Part 8 (1/2)
”Adam,” Savannah said, ”do you know where Rags's stash is?”
”Um, his toy box? Yeah.”
”His toy box. Yes, that's a good name for it. I'll just bet if you go look, you'll find your beanbag in his toy box.”
”Oh Rags...” he scolded as he dashed up the staircase. Within a few moments, Adam could be heard hollering, ”Here it is!” He rounded the top of the staircase and started down the stairs. ”Rags took it when we weren't looking. It was right up there in his toy box.”
Everyone laughed. Adam walked over and handed Michael the beanbag, and then he looked up at Savannah, a slight frown on his face. ”Why does he do that? Why does he take things that aren't his? Tiger doesn't do that.”
Savannah stared into the boy's blue eyes. ”That's a good question, Adam. Not very many cats do. Walter doesn't. Buffy doesn't. I don't think any of Uncle Max's and Aunt Maggie's kitties do it. There are just a very few cats in the whole world who take things that don't belong to them and hide them like Rags does.” She leaned into Adam as if she was sharing a secret-her eyes glistened with intrigue. ”Maybe...just maybe now...he's the ancestor of a cat that belonged to a pirate hundreds of years ago. It could be,” she said, exaggerating her facial expressions, ”that the pirate taught his cat to steal jewelry and gold coins from the wealthy people in the village. Just imagine Rags's great-great-great grandfather cat wearing an eye patch and carrying a loot bag.”
Michael didn't even try to conceal the kick he was getting out of watching Adam, who was fully entranced by Savannah's story.
The boy's eyes were big as saucers. ”Do you think he had a hook paw and a wooden leg?” Adam looked over at Rags, who had just entered the room. The cat spotted him and walked up to rub on his legs. The boy petted the cat affectionately. ”How would you like to have a hook paw, Rags, and a patch over your eye?” He covered one of the cat's eyes with the beanbag he still held in his hand.
Michael piped up, ”It could be that Rags just thinks certain things are way cool, like the beanbags you made, and he wants one.”
Adam knelt down next to Rags, his demeanor now serious. He showed the cat the beanbag. ”Rags, these are Dad's beanbags, not yours. They go to Dad's game. Now you leave them alone.” Suddenly, his face brightened and he turned to Savannah. ”Hey Savannah, maybe we could make a beanbag for Rags.”
”Well now that's a nice idea. I think we should do that. How about tomorrow before church? But now, I think you'd better get ready for bed.”
”Ae here sometimes on Sundays and we thought maybe you'd like to come here with us today before we drive you home.”
”You mean to my other home. I have two homes. My home with my mom and other dad and my home with you and my real dad.”
”That's right. You are one lucky boy.” Michael reached back and gave him knuckles.
Adam opted to sit in the pew with his dad and stepmom rather than join the other children for youth Sunday school. After the services, the threesome walked out to the foyer toward the refreshment table, when they heard a familiar voice say, ”Hi Thavanna. Hi Dr. Mike. Hi Adam.”
Savannah turned. ”Charlotte, Reba, good morning. How are you ladies?”
Charlotte smiled shyly at the greeting and stared over at Adam.
”Nice sermon, wasn't it?” Reba said. She leaned toward Savannah saying, ”I think Pastor was speaking to me today.”
”Oh no,” Savannah said with a chuckle, ”that message was for me.”
Michael leaned into the conversation. ”It was for all of us.” He smiled. ”A universal message.”
Adam reached over and pulled on his dad's s.h.i.+rt sleeve. ”Hey Dad, can Charlotte and I go get a cookie?”
”Oh, you already spotted the cookies, did you? Sure, if it's okay with her mom. Just stay right out there on the patio.”
”Can you come with me?” he asked Charlotte.
The girl looked over at her mom. Reba smiled and nodded.
”Yeth,” she said.
Adam took hold of her hand. ”Okay, come on.”
Savannah and Michael watched the children rush toward the refreshment table. At the same time, Reba turned and spoke to an elderly gentleman who was walking toward her.
”They let dog killers inside the church?”
”What?” Michael turned around quickly to see who the angry voice belonged to. There, standing in front of him was a pudgy, well-dressed woman in her mid-seventies. She stared intently at Michael with dark, deep-set eyes. She hissed, ”You killed my son's dog, you miserable excuse for a veterinarian.” She glanced over at Savannah, scowled, and then turned and walked away.
”What's wrong?” Reba asked as she returned to where the Iveys stood. ”Has something happened?”
”Reba, do you know who that woman in the blue coat is?” Michael asked.
”That's Mrs. Gamble.” She looked up at Michael. ”Was she rude to you? Don't pay her no mind. She's always unhappy about something. She often has an insulting remark to make about someone's child. She has been rather cruel to Charlotte a time or two. What did she say to you, anyway?”
Michael and Savannah glanced at one another. He responded, ”Oh nothing. Nothing of any importance.” All he had on his mind now was gathering up his little family and leaving. ”Adam; where's Adam?” He excused himself, took Savannah's hand, and led her toward the patio. He scanned the area quickly. When he didn't see the children, he started to panic. ”Where is he?” he asked, his eyes darting back and forth.
”I hear him,” Savannah said. ”Sounds like he and Charlotte are having fun just on the other side of that table. Michael rushed over and saw the two of them sitting on a rock wall eating cookies and sipping punch.
”Hi, Dad,” Adam called out when he spotted Michael and Savannah. He began to giggle. ”Hey Dad, you shoulda seen it. A lizard just took a bite of Charlotte's cookie.”
”What a super weekend,” Savannah said as she and Michael drove home after delivering Adam to his mom and stepdad.
Michael reached for his wife's hand, looked over at her with a smile, and said, ”It sure was. It sure was.” He laughed a little. ”I got a kick out of your conversation with Adam about Charlotte. It was cute when he asked you why she talks funny.”
”Yeah, he said, 'she talks like a little kid, but she's a big kid.'” Savannah laughed.
”I thought you handled his question very well. He understood when you explained she has Down syndrome, since his little sister also has it.”
”But Rose isn't saying words yet. Reba told me once that many people with Down syndrome have speech impediments because of the way their tongue is formed or the way they use their tongues.”
”Interesting. I didn't know that.”
The couple drove in silence for a while, each with their own thoughts, when Michael glanced over at Savannah briefly and asked, ”How do you think the new girl, Alyce, will work out?”
”Oh, seems okay. Too early to tell, really,” Savannah said. ”She's been with us for...what...four days?”