Chapter Three

After the Tinkers closed their shop for the evening, they decided to have an emergency family meeting. Melody arrived, however, refusing to even make eye contact with her parents. "I start in the fall," she said matter-of-factly. "The admissions officer said that there's a chance I could be placed in the fast-track honors program."
Wanda shook her head in disbelief. "I don't believe you!" she yelled. When she rose her voice -- which usually wasn't often -- she could sound very authoritarian. "Why did you apply to this -- boarding school -- without even telling us?"
"I knew how you guys would react. You wouldn't want me to go."

"You're darn right I don't want you to go! My goodness, Melody, a boarding school? Is that it? You don't want to live here anymore?"

"Mom, it's not that I don't want to live here, but I just can't see myself jumping right into making toys after graduation."

Wanda took a deep breath. "Do you realize you are a Tinker, Melody? Tinkers make toys. End of story."

"But can't you see I want to do more than that? I want to go to college to make something of myself. Why can't you guys support me? I thought that's what real parents do."

"Don't sass me, young lady!" Melody turned away from Wanda, her arms resolutely folded. "And, besides, how the heck are we supposed to pay for this?"

"I've got that taken care of too," she told her mother. "I can get scholarships, and the admissions officer says I probably qualify for financial assistance."

"Which only means one thing, Melody," Wanda replied. "We can't afford it."

Melody zinged, with a stunning lack of tact, "Sure you could, if you sold some of that exercise equipment in the spare room. Neither of you use it."

Stephen stepped in between Wanda and Melody, for the two most important women in his life were about to come to blows. "Okay, I've had it!" he shouted. "Why can't the three of us calm down and we'll talk more about it tomorrow? I'm tired."

The next morning Wanda woke up bright and early and fixed breakfast for her and her husband. Stephen, sitting at the table waiting, had no idea his wife was about to drop a bombshell. "Stephen," she began, clearing her throat, "I'm pregnant."

"What?" Stephen asked in disbelief, his jaw dropping to the floor. "Are you sure?"

"I've been feeling a little queasy in the mornings lately, so this morning I decided to take the test, and I heard the little lullaby tune."

Stephen took a few moments to process what he'd just heard. "We're going to have another baby? At our age?"

"Yeah," Wanda replied resolutely. Stephen came up with a pressing question: "How are we going to tell Melody?"

Stunned by the news, Stephen and Wanda continued to eat their pancakes in silence. They'd wanted another baby for so long, and now that they were finally expecting, they didn't know exactly how to take it.

September couldn't arrive fast enough for Melody. She spent most of the rest of the summer trying to get her skills up so that she could earn scholarships, not only for the academy, but for college. She dedicated herself to building skills, even at the expense of social interaction, whether that would be from her parents or anyone else. And she absolutely resisted any of their attempts to get her to help in the toy shop.

The impending arrival of the new baby, combined with the state of the family finances, motivated Stephen to get a job with the Sim City Police Department -- in an effort to fulfill his own secret dream of becoming captain hero. He would still run the backyard shop, but in his spare time. Wanda, who didn't have a job, would operate it the rest of the time.

Wanda and Stephen were lying down in bed that night. "Do you realize we're going to have an empty nest?" Wanda asked. "I never thought it would happen so soon. I'm not ready for this. I knew it would happen at least in a few years, but, my gosh, now? She just became a teen!"

"I'm gonna miss that kid," Stephen confessed, "even with all her temper tantrums and I-want-to-be-alone moments."

"You're gonna let her go? I mean, just like that?"

"Look, Wanda, if she wants to go, who am I to stop her?"

Wanda frowned. "Her father, that's who!" Straightening her dress, Wanda rose from the bed. "You keep saying to calm down and to wait, and look where that's gotten us. We have a daughter with absolutely no interest in the family business, who wants to hightail it away from here as fast as she can."

A few days later, Stephen called Melody into his bedroom. "Sweetheart, we need to talk," he said.

"About what?" Melody asked, walking in from her adjacent bedroom.

"Well, your mother and I have been thinking -- well, you see, your mother's pregnant."

Melody could not believe what she'd heard. She was going to have a new brother or sister. After all this time! "But, I'll be fourteen in September. By the time he or she starts kindergarten, I'll be gone to college!"

"I know, sweetheart. That's why I'm shocked myself."

Stephen was desperate to change the subject. "Now, about this boarding school --"

"Dad, I've already made up my mind, I'm going. I don't care what Mom says."

"You know we're disappointed that you didn't tell us you were applying." Putting his hand on Melody's shoulder, he added, "Your mother and I have had a talk about this, and we both agreed that if you really want this, we'll let you give it a shot. We couldn't live with ourselves knowing you wouldn't be happy."

Pleased with this development, Melody reached for Stephen and gave him a hug.