For Keeps (Aggie's Inheritance)

by Havig, Chautona

  “Nope. I just had my first run-in with a truancy officer.”

  “I think they’re called ‘attendance officers’ now, Aggie,” Tina added helpfully.

  “Whatever.”

  “Well, I’ve got to scoot. Libby has a grocery list a mile long.”

  “Where is she?” Aggie struggled to her feet, accepting Luke’s proffered hand gratefully.

  “She has them all lounging in the kiddie pool. Tavish, Laird, and Ellie are forbidden to go near it now.” Tina grabbed her purse, tugged at her hair, and dashed out the door.

  “What’s gotten into her?”

  “Um, Mibs?” Luke hardly met her eyes.

  “More spots?”

  “Um no, but I think Tina was hinting that your hair is a bit--unconventional.”

  At the sight of matted hair, Aggie groaned. “I know better than to go to bed with it wet.” She sighed. “I’m too tired to brush it out. Would it be a ridiculous waste of water to take another shower?” Her eyes grew wide. “No wonder Mr. Rouse kept staring at me oddly! AAAK.”

  Luke grinned. “Well, you gave him a great story to tell tonight around the dinner table.”

  Aggie says: Luke? You there?

  Luke says: Yep. I thought you were sleeping.

  Mibs says: I couldn’t sleep.

  Luke says: I’m sorry.

  Mibs says: Were you going to bed?

  Luke says: Not for a while yet. I have some things to do.

  Mibs says: Oh, I shouldn’t bother you then.

  Luke says: Bother away. I can multitask just fine.

  Mibs says: Ok, if you’re sure. Just tell me to go away if you need to.

  Luke says: Got it. Make Mibs go away if you need her to. Note written to self.

  Mibs says: *giggles*

  Luke says: What did you do tonight?

  Mibs says: Tina and I narrowed some of the curriculum choices down.

  Luke says: What did you pick?

  Mibs says: I found a video course for Vannie that covers everything she was going to take except band. I’ll have to find a private teacher for that, I guess.

  Luke says: Is band a requirement?

  Mibs says: Well, no…

  Luke says: Why not wait until after Christmas then. Not so many changes at once.

  Mibs says: That’s what Tina said, but I thought since I am keeping her out of school, I should try to replicate whatever I can.

  Luke says: Look, if you go into this with that kind of mindset, the kids will think you are a pushover, and they’ll push. You have to decide what is best for your school semester.

  Mibs says: What makes you say that? I don’t know…

  Luke says: What did they teach you about lesson plans? Did they tell you to plan based upon what the kids wanted or what you and the general guidelines thought best with your materials?

  Mibs says: Well. Just throw that up to me.

  Luke says: I’ll send my bill.

  Mibs says: You do every week…

  Luke says: Well, this week’s bill will have an extra line item.

  Mibs says: LOL.

  Luke says: Is everything ok? You’re usually not so quiet.

  Mibs says: Are you saying I’m too talkative?

  Luke says: No, I’m saying that you are being extra quiet. It’s not like you.

  Mibs says: Sorry. I think I’ll go. Night, Luke.

  Luke says: Aw, Mibs. What is wrong?

  Mibs is offline. Any messages you send will not be delivered until she is online.

  Aggie snapped the laptop shut. She knew she was being oversensitive and ridiculous, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. From the first eruption of pox, through the visit with the attendance officer, and then the conversation with Luke, she felt agitated and unlike herself. Tears, of the frustrated variety, pricked her eyes, making her throat swell. For a moment she was tempted to open her laptop and try to catch Luke to apologize, but the effort seemed wasted. Either Luke would understand or he wouldn’t. After her misunderstanding with William, Aggie had no desire to make an uncomfortable situation worse.

  She grabbed her pillow and went out onto the front porch, felt the night breeze, and hurried to retrieve a throw blanket before she curled up on the wicker settee to “be still” before the Lord. Weary, she was too muddleheaded to pray, so she concentrated long enough to ask the Holy Spirit to make sense of the disquiet in her soul, and rested. Though she fully expected to fall asleep instantly, she didn’t. Instead, she listened to the sounds of the frogs serenading the night creatures and the crickets chirping warnings to their friends of the location of their frog foes. As calm began to settle over her spirit, Aggie inhaled the comforting scent of damp earth and freshly cut grass. How had she not noticed that Luke had done that? She’d let it get extra-long knowing that she could do it while the children were at school and the little ones were sleeping, but that hadn’t happened.

  After a time, headlights turned onto Last Street, and then pulled into her driveway. At first, it was difficult to see the vehicle for the lights, but abruptly, before the vehicle even came to a stop, they disappeared. “Luke?” she whispered.

  He didn’t leave his truck for several seconds. Their eyes met through the windows, but still they sat. Eventually, Luke opened the door and gently pushed it shut behind him. Hands in pockets, he strolled up the steps and paused near her. “You ok, Mibs?”

  “I’m sorry, Luke. I know that was rude--”

  “I didn’t ask for an apology. I just wanted to see if you were ok.”

  “But I am sorry--”

  “Ok, apology accepted.” He lowered himself into the seat next to her. “Now, are you all right?”

  Her smile, the first genuine one she’d had all day, flashed at him and was reflected in his eyes. “Frankly, no. Well, not until you arrived. I know leaving abruptly like that was an immature and snotty thing to do, but now I’m glad I did. Knowing someone cared enough to come see is exactly what the Doctor,” she glanced heavenward with exaggerated dramatic effect, “ordered.”

  After several minutes, Luke spoke once more. “Mibs,”

  “Luke, will you please tell me what Mibs is all about?”

  “Will you regret me telling you when you’re well?”

  “Nah. I was about to Google it while we were talking, but then I got in a snit over something I didn’t even understand at the time, and forgot.”

  “Well, Google would definitely give it away.” Luke’s chuckle warmed her heart, and she knew he saw it. “Aggie… what is an aggie?”

  “Short for my real name?”

  “Which is?” His tone told her he hadn’t noticed it. Mail came to her, the court documents he’d read so carefully had her name all over them, but he’d never truly seen it.

  “I’m not telling. This is your revelation, not mine.”

  “Oh, well then!” he joked. “Ok, other than short for your really ambiguous real name, what are aggies?” At her shrug, he shook his head. “I should have known a girl wouldn’t even know the toy with her name on them.”

  “Aggies--marbles.”

  “Yep.”

  “So… what does that have to do with Mibs?”

  Luke nudged her shoulder gently. “Mibs are marbles too. They’re the targets in a game. They used to be made of clay. I always think of you as a marble that God fashioned exactly how He wants you to be.”

  “He’s the Potter, after all.” She scratched a pock on her arm absently until Luke moved her hand. “Or, are you just saying that I’m going to lose my marbles.”

  “It’s just a private little reminder that you’re exactly where God wants you, and He’s making you into exactly who He wants you to be.”

  Her eyes dropped to her lap. “And here,” she joked, “I thought it was something personal. I thought you were teasing me. Alas, you’re just trying to keep me from picking up my marbles and going home.”

  “Oh, Mibs. If you only knew…”

  Hours but very few words later, Aggie waved goodby
e and went inside the house. She was drowsy, but an idea grew as she saw her laptop, so she flipped it open. Luke wouldn’t be home, but that didn’t matter. The messenger popped up and showed Luke online, but that wasn’t possible. He’d left the minute she closed out their last conversation. That information was amazing to her.

  Mibs says: Hey, just wanted to thank you again. I’ll wear my moniker proudly.

  Mibs says: Sleep in. The basement will wait. You want to be fresh for your inspection.

  Mibs says: Luke… thanks. Really. Thanks.

  Imaginationally Challenged

  Chapter 14

  Thursday, September 11th

  “Aggie?”

  Tired, Aggie didn’t even open her eyes. “Hmm?”

  “Do you think you’ll be feeling better by Sunday?”

  “Probably, why?”

  Tina played with a ring on her right pinkie finger. “I just thought maybe, well, with me having to be in class on Monday afternoon, we could invite William and Luke over for dinner on Sunday--kind of a ‘back to school, new home-school, the pox are winding down’ celebration. Is it rude to invite people over for dinner when you have chicken pox if both have been in the house of their own free will?”

  “I don’t think it’s rude at all, but why invite them?” Ignoring her protesting itchy body, Aggie pushed herself up off the couch and tried to concentrate on her friend.

  “I just thought it’d be nice…”

  “Tina… that sounds deliberately ambiguous.”

  The petite blonde sat cross-legged and leaned against the coffee table. “Ok, fine. I wanted a chance to get to know William a bit better-- see who he is. Every time he is here, there’s a reason--an agenda. I want to know if he’s really interested in you or if he just has overactive protective genes.”

  “I can tell you that. The latter. We’ve discussed it.”

  “You have? Really?” Tina seemed stunned by that revelation.

  “Yep. I was telling Vannie that I thought William just didn’t know how to be ‘just friends’ with a girl so he keeps trying to do the ‘boyfriend thing.’”

  “That makes sense--sort of. I’ve known guys like that.”

  A memory teased Aggie’s mind. “But Luke warned me about him, I think.”

  “Really?”

  “Luke overheard Vannie and me talking, and told me that I was wrong. He said that some guys could be just friends with girls while waiting for more. Mom and I thought he was trying to let us know that William really is interested or something, but now I disagree. We’ve talked. I don’t think William knows how to lie or be deceitful like that.”

  Tina rested her chin on her knees. “So, I take it you don’t want to do dinner.”

  “No, if you want to do a dinner, we can do that. Of course, with the kids around, who knows what it’ll be like…”

  “I thought we could feed them first, and then send them to the library for movies, and Ellie, Laird and Tavish could watch something on your laptop in his room or in my room, and we eat after that.”

  “Ok, then,” it was hard for Aggie to show any enthusiasm, but she tried, “what do we want to have for dinner?”

  “Guys like beef, right? Can we do a roast or something on the grill?”

  “Roast works. The grill is too iffy. We don’t want to be in a house with two hunger-crazed men.”

  Before Aggie could offer any other beef dishes, Mrs. Dyke knocked on the door. “I brought snicker doodles!”

  Tina jumped up and went to help the woman carry a turkey platter loaded with the cinnamony sugar cookies. When she returned, Aggie was asleep on the couch. Mrs. Dyke took one look at her and shook her head. “The poor little woman has so much on her plate, and now this. How long do you think she can continue to do this before she burns out?”

  Anger flooded Tina’s face until she realized the neighbor was truly concerned rather than issuing a condemnation of her friend. “She’ll do it until the kids are grown or the Lord takes her home. That’s just who Aggie is.”

  ~*~*~*~

  The gentle rap on her screen door was a familiar one. “William?”

  “Can I come in?” Why he asked when he was half in before he finished asking the question, Aggie didn’t know.

  “Sure. I wouldn’t have asked you to stop by if I didn’t want you to come in, too.” Her attempt at a light hearted joke fell flatter than a cake in a malfunctioning oven. “Have you heard anything about Douglas Stuart?”

  “All I know is that he’s home. I guess he has been since that day. Why Mrs. Stuart didn’t call and tell us, I don’t know. If I hadn’t put out a call to the police in towns around the loop, I wouldn’t have known.” He peered closer. “I think you’re getting a few new ones.”

  “Just what every girl wants to hear. Flatterer.”

  William laughed. “Even sick, you can make me laugh.”

  “I actually called you over to see if you wanted to come to dinner on Sunday. Tina has hatched a plan to keep the kids occupied in other rooms while we eat and talk.”

  “You and me?” He blanched. “I thought--are you saying--”

  “I’m saying that Tina and I are inviting you and Luke to dinner on Sunday.”

  “Luke and Tina? Is this some kind of double date?”

  “It’s more like a couple of girls who want to have dinner with a couple of guys they know.” She fidgeted with the throw pillow and then blurted, “I think she’s nervous about going back to school without really getting to know you well.”

  “I thought we all got to know each other the night you and Luke were working on the library and the bathroom.”

  “Well, maybe I misunderstood, but that’s the gist I got. She’s looking out for me. I think she’s afraid someone’s going to break my heart or something.” Aggie threw the pillow behind her head and flopped down. “As if I have time for that.”

  Before William could respond, Tina breezed into the room. “Hey, William. Has Aggie convinced you to have dinner with us yet?”

  “Absolutely. Just tell me when to be here.”

  “Seven is good. The kids can watch a movie, go to bed, and we can all have a good chat.” Tina thrust a notebook and sheaf of papers into Aggie’s lap. “Look! This group is packed with information. I got you a letter of intent form for each child, although one woman says you just need one for both schools. There are co-ops and field trips and they even do school pictures!”

  “What is she talking about?” William took the first paper off the stack and frowned as he read it. “Tell me you aren’t actually considering this.”

  “I ordered curriculum for Vannie today. We just have to decide on the others. I don’t think Laird will be so independently motivated, so I chose not to do the video course for him.” Aggie chose to ignore the continued disapproval from William. “What did they say about choosing curriculum?”

  Tina’s face twisted in a mixture of disgust and frustration. “I asked almost every woman there and they all agree.”

  “So why do you look revolted by their choice.”

  “Ask me.” Tina kicked off her shoes, sat cross-legged across from them, and leaned back on her hands. “I dare you to ask me what kind of curriculum you should use.”

  “Ok…” The whole thing seemed ridiculous to Aggie. “What kind of curriculum should I use?”

  With a falsetto that made William and Aggie snicker before they even heard the answer, Tina said, “Oh, you have to find what works for you.”

  “What!”

  “The good news is, I did figure out how to get a feel for what they’d suggest if they weren’t so adamant about everyone blazing their own trail through the home educating wilderness.”

  William’s face grew more disapproving with every word. “How?”

  “I asked what they use. I went back to every woman and asked what curriculum they use and why.”

  “Genius!” Aggie’s momentary push to the brink of a breakdown was halted by Tina’s forethought.

  “Ye
p. Here, I’ve got the final tally. I spoke to eight classic home educators who mostly used the same core curriculum, nine Charlotte Mason people, several of whom use that one website we found, remember?” Aggie nodded and gestured for her to continue. “I found four who use strictly textbooks from companies that supply Christian schools, and two that use those worktext type things we looked at.”

  “I liked those because it looked easy to implement for the first year.”

  “Oh, and then here are eleven…” Tina continued as she flipped the next page. “Eleven!”

  “Eleven what?”

  “Eleven mothers who call themselves ‘eclectic.’ They use whatever they like from whatever company and use them in various ways.” She studied the page a bit more. “Oh, and there were three ‘unschoolers.’ Apparently, some people fill the home with educational materials and things and encourage their children to explore them as they like. It sounded fascinating, but…”

  “Yeah, I’m not ready for that,” Aggie agreed.

  “Well, I’m glad to hear it.” William interjected with exaggerated relief. “That sounds irresponsible at best. I wonder that the state doesn’t get more involved to make sure these kids are learning what they’re supposed to be.”

  Tina, passing the notebook to Aggie, shot him a dirty look. “Listen, until you are reasonably acquainted with responsible home education, I think you can just keep your uneducated opinions to yourself. I was so amazed and impressed tonight by how thorough these women are. They had ideas and plans for things that I heard mentor teachers only dream of when we were doing our student teaching.”

  “Like what?” Aggie ignored the stormy look on William’s face as she listened to Tina’s story.

  “Ok, the best example was this gal from California. You know how they have all those cool missions and amazing state history?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Her family started in San Diego and drove and camped all up along the coast to see every mission. They created notebooks--oh, man you should have seen those notebooks. It was just incredible. The whole thing was on display along with a few other things. One family did their own version of Colonial House but tried to live as Native Americans for a month. The dad is a teacher, so he had July off work. They said it was amazing trying to survive.”