After tucking her precious treasures in their respective beds, Rosy wanted to return to her boudoir directly. She was about to pull the door behind her when she heard her daughter's voice;
"Mommy!"
Rosy turned around to face her with a question mark on her face.

"Has grandpa gone for good? Did you send him away?"

"No dear, he went to his home to fetch something he forgot. Dad is going to bring him back tomorrow." The astonished mother replied and left Silvia's bedroom wondering why her children felt that way and assumed that she was the cause of his absence.

The brief conversation in the bedroom sent a chill in her body. The thought that her children perceived her actions as a cruel act, bothered her immensely.

'Why would they think in this way? I always have been a welcoming host and did not fail to show my affection to their grandpa and yet Silvia harbors a doubt about the sincerity of my acts."

Rosie began exploring what and who would be doing the implanting of that specific line of thinking.
"Who is responsible for giving them this impression? I must find out the implanting source before such image of a cruel mother becomes firmly embossed on their psyche."

She stopped to think and then in a flash it became clear to her.

"Grand Ma Agnes must have called to check if I got rid of Frank or not. That woman is relentless when she thinks she is protecting me. This will not do; I must speak to Silvia right now."

Rosie turned back and entered her daughter's bedroom and called her out softly.
"Are you sleeping darling?"

"No mamma; I am awake."

"I had to come back to clarify this doubt in your mind about me my dear Silvia. Did you speak to grandma after you came home in the afternoon?"

"Yes; she asked me if Franky was home. Why does she not like him; how insulting it is to call him Franky like he is her cook. I didn't like that and wanted to hang up on her but couldn't. She was so happy when she learned he was gone for good and said, 'Good riddance; for once; your mother listened to me.' She was going to say something more but I hung up on her. She called again and Maria answered and they were talking for a while. Maria tells her everything that goes on here mommy."

"Well, I am going to fix that tomorrow morning but I came back to tell you again that your Papa and I love him as he is and I don't want you to think any other way. But remember, he has spent good number of years on the ocean going boats. He lived alone most of his life. Often persons like him, get accustom to that life away from relatives and family friends. It will take some time for grandpa to adjust to our family life and new friends. We have to work hard to make him feel wanted and loved. Now take that thought and the worry of losing him out of your mind and make sure Mark does not have same impressions about me. Now go to sleep; it is past your bedtime." She kissed her forehead and was happy to recognize that her little girl was maturing properly.

However the task, for which she has been preparing herself over the week, had become more difficult for the entire family. Frank in a short stay had planted in children's harts so much love and admiration for him--their only living grandpapa in the world, one with unconditional love and so much full of stories of adventures he faced in life. No one in their class or for that matter, in the whole school had such a special grand pappy as Frank. Not having him around would definitely hurt them she thought. But then the other end of the spectrum was her mother with those aristocratic attitudes of days she was raised in and now seen in the old re-runs of 'Mark of Zorro' flicks. Not fully accepting and fully inviting Pascue in her concept of an extended family just because his lineage was not linked to any European royalty, Contessa had created a fault line between her and Dr. Menendez's family. At this moment that was not the main concern to Rosie. Her mind now became occupied with the process of developing the idiosyncrasies of her children. Both parents had done their utmost to keep Aggie's presence in their life to a very minimum. Grandma was prohibited from taking children to her favorite activities of exposing them to wealthy gentry of the old quarters nor could she lavishly spend on them. Gifts for the occasions were approved by Rosie beforehand and all unapproved items were returned to sender before children could see them. Aggie complained bitterly but gave in when Pascue threatened her to migrate to the USA.

"No one is going to influence our children with their wealth and plant a seed of contempt for their parents by buying the items which they want for keeping up with the peers which their parents deny; telling them they can't afford. This poison destroys the cohesiveness of a close knit family."

Pascue had explained to Rosie when he made her to return the expensive clothing and toys the ever indulging grand ma brought the first time in their home at her will. It happened after getting a feedback from Maria who eves dropped on their discussions and let the old woman know what kids wanted and did not get. When Rosie saw the consequences of that seemingly unimportant, kind act of a grand ma from his point of view; she implemented it vigorously. That night she was visiting that past and another series of thoughts popped up in her mind.

"What if old Frank the sailor refuses to join the family? With her mother's snobbery and pungent tongue, a clash of the personalities is a distinct possibility and avoiding their meeting is impossible. Aggie would make sure that she confronts him when no one is home, just to find faults with Frank's looks and appearances. Maria the spy, by now must have given her all accounts of what has happened and the peculiarities of his bourgeois personality. Frank being a free spirted mariner with a vast vocabulary of unimaginable cuss words and epitaphs at his disposal would sure to react to her jabs and may deliver some well deserved but shocking verbal punches with equal ferocity."

Standing in the corridor outside the bedrooms, Rosie began to develop all sorts of scenarios of their confrontations. Lot was at stake for her. Speaking on a practical front of achieving a successful professional life in a Solo Practicing Physician settings, the success often depends on quickly acquiring few trappings of wealth and fame. It becomes necessary part of the unwritten marketing rule for the professionals like Attorneys and Clinicians. Being admitted in a Country Club as a member with full coverage is one of those coveted trappings. Dr. Pascue Menendez's approval for a full membership in the Rio's prestigious Country Club was almost complete. Mother had told Rosie in confidence.

Aggie could as easily knock that possibility as easily she had pushed it a year ago. What if she felt association with her son in law's father would give enough ammunition to her enemies in the friend's garb, to knock her down from the pinnacle she had been occupying in their social order for several years? Whimsical tyrant as she had become, she would even scratch Rosie off her will.

None of that mattered to her husband but it meant a lot to her personally. In her mother's long list of grievances against her daughter, becoming a Nurse was the first cardinal sin and marrying a Goan Doctor with nothing to show save a medical degree was the next. To add to that, two more relatives-- and commoners at that, had come to live with them. Everything that happened to Rosie did not sit well in Aggie's aristocratic sense of right living. She would have accepted the man of cloth but then his behavior, as Maria had reported, did not look promising either. In the beginning, a rumor that Father Francis was honored by the Pope himself had raised Aggie's status considerably with the Bishop in Rio, but the unorthodox behavior similar to that of another Francis from Assisi reported to her by her mole, had dashed that hope of getting to privately kiss the Papal Ring in the Vatican.

When Dr. Menendez and Rosie began their married life, they rejected her offer to house them in her villa. Even after her first grandchild came in the world they refused to move in with her. That was another item on the Contessa's long list of causes for not liking her son in law. She blamed him for everything that was wrong in her opinion in the life of her only daughter. A beautiful daughter of European royal ancestry married to a Colonial commoner with a not quite the right shade of whiteness, was a disgrace in her mind and his success in getting an MD from the prestigious American Medical University did not reduce the unfitness of his birth when it came to moving among that decaying left-over society of the aristocracy in Brasilia; a former colony of Portugal in the Americas.

Rosie knew in her heart that reaching a decision that night was of paramount importance to them because the sordid affairs of the Brothers Mendez was becoming like a modern but limited version of the episodes from Fyodor Dostoyevsky's 'Brothers Karamazov' novel. With that frame of mind, Rosie entered the bedroom with her emotions frayed, brain tired and mind unsettled. Carrying this fresh load on her mind, her face betrayed the emotions in spite of the attempts to hide them and her husband but a specialist in analyzing the human psyche, he picked up the scent of those emotional storms she was battling with in her mind.

"Looks like some fresh trouble with that young man in Silvia's school hitting on her again, is it?" He assumed it to be the natural troubles every parent goes through when their adolescent children begin to react to their hormonal changes.

"Spoke like a worried father who has a beautiful adolescent daughter attracting the attentions of boys." Rosie replied.

She tried to avoid him probing the real issue; her mother's unwanted intrusion. She was going to have it out with her mother later in the morning without Pascue's involvement in the sordid affair. However the important task of reaching the decision of what to do with the in laws amidst them remained unresolved. It has to be done post haste without hurting anyone; especially her fast growing but vulnerable children.

She headed for the toiletry chamber mainly to get composed and to organize thoughts and information in her mind. When she returned in her pajama, he was waiting for something else on his mind. He wanted love and comforts in her arms. Looking in his eyes that amorous desire; she dropped all her worries and put away that emotion filled package to be opened some other time. In their hectic work schedules and stress filled professions, tender moments were rare; she obliged him with passionate amore of a newlywed maiden. Merciful sleep took them away from the troubles after they made love and enjoyed the bliss of oblivion.

Every Friday morning has a special significance for the working class people who are lucky enough to have a weekend off to enjoy or do things as they please. Anticipation of the planned events often gives extra dose of the Serotonin Adrenaline than the events. Dr. Pascal and Mrs. Mendez being the healthcare providers had very few such weekends. However this weekend was an exception; they were free by arrangement but for both the Friday duties had to be completed. A round table meeting of all living adult members of the Mendez family was to take place on the Saturday late morning and Pascue had planned to go with Rosie to bring both, Frank and Francis home after hospital round in the evening.

Pascue used a term for such a close and private meeting, 'Huddle'; something an American Football team does when in the offensive mode to plan a strategy for the attack. In short, conduct a meeting in total secrecy and with a precise plan of achieving the stated goal without any opportunity to kick the can down the street--a metaphor often used to describe avoidance of decision making and putting it off to another vaguely futuristic time.

That Friday morning Rosie got ready for the day's routine. She quickly informed Pascue that she had decided to fire Maria. Sending her long time housekeeper, back to her mother's place permanently was a necessity of the hour even though Maria had come with her from the mother's establishment when they got married to assist her in setting up her first home; that was twelve years ago. A temporary arrangement that became permanent when Silvia was born in the first year of their married life. That mole planted by Aggie amidst them, moved with the furniture whenever they changed the residence.

In the beginning they needed child care and Maria's presence was the perfect arrangement at that time. With fresh out of medical school with debts, they were thankful to Aggie for picking up the tab for Maria's services. However, because of such third party payer relationship between the homeowners, the housekeeper and their benefactress, the situation in their home became bit tense from the very beginning. It did not develop as smooth as the new parents wanted. It perhaps would have, if Dr. Mendez had paid her wages and had the stomach to deal with the domestics.
Maria, the other woman involved in this family drama came with her own personality. One finds such haughty attitude, a typical one, in the servants of extremely wealthy establishments. These individuals acquire or develop high ego and a cold temperament. It perhaps comes from their close and personal association with the most powerful persons of that family. Something akin to the attitudes a butler of a rich English household often displays towards the gentiles.
Maria treated Rosie as her permanent protégé who married a doctor--a working class person with no historical lineage to brag about. She brought that attitude; albeit enforced by the often heard criticism of Dr. Mendez from her real mistress living alone in the old mansion in the very exclusive sector of the old city. 'Married beneath her rank; a social sin!' Remarked Aggie to her and Maria agreed completely laying the first layer of contempt for the son in law right after the wedding which grew gradually as the years rolled.

After arrival of Father Francis and then the Frank amidst them, that relic of the past, promptly telephoned Aggie and gave her the full load of Dr. Mendez's ancestry. In reality, Frank's real estate in Goa was worth thousand fold larger than Aggie's old mansion and all other valuables. Ignorant of this fact, she added more negative layers to her contempt of Oldman and his sons. She displayed it in a quite subtle but effective means. By her body language and when opportunity came to disobey Rosie, as she had done by not opening the door even though she had heard Frank's ringing of the bell after returning from the bus stop where he had gone to seeing his grandchildren boarding the school bus.

That was one of the many acts of defiance to Rosie's orders she got away with in the past. Rosie had warned her many times of firing her. She really wanted to replace her but Pascue would not agree to that solely because he looked at those insolent acts as Maria's loyalty to Aggie, motherly feelings towards the child she raised and the grandchildren of the Contessa. She rarely interacted with the man of the house and he avoided direct dealing with the old woman.

"It is hard to find an honest and loyal housekeeper; just ignore her. The woman is old and perhaps frustrated. As far as your mother's behavior towards me goes; I don't much care about her opinion about me. She is what she is and don't expect her to change at this late stage of her life; just learn to ignore her and humor her if you can."

This or similar advices he gave her each time Maria acted upon her instincts and infuriated Rosie. This morning Rosie had decided not to discuss the matter with her husband but take a firm and quick action on her own. At that juncture, she had become a risk that Rosie could not afford to ignore any longer.

As soon as she entered kitchen, she called Maria in and without giving any explanation told her to make arrangements to leave by evening. Old woman did not expect that abrupt dismissal and was getting ready to tell Rosie that her employer; Contessa-- Aggie, did not tell her to leave the job when she spoke to her day before. At the same moment, Pascue walked in and heard the last part of their conversation.

"What is going on? What Aggie has to tell Maria?" He questioned and expected a reply from either of them. No one replied and the interaction between the women continued:

"Maria! I want you to leave right this minute; get out or I will throw you out myself." Infuriated Rosie thundered.

No one had seen her this incarnation before and children arriving for breakfast stopped in their tract. Silvia at once realized that previous night's bedtime talk had to do something with the scene unfolding and she stopped Mark from entering the dining room.

Dr. Pascue recognized the significance of the moment and decided not to interfere. Haughty Maria could not handle the injury she suffered to her psyche and at once withdrew to her room for collecting the stuff. Promptly, Rosie took the phone off the hook to prevent Maria using the extension line from her room.

In half an hour, she heard the old lady leaving the house while muttering her insolent rants. Meanwhile, children silently finished the breakfast and left for the school.

When things got quiet, husband and wife got together in the kitchen. The calmness of the ambiance of their home at that moment would have deceived any observer entering at that moment but the slowly awakening volcano beneath the surface was gathering the plasma; waiting to find a weak spot on the crust of Rosie's professionally trained psyche. As an expert in the diagnosing the unseen forces of human mind which cause the breakdowns, Pascue recognized the signs of impending eruptions just the way a seismologist reads the data of subterranean activities of an earthquake prone region. He was now treading on the fissure that finally appeared on his beloved Rosie's stoic face--an unseen persona indeed. At once he opened the talks with a question mark on his face and bewilderment in his eyes.

"What happened darling? I never saw you agitated to this extent. Maria must have pressed the sensitive buttons or she did do something really nasty to make you angry. I wonder if you would share the cause of it with me. Maria has been with your family since you were a child and so far you have been managing the stresses she has been causing admirably well. We both know occasional anger is useful in the appropriate circumstances. I presume one such occasion has risen. Please bring me in the loop."

Rosie's mind was still in that percolating state and was not sure to what extent she should share the information with her husband about how deep Silvia's mind may have been affected by her mother's manipulation, antiques and interferences in the Frank's presence amidst them. She felt trapped in a conflict like situation, where getting out was as difficult as living in it. The way out without snapping the family ties with her mom was not possible; at least not now. Sharing this sort of--if you do or don't and either way you are damned,' situation with husband is a painful act any woman may experience when her own parents or the siblings are causing it. Perhaps same applies to a married man too, when his mother tries to keep that tenuous hold on her boy even though he is an adult.

Her delayed response to his inquiry sounded like Rosie was not willing to share with him the cause of conflicts she has been having with her old nanny and the present housekeeper. Pascue did not press the issue but the urgency of settling the matters like Frank's status and the disposal of his ancestor's estate could not be postponed. That morning he wanted to discuss it over a cup of coffee with his wife. "This is that 'Hobson's Choice' situation." He muttered and turned around to go back upstairs to get ready for the clinic.

Sensing his disappointment in not getting the answer Rosie snapped out of her angry state of mind and said,
"Pascue; wait; don't leave me fighting this alone. I need you."

He turned around and she rushed into his arms, sobbing. He held her to his heart, stroking gently her head. She wept for a minute or so and her mind calmed with the knowledge of his understanding heart. Pascue picked her up and took her to living room and sat on the divan with her clinging on to his torso with her face buried in his chest. He spoke gently in a whispering manner as if he was going to initiate a romantic interlude.

"Take a deep breath; let things go. Believe me firing Maria is the great way of discontinuing the harmful links of your past. We have to look forward towards raising Silvia and Mark. Arrival of Francis with his neurotic personality and discovery of Frank has added to that challenge. What we do in the next few days will have an impact upon all of us; especially upon the children. I need your wisdom, the strength of your convictions and a mother's perspective more than anything else. Whether we like it or not; for now they are my relatives and I am the oldest among four. My mother chose me to sort out her affairs and I cannot do it alone my love. Don't waste your energy on Aggie and her ways. She used to commanding the situation and now having no one around to give her an opportunity to interfere, she is restless and worried that she will be forgotten. She believes you will be left alone to deal with the Menezes clan and I being a member, may not support you emotionally. Give her some time; she will come around; don't you worry. We should not and will not abandon her. Let us deal with the urgent businesses as soon as possible. I want you to take a mild dose of Valium and take rest. We will tackle this problem together this afternoon."
He kissed her forehead and wiped the tears off her cheeks. She tried to smile but couldn't. Together they went upstairs to their bedroom. She took a valium and went to sleep after calling her work to inform them she would do the second shift. Dr. Pascue got busy with the morning routine and left for the clinic.