Pink Flamingoed (28 page)

Frank and Cora had already invited Ralph, the
Washingtons, and Rodney to dinner, and they decided to add Minerva Peabody to
the list. They were delighted when she accepted their invitation. It had been a
while since Frank and Cora had to add a leaf to the dining room table. The
thought of doing so made Cora smile. While Amy went back to her house and
picked up two picnic baskets, Brad walked to the park with the children from
the orphanage. Amy joined them, and she and Brad gave each child an ample
portion of food and drink. After eating, Brad caught everyone who wanted to be
caught coming down the slide, which turned out to be all of the girls,
including Amy.

Lady Catherine and Norman joined the Armbrusters for
dinner at the parsonage, while Harry and Ethel took Rachel back to their place
in order to catch up on all of those missed visits. Harry got so carried away
that he offered to take Ethel and Rachel to Murdock’s to eat on Tuesday. While
Murdock’s was not as expensive as Martinelli’s, for once in his life Harry was
willing to put out more than two dollars on a meal, when it was his idea. He
could not wait to tell Cora what he had done. He would take great pleasure in
seeing her faint.

Until that week, it had been a long time since Minerva
Peabody had gone to visit anyone. That week she received three dinner invitations.
She ate Sunday dinner with Frank and Cora, Tuesday evening with the
Armbrusters, and was picked up by Brad on Thursday evening so that she could
sample Amy’s cooking. If the dinner  invitations  continued,  Minerva 
wondered  if Pastor Scott might  have  to  call  before  his  visits in order
to see if she was at home. After Kenny got to know Minerva, he decided that she
was cool. After all, not every woman was willing to teach him how to shoot a
paintball gun. His only concern was what punishment he would receive if he shot
it at his sisters.

+++

The phone rang. Amy rushed to get it. She answered it,
then made a note to get Caller ID.

“Hi, Mom.”

“You called me Mom. Must be one of my children. I
talked to one of them only a couple of months ago. You must be one of the other
two.”

“You called me, Mom. What do you want?”

“You haven’t called in so long that I decided to check
on you.”

“Sorry, Mom. I’ve been busy.”

“How long does it take to take a few pictures?”

“Ah, so you’ve figured out which one of the other two
I am. Good for you, Mom.”

“You still seeing that writer?”

“Yeah, he still lives next door.”

“Does that mean you’ve broken up?”

“Were we going steady, Mom?”

“Well, I thought you two were kind of close. I haven’t
gotten a wedding invitation yet, so I was kind of worried.”

“We are kind of close, Mom. And I haven’t gotten a
wedding invitation yet, either. If I do, you’ll be the last to know.”

“Very funny. You want me to call him and let him know
that you’d be receptive to the idea?”

“Watch it, Mom. I know a couple of Sicilians in your
neighborhood.”

Scott smiled as he looked at Nancy, waddling barefoot
across the living room floor. While he had seen her this way before, it had
been over five years since the last time. Since her last pregnancy, both of
them assumed that Nancy’s childbearing was over. But then neither of them
expected God to answer Scott’s prayer request in quite the manner He did. One
day, when Scott cornered his wife in the kitchen, he asked her to pose for a bikini
profile. Only his nimbleness and his wife’s shaky center of gravity kept him
from taking an elbow in the side of the head. Maybe Kenny got some of his
mischievousness from his dad.

As the time of the baby’s birth grew closer, Scott and
Nancy gathered the troops to make a decision. Because their living room
discussion had not gone well, they decided on the “kitchen table after church”
method.

“Okay, everyone, I have something to tell you that I
don’t think will come as a surprise to anyone. We have decided to name this
child. Since we don’t know whether it will be a boy or a girl, we are accepting
suggestions for the baby’s name.”

“Does the winner get a prize or something, Dad?”
Mallory asked.

“Yeah, the winner gets to hold the baby.”

“Well, I’ve been thinking,” Kenny offered, “and I
think if it’s a girl we should name it Rapunzel.”

“Good choice,” Jill said.

“So, you like it?” Kenny asked.

“Oh, my yes. It’s a lot better name that what some
people choose. Why some people have been known to name their offspring
Kensington,” Jill said.

“Or worse yet, Carrington,” Kenny countered.

“Okay, kids. Let’s be serious, here.”

We could name it Brad if it’s a boy,” Jill suggested.

“Yeah, or Amy if it’s a girl,” Mallory added.

“No kids, we’ve decided not to name this baby after
anyone we know, so as not to confuse people. So, does anyone have any other
ideas. If not, then your mom and I will go with our choices.”

“Which is?” Mallory asked.

“If it’s a boy Burlington Steven, and if it’s a girl
Nicole Tarkington.”

“First, Carrington, then, Kensington, then Binghamton, and now Burlington or Tarkington. You have a ton of names, but none of them
are any good. Have you two ever thought of buying one of those books with
babies names in it?” Kenny asked. “From what I’ve heard, they’re pretty cheap
and a big help to people like you who don’t have a clue what to name a baby.”

+++

The women of the church decided that they had better
hurry and have a baby shower. Nancy was due to have her baby soon. So, the
women thought it would be best if it was not a surprise shower, because none of
them felt qualified to deliver a baby in case Nancy got overly excited. Amy
offered to have the shower at her place and all of the women flocked to Amy’s
bearing gifts of all types. Nancy was so excited when she saw all of the gifts
that she could hardly wait until she got home. She wanted to show the rest of
the family what she had gotten.

+++

While everyone at the parsonage was excited or
terrified about a new addition to the family, Brad got a case of the nerves
because his new book would be out in about a month.

Summer had changed into fall, which meant another
season for Amy, and another opportunity to take photographs. While the coming
of spring did so much for Amy’s spirit, the colors of fall excited her almost
as much. But even with the beautiful colors of fall, some people craved
black-and-white photographs.

+++

Harry and Ethel had had a wonderful visit with Rachel,
but the thought of saying goodbye bothered all of them. As Rachel fought her emotions
as the time to leave drew near, she entertained the possibility of moving
closer to home so that she could spend more time with her aging parents. Just
in case she could not find a decent job near Hopemont, Rachel was not yet ready
to share her idea.

+++

While Harry and Ethel were fighting sadness due to the
upcoming departure of their daughter, Melanie was elated because she would be
getting a new next-door neighbor. Melanie did her best to follow Cora’s advice
and tried to remain calm and be the pursued rather than the pursuer. Melanie
struggled with when to be the helpful real estate agent and when to be the girl
next door.

+++

Chuck and Allison saw so much of each other over the
summer that it was difficult for them when Chuck started back to school. 
Although  they  managed to get together a couple of times each week, Allison
could finally realize what Amy must have gone through when Brad was busy
working on his book each day. Even though Allison had met Chuck before summer
and had less time with him then, her love for him had grown as they spent more
time together during the summer and had gotten to know each other better. While
not expecting a proposal, Allison had hoped for one over the summer. When one
did not come, she prayed that Chuck’s love for her would not diminish when they
spent less time together. Was it possible that Chuck looked at Brad as an older
brother? Did he feel that he could not propose until after Brad proposed to
Amy? What was it with these guys? Stage fright? Lack of commitment? Or
something else?

+++

Cora received an e-mail from Doris Orthmyer and
hurried to share the news with the rest of the neighborhood. Doris e-mailed
Cora to tell her that she and Ray had decided to live full time in Florida and that they would be selling their home on Aylesford Place. When Cora told
everyone the news, many of them began to pray that God would send them
wonderful new neighbors. Melanie, on the other hand, called the Orthmyers, who
agreed to let her sell their house. Melanie liked the Orthmyers, but she didn’t
feel that she knew them as well as her other neighbors, so she tried to look at
their decision to move as another commission. While Melanie liked friendships
more than money, she knew she could not continue to live on Aylesford Place
unless she sold enough houses. The houses were larger than most houses, so the
commission checks were higher.

+++

While the brick wall stayed in place in front of
Minerva’s house, the wall of separation came down.  Many of Aylesford Place’s
residents finally got a look at what was behind that huge wall. Pastor Scott
was pleased that everyone on Aylesford Place was getting to know Minerva and
that she was getting to know them. Whenever Pastor Scott thought of Minerva, he
could not help but think of how God works in mysterious ways, and how He
sometimes uses children and cookies in His work.

+++

Rumors circulated that Barney and Bertha were
contemplating marriage, but no one could confirm it. The rumor made people
wonder if there would be more than one house on the street for sale, and, if
so, whose house would be sold, Barney’s or Bertha’s? Both of them had lived in
their houses as long as anyone could remember. Could this be what had kept them
from getting married sooner? Or could it be that the marriage rumor was wishful
thinking on the part of their neighbors?

+++

The Armbruster children were on pins and needles,
jumping each time the phone rang. Their mother had gone into labor and their
dad had rushed her to the hospital. Everything had been worked out in advance.
Amy had agreed to come and stay with the children until their dad got home each
night.

When the phone rang, Jill leaped more quickly than her
siblings and picked up the receiver.

“Hello! Oh, hi, Mrs. Henderson. No, we don’t know anything
yet, but we’ll be sure to let you know when we find out.”

Jill dejectedly hung up the phone.

“How long do these things take?” she asked her brother
and sister, as if they knew more about the subject than she did.

“From  what  I’ve  heard,”  Mallory  offered, 
“usually it takes about  nine  months.  However, there are occasions when the
baby comes more quickly, or is stubborn in order to teach everyone patience.”

“Mal, put a lid on it,” Kenny ordered.

The wait was long enough that three children managed
to go through three bags of microwave popcorn, a gallon of ice cream, and had
talked Amy into fixing them some s’mores, all without Harry smelling the food
and making a visit.

Once again, the phone rang. This time Kenny beat his
sisters to the punch. “Hello! Oh, hi, Dad! Is it here yet?”

“Yes, Son, and it’s not an it.”

“Oh, and what is it, Dad?”

“Are you sure you want to know, Son?”

“I don’t know. I’m not sure, but go ahead. I’ll have
to find out sometime.”

“Well, Son, it’s a baby.”

“Dad, I figured out that much. What kind of a baby is
it?”

“It’s a little one, Son.”

“Dad, when you get old you might want someone who’ll
keep you out of a nursing home, so level with me because I might be that
someone.”

“Son, I’ve got good news and bad news.”

“You mean it’s twins?”

“No, there’s just one.”

“At least thank God for that. Well, you’d better let
me have it.”

“Son, let’s put it this way. You’re still my favorite
son.”

“Thanks, Dad. Jill, it’s for you! Bad news!”

“Hello, Dad. From what I could manage from lamebrain’s
part of the conversation, I have another sister. Right?”

“Yes, Jill. Nicole Tarkington was born a little over
an hour ago. Could you call the neighbors and let them know?”

“Sure, Dad. Do you want to give me any details?”

“Well, let’s see. Nikki’s cute, bald-headed, weighs
exactly seven pounds and she’s twenty inches long.”

“Thanks, Dad. I’ll pass the information along. Oh, by
the way, do you know when you’ll be home?”

“I’m going to stay with your mom until tonight. Then
I’ll be home to relieve Amy. Oh, and tell Amy I promised your mother that  I’d
bring all of you to see your sister tomorrow, so we won’t need her, but that we
appreciate all that she’s done.”

“I will. Goodbye, Dad.”

Jill hung up the phone and rushed to tell Mallory and
Amy about her baby sister. After the three of them jumped up and down and
hugged, Jill went back to the phone to let the rest of the neighbors know about
her new sister.

+++

Everyone on Aylesford Place wanted to see the
Armbruster baby as soon as possible. They figured that it would be easier on
mother and child if they made their first visit while both of them were still
in the hospital. So, everyone planned to go to the hospital together the next
day.

+++

All of Aylesford Place hurried to the viewing window
and secured the best position possible to see little Nikki.

“There she is,” Jill said proudly, as she spotted a
beautiful little bald-headed girl.

“Why, she looks just like Harry,” Cora said, noticing
the similarity of the lack of hair.

Everyone laughed.

“Now that you mention it, she is cute,” Harry replied.

When  the  nurse  noticed  so  many  people  with 
their noses pressed against the glass trying to see the same baby, she
commented about it to Scott.

“We have a large family.”

“A really large family,” the nurse said. “Do they live
nearby?”

“Yes, we’re thankful that all of them live very close.
They’re so close that we can practically open a window and holler for one of
them and they’ll be at the house in a minute.”

Answering the nurse’s question helped Scott to realize,
once again, how lucky his family was to have the neighbors and church
congregation that they had. Scott’s recollection of his family’s blessing was
interrupted by Cora’s question.

“Can we see Nancy now?” Cora asked.

“Yes, but only two people are allowed in the room at a
time,” Scott answered.

The children went in first, violating the two person
rule by one. Nancy smiled as her charges rushed to her bedside. When time
permitted, she would lie and reflect on what it was like each time she gave
birth. She was not sure that would happen until Nikki left for college, but
what was now hectic was also a blessing.

When the children left the room, they were replaced by
Cora and Minerva. The two women entered the room and saw an exhausted Nancy lying in the bed.

“Hi, Nancy! You’re looking good,” Cora lied.

“Well, I’m not sure about that,” Nancy replied.
“Anyway, I was just thinking about something.”