could speak to Cal?”
“I’ll tell Dwight,” I said.
Kate shook her head in disapproval. “Come on,
Deborah. I’m not asking you to beat him with a stick or
send him to bed without supper. I’m just asking you to
reinforce the scolding I gave him and Mary Pat.”
“But Dwight’s the one to speak to him. He’s his fa-
ther,” I protested weakly.
“And you’re his stepmother.
ever the Latin phrase would be. Sooner or later, you’re
going to have to help with discipline and you might as
well get started now. Besides, if you think Cal’s going to
resent your talking to him about something this minor,
imagine how he’s going to feel if you tattle to Dwight
and it gets blown out of proportion.”
80
HARD ROW
I knew she was right. Nevertheless, I was so appre-
hensive about this aspect of parenting, that we were al-
most to the turn-in at the long drive that leads from the
road to the house before I got up enough nerve to say,
“Aunt Kate tells me that you and Mary Pat are having a
problem with Jake.”
Cal gave me a wary glance. “Not really.”
“That’s not what she says.”
“I’ll get the mail,” he said, reaching for the door han-
dle as I slowed to a stop by the mailbox. I waited till he
was back in the car with our magazines and first of the
month bills, then drove on down the lane, easing over
the low dikes that keep the lane from washing away.
“She says that you and Mary Pat aren’t treating
him very nicely. That you don’t want him to play with
you.”
“He can play, but he doesn’t know how. He’s a baby.”
“He’s four years old,” I said gently. “If he doesn’t
know how, then you should take the time to teach
him.”
“But he can’t even read yet.”
“I know it’s hard to be patient when he can’t keep
up, Cal, but think how you’d feel if you went over there
and he and Mary Pat wouldn’t play with you. Think
how it makes Aunt Kate feel. This is a stressful time for
her with a fussy new baby. If you won’t do it for Jake,
do it for Aunt Kate.”
He was quiet as he flicked the remote to open the
garage door for us.
“Are you going to tell Dad?”
“Not if you and Mary Pat start cutting Jake some
slack, okay?”
81
