A week later in the Schifflebein kitchen, Lloyd wore a baker's apron and a hot mitt and slid a full cookie sheet into the oven while cradling the kitchen phone between his shoulder and ear.
"Y—, yes, I'm still hold—." He sighed then said to himself, "Okay, let me rephrase that: I'm holding again."
He worked his way across the kitchen, lifting the long, curly, telephone cord over the heads of the four children, who were working assembly-line fashion around the large kitchen table.
Lucy stirred a bowl of cookie dough with a wooden spoon. With a rolling pin, Rudy rolled out a sheet of cookie dough onto waxed paper. Ray was carefully cutting cookie shapes from dough on another piece of waxed paper. Amy was placing Ray's cookie shapes on a greased aluminum cookie sheet and carefully dotting each cookie with colored candies from an open plastic bag.
Lloyd paced, phone to his ear. He reached into Amy's plastic bag for a candy.
At the County Building Inspectors' office, a burly hand was reaching into a bag of chips at the same time Lloyd was snitching a candy. The burly hand belonged to Inspector Abrams, who was one of four County inspectors sitting around a table playing poker—even though it was the middle of the work day. Nearby on a desk, a telephone blink-blink-blinked indicating a line on hold. The four inspectors studied their cards.
"He's still there?" asked Abrams, nodding toward the blinking phone.
"Dumb schmuck don't know when to give up," said another inspector.
"He's nuts. He's always been nuts," said a third. "Whose bet is it?
In Schifflebein's kitchen, Lucy reached into the plastic bag for a candy.
At the poker table, the fourth inspector reached to place a bet of ten pennies in the pot.
In the kitchen, Rudy put down his rolling pin and began folding the edges of the sheet of dough inward, corner by corner by corner.
At the poker table, Inspector Abrams nervously manipulated the cards in his hand, folding them over and over and over one another.
In the kitchen, Ray laid a series of newly cut cookies out onto a greased aluminum sheet as if dealing them around a table.
At the poker table, the third inspector dealt a card to each player.
In the kitchen, Amy placed a handful of candies, one at a time, on the cookies Ray had laid out.
At the poker table, Inspector Abrams laid down a ten-penny bet, one penny at a time. Then Abrams reached again into his bag of chips. "Guess somebody ought to talk to him," said Abrams.
"I had him yesterday," said the second man.
The third man folded his hand and placed his cards facedown on the table. "I'll do it. I got nothin' here anyway." And he left the table to answer the blinking phone. On his way across the room, he took a handful of chips from Abrams' bag.
In the kitchen, Lloyd had just taken a handful of candies from the plastic bag. He nearly choked on them. "Hel—ackht!—hello! ... Yes ... This is Lloyd Schifflebein again, and I just wanted to—Robert! Yes, of course I remember you. How've you been? ... How's the wife and kids? ... Oh ... Oh, I'm sorry ...You don't say! ... And the boat? ... And the dog! Gee, Robert, that's tough. Listen, if you need a place to stay until you get an apartment ... Oh, oh, really. Well, that's, uh, that's certainly convenient ... Yes, I remember Laverne, sure ... from Zoning, sure ... uh, red, red hair, yeah. Well, I hope things work out for you, Robert. It's good to hear your voice. Say, I wonder if George is there? He was supposed to sign off on some playground modules over a week ago, and I haven't been able to get hold of him."
At the poker table the other three inspectors were keeping very quiet as they went about their game. The inspector on the phone was saying, "Darn, I'm sorry, Lloyd. Nobody here but me right now, and I'm out the door in a sec myself. Summertime craziness around here, y'know. Lots of projects to be completed before school starts."
The other three inspectors chuckled silently, appreciating an Oscar-worthy performance. "Right, buddy," the man on the phone said. "I'll tell him. ... You bet. ... Take care now, Lloyd. ... 'Bye." He hung up the phone and walked back to his seat at the poker table. "Next time I see you, George, I'm gonna tell you to get your carcass over to Schifflebein's. You're holding up his project."
"Do tell," said Abrams. "Ain't I a bad boy."
In the kitchen, Lloyd hung up the phone and slumped against the wall. His knees bent and he slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor.
"They're stonewalling you," said Teapot.
"They're busy," said Lloyd, sounding extremely tired all of a sudden. "I'll try again tomorrow."
Amy stopped decorating cookies and went to climb onto Lloyd's lap. She leaned her head against his shoulder and reached as far as she could across his wide chest. "Don't be sad," she soothed.
Lloyd managed a weak smile and hugged her. "I'm not sad, sugarplum." He said a silent prayer of thanks that Amy no longer feared him.
"You're worried," said Rudy.
"Of course he's worried," declared Lucy, who took her position as eldest child very seriously. "Because of that stupid inspector, we can't finish the job. And if we don't finish the job on time, we get fired, and we won't have any money, and we'll all starve!"
At this, Ray jerked away from the table and grabbed Lloyd's shoulder, a look of urgent concern begging Lloyd for reassurance. "C'mere," Lloyd said, reaching for the boy. Ray joined Amy on Lloyd's lap.
"C'mere, Lucy. Rudy," Lloyd said. The two children left their tasks and joined the others on the floor. Lloyd touched each of them, drawing them all as close as possible.
"Listen to me," he said. "The inspector is not stupid, he's just got a big job to do, and we're only a small part of it. He'll get to us in good time."
"Yeah, right!" said a very sarcastic Teapot.
Lloyd shot the teapot a quelling look and continued reassuring the children in quiet tones. "As for finishing our job on time, don't you worry. I promise you I'll do everything in my power to get it done. I'll do my very best. That's all anyone can do."
A pair of rabbits chased one another across the kitchen, passing right through the center of the family gathered on the floor.
"Besides," said Lloyd, "I figure if we run out of money for groceries, we can eat rabbit for at least a week."
A chorus of "No, we can't!" "Don't say that!" and "Not my rabbit!" went up from the children. Lloyd laughed and began tickling the children until all of them were giggling.
...
It was evening in the Schifflebein house, and in the living room four children stood in a line like the Von Trapp Family Singers, wearing their Sunday best. Lloyd moved down the line inspecting the troops, straightening a hair ribbon here, picking rabbit fur off a shirtfront there. He made a second pass down the line, planting a kiss on each forehead.
"Outstanding!" he proclaimed. "You guys look great."
Amy asked, "When are they coming?"
"Any minute now, sugarplum."
Lucy suggested, "We should practice one more time."
"Good idea, Luce," Lloyd said. He then led the children in signing the words as he spoke them, "Welcome home, Tran and Nguyen."
The doorbell rang.
The children jumped and squealed with excitement and cries of "They're here! They're here!"
Lloyd shushed the kids with a calming motion of his hands and moved to open the door.
Hepzibah Stoner waited outside with two 8-year-old Vietnamese children; twins. The family already knew about Tran and his deaf sister, Nguyen. As usual, Lloyd had eyes only for the two children. Hepzibah had grown accustomed to this.
"Good evening, Mr. Schifflebein. I believe we are expected?" Hepzibah intoned.
Lloyd nodded dumbly, sinking slowly to his knees, meeting the children at eye level. Hepzibah noticed the lineup of spiffy children waiting inside.
"My, how beautiful everyone is this evening," she said.
"You only get one chance to make a thirsty prison," said Amy.
Lucy explained, "She means you only get one chance to make a first impression."
"Yes," said Hepzibah. "I'm familiar with the phrase. Thank you, Lucy."
"You're welcome, ma'am."
Lloyd was still kneeling before the young twins, who stared at him wide-eyed and wary. He offered a handshake to the boy, who took it after a slight hesitation. In Vietnamese, Lloyd said, "Welcome, Tran. I hope you speak English, because I don't speak Vietnamese very well." Then he continued in French, "My French is a little better, if that's any help."
"My English good," said Tran.
"Good," Lloyd said, smiling. Then he signed as he spoke in English, "I hope my signing is as good as your English."
Then Lloyd turned his full attention upon the little girl, and signed as he spoke. "Hello, Nguyen. I'm Lloyd. I've been looking forward to meeting you. These are your new brothers and sisters: Lucy, Rudy, Ray, and Amy."
Rudy said, "Now?"
Lloyd answered, "Okay, now."
The four children signed and spoke their rehearsed greeting, "Welcome home, Tran and Nguyen."
Nguyen signed and Tran said, "Thank you."
Teapot shrieked from the kitchen.
Lloyd signed and said to the children, "Why don't we all have tea and cookies and get better acquainted."
Lucy, Rudy, Ray, and Amy gathered around Tran and Nguyen and escorted them toward the kitchen.
Hepzibah Stoner stepped forward to meet Lloyd as he rose to his feet, watching the children depart. Lloyd clasped Hepzibah's hand and shook it fervently.
"Thank you!" he said. "You'll stay for tea won't you? We baked cookies this morning."
"Mr. Schifflebein, I wouldn't leave now for the world," said Hepzibah. "It would be like missing the circus."
Lloyd released her hand and took her elbow in an unconsciously chivalrous gesture that was not lost on her. She enjoyed being escorted slowly toward the kitchen.
"All your beds are full now, Mr. Schifflebein," Hepzibah said, smiling.
Lloyd positively glowed. "Yes!" he said. "They're all here! They're finally all here."
Hepzibah grew more serious. "I remind you, you're on probation. From now on, there may be surprise visits at any time, to see how you're getting along."
"We'll get along fine. It took me so long to get them, Ms. Stoner, I'm not going to lose them. I can't lose them."
As Lloyd and Hepzibah joined the six children in the kitchen, an errant rabbit ran out of the kitchen, across the foyer, and down the hall. It passed the boys' bedroom, where three beds were carved, RAY, RUDY, and TRAN. The rabbit continued past the girls' bedroom, where three beds were carved, AMY, LUCY, and NGUYEN.