Summary: For a seven year old, a mother’s love can come from several sources.
\nRating: G, Word Count: 2442<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The wagon pulled to a stop just outside the schoolhouse. Adam\u2019s children all jumped out of the back of the wagon as soon as it came to a complete stop, rushing over to join their friends before school started. Adam was about to pull away when he noticed something bright green flickering near the back of the wagon. It was Samuel\u2019s scarf. Not surprisingly his seven-year-old son had removed the dreaded item on the trip into town and forgotten to put it back on.\u201cSamuel!\u201d<\/p>\n
Samuel stopped short on his way to meet up with his friends when he heard his father call out.<\/p>\n
Gaining his attention, Adam called out to his son. \u201cYou forgot your scarf.\u201d<\/p>\n
He hurried back to the wagon eager to get back to his friends. \u201cSorry, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMake sure you keep that scarf wrapped around your neck when you\u2019re outside. It might be spring, but there\u2019s still a slight chill in the air.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes sir.\u201d Sam wrapped the scarf around his neck before running back to his friends, anxious not to waste any more of the limited time he had before the school bell rang.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyways as I was saying, I have a couple of large apple turnovers in my lunch bucket today. I\u2019m willing to share one if you guys have something good too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think have some lemon snaps today. My mother makes the best ones around.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe sure does. I\u2019ve tasted them before at the church picnic. Mothers always seem to make the best food.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, what do you say we pick some flowers on the way home to show how much we appreciate them and their yummy food?\u201d<\/p>\n
Agreements were heard around the group including Samuel nodding in agreement.<\/p>\n
Eddie noticed Samuel nodding along with them and rolled his eyes. \u201cYou can\u2019t come Sam.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t have a mother and therefore you can\u2019t pick flowers for her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut my Pa makes some of the best desserts around plus he\u2019s teaching me to make them too. I\u2019m sure he would like to have some flowers to put on our dining room table.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wouldn\u2019t. He\u2019s not a mother. Only mothers like flowers. Plus, fathers don\u2019t make desserts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, my Pa does and he\u2019s just like a mother to me. He does everything your mother\u2019s do\u2026 and more!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust stop, Sam. Everyone knows mothers are female. Your father is just your father who knows how to do other things. He could never be a mother. It\u2019s just not the same and you know it.\u201d<\/p>\n
A sullen expression fell on Samuel\u2019s face as he processed what his friends told him. They knew he didn\u2019t have a mother and that his Pa did all those things that his mother would have done. He didn\u2019t understand how they couldn\u2019t see that his Pa was not only his father but also his mother. It seemed simple to him, but now he wasn\u2019t so sure. His ponderings were cut short, though, as the morning bell rang.<\/p>\n
*****<\/p>\n
Hoss entered the barn with the mission of telling Samuel it was time for supper. However, Samuel was lost in his thoughts and never heard his uncle enter. He was sitting on a crate, feed scoop still in his hand, staring into Starlight\u2018s stall.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong little man?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, hi Uncle Hoss. Nothing\u2019s wrong. Just taking a break.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hoss moved the few feet towards Samuel before leaning against one of the barn posts. He eyed his nephew carefully. \u201cCome now. I have an uncanny way of knowin\u2019 when things ain\u2019t right and I can tell that something’s wrong right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Samuel let out a sigh as he brought his head up to meet his uncle\u2019s eyes. \u201cIt\u2019s the other kids at school. They were going on about how wonderful their mothers were by baking them desserts and packing them special lunches.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hoss nodded waiting for Samuel to continue. He had a feeling he knew where this conversation was going but wanted to hear the entire story before adding his two cents worth.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I told them that my Pa not only makes me desserts, but is also teaching me how to make them myself. They all laughed at me saying men don\u2019t make desserts, only mothers do. I went on to say how my Pa does everything their mothers do and more so he\u2019s just like a mother. They wouldn\u2019t listen to me! They just laughed and said that Pa is just my father and that I don\u2019t have a mother in my life. I can\u2019t help it, Uncle Hoss, that I don\u2019t have a mother. Sometimes it just isn\u2019t fair.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hoss moved to sit down on another crate next to Samuel. \u201cAh, I see. Children can be so cruel sometimes, but I hate to admit it, they are somewhat right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Samuel looked over at his uncle in shock and opened his mouth to protest only to be halted by Hoss.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow wait a minute. I know that\u2019s not what you want to hear, but if you\u2019d let me finish. The children are right; strictly speaking, legally your Pa is your father, not your mother. On the other hand, your Pa certainly feels about you the way a mother would and does everything your mother would have done. He cleans and cooks and takes care of you when you\u2019re sick. He may only be your Pa, but he qualifies as a mother in every other way. So, I\u2019d have to agree with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSure thing. Honestly, I wouldn\u2019t pay those other children any mind if I were you. If you still are worried about this, though, you can always talk it over with your Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks, Uncle Hoss.\u201d Samuel leaned over to give his big uncle a hug. He felt much better after talking it over with him, but some concerns still nagged at the back of his mind. He decided he\u2019d still ask his Pa about all this so he would know for sure.<\/p>\n
*****<\/p>\n
It was Sunday afternoon and Adam had taken his children to the beautiful meadow that overlooked the lake for a picnic lunch. With everyone finishing up their meal, Adam gave them permission to go exploring as long as they stayed within earshot.<\/p>\n
Adam leaned back against the tree their blanket was under, watching as Nathan and the twins ran off. It was several moments later that he realized Samuel wasn\u2019t with them. Glancing to his left, Samuel still sat on the blanket pushing his slice of chocolate cake around on his plate.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you going to eat that cake or just push it around all afternoon?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry, Pa. I don\u2019t feel much like eating it right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy don\u2019t you go join your siblings? I\u2019ll save the cake for when you return.\u201d<\/p>\n
All Adam got in response was a shrug of the shoulders.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething on your mind, son?\u201d<\/p>\n
Samuel glanced over at his father. \u201cCan you tell me a little about my Mama? Was she nice?\u201d<\/p>\n
Adam waved a hand calling his son over. Once he got close enough, Adam wrapped his arm around him pulling him into his side while still reclining against the tree.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother was the nicest person I knew.\u201d Adam paused a moment listening to the birds chirping happily in the trees and the gentle waves crashing on the shore of the nearby lake. His memories floated back to all the wonderful times he had with Cecily before any of their children were born.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know that picnics just like this one was one of her favorite things to do with me?\u201d Adam felt Samuel\u2019s little head shake in response against his side. \u201cShe would pack almost the entire house to go out on a picnic. Fried chicken, buttermilk rolls, and oatmeal cookies were the foods we packed most often. Those were some of her favorite foods in the entire world. We would arrive by mid-morning and would stay out here all day chatting about anything and everything. She loved seeing all the wildlife out here too. She loved the animals almost as much as you and Hoss. That\u2019s probably from whom you got that trait.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adam felt Samuel twist under his arm sitting up slightly to look up at him. \u201cShe really liked animals as much as me?\u201d<\/p>\n
He glanced down at his son giving him a small smile. \u201cShe did indeed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGosh, Pa. I didn\u2019t know anyone could love animals as much as me. Well, besides Uncle Hoss that is.\u201d Samuel settled back against Adam\u2019s side once again.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it had been up to your Mama, we would have a menagerie of animals here on the Ponderosa. She wanted to save each and every one. I remember this one incident with a turtle. Would you like to hear that story?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a bright, sunny spring day, much like today. We packed a lunch and headed out to this very spot to spend the day together. After lunch, we reclined on our blanket talking about our dreams and future together. The sun continued to beat down on our faces and without a breeze to cool us off, we both got hot quite quickly. Your mother suggested we wade in the nearby lake to cool off. Not only was the water still ice cold from the retreating winter, but there was also a gentle breeze near the lake.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe both took off our shoes and stockings and rolled up our clothes to the knees so they wouldn\u2019t get wet. The next several minutes were spent splashing through the shallow water and then heading back to dry land as we walked along the shore.<\/p>\n
\u201cSoon we came to a little marshy area. I was trailing a few feet behind your mother when I heard her yell out. I thought she was seriously hurt so I went running over. She wasn\u2019t hurt, but she was bending down looking at something in the shallow water near the reeds. There, a tiny turtle had become tangled up in some leftover fishing line. It was wrapped around his head and legs. Unlike most women and girls, your mother didn\u2019t hesitate to pick it up. One look at the little critter and you could tell it would only be a matter of time before the line completely cut off all breathing or eating capabilities. She tried to free the line with her fingers, but it was just too tight. I knew I had a knife back at the picnic site that I could use to cut the line so I suggested we bring the turtle back there. Your mother more than happily agreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the short walk back to the site, your mother took to talking to the animal, much the way you and Hoss do. I couldn\u2019t hear all that she said to it, but it sounded like soothing words of comfort. By the time we reached the blanket, she had a name for it. Lightning. It seemed like a ridiculous name for a turtle considering how slow they move, but she was insistent that it was the turtle\u2019s name.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found the knife and made quick work of freeing the line from Lightning. We then placed it on the blanket so it could return to the wild, but it just sat there. Your mother looked up at me with a sparkle in her eye before saying that she thinks it wants to come home with us. I told her right then and there that we aren\u2019t keeping a turtle as a pet. A dog, maybe. A cat, maybe. But definitely not a turtle. Wild animals are happier being in the wild. She wasn\u2019t happy with my decision and reluctantly walked it back down closer to the lake. Your mother returned to tell me that it went right into the water, but not before it waved at her. I never believed that part of her story, but she claimed it was true.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWow. That sounds like something I would try doing someday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTry doing someday? I seem to remember you already trying something like that and I told you the same thing I told your mother: wild animals need to stay in the wild.\u201d<\/p>\n
A little grin tugged at Samuel\u2019s lips before he sighed in contentment. \u201cShe sounds like the best. Thanks for telling me a little more about my mother, Pa.\u201d Samuel closed his eyes happy to know how much he had in common with his mother.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re most welcome. Now why all these questions about your Mama?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another shrug of the shoulders was given in response. \u201cI don\u2019t know. I guess I\u2019ve just been thinking about her a lot lately seeing as my birthday is coming up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adam let the silence linger for a minute. \u201cAre you sure that\u2019s the only reason?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell\u2026\u201d Samuel hesitated, wondering if this was the right time and place to even bring this up. It had been such a wonderful afternoon between lunch and hearing stories about his mother. Then again, finding time to have his Pa all to himself was scarce and after glancing up, he realized his siblings were still out exploring.<\/p>\n
\u201cI also had some problems at school the other day with my friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adam listened intently as Samuel sat up slightly and recounted the entire incident that happened in the schoolyard and even the conversation with his uncle in the barn the other day.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, I\u2019ve just been thinking a lot about what it means to have a mother.\u201d Samuel breathed a sigh of relief as he laid his head back onto his father\u2019s chest, grateful to get the whole story out.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can see your dilemma. I am your father, and I can never physically take the place of your mother. However, motherhood isn\u2019t simply about giving birth. I\u2019ve loved you and nurtured you for seven years. I would like to think that\u2019s what really matters in a family. We both know what we are to each other regardless of what others think. Nothing could ever break the bond of love we have between us. Does that make sense?<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah. I think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne day you might have another mother, but for now you\u2019re stuck with me playing both parts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s all right Pa. It means I get double the love and attention from you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adam smiled down at his son. \u201cI love you, Samuel. More than you will ever know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLove you too.\u201d Samuel closed his eyes before drifting off for a nap in the late afternoon sun. Sleep came easily as his mind was now at ease and all was right in his world once again.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
From the Brandsters.\u00a0 The story was originally written and published on the Bonanza Trail Riders site.\u00a0 Brand is happy to offer this story a new home.<\/span><\/p>\n