Special Treasures

Trixie closed her eyes and counted to ten. Her temper was about to overflow and she didn’t want to start yelling again. That seemed to be all she had done the past week. Every time she turned around, the children were getting into mischief, especially the kind that could cause injury.

“Trixie, I‘ve got this,” Jim said entering the kitchen. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye. “Sweetheart, I know you are stressed and I know why. You need a break. Go take a walk and I’ll take care of things here.”

“Do you mind?” Trixie asked hopefully, feeling as if her head was going to explode from the constant yelling and noise.

“Go ahead,” Jim said. “I’ll take care of breakfast for the six of them and get them started on their chores.”

Trixie stretched up and gave Jim a kiss. “I love you so much.”

“I love you,” Jim said, handing her the cell phone. “Take this with you in case you need something.”

“Thank you, Jim.”  She kissed him again.

“You’re welcome.”

Grabbing her lightweight jacket, Trixie left the house through the kitchen and made her way toward one of the trails that led to the preserve. It was a beautiful spring day and it seemed as if everywhere around her life was beginning again. The buds on the trees seemed to have blossomed overnight, creating a canopy over the preserve. Baby birds were heard squawking from their nests, beginning for their mothers to bring them more food. There was also the occasional fawn roaming past the trail with its mother. New life seemed to be all around her.

As she walked, she couldn’t understand why her temper had been so short over the past week. It was not as if the children were doing anything different, but all their activities and behavior just seemed to push her buttons. Katje, Alexander and Curtis were constantly running around the house and yelling at the top of their lungs, even after being reminded that was not acceptable. Hans and Betje tried to help, but the three of them just went on as they pleased.

But to add to the aggravation, Trixie hadn’t been sleeping well. It seemed that as soon as she put her head on the pillow and closed her eyes, she was awake. She tried as much as she could to try and fall asleep again, but it was useless.

She knew Jim had seen that she was having trouble sleeping and tried to help out as much as he could. He had even made it a point to come home from the school early to help her with the children. She appreciated the gesture, but for some reason, it did not ease the stress she was under.

Walking through the preserve, she tried to find a way to relax, but in her mind she still heard the yelling from the children. She continued on hoping being out in the fresh spring air would help her to calm down.

Somehow, suddenly she was exiting the woods near Crabapple Farm. She stopped at the tree line and looked at the house where she had grown up. It looked exactly the same and she was somehow drawn to it. She knew no one was there since her father had started working Saturday morning hours.

Trixie went inside using her key and stood in the kitchen. She gazed around the room and just took in everything. She visualized her mother standing at the stove making pies or preparing the vegetables for canning. In her mind, she could see Helen wearing her trademark apron as she worked on creating her famous hamburgers.

It seemed awkward that she wasn’t standing there. Trixie slowly made her way into the living room and looked around that room as well. The house seemed so quiet and lonely.

Trixie continued through the rooms on the first floor and second floor, memories of her mother replaying themselves in her head.

Without intending it, Trixie found herself up in the attic, settling on the floor and  going through a trunk that had belonged to her mother. In the trunk held some mementos that Helen had collected over the years. Inside were the first pair of shoes for each of her children. There was also the christening outfit that they had all worn as well as the outfits they had worn home from the hospital.

There were old photos too, including pictures of her mother with her sister, Alicia, as well as her parents, the Johnson’s. The black and white photos, as well as the clothing showed a different time. They all looked so happy.

She looked at all of the items as she pulled them out of the trunk and set them aside. She reached the bottom and ran her hand across the wood sides. She came into contact of something and a perplexed look appeared on her face. She grabbed hold and pulled out a brown photo album. As she set the photo album down, she wondered what it was doing in the trunk and not in the living room with the other albums.

Opening it to the first page, she gasped in shock at what was presented on the pages. Four separate photos, showing her mother holding each of her children in a hospital bed. It looked as if these were their first pictures.

The babies in the photo were not what held her gaze. It was the picture of her mother. Helen looked so beautiful and Trixie felt so lost and alone. She ran her hand along the photo where her mother’s hair was and wished she could feel it for real.

Tears coursed down her cheeks as silent sobs shook her body.

Moving a few more pages into the album, she saw happiness on all their faces.

Why, Moms? She thought. Why you? Why did this have to happen? I miss you so much. I feel as if I am making a mess of everything. I keep yelling at the children and have absolutely no clue as to what I am doing. How am I supposed to do this? I need you so much. How am I supposed to make sure my children grow up without you here to show me how to make sure they are healthy and happy? What am I to do?

The tears continued and Trixie set the album down. She buried her face in her hands and wondered if she was truly capable of being a mother like her own.

“Wake up, sweetie. You need to wake up.”

She slowly buried her head deeper and hoped that she would be able to get some more sleep. She was so tired and just wanted to return to her dreams.

“Trixie, sweetheart, you need to wake up.”

The voice sounded familiar and she knew there would be no more rest until whoever was talking to her left. Lifting her head, her eyes went wide at the sight of the person in front of her.

“Moms?”

Helen smiled her trademark smile at her only daughter. “Hello, sweetheart.”

“Moms, what are you doing here?”

“I’m here because you need me.”

“What?”

“Sweetie, you need me and here I am.”

“Am I…?”

“No, Trixie, you’re not.”

“But you are?”

“Nothing has changed,” Helen said, reaching over and caressing her daughter’s cheek. “I know you are confused, but I am here because you need me.”

“This seems so weird.”

“Sweetheart, you have to know you are doing fine with your children. I know you feel you should be just like me, but you are you. You just need to do go with how you feel. Your children are adorable and I know you will do everything to help them achieve their dreams.”

“I miss you so much,” Trixie said, just gazing at her mother.

“I know, sweetie, but I am always with you. I am a part of your heart and you should know that I will always be there. I will always watch out for you.”

“I love you, Moms.”

“I love you too.” Helen reached over and enveloped Trixie in her arms. Trixie felt the chaos that had been her life for the past week vanish as she was embraced by her mother.

“Trixie? Trixie, you need to wake up.”

She moved her head, burying it deeper into her arms.

“Trixie, you need to wake up.”

The voice was familiar. She finally lifted her head to see her husband crouched down on the floor beside her.

“Jim?”

“Are you all right?”

She could see the concern in his eyes. She took a moment to take in her surroundings and realized she was in the attic of Crabapple Farm.

“Trixie?”

She looked at Jim. “What time is it?”

“Almost six.”

“I can’t believe it is so late,” Trixie said, sitting up. “The kids are probably starving.”

“The kids are fine. They are up at the Manor House with their cousins.”

Trixie looked at Jim and saw the concern in his eyes. “I’m sorry I had you worried.”

“How are you doing now?”

“I’m okay,” Trixie said. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a bear this week. It’s just been hard…”

“You don’t have to explain,” Jim said. “I know what’s been going on.”

“You do?” Trixie asked, surprised.

“I do and I wish you would have said something.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right. You don’t need to apologize.”

Trixie reached over and hugged her husband. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

When they broke apart, Jim said, “It looks like you found some interesting things.”

“I did,” Trixie said. Hearing the noise coming from the first floor, Trixie knew she had something that would mean a lot to everyone. “Help me put these things back in the trunk and we’ll take this album downstairs. I think if I am having a tough week, the others are too and I think this will help all of us.”

“All right,” Jim said.

Once everything was put away, Trixie picked up the album and made her way downstairs with her husband. Reaching the first floor, they saw all three of Trixie’s brothers were sitting in the living room with their father. Brian and Mart’s wives, Honey and Di, were sitting beside their husbands and Dan was sitting in the recliner.

“Trixie, I didn’t know you were here,” Peter said, getting to his feet and holding his daughter close.

“I let myself in, Dad,” Trixie said. “I just needed some...”

“I understand, sweetie,” he said and kissed her forehead. “I think we all need that.”

“What do you have there?” Honey asked.

Trixie lifted the album. “I found this and I think it will help us all get through this weekend.”

Trixie moved over to the coffee table and sat down on the couch. Peter moved beside her as Brian, Mart and Bobby settled closer to the table. The other Bob-Whites quickly found places and then the album was opened.

Going through the album was hard to do. It was a glimpse of a time when they had been so very happy, but for each of them the memories were different for each. 

Bobby reflected on how unfair life was, to take his mother away when he still needed her, while Trixie’s heart ached at the thought of never seeing her beloved Moms again in life. Mart and Brian shared their disbelief, and the shock of how quickly life can change. They were all trying to move on with their lives, but some days were easier than others.

The pictures in the album showed each of the four Belden children growing up through the years at Crabapple Farm. There were pictures of Brian taking his first steps, Mart taking his first bite of adult food, Trixie peeking her head out from under the blankets of her crib and then Bobby chasing after their Irish setter, Reddy.

While most of the photos in the album were the four of them, there were also shots of Peter and Helen. Most of the photographs appeared to have been taken by Helen since Peter was in them with the kids. A few caught Peter and Helen together when it seemed as if no one noticed. The pictures showed them sharing a quick kiss in the kitchen when Peter returned from the bank, or when the children were supposed to be upstairs sleeping and they were finally enjoying a moment of peace and quiet.

The later pictures in the album seemed to have branched out from the Belden family. When the three older ones were teenagers and their neighbors, the Wheelers, had moved into the Manor House up on the hill, the pictures seemed to show them even more with their friends. The pictures included all of them, Trixie, Brian, Mart, Honey Wheeler, Jim Frayne, Dan Mangan and Di Lynch, enjoying the activities they had planned from the antique show to the fundraising bicycle ride through the preserve. The seven of them had grown to be close friends and it seemed as if that was one bond that would never, ever break.

Flipping through the pictures showed more of them being together, as close as ever. It also highlighted why the death of Moms really shook all of them. The four non-Beldens had all come to love her as if she was their own mother, and she treated them like her own children. And now that she was gone, they all felt as if they had lost their own mothers.

Jim and Dan had a better understanding of what it was like to lose a parent, since they had been orphaned when they were younger. But the loss was still painful since Moms seemed to always give them as much love as they needed, whenever it was needed.

And now, they were all gathered to look back through the years and reminisce about the times they had spent with Moms and the fun they had had. They each had their own wishes and dreams, but they all seemed to be agreeing on one thing, and that was the missing of Moms.

Peter pulled out the album that sat on the bookcase in the living room. It was a white album and they knew it was the wedding album. He set it on the coffee table where they were all seated and the pages were slowly turned. The first page had a picture of Helen and Peter standing together at the altar, grinning to the world. Beneath the picture listed the date of the wedding and the church. The pictures that followed included those of the wedding party standing at the front of the church with the bride and groom and then the happy couple’s parents. Captions underneath the pictures listed who everyone was and what was happening.

There were pictures of the reception, as well as the bouquet toss. Then there was the first dance. Peter and Helen seemed to be constantly gazing into one another’s eyes as they moved to the music, not paying attention to those who were around them.

“Your mother was so happy that day,” Peter said. “We danced all night long. There were many of the guests who didn’t seem to be able to keep up with us. But we were happy and thrilled to be starting out our lives together.”

The last page was turned and they saw five envelopes sitting there, each with a name written on them in Helen’s familiar scrawl. The Belden children looked at Peter who also looked confused.

“Dad, do you know what these are?” Brian asked, picking up the envelope with his name on it.

“I have no clue,” Peter said retrieving the envelope with his name. Peter opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper. He read the contents and they could see tears filling his eyes.

“Dad?” Mart asked.

Peter swallowed. “This is the first letter I wrote your Mom when we were dating.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe she has kept this for so many years.”

“Then these must be things from us,” Bobby said.

“Well, there’s only one way to find out,” Mart said.

Brian opened his envelope first. He pulled out the folded piece of paper and opened it. His eyes went wide at what was inside.

“What is it?” Honey asked, touching her husband’s arm.

“I can’t believe it,” Brian said. “This is the paper I did when I decided I wanted to be a doctor.” He turned the paper around and it showed a picture of a doctor checking on a little kid. It had been colored with precision, not a streak outside the lines. “I was only seven years old.”

“Wow,” Honey said.

“What do you have, Mart?” his wife, Di asked.

Mart opened the envelope and also pulled out a folded piece of paper. He unfurled the paper and gasped. Inside was a pressed flower.

“Oh my,” Mart said touching the flower. “I was in third grade when we all planted flowers in school and tried to see how they would grow. My seeds grew really well and bloomed daisies. This was the last one. Moms must have taken it and put it aside.”

“Well,” Bobby said pulling out his paper. He opened it and there was a picture of him playing little league baseball that had been in the Sleepyside newspaper. The picture captured him sliding into home to score the winning run which had sent the team onto the regional championships. “That was definitely a day I won’t forget. We had so much fun and were so excited we were going onto the championships. I remember Moms was there in the bleachers cheering me on as I headed for home. I can still hear her yelling for me to run.”

“That was definitely a great game,” Peter admitted.

“What about you, Trix? What’s in your envelope?” Jim asked.

With trembling hands, Trixie opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper. She wasn’t sure what the paper held, but she remembered the paper from when she was in elementary school, practicing her spelling and writing sentences. Having heard the special moments her brothers and father had shared made her tingle inside, sure that whatever was in this envelope would hold just as much pride as the others.

Trixie opened the envelope and silently read the words written on the paper.

Who I want to be when I grow up

When I grow up, I want to be like Moms. She is the coolest Moms in the world. She makes the bestest hamburgers in the world and I won’t eat them anywhere else. She takes care of Daddy, Brian, Mart, me and Bobby since he’s the littlest.  Moms is always there to give us hugs when we do good and helps us when we are struggling on other stuff. She patches my knees when I cut them up climbing trees even though I’m not supposed to and always has a special snack at home for us when we get home from school each day and helps us with our schoolwork when we don’t understand. But Moms just doesn’t do those things. She also does a lot of cooking. She has her own garden which has a lot of tomatoes and other vegetables that we like to eat. With those things, we can have them all year long since she cans them. There may be times when Moms scolds me for doing something wrong, but it’s not because she doesn’t love me, but because she wants me to learn right from wrong. I want to be like Moms because she is kind and caring and shares that with others. And I love her and want to be just like her.

by Trixie

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she lowered the paper and closed her eyes. She couldn’t believe Moms had kept that paper. She had written it in the third grade as part of a writing assignment. She had been honest back then about Moms and couldn’t believe the paper was still around. She felt the paper get taken out of her hands. She turned to bury her head in her husband’s chest and sobbed at the loss they were all feeling. She knew she had been angry at Moms many times in her life, over insignificant matters, but she never pictured a life without her mother. She still was unsure as to how she would cope.

Moms loved all of us so much and I will forever remember her and the lessons she has taught me over the years, she thought. I want to instill those same values that she gave to me into our children so that they will be as happy as all of us are.

As the sobs subsided, Trixie leaned back from Jim and wiped her tearstained cheeks. He kissed her forehead and softly said, “Moms definitely kept some special treasures.”

“She sure did,” Peter said quietly. “And I think these treasures need to stay put. Your mother kept them here for a reason and I think this is where they need to be.”

“Dad’s right,” Brian said. “Mom kept these for us and I think all of this stuff needs to stay together.”

“You know, I think we can add some more treasures to this as well,” Mart said. “When we have those special things of the kids, we can do the same thing as Moms did and put them all in this album.”

“I think your mother would love it,” Peter said.

Brian, Mart, Bobby and Trixie slid the papers back into the envelopes and handed them to Peter. He put his on top and put them all back in the wedding album before closing it. As he picked the album up, another envelope fell to the floor.

“Dad, you dropped something,” Di said picking the envelope up.

“What’s that one say?” Brian asked, noticing the writing on it.

“It says ‘Family’,” Di replied.

“That one wasn’t with the others, was it?” Peter asked.

“No,” Mart said.

Di handed the envelope to Peter as he set the album back down on the table. He looked at the writing on it for a moment before opening it. He pulled out several pieces of paper that were a variety of sizes. He set the first one down. It was an invitation to the high school graduation party for Jim. The next was a birthday card that had been received from Honey. There was a thank you card from Di for allowing her to spend the weekend at Crabapple Farm. And the last item was a thank you letter from Dan for their kind words in allowing him a second chance in Sleepyside.

Peter looked at the eight faces staring back at him. “Your mother was right. These are family.” His gaze locked with his son-in-law, Jim, then with his daughter-in-law, Honey and Di, and finally on Dan, who he considered another son. “She thought highly of all of you and I think she was right in putting these items here with the rest of them because you all are family.”

“I definitely agree,” Honey said, wiping her eyes.

“Me too,” Di said.

“Absolutely,” Jim said, squeezing his wife’s shoulder.

Dan nodded, unable to form words.

“Dad, is there someplace we can keep these albums instead of shutting them away in a box somewhere where we won’t see them for a long time?” Trixie asked.

“How about we leave them in the bookcase?” Peter suggested. “That way, whenever you want to look at the photos or to see the items Helen put away, you will have easy access to them.”

“I think that’s the best,” Brian said and everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

As the others got to their feet, Trixie felt a sense of comfort wash over her. She had a feeling that even though Moms was gone, she was still there with them. She had taught them what they needed to learn and that they would fall back on the lessons when the time came.

And Moms had just taught her another lesson. It wasn’t the big things that showed how much you loved someone, but the little things. The simple ‘I love you’ or the hug as you passed by were outward signs, but the thought of saving something from your child that really touched our heart also said a lot.

Trixie knew they all were special treasures Moms had held dear to her. And that was something she was always going to remember.

The End.

Author’s Notes: My esteemed appreciation goes to Ronda for the edit. I really do appreciate all your hard work and catching all my typos. You definitely rock.

I also thank Vivian for hosting my web site and designing the pages for this story. You truly are a gem.

This is submitted for my 7^th anniversary as a Jix author. As I reflect on my time as an author, I realized how much I loved being a part of this community. This place feels like home. Everyone associated with Jix is marvelous and so welcoming. Taking the first step to be an author was a challenge, but it was well worth it in the end with all the encouraging words and support whenever it is needed, no matter what. It has been an honor to share my stories alongside so many other fabulous writers that give me inspiration to keep putting pen to paper. Just a comment or thought can usually start the idea of a whole new story.

To Cathy, I wouldn’t be an author if it wasn’t for you. You welcomed me into the fold and gave the encouragement to share my stories and started Jix where I could share them. This gift that you gave not only me, but all the authors and readers, it truly a gem. Sometimes thank you doesn’t seem to be enough to show the appreciation that I truly feel. You are a gem and I am proud to call you my friend.

I am honored and privileged to be among some of the best writers out there who also share their love of this series. Jix is definitely home and I love being a part of it..

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