Chapter 25

The following character appears in the next several chapters:

Abigail Worth

Literary Agent, 5’-8” tall, 40 years old, 36B 25-35, 130 pounds, brown hair, gray eyes

I had been checking various dealers for another vehicle to use in Athens for transportation, but my wives weren’t sure what they wanted, and we still hadn’t purchased anything. During this period, I had done some work on my Magic studies, but none on the diaries, or the stories I was planning to write; there just hadn’t been time.

My sweet wives had also been looking at their clothes. They were upset that they couldn’t get into them. They had gained quite a bit of weight while pregnant, but had been working diligently to lose it and regain their figures. It was now two months since they had delivered our daughters, and they were discouraged that the dresses still didn’t fit.

“It took you nine months to gain that weight,” I pointed out, “It will take time to lose it.”

I was not popular for a time because of that remark. They continued to work on their figures, doing various exercises and watching what they ate. Again, they had to be careful, as they still needed to make enough milk for our daughters who required more milk now that they were older.

As the end of July approached, the decision on a vehicle became more critical. My wives finally decided on a two year old SUV with low mileage, It should require little in the way of maintenance, or repair in the next two years, which was all that they planned to keep it. We purchased it on August 1st, and I drove it up to Athens on the 2nd. On Monday the 4th, Steve, the Rolls-Royce dealer, came out at the sisters invitation to collect the Rolls Silver Wraith and return it to his showroom. On Tuesday, the 5th of August, we went to the campus to check on our transfers and registration. We were early but didn’t have any problems. We returned the following week for Orientation and to pick up our schedules and books. I also registered the vehicle on campus and received a parking pass.

My wives had been concentrating on losing weight, and could now fit into the clothes they had purchased when they first got pregnant. On Monday, the first day of classes, we all went through the portal with the children, Emer, and Fand. The house was all set up for them to stay there while we were in our classes.

Our daughters were three months old now and had been on pablum and baby food for several weeks. Their mothers left some breast milk in bottles for them. The Fairies knew how to warm it with a spell and how to prepare the baby food when the children were hungry while we were in classes. Changing the girls’ diapers now was a messy affair, and the Fairies weren’t exactly excited about it. The moms took over as soon as we returned from our classes.

My wives weren’t happy with several of their professors again, but for a different reason. It wasn’t clothes this time.

“They are so liberal it’s ridiculous,” Katie told me in disgust. “And their accents are terrible. One thinks she can speak French like a native, but she sounds nothing like any of the French that we heard and learned when we were there.”

“Yes, and they don’t even want to talk to you about Celtic (P) or Celtic (Q), let alone Gaelic of any kind,” Margie told me in exasperation.

I was having disagreement with my teachers as well, but said little about them. I found their interpretations of history somewhat slanted, and they were mainly interested in ancient Europe and Asia Minor. There appeared to be little interest in the colonial or Revolutionary periods in North America.

I could play their game, however, and advised my wives to do the same. Once we graduated, we could ignore the parts that we didn’t agree with. My wives had a hard time agreeing to that, but eventually came to see my point. That didn’t stop them from pointing out their teachers’ faults at length and in exacting detail, however.

It was fortunate that we hadn’t planted much this year, as there would have been little time available between the children and school to have done any canning or freezing. We would have to seriously consider what we were going to do next spring.

November and Thanksgiving finally arrived. We got out of classes on Friday the 21st. We asked Emer and Fand if they wished to return to the Otherworld for a time. We were going to my parents’ house for Thanksgiving, and thought the Fairies could use a break.

I opened the portal to the Otherworld on Saturday, the 22nd, and we all went for a short visit, even our daughters. Everyone was glad to see us, and amazed at our daughters. I spoke with Brian about my Magic studies. We left on Sunday evening, and I told Emer that we would be back to get them in a week.

Monday the 24th, we used the other portal to go to my parents’ house. Our daughters were six months old now and quite lively. Their mothers had decided to stop breast feeding, and gave them formula now. The girls missed Emer and Fand, as they always played with them or sang to them. Their grandmother wasn’t an adequate substitute, as they didn’t know, or recognize this strange woman, and screamed when she held them even though she did her best to amuse them.

“They don’t know you yet, Mother Kent,” Margie told Mom, as she took her daughters back. Edana and Gale were soon quiet when they recognized their mother’s familiar face. Over the next several days, they all grew more accustomed to my Mom.

My wives helped Mom in shifts, as one needed to watch the girls when they were awake. I watched them also, but at that age they just tolerated me. I was a familiar face, but I didn’t sing to them like Emer and Fand did, or play games with them all of the time. We had really come to depend on the two Fairies.

We didn’t sleep at my parents’ house this year. It was much easier to return to our own bed and use our regular shower. Plus our daughters had their familiar beds and other things here.

Thanksgiving, the 27th, turned out to be quite a day. My siblings and their families started arriving around 1:00 PM. My sisters and sisters-in-law were delighted with our daughters, and there was much laughing and giggling around them. Their children were not happy to have to share their mothers with four strangers, even if they were cute little girls. My brothers and brothers-in-law didn’t appear happy to see me at all.

“Do you still insist that the outlandish story that you told us before is true?” one of them asked.

“Yes, I do. It is the truth, whether you choose to believe it or not,” I told all of them.

“It’s the damnedest thing,” Paul commented. “We can talk to each other about it, but none of us can say anything to others about it.”

“Yes, that’s the spell I used. I told you at the time that the spell would prevent you from telling others about what we told you. Doesn’t that convince you at least a little?” I asked, hopefully. They all grumbled, but would admit nothing.

The children and babies (ours) were fed early in the kitchen again. I had two 12 packs of O’Connell’s Irish Ale on ice at our house and brought them through the portal just before dinner was to be served for the adults.

The brewers in Boston had done very well with it, and it was now available in limited quantities over a good portion of the country. My wives were receiving a nice sum each quarter from the licensing agreement. The Ale came in brown glass bottles, and I set a bottle out at each plate with a glass beside it. I set the extras out on the back porch to keep them cold.

My brothers and brothers-in-law liked the ale, but still weren’t ready to accept my story. I decided that I didn’t need to have anything more to do with guys that would drink my ale, but not believe what I said. I held my temper, however, and didn’t say anything.

We returned home for the night after things were cleaned up and the food put away. We returned to help Mom get everything straightened out on Friday. I was considering what to do with the portal, but decided to leave it intact until after Christmas, but I needed to talk to my wives about things.

On Sunday the 30th, I returned to the Otherworld to get Emer and Fand. Our daughters were very happy to see them again, and it appeared that the Fairies were glad to be back. That evening, I had a long talk with my wives.

I explained what the problem was, and how I felt about it to them. My wives listened patiently to my explanation before speaking.

“The solution is simple,” Katie told me. “You just can’t see it; you’re too close to the problem and involved in it. We can still go to your parents’ house. That isn’t the problem. They are always glad to see us. The real problem is your brothers and brothers-in-law. All we have to do is leave before they get there. We miss a few dinners, but so what?”

“We can cook something and eat here. It isn’t a problem,” Margie added. “Besides, your Mom needs the help. Your sisters and sisters-in-law don’t come over to help her with the preparations, or after the dinner to help with the cleanup the next day. These dinners are really wearing on your Mother.

“She’s lonesome, too,” Katie added. “She misses all of you. Your Dad is at work most days, and there isn’t anyone there in that big house.” I was astounded by my wives’ perceptions, and I had to admit that they had a good solution to the problem. I hadn’t thought about Mom being lonesome, but she was alone in that big house a lot with just a few friends from church who visited her. That night I was extra affectionate with my wives for their caring about Mom.

Monday, the 1st of December, we were back in classes for a few days before exams started. We were out again for Christmas break by the 16th.

We relaxed at home for a few days after getting out of classes. My daughters were awake a lot of the time now, and we had a play pen which all four of them could fit in and play. Each was unerringly able to pick out her biological twin from the others, and they would cuddle up together and go to sleep.

We returned to my parents’ home on Sunday, the 21st, after church, and my wives helped Mom with preparations for Christmas. Emer and Fand went with us to watch the children. They liked my Mother’s house.

That afternoon, I borrowed Dad’s SUV to go get a Christmas tree, and set it up in the house, but it was Monday before we decorated it. I also got a smaller tree that I took to our house to be decorated there. Mom came in to see the tree after we decorated it.

“You girls certainly are lucky to have those Fairies to watch your children. I could have used some to watch mine,” Mom said wistfully. My wives held her and kissed her cheek tenderly. Mom felt better after that. Our daughters hadn’t totally forgotten their grandmother, and with the Fairies there, they were very calm and accepted their grandmother’s attention.

The women spent much of Tuesday and part of Wednesday baking. Emer and Fand loved to watch the baking, and to sample the Christmas cookies they made. So did my daughters, who got some pieces of cookie. Of course they were at that age when everything went into their mouths first. Wednesday the women also started preparing the food for Christmas on Thursday.

On Tuesday, I had checked the house, starting upstairs. I was shocked to find that much of it needed cleaning. My mother had always kept the house very clean, but things were not like that now. I started on each room individually, and used a modified cleaning spell to do just that room. I then went downstairs and did the parlors and the dining room. No one was aware of what I had done, or so I thought.

On Wednesday night, Christmas Eve, mom was surprised when we didn’t go to midnight services.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“We aren’t singing now,” Katie told her, “and if we go, they will expect us to sing.” That got me thinking. They hadn’t sung much lately! I wondered why, and would make it a point to ask them later. Mom was disappointed, but didn’t push things. We returned home for the night, while my parents prepared for church.

That night in bed, I asked my wives why they hadn’t been singing lately. They had always loved to sing and play their harps previously.

“We’ve been too busy,” Katie told me.

“We haven’t felt like it,” Margie added.

“What’s the real reason?” I asked them. My wives wouldn’t look directly at me for a time.

“Emer and Fand are always singing to the girls and don’t give us any time to sing to them,” they told me, near tears.

“You need to take your daughters to the music room and sing for them,” I told them as I held and kissed each of them in turn.

“Yes, maybe for Christmas,” they finally agreed with a sniffle, and kissed me long and passionately.

“It was nice of you to clean your mother’s house,” Margie told me when we came up for air.

“You knew?” I asked in shock.

“Of course, we knew. We felt the spell you used, especially since you used it so many times,” Katie told me with a grin. “Thank you,” she finished, and gave me as passionate a kiss as Margie had.

Christmas morning we were up early and decorated our tree, and my wives started our turkey cooking slowly, while we went to help Mom start things cooking later that morning. When my siblings began arriving, we prepared to leave.

“Where are you going?” Mom asked in shock.

“Home, Mother Kent,” Katie told her. “Your daughters will help you now. We’re going home to celebrate Christmas.”

“But you’ll miss dinner here after all of the help you gave me,” Mom protested, still shocked.

“Yes, but Mark doesn’t want to talk to his brothers or brothers-in-law. He is upset that they don’t believe our story, and he didn’t want to come at all. We convinced him to just leave when they come,” Katie told her.

“Oh dear! I was afraid something like that might happen,” Mom told her. “Bob never interfered in the boys arguments unless it got violent, and he hasn’t said anything about this one.”

“We’ll be back tomorrow to help you clean up,” Margie told her before they kissed her, and we all returned to our house in Statesboro. I purposely locked the closet door, and closed the portal down so it couldn’t be opened by anyone, but a Senior Sorcerer, as I didn’t want any interruptions from my family.

My wives started things cooking in the kitchen, and we all went to the music room where the tree was to open presents, and for my wives to sing. As soon as they started my daughters all turned away from the Fairies and the presents to look, and listen to their Moms. They were enthralled by their voices, and sat there watching and listening the entire time their Mothers sang. They gurgled and smiled in happiness while listening and reached out for their Mothers when they finished. My wives were very pleasantly surprised, and the Fairies applauded their performance. I was sure that we would have more singing after this.

Friday, the 26th, we returned to help Mom with the remaining cleanup from Christmas. It was snowing outside, and without the portal, we would have been in trouble. We returned home late that afternoon, and we all took a break, well, except for caring for our daughters.

On Wednesday, the 31st, we went to check on Theresa. We hadn’t thought of her earlier, certainly not for Christmas. We invited her to spend New Year’s Eve with us. We spent a rather jolly evening with plenty of O’Connell’s Irish Ale. Even Emer and Fand come to the party, as the children were asleep in their beds.