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"Hubert and Henry Bailey what are you doing here." Honey asked in an shocked voice. She was surprised at seeing her sons to say the least.
"Mom we saw you led Aunt Grace out the grate and we noticed that Aunt Grace looked like she was crying." Fat started to explain.
"How are backs were to the house." Honey said in an angry voice.
"Her back was shaking." Hub put in his two cents worth. He looked over at his Aunt. "What's the matter Aunt Grace. We heard what you said about grandmother Bailey...."
"Hubert Bailey how dare you eavesdrop on an private conversion. I thought you knew better." Honey said with as much force as she could get in her voice.
Hub and Fat just turned and faced their very angry mother.
"Honey no harm was done." Grace said in an soothing voice.
Honey was shaking like an leaf.
"We are sorry mom honest. But we just had to know what was the matter." Hub said as he began to walk closer to his mother. He put his hand on her hand.
Honey jerked her hand away from her oldest son. She backed away until she stepped off the sidewalk.
"Honey it's all right. Please stand still." Grace said gently as she walked over to he sister in law.
"Mother....." Fat began in an fearful voice.
"Fellows...." Honey began weakly. She shook herself "I'm so sorry fellows I don't know what came over me. I shouldn't have yelled at you. You were only doing what you thought was best." Honey stepped back on the sidewalk and bent down with her arms wide open.
The boys fell into their mother's waiting arms and hugged her hard.
"It's just I don't want you to have to worry about getting Violet back. I'm the mom it is my responsibility to get all my children with me and to take care of them." Honey whispered.
The boys pulled out of the hug and still stood there in the crook of their mother's arms.
"You don't have to do it all alone mom. That's what we are here for. To help." Hub said in his most wisest adult voice.
**********
Max whispered an tone that he and his brother Del made up when they were children. He was heading toward the Bailey house to see if Honey was home and if she wanted to visit for an while. He stopped short when he saw Honey bent down with Hub and Fat in the crook of her arms. He saw Grace standing over them with saddens on her face. "Something is up I must go and see what it the matter." Max muttered to himself.
"No Maxy ol' boy it is none of your affair." Max stopped short after he took an few hasty steps toward the Bailey family.
Max turned himself around and started walking slowly back toward his flat at the New Bedford Hotel with his head down.
******
Honey pulled Fat and Hub away from her and looked deep into their eyes. "Now fellows I don't want you to worry about bring home your sister. It is up to me as your mother to do so and I will."
"She has me to help also." Grace gently put in.
"I will get Violet back weather grandmother Bailey likes it or not." Hub stubbornly said as he brought his arms to cross his chest.
"If grandmother Bailey doesn't like it than we'll just move into the house sooner than expected." Fat said bravely as he followed his older brother's posture.
********
Max kept his head down as he contiuned to walk toward the New Bedford Hotel. *Honey is not ready yet. She won't be until she get her daughter back and into the house that Joe found for her and her children.* He looked up as he came the spot that he needed to cross the main street.
After crossing the street he headed toward the front door of the hotel. *She may never be ready. Max you must prepare yourself for the worst.* He frowned as he opened the front door and entered.
"Max Sutton just the man I wanted to see." Alden Cramp said coming from behind the front desk and walking toward Max.
Max smiled and than his dark thoughts took over again. "Yes Alden what can I do for you."
"I need you to go to the gym and start working out my man." Alden patted Max's shoulders.
Max looked started. "W-why on earth do I need to work out?"
Alden laughed "cause Callie and I entered you in the race that is starting next week." He looked happily at Max expecting Max to say thank you and run out of the hotel.
"No thank you Alden. I don't do races." Max sighed and he started to go on his way.
Alden breathed deeply. "What you don't do races but yet you are at the gym with the young people racing them?"
Max shook his head stubbornly "Sorry Alden but my answer is no."
Alden could see that there was no changing Max's mind. He sighed disappointing "Ok Max you win. Do you know of anyone else who would like to race?"
Max thought an moment. "Buck; Hubert Bailey's friend might."
"Buck is to young to race with adult men. Anyone else." Alden asked taking his arm off of Max's shoulders.
"Buck may be young but he sure is fast on his feet." Max defended Buck.
"That may be so Max; but Buck won't qualify because his is to young." Alden insisted.
"Yea you are probably right." Max sighed. "Have you tired Archie, Ollie or Bob?" He asked.
Alden shook his head.
"Try them. They will probably say no but perhaps they'll know of some men who will qualify." Max said as he walked toward the stairs.
"I'll do that Max." Alden said as he went toward the front door.
Max sighed and frowned sadly as he headed up the stairs thinking about Honey.
**********
"Fellows you know not to tell your grandmother what went on here right?" Grace suddenly asked as the Bailey home came into view.
"Sure Aunt Grace we know better than that don't we Fat?" Hub said looking straight over at his brother.
"No problem Aunt Grace. This is our secret." Fat put his two cents in and took hold of his aunt's hand. "Dont' fret so."
Grace squeezed Fat's hand gently "You are right Fat. I won't fret so."
Honey stopped outside the closed grate and opened it. "Shall we?" She waved her hand flipping toward the front walk way.
Everyone laughed at her gesture.
After everyone passed her Honey walked through the grate and closed it with an clang after her. Hub waited for his mother to catch up to them than he took hold of her right hand and held.
They all walked up the pathway. Grace and Fat and behind them Honey and Hub. They stopped at the front door and Grace opened it with her free hand to....
"What on earth is going on in this house." May demanded as stood in the hallway after she heard the laughter from outside. "People leave without the concisely of saying good bye. I won't have it I tell you I won't have it." She banged her cane on the floor to make her point.
"Mother I'm sorry for not saying good bye." Grace looked over at Honey. "Honey and I just needed some fresh air was all."
"Sorry grandmother Bailey we should've also said good bye." Fat said as he stepped toward the coat hanger to hang his coat.
"Yea sorry grandmother Bailey we'll try not to do it again." Hub said as he followed Fat to the coat hanger.
After the boys hung their coats they went and took their mother's and Aunt Grace's coats and hung them as well.
May just huffed. She swung to face Honey. "Well I'm waiting for your apolize also Honey Callahan Bailey."
Honey felt heat rush to her cheeks as she heard the uppity way May spook to her. She counted slowly to ten before she opened her mouth to speak. "I am sorry also Mrs. Bailey. You are right it was quite rude of me to leave without saying goodbye to you."
May just brought her head up tall and said "well into the parlor with the lot of you." They followed May meekly into the parlor.
After everyone was seated May began to speak in an commanding voice. "The rule in the house is that you must be considerate of everyone else feelings. You leave you say goodbye to the people in
the house. You don't just up and leave.
Hubert I am not pleased with the way you are flunking out of your grade. Keep it up and you'll flunk out of school. I won't have it I tell you I won't have it."
"Mrs. Bailey I will not have you...." Honey began hotly.
"Hush up Honey Callahan Bailey I'm coming to you next." May fixed an hard stare at Honey. "You are not raising my grandsons right. You are always to busy at the mine and at your hair
dressing. You may continue to work at the mine but you must give up this hair dressing business."
"No." Honey said softly and serious.
"Excess me what did you just say." May said.
Honey stood up straight and tall and looked down at May. "I said No Mrs. Bailey. I will not give up my hair dressing business." She sat back down after saying this and put her arms across her son's shoulders; who were sitting on both sides of her on the couch.
"How dare you content me! In front of my grandsons. I won't have it I won't." May said angrily and thumping her crane down on the floor.
"How dare you speak to our mother like this in front of us!" Hub said angrily with his fists balled up in his lap.
"How dare you speak to our mother like this no matter what." Fat jumped up in his anger and stared down at his grandmother.
"Boys why don't you come with me into the kicten and get an cold glass of water." Grace quickly stood up and walked over to where Fat was standing.
"We won't go. We need to stay here and project mom." Hub said jumping up also.
"Fellows I'll be quite all right. Your grandmother and I just need to settle this alone." Honey looked straight into May's eyes.
May nodded. "Go with your Aunt Grace boys. I will deal with you two later."
The boys looked at their mother and than followed Grace out of the parlor.
Honey and May just stared at each other waiting for the other to
speak.
**********
Once Max got up to his flat's door he pulled out his key and unlocked the door. He opened it and went in and closed the door behind him. He walked into the parlor which was just off of the
kicten. The kicten is the first room you come into once you open the flat's door.
He stood in the parlor and looked around him silently. He looked at the closed door closest to the couch in which he slept. His eyes looked at the closed door to right of his room which led to an empty space. He turned around and looked in the kicten and looked at an closed door close to the strove. Which led to another empty space.
His eyes looked from the closed door to an little corner near the wood strove. *An chair would look nicely there. Nice and snug.* Max thought.
He sighed depressed and walked to the kicten once more and left the flat.
Max walked out the back door and walked and stood with his arms on the stoop. He looked down and across to wear he kept his monocycle. *Just an toy really. I always wanted one and when I left home I brought it.* He shook his head and frowned *Perhaps that's why I never found anyone special yet. Because I am stubborn enough to still think of myself as an grown kid.* He frowned at the bike.
He turned his face toward main street and allowed his eyes to drift in the general direction of the Bailey House. *Honey.....* Max began to think.
*******
May and Honey are looking at each other waiting for the other to speak.
*I'm not backing down. Not this time not ever again. For my shake and for my children shake I must not back down.* Honey thought to herself.
May stared straight into her daughter in law's eyes. *She's not going to back down. She has back bone. Jack made an wise choice in this one. He alone out all the children had the back bone since the day he was born. Bob is just now gaining his. Grace hasn't come into her's but I do see it from time to time. Wonder when she will allow her back bone to shine through.* "Now Honey let us not fight. it is just an small matter."
Honey shook her head. "No Mrs. Bailey it is not an small matter."
Suddenly their was an knock on the door.
Both of the women look toward the front door.
******
A young male of about mid twenty's took off his hat and twitted with it nervously in his hands as he waited for the occupants of the house to answer the door.
Suddenly the door opened and there stood and young male of twelve. "Yes want do you want".
"H-hello my name is Jasper O'Neil I was wondering is the master of the house at home." The young man said.
"No the master is not at home but the mistress is. Come in." Hub said and led him inside.
"Grandmother Bailey there is someone here to see you." Hub said at the doorway of the parlor.
"Well who is it?" May asked as she got up from her chair and walked toward her grandson.
"An young man by the name Jasper O'Neil." Hub said.
May stopped suddenly at the name. "O'Neil you said?" She asked in an strange sounding voice.
Hub nodded.
May walked into the front hallway and looked at Jasper. "Get out of my house this insist you hooligan. I will not have the likes of you in my home." May said angrily and with force as she stepped behind Hub to the front door and pulled it open.
"B-b-but Mrs. Bailey..." was all poor Jasper could get out before May put her hand on his left arm and yanked him out side and slammed the door on his face.
She turned back and faced Hub, Honey, Fat and Grace's shocked looks. "I will not allow hooligan in my house you all know that." May banged her cane on the floor and stormed to the staircase and up it leaving the other's behind staring shocked at her.
After May huffed upstairs and the boys deciding to go outside and play Grace and Honey walked back into the kicten.
"What was that all about?" Grace mused as she took her place at the kicten table.
Honey shook her head. "I know you mother is an awful at times but I've never seen her do that to an total stranger before." She sat next to Grace.
*******
"What do you think that was all about Hub?" Fat asked as the boys were walking toward the garden.
Hub shook his shoulders.
"I know grandmother can be rude and blunt to people but to an total stranger that's an first." Fat mused as he tried to sort out his thoughts.
"Yea no kidding. Grandmother Bailey is just an old stick in the mud." Hub kicked an stick out of the way. "She had no call to do what she did to that poor young Jasper O'Neil."
"We need to find Mr. O'Neil and apolize to him." Fat said.
Hub stopped and turned to face his little brother. "You are right Fat. Let's go."
The boys headed back to the front grate and let themselves out.
********
Max walked back outside of the Hotel and decided once again to try to take an walk to clear his mind. He walked back toward the Bailey house but decided ahead time to turn off an few blocks from the house.
He whistled an tune that he and his brother Del made up when they were children and trying hard not to get into trouble. *It always worked in the pass. Perhaps it'll work now with the situation with Honey.* He shrugged his shoulders and frowned deep in the thought to keep his mind off the lady of his love. |
