Message in the Sand

by Hannah McKinnon

  After the attorneys presented, the judge had more questions. He asked Candace about the obligations she had outside of her career, considering she was now guardian to two children, and how she planned to balance parenting with her work and personal life. “Given all I have heard today, Ms. Lancaster, it seems you have crafted a neat and successful life for yourself in London. Are you certain you wish to maintain guardianship of these children, in light of the sacrifices you would need to make?”

  Julia held her breath. She knew in her heart that Candace was doing this because she had been told to, not because she wanted to. Maybe she had some lifelong regrets about her poor relationship with her brother, Julia’s dad. Maybe she was just used to getting her way, and even if she didn’t want them, as Julia largely suspected, she wasn’t about to let a fifteen-year-old dictate that she would not have them.

  Candace answered calmly and carefully. “I have never planned to have children, if that is what you’re asking, but I am well equipped to provide and care for them in all the ways a child needs. Indeed, I would say they would have many more opportunities and advantages living with me in London. Certainly more than if Julia emancipated herself and attempted to live as an adult before she was ready to.” She paused. “Especially since that would mean the children would likely be split up.”

  At this, the judge turned to Julia. “Julia, I have reviewed the financial arrangements made on behalf of you and your sister by your parents’ estate. They are in a trust at the moment. Do you understand how that works?”

  “I do. Mr. Banks, my dad’s lawyer, explained it all to me. He is the custodian of the trust, and I won’t have access to any of it until I’m eighteen. And even then it’s only given to me in small amounts over the years.”

  “Correct,” the judge said. “Your situation is quite unique. Rather fortunate, I would say, in that you have a large sum that will eventually be at your disposal to care for yourself, get an education, and afford future living expenses. That works very much in your favor in regard to your petition for emancipation.”

  Julia couldn’t hide her smile. “My parents took good care of us. My wish is to take care of myself, as they would have trusted me to, and to obtain guardianship of my little sister, so that we can remain together.” She made sure the judge was looking at her before continuing. “They would want us to be together. I know it in my heart.”

  The judge nodded. “I do not doubt that. But obtaining guardianship is an entirely different process than emancipation. There is no guarantee that you would obtain guardianship of your younger sister.”

  “I understand. But I’m not going to give up without trying.”

  “There is one question I have. Your aunt is clearly willing to take care of you, despite your feelings about moving. Is there anyone else in your life whom you’d prefer to live with who has the willingness and capacity to care for you and your sister that you’d like the court to know about?”

  “There is, actually. His name is Wendell Combs.” There was the scrape of a chair behind her, and Julia turned to look at Wendell. “He’s a good family friend,” she added. “My mom and dad liked him very much.”

  Suddenly, Candace stood. “I’m sorry, Your Honor, but this man Julia is referring to is the caretaker of the estate. I am his employer. He’s a gardener.”

  The judge looked between them. “Do you feel there is a close relationship between this gardener and the children?”

  “Only of a professional nature,” Candace replied. “Though Julia wishes it were otherwise.”

  “That’s not true,” Julia interjected. “He has known us our whole lives, and he was close to my parents. They treated him like family. And he has become close to us.” She stuck her chin out. “He went to the farm my aunt sold my horse to and bought him back because he knew it broke my heart to see Radcliffe taken away. He was there that day. And I think it broke him a little bit, too.” She turned to Candace. “That’s how well he knows us.”

  “All right, all right, let’s settle down,” the judge intervened. “I am not making any suggestions or recommendations, simply trying to find a middle ground given the amount of trauma the children have already endured. Outright emancipation gives a minor adult freedom but also adult responsibilities. It is to be granted neither lightly nor easily. As such, I wish to explore all options.” He motioned for Wendell to come forward. “Mr. Combs, I would like to hear from you.”

  Julia watched Wendell make his way to the front of the room. He took a seat beside her, which felt right.

  “Mr. Combs, would you please describe the nature of your relationship with the Lancaster family?”

  Wendell looked nervous, but he spoke clearly and with conviction. Julia listened as he detailed his early years working for her grandfather when he was just a teenager and during his college summers. Wendell had been at White Pines since he was just a couple years older than she was now! How had she not realized that before?

  He described his relationship with Alan and Anne and how he’d enjoyed working for such good, fair people. But he didn’t stop there. Wendell told the judge how he’d seen the girls grow up, and how close the family was, to both each other and the connection they had to White Pines. “I can’t do it justice,” he said softly. “White Pines is the kind of storybook setting every child dreams of growing up in. And the Lancasters gave their daughters that kind of life there.”

  But Judge Bartlett wanted to know about his relationship to Pippa and Julia.

  “To be honest, I feel like I’ve known the girls almost their whole lives, even though our interactions were, as Candace noted, of a more professional nature. But everything changed since Alan and Anne passed away.”

  “How so?”

  Julia listened with her heart in her throat as Wendell told about the night they’d biked to his house. How surprised he’d been. And later, how concerned. How he’d wondered if he made a mistake by sending them home with Candace that second time. “I didn’t fear for their personal safety,” he explained carefully. “But I saw the hurt. There was so much hurt.” He glanced uncertainly at Candace. “For all three of them.”

  The judge thought a moment, glancing between the parties in front of him. He had one final question for Wendell. “Thank you for sharing so eloquently, with the court, all of that. As you heard Julia say earlier, she wishes for you to be awarded custody at this time. What are your wishes regarding that request?”

  Wendell did not answer right away. In fact, he hesitated for so long that Julia feared he would not. She fought the urge to leap up, to pinch his knee. Say something, she pleaded silently. Finally, he spoke. “Your Honor, I have no children of my own. And though there was a time I once thought I would, after my time in the military, those thoughts changed. Julia and Pippa Lancaster are remarkable little girls. Anyone here today can tell you that. I don’t know that I have the qualifications for taking care of them. I’m not nearly as equipped as their parents were. And I lack any and all experience necessary.”

  No, Julia wanted to scream. That is not what you’re supposed to say!

  “Are you suggesting guardianship is not in their best interest?”

  “What I’m suggesting is that I am good at many things, but parenting is not one. I may not be the most qualified person for this job. But if you and the court decide that I am a good candidate for temporary custody, I feel that taking care of them would be an honor.”

  Julia sank back in her seat. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks. “Thank you,” she mouthed to Wendell.

  But it was not over. The judge was clearly torn. “This is an emergency hearing for the petition for emancipation. However, it has become clear that there are more pressing matters. I believe the court needs to consider immediate custody issues before any determination of emancipation is made.”

  Jamie looked at Julia and nodded. This was what she’d hoped for.

  “It is clear the current living situation for the children with their aunt is not in their best in
terest during this time of transition.”

  Julia could sense that he had arrived at some juncture, and her heart began to pound.

  “This is a challenging decision for any judge. Julia, you are quite capable and clearly very bright. You have means to support yourself that most others do not. And you have made your wishes to stay in Saybrook very clear.” He stopped. “However, you are only fifteen. That is one year below the age our state deems acceptable for emancipation. Which is not to say it cannot be done, or that your departure to London cannot be delayed until such time as you are of legal age to be emancipated. But age alone is not the determining factor.”

  Julia’s heart began doing its flip-flop thing again, and she wondered if the whole courtroom could hear it. “I will be sixteen in just nine months.”

  Jamie threw her a look.

  “I know the math,” the judge said. He closed the folder and looked between the two of them once more. “Given the current strain in the home, and taking into account the child’s wishes and the potential guardian’s willingness to care for the children, I propose a temporary joint custody arrangement.”

  Candace sucked in her breath as Julia did the same. She didn’t want part-time custody. She and Pippa wanted to be free of her!

  “Ms. Aldeen, you have requested a guardian ad litem for the children.”

  Jamie nodded. “Yes, Your Honor. I feel it will provide the court with pertinent information and protect the interests of both girls in the meantime.”

  “I agree.” Judge Bartlett addressed Wendell next. “Mr. Combs, effective immediately, I propose that Julia and her sister, Pippa, move in with you for one week. This will give everyone a cooling-off time. Starting next Monday, I then wish to set a schedule in which the girls will be with their aunt Monday at noon through Thursday at noon. At which time they will transition to your house for the weekend. Are you able to accommodate them while also working?”

  Wendell looked to Candace. “I work Thursdays and Fridays. But perhaps they can come with me? And stay on the property, but leave with me at the day’s end?”

  Candace shook her head. “Forgive me, but this is silly. The girls can come home. In fact, they can stay home.”

  Judge Bartlett cleared his throat. “Ms. Lancaster, it is my opinion that both you and the children need a break. You are in the process of selling the home and property, yes?” She nodded. “Then, if this is not objectionable to you, and you can continue to be available to them during the workdays as you have been, I think this is a good compromise.

  “In the meantime, a guardian ad litem will be meeting with all of you. Please make yourselves available to them and share as openly as you’re able. This is an important part of informing the court’s decision. I call for a continuation, to be scheduled in two weeks.”

  A hearing date was set for two Mondays out. Judge Bartlett stood, adjusted his robe, and stepped down from the small platform on which his desk sat and sailed out through a side door. Julia felt her insides flutter like the hem of his robe.

  Twenty-Nine Wendell

  It was move-in day. There was no other name to call it. Wendell watched at first with amusement, then doubt, as the girls loaded up his truck with their “belongings.”

  “Just a few things to make your place feel more homey,” Julia explained as the girls came out to meet him in the driveway. “After all, the judge said we’re staying for a week.”

  Wendell shook his head as Pippa dragged a sparkly purple duffel bag larger than she was down the front steps. “Exactly. A week. Not a year.” He stooped to help her with it and lifted it into the bed of the truck. “Good grief, Pippa. What did you pack in here?”

  He was serious, but Pippa giggled in delight. “Just my stuffies.”

  “Her stuffed animals,” Julia translated. “Like about a hundred of them.”

  Wendell shook his head again. “Will we be needing one hundred stuffies?” Then, as he walked around the truck to help Julia with her equally large bag, “Does anyone?”

  But they weren’t done. “Where are you going?” he asked as both girls ran back up the steps.

  Pippa halted. “To get the rest.”

  Wendell waited outside, noting that Candace was markedly absent. He wasn’t surprised. He also wasn’t about to let himself inside the house, though from what he’d seen so far, the girls weren’t light packers and could’ve used a hand.

  Two more trips later, the bed of his truck loaded, the three climbed inside the cab. Wendell started the engine and looked over at them. Pippa was sandwiched between him and Julia. She rested a small hand on his leg.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  “Yes!” Pippa shouted.

  Wendell was not entirely sure he was, but he put the car in drive.

  Back at the house, there was more surprise. Roberta stood on the porch, waiting with a platter.

  “Hello, Bertie. What’s going on?”

  She held up the platter. “Chocolate cake, that’s what.” She gave a look of mock horror as the girls began dragging their things out of the back of the truck. “Heavens. Are they staying for good?” But when Julia gave her a quick hug on the way up the porch steps, Wendell noticed her soften.

  “That’s so nice of you,” Wendell said, climbing up behind them with a bag on each shoulder.

  “Well, seeing as you’re a Sherpa, I figured you could use a little cake. There’s more.” She nodded across the porch. There, in a corner rocking chair, was Ginny.

  “Ginny.”

  She waved shyly. But there was nothing shy about the girls’ greeting.

  “I remember you!” Pippa exclaimed. Wendell had never seen Pippa so forward. She opened her purple bag and pulled out what appeared to be a striped tiger cat. “This is Fangs.”

  Ginny laughed and petted his head. “Fangs is lovely. Do you think he’d like to see his new room?”

  Wendell set the bags down, immediately feeling uneasy. “Oh, I figured I’d put the girls together in my childhood bedroom. I already vacuumed and made up the beds.”

  Ginny and Roberta exchanged looks. “I’m sure you did,” Ginny said. “But we thought maybe the girls would like to personalize them a little?” Wendell noticed a bag of things at her feet. Three bags, to be exact. It was starting to seem like bags of things were going to be a regular occurrence, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

  Julia beat him to it. “Ooh, this is so pretty,” she said, opening one of them. She pulled out a strand of twinkle lights. Pippa abandoned Fangs and began rummaging through the others.

  “It’s just some bedding and decorations,” Ginny explained, coming to stand beside him. “Nothing that will ruin the walls or anything. I hope you don’t mind.”

  Wendell looked at the earnestness in her gaze. For the first time that morning, he felt his insides calm. “I don’t mind at all,” he said, softly. It was a relief to have Ginny and Roberta there. Clearly, there was a lot for him to learn.

  Upstairs, Wendell showed the girls down the hallway. “This is my room,” he said, opening the door to the master suite, where his parents used to reside. “And this,” he said, continuing down the hall, “is your room. It was mine when I was a kid.”

  He stepped aside so both girls could peek inside, but neither went in. Wendell glanced around at the blue walls. The checkered curtains his mother had hung years ago. The baseball trophy sitting on the dresser. He’d worked so hard to vacuum and dust and had even moved Wesley’s twin bed into the room so they could share, thinking Pippa might be afraid to be in a strange room all alone at night. Now, looking over their shoulders, he saw what they were seeing and was suddenly even more grateful to Roberta and Ginny. “Guess you’ll want to unpack and decorate,” he said.

  He was right. No sooner had he and Ginny finished carrying the bags upstairs than the girls had already half-decorated their room. The beds were moved side by side along the window. Both were stripped of their navy and red bedding and replaced instantly with floral comforters in te
al and lavender. A basket Wendell had never seen before appeared and was just as quickly filled with dolls from Pippa’s giant purple bag.

  To Wendell’s astonishment, the transformation was swift, if not seamless. Their questions came even faster.

  “Do you mind if I run the new sheets through the washer?” Ginny asked.

  “Where can my stuffies sleep?” Pippa asked, jumping on the bed.

  He tried not to flinch when Julia asked, “Do you have a hammer?” And moments later, “I think we need spackle.”

  By the end of the afternoon, the room was no longer Wendell’s childhood chamber, and two happy girls lay side by side on Julia’s bed, gazing up at the twinkle lights that draped from the ceiling. Ginny leaned against the doorframe, looking pleased.

  “I never could have done this without you,” Wendell said to her.

  When Ginny turned, her face was so close that Wendell could count the flecks of green in her eyes. “It’s amazing what some sparkly lights can do,” she said after a breath.

  If Wendell stayed there a moment longer, he was afraid he would kiss her. He cleared his throat. “Who’s ready for cake?”

  After Ginny and Roberta left, there was a lull. They were all tired, and Wendell figured he’d better throw something together for dinner. He found the girls in the living room, flicking through channels on the TV.

  “You don’t have Apple TV?” Julia asked, frowning at the screen.

  Pippa looked like she might cry. “How will I watch Peppa Pig?”

  Wendell did not know who Peppa Pig was, and he didn’t want to get sidetracked by streaming services. “Why don’t you two go see Raddy while I make us some dinner?”

  Pippa stared at him. “What’s for dinner?”

  Wendell smiled. “I got some pork chops at the market this morning. How’s that sound?”

  Both girls wrinkled their noses. “Uh, we don’t eat pork.”

  “Oh.” No one had told him that. “I suppose you don’t like lamb, then?” he asked hopefully.