My Sweet Honey Babe

Kindergarten:

Janie followed the outline of the chalk heart. The letters, large though they were, were a bit hard to make out. A child’s scribble. On the second pass, Janie made out the name “Orin”. Janie had taken her two grandchildren, Orin 5 and Allison 7, to the school playground. She treated them whenever possible. Janie was trying her best to keep their childhood for as long as possible despite their circumstances, but she could see it was slipping away. Allison: the oldest, serious, hardened, protective of Orin. Orin: quick to talk, easy to smile, tender hearted, yet anxious.

It was Saturday, and it was empty except for them. There were two distinct playground equipment groupings: one for 2nd grade and under and 3rd grade and above. The children were excited to be on the big kids’ side. She called over to her kindergarten grandson.

“Orin, I see your name here. In chalk. Is this you? Or is there another boy named Orin?”

Orin disengaged himself from the swing. He walked over. His walk looked more like a saunter, but Janie didn’t think he meant to look so laid back. His feet always seemed to be leading him somewhere and the rest just followed. His arms hung loosely by his side with a gentle swing. His short hair was light blond, almost toe-headed. His blues were bright though. He reached his grandma and studied the heart. “What’s it say?”

His sister had ‘jumped’ from her swing and sprinted over to the pair.

“That says ‘Orin”.

“It does; is it you or another boy?”

“It’s for Orin,” Allison volunteered. “Charlotte wrote it.”

“Whose Charlotte?”

“She’s his girlfriend!” Allison piped.

Janie raised her eyebrows in surprise. She hadn’t heard of this. She gave him a questioning look.

“You know me, Grandma. I’m not going through this life alone..”

Orin turned and walked over to a gray elephant on a large spring and proceeded to make it jump. The trio spent almost three hours exploring both sides of the playground, the little and big kids’ sides. Allison, thin and even frail looking, but tough as nails, worked her legs as hard as she could to gain some air on the swing. Every so often, when tuckered out, Allison would also ask for a push. Orin, a tad smaller as he was 1 ½ years younger, was happy to let GG push.

The size difference showed more on the teeter totter. Orin couldn’t get Allison off the ground, so Janie held on to the back of his seat and raised it up and lowered it down. Allison’s naturally curly red hair accentuated the bounce when she landed on the ground. Her hazel eyes shone as the teeter totter rose all the way to its greatest height.

First grade:

“Valentine’s Day is coming up. Do you want to buy cards for your classmates?”

“Oh yes!” Allison said. “We’ve made our boxes already! Mine is rectangle with red paper and purple hearts.” She looked at her brother expectantly.

“Mine’s white,” he said. ‘My name is on it. In blue.”

“Okay, then. How fun! How many cards do you need?” With that, Allsion and Orin reached into their respective backpacks for a list of classmates.

“24,” Allsion answered.

“25,” from Orin. The family spent an hour at the store, looking through all the possible cards: Paw Patrol. Disney princesses. kittens and puppies. The Fantastic Four. Shrek. Allison chose kittens and puppies. Orin settled on Paw Patrol. Next came the candy treat to slide into the envelope. Allison picked Skittles and Orin, Dum Dum suckers. Janie bought two bags of each because she thought some treats might disappear while the kids signed all their cards.

Sitting at the table, the children concentrated with all their might to write in their best penmanship. Allison went through her list, one student at a time. She’d tell a story about a student when she came to one that she played with at recess or worked with in class. Orin was more reflective for each and everyone. “Well, Jimmy, Jim, Jimbo, good ol’ Jimmy. Here’s a Dum Dum for you,” he’d say as he signed his name on the inside of the card with Paw Patrol’s Rubble wishing you a Happy Valentine Day. It took a good hour or more to sign all the cards and stuff the candy. Allison finished with her cards quicker than Orin. She began working on a puzzle–“kittens playing in the green grass”.

Finally, Orin came to his last card, but all the names on his class list had been crossed off.

“Why do you have one more than Allison?” Janie asked.

“It’s for Charlotte. She’s in the other classroom this year,” Orin said.

“Awww, do you get to see her much?”

“Yes,” he looked up, pen in hand. “How do you spell Charlotte?”

Allison jumped up to oversee. “C. H. A. R. L. O. T. T. E,” she said slowly, waiting for Orin to finish each letter.

“I see her at recess and lunch,” he picked up 2 suckers. “Can I have a bag of Skittles, Ally?”

“Yes,” she said, still watching her little brother stuff the envelope.

“She calls me her ‘Knight in Shining Armor’.”

“Oh she does?” Janie smiled. “Why is that?”

“ I fix her hair on bad hair days during recess,” Orin answered.

He somehow got all the candy pieces into her envelope. It bulged, and it required a little Scotch tape to secure it, but it stayed shut long enough for delivery to a shoebox wrapped in pale pink paper decorated with hearts and puppy stickers.

Second grade:

“Grandma, can you take me Christmas shopping?” Orin asked seriously.

“You bet. I can take you both shopping,” Janie answered. She had picked the children up for the weekend. “Shall we go now before heading north?”

“Yes, please,” they said together.

“Will Target be a place to start? What are you wanting to buy? Who are you wanting to buy for?”

Allison began listing the gift ideas she had. Some candy bars for two friends in class. A candle for her teacher.

Walking through the parking lot towards the entrance, Janie held her grandchildren’s hands. Allison with a grin swung her arm back and forth. Orin, studying his steps in front of him, took a deep sigh.

“What do you want to get, Orin?”

“I want to get Charlotte a crown.”

“A crown?” Janie stopped in front of the store’s doors to look at Orin. “A crown?”

“Charlotte says she wants to be queen of the world, and I want to help her,” he said matter of factly.

“Is she going to get you a present?”

“I suppose. She calls me her sweet honey babe.”

“She does?” Janie stifled a laugh. Young love is not to be mocked.

“She does,” Ally corroborated. “I’ve heard her.”

“That’s quite a bit of romance for second grade,” Janie noted. Orin shrugged and gave a hard pull on the store’s door. Janie reached over him quickly to help with the heavy door.

Third grade

Children can not only benefit, but also suffer from their adults’ decisions. They suffer in areas and ways that the adults do not even recognize.

Orin and Ally moved at the start of their 3rd grade year. Their classes gave them going away parties. Janie was to drive them from their current school to the new home 600 miles away with their dad. Their little suitcases were packed in the vehicle and treats were waiting for them. Janie waited in the Commons for the counselor to bring the kids out just before the bell would dismiss everyone else. Ally walked ahead carrying ‘remember me bags’ that she and Orin had been given. Janie took Orin’s hand. She looked down to see tears on his cheeks.

“I’m going to miss her,” he whispered. Janie looked back down the hallway from where the kids had come; there was a little girl in a doorway, watching. She had blonde hair pulled back with barrettes. Janie could see her cheeks were wet too.

12 years later

“Certification looks good on you,” Janie gave her grandson a big hug. Without hesitation, he hugged her back. She had seen him frequently since he moved to Kansas, but she had to admit, she was thrilled he had moved back to this area. He had missed his grandmother, his grandparents’ home, a place he could always count on. His sister, Allison, too was finishing a degree in a college just a couple of hours north. The young man, still blond, but now 6’1, had finished his training in technical electrical engineering. He was starting a paid apprenticeship in a week. There was room for advancement with more training if Orin decided he was interested in ‘ugh, more school.”

They, including Allison, had plans to attend their little brothers’ football game in Pine that Friday. The twins, now 16, were 10 and 8 years younger than Allison and Orin and had lived with their bio-dad since birth. Janie had tried hard to make sure the older siblings saw the younger ones as much as possible. Facetime helped. Now that they all lived within a couple hundred miles of each other, it would be easier.

The twin’s town was small, but robust. It boasted three convenience stores, two good cafes and one not so good, a lumber store, a feed store, a bank, and a discount store. And on Friday nights, it had high school sports.

They pulled up into the high school parking lot. It was already getting congested. The Hornets were playing a team just 30 miles to the west tonight, so fans for both teams were plentiful. Earlier, they had stopped by the twins’ house to say ‘hello’, but they still hoped to talk with them after the game.

The three navigated between parked cars and cars trying to park. Janie, walking between Orin on one side and Ally, 5”9, on the other, felt like a proud grandma… because, well, because she was. The years had changed them, but she could still see her little grandbabies in these adults. Ally was softer, kinder. She had finally been able to relax. Orin though, he wasn’t as talkative. Janie thought, deep down, he was as tender as ever, but he’d built a protective shell.

“Should we get drinks and popcorn now?” Janie asked, “It’s filling up fast.” Her grandkids agreed, and they took their place in the concession stand line. Behind the counter were a half dozen or more students, busily adding butter to popcorn, cooking hot dogs and warming buns, filling soda and candy orders, or taking money. A staff sponsor from the back corner was overseeing the students. When it was the trio’s turn to order, Ally gave her order quickly. “What do you want, Orin?” she asked. Upon hearing the name ‘Orin’, the young woman in the corner took notice. Orin took a moment longer to decide. “C’mon, Orin, I’ll split some of my Andes mints if you get some Skittles?”

“A sucker and a Mountain Dew,” he said.

“I’ll get the Skittles,” Janie added to the order.

Half way through the first quarter, the young woman found them in the bleachers. She wore blue jeans, sneakers, and a Hornet staff t-shirt. Her long blonde hair fell around her shoulders and down her back. She sat down next to Orin. She wore a mischievous smile.

“Have we met before?” She asked, and then, “Are you ‘sweet, honey babe’?”

Orin froze. She was taller and filled out for sure, but she still had those compassionate, blue eyes. He was at a loss for words. Ally, however, was not.

“Charlotte?!”

“I would have recognized those red curls anywhere,” Charlotte grinned.

“You’re Charlotte, Queen of the World?” Janie asked before she could stop herself. Charlotte laughed.

“I still have the crown,” she focused on Orin. “What are you all doing here?”

‘Our little brothers are playing.”

“Really? Who?” Charlotte asked.

“Tom and Sam Randall,” Orin answered.

“Oh my, those boys! I have them in class,” Charlotte smiled. “They’re having a good year.”

Charlotte still lived in the area. In fact, she was in her 2nd year of teaching. She taught math and was the freshmen sponsor. Though Ally and Janie joined in the conversation for a bit longer, they turned their attention to the field. This left Orin and Charlotte to catch up in private or as private as a high school football game can be. Sooner than either had expected, the game was over. The stands began to empty. Janie and Ally told Charlotte how good it was to see her. They left the stands together to catch up with the twins.

Janie began to wonder where Orin was. The twins needed to head to the

locker room to shower, but they wanted to say good-bye to their brother too. The parking lot was quickly emptying of cars. Then, Janie noticed Orin and Charlotte slowly walking down the bleacher steps. Both were turned slightly towards the other, one smiling down and the other up.

“Stop, you old romantic,” Janie chided herself. “Just appreciate this fine day and that Orin and Ally met up with an old friend.” Orin and Charlotte stopped when they reached the gravel of the parking lot. Shortly, they embraced. Charlotte walked to her car, and Orin to them. Janie quickly averted her eyes, so she wouldn’t be caught openly spying. Orin stepped up to his GG, his sister, and 2 brothers. Everyone including the sophomore boys played it ‘cool’, not wanting to ask, but wanting to know. Orin did not alleviate their curiosity, but his phone had a new number and he had plans for Saturday night.

“So… Do you have a date with Charlotte?” Allison asked finally on the drive home. She was impatient for details.

“I do,” he said.

“How exciting! A first date after all these years,” said Janie.

Maybe not a first date,“ he pondered. “... maybe picking up where we left off.”

“Bring flowers,” Alli said.