Kelly House

Chapter 8: A Matter of Family

That evening, after dinner with their guests, Jack, Kat, and the boys were relaxing in the parlor. Jack and the older boys were playing a card game at the card table. Romeo, enamored with having a mother, was on the couch with Kat, browsing through a Sears & Roebuck catalog. He'd remembered Specs got his glasses from one and wanted to know what it was. He was amazed and thrilled at the sheer amount of merchandise available to purchase.

"Do ya think I'll ever be able to get anythin' from a catalog one day?" he asked, looking over a page of plows and other farming equipment.

Kat chuckled. "I think it's highly likely," she predicted.

"Really?"

"Yes, of course."

"What will I get?"

"That will depend on what you need at the time."

"What if it was now?"

"What do you need?"

"I dunno."

She laughed. "Well, I think I can say for certain you do not need a bean planter or a hay loader."

"What're you lookin' at, kid?" Race asked from the card table.

"The catalog," Romeo responded, absently turning the pages only to see more farming equipment.

"Let me see it a sec," Kat said. She flipped to the front to check the Department Index and flipped to the section she was looking for. She put the catalog back in Romeo's lap.

"Toys?" he asked. "Whaddaya do with those?"

"Little kids plays with toys," Albert piped in.

"Children of all ages play with toys," Kat corrected with a laugh. She looked at Romeo. "Haven't you ever had a toy?"

He shook his head. "Nuh-uh."

"Well, we're going to have to fix that, aren't we?"

"Hunh?"

"Let's look through the toy section and see if we find anything interesting."

She heard Jack laughing softly and crinkled her nose at him.

"Did you have a toy when you was little?" Romeo asked Kat.

"I did. I had a whole room just for toys."

Romeo was amazed. "You had more than one toy?"

"Of course. Many children do."

"But what did you do with them?"

"I played with them. That's what they're for."

"Play how?"

"It depends on the toy. Each one is made for something different."

"Like what?"

Kat went through the toy section of the catalog, explaining each toy that caught Romeo's eye. In minutes, they were joined by Jack and the other boys, none of whom could ever remember having a toy.

They loved the building toys, lead soldiers, and toy guns. Predictably, the dolls and strollers held no appeal to them; they didn't understand the need for a bank at all.

"Spare change? What newsie has that?" Albert scoffed after Kat explained what the banks were for.

"There are more ways to earn a living than selling papers," she pointed out.

Just then, Greta entered the parlor and announced, "Hello everybody! We have a surprise for you!" She stepped to the side to allow Charles to enter, carrying Crutchie in his arms. Annie followed with a blanket folded over her arms.