Rembrandt Street - Chapter 2

Rembrandt Street - Chapter 2

Aid Given  

Cathy and Megan entered the home by the front living room door. It was dimly lit because of large tree blocking most the view and the shades were turned down. No one was in the room. Megan was still crying, but was taken by the hand to the bathroom. The bathroom had a tall white pedestal sink. It had a mirror that was too tall for Megan to see and a built-in white cabinet with fresh towels and wash cloths.

Cathy opened the cabinet and chose a set that had Raggedy Ann pictures on it. She closed the cabinet so Megan wouldn't get bumped. She turned on the water and tested that it was not too hot or cold. Megan’s crying slowed down. She was given a Kleenex from its holder on the back of the toilet. Megan sat down on the covered seat. The soft peach decor made the room feel soft, quiet and comfortable.

Megan looked behind the shower curtain. She remembered leaving one of her dolls to drip dry. She reached for the doll with the long gold hair and began to dress her with the pajamas laid out and warming on the radiator. Megan said that the doll missed her while she was gone. Cathy genty wiped the cloth over her sisters face and asked Megan if the baby was crying.

"Sometimes she feels all alone and sometimes she wants a friend."

"Megan, I thought Priscilla was Dolly’s friend!" Cathy exclaimed.

"Oh no!" whimpered Megan. "They got in a fight!" 

"Why?"  Cathy asked in her concerned voice.

"Priscilla called Dolly a baby and wouldn’t play with her!"

"Why would Priscilla be so mean?"

"I don’t know because I’m not so mean!" Megan noted.  She thought for a moment and added, "Maybe she got boy germs from the horse." Cathy giggled. Silly Megan could always make her laugh with her fantastic imagination.

"Maybe it's time to have some ice cream?" Cathy asked. 

Just then a short, round, Mexican woman with black short hair and kind eyes came to the open door of the bathroom. She was the family’s beloved cook, housekeeper, and most earnest ear.

"What’s wrong?" asked Theresa.  "I heard Miss Megan crying."

"Theresa! We’re going to have ICE CREAM!"  Exclaimed Megan.

"ICE CREAM! So close to dinner?

"I told her she could have ice cream when she stopped crying Theresa," Cathy explained.

"Oh, now I understand. But, I don’t understand why she was crying."

"I’m not crying now and Priscilla wants to eat ice cream!"  Megan exclaimed.

"Oh, I see!" Said Theresa, "Well, then we better get to it quick before it starts to melt! She chuckled, "But, only a little dish, because its going to be supper time soon."

"Yes ma’am," said Megan, "But some for Priscilla too?" Theresa and the two girls made their way down the long hall to where the kitchen was in the back of the home. They passed two of the three bedrooms and the formal dining room. In the kitchen there were tall white cabinets with glass doors, marble counters, appliances, double porcelain sinks and a bright new linoleum floor. The kitchen was divided into two rooms by a long island counter, and on the other side of the counter was a nice comfortable sitting room with a wooden table and a pretty cotton table cloth. There were two windows at the far end of the room and they were covered with white lace. The walls were adorned with cloth calendars representing all the years since the Willobee’s had been married. To the one side was the third bedroom where the girls' two older sisters slept. Backed up to the kitchen was a thin mud room where coats, boots and hats were kept.  There also a new new washer and dryer resting in the mud room. Directly in back of the kitchen was a back porch for sitting and sleeping in the summer.

Theresa turned toward the kitchen’s refrigerator and from its top took out the ice cream.  The two girls sat on either side of the sitting room’s table. Theresa reached for three dessert bowls and with the ice cream scoop she found in one of the drawers, she scooped out 2 ½ scoops of ice cream. She took clean spoons from the dish drainer sitting to the right of the double porcelain sink and placed them on three of the six preset cloth placemats. Theresa took from the corner of the room, directly in back of Megan’s chair, a green high chair with a Scandinavian floral picture. She waited for Megan to set Priscilla in the chair before moving the ½ dish of ice cream on to its smooth tray Megan reacheded for a napkin and complained, "I’m still trying to teach Priscilla how not to wiggle in her chair!"

"She is learning," Cathy said, "you must be patient with her!" Megan got up from the table and walked around Priscilla's chair to where there were two drawers opening up from the back of the island. She reached in one of the drawers for a small bib with a picture of a blue lamb. She placed the bib on her doll, and then suddenly realized that Dolly was still down stairs in the baby carriage.

"Oh no!  Dolly is downstairs all by herself!" she cried.

Cathy stood up (after having finished her scoop of ice cream) and said, "I’ll get her. I need to get my jump rope and say good night to Sarah too!" Cathy says thank you for the ice cream.  Theresa had finished putting away the dishes in the drainer.  She sat herself at the head of the table next to Priscilla and Megan.

"So, Miss Megan" she questions, "I heard you crying. What happened to you?"

Megan suddenly looked sullen and she lowered the hand holding her spoon of ice cream. "Something happened." Said Megan.

"Oh, what’s this? Something I should know about?"

Megan rubbed the temple of her head with her hand and said, "I don’t know."

"Hmm," said Theresa. "Maybe you should tell me anyway?"

Megan began, "When someone calls you a baby and then you cry are you still a baby?"

"Oh? Someone called you a baby?" Theresa asked with eyebrows raised.

"Well, maybe." 

"Well, then maybe this person doesn’t know you as good as me, Theresa consoled, because I know you are not a baby."  She then asked, "Do you think you’re a baby?"

"OH NO!" I’ve been a big girl for a long time now.

"Well then its settled Miss Megan. You are not a baby. Who is this person who doesn’t know you so very well?"

Again Megan looked down. She could see her tummy. She looked hesitant in answering. But, Theresa was patient. Finally Megan said, "The new girl came out on the steps. You know the one named Silver."

"And, did she talk to you?"

"Uh huh," said Megan, her eyes starting to tear up again. "She said I have to leave her alone and that I was a baby!"

"I see," said Theresa as she handed Megan a Kleenex from her sweater pocket. "And, why do you s’pose she would say something mean like that?"

"I don’t know!" Whimpered Megan. "Do you think she’s mean?"

"Well, Ms. Megan. She may not be mean, but she sure did say something that was mean." Theresa asked, "Maybe, do you think that Silver was scared?"

"Scared of what?" 

"It’s hard being the new person on the block. Remember when you started school?  Why don’t we give her a little time to get to know you. I know she is very shy" said Theresa. "Do you think you could give her another chance?"

"Maybe," Said Megan. "I’ll have to think about it. Do you know when Daddy’s coming home?"

Theresa smiled. "I think pretty soon and your Mama too!"

Megan laughed happily. "Do you know that Daddy is bringing home a surprise with him?" He said that it is an early Christmas present!"

"Oh, I heard that too!" Said Theresa. "Maybe you should put your dolls away before dinner. I think they’ve had enough excitement for one day."

"Ok," said Megan. "Pretty soon though.  He'll be coming home!"