Sorry!" Maggie
replied. "I was just picking some flowers, Mommy!" She began to cry.
"I thought they would look nice in a vase on the table."
Maggie dropped the flowers
and turned to run away.
Heather approached her.
"No, don't go running away. Remember, we promised each other we wouldn't
do that anymore. Come on now, pick up your flowers and let's go inside so we
can talk."
Heather waited for Maggie
to collect her flowers. She stopped by Mrs. Warner's door to let her know she
had found Maggie in the backyard.
Maggie followed her mom
into the apartment. She watched as Heather poured water from the sink into a
vase that they had gotten as a wedding present. Heather slipped Maggie's
flowers into the vase and set it on the kitchen table.
"You were right,
sweetheart, that does look nice," Heather remarked. She noticed that
Maggie was extremely quiet. "Don't you think so?"
Maggie nodded. "Mommy,
why'd you get so mad at me? I thought you'd like that I was picking you
flowers!"
Heather sighed. "Think
about it, honey. Why would I get mad? Where did I think you were?"
A lightbulb went off over
Maggie's head. "At Mrs. Warner's!"
"That's right. And you
were told to come back in half an hour. When you didn't, I called her, and she
said you had left. Neither of us knew where you were," Heather explained.
"Oh, I did it again.
I'm sorry, Mommy," Maggie cried.
"Tell me what you did
again, sweetheart?" Heather asked.
Maggie thought. She wanted
to use Aunt Lisa and Uncle Charlie's exact words. "I wan-wandered off, and
I didn't tell anyone where I was."
"That's right, Maggs.
And I was so worried about you. I thought something might have happened to you.
I didn't know if you went outside and a bad person stole you, or if you went
into the woods, and got lost! I just didn't know. Do you understand how
dangerous that is?" Heather asked.
"Yes, Mommy, I'm so
sorry. I'll try harder. Really, I will. Please don't spank me!" Maggie
cried, and clutched her bottom. Her poor rear had been spanked so many times
that weekend, including that very day, that she didn't think she could get
through yet another one.
"Why don't you come
sit next to me on the couch and we'll talk?" Heather inquired.
Maggie looked at her mom.
"Come on," Heather patted the couch next to her, "come sit down.
No one's being spanked right now. Come here, please."
Slowly, Maggie went over
and sat down next to Heather.
"Okay, now why don't
you tell me what's been going on with you this week?" Heather asked.
"I-I-I don't
know," Maggie said quietly.
"Come on now. You
know, that is not an acceptable answer. Tell me what's been going on with you.
Did something happen at Grandma's to make you start acting up, Maggie?"
Heather asked, knowingly.
"What makes you say
that?" Maggie asked. Heather didn't answer. "Mommy, I know Grandma
loves me and I love her, but I felt like she didn't even care about me!"
Maggie wailed.
"What do you mean,
sweetie?" Heather asked.
"Well, she didn't even
tell me when to put on my pajamas or when to go to bed. I could have stayed up
'til midnight, and she didn't say a word. It made me feel like she didn't care,
and . . ."
Maggie stopped. Heather
said, "Go on, honey."
Maggie continued,
"Well, she didn't get up in the morning and make me breakfast. She didn't
really talk to me or ask me questions, the way you do, Mommy. Grandma didn't
tell me what to do or when to be home or even check on me. I felt, I don't
know, it just didn't seem right."
"Oh, honey, I don't
know what to tell you about Grandma. I guess it's been a long time since I was
a little girl. Maybe she doesn't remember what it's like taking care of a
little girl," Heather suggested.
Heather didn't really know
why she was making excuses for her mother. She should have told Maggie that it
wasn't right. She guessed she didn't because she didn't want Maggie to think
ill or less of her grandmother.
"But Mommy, I lived
with her all my life, until a few months ago. She never did any of those
things. It's only since we moved out and you started doing those things, that
they felt right!" Maggie insisted.
"I know, sweetie,
you're definitely right! Come here!" Heather said, nestling Maggie close
to her. "I don't know what to tell you about why Grandma is like
that."
Heather held Maggie for
several minutes. Then she pushed her away gently and said, "But young
lady, that doesn't explain your behavior since you got back from Grandma's.
Aunt Lisa and Uncle Charlie said they had to punish you several times this
weekend, including this very afternoon?" Heather raised her eyebrows at
Maggie.
"Yes, Mommy. I don't
know why, I'm sorrrrrrry!" Maggie cried.
Heather frowned. "You
do know why, and I want to know, too."
Maggie thought. She put
into words what she had only guessed at. "I, I, I guess I went back to
doing what I used to do, Mommy."
"Yes, I guess you are
right. What do you think we should do about it, young lady?" Heather
asked.
"I'm not sure, Mommy.
Are you going to tell Daddy I wandered off today?" Maggie asked.
"Maggie, Daddy and I
do not keep secrets from each other. Why wouldn't you want me to tell
him?" Heather asked.
"He'll be mad. Maybe
he won't love me anymore, because I've been so bad," Maggie said quietly.
"Oh, honey, you don't
think Daddy would stop loving you just because you misbehaved, do you? Oh,
sweetie, no! That would never happen. Daddy loves you very much,
sweetheart!" Heather expressed. She held Maggie and tried to reassure her.
Maggie decided to tell her
mom what she had told Uncle Charlie. "Mommy, even though I call him Daddy,
he isn't my real daddy, is he?"
"What do you mean,
REAL daddy? Of course he's your real daddy. We got married, and now Bob is your
daddy," Heather reasoned.
"But he isn't. He
isn't, really. We don't have the same last name. You and I don't even have the
same last name anymore! I feel like I'm alone!" Maggie cried.
Just then, Bob walked into
the apartment with his arms full of groceries. He put the bags down on the
kitchen counter and looked over at Heather and Maggie. He noticed Maggie was
crying and Heather wore a serious expression on her face.
"Hey, what's going on
here? Everything all right?" he asked worriedly.
~~
Heather looked at Bob with
a worried look on her face, not sure what to say that wouldn't hurt his
feelings.
"Well, hon, Maggie is
feeling awkward about some things," Heather said gently.
Bob walked over to the
couch, and sat down next to his girls. "Sweetie," he said to Maggie,
"can you tell me what's wrong?"
Maggie just buried her head
deeper into Heather's shoulders and sobbed harder.
"May I tell Daddy,
Maggs?" Heather asked her daughter. Maggie nodded her head yes. Heather
looked between her daughter and her husband, and said, "Bob, Maggie feels
different and alone, now that you and I have the same last name, and hers is
different. I think it goes deeper than that, but of course, Maggie is having
trouble articulating it to us. Is that about right, sweetheart?"
Maggie was still sobbing,
and was starting to have problems breathing. She was so upset. Bob lifted her
out of Heather's arms, and into his lap and cradled her and rubbed her back
until he heard her breathing start to even out, not saying a word.
When he felt she could hear
him, he asked her to look up at him. When she wouldn't, he put his finger under
her chin to force her to.
"Magpie, I know that
everything has happened in a hurry, and that even though you wanted and wished
for your mom and I to get married, it has still been a transition for you.
Right?" Maggie nodded up at her daddy.
Bob continued, "Nobody
expects you to be perfect, hon, and we will all have some adjusting to do, but
we have to trust one another, and know that we all care and love each other,
okay?" Maggie still couldn't speak but nodded again.
"I am your daddy, for
real. And tomorrow, we will all go to the court house and get the paperwork we
need to make it official. Okay?"
Maggie spoke for the first
time. "What does that mean, Daddy?"
"Well, that means that
a judge will say that you are officially, legally, and for all time, my little
girl. And then, the judge will legally change your last name to Clemente. Will
that help you feel better?" Bob asked her, smiling.
In answer, Maggie just
threw her arms around her daddy's neck and hugged him hard. They all sat like
that for a few minutes, and then Bob sat her down on his lap again.
He spoke, "Now, young
lady, we still have some other things to talk about. I do not feel we need to
discuss anything that happened while your mom and I were gone. From this moment
on, it is a clean slate. But, there are going to be rules around here that I
expect you to follow, okay?" "Yes Sir," Maggie said.
"And, I want you to
help make them!" Bob announced.
"What?" Maggie
asked. "What do you mean?"
Bob looked at Heather and
then back at Maggie. He explained, "I mean, that I want them to be fair,
and if you feel they are not, then I want you to tell us. If you agree to them,
then I expect you to follow them, and if you do not, then you know what the
consequence will be. Right young lady?" "Ummm, yes sir."
"Okay, let's start
with rule number one. You will ALWAYS ask for permission to go someplace, and
let us know where you are. Agreed?" Bob paused to wait for Maggie's
answer.
"Yes Sir," she
repeated. Maggie then sneaked a look at her mom, wondering if she would say
anything about the flowers, but Heather winked at her, and Maggie let our her
breath.
Bob continued,
"Secondly, you will talk to all adults respectfully, no sassing. Okay?"
"Yes Sir."
"Third, you will have
chores to do around the house. Homework will be done immediately after school.
And bedtime will be 8 pm..."
Maggie interrupted,
"Ummm, Daddy?" "Yes, Magpie?"
"Can bedtime be 8:30
pm? If I am in bed by 8, then can it be reading time? Maybe you or Mommy can
read me a story?" Maggie asked tentatively.
Bob pursed his lips as if
to think. He turned to his wife. "Heather, is that okay with you?" he
asked her.
Heather nodded. "Yes,
Bob, I think that is fair," she answered.
Bob smiled. "Okay,
Magpie, agreed. 8:30 it is. BUT, if you whine at either of us, then the next
night you lose a half hour, agreed?"
Maggie smiled, too.
"Yes, Sir."
Bob commented, "We
will assume that whining is a sign you are NOT getting enough sleep, and will
push your bedtime earlier for each incidence. Is that understood?"
Sighing, Maggie said,
"Yes, sir."
"Okay, those are the
basics. We will reconvene a family meeting when we need to. Okay troops?"
Bob asked authoritatively.
Both Heather and Maggie
said, "YES, SIR" in unison, and then laughed.
Bob reached over and
started to tickle Maggie, and before they knew it, all three of them were
tangled on the floor. Suddenly, Bob remembered the ice cream that was probably
melting on the counter, and asked for everyone to help put the groceries away.
That night, Bob asked
Maggie to start getting ready for bed at 7 pm. It had been a long and emotional
day.
"Not yet, Daddy, I
want to see one more show," Maggie cried.
"Margaret Anne!"
Bob declared.
Hearing that tone, Maggie's
eyes widened, and she knew he meant business. Giggling she told him,
"Well, I HAD to try, Daddy."
"Oh you did, did you,
you little imp," Bob uttered.
Grabbing her up, he swatted
her lightly on her bottom, and sent her on her way to her bath. Tucking her in
at 8, Bob asked what story she would like to read. Maggie picked out Misty of
Chicoteaque.
"Daddy?" Maggie
asked. She loved having someone to call Daddy.
Bob smiled. He was still
getting used to hearing that on a daily basis. "Yes sweetie?"
"Do you think some day
we could visit Chicoteaque? I would love to see those ponies," Maggie
stated.
Bob said, "Well hon, I
think that is do-able. We will plan it for this summer or maybe even spring
break if we can. Okay?"
"Wow, Daddy, you are
the best!" Maggie squealed.
Heather came in, and they
snuggled Maggie in the middle between them. When Bob was done with a few
chapters of the book, Heather read a few, and then they hugged and tucked
Maggie in for the night promptly at 8:30. After fluffing her pillows, and
tucking in her blankets, they both kissed her a final time and left the room,
leaving a night light on, in case she had to get up.
Walking back into the
living room, they sunk into the couch.
Heater sighed. "What
do you think, hon?" Heather asked Bob.
"I think that little
girl needs us to be consistent, loving, and assure her that we will do as we
say we will, either for discipline, or for promised treats. So, we need to make
sure we MEAN whatever we say. AND, we have to make sure she doesn't divide and
conquer," Bob added knowingly.
"How did you get to be
sooo wise, Sir?" Heather asked. After all, Heather reflected to herself,
Bob had only been a daddy for a few weeks. He made parenting sound so easy.
"Ohhh, not sure,
sweetie. I think it is just common sense, and having two loving parents myself,
who taught me a lot of this when I wasn't looking," Bob responded.
"Well, I think you are
gonna be one terrific daddy. In fact, you already are! And know what?"
said Heather.
"What hon?" Bob
asked.
"I love you,
sweetheart!" Heather expressed.
Bob smiled, "I love
you, too." Then, with a wink, Bob asked her, "Gee, are you tired,
dear?"
"Ohhh,"
exaggerating a yawn, Heather replied, "I think I am."
Giggling, Bob chased
Heather to the bedroom, turned, and locked the door.
to be
continued...