Chapter 47

“Sandy, Madeline, would you like to say grace?” asked Macy. Everyone had gathered around the table, which was still abutted to the windows in the main cabin, the twins sat in their usual spot facing the windows, John and Macy sat with their backs toward the new cabin, Yi, Andi, and Paul sat with their backs to the wood-burning stove.

“Ok,” started Sandy, “hold hands,” she instructed the table. She and Madeline joined hands and held their free hands out to Andi and Macy. Soon everyone joined hands, but the twins paused.

“What do you say?” prompted Macy.

Slowly, the twins recited their line, “Will the circle be unbroken?”

Nobody said anything until John realized what they were implying (assisted with a nudge from Macy) and he half rose and reached out across the table to Paul. They joined hands, and the circle was unbroken. Satisfied, the twins closed their eyes, lowered their heads, and said the grace that their Aunt Macy, Professor of Theology, taught them:

Rub-a-dub-dub Thanks for the grub Yaaaaay GOD!

The twins threw their hands in the air with that last line, then started clapping as the adults started chuckling. “What kind of grace is that?” asked a startled Andi.

“Yeah, I never really went to church, but that doesn’t sound quite...” Yi looked a bit confused, then said “religious.”

“That’s a perfect grace,” said John, “you’re giving thanks for the food, and giving the glory to God, and you’re doing it cheerfully. And most importantly, you’re not wasting time by repeating fancy words that aggrandize the speaker rather than the lord.”

“It is a camp grace,” said Macy, leaning across the table to pat Andi’s hand. “The children say it at bible camp, which we hold here, back in the woods.”

“Speaking of grub, where is it?” asked Yi. “The smell is driving me crazy!”

As John and Paul rose to feed their hungry family, Andi leaned over and patted Yi’s hand. “You should have seen me weeks ago; the girls and I hadn’t had anything to eat...”

“Cheesy Puffs!” yelled Madeline. “We had Cheesy Puffs!”

“I looooove Cheesy Puffs,” said Sandy as she hugged herself.

“I know. Someone found my stash of Cheesy Puffs on the yacht on day one,” Yi said, while glaring at the twins. Then she softened. “Let mommy finish her story.”

“Sorry,” the guilty-looking twins said in tiny voices.

“ ... I’m starving, lost, wet, cold, terrified. It was pitch black in here. Paul was in the barn, and the smells hit me! There were fresh pine boughs and dried herbs hanging from the rafters. The smell of the wood, but the stew! And the fresh bread! It was too much for a woman to bear!”

“I believe it,” sighed Yi, “I know I wouldn’t have lasted as long as you did.” Yi leaned over and said softly “I would have said ‘feed me or fuck me, I don’t care which one you start with.’”

Andi was about to say that those were her sentiments exactly when Paul called out from behind her, “No secrets at the supper table,” and he placed the Dutch oven on the table and removed the lid. The smell of the bubbling savory stew filled the cabin even more than it had before, and the twins shouted “STOOOOO!” John returned from the kitchen with two loaves of bread and set them on the table, and as Paul started filling bowls, John sliced the bread and handed it out.

“Didn’t you guys make something for dinner?” Yi asked the twins.

“Oh, yeah!” cried Sandy as she slid off her chair.

“I almost forget!” exclaimed Madeline, and she raced her sister into the kitchen.

Being the only persons who did not know what the twins had made, Paul and Andi were completely confused. Finally. Sandy appeared with a plate covered with a tea towel and she held it up to her mother with both hands. Andi reached for the tea towel and as she lifted it, both twins grinned and nodded their heads. She lifted the towel, and both twins shouted, “Ta DAAAA!”

“We made you butter, mommy!”

Andi looked at a small white square, slightly larger than a pat of butter you’d get at a truck stop, sandwiched between a piece of cardstock and a piece of wax paper. “That’s wonderful honey. Will that be enough for everyone?” Andi said with a mother’s diplomacy.

“Oh no,” said Madeline, “That’s for Uncle John for spoiling our surprise.” Sandy stuck her tongue out at John, and Madeline continued, “This one is for everyone else,” and she held up her tea towel covered plate. Andi removed the towel (with Ta DAAAAA accompaniment) and there was their butterboy, made from their oversized gingerbread boy cookie cutter.

“Oh my goodness, he’s enormous!” Andi was truly startled at the size of the butterboy.

“Taste him mommy! Taste him!” The twins were practically hopping up and down with excitement.

With her butter knife, Andi took a sample of the butterboy’s foot and tasted it. Her eyes opened in amazement. “This is so good! It’s the best butter I’ve ever had!” She pulled her girls in for a hug. “It’s going to taste so good on the bread you made!”

“Miss Yi helped too, mommy,” added Sandy.

Madeline agreed with a firm nod of the head, “She taught us to shake!” Both girls started hopping up and down chanting, “Shake, shake, shake! Shake your butter!”

“Ok, dat’s enough nonsense, back in your chairs, youse guys, ya hear?” said Paul in his Guys ‘n Dolls tough guy accent as he swooped the tiny laughing girls up and plunked them down in their chairs.

“Yes, daddy,” said both girls. Their voices sounded remorseful, but their playful grins showed they were anything but remorseful. Paul grinned and ruffled their hair, making them giggle even more before he sat down between Andi and Yi.

Andi laughed at the interplay between Paul and her girls ... no ... they’re his girls now, too. They’ve been his girls for nearly a month. She suddenly felt a great swelling in her heart, and without warning, she burst into tears. She covered her mouth with a paper towel, leaped up from the table and ran into the kitchen. Yi sprung up and followed Andi into the kitchen while the twins suddenly grew horribly concerned. Paul was sitting in his chair, his face a mask of shock. “What did I do?”

Macy, who was looking at Andi when she burst into tears, leaned over to John and whispered in his ear. He thought for a moment, then leaned over and whispered into her ear. She nodded, pushed away from the table, and walked back into the kitchen.

Yi found Andi had locked herself in the water closet and was trying to get Andi to open the door. Andi just kept saying, “I’m alright, I’m ok.”

Finally, Macy arrived and tapped on the door and said softly, “Chère belle-sœur, please come out and talk to me.”

“I’ll be fine,” came the faint reply.

“Chère belle-sœur, I know those were not tears of pain. Come out and share your joy.”

“No, it’s silly.”

Macy sighed and stood up. She turned to Yi and said, “Regarde moi, (Watch me) you may need to know this, especially with les deux bambins.” (The two children) Macy reached up to the molding above the water closet door and located a long slim nail that was placed up there. She took the nail and inserted it in a small hole in the center of the doorknob and pushed until a pop was heard when the door unlocked. She opened the door and crouched down. Andi was sitting on the toilet, looking completely embarrassed, a sopping wet paper towel in her hand.

“Chère belle-sœur,” Macy began softly, “tell me why the tears?”