Two Guardians for Little May (24 page)

"Sniggle? Like in catching an eel?" Sri
looked confused.

"No! Like in snickering and giggling at the
same time. I like to make up my own words."

 
"You are adorable. Okay, here we go.
When I was a little girl, my mother used to tell me stories from the album of
Panchatantra. They always had a meaning of some sort, much like the parables
and fairy tales told to children in your culture. For some reason, this was one
of my favorites. Not because it's a particularly exciting or happy story, but
because it made an impact on me and helped me look differently at my
life," Sri said, snuggling next to May on the bed.

"Once upon a time, there lived a bird
named Bharunda, who lived on a huge Banyan tree along the bank of a powerful
river. He stayed to himself because, unlike other birds, he had two necks and
two heads. These heads, though, shared a stomach. Much like your boys and how
they share you, yes?"

"Uh huh," May nodded, enthralled.
"How come the bird didn't have two names, though?"

"That question goes forever unanswered, my
darling. Maybe because the heads were so alike that no one could tell them
apart."

"I can tell Layton and Caine apart,
easy."

"Can you? Which one loves you more?"

"They both love me the same. You can't
compare." May looked confused.

"Exactly. Their heads are identical when
it comes to the love they share for you. Understand?"

"Ohhh…"

"So, one day, Bharunda was wandering on
the banks of the lake and found a delicious looking golden-red fruit. One of
the two heads said, 'Oh, what a fruit! I am sure the heavens have sent it just
for me. I am so lucky!'" May giggled as Sri exaggerated her accent.
"He started eating the fruit with immense pleasure, all the while
exclaiming that it was the most delicious fruit he had ever eaten.
Hearing
this, the other head said, 'Oh, dear brother, let me also taste the fruit you
are praising so much.'"

"I can't ever imagine the boys talking
like that. Layton would not ask, he would just take it," May giggled.

"I am certain he would," Sri laughed,
kissing the top of her head. "Just remember that this story isn't about
your boys. It is about human nature, and teaches us about our carnal desires.
If we
know about
those, then we have the ability to control them. Let me finish, okay?"

"K. Sowry."

"Well, would you believe that the first head laughed? He
said, 'you silly head! Don't you know that we have only one stomach and that
the fruit will go there, no matter which one of us eats it? It makes no
difference, then, whether it is you or me eating this fruit, but since I am the
one who found it, I have the first right to eat it!'"

"How mean! No, this story is definitely not about my
boys." May shook her head.

"The other head grew silent. He was so disappointed in
his brother and the kind of selfishness he had shown. It bothered him very,
very much. So much that his sadness began to turn to anger."

"That poor head! Why did the other act so mean?"

"Because that is how human nature works. When one person
has something the other wants, he doesn't always think of the consequences that
come from not sharing." Sri tweaked May's nose and then kissed her cheek.
She continued. "Many days had passed when the other head, the one who had
been hurt by his brother's selfishness, found a tree bearing poisonous fruits.
He took the poisonous fruit and told the first head, 'you deceitful fellow, I
will eat this poisonous fruit and avenge your insult which you have done to
me!'
The first head yelled, 'No! I beg you! Please, don't eat this poisonous
fruit! We share a common stomach and if you eat it, we both will die.' Why are
you giggling?"

"Your voices makes it sound so dramatic, like when Caine
gets a splinter."

Sri laughed and continued. "The other head replied,
'Shut up, you fool! I was the one who found this fruit and I can eat it if I
wish to.' The first head started crying. 'I'm sorry for my selfishness. I will
share next time, just don't eat the poison fruit. I beg of you to please
forgive me!'"

May held her breath, waiting to see what happened next. Did
he forgive the first head or did he act spitefully? "Well? Did he forgive
him?"

"No."

"I don't wanna hear the rest." May covered her ears
with her hands.

Sri gently pried them away and kissed her palms. "We
can't hide from the things in this world, my love. But we can learn from them
and change the course of events. Yes, in the original story, the one my mother
told to me, the head ate the fruit, and they both died because they were too
prideful and stubborn to put the other's needs before themselves. Like your
boys when they had that other person in their lives, they acted like the two
heads and nearly killed their relationship. But they were smart enough to learn
their lesson, and have come to love you more than their own selfish desires.
Their desire for you to choose is coming from an unselfish place, even though
the whole concept is ludicrous."

"So they don't really know how much it hurts me?"

"I think they do now. Even though they are both
brilliant in the mind, they are still susceptible to the same weaknesses as any
other person. They will do anything to save this common bond they share with
each other. Trust them, and trust me. I will see it happen for all of you. You
see, my sweet May, the moral of this story is that the sharing of a good thing
with others is always good."

"Will we live happily ever after?"

"If I have anything to do with it, absolutely. You have
my word, even if it means having to kick Layton's ass." Sri chuckled.

"That
would
be
fun to watch," May giggled back.

"
One more quick story, and then to sleep with you. Once upon a
time, there was a sweet little princess who had been hurt by some mean, ugly,
renegade trolls. She was very fortunate in that she had a fairy godfather come
to her rescue," Sri said softly, playing absently with a strand of May's
blond hair. "He knew that she needed to be protected from
being hurt by more evil creatures of the land, and found a
place where she could hide until she was big and strong enough to take care of
herself. In the meantime, the magistrate of the lands, knowing of the calamity
that had befallen the little princess, made it so she could live in peace until
such time as a pair of fearless knights were found to stand watch over her.

"Well, her fairy godfather had two
strapping, and very handsome, sons. One was gentle and caring, and the other, a
grumpy beast." She paused as May giggled. "He had raised his boys to
complement one another in their strengths and their weaknesses. He also knew
that they carried a big secret in their hearts. The love they had for each
other dictated that they both share a special lady between them. Even though
this desire was not the normal thing seen in their village, their father loved
his boys and wanted them to be the happiest men on earth. Instinctively, he
also knew that his sons would provide all the protection the beautiful little
princess would ever need. He approached the magistrate and charmed him with his
words, convincing the governing officials of the land that the princess would
forever be protected if she was given to his two sons as their ward."

Sri paused and looked away for a moment. She then
took a deep breath. "The sons were not aware of their father's actions. In
fact, he left this world only days before he had planned to tell them. He did,
however, leave them a letter."

"What did the magistrate say about the
princess becoming their ward?" May was growing excited.

"When the fairy godfather flew away, the
land went into mourning. His request has not been touched since. But, unbeknown
to the princess and her two beaus, he had put a fairy godmother in his place.
She promised to wave her magic wand and work her spells until that day comes
when the princess truly belongs to her handsome guardians, including inheriting
their family name. The End."

"I like happy endings, Auntie Sri."

"We all do, my love. Now sleep. I am taking
you to the Riverwalk tomorrow, just us girls."

"No boys? Really?" May wrinkled her
nose.

"No boys allowed on this trip. Good
night."

"Maybelle Corrine! Get your little bottom
down here," Caine called from the downstairs living room.

May sighed, banging her forehead against the same
white-painted corner that she seemed to live in. She and Sri had spent the
previous day shopping, having lunch on a boat that traveled along the Riverwalk
in San Antonio, and even visited the Alamo. Having never spent any time with
another woman, May found herself letting go of her shyness and fears and
opening up to her new 'aunt'. Unfortunately, her new found comfort, and her
tom-boy disposition, included a lack of tact.

By the time they arrived home, May had been
scolded and threatened at least three times. She put on her 'angel face' when
reentering the house, and bounded joyfully into the arms of her two men, babbling
about all the wonderful things she got to see and do, and how thankful she was
to 'Auntie Sri' for the opportunity. While Layton happily kissed and cuddled
her, Caine raised an eyebrow to his old friend. Sri offered a half smile and
shook her head.

"Testing," was all she said.

The next morning, her 'testing' came in the form
of demanding a different breakfast from the one Sri had made for her. Granted,
she loathed oatmeal and made no qualms about her refusal to eat it, but dumping
the bowl upside down on the table was going a bit too far. Sri, one hand on her
rounded hips, and a frown on her lovely face, pointed to the stairs.

"That is it, young lady. To your room and
stand in a corner."

"No!"

"Do I have to get your daddy? Go."

"He doesn't make me eat oatmeal." May
stomped her foot. "He doesn't make me eat anything I don't want to."

"He is not running a restaurant, and neither
am I. To your room this instant."

May glowered at her and stomped upstairs,
muttering a trail of obscenities before slamming the door in her wake. The
sound of the wood banging was exhilarating, as was that of kicking the
baseboards as she stood with her forehead resting on the cool wall.

"Maybelle! I know damn well you can hear me.
Get down here now!" Layton's voice boomed through the rafters.

"Shit." May's stomach rose in her
throat. She turned to leave the room, pausing only to survey herself in the
mirror. Her hair was in two high ponytails and tied with Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtle ribbons. She wore a matching t-shirt, with Rafael plastered in all his
glory on the front, and a pair of cut-off cotton shorts with a wide, elastic
waistband. Her ankle socks and new tennis shoes also sported the TMNT brand.

She paused in the entrance to the living room
where all three 'adults' stood waiting, arms crossed and with frowns on their
faces.

"You're in trouble, youngster," Layton
announced.

May's eyes darted to the back door, her brain
calculating how fast she could make a clean getaway before anyone could stop
her. Caine walked into the line of escape, eliminating her exit plans.

"Don't even think about it, young lady.
Would you care to explain yourself?"

"I don't like oatmeal."

"That is obvious. Why did you dump it on the
table?" Caine asked.

May shrugged.

"If you don't have an explanation for that,
would you like to tell us your reason for being mouthy with Auntie Sri?"

"That's a matter of perspective," May
muttered.

"Now is not the time to be a smart ass,
Maybelle," Layton said. "I am just two seconds from taking off my
belt and thrashing your little behind with it. I want an explanation and it had
best be a good one."

"I don't know what you're talking
about," May grumbled.

"Are you telling me that those colorful
words were not directed at anyone in particular?"

"You cuss," May answered back.

"Sassing me is no way to preserve the health
of your bottom, little girl," Layton warned.

"Maybelle," Caine intervened,
"What did we ask of you when we arrived here?"

"I dunno," May mumbled.

"Get the cotton balls out of your mouth and
speak up," Layton ordered.

"I said I don't know!" May yelled.

Caine held up his hand as Layton started toward
the defiant girl. "Sri, please take Miss May up to her room and deal with
her as you see fit. We will have our own time with her later."

"No!" May stomped her foot. "Let
go of meee."

"There was no reason for this," Sri
tsked, snatching May's hand and pulling her up the stairs behind her. May
struggled to release her grip, stunned to discover that the woman was stronger
than an ox.