“We’ll see you all in the worship center,” David addressed the group of adults. “Would you please excuse us?” At Alan’s nod, David led Maggie to return their mugs and then out into the halls of the church. “Come on, Magpie. I know just the place to go.” He led her to a closet near the Sunday School classrooms and, seeing no observers, led her inside and closed the door. There was enough room for the two of them to stand with a little space, not that they needed or wanted any. She looked around and saw perhaps two dozen goodly-sized hand puppets on the shelves.
“Puppets?” she asked.
“Yeah, I used to be part of the Puppet Ministry back in high school.” David gently clasped her head in his hands and brought his mouth to hers. Keeping his tongue in his mouth, he stroked her lips with his until she stopped quivering and relaxed enough to enjoy him. “I love you, Mags. While I’m doing my laundry this afternoon, would you please help me come up with a schedule of weekends back here with you? I’ve gotten so spoiled having you in my bed every night. Those narrow twin beds at school are going to suck so badly.”
“Yes, Davey, my love. Your time management leaves a bit to be desired. Maybe helping you with a schedule will help me with my nerves.”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed your tension. I’m coming home as often as I can, to you and for you. I know we’re going to miss the hell out of each other. Phone calls, Zoom calls, and texting won’t really be enough, but it will have to do.”
Conscious they were at church, they limited their actions to gentle kissing and nose rubbing. Maggie adored the gentle, affectionate touches that David shared with her. They were inside the closet for a good ten minutes before the bell rang to dismiss Sunday School.
“That’s our cue to skiddoo, Magpie. Let me go first, okay?”
David cautiously opened the door to see Alan and Rose leaning against the opposite wall of the hallway, arms crossed, and looking amused. He tugged on Maggie’s hand and she stumbled slightly as she spied her mother. David closed the closet door as Rose and Alan headed to the worship space with Maggie between them. Sheepishly, David followed a few paces behind. He had thought his special place was a secret, but no longer. Worship that morning seemed interminable for both Maggie and David.
After a lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup made creamy with some milk, Rose confirmed David’s plan to depart after lunch on Monday.
“Yes, momma,” and tiny tears sprang unbidden to her eyes at his words, “that will give me the morning to finalize the packing and loading of my stuff. Why do you ask?”
“Well,” and she looked over at Alan who was watching with interest, “I just thought you needed to be sure there was space in your Jeep for Maggie to ride shotgun with you.” Maggie’s eyes grew wide with delight at the prospect.
“Say what? How would she get back here? I know she’s not working. That’s pretty clever of Mr. Johnson to be closed on Mondays so as to avoid the four federal holidays designated for Mondays.”
“True, but I also have the day off. As you say, it’s a federal holiday. And I believe your father is not working as well.” Alan gave a little start as he had not truly realized that he was getting a holiday so soon after starting. ‘Why had Gil not said anything?’ he wondered. Rose continued, “I thought we’d caravan and help you get your stuff into your room then go out and have a nice meal together before coming back and bringing Magpie with us.”
Maggie gave a small squeal of joy and squeezed his hand tightly at the prospect of some unexpected time together. David smiled fatuously at his girlfriend and replied, “I will be certain there is space for her. Come on, Magpie, help me get the laundry going?” They took their dirty dishes to the kitchen on their way to the basement laundry area. Once out of parental view, Maggie grabbed him.
“Oh, Davey! We get a few more hours together! Aren’t you excited?”
Rubbing noses with her, David grinned and responded, “Any time I can spend with you is exciting to me, Magpie. Let’s get the laundry going first, please.”
With the clothes washing, he quickly retrieved the calendar from the kitchen and they perused the coming months. David’s spring semester would have a one-week break from March 15-19, and he had planned to use some of that time to visit Tom and Julie and re-tour the State University campus. He could not yet know what the coursework requirements would be, so they would have to be somewhat flexible. But he made little stars on six of the Fridays between then and the second week of May when his final exams would be held.
“Let’s start with that as a plan and we’ll see what the coursework and weather dictates, okay, Magpie?”
Maggie’s eyes were starting to brim with her tears as the reality of his departure and subsequent absence from her day-to-day life loomed. Then she pounded, not entirely gently, on his left shoulder. “See what a girl you’ve turned me into, David?! This is why I never had a boyfriend while in school!” And she snatched the calendar from his hands and practically flew up the stairs, sobbing quietly. David was nonplussed at her actions. ‘WTF?’ he thought. He did not know whether to chase after her or give her some space.
Rose and Alan were reclining together in the media room, not watching anything but just relaxing together. They heard Maggie scamper up the stairs to the bedrooms. Because the media room was right below her bedroom, they heard the door slam and could faintly hear her crying.
“Oh, God, what is it now?” Rose wondered aloud. Alan could only shake his head, ruefully, in response. “Let me go see what’s wrong,” Rose commented, and she slowly mounted the stairs after her youngest. Rose stopped in the bathroom to dampen a washcloth before she rapped on Maggie’s bedroom door. Not hearing a rejection, she opened the door to find Maggie face-down on a pillow and crying softly. Rose stepped into the room and gently closed the door.
“Oh, sweetie, what’s the matter?” she asked the sobbing girl.
“David’s leaving tomorrow! I’m all mixed up. I don’t want him to go! I’ve been so happy with him beside me.” Her words devolved into a series of sobs and mumbles.
Rose sat beside Maggie on the bed and gently stroked the girl’s hair and just let her purge of the emotions which were overwhelming her. “Oh, my daughter, my daughter. You still have so much more to learn. He will come back here, for you. I suspect it will be much more often than he did this past fall. He loves you so much he cannot see straight at times. I know. I’ve been watching him. But he’s so good for you, dear heart. Just as you are so good for him.”
Maggie raised her head from the pillow and reached for the washcloth. Wiping the tears from her face, Maggie rolled to face Rose, and then sat up. Rose pulled her in closely and rocked Maggie. “We haven’t made time to do this since Thanksgiving, have we? That’s my fault, Mags. Well, mine and Alan’s. Do you want to talk about not being able to see straight? That’s what Alan does to me. I’ve got to find a better balance. I may need your help in doing that.”