Once in a Lifetime

 

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

 

 

 

Claudia sighed and pushed her plate of food away. "Why do I have to

baby-sit?" she whined.

 

"Because you're the oldest, and we trust you with the guest's kids,

okay?" Her mother replied, throwing another batch of bacon on the

grill. "You'll only have your brothers, and two others."

 

"ONLY?!" Claudia cried. "Oh, yeah, thanks."

 

"Claudia Jean, I don't have to tell you that the winery isn't doing well

financially, and your father needs to do this to keep us in business."

 

"I wouldn't have such a problem with it if you would keep your promise

and pay me when the adventure is over," Claudia muttered, taking a drink

of her juice. "I'm going outside."

 

"They arrive this afternoon."

 

"And unless you pay me, FORGET IT," Claudia said, pushing away from the

table.

 

Lilian Cregg watched as Claudia got up from the table and literally

looked down at her as she walked away. At nearly 6 feet tall she was a

good half a foot taller than her mother.

 

"I'll be on the porch, if you find any more jobs for me to do" said

Claudia sarcastically as she yanked the screen door opened and stormed

outside.

 

Lilian stood in the doorway and watched as her daughter settled down on

the porch swing, her long legs pushing her with much more force than

needed to get the swing going. She sighed to herself and wished that

things could be easier on Claudia. The vineyard was in trouble and the

family had decided to open up some of the rooms to guests. As a result

of the financial situation some of the staff had been let go and Lilian

had been forced to take on a large amount of work. And in turn Claudia

had gotten more jobs around the vineyard, including babysitting.

 

At 15 years old, working with her family wasn't exactly high on Claudia

Jean Cregg's list of exciting ways to spend her summer.

 

Her parents had already told her she couldn't go to the lake with her

best friend, because she had to help harvest the grapes.

 

It just wasn't fair.

 

She was the one everyone fell back on when they needed to take a break,

and she was sick of it. "I'm going to the garage," she yelled at her

mother through the screen door.

 

She went out to the garage, where she was studying the anatomy of phones

in her spare time -- not to mention getting knowledge out of destroying

things they didn't need anymore, anyway.

 

She grabbed a screwdriver from the workbench and started to take apart

the receiver from the old kitchen phone. Within minutes she heard the

unmistakable sound of four little feet approaching the garage. Her

brothers Ben and Peter had the uncanny ability to find her when she

didn't want to be found. Ben was 8 years old, tall and thin like his

sister but with his father's blond hair. Peter was almost 5 and a

redhead like his mom and sister.

 

"Whatcha doing, Claudie?" asked Peter as he climbed up onto the stool

next to his sister.

 

"Nothin" muttered Claudia as she pushed back a strand of reddish hair

that had escaped her braids.

 

"Why're ya doin' that to the phone?"

 

"Because I feel like it."

 

"Oh. You're mad again," he pointed out.

 

"Yeah."

 

"Did I do it?"

 

"Nope."

 

"Okay."

 

"Guess you're stuck babysitting again today?" asked Ben as he pulled his

bike out and sat on it.

 

"Yep, and the two of you had better behave. I have two more kids too"

 

"Why do people have to come stay with us" muttered Ben.

 

"Cause we need the money" sighed Claudia.

 

"Claudie, are we going to have to go live in the poor house" asked Peter

with his 4-year-old innocence.

 

"Peter, where did hear that?"

 

"On TV"

 

"No we are not going to live in the poor house," said Claudia as she

hopped off the stool and held out her hand to Peter. "Let's get your

bike out and take off the training wheels. We have a couple of hours

until the guests get here. We might as well have fun while we can"

 

"Yeah," Peter agreed. "They may have GIRLS with them."

 

Ben made a face, and scowled. "Claudie, will they have girls?"

 

"I dunno -- how come you don't mind me being a girl?" she asked as they

left the garage.

 

"'Cuz you're just Claudie, you're not a girl."

 

Claudia laughed at the logic.

 

She spent the next hour and a half helping Peter learn to ride a

two-wheeler on the grass in front of the house. He was doing pretty

well when he mother stepped out on the porch and called for them to come

in and get ready for the guests.

 

Claudia reluctantly dragged herself into the house, changed her clothes,

redid her braids and spent a long time looking in the mirror. She wasn't

exactly happy with the reflection she saw. She saw a tall, awkward girl

with reddish braids, braces and glasses. She sighed as she heard her

mother call her to come help in the kitchen.

 

Claudia went downstairs to help make the fresh lemonade and muffins that

were their hallmark greetings treats for their guests. "I hate this,"

she muttered, shoving the muffin tin in the oven and slamming the door.

 

Her mother was already out on the front porch, waiting, but she heard

the crash and came back inside. "Claudia, what on..."

 

"The door stuck and slammed," Claudia said, voice tinged with pure

innocence.

 

Peter and Ben snickered in the dining room.

 

Lilian just sighed and turned to go back to the front porch.

 

Claudia sat at the kitchen counter watching the timer count down the

minutes until she could take the muffins out of the oven. Just as she

was pulling them out of the oven she heard a car pull up. She put the

muffins in the basket, covered them with a clean white cloth and put

them on the table.

 

Peeking out the window over the sink she saw the latest group of guests

pile out of a yellow station wagon. Two couples and two kids, both

girls. One looked about 2 and the other about 7 or 8. The adults

looked normal enough, in her opinion, at least. She watched as they

unloaded their luggage and set it on the front porch. Smoothing down

her hair, she opened the front door with a plastered on smile and let

her father introduce her.

 

"Claudia, these are our guests, Mr. and Mrs. McGarry and their daughter

Mallory," said Thomas Cregg as he pointed to the couple with the younger

girl. "And Mr. and Mrs. Bartlet and their daughter Elizabeth".

 

"Pleased to meet you" said Claudia in the most polite voice she could

manage.

 

"So you'll be baby-sitting?" Mrs. McGarry asked with an artificially

kind voice that made Claudia wince.

 

"Yes, ma'am," she responded as politely as she could.

 

"Good," Mr. McGarry commented, nudging Jenny. "Let me take you to the

side and give you Mally's special instructions now, so you can get used

to them before Jenny gets angry because you've forgotten some obscure

thing." He glared at his wife.

 

"Sounds like you had a rough ride," Lilian commented. "Why don't you

all come inside and have some warm muffins and cold lemonade? Boys,

will you please go inside and get some glasses out of the cabinet for

the girls?"

 

"Yes, mom." answered the boys as they held open the door for their

guests. Mr. McGarry and Claudia stayed on the porch. He motioned for

Claudia to sit down.

 

"I'm sorry about my wife. It was a long trip"

 

"That's ok, sir, I understand."

 

"Please, don't call me sir" he smiled. "Leo is fine. I'm sorry, what

was your name again?"

 

"Claudia"

 

"That's a nice name"

 

"Not really" she said with a sigh.

 

"I like it."

 

"So one of us does," she said with a shrug. "Anyway, you said your

daughter has 'special instructions'? What's that supposed to mean?"

 

"She's allergic to cow's milk, and a couple other things, but just

mainly, I think I wanted to save you from Jenny's wrath." He laughed a

little too loud for Claudia's taste, and she edged away a little.

 

"Okay," she said, looking at him a little suspiciously. "Want me to go

inside and get you something to drink?" she asked.

 

"No thanks, I'll go inside in a few minutes. Here's the list of

instructions for Mally" he said as he pulled a piece of yellow paper out

of his shirt pocket.

 

Claudia took it, read it quickly and put it in the pocket of her

shorts. She stood up and opened the front door. Leo followed her and

she had to hold back a giggle when she realized she towered over him by

at least 5 inches. In fact, she noticed that she towered over all of

the guests by at least that amount.

 

"Must be visiting from munchkin land," she muttered to herself as she

walked into the house.

 

When she got to the kitchen Mr. and Mrs. Bartlet were at the table with

her parents, her brothers and Elizabeth were on the stools at the

counter and Mally was in her mother's lap. Mr. Bartlet was going on and

on about some obscure facts about grapes and winemaking.

 

"Looks like a long week" she mumbled under her breath.

 

"What was that dear?" asked Lilian.

 

"Nothing, Mom, just talking to myself"

 

Lilian raised an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes in warning. "Claudia,

dear, will you go get a bottle of merlot out of the cellar and put it in

the fridge?" she asked with a smile.

 

Claudia inhaled sharply and nodded. There were times you didn't cross

her mother, and this was one of them.

 

She made her way down to the cellar and grabbed the bottle of wine. As

she was turning to go back up she heard a set of heavy footsteps on the

stairs. She heard Leo's voice calling to her.

 

"Over here Mr. Mc..sorry, Leo" she yelled.

 

"Your mom said it was ok to come down and take a look around. Hey, this

is great"

 

"I guess, if you like dark dusty spaces," said Claudia with a shrug of

her shoulders.

 

He chuckled. "You don't like it much, I take it?"

 

"I've grown up here. I used to play hide and seek down here with my

friends. No big deal." She smirked. "There's a ghost, though."

 

"Ooh, scary."

 

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, please, whatever." She pushed past him

with the bottle of wine in her hands and headed for the stairs.

 

Claudia deposited the wine in the fridge and was closing the door as a

pair of little arms wound their way around her legs. She looked down to

find Mallory looking up at her with a big grin. As much as Claudia

hated being the designated babysitter she did love little kids. She

bent down and picked up Mally.

 

"You wanna go play outside?"

 

Mallory nodded her head with a great deal of enthusiasm.

 

"Mom, I'm taking the kids outside. Come on guys, bring Elizabeth with

you." she called over her shoulder.

 

"I don't want to go outside," Elizabeth said with as much dignity as she

could muster, considering she had just dumped lemonade accidentally down

her front.

 

"Okay... Mom?" Claudia asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

"Elizabeth, would you like to help me make dinner while your parents

look around?" Lilian asked.

 

"No, I want to stay with Daddy," Elizabeth insisted.

 

"That's fine." said Lilian as she motioned for Claudia to go outside

with the kids.

 

Thomas took the guests on a quick tour of the vineyard and the house

while Lilian started dinner.

 

Claudia had taken the kids outside and let them play on the tire swing

in the backyard. She was distractedly pushing Mally and daydreaming

about having a normal family and a normal life when she saw her father

and the guests round the corner of the house and walk towards her.

 

"No, she's not real thrilled about helping out, but she's 15, she's not

thrilled about anything that involves her family" she heard he father

tell them.

 

With a roll of her eyes and a sigh she turned towards them just as the

swing came back towards her. Ben screamed but not in time. The swing

hit her in the shoulder with enough force to knock her down and knock

the wind out of her.

 

She hit her head on the ground, and lay there, dazed. Mallory got off

of the swing and came down to kiss her on the cheek, even though she

wasn't really responsive.

 

"Claudia, open your eyes," Mrs. Bartlet ordered. "Come on, honey, open

your eyes..."

 

Claudia opened her eyes slowly and said, "I'm just gonna... lie here...

for a minute..."

 

That brought a chorus of laughs from the group.

 

"That's a good idea, sweetie" said her father as he straightened out her

glasses.

 

After a minute Leo and her dad helped her stand up and walked her to the

front porch and settled her in the wicker rocker. Her mother went in to

get her a drink. Mrs. Barlet hovered around her for a minute before

sitting down next to her.

 

"I'm okay," Claudia insisted. She grunted when Mallory came running up

and plopped down into her lap.

 

"Cauda?" she said.

 

Claudia looked confused. "Huh?"

 

"I think she's trying to say Claudia," Thomas said.

 

"Oh. What, Mallory?"

 

"Sowwy."

 

"It's okay, kidlet." Claudia smiled.

 

"Cauda?"

 

"Yeah?"

 

"Your name's hard."

 

"Yeah."

 

Leo had watched this exchange from where he was sitting on the porch

railing.

 

"She has a little trouble with her R's and her L's." he explained.

 

"Oh" said Claudia as she began to rock Mallory in her lap.

 

"So what's your middle name?" asked Leo with a smile.

 

"Jean, but please don't tell me you like that too" she smirked.

 

"OK, I won't"

 

She rolled her eyes. "Well, y'know, I don't like it, so..."

 

"CJ."

 

"Huh?"

 

"She can say that, can't you, Mally?"

 

"Say wha?" Mallory asked sleepily.

 

"CJ."

 

"CJ," she repeated. She looked up at Claudia. "You're CJ, 'kay?"

 

"Okay," Claudia said with a smile.

 

By dinnertime her brothers had also taken to calling her CJ and that was

fine with her. She helped her mother get the meal on the table and then

took a seat between Mallory and Peter. Usually she detested eating with

the guests but these people were different from most of the others.

Most of their other guests were rich, stuck up people looking forward to

being waited on hand and foot. But these people struck her as something

else entirely.

 

Especially when Jed and Leo helped serve the food, allowing her to sit

down and relax for a minute before Mallory chucked a muffin her way to

show appreciation.

 

CJ sighed and stripped butter out of her hair. She couldn't quite get

it out of her braids, so she undid the ends and let it fall so she could

get the rest out.

 

"You have beautiful hair," Abbey commented with a smile.

 

"Thanks" she said shyly. "I usually just braid it, it's easier to keep

out of my face that way"

 

"Yeah especially when she's in the garage taking things apart" added

Ben.

 

"Benjamin" whined CJ.

 

"So what do you take apart in the garage?" asked Jed.

 

"Phones, radios, stuff like that."

 

"Ever get the stuff back together?"

 

"Sure"

 

"That's better than you do," said Abbey, teasing her husband.

 

"Daddy's a little klutzy," explained Liz.

 

"Hey" cried Jed.

 

Claudia chuckled. "Hey, it's okay," she said with a shy smile. "I'm

pretty klutzy, too."

 

"She falls into things," Peter added. CJ smacked him upside the head so

his face wound up in the soup bowl. "HEY!" he yelled.

 

"Claudia Jean, please stop doing that," Lilian sighed, cringing.

 

"As soon as he stops selling me out as a klutz, I will," CJ snapped. "I

can take care of that well enough, myself, thank you!"

 

"Claudia, please go to your room until you can be civil," Thomas said in

his sternest fatherly tone.

 

CJ stood up, turned to her guests and spoke quietly before leaving the

room. "I'm sorry."

 

The rest of the meal was spent in relative silence. When she heard the

sounds of everyone leaving the table CJ crept down the back stairs and

went into the kitchen. Her mother was bringing the dirty dishes in from

the dining room. CJ silently went to work at the sink. While she

worked she dreamed of a life away from the vineyard, somewhere where she

could live out her life long dreams. But being only 15 she didn't

really have any life long dreams, yet.

 

A little hand tugged on her shorts. "CJ?" Mallory said.

 

"Yeah, kiddo?" Claudia said, turning around.

 

"Read me story?"

 

CJ smiled. "When I get done with the dishes, okay?"

 

"The Three Bears?"

 

"Sure!"

 

Ten minutes later Mallory was on the front porch swing in her pajamas

and wrapped up in an old quilt. CJ was next to her reading The Three

Bears.

 

CJ looked up as she saw Leo come out the front door with a glass of wine

in his hand. He sat down on the steps and looked out over the

vineyard. CJ went back to reading the story until Mallory fell asleep.

 

"You like the wine?" CJ asked Leo, twirling her hair back into a bun so

she could carry Mallory back inside and not have it get in the way.

 

"Yeah, it's very good."

 

"Good." She picked Mallory up and headed for the door.

 

"I think Jenny's in our room" yelled Leo over his shoulder.

 

CJ deposited Mallory into Jenny's arms and went back downstairs. As she

passed through the kitchen she noticed Leo had left the bottle of wine

out on the table. She grabbed it and went back out to the porch.

 

"Here, thought you might want some more" she said shyly.

 

"Thanks. So you *off duty* now?" he asked as he poured himself another

glass of wine.

 

"Yeah. Mom is tucking the boys into bed"

 

He nodded. "Sit down?" he requested. "So... you take apart phones and

stuff?"

 

"When I get mad, yeah." She shrugged, frowning. "It seems more

constructive than clocking somebody."

 

"Yeah," he agreed. "I used to clock 'em."

 

She laughed. "No wonder your hands are all gnarly.&