Jo

When I awoke in the tent  I had to shove off the dozens of various textured white throws and pillows. Inside the tent were fairy lights illuminating the high ceiling. It looked as if Ikea and Pier 21 had thrown up.

I jostled sleeping beauty. Amy snorted and grunted. "Too early to get up. Ten more minutes please."

I jostled Beth who hugged a brand new white fluffy teddy bear. "Bethie wake up. The sun is rising." I tried to sound positive. "It's a new dawn; it's a new day! Hey hey!" I  despised my cheery morning self. I loudly clapped my hands. "Wakey wakey! Beth, will you draw us some eggs and bakey?!"

Beth pulled up the floral silky scarf which had fallen over her eyes and used it as a headband.
"What's going on?" Beth yawned and stretched her slender arms and looked around the tent. "Where are we?"

Annoyed, Amy kicked the covers off. "Don't ya remember Bethie? You drew this place after Jo nearly got us killed by popping us in the freezing middle of nowhere !!"

I zipped open the tent and immediately recognized my surroundings. "Not in the middle of nowhere guys! We're smack dab in the middle of the gravel driveway to dad's cabin."

Amy didn't even bother looking. "Beth, can you draw me a soy vanilla latte no whip?"

I snapped. "Amy Beth is not your personal genie."

Amy shoved a dozen pillows out of her way in order to confront me. "Look Jo, you're not the boss of me. If asking Beth to draw me a cup of coffee is too much trouble then--"

Beth interrupted. "Don't begrudge her a latte, Jo. Amy's been a real trooper!:

Amy started folding blankets. "See? I'm an asset Jo."

Beth shoved a pillow at me. "You did get us a bit off course Jo."

"Come on!" I argued. "We're in the ding dang driveway!"

We didn't have a pillow fight instead Beth drew us the best eggs benedict and ooey gooey cinnamon buns. How does she draw things hot and fresh? She progressed and was now able to draw in the air with her finger. The colors were still a bit muddled but she was definitely improving.

Amy squished in between Beth and I as we ate in a semicircle on the tent floor.  Beth drew us a small semicircle table for us to eat on more conveniently. Beth is surprising me. She's got this eye for design I've never noticed before. And man oh man can she cook! Or is it--poof?

Amy shushed us. "Do you hear that? Someone's coming."

"Don't panic Amy. It's probably just dad wondering why there's a circus tent in his driveway/"

Amy clung to me. "I hear two sets of feet. What if it's a bear? Beth draw some guns!"

I gently pulled Amy off of me. "Beth isn't drawing any guns. Except for me cuz I'm trained."

Amy snickered. "You're trained?"

"Yes Amy," I defended myself. "While you were off in your pink lil tutu Saturday mornings  I went to the gun range with daddy."

Beth moaned. "You guys were lucky. I was stuck home giving piano lessons to the chubby cheese fingered twins and canning beets with mom."

Amy shuddered. "Shh, they're here!"

Meg and Rory pretended to knock on our tent door. "Knock knock!"

Beth ran over to Meg and hugged her tightly around her waist. "It's you Meg--I've missed you."

Rory asked, "What am I chopped liver over here?"

Everyone gathered around Rory. They hugged him until he became overwhelmed. "That's enough... Alright guys knock it off."

Meg admired our tent creation. "Wow this is some tent. There's so much room."

Rory asked, "How long did it take you to put this monstrosity together?" He felt the sturdiness of the metal rods and the heaviness of the canvas material.  "This tent has gotta be a 6 man job."

Beth piped up. "It was really no trouble at all."

Meg became curious. "Why did you come all this way to build a tent in the driveway?"

I had to come clean. "Honestly Meg, we were lost. We were freezing and exhausted. It was pitch black. There's no cell service up here--at all.... So then Amy said, 'Hey Bethie will you draw us a home?' and tada! Here we are!"

Rory looked more lovingly befuddled than usual. "What do you mean Beth drew you a tent?"

I put my arm around Rory, my pal. "You see, buddy, us  March sister's have gifts. We really didn't know about them until our mother died and left us these journals about the future. Yeah it seems mom had a gift--or who knows--many gifts."

Meg's eyes widened and her mouth hung open. "You guys have gotta tell us what it is you can do?"

I now put my arm around my big sister. "Just by asking Meg March I've come to the conclusion that you have gifts of your own."

Meg insisted, "Jo, you tell me yours first."

"Right after we see daddy." With that I popped Meg and I into the kitchen of the cabin.

Meg's big brown green looked like saucers. "Did you teleport us here?"

"Yup, where's daddy?" The cabin's not big. I saw my father curled up on the plaid sofa under a ton of afghans. He was sweating and shivering at the same time. I felt his forehead. "He's burning up. We gotta get Amy in here."

Meg was confused. "Don't you mean Beth? She's a nursing student."

"No, I mean Amy." I put a cool compress on dad's forehead and tried to get him to sip some water.

Meg grabbed me by the wrist and pleaded with her eyes. "Maybe you should ya know... poof daddy to a hospital?"

Dad mumbled. "I'm not going to any hospital." He slurred his words. "Hospitals are where they kill people."

Amy came rushing in. She saw the state of her beloved father and whispered in his ear. "Daddy I prefer that you are completely healed."

Our father perked up instantly. He got off of the lumpy green plaid sofa and stretched. "I haven't felt this good in years. Mary told me that you were coming. I just had to hold on a little longer." Dad shouted to the ceiling, "I'm better Mary! I feel like a million bucks!"

Beth brought my father a cup of hot tea with honey. "Sit down Dad. Drink this. You need to get your strength up."

Dad slurped his tea. "My strength is up! I haven't felt this good in 20 years! I could go for a juicy rare steak with bacon and cheese smashed potatoes."

I looked at Beth.

Beth looked at me and shrugged her shoulders. She found some scratch paper and a pencil in an old desk drawer. She drew the most delicious breakfast I've ever had.

After we ate Rory and Meg cleaned up. Watching them together gave me hope for my hopeless love life.
This family meeting would be unique. Never before in the history of March meetings has there been an outsider.

Rory headed for the front door. "I'll go wait in the tent or gather more firewood."

My dad objected. "Rory, you got my daughter here safely. Who knows if I'd even be alive if you guys didn't show up when you did."

Meg hugged Rory and laid her head on his shoulder. We all noticed this subtle, 'We're more than friends' action going on.  "Rory, you are family!" Meg asked, "Can we tell 'em?"

"If you want to..." Rory blushed. All of us sisters begged Rory to spill the beans. "Alright..." he said under duress. "I asked Meg to marry me.'

All of us girls squealed and I'm ashamed to admit I squealed too. "Wow, that's terrific guys!"

"Daddy it's not official. Rory still plans on asking your blessing... and he hasn't even really proposed yet--officially."

My dad crossed to Rory and shook his hand. "In that case you have my unofficial blessing." Then they bear hugged. It was sweet. We hadn't had a sweet moment in a long time.

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