The Three of Us

193. A Rough Road

Walter was four, and knew that holding up four fingers showed his age. Anne seemed happy enough with this, though she felt that she ought to work more with him on numbers and letters. Now that he was four, he didn't have long before he could go to school, and she didn't want him not to know anything when he began. This time, though, she resolved to teach him with patience and understanding.

Walter was growing up in another way, too. When summer was over and fall began, he wouldn't be in the church nursery anymore. Now that he was four, he was old enough for Sunday School. Clara was already in the young children's class, so Walter was excited to go. He'd missed her when she moved up. He hadn't really understood why his best friend had left the nursery and he was still in it. Anne tried to explain that Clara was nine months older than he was, but Walter hadn't understood months or the number nine and her explanation fell on deaf ears. No matter, now they would be together again.

Anne dressed him especially nice for his first Sunday in class, shined his shoes, and made sure that his hair looked perfect. She would always dislike his hair, but she considered it her duty to keep him presentable looking.

But as she made sure those light little waves were neat, she noticed with dismay that his once light blonde hair was now becoming a honey blonde, and she expected that when summer was over it would probably look light brown. She sighed, remembering that Jane had mentioned to her once that she and Prissy and Billy had all started out as fair blondes and had darkened to a honey-blonde, light brown over time. Walter was to be the same. Despite how attached Anne was to her son, the mere fact that he was like a tiny litte Billy Andrews would always stand in the way of her considering him cute. But she had to admit that objectively- according to anyone else- he was attractive.

As they rode to church, Anne told him to listen to his teacher and to remember that it wasn't like the nursery where they just played all the time, this was a class and they would do real things in it.

"But I wanna go to your class, mama," he said, wiggling away from Anne when she tried to straighten the little tie she'd made him wear.

"My class is for school age children, not you," Anne told him. "When you're bigger."

"I don't like this," he continued to complain, pulling at the tie around his neck.

"It's just the same as Gilbert's," Anne told him.

Walter did not complain any more about wearing it after that.

--

"Where's Clara," Walter asked the moment they were in the building.

"I don't see her," Anne answered him. "Oh, yes, there I do. She's up near the organ. Do you want to go say hello?"

Walter ran from Anne before she could stop him. She had meant to walk him to Clara herself, but then she decided she didn't mind; she could watch him from where she was, and as church hadn't begun yet, he wasn't disrupting anything by going off alone.

Anne hadn't counted on Mrs. Andrews taking advantage of Walter's freedom.

Anne was distracted by the greetings of several of the little children she taught in Sunday School, and after this, she went to their regular pew to sit down. She didn't go tracking down Walter, sure that he would soon come back to his mama.

But when she glanced around the congregation, she saw that Walter was sitting with Mrs. Andrews.

Anne's face felt hot.

She did not want to go over there, but she had to get Walter away.

She finally- reluctantly- made her way over.