Chapter 12

The next morning the young adults went their separate ways. Dan and Mart needed to be at the school at ten o’clock in the morning for graduation rehearsal. Trixie headed out to help her mom with party preparations and Hallie joined her. Cap and Knut volunteered to help exercise the horses and patrol the game preserve. Jim went along with them.

Brian was going to do some last minute errands in town and then meet Aunt Alicia at the train station. Honey volunteered to go along and keep him company.

Diana made an excuse about having to go home and help with her twin siblings. She really needed to put the finishing touches on her graduation gift for Mart.

Trixie worked extra hard all morning. She wanted to get most of the work done before Aunt Alicia came. Mostly it was because she wanted her mom to be able to enjoy some time with her sister, but Trixie also wanted to be out of sight so she wouldn’t be forced to sit and do knitting or something equally as nightmarish.

Moms was preparing a cold dinner for tonight. Graduation was at seven o’clock but people had to be at the school at various times. This would allow everyone to eat at their convenience. After the ceremony, Dan and Mart were attending the all-night post-graduation party that would be held at the recreation center.

Trixie was hoping to get away for a couple of hours in the afternoon, as well. She needed some time to think. For as long as she could remember, she had been looking forward to being a senior in high school. There was being the oldest class in the school and all the excitement of your final year, but for her it would also be the first time she didn’t have an older brother looking over her shoulder.

Somehow, today that kind of scared her. Looking back on the past few years, as well as the events of yesterday, she realized that her brothers didn’t do the things they did to drive her crazy, they did it because they cared. Sometimes their delivery was a little questionable, but they really cared about her. She also realized how much she depended on and needed that support. What was going to happen now that her almost twin wouldn’t be right there every day to egg her on or encourage her? She was really scared.

By the time lunch was ready, everything was set for the next day’s party. All the food was ready and put in the refrigerator, waiting to be heated up the next day. Mr. Maypenny would be bringing hunter’s stew and there would also be hot beef sandwiches plus all of the typical picnic fixings.

Mart and Dan were going to meet up with Tad Webster and Lester Mundy for lunch in town. Brian wasn’t expected back with Aunt Alicia until after two. Moms had told everyone that was home they would have to fend for themselves. Hallie was comfortable in Moms’ kitchen but Cap and Knut weren’t. Hallie, however, had not totally forgiven her brothers for their behavior the day before and was not quick to offer help or suggestions.

“I’m going for something quick and easy,” said Trixie. “I’m going to make a Crabapple Special.” She reached into the cupboard and pulled out the peanut butter jar then grabbed a jar of homemade crabapple jelly from the very full refrigerator.

With a twinkle in her eye, Trixie began to give Cap and Knut a lesson in making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

“The first thing you have to do,” she said, imitating Julia Child, “is pick out your bread. I like Moms’ homemade wheat bread sliced extra thick. Others like thin sliced bread. If Brian were here, he would cut the ends off of the bread and use that. No one in our family prefers store-bought, white air bread but I have heard of someone at school insisting that is the best bread. I think that person is a few bricks short of a load.”

Trixie took out the bread knife and deftly sliced her two pieces of bread. She then handed the knife to Hallie, who did the same thing. While Cap and Knut were used to using knives in the outdoors, they looked at the bread knife as if it were a poisonous snake. Gingerly, Cap took the knife and began to cut, or actually saw, his slices of bread. By the time he was done there were more breadcrumbs than there were slices of bread.

“Here,” Knut said, “give me that knife. I’ll show you how to do it.”

Knut grabbed what remained of the loaf of bread in his left hand, the knife in his right. He squeezed the bread so hard that the loaf collapsed under his hand. Instead of sawing the knife back and forth he hacked at it, making things even worse.

Hallie and Trixie somehow managed to keep from bursting out laughing.

“Well,” Trixie said, in a pre-school teacher voice, “that was pretty good. With practice, I’m sure you will improve.”

She took out several butter knives from the drawer and handed each of the guys one.

“Now this is the most difficult part of making a Crabapple Special,” she said. “First, you have to set your bread out properly. You want to make sure that the slices are positioned correctly. If you don’t, the sandwich doesn’t go together right.” Trixie placed the bread so that the back of the first piece she sliced and the front of the second piece were face up and side by side. She made a big production about lining up the slices just so.

Cap and Knut just rolled their eyes.

“You got that right?” Trixie continued. “Now it’s time to spread the peanut butter. It’s important to spread it on the right piece of bread and not the left.”

“And why is that?” Cap said.

“Because if you don’t, it’s just all wrong. Those are the rules,” she replied. “You need to make sure you have the perfect amount of peanut butter on your knife. If you don’t have enough it just doesn’t taste right, but if you have too much the peanut butter seeps out the sides and you have a huge mess.”

Trixie demonstrated how to spread the peanut butter onto the bread, making sure that it was even across the piece of bread.

“Now we need to put the jelly on the bread. Jelly can be really tricky because it’s kind of slippery even though it’s sticky. It doesn’t like to stay on the knife and for some reason it never just falls onto the plate it always ends up on the floor,” Trixie said. “It’s also important that you spread the jelly on the other piece of bread and not on top of the peanut butter. If the peanut butter and jelly touch before you put the sandwich together that’s not good.”

“What’s the big deal if they touch too soon?” Cap asked.

Thoroughly enjoying giving the lesson, Trixie said in a conspiratorial whisper. “I don’t know. I’ve never done it and I’ve never wanted to find out.”

She demonstrated how to carefully scoop the jelly out of the jar and onto the proper piece of bread. She ran the knife over the jelly several times to break up the chunks of jelly.

“Now here’s the most important part,” Trixie said.

“Now wait a minute,” Knut interrupted, a twinkle in his eye. “I thought the bread slicing was the most important, then it was the bread placement and didn’t you say the peanut butter placement was the most important? Make up your mind.”

“It’s all the most important,” Trixie said. She continued her lesson by melding the two pieces of bread together. “I prefer to put the jelly piece on top of the peanut butter because the peanut butter is heavier but Mart does just the opposite.”

Carefully, Trixie lined both pieces of bread up so there was no overlap. Knut and Cap tried to follow suit but because they mangled their bread so bad the slices didn’t match up. They looked down on the counter-top and saw there were splotches of peanut butter and jelly that had soaked through the holes in their bread.

Trixie shook her head in disgust, but tried to keep a straight face and offer positive reinforcement. “That’s okay. You can’t expect to make a perfect Crabapple Special the first time. Although I must admit it’s a good thing Mart isn’t here. He would probably say you are a disgrace to the Belden name.

“Okay, now for the final most important step,” Trixie said. “You need to cut the sandwich. This really is up to personal preference. I like to cut my diagonally. Mart likes his in four squares like they cut club sandwiches in fancy restaurants. Brian doesn’t bother to cut his and Bobby still cuts the crusts off it he can get away with it.”

Cap and Knut looked down at their mess. There was no way one could pick it up without ending up with peanut butter and jelly all over themselves.

“I’m going to cut it the sophisticated way,” Cap said. He reached into the silverware drawer and pulled out another knife as well as a fork. “Of course in order to do that, I need to have a sophisticated drink. Does anyone else want a glass of very white wine?” He then reached into the cupboard and pulled out a glass. He walked over to the refrigerator to pour himself a glass of milk. The production continued as he set his plate, glass and silverware on the kitchen table and found a napkin.

He shook out the napkin with a flourish as he sat down in his chair. Before tasting his sandwich he took a sip of his milk. First he sniffed the liquid. “Oh, the bouquet is just perfect,” he said, imitating a wine aficionado tasting a rare wine. He then took a small sip of the wine and rolled it around in his mouth so that all of his taste buds could experience it. He placed the glass down on the table and with a sniff he began to cut his sandwich as if it were a piece of filet mignon steak.

Affecting a British accent he said, “My, my, this has to be the best Crabapple Special I’ve ever had.”

Trixie, Hallie and Knut laughed at his antics as they joined him at the table. Trixie pulled out a fruit salad and some raw vegetables to add to the lunch.

After the four Beldens cleaned up the kitchen, they checked one last time to make sure everything was done for the party. Assured that all of the needed work was done, Knut and Cap decided to run over to Lytell’s store and pick up some strawberry pop. Knut’s girlfriend, Gloria, loved anything strawberry and the brand Mr. Lytell carried was only available in New York State.

Hallie had taken up knitting over the winter and needed help on finishing off the hat she had started. She was going to take advantage of Aunt Alicia’s expertise and seek out her help.

Trixie decided to take advantage of the time and headed out to the apple orchard to think. She didn’t race out the door but headed out at a slow pace. She walked by the chicken coop and thought about all of the times she complained about having to take care of those birds. She walked into the orchard and past the fresh mound of dirt where Reddy was buried. She allowed herself a few minutes to mourn his passing and then shook her head to clear her mind. When she was deep in the orchard, away from curious eyes, she sat down to think.

Her emotions were all jumbled up. She was happy that she would be a senior. She was sad that she would be a senior. She worried if the seven Bob-Whites would remain great friends or if with college they would grow apart. She worried about her relationships with her brothers. She was so confused.

Now that Diana, Honey and she would be the only ones attending Sleepyside High School would the club stay together? She was realistic enough to know that they wouldn’t be able to do the service projects like they used to but she hoped their friendships remained intact.

She also knew that those friendships would grow and change. She just hoped they wouldn’t change so much that they would grow apart.

On the other hand, it would be nice to be able to do things without having big brothers looking over her shoulder. She could make a mistake and not worry about Mart never letting her live it down.

Some days she wished time would just stand still so she could catch up with where her mind was. Then she’d get excited about the year to come. The one thing she wasn’t really worried about was academics. In the last year she had gained confidence in herself and was actually looking forward to physics and pre-calculus.

The other thing she wasn’t too worried about was her relationship with Jim. Oh, she knew they both would have to try hard to make it work and to allow it to grow as they both experienced different things. Something within her also knew that she would be growing old with him.

She continued to think and ponder until she heard her mother calling her name.

“Trixie,” Moms yelled. “Are you out here? It’s almost four o’clock. If you want to shower before the ceremonies, you’d better do it now. I’m going to need some help setting out dinner.”

Trixie stood up and brushed herself off and headed toward Moms.

Moms put her arm around her daughter.

“Everything okay?” Moms asked as they walked arm-in-arm back to the house.

“It will be,” Trixie said. “I’m just having a little trouble getting used to being a senior soon.” She stopped and looked directly into her mother’s eyes. “I’m going to miss Mart’s teasing and prodding. Don’t tell him this but despite all of my complaints he pushes me to be better.”

“Trixie, it’s all part of growing up. You’ll be fine. You, Honey and Diana will have a fantastic senior year.”

They were back to the house by now. “I know it will be,” agreed Trixie. “I just had a little bit of nerves.”

The mother and daughter exchanged one last hug. “You’d better go and get changed. There are several people who need showers and we need to eat, too.”

“Jim’s going to pick me up,” Trixie said as she headed upstairs. “That way you won’t be so cramped in the van. We’re all planning on sitting together in the bleachers.”

When Jim picked up Trixie, she was freshly showered and wearing a cotton sundress that showed off the beginnings of a summer tan. Jim could not believe how every time he saw her she just got more beautiful. After greeting her with a kiss he escorted her to his Mustang, opened her door, and made sure she was safely inside.

He pulled out onto Glen Road and began to drive into town. To his surprise, Trixie didn’t say anything. Her mind seemed to be miles away.

“Penny for your thoughts?” he asked gently touching her arm.

“Huh?” Trixie asked as she shook her head, trying to clear it.

“I was just wondering what had you so deep in thought,” Jim replied.

Instead of turning in her seat to face Jim, Trixie stared out the front of the car not really focusing on anything. It was a few more minutes before she answered. “I’m just thinking about next year. My emotions are so jumbled. It will be great to be seniors. There’ll be our last homecoming celebration, college applications, as well as work. Honey, Di and I’ve been talking about this for the last year. Suddenly today it hit me. There won’t be any of you guys here. I know for four years I’ve talked about looking forward to being on my own but now when it’s here I guess I’m a little scared.”

Jim didn’t immediately reply but carefully chose his words. “Trixie, you’ll do fine. You don’t need us to tell you what to do. Look how well the three of you tackled algebra and chemistry this year. Even when you had questions for me it was usually to check that you were right not, because you didn’t understand what was going on.”

He reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it to reassure her. “Besides,” he continued. “All of us will only be a phone call away. The next year will fly by faster than you think.”

He pulled his car into the parking lot at the school and parked it next to the Belden van, which had pulled in ahead of him. Jim walked around and opened the door for Trixie. He gave her a reassuring hug before they walked with the rest of her family into the football stadium.

Trixie’s parents were going to sit in the reserved section, along with Aunt Alicia and Uncle Andrew. The young adults would be sitting in the bleachers.

Mart and Dan gave rousing speeches about learning from their years in high school and going after your dreams. The biggest excitement was that both Dan and Mart received full four-year scholarships. When their names were read, a chorus of bob-white whistles was heard from the bleachers as their friends stood and stomped their feet.

After the ceremony, they all met in the parking lot before departing for home. The girls hugged Dan and Mart as they offered their congratulations. Jim and Brian soon found themselves pulled into a group hug.

“Okay, everyone,” Moms said. “I want a group picture of the Bob-Whites with Dan and Mart in their caps and gowns.”

As the group started to assemble, Hallie started to walk over to Uncle Andrew.

“Hallie,” Trixie yelled. “Get over here. You’re part of the group. Come on, Cap and Knut, get in here, too.”

After a few protests the group was finally assembled and the pictures were taken.

They bid good-bye to Dan and Mart, who would heading to the recreation center for the Graduation Lock-in, and then headed back up Glen Road to their homes.

When Trixie climbed into Jim’s car she let out a relieved sigh.

“What’s that all about?” he asked.

She looked at him and grinned. “I’m a senior now. It’s going to be fun ruling the roost.”


 


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Author's Notes

Wow, I can’t believe it’s been a year since I became a Jix Author. I would be remiss if I didn’t thank a few people. First of all to my faithful readers, thank you for taking the time to read and comment on my stories. You will never know how much the mean to me, especially when the muses have decided to desert me.
- Cathy P. thank you for founding Jix and starting it all. This place has become a second home to me.
- To the current owners of Jix, you continue to amaze me at what you do to make this place an even more fun spot to visit.
- Thanks to Diana B., Beverly, and Bonnie H. for their tireless job keeping me in commas and editing. Your encouragement and editing have made me grow so much as an author.
- Thanks to Mal as always for posting and creating the graphics for me. She has been tireless in getting things just right. I ask for some vague graphics and it’s like she can read my mind. She catches little things like wrong years and puts up with me sending my stories late.
- As for what happens next. I will tell you there will be two stories that cover the summer. I can’t tell you when I’ll start posting but it won’t be too long, I hope.
- Word Count: 3,166

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