Continuing story: Part 3 Ginger wasn't sure if she heard a knock at the door just now. But then again, she had been deep in her closet for the last hour or so now, where the jammed-in clothes in the all-too cramped space had created a sort of muffling effect--drowning out any noise that might have come from outside their bedroom. She stuck her head out to listen for it again, and just as she decided that it must have been her imagination, there it was again. "I'm coming!" she called out from the room as she made her way down the stairs. Though she could only make out a grayish silhouette through the thin curtains at the door, something about the posture of whoever it was looked awfully familiar, and the sudden, instinctive knotting of her stomach told her it could only be one person. Her mother. "Virginia? It's me, dear..." She paused at the top of the stairs, briefly considering pretending she wasn't home, but deciding that wouldn't be worth the trouble. Besides, her mother had probably already heard her voice, and there would be no talking her way out of that one. As she came to the door, she made sure to smile first. She prayed that the smile looked genuine enough for her mother not to comment on it. Of course, even if her mother didn't notice, she would most surely remark on something else. It was as certain as the sun rising every morning. "Hi, Mother," she said, careful to throw in just the right amount of sweetness in her voice. Too much or too little would have no doubt thrown her off. "What are you doing here? I-I mean, I'm so glad you stopped by..." Mrs. Szabo smiled and, to Ginger's surprise, squeezed her chin with her hand. "I just wanted to see how my daughter was doing," she chirped, kissing a stunned Ginger on the cheek as she came inside. "Why, a mother doesn't need a reason to stop by, does she?" "No, of course not..." Ginger wasn't quite sure what to make of her mother's rare show of affection, but she had to admit that it was nice. Maybe, she thought, that after two years of being a married woman, she had finally earned her mother's respect. She smiled to herself at the thought. "Did I interrupt you in something?" Mrs. Szabo was now looking about the house, inspecting it, no doubt. Ginger knew she was trying to be discreet about it, but her mother could never quite fool her. "Well, I... No, not really. I was just... packing, that's all." "Packing?" Mrs. Szabo whirled around and grabbed onto Ginger's wrists, taking her by surprise. "I knew it!!" "Wha-" "I knew it!! I told your father you'd think it was a good idea, but he didn't believe me!" Now Ginger was really confused. "W-what was a good idea, Mother?" "Oh now you're just playing with me," Mrs. Szabo giggled. "It's all right, you don't have to pretend anymore. You found me out, didn't you? You knew I was going to come over here to suggest it--wait a minute! Your father told you, didn't he?" "Mother, I don't know what-" "I swear, I don't know what I will do with that man! Well, he's already spilled the beans, and now you know, but I'm so glad you agree!" Ginger blinked in bewilderment. "Mother," she said cautiously, "I really don't understand what's going on..." Mrs. Szabo paused and knotted her brow. "Well, you are coming to stay with us while Jeff is away, aren't you?" she said. "That is why you're packing, isn't it?" Oh dear... "That's really sweet of you and dad to offer, but..." "... Ginger's coming to stay with us?" Linda unwrapped her scarf from her neck as she watched her mother go into the living room. She followed her there, and rushed to help her when she saw her picking up the toys that were haphazardly scattered all around the floor. "Oh Mother, let me get that, you shouldn't have to be exerting yourself like that." "Nonsense," Anne said with a casual wave of her hand. "I may not walk as fast as I used to, Linda, but I am perfectly capable of cleaning up after my son." Linda straightened, suddenly aware that she may have offended her mother. She should have known better. It had been over a year since polio had struck her, and it seemed she had gotten even more feisty and independent since then. "I'm sorry, I just meant-" "No, I'm sorry," Anne said. "I knew what you meant, honey, and I do appreciate it." She squeezed Linda's arm and smiled, then looked around the room. "I just wanted to get the house in order before Ginger got here, that's all. I suppose I shouldn't be too stubborn to accept some help--especially when it's being offered to me." "She's coming tonight?" Anne nodded without looking back at Linda. "Mmm hmm..." "When did you guys decide this? Seems a little sudden?" "Well, she was here this morning to pick up Michael's old buggy, and we got to talking. It seemed like a great idea, so I suggested it." "Oh." "Oh?" Anne paused and turned her head. "Oh yes? Oh no?" Linda didn't think she had injected any sort of meaning into the word, but apparently her mother managed to find some anyway. "I thought you'd be happy to hear she'd be staying with us while your brother was away. For months now you've been complaining that you hardly get to see her anymore since she and Jeff moved out..." "I am happy about it..." Even she was surprised by how unconvincing the words sounded. After all, she couldn't think of a single reason why she would be less than thrilled to have her best friend so close by again. "I guess I'm just... a little surprised, that's all." "Surprised?" "Well, I just thought that if Ginger would be staying with anyone, it would be with her parents. And you know how Mrs. Szabo is--I can just imagine how upset she'll be when she finds out her daughter chose to come live with her in-laws rather than with them..." "Of course I'm not upset!" Right, Ginger thought, as she watched her mother walk back and forth from Ginger's closet and carefully and methodically fold her clothes into her suitcase. And I'm Judy Garland... "It's none of my business where my daughter stays while her husband is away." The words may have been delivered with an air of nonchalance, but Ginger knew better. Her mother was obviously trying to cover up her feelings on the matter, but as far as Ginger was concerned, she was failing miserably. "Mother, can't we please talk about this?" "Talk about what, dear? There's nothing to discuss..." She put her hands on her hips as she stared into Ginger's closet. "You do realize, Virginia, that you won't be able to wear half these clothes in a few more weeks? When did you say you were going to have your fitting with Gina?" Ginger sighed. "In three weeks... Mother, you keep changing the subject." Mrs. Szabo turned around to look at her. "We are packing your suitcase, Virginia--I thought that was the subject at hand." This wasn't going well at all, Ginger thought. She took a deep breath and approached her mother. "Please don't be angry with me-" "I'm not angry-" "It's just that... I thought you and Dad have been enjoying your time alone since Jeff and I have been married. A-and, this is only temporary, really--just until Jeff gets back." "You don't have to justify it to me," she said, now rummaging through Ginger's dresser. "It's just that I was thinking about how it's a full house over there, and there's plenty of room at our house, but as I said, it's none of my business." "Mother it's more than that--I'm going to be helping Anne by moving in..." "Helping her?" "Well, yes... You know she and Al work during the day, and they've been having Mrs. Senniff watch Mikey while they're at work. Poor Mrs. Senniff is getting a little old to be keeping up with a toddler, and with me there, at least they won't have to worry about that." Her mother blinked once, then returned to the packing. "Oh, I see," she said. "Yes, of course, that makes sense that you take care of him..." "... But mom, you could have asked me to take care of Mikey. I would have been more than happy to-" "Oh, honey, I couldn't ask you to do that! With you working late at the paper every night, how can I ask you to take care of him on your off-hours too?" Anne took Linda's hand and smiled at her. "It's kind of you to offer, Linda, and I do appreciate it. But I know how hard you work, and it wouldn't be fair of me to add to that. Besides, Ginger was more than happy to help out, and with the baby on the way, I'm sure she wanted to get some more hands-on experience with children." Linda gave her a weak smile and absently played with the tassels on her scarf. "You're right," she said at last. This was good news, after all--what could be better than seeing her best friend again on a regular basis, especially after she had yearned for their late night talks for the last few months. "I'm glad she's coming to stay with us..." "... I'm glad you're staying over there." Mrs. Szabo snapped Ginger's suitcase shut and pushed down hard on it for good measure. "Really, I am, Virginia." Ginger wasn't exactly buying it, but she didn't want to argue endlessly with her mother about this either. "You're sure, Mother? Because I don't want you to be angry-" "I'm sure." For a moment, she just looked at Ginger, a rare speechless moment for her. Ginger could have sworn she saw a hint of sadness in her mother's eyes, triggering a pang of guilt in her. She saw her mother open her mouth to say something, then close it back again. She reached up to brush back a lock of Ginger's hair from her eyes. "Well," she said, clearing her throat awkwardly, "you're all packed now. Ready to go?" "Yes..." Mrs. Szabo nodded, without looking at Ginger at first, then she raised her eyes once again. Ginger thought she saw her open her mouth slightly as if getting ready to say something, but a few more moments passed and her mother remained silent. Finally, she said, "Virginia..." "Yes, Mother?" She shook her head, as if embarrassed to have said anything at all, then got up and picked the suitcase up off the bed. "I'll walk you over to the Kahns," she said. Ginger smiled and mother and daughter walked to the Kahn house in silence. |Previous| Next Home| Kyle| Tammy| History| Transcripts| Quotes| Milestones| Episodes| Pictures| Fanfic| Links| Email List