Family Meeting
T he following Wednesday afternoon, Grace was going through National Board paperwork when she got a text from her mother: “Are you available this afternoon for a video call with us and Katie and Thomas? We need to have a family meeting.”
Grace hoped nothing terrible had happened. Probably no one was hurt or sick, because Mom would have just said so. They did have family calls occasionally—like on Easter or birthdays or other holidays—but only for fun.
Grace got another text, this one from Katie. “Do you know what’s going on with this family meeting thing?” Katie asked. “Mom just told me she and Dad will explain at the meeting. You don’t think something terrible has happened, do you?”
“Mom didn’t tell me anything either,” Grace told her. “I guess we’ll find out at the meeting.”
At five P.M. California time, which was eight P.M. Michigan time, all five Murrays got on a video call.
There was a flurry of hellos. Katie was holding baby Rosie, who was even cuter than the last time Grace had seen her. The boys were running around in the background. Thomas, calling from Florida, had a new haircut. Grace’s parents looked the same as they had a few days ago. They seemed cheery. Some of the tension in Grace’s shoulders relaxed.
“Mom, Dad, what’s all this about?” Thomas asked. “You said this was a family meeting?”
“Your mom and I have made an important decision, and we wanted to talk to all of you about it in person,” Dad said. “Or as close to in person as we can get.”
“It’s something we’ve been thinking about for a while,” Mom said. “Especially with the dollar store moving into town.”
A sinking feeling hit Grace in the gut. Was this about the store?
Dad cleared his throat. “You all know your mother wants to be a novelist,” he said.
Grace and her siblings nodded. They all knew about Mom’s book.
“I want to find a way for her to have more time to write. She’s tried working in the store during the day and moonlighting as a novelist, but that’s hard to do.”
“Also, your dad’s foot isn’t what it used to be before he broke it,” Mom said. “He still has to be careful with it, and he won’t get that boot off for a while. It’s been a struggle getting around.”
“Now, Liz, it’s a lot better than when I had that cast on,” Dad said.
“Still, he’s not as young as he used to be,” Mom said. “He can’t race around the way he did thirty years ago when we first opened the store.”
The suspense was killing Grace. “Mom, Dad,” she burst out, “please, tell us what the decision was, and then you can roll back and tell us why you made it!”
“Patience, Gracie,” Dad said. “We’re getting to it.”
Grace sank back into her chair with a sigh.
“The other thing is that the dollar store is real competition,” Mom said. “We’ve realized that if we want to compete with it, we’re going to have to put in a lot more work than we’re doing now just to make the same amount of money. We would need to advertise more and probably expand the business.”
Were they giving up on the store?
“So what are you planning to do?” Grace asked.
“We’ve been thinking about the best thing to do—for ourselves, our family, and the town,” Dad said. “And we had an idea that oughtta be good for everybody. We’re gonna sell the store and the house and move to southern Michigan. Your mother will have time to write, and we’ll be close to our grandkids.”
This had to be a bad dream. They were selling the store? After the thirty years of hard work they had put into it?
“You’re moving by us?” Katie squealed. “Arthur, get over here and listen to this! Mom and Dad are planning to move close to us!”
“That sounds like a good idea to me,” Thomas said. “It’ll be great for Mom to work on her book. And I’ve thought for a while that running the store was getting to be too much for you.”
No, no, no. How could they do it? How could they leave Fraser’s Mill?
“Gracie, you’re mighty quiet,” Dad said. “Are you all right?”
“Oh boy, Dad, I don’t know what to say,” Grace said. “I mean, I don’t want you and Mom to be overworked in the store. And it would be great for you to be closer to the grandkids. But I hate the thought of you selling the store and moving. Especially when we were just trying to beat the dollar store. It’s like the dollar store won without even having to try!” Tears sprang to her eyes.
Mom shook her head. “Sweetie, it’s not like the dollar store put us out of business,” she said. “If something like that had happened, I would feel terrible and angry. But the dollar store is just one of the reasons we decided to do this. It’s sad having all our children live so far away. We wanted to see at least some of you more often, and that isn’t going to happen in Fraser’s Mill. Besides, I really do need more time if I’m going to write that book. I’ll never get going as a novelist if I never have the time.”
“What’s going to happen to the store?” Grace asked. “Do you have somebody who’s planning to buy it?”
“Not yet,” Dad said. “We’re going to start looking for a buyer. Chances are we’ll find somebody in the area who wants to buy it. We’ve done a lot to that place in the last thirty years.”
“And the house will be for sale right next door,” Mom said. “We were thinking we might sell it as a package—the house and the store—if anybody wanted to buy both. It could be a great deal for somebody.”
“Well, I think that’s just great,” Thomas said. “I’ve felt bad about living down here in Florida and leaving you guys back in Michigan by yourselves. I’ll be glad when you’re living close to Katie and Arthur.”
There was some scuffling in the background, and Katie called over her shoulder, “Boys! Quiet down! No, Grandma and Grandpa aren’t coming over today. You can come say hi in a minute.”
Dad chuckled. “Those two aren’t half as loud as Grace and Thomas used to be.”
Grace could see why her parents would want to be closer to Katie and their grandchildren. But she hated the thought of all the work they had put into the store going to waste, especially after the last month and a half she’d spent working with them. And the house! All three Murray kids had grown up in that house. It was the only home Grace had known before she went to college. She couldn’t picture strangers living in that house and running the store, while her parents lived in some small unfamiliar house elsewhere.
The conversation was still going on. Mom was explaining cheerfully about her book. “I’m still halfway through the first draft, but I know I can finish it when I get a little time. I was able to get a bit done when Grace was here. I just haven’t had a chance to touch it since then.”
Grace had known Mom wanted to write this book, but she hadn’t understood how much. She had always figured keeping the store running was their first priority. She hadn’t realized how much the store work drained her parents’ time and energy.
“Another thing is,” Dad said, “we’d have to sell the store at some point anyway. Your mother and I aren’t as young as we were, and we don’t have anybody to pass the store down to.”
“We didn’t want to push any of you to take it over, just because it was in the family,” Mom said. “We wanted you to grow up and do the things you want to do. We’re really proud of each of you for following your dreams and talents.”
It all made sense, but Grace still had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.
“Aren’t you sad about leaving the house?” she asked.
“Of course we’re sad to leave the house!” Mom exclaimed. “It’s been our home for such a long time. But when all’s said and done, a house is just a building. People are what’s important. And all the people who are most important to us are pretty far away.”
That was true. It must be lonely for Grace’s parents with their kids scattered across the United States.
Katie’s boys had clambered onto her lap to say hello, and the baby was shrieking in the background.
“Well, I think I’d better get off,” Katie said. “The boys are supposed to start getting ready for bed, and Rosie needs a diaper change.”
“Of course,” Mom said. “Well, we should probably get off too. I’m going to see if I can get anything done on my novel before I go to bed.”
“Thank you all for coming,” Dad said. “We oughtta do this more often. It almost feels like we’re all in the same room.”
“But not nearly as good,” Mom interjected. “Video calls feel so distant. Besides, most of the time someone’s camera isn’t working, or their mic isn’t on, or there’s some kind of other problem. It’s so distracting. I can’t wait to see at least some of you in person soon. When Grace came for the summer, I remembered how much I’d missed my kids.”
“Well, we’d better say goodnight,” Dad said. “Love you.”
“Love you,” Grace said. “Bye.”