When they reached the dinner table, Toby was standing by their chairs, everyone else had been seated. Toby pulled out Sherry’s chair, helped seat her before pulling out Susan’s chair and seating her. He then walked to his chair, pulled it out, and sat down, bowing his head after sitting. Before Jane had a chance to speak, Sherry said, “If I may, Janie,” looking at Jane as she said it, “I have something I’d like to say.” With all eyes on her, Sherry told them, “After meeting with each of you several times, and seeing the progress you’ve all made, I believe it’s time for me to return to my practice. That isn’t to say I won’t be back to speak with each of you, just that I believe all of you are in a better place than before. I plan to come back once a week, or until you three,” and she pointed to the teens, “have gone home. If you need me urgently, I’ll come back sooner; Jane knows how to contact me. Evaluating all of you together, I find you’ve developed a little family, a family deeply concerned for each other. And you, Janie,” Sherry put her right hand onto Jane’s left hand, “have shown those three your heart without losing your authority and their respect for you.” Jane turned her left hand over and intertwined her fingers with Sherry’s. “The memories you have are just that, memories. Good or bad, they happened. They can’t be changed or altered, they are now part of you. Savor the good ones, let the bad ones wash over you, and get on with your lives. Don’t let the bad memories you carry with you rule your lives, all of you have so much to give to others. Now… how about we eat, I’m hungry.”

In the history of Seasons House, Jane’s dining table had always been one of decorum and proper etiquette. Young ladies sat up straight while they ate. They didn’t shovel food into their mouths, but took small bites and waited until they swallowed what was in their mouths before taking the next bite. Polite conversation carried on while they ate, specifically about the lessons they were working on. And for the first time in Seasons House’ recorded history, decorum, and etiquette were thrown to the wind in favor of hurling balled-up napkins at Sherry. Who either deflected or deftly caught them, knowing the meaning behind them and causing her to wipe her eyes. Jane gently squeezed Sherry’s hand, before letting go and beginning the meal by serving herself and passing the dish along. Sherry sat back and watched as the interplay occurred between them. Marie caught Sherry’s eye, nodding to her, silently telling Sherry she highly approved of the work Sherry had been doing while she’d been at Seasons House. The smile on Sherry’s face vanished as she got an elbow in the ribs from Susan, who sat there looking at Sherry with a smile on her lips and holding a plate of fried chicken.

“So, Susan. How are my wards doing with the lessons you’re providing? Have there been any problems?” Jane already knew how fast the three were moving through the lessons Susan was providing, it’s why she smiled at Susan after asking the question.

Susan’s right hand, holding a spoonful of broccoli, froze between the bowl of broccoli and her plate. Putting the spoonful back into the bowl, and setting the bowl on the table between herself and Sherry, she asked Jane, “Problems? What problems could there possibly be with my lessons?” Sherry eyed the bowl of broccoli sitting on the table next to Susan, and then Susan, as Susan spoke to Jane. Knowing it would be impolite at Jane’s table to help herself to the broccoli before Susan, Sherry sat there and stared at the oblivious Susan. “Aside from the fact my overall lesson plans were blown out of the water by the speed those three,” and she pointed to the teens, “flew through each course, and I’ve missed some much-needed sleep and some… um… other things. What possible problems could there be?”

Sherry looked from Susan to the bowl of broccoli sitting on the table next to Susan. She kept this up until Susan got annoyed and asked, “What in thunder are you doing?”

Face-palming herself, Sherry replied, “I’m waiting for you to stop blathering and help yourself to that broccoli, unless of course, you don’t want any.”

Susan’s face dropped at Sherry’s explanation. “Well, why didn’t you just help yourself while I spoke to Jane? And I don’t blather. I speak.”

Sherry shook her head, telling Susan, “Because, at Janie’s table it’s impolite to help yourself to a dish until the previous person has helped themselves or declined the dish. And you do too blather.”

Susan saw the smile on Sherry’s face and realized what she was doing, and decided to go along with Sherry, she answered, “I told you I don’t blather. I communicate, converse with, speak to, but I definitely don’t blather.”

Marie, Toby, Charlotte, and Francis, had a hand clamped over their mouths, trying not to laugh at the antics of Sherry and Susan. All four watched as Jane put her hand to her head, as she looked down while shaking her head from side to side, saying, “My gawd, I have two adult children sitting at my dinner table.” Looking up and dropping her hand, Jane said, “SUSAN, please take a spoonful of broccoli and pass the bowl on to Sherry. SHERRY, please take a spoonful of broccoli and return the bowl to the middle of the table. SUSAN, please take some of the bread sitting to your left and pass the plate to Sherry. SHERRY, please take some bread and return the plate to the middle of the table. Do you two understand my instructions, or do either of you need a detailed flow diagram to help you?”

Marie cracked first with a snort. The teens followed with first a snort then outright laughter. Those four were joined first by Susan then Sherry. And Jane sat there with a stony look on her face. When the laughter died down, Jane asked, “What did I do to deserve all of this at my dinner table?”

The six started looking at each other, a silent message passed from one to the other. At an unvoiced signal, they told Jane in unison, “Because we love you, Aunt Jane.”

As they all watched, Jane picked up her napkin and wiped her eyes, catching the tears ready to slide down her cheeks. It was Sherry who said, “Janie, have you ever read Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon©? If you haven’t, you should, because that’s what you have right here at this table at the moment. He helped a bunch of regulars become so comfortable with each other, they started opening up to each other. You have a group of people around this table, of various ages, who’ve become so comfortable with each other, that they opened themselves up to everyone. And from experience, I assure you, that’s an extremely rare occurrence. Savor it Janie, let it feed you, replenish you. Bask in its nurturing power.”

Reaching toward Jane with her right hand, Sherry took Jane’s left hand and intertwined their fingers. Jane sat silent for several moments, still wiping her eyes. When she was finally able to speak, she said, “We’d better eat, our food is getting cold.” She squeezed Sherry’s hand before letting go and eating the food in front of her. When Sherry looked around the table, Jane wasn’t the only one wiping her eyes. Smiling, she took the bowl of broccoli from Susan, helped herself, and sat the bowl of broccoli in the middle of the table.

When Jane was able to speak without a catch in her voice, she asked Francis, “Francis, I understand you’re taking a math course right now. How are you doing?”

Still chewing a bite of fried chicken, she swallowed the bite, then told Jane, “I’m doing better than I thought I would, Aunt Jane. When I’ve run into trouble with a problem, Susan and Charlotte have been helpful walking me through the thought processes of solving the problem. I’ve applied the same processes with other problems and have been able to work through the math book rather quickly. When I compared the help they provided to the help my high school math teacher offered, I realized my high school math teacher didn’t provide any help. When someone asked them to explain how something was done, because they didn’t understand what had been said, our teacher used the same explanation she initially used. Between Susan and Charlotte, I received two different explanations that pointed to the process of solving the problem.” Francis chuckled before continuing. “It was like the time I had trouble with the math you gave us, Aunt Jane. I didn’t understand factoring, so I asked Charlotte for help. Instead of using the problem itself, she asked me to list every combination that added up to 45. As I listed all the combinations, it suddenly dawned on me I was factoring 45. Once I realized that, I had no further problems working the problems in the book.”

Nodding her head, Jane told Francis, “I’m happy to hear that, Francis. And of the other courses you’re taking, how have they been?”

Jane again caught Francis with a bite of food in her mouth. After swallowing, Francis answered, “I’m halfway through World History, though it isn’t my favorite subject. I learned there was more stupid stuff that happened than good. I mean, why kill thousands of people just to take over as king, emperor, or warlord? Those still alive will hate the person because of what they had done, and will want that person dead. And if that person is killed or when they die, it starts all over again. It’s just so dumb, Aunt Jane. Then there’s the slavery. People are forced to work but treated like they’re nonhumans. Why, Aunt Jane? Those people were worked to death in most cases, causing more slavers to be sought. Again, doing this only angers those in slavery and causes them to plot against the slavers. And what’s the garbage of killing people because they are different in some way? It sounds like black and red ants killing each other.”

Jane was nodding her again, partly with understanding and partly with acknowledging Francis’ complete explanation. “I have to agree with you, Francis. History, no matter its form, can be dull if a person doesn’t have a burning interest in it. I also agree with you on the stupidity of killing thousands just to become the leader. You are also correct in your assessment of the attitude of those left alive. More than one leader was killed after a plot was devised, partly because of what the person had done and partly because the person was a terrible leader. Those who killed the leader didn’t count on a worse leader taking over. It became a vicious cycle, Francis. As to the killing of those who are different? It’s a mindset and a ploy, Francis. Some simply can’t tolerate someone who is different, and they only think of one way to deal with that hate. It’s also used as a ploy to churn up others so that person can eventually rise to power. If a person can get the majority of a society on their side, they have no trouble taking over, and doing whatever they want. What good did you discover during your reading?”

Francis brightened as she said, “Mathematics, science, clarification of the universe, cures for various diseases, a better understanding of the human body, an understanding of genetics, flight, all sorts of things we take for granted today. Many of those who dared to devel into those areas were shunned, arrested, or killed, all because those condemning them were ignorant of the work those people were doing. They also believed those explorers were going against what they believed God created. I wonder if ignorance isn’t more dangerous than someone wanting to take over, it sure seems like it is.”

Sherry spoke up after hearing Francis’ last question. “Francis, ignorance is more dangerous than the most dangerous person wanting to conquer the world. Gregor Mendel is considered the father of genetics, due to his experiments with peas. However, because the church didn’t approve of his work, he was banned from further experimentation and they destroyed all of the data he’d gathered. They believed it wasn’t necessary to understand what God created, it should just be accepted. Even Christopher Columbus was ridiculed when he told the church the world was round, not flat as they believed. Even after demonstrating how a toy ship didn’t fall off a globe of the world, but moved from view around the globe. Francis, ignorance has caused numerous problems throughout history. And it still causes problems today.”

There was silence around the table, as thoughts ran through the minds of those sitting at the table. It was Marie who noticed how the three teens each started pushing their food around their places. She caught the eyes of the other three women, nodding her head toward the teens. When the other three women looked at the three teens, Marie said, “Toby, Charlotte, Francis, vous trois semblez avoir quelque chose en tête (you three seem to have something on your minds.). Pourriez-vous s'il vous plaît nous dire ce que c'est (Would you please tell us what it is?)? We’re concerned about the three of you.”

They looked at each other, each egging the other on to say what they felt. With three shoulder shrugs, they said in unison, “School.”

“My Aunt Agnus,” Francis said.

“My brother,” Toby put in.

Charlotte remained quiet until Sherry asked, “Charlotte. What is it, sweetheart?”

Charlotte looked at Toby then Jane, but continued shifting food around her plate. It was Jane who then asked, “Are you worried if you say something, you’ll hurt someone, Charlotte?”

Knowing Jane hated her girls to shrug their shoulders, she did it anyway before answering in a soft voice, “Yes, Aunt Jane.”

Pushing her chair back and standing, Jane walked around the dining table, pulled Charlotte’s chair out with Charlotte in it, kneeled before her, and pulled her into a hug. Trying to keep her own tears in check, Jane said to Charlotte, “Sweetheart, we all have learned something about ourselves since you’ve come to Seasons House, even me. You’ve helped others when they needed help. They may not have thanked you, but they were thankful for your help. You’re worried if you say something, you’ll hurt me and Toby, aren’t you?”

Charlotte began crying with her head on Jane’s shoulder. Two more sets of arms went around Charlotte as she cried, those of Toby and Francis. “Charlotte, none of your words can possibly hurt me more than I’ve already been hurt. I’m thankful for the support you’ve given me, even when I felt you shouldn’t have. So just say what you’re afraid to say.” After speaking, Toby reached up and wiped his eyes.

Sniffing her nose as her crying ceased, Charlotte told them, “Being in this whole crappy mess. I’m sorry, Aunt Jane, I don’t mean to hurt you, but I hate being here. I want this whole mess to be over with.”

Jane had to tighten the chains holding her monster back after what Charlotte said. “Sweetheart, we all want this mess to be over,” Jane told Charlotte. “And sweetheart, I’m not hurt or offended by what you said. I want my girls to be ready to leave Seasons House, and the three of you are more than ready. Unfortunately, we have a roadblock and a few decisions to make after that roadblock is removed.” Jane then looked at Francis and told her, “Francis, you may be angry with me, but while you are ready to meet with Judge Ruth again, I’ve kept you here because I think you’re as much help to Charlotte and Toby as they’ve been to you.”

As the three other women watched Francis, she was shaking her head after what Jane told her. “Aunt Jane, I’m not angry with you for not letting me leave. In fact, if you tried to send me back now, I’d break my word of honor and tell you to stuff it. I wouldn’t let you send me away right now, not until Charles and Toby can leave. We are all for one and one for all.”

There was a mixture of snorting, admiration, and a feeling Francis had stepped over the line from the other three women, due to what Francis just told Jane. Jane held Francis’ steady gaze, thinking back to the first time Frank arrived and before Charlotte arrived. Standing before her was no longer the timid young man she first saw or existed before Charlotte. Standing before her now was a very confident young man, willing to stand up for someone beside themselves. With a stern look on her face, Jane said, “You think I’d tolerate someone speaking to me like that, young lady? You think you’d have the right to speak to me in that manner, young lady?”

Jane was pushing Francis to see if she’d back down or stand her ground. Francis did something Jane wasn’t ready for, she bent down, kissed Jane on the cheek, then told her, “You may not like it, Aunt Jane, but it’s what I’d have to tell you. Plus, I’d have to tell you, I love you, Aunt Jane.” She kissed Jane on the cheek again, causing Jane’s eyes to water. As Jane was trying to collect herself, Francis and Toby put their arms around her and held her, causing her watery eyes to release the moisture they’d been holding. Charlotte was no longer crying, but also holding Jane.

The four stayed like that for some time, basking in the love they had for each other. Finally, Jane said, “We’d better finish our meal, girls, Toby. You three still have kitchen duties to deal with, plus we have an appointment at the salon for the three of you.”

Jane’s announcement of the salon appointment wasn’t well received. But it wasn’t because of Sandy or her treatment of the girls, it was the girls’ concern for Toby. “But is it safe for Toby to go there, Aunt Jane?” Francis asked.

“Aren’t people still trying to find him?” Charlotte asked.

Trying to put the girls at ease, Jane told them, “Let’s all return to our seats and I will explain.” The three teens released Jane and the three returned to their seats at the table. “Now,” Jane began, after she was back in her seat. “We are going today because Carolyn told me today is always slow. She only has three clients scheduled and will be finished with them by the time we arrive.”

So concerned with Toby’s safety, Francis butted in with, “But will Toby be safe, Aunt Jane? What if Sandy says something to someone about you being with two girls and a boy instead of three girls?”

Jane and Marie looked at each other, the smiles large on their faces. It was Marie who told Francis, “Francis, votre inquiétude pour Toby est admirable et n'est pas déplacée (Francis, your concern for Toby is admirable and not misplaced.). Sandy has been made quite aware by Carolyn and others, who can deal with her should she say anything, how urgent it is to ignore the boy with Jane. We don’t know what the others said to her, but we are told Sandy may be quite subdued today. So let’s finish our meal and get you three to the salon.”

It was Francis who voiced Charlotte’s thoughts. “I hope she’s more subdued today. After what she said to me the last time we were there, I’d just as soon not go unless Carolyn was doing my hair.”

With an almost animalistic look in her eyes, Jane told Francis, “Francis, you won’t have that problem ever again with Sandy. Carolyn and I made it crystal clear she stepped over the line, and the consequences should it happen again. However, if we don’t finish our meal, and the kitchen work isn’t completed to Marie’s satisfaction, we will never arrive at the salon to discover how subdued Sandy is today. Will we?”

The three teens knew the current expression on Jane’s face meant business, and wasn’t to be questioned. So they gave Jane the only answer they knew she’d accept, and in unison said, “No, Aunt Jane,” and resumed eating their meals. The three teens never saw the smirks and smiles on the four women’s faces, as they too resumed eating their meals.

When the last bit of cherry pie had disappeared from everyone’s plate, the three teens asked and were granted permission to leave the table. They wasted no time clearing the table and getting on with the kitchen work. While Jane, Sherry, and Susan, were still sitting around the dining room table, the three teens came out of the kitchen and Francis and Charlotte proceeded to head to their bedrooms without being told. Toby, on the other hand, had started walking to the living room, before Jane spoke to the three. “Girls, where are you going?”

Answering for Charlotte, Francis said, “We’re going to get ready to leave for the salon, Aunt Jane.”

A slight smile appeared on Jane’s face before she replied, “Very well, continue.” Getting up from the table, Jane turned to Toby and told him, “Toby, please come with me. I have an idea to adapt your appearance somewhat.” With Toby following her, she went upstairs. At the top of the stairs, Jane turned to her left and walked to the second door on her right. Opening the door, a second set of stairs could be seen. Jane climbed the four initial steps to a small landing, turned to her right, and continued climbing those stairs. Reaching the top step, Jane opened another door that closed off the attic from the stairs. After entering the attic, Toby closed the door behind him before following Jane to a series of storage trunks sitting toward the front of the house. “Now, I want to change your appearance by having you wear different clothing, and an accessory or two. I want you not to be quite dapper, though having a more casual look other than tee shirts and jeans. I think nice dress pants and a sports shirt would do. Also, a pair of used-looking dress shoes, a coordinating belt, and a pair of color-coordinating socks. We’ll recomb your hair to form another style, and I think a pair of clear-lensed glasses should give your face a different appearance. But first, we have to locate everything we need. So, let’s start by opening these chests,” and Jane waved a hand from the chest to her right down the line of the three other chests to her left. “If you’ll start at that end, Toby, I’ll start here and we’ll meet in the middle.”

After walking to his left, and stopping in front of the last chest, upon opening it, Toby found it filled with dress pants of all colors, textures, and types, all enclosed in plastic bags. He moved to his right and opened the next chest, a chest he found to contain dress shirts of all colors, styles, and fabrics, those too enclosed in plastic bags. Stepping toward where Jane was now standing, after opening her two chests, Toby saw that chest contained a vast array of male shoes, neatly arranged by style, color, and size. Glancing at the first chest, Toby could see socks, belts, and other accessories. “Well,” Jane started her question, “did you see any pants or shirts that caught your eye? We don’t want any outlandish combinations, the idea is to make you blend in. And of course, they need to be in your size, but I don’t think that will be a problem.”

They walked to the first chest Toby opened, which contained the dress pants, and upon closer inspection, Toby discovered there were three sizes of each color and style. Sorting through the pants, Toby found a pair of cloud-colored twill pants, a neutral light gray color, in a 28x30-inch size. Carefully removing them from the plastic bag, he held them up at his waist to gauge the length on him. “What do you think, Aunt Jane? These seem long enough, stopping at the tops of my shoes. And with the color, almost any color shirt would coordinate with them.”

Jane had Toby turn to face her so she could gauge the length herself. “I believe you are correct, Toby, both about the length and the ability to combine them with several different colored shirts.”

Carefully draping the pants across the mouth of the pants chest, he then stepped to the chest holding a vast array of colored shirts. He dismissed outright the highly patterned shirts or the brightly colored shirts and settled on a light-brown cotton shirt in a medium size. After carefully removing it from the plastic bag, Aunt Jane took the shirt from him, had him turn his back to her, and held the shirt up against Toby’s back from shoulder to shoulder. “This shirt appears to be a good fit on you, Toby,” Aunt Jane told him. “However, we won’t know if it fits you well until you try it on. So now is a good time for you to undress to your underwear and put on this shirt and the pants you’ve chosen.”

Jane had been mindful of the color of pants Toby chose, and as Toby was getting undressed, looked in the trunk with belts and other accessories, and found a brown patterned belt she felt would look good on Toby. She then stepped to the trunk holding underwear and socks, and eyeing the color of the shirt Toby chose, found a coordinating pair of socks in a light brown. Jane laid the belt across the trunk filled with shirts, and the socks on top of the belt, then turned her attention to shoes. “Toby, what size shoe do you wear?” Jane asked, eyeing a tan pair of shoes in the shoe trunk.

Toby turned to face Jane at her question. “I wear a 7 or 7 ½, Aunt Jane. It all depends on the shoe. I take a 7 in some shoes and a 7 ½ in other shoes, Aunt Jane.” After putting the belt on, Toby sat down and put on the socks Aunt Jane had chosen. “Does everything look alright so far, Aunt Jane?” Toby asked, facing Jane in his stocking feet.

Looking up from the shoes she’d been picking through, Jane used a critical eye to evaluate Toby’s overall look. She had him turn around to make sure the pants and shirt fit his backside equally well. Satisfied with what she saw, she had him turn back around and returned her attention to the shoe trunk. Finally finding a size 7 tan pair of shoes, she handed the shoes to Toby for him to try on. Sitting down on the edge of the shirt trunk, Toby first put the left shoe on then the right, tying the laces before testing the fit by walking around the attic. “How do they fit, Toby?” Jane asked. “Is there room for your toes as you walk?”

Jane saw Toby think about her questions as he walked. “My toes aren’t bunched up at the toes of these shoes and they don’t feel loose as I walk. I think these shoes will do fine, Aunt Jane,” he told her as he walked up and stood before Jane.

Handing Toby a pair of horn-rimmed glasses in a light brown, Jane told him, “I want you to try these glasses on. They have clear glass in the frames, so you won’t have any problems seeing while wearing them. I think a pair of glasses with help change the look of your face, maybe enough so you aren’t recognized by anyone looking for you.”

When he put on the pair of glasses Jane gave him, the temples were too long, causing the glasses to slide down his nose. Taking those glasses off Toby’s face, Jane found a second pair of the same color and handed those to Toby. When Toby put on that pair of glasses they stayed up on the bridge of his nose, but were a bit loose behind his ears. Taking the glasses off, Toby bend the end of the temples down a bit before putting them back on. “I believe these will fit, Aunt Jane. Do they look alright?”

Jane backed away from Toby so she could see him from a distance. After appraising him from the front, Jane had Toby turn first to the left and then to the right, gauging his profiles. “I believe wearing those glasses gives your face an entirely different look. From a distance, I believe it will be hard for any of your pursuers to recognize you. We are done with your clothes, let’s go sort out your hair.” As they walked to the attic steps, Jane put her arm around Toby’s shoulders and told him, “If I was several years younger, Toby, I’d be pursuing you.”

Toby put his arm around Jane’s waist and told her, “Aunt Jane, if you were several years younger, I’d be pursuing you.”

Laughing as they reached the attic door, Toby opened the door and allowed Jane to descend first. Closing the attic door after taking a step down the stairs, Toby followed Jane to the second floor of the house. Jane was waiting for Toby when he reached the second floor and closed the door to the attic behind him. They walked together to Toby’s bedroom, where Toby again opened the door and allowed Jane to enter first. Jane had Toby sit in the vanity chair, before opening one of the vanity drawers and taking out a brush and comb. Once she was satisfied with the work she’d done, she spritzed a bit of spray on his hair, using that to help hold his hair in the style she just formed. “Alright, young man, stand, and let’s have a final look at you before we go,” Aunt Jane said, as she backed away from the vanity, giving Toby room to stand. After standing, Jane again appraised Toby from the front, sides, and back. Satisfied with the views, she told him, “One day, Toby Camber, you are going to be inundated with young ladies throwing themselves at you. Just make sure to choose the one meant for you. Come on, our appointment is gaining near, and I don’t want our young ladies waiting any longer than has been necessary.”

After leaving Toby’s bedroom, Jane told him about Sandy. “Sandy will likely be trimming your hair. She’s had a rough time a few years ago and still harbors ill will toward men and boys. I allow her to keep my girls on edge by how she treats them but don’t allow her to cross the line. She is likely going to question why you are with me and the girls, possibly questioning why you’re not one of my girls. Our story is that you’re staying with me while your parents are dealing with a family emergency. If she asks about the nature of the emergency, you don’t know, your parents didn’t explain things to you. I give you free rein to verbally, and if necessary physically, handle Sandy. I might suggest subtly delving into her past abuse, causing her to shift her focus off you and onto herself. We’ve seen how you’ve helped Charlotte and Francis, and I believe you can do the same with her. If you must defend yourself physically, please don’t break anything, Carolyn needs Sandy as much as Sandy needs Carolyn.