Raymond Visits Alone....
Raymond had headed to the Park, Dear Readers, hoping to find Renee and Mademoiselle O'Malley, her Nanny, visiting with the birds as usual even though it was such a cold and gloomy day. He found the Park was empty. Not even the birds were strutting around in search of crumbs. It suited his mood perfectly. He was feeling sorry for himself. He felt abandoned and shut out of Renee's life. Even after what was it... only five days since Mademoiselle O'Malley had been hired to be the new nanny?
He was in the habit of visiting Renee every day just to give her nanny a break. Gabrielle had seemed to know that it mattered more to Raymond that he had time with Renee, than that she needed a break. Renee was not a difficult child to care for. And Raymond had been caring for her ever since she was left in his Office when she was an infant, even though Madame had always hired the nannies. He always checked on her and made sure she had what she needed. None of the other nannies had minded. They were happy to let him"give them a break". But Mademoiselle O'Malley was different.
He absent-mindedly tossed the bread crumbs he had brought for the birds.
Perhaps they would show up if there was food, he thought.
Although, without Renee there...
it was not so much fun to feed them.
The worst of it was that he knew he had no rights to Renee at all.
She was not his child. She was no relation to him at all!
He was only the Lawyer to her Grandparents, and had known the family all his life.
It was just that when Renee's mother had decided that
she would not keep her child after all, she left her at the Lawyer's Office.
And because the Grandparents had been away overseas at the time,
he had ended up taking care of her for more than a week
until they could return home and claim her.
He had bonded with baby Renee and loved her as if she were his own child.
The real problem was that the new nanny was Renee's natural mother,
even though Renee did not know.
Madame had hired her in order to keep her
from taking Renee away from them....
and to his great embarrassment, they, the Lawyers
had not had her sign the adoption papers
before she left the child with them all those years ago.
She probably could take Renee and it would not be illegal!
He wanted to hate her, Mademoiselle O'Malley, that was,
but he knew he was being unfair.
Even after just five days it was very clear that she was good for Renee.
She did things with Renee, and Renee was happier than he'd ever seen her.
He hated to think that he was being jealous.
He had never been jealous of anyone before
and it was a very uncomfortable feeling.
Just then his phone rang and he answered it right away.
"Good morning, sister ..." he said... "You are calling early!"
"Hey, brother of mine," said Fleur cheerfully,
"I am out in my garden to gather some flowers for the shop...
Gabrielle is seeing that Juliet is ready for school!
I am loving having Gabrielle to help!"
And I am just dying to know how how our Daphne
is working out as Renee's nanny!" she declared.
"I was so shocked to learn she is Renee's mother!" she added earnestly.
"She is a veritable paragon... " he replied snidely,
and immediately felt chagrined.
"I want to hate her..." he added despairingly,
"but she is very good with Renee...
so I have to admit she is admirable" he added reluctantly.
"And is this a bad thing, dear brother...?"
Fleur asked, surprised at his attitude.
"Madame only hired her to keep an eye on her..." he said,
"but I warned her it was a very bad precedent to set...
it will be impossible to fire her!
But Madame was afraid she would take Renee away,
so there was no reasoning with her" he added.
"Do you really think Daphne would take her away..."
asked Fleur incredulously?
"That's the problem..." he said, annoyed.
"I just don't trust her" he added flatly.
"But she's very kind to Monsieur too,
so I doubt she'd take Renee away" he said glumly.
"Well, dear brother," said Fleur, "clearly she has upset you..."
"She's just too perfect" he said, annoyed.
"They all think she's just wonderful...
nobody can be so perfect..!" he added.
"They act like she's an angel.... she's so serene,
she even looks like one with all that fiery hair...." he added
dismayed at how much he had said.
"She doesn't let me have any time with Renee..." he added sadly.
"I haven't seen her in days."
"Oh, dear!" declared Fleur.
"Not at all?" she added, surprised.
"Well, apparently, I can trot along behind them
like a good little boy, if I want to..." he said sarcastically.
"It doesn't feel right. I'm not feeling at all like a good little boy" he added.
"I told you, I want to hate her.
I have hated her for years for abandoning her child!
You know that!" he declared angrily.
"Now we have to welcome her into the family
and let Renee love her!"
"Oh, dear!" said Fleur heaving a big sigh.
"I am afraid you've got it bad, dear brother she added" cryptically.
"Got What..!?" he demanded, annoyed.
"I think you really love her too," said Fleur smiling...
"But you can't admit it" she added.
"I'm not surprised. Our Daphne is very sweet and lovable.
Everyone who knows her loves her" she added.
"What..?" declared Raymond appalled.
"You have got to be nuts, sister mine..." he said.
"Haven't you been listening to me?" he added.
"Of course, I have!" declared Fleur.
"I think you are head over toes in love with her!
I think you should just marry her....
and then Renee would have a family at last" she added.
"You're not helping, Fleur," he said.
"That's the craziest idea I've ever heard!" he declared.
"Yeah, yeah, of course you do....
it's as clear as day!" she added.
"Look, I gotta go... I have to get Juliet to school...
but let me know how it goes!"
she called as she hung up.
"Let her know how it goes...?" he thought, puzzled.
Why did his sister think love solved everything?!
Besides, he wasn't in love.
Sure, he loved Renee absolutely.
But marry her mother? That was madness!
But he stood there for quite a while, staring off into space.
Clearly he was going to have to do something.
He wasn't going to just let Renee disappear from his life.
But what could he do?
Well, Dear Readers, I hope you haven't minded spending
such a gloomy day in the Park after all,
At least the birds joined Raymond in his solitary vigil,
although he didn't seem to notice them at all!
To Those Dear Readers who have only recently joined this blog, I apologize for the very disorganized progress of this story. It began in August of 2013 and has already had somewhere around thirty episodes scattered through the years. I have found it impossible to keep it organized... and finishing it is always another story... If you are really interested you can find most of it under "Daphne's Story" in the labels section....
