Mother’s Worry
Ruth is concerned about her son. It’s his first year at Hogwarts, and he’s a sullen boy with a poor capacity for social interactions. It’s been so bad that he’s begun even to fight against casual touches from herself and Josiah. It certainly hurt her when he said, “Mother!! I don’t want to be hugged anymore!!” and stuck to the decree since he was eight and a half years old.
The letters she gets from him in the post, though… he is not an expressive boy, but she gets the feeling he misses her.
Dear Mother,
The food here is bad. The people are worse.
Charlie
That’s the standard. Until… a month in…
Dear Mother,
I am okay. I am still eating. Thandi feeds me her mushrooms so I give her my mushrooms to trade. She says hello. I don’t like the candles here. Electricity should be a thing.
Charlie
Who is Thandi? Is she a friend? She must be? Ruth writes back asking him to describe the girl, eager to learn more. Could it be that her boy made his first friend at last?
Dear Mother,
I am not friends with Thandi. She is very needy and quiet and she needs me to keep away distractions. I told her I am an expert in keeping people away. She is fluffy.
Charlie
Fluffy? Come now, Charlie! Ruth finds herself tapping her fingers madly on the tabletop, her partner pausing in his book to study her face. It’s a rare moment of real downtime for them both and it’s filled with anxiety over their son!
“Ruthy. Is it about Charlie? I’m sure he will be thrilled when he finds out that he no longer has to face that creature you called a husband any longer.”
She purses her lips as her eyes meet Josiah’s. Charlie does so resemble the man. Ruth has suspected in the past that Byron is aware of the fact… which would explain his harsh treatment of Charlie. Aah… it complicates things so!
“Josiah, if you had to describe me succinctly, with your cover, what would you say?”
“I would say that that is perhaps the poorest disguise for a fished compliment I’ve ever heard from you.”
“Josiah!”
“Hmm.” His eyes flick away and he angles his chin in that certain way he does, radiating passive nonchalance. “A dependable woman with needs that I am essential for. Quiet, noble, and aristocratic. A beautiful woman with a rear end that all should envy.”
It sends her into a laughing fit as she thumps his shoulder, summoning from him quiet laughter. “You dog!” His grin, crooked and sweet, makes her unease rest. “I ask because Charlie has been mentioning this Thandi girl quite a lot. From what I’ve gathered, he’s very close to her… very close.”
“Close like you and I were?”
“Glue, Josiah.” She holds the letter in front of her to read aloud for him, laughing when she reads, “‘She is fluffy’.”
“I see. A step at last. Let’s video call them. I heard that they are working on extending a new network through so they don’t need to use the muggle internet.” He rolls his eyes at the thought. “As if Google is going to decimate the culture of reading forty books to find the specific line you need to quote and credit.”
“I don’t miss that, dearest, not a cent. I’m thankful that we came in when we did, though.” Ruth reaches out to scratch Josiah’s beard. He smiles at her as she does this. It’s still novel to be open with her affection towards him. “Aaah. Do you suppose he learned it from us? Keeping such things secret.”
“He’s always been clever in the strangest ways. We’ll keep an eye on him. Don’t you worry yourself, Ruthy, and sit. Drink the tea I made you.”
She gives him a peck, soft lips on rough, and finally relaxes. Her son… their son… will be fine.