Part Nine:  Of Wolves and Chihuahuas

We left Phil standing at the front door of the Springinton house.  He had expected to be greeted by Mrs. Springinton, but was surprised when a much younger woman opened the door.  Almost speechless, Phil at last managed to ask the woman, “Where did you come from?”  to which she replied:

“The kitchen.”

“Oh.  I guess that was kind of silly of me.  What I meant was, I only left the house a little while ago, and Mrs. Springington said everyone else was out .  You sort of surprised me”

“I just got back a few minutes  ago.  Mother’s in the kitchen too.  Do you wish to speak to her?”

“If Mrs. Springinton is your mother, does that make you  Mary Elizabeth’s mother?”

“No, my sister is Mary Elizabeth’s mother.  I’m her aunt.  Alice is my name.  Won’t you come in, Mister..?”

“Well, to tell you the truth, that’s part of the reason I came back;  to tell your mother my real name.  You see, when I was here earlier I used a phony name.  The other reason is to return Mary Elizabeth’s mitten.  She must have dropped it outside when we were talking with Officer Carson.”

“Oh, then you must be that nice Mr. Webster mother was telling me about, the one who thought Mary Elizabeth was sick and wanted to build a snowman to cheer her up?”

“Yes, at least that’s the name I told your mother.  It’s a pleasure to meet you Miss Springinton.  Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas. Just call me Alice.”

“My name’s Phil.”

“Come on in Phil.  Mother and I were just getting dinner ready.”

“Before we go in Alice, I want to say that I think your mother is one of the most wonderful persons I’ve ever met.  That’s why I want to come and confess that I didn’t use my real name earlier.  I wouldn’t want her to think poorly of me.”

“That’s awfully nice of you to say so Phil.  Just for the record, I think she’s pretty wonderful too.  Shall we go in?”

“Sure.”

“Hello Mother, look who’s back.”

“Why, Mister Webster.  I’m so glad to see you.  After you left earlier, it dawned on me that a single man like you,  just moved into a new house the night before Christmas Eve, you probably haven’t any place to have a nice dinner.  Won’t you share our meal with us? If your friend Mr,  Elliott has no plans, we would love to have him join us too.”

“Thank you Mrs. Springinton.  I haven’t any plans for Christmas Eve, that’s very kind of you.  But before I put you in the spot of having to change your mind, there’s something I need to tell you .  It’s about me, something I did.”

“My goodness, this sounds serious.  Did you rob a bank or something?”

“Well, no, nothing that bad.  But I did lie to you earlier Mrs. Springington, and I regret doing it.  I feel terrible, and I want to tell you how sorry I am.”

“You needn’t feel terrible Mr, Webster.  After all, you’re here now making a clean breast of it.  What did you tell me that was so bad?”

“You just said it  Mrs. Springington, my name.  My name isn’t really Phil Webster.”

“Oh dear, and I already decorated a cookie with your name on it.  I know, there’s young Phillip Flannigan down the street, he always stops by for cookies on Christmas day, I’ll set that one aside for him.”

“No Mrs. Springington, that part of my name is real.  My first name really is Phil.”

“Oh, well here’s a cookie with your name on it.  You might want to save it until after dinner.”

“Thank you Mrs. Springington.  It’s my last name that I lied to you about.  My last name isn’t Webster, it’s Wellbright.”

“I like Webster, but Wellbright is nice too.  It sounds, well, well and light, as in the opposite of dark.  Well-bright!  Very nice to meet you again Mr.  Wellbright.  won’t you have dinner with us?”

“This is very kind of you Mrs. Springinton.   I’m kind of surpised you seem to  be taking this  so lightly.”

“Oh, I don’t take lying lightly Mr. Wellbright.  Lying is a very serious matter.  Just because I’m not stomping my feet and lecturing you doesn’t mean I don’t take lying seriously.  But you’ve already confessed what you did and said you were sorry for it. ”

“Then  you’re not angry with me for giving you a false name earlier?”

“Angry?  No, not at all.”

“Nor disappointed?”

“Good heavens no.  You meant me no harm by saying your name was Phillip Webster when really it is Phillip Wellbright, did you , Mr. Wellbright?’

“Please, call me Phil.”

“I will, thank you.  Did you Phil?”

“Did I what?”

“Did you mean me any harm by saying your name was Phillip Webster?”

“No, of course not.”

“Did you mean anyone any harm?”

“No.”

“Were you giving a false name to avoid being recognized by Officer Carson and perhaps being arrested for some previous crime you had committed?”

“No.  As far as I know I’ve got a clean record.”

“There you see?  You recognized that what you had done was wrong, you’ve admitted it to the people affected by your decision, no one was harmed, and now there is no longer any reason for you to feel bad about it.”

“I haven’t told Officer Carson yet.  He still thinks my name is Webster.”

“Hmm.  You’ll just have to tell him later.  In the meantime, in case he finds out, I’ll vouch for you.  Any way, what I’m trying to say is I accept your apology and I forgive you for introducing yourself under a false name.”

“I really don’t know what to say Mrs. Springinton.  You’ve been so kind, and we only met just today.  How can I thank you?”

“You can thank me by taking off that orange jumpsuit and helping set the table for dinner.   After that, if it makes you feel better, I will be glad to listen to your reason for wanting to conceal your true identity.  Alice, will you take those coveralls from Mr.  Wellbright and hang them in the front closet.  I hope we won’t be needing them any more today.  Phil, you can use one of my husband’s coats until you get some winter clothes of you own.”

Alice and Phil walked toward the front closet.

“Let me help you with that Phil, these things can be a bear to get out of if you don’t want to lose your balance.”

“Thanks Alice.  Your mother sure is something.  Is your whole family as sweet as she is?”

“Let’s see, you’ve already met Mary Elizabeth.  What did you think of her?”

“She’s a swell kid.”

“Then there’s Dad, and my sister Celia, and my brother-in-law Robert.  I think I can safely say they’re all pretty wonderful too.  I guess that’s the lot.”

“You forgot one.”

“I did? Who?”

“Yourself.

“Me?  I’m just Alice.  Besides, how would it sound if I spoke of myself as being one of a group of such wonderful people?  Why, that would be  boastful of me.”

“It wouldn’t be boastful if somebody else said it.”

“That’s true, but somebody else hardly knows me.”

“You’re right.  I’m sorry, I must have sounded like a real smooth wolf.  I don’t usually say things like that, honest.”

“It’s all right, Phil.”

“You believe me?  That I wasn’t just trying to flatter you, you know, to get in good?”

“I believe you.”

“See, already you’re convincing me that you are wonderful.  At this rate I will know  you well enough  to say it by the time dinner is over”

“Before you give me too much credit, I have a secret to tell you.”

“A secret?  Should we whisper?”

“Nothing mysterious, just something I know.   So you’re Phillip Wellbright, the renowned and talented young artist who dropped out of sight a month or so ago?”

“Oh, so you know all about me?”

“Yes, or to put it more accurately, a friend of mine knows all about you, and she told me earlier today.  That’s why I believe you weren’t flattering me just now.”

“I don’t get it.”

“Do you remember the girl you met at The Glass Slipper last night?”

“You mean Olivia?  The art student?”

“That’s right, Olivia.  She knew who you were all along.  They even had a section on you in one of her courses.  Olivia and I are old friends.  She told me how nice you were, and how you weren’t like so many other men, you know, on the prowl.  She said you remind her of a nice, shy boy she went to school with.”

“Can you imagine that?”

“So I figure if you can sit face to face with a girl as pretty as Olivia in a setting like The Glass Slipper  and not even try to maneuver into a position to make a pass, you’re no wolf, brother.”

“Thanks Alice, but don’t sell yourself short: you’re not exactly a pain to look at yourself.”

“Simmer down , or I’ll have to take back what I said about you not being a wolf.”

“About that Alice, I haven’t always been like that kid your friend Olivia went to school with, you know, shy and all,  I–”

“Excuse me Phil,  look at that man bounding up the front walk.  Is that your friend Mr. Elliott?”

“That’s Frankie all right.  Say, what’s that sticking out of his jumpsuit?”

“It looks like a dog.”

“Sure must be a tiny one.”

“Here he comes, I’ll open the door and we’ll find out.”

“Hello Frankie.  How did it go with Mr. and Mrs. Gordon?”

“Great Curly.  They were very understanding and forgave everything.  I’m glad you talked me into telling them I was sorry.  And look what they gave me!”

“We were just wondering about that when we saw you through the window.  Frankie, this is Alice Springington.  Alice, this is Frankie Elliott.”

“Merry Christmas Mr. Elliott.  won’t you and your shivering friend come in?”

“I don’t think he can be shivering from cold already.  Mr. and Mrs Gordon told me they shake like that sometimes.”

“Why don’t you unbutton him Frankie, so we can get a look?”

“Okay, Okay,  just a second.”

“Here. Mr. Elliott, let me help you off with that jumpsuit.  We finally just separated Phil from his.”

“Thanks Miss Springinton.  That feels a lot better.  Say hello, little fellow.”

“Oh Phil, it’s a Chihuahua.  He’s adorable.”

“Isn’t he though.  You better wait in here Frankie till we find out if it’s all right with Mrs. Springinton to bring him into the house.”

“Mother won’t mind, she loves animals.  Come on into the kitchen, Mr. Elliott….Mother, Mr. Elliott is back, and look who he brought with him.”

“Mr. Elliott, I’m so glad to see you again, and look,  a Chihuahua!  You must have been over to the Gordon’s house.”

“Yes, and what nice people they are.  Everybody, I would like you to meet  Regalo .”

“Regalo, that’s Spanish for gift.”

“Do you speak Spanish,  Phil?”

“Sure,  Mrs. Springinton,  where I grew up in Arizona, a lot of my friends and neighbors speak both English and Spanish; and for the one’s who are having a hard time learning English, I figured it would help them learn faster if I also spoke a little Spanish.  So Frankie, tell us how the Gordons happened to give you Regalo.”

“Sure Curly, it’s like this.  It seems there is this young couple who got him as a puppy right after they were married a couple of years ago.  Well, about a year later they had twins, and now the kids are walking around,  and the couple is afraid Regalo here might get hurt.  You know how toddlers grab onto things and don’t let go.”

“I know Frankie, but I’m surprised you know it too.”

“You’re not the only one with nieces and nephews, Curly.  Sometimes I wonder how this nose and these ears have survived being around those kids and still stayed attached to my face.  Anyway, so  this couple asked Mr. Gordon to find Regalo a new home, one without twin toddlers.  His name means gift does it?  What a perfect name for him!  Regalo and I are like old pals already, aren’t we little buddy?  And now, Mrs. Springinton, earlier today didn’t I hear you say something about a piano?”

“Yes, it’s right there in the other room.  Do you play, Mr. Elliott?”

“I do and I shall, if no one objects.  I believe you had requested As Time Goes By?”

“You’ll play that for me!  Oh, this is wonderful.  Oh, look at you with Regalo, the tiny Chihuahua.  If only we had a violin,  it would be just like having Xavier Cugat play for us.  You’ll stay for dinner, won’t you Mr. Elliott?”

“I’ll stay if you can put up with me that long.  Warm up your voices folks, ’cause after this I’m playing Jingle Bells!” 

To be continued…