The Peacock 714

"One other piece of news", says Melissa, pausing at the kitchen doorway.  "I got a phone call from Tristan's nom.  She wants to come over here tomorrow morning.  Apparently, her son left his teddy bear behind.  Jenn says she's already located it.  She also wants to stay and talk to us, that she has a whole bunch of questions."

"Aw, how sweet", says Carl in a mock nursery little voicy-poo.  "The little boy forgot his wittle teddy bear and mommy is coming over to get it for him.  Aw, isn't that 'tweet."

"Carl", says Melissa flatly, "It's past your bedtime."

"Nighty-night, sister dearest", he says as we all follow her out of the kitchen and Carl turns off the light.  Quietly we three ascend the grand staircase, then the stairs up to the attic.  As Carl pauses by his borrowed room, he says, "Anyone for a nightcap?"

"What did you have in mind?" says Francois smiling.

"I smuggled up a big bag of potato chips earlier.  Anyone still hungry?"

"Nope. Bedtime." says Francois.

"Ditto", I agree.

"Goodnight. " Carl says, grinning.  "Party-poopers."

"Good night, party boy", says François.

"Goodnight", I concur, swiftly and quietly closing behind me the door of what was once Carl's boyhood room...

The Peacock 713

 "Your mom sounds like a real piece of work", say I.

"We don't know what happened to her over the years in Switzerland", says Carl, "But she seems to have changed, and not for the better."

"Shrill, rightwing and controlling", says Melissa.  "Anyway you guys, thanks for the cheese and crackers, and I should be getting off to bed."

"Since we're up a bit late, maybe we could have breakfast later, at nine," says Carl.

"Eight thirty", says Melissa.  "We've got the health nurse coming at ten.  Anyway, it'll be nothing fancy, just cereal and toast."

"I'm ready to turn in", says Glen, heading towards the other wing of the house.  "Thanks you guys.  I mean it."

"With pleasure", says Carl, who approaches him and gives him a big hug.  Then Carl turns to me and says, "I'm sleeping in your part of the house tonight."

"Boy's club?" says Melissa sourly.

"Yep", says her brother, as he puts the food away, places the glasses and plates in the sink...

"

The Peacock 712

 "Did Mom say anything about Robert", says Carl, now sounding really worried.

"I told her what happened.  She was appalled, and insists that he be invited back to the house.  I told her that without an apology to Francois and a true display of open repentance that he will not be welcome here again.  Then she really started to bare her fangs."

"Oh no.  What did she say?"

"I'm not sure if it would be appropriate to repeat right now, because this could really be hurtful to you, Francois."

"Fear not, Melissa", says Francois.  I am an adult."

"Okay.  here goes.  Mom said, and I will not repeat verbatim but she did use the n word, but that she did not want politically correct propaganda disgracing the work of the gospel.  That was when I started yelling."

"Mel, do you really think we should let her stay here?"

"Well, she is our mother, after all.  The only one we have."

"When she arrives, then, we are both going to have to talk to her right away, to tell her the birds and the bees."

"In private."

"Not in private.  She is going to have to face Francois and all the rest of us here in this house."

"If that happens, she will be on the next plane back to Zurich."

"So be it", says Carl.

"Yes, amen."

The Peacock 711

 "What exactly is up?" he says.

"I was just on Skype with her, which is why I'm still awake.  She is planning on bringing with her two of her acolytes from Switzerland. She didn't say who, but I told her that if that is her plan, then she should just stay in Switzerland.  We got into quite a fight about it.

"You stood up to her?" says Carl, incredulous.

"I am sick and tired of being that woman's puppet.  Carl, these last few days have been quite an eye opener for me, but among other things, we have to start putting a stop on Mother.  She will only respond to brute force, I'm afraid."

"You don't know how relieved I am to hear you say that, Mel."

"She has gotten away with far too much."

"So what did she say?"

"She started yelling and screaming and threatening, but I just told her that if she does not come alone, then not to consider herself welcome here."

"She is determined to take over, as usual."

"I did remind her that this house is in your name, and that what you say goes, so she will have to reckon with her dear little son."

"With help from her dear little daughter."

"That is already implied.  What wonderful cheese..."

The Peacock 710

 "Where is your sister now", says Francisco.

"Funny, I was just on the phone with her today.  We just resumed contact yesterday.  My first act of celebration with the banishment of Doug has been to re-establish contact with my sister.  and it is going so well.  She says she understands completely what was done to me, and she is going to come and visit me here in the next week or so.  I have really missed her.  And we're the only ones left, so we just have each other."

"I don't imagine we will be hearing from Doug again, anyway", says Carl.  "And as far as Melissa and I are both concerned, he is permanently banned from here.  There is only one problem."

"Mother", says Melissa's voice as she comes into the kitchen.  She is wearing a long magenta house coat, tied snugly at the waste, her hair hanging loosely over her shoulders.  "Why are you guys still up?"

"I was about to ask you the same question", says Carl.

"For a snack, and hey, cheese and crackers, don't mind if I do."  As she sits  down with us and cuts herself a slice of cheddar, she adds,"We don't know what to expect from Mother, Carl.  I am really afraid she us going to try to reinstate Griffin, and if he's back in the picture then we might not have seen the last of Doug."

"Isn't it time, Melissa, that you and I both took a united stand against our mother?" says Carfl.

"I exactly agree", says his sister, chewing now on a Breton, and that is exactly what we are going to do.  But here I have the latest about Mom..."

The Peacock 709

 "How about your mom?" says Carl.  Is she with us still?"

"She passed away just over a year ago", says Glen.

"I'm so sorry to hear that."

"She was ninety.  Her time had come."  Then Glen pauses, as though trying not to give voice to whichever words are already starting to fill his mouth along with the cheese and crackers he is devouring with gusto.  Suddenly he says, his voice almost trembling, "Doug wouldn't let me attend her funeral."

"What?" says Francois.

"He ordered me.  I don't suppose you or the others heard  anything.  One of his methods of control was by enforcing secrecy.  But he said that if I left the house here for my mother's funeral, then I would be banished from the community.  That I had to choose between God's work and my mother."

"That is simply outrageous!" says Carl.

"And then he forbade me to have any contact with my sister, Marlene, who is the only family I have left..."

The Peacock 708

 "Where did you go?" says Carl.

"I went to live with my mother for a few years in Victoria, about seven, I think, then I just really wanted to be free and alone again, so I returned to Vancouver, not sure where I was going, and then I ended up staying in Sheila's house with her and her son, Michael."

"Our Sheila and Michael."

"That's right.  And then it was the Community of the Transfiguration back on the Island, and now I'm here with you guys."

"How did you come to know Sheila?"

"I was couch surfing with Pierre, he had been Stephen's boyfriend up until when he died.  It turned out that he was friends with Michael.  It was kind of uncomfortable for Pierre because he still had feelings for me that I wasn't prepared to reciprocate, so Michael invited me to stay with him and his mom.

"Are you and Pierre still in touch?"

"No, we haven't spoken for almost twenty years.  I really don't know where he is now, or how he is..."