This might be the longest chapter I have written. I hope I did it well, I don't want your wrath ladies.
Chapter 13
Mary locked the door to the library. She felt the need to talk to someone. She knew that Karen wasn’t busy. Elli might be able to take a break. They could go to the Inn and talk with Ann, if there wasn’t a large lunch crowd from the mainland. While Popuri could also be included, Mary decided that she could be left out, since Popuri tends to remain childlike. As Mary approached the supermarket, she saw Karen leaving it.
“Hi Karen!”
Karen gave a grin, “Hey Bookworm, how’s it going?”
Mary smiled at the nickname that Karen gave her.
“Well I guess it’s going alright.”
Karen raised an eyebrow, “It sounds that is not the case. Do you want to talk about it?”
“Yes, with Ann and Elli.”
“A Big Girl’s Meeting?”
“Yes.”
“Is it about the city boy that has showed up?”
“No.”
“Oh ho! It’s about Gray.”
“Yes,” said Mary sadly.
“He said something to upset you?”
“Yes, no, I don’t know.”
“Oh boy. It’s a big problem.”
Mary softly said, “Yes.”
“Ok let’s round up Elli and head to the Inn.”
When Elli heard the Mary needed to talk about something important, she agreed to go with them to the Inn. As they entered, Doug waved at them.
“Welcome ladies.”
Karen waved back, “Hey Doug, is Ann around?”
“She went upstairs to clean the guest rooms. Can I get you anything?”
“Not right now, we need to have a girl talk session and we need to include Ann.”
“Well go on up, she might be cleaning the women’s lodge room first.”
“Ok, but don’t you dare sneak up and listen in. As of now that lodge room is a girl’s clubhouse, so no boys allowed.”
With a mischievous grin Elli added, “No matter how cute they are.”
Karen and Mary yelled, “Elli!”
“Well Cliff is cute, so is Tim, Kai, and Gray, that is if he isn’t being a grump. Oh and Jack is cute.”
Doug chuckled, “So that leaves me out, oh darn.”
The trio of girls then headed upstairs, they looked in the lodge room used for women guests. Ann was changing some of the bedding.
“Hi Karen, Elli, Mary. Why are you all here?”
“Girl conference,” said Karen.
“Oh? Shouldn’t Popuri be here as well?”
“It’s a Big Girl’s Conference,” said Elli.
“Oh? What about?”
“Gray,” Mary said quietly.
“Oh my, did he do something to hurt you?”
“No, it was something he said before he told me that he likes me.”
Karen, Elli, and Ann looked surprised, “He said that he likes you?”
“Yes.”
Karen gave Mary a hug, “I told you that he likes you. I’m glad that he finally admits it.”
“Yes, but before he said that, he said I should start standing up for myself and not let my mother push me around. How can I do that? She brought me into this world.”
Ann and Elli joined Karen in hugging Mary.
Elli said, “Mary I understand that you are reluctant in standing up for yourself. But remember one of the lessons we learned as kids about baby birds?”
“Yes.”
“When you marry, you most likely will leave home and move into a house with your husband. The two of you will be in charge of that house, not your mother.”
“But…..”
“No sweetie, your mother can’t be in charge of you and your husband.”
“But what if my husband moves in with me and my parents?”
“You will then need to let your mother know that she can not boss you around any more. Because she will not always be around.”
Karen nodded, “My mother and I don’t see eye to eye all the time. But she does respect me.”
Ann added, “If my mom was still here, I think that she would treat me as an adult.”
Karen chuckled, “And you wouldn’t be that much of a tomboy.”
“Well these overalls are more girlish, as well as these shirts I wear. You wear girlish clothes that almost look like boy’s clothes.”
Karen grinned and laughed, “Touché Ann, touché.”
Mary wiped away the tears from her eyes, “Thanks for the advice. I had a feeling Gray liked me. He did show that he was kind by saying that he suggested that Cliff join your Starry Night Festival dinner with you and your dad Ann.”
Ann smiled, “Yeah it surprised me as well. I joked with Gray by saying ‘Who are you and what have you done to the real Gray?’”
Mary, Elli and Karen giggled.
Elli asked, “What was his response?”
“He rolled his eyes, then said that he felt that Cliff shouldn’t be alone for the holiday.”
Karen glanced over at Elli, “By the way Elli, I couldn’t help notice you didn’t put Rick in that list of cute boys.”
Elli shrugged her shoulders, “Sorry Karen, but I don’t find him cute. If he didn’t wear that sweatband on his head, he might be a bit cuter.”
“But you said that Jack was cute. He wears that silly blue cap backwards.”
“True, but he seem to be kinder then Rick is.”
Karen slumped her shoulders and sighed, “Yeah, I just wish that he saw me as a woman instead of the little girl he played with years ago.”
Ann said, “He did come in last night and complained that you slapped him for saying that the two of you wrestled as kids.”
Karen rolled her eyes, “Geez, doesn’t he know that there are some things I don’t want to remember?”
Elli grinned, “Especially since you always won most of the matches.”
“Hey he was a wimp back then!”
Elli raised an eyebrow, “Don’t tell me you want to pound him into the ground again.”
“I’m very tempted, but he might like it.”
They all laughed.
Elli then said, “So what is everyone’s opinion on Jack?”
Karen replied, “Aside from wearing that ratty blue cap backwards? I think he is great for making Duke pay his bill.”
Elli looked surprised, “He did that? I’m surprised that he is still in one piece.”
Karen blushed slightly, “Well I backed Jack up.”
Elli, Ann and Mary giggled.
Ann said, “And big strong Duke was cowed by powerful partially petite Karen.”
Karen, Elli and Mary collapsed into fits of laughter, which Ann then joined. After they stopped and were wipping the tears from their eyes, Elli said, “Why did Jack ask Duke to pay up?”
“I think he overheard my mom chew dad out for letting Tim walk out without paying.”
Elli winced, “Oh no, not again!”
“Don’t worry, my mom knows that you will be by tomorrow to get things for your grandma and Stu. As well as the items that Tim forgot to buy.”
Elli grinned, “As well as the items I forbid him to buy for me.”
Karen, Ann and Mary giggled, “Yeah those items.”
“So then Jack helped out, that’s nice of him.”
Mary voiced, “He was nice to my mother, even when she was rude to him.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Wow, maybe he isn’t so bad after all,” said Karen.
Elli raised and eyebrow, “It sounds like you are starting to like him Karen. I hope that you are not using him just so Rick will get jealous.”
Karen blushed slightly, “When I was walking to meet up with Rick, I briefly thought about doing that. But then I liked that way he stood up to uncle Duke. Now after hearing how he kept his cool from Anna’s rudeness, no offence Mary,” Mary smiled and shook her head to show that no offence was taken, Karen continued, “I think that I would like to get to know him better, to where I could consider him a friend.”
Elli scratched the back of her head, “Yeah same here for me. He was kind to Stu at the New Year’s Day Festival. And yesterday when Stu showed him a bug and Jack said he didn’t like bugs. When Stu ran out crying, Jack looked sad for hurting Stu’s feelings.”
Ann voiced up, “He looked like he was having fun when I was being humorous when he stopped by to say ‘Hi’. He got a free meal from my dad and me. He matched every level of grin I did while we waited for the meal to be made.”
Karen grinned, “I guess that makes us the Fan Club of Jack. So should we help him out now and then?”
Elli said, “Yes let’s do that.”
Ann and Mary nodded.
Karen nodded, “Ok then, I guess we can warp up this Big Girl’s Meeting. We’ll let you get back to work Ann.”
Ann said, “You’ll be back later tonight Karen?”
“Of course! Your dad serves the best beer.”
After that comment, Karen, Ell, and Mary left the Inn. As the trio was approaching the intersection to go their separate ways, Karen said, “I hope we helped you with your problem Mary.”
“Yes, you did in a way, thank you.”
Giving a one armed hug to Mary, Karen said, “Anytime Bookworm, anytime.”
Elli said, “It will be hard, but your mom must start seeing you as an adult who can stand on her own two feet.”
A rueful smile crept on Mary’s face, “The baby bird needs to learn to fly away from home?”
Elli nodded, “Yes sweetie.”
Mary headed back to the library.
As Karen and Elli watched her go, Karen looked out of the corner or her eye to Elli, “Do you think that she will be able to do it?”
“I hope so. Well I need to get back to work.”
Elli headed back to the Clinic.
Karen gave a sigh.
*I think I’ll get my bathing kit and go up to the Hot Spring. I’ve got some thinking to do. Maybe I’ll stop by Jack’s farm and say hi before going up there.*
