The Guardians

“Hello my dear, I am so happy to spend this time with you again. Oh, DJ wanted to tell this story, but I told him that since I started the first one, it wouldn’t seem right if he told this one. So now, where to begin? Hmm, first let me say that things were so peaceful at Bill and Paula’s house. We were all so glad for those peaceful days after having Jane resurface in our lives again. Why, DJ even slept in late a few days, although he tries to say that he was just resting his eyes after I got up, but you should have heard the noise he was making while he was resting those sweet little eyes. Oh, he and Bill really outdid themselves, why not even Paula had a clue as to what they were planning. I think I have said it before, but I know how lucky I am to have DJ in my life. He is always thinking about me and about what he can do to make my life even better, which is what he did this wonderful Christmas, but I can’t get ahead of myself. Hmm, let’s see, where do I begin this story?”
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It was a wonderful fall, the leaves were all so bright in their fall colors, and the air was so cool and crisp every morning when DJ and I went out. There wasn’t anything to worry about, and DJ said that he didn’t have any feelings that something bad was coming our way. It seemed as if we were getting a little R&R, so to speak, I mean as having to be ever watchful as guardians. Now don’t misunderstand me, we were on our job, but it was different somehow; there was just something in the air that particular fall of the year, and I think everyone felt it too. DJ and Bill were always going off together. They said that boys needed time alone, but I knew they were up to something; after all, DJ was involved in it. I asked once if I could go with them, but DJ said that I was needed at the house to help Paula. Now why on earth would he say that? I mean I couldn’t change that baby’s diaper, so I had this feeling they were up to something, but Paula said I was just being silly. When we went out in the afternoon before the sunset, if I asked DJ why they were always going off somewhere, he pretended he didn’t hear me, which really upset me sometimes. After coming so close to losing DJ at the hands of Jane, it was still difficult for me not to worry; however, I tried not to worry about it, I knew in good time I would find out.
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Bill walked into his office at the college; he was worried over trying to find someone to fill Jerome Reinhart’s place for the first semester. Bill hadn’t received any news from them in over three weeks and he didn’t know if they were coming back now or if Annie, Jerome’s wife, was going to have to take more treatments. Bill got up and walked over to the window, as he looked out he couldn’t help the feeling of wonder coming over him. Truly this had to be one of the prettiest falls he had ever seen in the mountains. “What am I going to do, I can fill Annie’s place for one or even two semesters if I need to, but where do I find someone with Jerome’s qualifications?”
Bill was thinking out loud so he didn’t hear the man enter his office. “If I were you, I would look behind and see that you don’t need to fill my place anymore.”
Bill turned suddenly, “Jerome!” he almost shouted. “My God it’s so good to see you, when did y’all get back home?”
Jerome smiled, “Late yesterday afternoon. Annie is resting so I thought I would come in and see if you needed me to go to work?”
Bill almost ran around his desk as he walked toward Jerome, “Why yes, you know I need you here. Besides, Dr. Pittman doesn’t know one thing about music. And he was the one I was thinking about placing in your class until you returned.”
“Well thank God I made it back then.” Jerome was happy to be back, and he felt good about all the reports they received from the doctors before they left.
“Here,” Bill pointed toward a chair. “Let’s get caught up and then you can go to your class. Now tell me everything about Annie and how she is doing.”
They sat and talked for twenty minutes before Jerome left to go to his class. He had one class coming up in an hour and he wanted to get to his room and get things ready. Bill watched Jerome as he walked toward the music building. He knew God had blessed them, first by seeing Annie through her treatments, and also by bringing them both back home safely. According to Jerome, Annie was hoping to return to her classes after Christmas, which was going to work out just about right according to Bill’s timetable.
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Bob was washing off tables getting ready for their lunch crowd when he put his arms around Mary Ann and held on to her. “What are we going to do when the twin girls come along?”
“You’re not going to teach them how to fight, if that’s what you’re talking about,” Mary Ann said placing her hands on her hips.
Bob smiled at his wife as he reached out and took her back into his arms. “I think that will take care of itself, my dear. They’ll just pick it up as they grow up. And with your mother living here now, we have someone to watch them anytime we want.”
“Yeah, right,” Mary Ann said. “My mother told you when she agreed to move here after dad died that she wasn’t going to be our on call babysitter, and she means that, and you know she does. Besides, with two boys and then adding two girls to boot, that would be more than she could handle.”
May and Fay walked in, “Why shoot, she’s a mountain woman now, she can handle just about anything,” May said.
“Why hello you two,” Bob said. “What brings you over to this part of town?”
“This part of town, why Bob, you know you can walk around the downtown area in under an hour if you’re not being lazy.”
Fay just looked at Bob thinking to herself that he was always saying things without thinking it over first. May stepped up in front of Fay, “What my sister wanted to say was that we brought you two some baked apple fritters to enjoy. Now didn’t we, Fay?”
Fay placed her hands on her hips. “Why I guess I would know that, seeing as how I helped with the baking.”
Mary Ann walked over and inhaled deeply, “Oh my gosh they smell so good. You two ladies have to be some of the best cooks in this town.”
Bob laughed as he walked over and hugged Fay around the neck, “Thank you so much. I know how busy you two are and this was truly an act of love and kindness.”
Fay softened as she hugged Bob back. “Well, we thought that it was the good Christian thing to do.”
“Now let’s leave these two to their work, because we have to get back to ours as well,” May said smiling.
As they walked out Bob reached over and grabbed a fritter, “Boy, you know they are some really good cooks.”
Mary Ann pulled back the plate with the fritters on them, “Now just you wait until later when we get home.”
Bob reached out and pulled Mary Ann close to him, “Ok,” he said as he reached over and took another fritter off the plate. Mary Ann walked back toward the kitchen she knew her mother would be coming in later to help out. She loved working with them during the noon hour said it made her feel useful again.
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Paula was busy getting dressed so she could go into town. “I’m going to be late meeting with Bill if I don’t get moving. It takes a lot more time to get myself dressed and little Rachel Ann dressed. Who would have ever thought it took so long to get a child dressed and ready to go and meet her daddy for lunch?”
Maggie was sitting in there watching Rachel Ann while she lay in her bed, and listening to Paula. “My dear, what do you think DJ and Bill are up to?”
Paula laughed, “Maggie, I think you have to go out and try and think of something, to just stay busy. Didn’t DJ tell you that he felt nothing amiss, and hasn’t this been a beautiful fall?”
Maggie wrinkled her brow as she looked at Paula, “I’ll have you know that DJ doesn’t always tell you everything he knows...