again.
Mona and Mellie started on the SUV. “You carry your travel bags in, and I’ll get the suitcases.”
“Okay. Where should I put them?”
“In the family room by the bookshelves. You know where the games and things are?”
“’Kay.”
Steig slammed the trailer door and lifted the rear door on the SUV. “I think all this should go upstairs.”
A wailing scream reverberated through the house and out the garage. “Daaaddyyyyy!”
Steig charged into the house, Mona right on his heels.
Jake was crunched up in a corner of the sofa, sobbing and shaking.
“Jake, easy son, what is it? What’s wrong?” Steig scooped him up.
He clung like Velcro to his daddy’s neck. “The c-c-cat! The cat is going to hurt me! She hates me!”
Steig settled down on the sofa with Jakey in his lap close against him. “Okay, stop crying so you can tell me what happened.” He grabbed a tissue and mopped the tears. “Blow.” That done, he continued, all the while rocking his son and making comfort sounds. “Now what happened?”
“The cat.”
“I get that. I don’t see any bite marks or scratches or anything. Jake, I think you’re fine.” Steig looked up at his mom. “Nothing.”
Mona asked, “Did the cat bite you?”
Jakey shook his head.
“Scratch you?”
Another headshake.
What was going on here? “Where was the cat?”
Jake pointed to the first cushion on the sofa where he’d been sleeping, half on that one and half on the middle one. Instantly he curled up inside his daddy’s embrace again.
Mona cleared her throat, and when Steig looked up at her, she nodded. “I bet that Hyacinth just jumped up on the sofa to see who was there. Is he really that terrified of cats?”
“Beats me. Maybe just the shock. I’ll work on him and the cat before…”
He didn’t have to finish the sentence. The before was enough to make his mother blow her nose.
Chapter Nine
=
I waited as long as I could!” Marit reached up to hug her brother.
Steig snorted. “Figures. The work is about done.”
How Mona loved the lighthearted banter these two had engaged in their whole lives. Marvelous children. Thank You, Lord.
Marit playfully elbowed Steig in the ribs. “Who’s this you’re holding? Sure doesn’t look too happy.”
“Jake, you remember your aunty Marit and your cousins, right?” He waved an arm toward the other kids who were already pulling out the outside toys.
“Hey, you guys. Come say hi to Jakey.” Marit patted his leg, but he immediately hid his face in his father’s neck. “Oops. Not a happy camper?”
“Not right now, woke from a nap to see the C-A-T.” Steig rolled his eyes. “Fill you in later.”
“Magnus called to say he’d meet us here, so we came on over.” She looked at her mother and motioned to where her dad was unloading the SUV. “He okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” Ken smiled as he answered. “I just decided I needed to be here greeting my family more than…”
“Duking it out with Dale?”
“Let’s say, I did all I could for the moment.”
“You gave up?”
“Not really. I’d rather term it as gaining wisdom.” While Ken’s smile was wide, somehow it didn’t reach his eyes. “Grab some of that stuff; all this goes upstairs.”
Marit looked at her mother, who shrugged. “You put it at the bottom of the stairs, and I’ll get my steps in today going up and down.” Mona glanced over at Jakey to see him watching her, thumb and forefinger in his mouth. But he hid again as soon as she smiled.
“Hey, Brit, would you please get the grocery bags out of the car?” Marit took two black plastic bags full and headed for the house. “The tossed salad is in the big green bowl. I can smell the spaghetti sauce from here.”
Later, with the guys gone to return the trailer, including Jake, who had yet to leave the safe refuge called Dad, Marit and Mona finished carrying the last of the kids’ belongings up to the bedroom to join the stack in front of the
Mona and Mellie started on the SUV. “You carry your travel bags in, and I’ll get the suitcases.”
“Okay. Where should I put them?”
“In the family room by the bookshelves. You know where the games and things are?”
“’Kay.”
Steig slammed the trailer door and lifted the rear door on the SUV. “I think all this should go upstairs.”
A wailing scream reverberated through the house and out the garage. “Daaaddyyyyy!”
Steig charged into the house, Mona right on his heels.
Jake was crunched up in a corner of the sofa, sobbing and shaking.
“Jake, easy son, what is it? What’s wrong?” Steig scooped him up.
He clung like Velcro to his daddy’s neck. “The c-c-cat! The cat is going to hurt me! She hates me!”
Steig settled down on the sofa with Jakey in his lap close against him. “Okay, stop crying so you can tell me what happened.” He grabbed a tissue and mopped the tears. “Blow.” That done, he continued, all the while rocking his son and making comfort sounds. “Now what happened?”
“The cat.”
“I get that. I don’t see any bite marks or scratches or anything. Jake, I think you’re fine.” Steig looked up at his mom. “Nothing.”
Mona asked, “Did the cat bite you?”
Jakey shook his head.
“Scratch you?”
Another headshake.
What was going on here? “Where was the cat?”
Jake pointed to the first cushion on the sofa where he’d been sleeping, half on that one and half on the middle one. Instantly he curled up inside his daddy’s embrace again.
Mona cleared her throat, and when Steig looked up at her, she nodded. “I bet that Hyacinth just jumped up on the sofa to see who was there. Is he really that terrified of cats?”
“Beats me. Maybe just the shock. I’ll work on him and the cat before…”
He didn’t have to finish the sentence. The before was enough to make his mother blow her nose.
Chapter Nine
=
I waited as long as I could!” Marit reached up to hug her brother.
Steig snorted. “Figures. The work is about done.”
How Mona loved the lighthearted banter these two had engaged in their whole lives. Marvelous children. Thank You, Lord.
Marit playfully elbowed Steig in the ribs. “Who’s this you’re holding? Sure doesn’t look too happy.”
“Jake, you remember your aunty Marit and your cousins, right?” He waved an arm toward the other kids who were already pulling out the outside toys.
“Hey, you guys. Come say hi to Jakey.” Marit patted his leg, but he immediately hid his face in his father’s neck. “Oops. Not a happy camper?”
“Not right now, woke from a nap to see the C-A-T.” Steig rolled his eyes. “Fill you in later.”
“Magnus called to say he’d meet us here, so we came on over.” She looked at her mother and motioned to where her dad was unloading the SUV. “He okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” Ken smiled as he answered. “I just decided I needed to be here greeting my family more than…”
“Duking it out with Dale?”
“Let’s say, I did all I could for the moment.”
“You gave up?”
“Not really. I’d rather term it as gaining wisdom.” While Ken’s smile was wide, somehow it didn’t reach his eyes. “Grab some of that stuff; all this goes upstairs.”
Marit looked at her mother, who shrugged. “You put it at the bottom of the stairs, and I’ll get my steps in today going up and down.” Mona glanced over at Jakey to see him watching her, thumb and forefinger in his mouth. But he hid again as soon as she smiled.
“Hey, Brit, would you please get the grocery bags out of the car?” Marit took two black plastic bags full and headed for the house. “The tossed salad is in the big green bowl. I can smell the spaghetti sauce from here.”
Later, with the guys gone to return the trailer, including Jake, who had yet to leave the safe refuge called Dad, Marit and Mona finished carrying the last of the kids’ belongings up to the bedroom to join the stack in front of the
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