Family matter.

While Shane unexpectedly has to babysit her cousin's kids, some wounds from the past resurface. The characters belong to the talented Martha Williamson.

One Friday morning in March, Shane was drinking her coffee when the doorbell rang. It was 7:00 a.m., and she was wondering who the hell was coming over to her house so early. She opened the door and was surprised to see the person in front of her.

"Wendy? It's you!" Shane exclaimed.

"Oh, Shane ! Hi, I'm so happy to see you again." Wendy said, giving her a hug.

"Kids, you say hello to Aunt Shane." Wendy asked when she walked in with two large bags.

"Auntie Shane !" The children exclaimed, as they threw themselves into Shane's arms."

"Zoey, Leo, you've grown up. How old are you now?" Shane asked as she stooped to their level.

"I'm seven and Leo is four." Zoey replied.

"That's great. I'll make you a nice hot chocolate." Shane said with a smile.

The kids drank their hot chocolate while Shane chatted with her cousin.

"I'm really sorry to bother Shane. And you're working today. I'm on duty all weekend and plus nights. I didn't have anyone to watch the kids. I have a neighbor, but she's receiving some family over. Mom's sick right now. I wanted someone I could trust and besides from family to look after the children. I hope you don't mind." Wendy says.

"Not at all, no. It's my pleasure. What about your ex-husband Gill?" Shane asked.

"He's gone with his girlfriend to Miami. Since he's been gone, he's never pay attention to the kids. The children are thrilled to spend the weekend at Aunt Shane's house. Zoey is responsible and mature. But Leo is more sensitive and sometimes, he needs more attention. He is very cuddly. I have to get back to the hospital, to work. It's in Lincoln. I have a three-hour drive". Wendy added.

Shane smiled but detected a look of fatigue and sadness in Wendy's eyes. She then took her in her arms.

"I guess you must be exhausted. I'll take good care of them, I promise." Shane said.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You kids be good and kind to Aunt Shane. Mommy's got a lot of work to do. Sunday morning, I'll pick you up. I'll call you tonight on the phone." Wendy said as she kissing her children.

"We're going to be good, I promise." Zoey declared.

"Mom, are we in another country?" Leo asked.

"No, sweetheart. We're in another state. This is Colorado, not Nebraska. Bye, sweeties." Wendy answered.

She was on her way out when Shane called her out.

"Wendy...Your... Has your mother forgiven me?" Shane asked.

"Shane, you know family can be complicated. You know I've always understood you. Mom still hasn't been able to get through this yet. She's still mad at you. But, I'm sure someday, all be fine. Thanks a lot, Shane." Wendy answered with a last smile.

Shane closed the door, looking sad and then smiled as she turned to face the children.

"Cool! It's the end of March. Today, we just have to finish sorting and finishing the inventory of our mailboxes. It's going to be a quiet day." Norman says with a smile.

"But where's Shane? It's almost 9:00 a.m." Rita exclaimed.

"Morning, everyone." Shane said as she entered the DLO with the children.

"Hi Shane! Oh, who are those kids? They're so cute!" Rita exclaimed as she walked up to them with Norman.

"They're my cousin's kids, Zoey and Leo. I'm saving them for this weekend." Shane said.

Everyone introduced themselves.

"And I guess Oliver must..." Shane began.

The postal detective walked in and was surprised.

"Hello, sir! Are you the postal king?" Leo asked.

"Leo, one don't say king, we say chief or director. A king lives in a castle." Zoey added.

"Good morning, children. I'm Oliver O'Toole. I run this place. Good morning, Miss McInerney. I believe you have some explanations." Oliver said.

He came out of the office and opened the first doors of the DLO and Shane followed him.

"Wait for Oliver ! I can explain everything. My cousin came over this morning and asked me to watch the kids. She doesn't have anyone." Shane hastened to say.

"You know very well it's forbidden to let people into the DLO." Oliver added, who doesn't like bend the rules.

"Last time, Phoebe Amidon stayed with us at the DLO. Everything went well. We can make an exception. Oliver, don't you like children?" Shane asked.

The postal detective made a little face.

"Miss McInerney, I like children very much. One day, I hope to start a fa… No, forget that." Oliver said as he opened the doors to enter the DLO.

"Oliver, they're very nice children, wise and they're... Wow." Shane remarked.

" Here you go, Leo. We're going to do coloring lots of animals." Rita declared as she took out some coloring pencils and coloring pictures.

"Rita, I'm going to color an owl. I really like birds and all animals. And when I grow up, I want to take care of the animals." The little boy said

"Zoey, Look at that ! This is a Nebraska stamp." Norman said.

"Do you have stamps from every state in the United States?" Zoey asked.

"I collect everything on stamps. Wait, I'll show you my favorite stamp collection." Norman said with a smile.

"Wow, Norman and Rita would make great parents." Shane exclaimed in a low voice.

"Yes, indeed. It's time to get back to work." Oliver said.

During the morning, Oliver noticed that Shane was somewhere else.

"It's 11:30 a.m. I'm getting hungry!" Norman exclaimed.

"Miss McInerney, I think we need to talk." The postal detective declared.

"Sorry, what? We?" Shane asked.

"I mean, I feel like you need to talk to someone." Oliver replied.

"It's true, Oliver. You're right." Shane sighed.

"Go ahead, Shane. We'll have the kids taken care of for lunch. Besides, now, there is not a lot of people at the Mailbox Grill." Rita said with a smile.

"That's right. Today, there are the special hamburgers with potatoes." Norman added.

"Norman, Rita, you two are so fantastic." Shane exclaimed.

Oliver and Shane had arrived on a bridge under which a river flowed. It was exactly the same bridge under the river, where Norman and Oliver had already discussed.

"Wow ! Oliver, you always manage to pick charming places, even when it's just to talk." Shane remarked with a laugh.

"You know I like nature. So, what's going on, Miss McInerney? I sensed you weren't feeling well earlier." Oliver said, as they walked across the bridge.

Shane stopped and turned around to look at the river.

"Wendy, my cousin and I have always gotten along very well, until today. We always used to spend all our vacations together, when there was still a family. Once, I told you that my father was very sick. One day, he called me, to celebrate my birthday. On the phone I told him that he had been gone so long that for me, he was already dead. My aunt Nicole, his sister, heard everything. She was so very angry against me, that day. When I got my birthday card here in Denver, I thought my dad had finally forgiven me. But today, Aunt Nicole still hasn't forgiven me. And I just..."

"Please, look at me, Miss McInerney. What's wrong?" Oliver asked softly.

When she turned around, he saw her face full of tears. He'd seen her moved by a letter before. But he had never seen such sadness and sorrow on her face.

He was about to say something, when Shane, still in tears, threw herself into his arms.

"Oh, Oliver... I never hated my father. When I said that, I was angry. All I wanted was for my dad to be a bigger part of my life." Shane says, crying.

"Shane..." Oliver whispered.

"For Christmas or my birthday, he always wrote 'for my little princess' on all my presents." She said sobbing.

"Shane, it's going to be all right. You must keep hope. Your father never stopped loving you and forgiving you. And I think, You've already done that, too. All you have to do is..."

"Oliver, I can't. I can't help it. I'm afraid to meet her and ask her forgiveness." Shane said.

"Shane, your heart is filled with kindness and love. And I believe there's enough place for forgiveness too. If you had enough strength and courage to ask your father for forgiveness, I think you have enough, to ask your aunt for forgiveness. It' may take a long time, but you'll get there." Oliver says.

He took out a handkerchief to wipe away the few tears that ran down her face.

"Thank you very much, Oliver. I really needed someone to confide me." Shane said with a smile.

"It's my pleasure. So, what do you think about a good lunch, Shane?" Oliver offered, smiling.

She gave him a big smile.

Back at the DLO, it was 1:00 p.m. when the postal detective took a look at his pocket watch.

"Miss McInerney. I think you can go home. Family is very important. Besides, it's not every day you get a chance to take care of two wonderful children. You should take a nice walk in Washington Park."Oliver says.

Shane gave him a big smile of thanks.

" Zoey, Leo, you say goodbye to Rita, Norman and Oliver. You all have a great weekend." Shane said.

That night, Shane puts the children to bed.

"Aunt Shane. It was a beautiful day. Thank you so much. You're really very sweet and kind. Good night." Zoey said, as she hugged her.

"Thank you so much, sweetheart. Sweet dreams and sees you tomorrow." Shane said.

Shane turned off the light and went into the other room. Leo was still sitting on his bed, but not sleeping. She came in and sat down next to him.

"Auntie Shane, I can't sleep." The little boy said.

"Sweetheart, I know you're in a new house and a new room. It's natural that you have trouble falling asleep at first." Shane said, to reassure him.

"Is mommy coming back?" Leo asked.

"But of course, honey, you talked to her on the phone earlier." Shane answered.

"One time, Zoey was at the dance class. I was at Grandma's. Every Tuesday, Daddy picks me up. I waited a long, long time. Daddy didn't never come." Leo said.

Suddenly Shane had tears in her eyes and cried.

"Auntie Shane, why are you crying? I can give you a hug. Mommy, always does that, when I cry." Leo asked.

"It's all right, of course you can, sweetheart. You'll see, tomorrow will be a beautiful day." Shane said, kissing him on the forehead.

When the kids were asleep, Shane went back down to the living room and her cell phone rang.

"Shane McInerney... Oliver! ... No, you're not disturbing me... Really?... Tomorrow afternoon... Norman and Rita will be here... Very well, thank you very much. I'm sure they'll be delighted. Have a good evening. Goodbye." Shane said, before hanging up with a smile on her face.

The next morning, Shane smiled in her kitchen.

"Here we go, breakfast!" Shane exclaimed.

"Wow! Sounds delicious. Usually in the morning, we have pancakes, oatmeal, fruits and a glass of orange juice. Aunt Shane, isn't there any fruit cut up?" Zoey asked.

Shane got up to get a plate and brought it to the table.

"It's a surprise! So do you like it?" Shane asked.

"Zoey, look at that! It's a fruits hedgehog ! It's very beautiful. Can we eat it all?" Leo asked.

"You can all eat it. So, there are grapes and a pear, and the eyes are chocolate chip. But this afternoon, you can see real hedgehogs. We're going to the zoo." Shane declared with a smile.

"Great!" Zoey exclaimed.

"Yes, but first, we have to eat the fruits hedgehog." Leo added with a smile.

They all laughed.

"What a wonderful day. Norman always, making up jokes, Rita who knows everything about birds and Oliver, a real encyclopedia. And thanks you, to have offered stuffed toys for the children." Shane said, as Oliver walked them home.

"My pleasure, Miss McInerney. I was sure, you wouldn't be afraid of wild animals, because, you've already get into my car, a Jaguar." Oliver said with a smile.

"Well, you've improved your sense of humor, Mr. O'Toole. Leo, Zoey, now it's time to say goodbye to Oliver." Shane declared.

Oliver stooped to their level and Zoey and Leo threw themselves into his arms.

"Thank you. We'll miss you." The kids said.

Oliver reached into his pocket for a moment.

"Zoey, Leo, this is a last little gift . I hope you two come back to Denver soon. Now, you're real postal workers." Oliver said, hanging a USPS pin on each of them.

"They're so beautiful!" Zoey exclaimed.

"Thank you so much. See you soon Oliver." Leo said with a smile.

Shane opened the door for them and they came in.

"Oliver, I don't know how to thank you, for all you've done." Shane declared.

"You don't have to thank me. I have a feeling, tomorrow is going to be a great day for you. Have a nice evening, Miss McInerney." Oliver said, smiling.

"Well, Zoey, Leo, you haven't forgotten anything..." Shane said to check in everything.

The door rang, Shane went to open and Wendy walked in.

"Hello my darlings Did you have a nice weekend at Aunt Shane's?" Wendy asked.

"Mommy!" Zoey and Leo exclaimed.

"It was great! We ate a fruits hedgehog, went to the zoo. Auntie Shane is very nice. And also we have ..." Leo started.

"Aunt Shane's cool, a great cook and fantastic. We received stuffed animals as gifts and most importantly, we got some pins from the US Post Office." Zoey added.

"Slowly, kids, not all at once... Wait, Mommy's got a call... Yes, this is Wendy... All right. Shane, someone wants to talk to you." Wendy said, giving Shane her phone.

"Shane McInerney... Aunt Nicole? Yes, I'm fine. And you?... I live in Denver now... Everything is beautiful... I wanted to apologize. I've always loved Daddy very much and …"

"Shane, my darling. It's my turn to forgive. Even after your father passed away, I wasn't there for you when I should have been. Please, accept my apology... You should come over to the house sometime. Maybe at Thanksgiving... I live in Denton. I wait you call me. Goodbye, my darling." Nicole said before she hung up.

"Tell me, Shane, what was that phrase we liked to say, when we were little, family first?" Wendy asked.

"Yes, family first." Shane said with a smile.

"Wait for Eleanor. I'll help you get your coat on." Oliver offered nicely.

"Thank you very much, my dear Oliver. Today's service was particularly interesting. Oh, oh ! Here it is. Oliver, turn around and smile wide, because a charming young lady has come to visit you. See you tomorrow." Eleanor said before she left.

Oliver turned and smiled, surprised.

"Miss McInerney, what a surprise. I didn't expect to find you in church. Is everything all right?" Oliver asked.

"Hello, Oliver. Well, actually, today I found a lot more than forgiveness." Shane replied

"I can't tell you how happy I am for you, Miss McInerney. And you know what I found, right now?" Oliver asked.

"No." Shane replied.

"I found someone to share a delicious lunch with." Oliver answered.

"A philosophical, singing, word loving, postal detective with a sense of humor." Shane laughed.

" All the world's a stage. And all the men and women are players. They have their exits and their entrances. And one man in his time plays many parts. William Shakespeare. As you like it." Oliver said with a smile.

The end.

Author's note : I wish you all my best wishes for health. Thanks you all for reading :).