The very next class after lunch for Alex was the same class Leena had: Science. Since they would be in the same class with the same teacher, Leena and Alex walked side by side as Leena showed Alex how to get there. After Science class, they made plans to get together after school at Leena's to begin their work on the Charity of Choice Championship––a. k. a.: 'The Triple-C.' They exchanged phone numbers and planned on meeting at Leena's at 4:00 p.m.
Meredith was already waiting to pick Alex up after school. She asked Alex how her first day at the academy went and Alex was excited to tell her all about the Triple-C and her new friend Leena Lilly. Although Alex was excited to work on the Triple-C, she wasn't quite excited about Julio yet. She was still working on not finding him to be so annoying.
Alex asked if it was okay to go over to Leena's to work on the Triple-C and Meredith said it was fine with her if it was okay with Leena's mom too. So they headed home to eat and call Leena's mom. After a quick phone call by Meredith to Leena's mom, Amelia, to confirm it was okay for Alex to come over, Meredith pulled out some snacks that she and Alex could eat before heading over to the Lilly home.
"You always want to do what you can to eat before visiting over at a friend's home so you don't make your friends feel obligated to feed you," Meredith said to Alex as a quick lesson in manners.
"Why?" Alex wondered.
"Because what if they're really struggling financially and they don't want you to know? So if you visit them without needing to eat, then they don't have to feel guilty about not being able to feed you and themselves. Or maybe they don’t really have time to cook or prepare something. If you can take care of your own hunger first, you should. That way your friend doesn't have to feel any unnecessary guilt," Meredith replied.
"Oh," Alex said thoughtfully as they set out snacks.
"You also don't want to overstay your welcome. So when you're invited to someone's home, never plan on visiting a friend for longer than about forty-five minutes max unless you're invited to dinner. Then if you're there for an hour or two at the most, that's generally okay. Do your best not to just drop in on a friend unannounced since they are most likely to be busy with whatever they have scheduled for their own productive day. But if you do drop in, try not to visit for longer than maybe ten minutes or so unless they invite you to stay longer. And don't visit them everyday. This way you show others you are respectful of their time." Alex listened intently while she spoke. Meredith continued.
"Also it's bad manners to visit at someone's home and add some unplanned activity––especially an activity that can cost extra money since it puts the person on the spot and they may not be able to afford the time or the money to do something different than was originally planned. It's inconsiderate to put someone in a situation where they feel guilty for something that isn't their fault. So remember, the fault is yours for not either planning ahead or sticking to the original plan if you show up and make changes to plans without seeing what everyone involved might like or be able to do. If you take care of your own needs beforehand when you can, you'll be less likely to put people on the spot to cater to your schedule or needs."
Alex simply nodded that she understood.
Meredith chuckled, "You probably think I'm about to break out another classroom and put you in it, huh? Here I am, trying to teach you stuff you may already know."
"It's okay," Alex said politely.
"I just don't know what your mom or dad have already taught you about social graces or manners or how to have good friendships that are healthy and respectful. So just let me know if any of this is a repeat of what you've already learned. But be respectful about it when you let me know so you don't hurt my feelings," she smiled. "So like, you could say, 'I learned something similar to that from my mom, so maybe it's true or maybe it's good advice,' you know?"
"Sure," Alex replied happily as she grabbed a snack.
"Let's pray first and thank God for the food before we eat," Meredith gently reminded Alex.
"Oh yeah. I forgot," Alex said a bit embarrassed as she put back down her snack for the moment. After a brief but sincere prayer of gratitude by Meredith, the two ate and talked some more about school and then they headed over to Leena's.
As Alex and Meredith pulled up to park in front of the Lilly home, two main things captured Alex's attention: first, Leena's home was only two streets away, (although the first street was nearly a half a mile down the road) and second, the Lilly home had gorgeous landscaping. Alex thought Leena's family had a particularly attractive home. It was a large brick, two-story home that was built sometime in the 1950's. The front yard was spacious enough to play a game of touch football in and the flowers at the front of the home and around the yards edge would make for practically perfect sidelines. She imagined how big and beautiful the backyard might be. She planned on asking Leena to show her.
“It’s important that you finish with Leena on time because tonight is the night that we’re going to meet Samuel’s latest client, Linda Wise. We want to be respectful of her time, especially since her project is one of his biggest yet––if not the biggest he’s ever had,” Meredith said to kindly encourage Alex to be on time.
“You mean ‘big’ as in a million dollars?” Alex wondered.
“Her project costs a lot more than that,” Meredith smiled.
“Wow,” Alex said wide-eyed.
While Alex and Meredith walked up to the front entrance, they saw two lovely French doors with beveled glass and once they found the doorbell to the right, Meredith pressed the button and a lovely chime was heard from within the house. After a few moments, they could hear the clicking of shoes approaching as they saw what appeared to be a woman who was answering the door. A lovely Caucasian woman opened the door and greeted Meredith and Alex. Meredith was quick and polite as she introduced herself.
"Hi. I'm Meredith Andrews and this is my niece, Alex. We spoke earlier on the phone about Alex coming over to study with Leena?"
"Yes. Of course. And I'm Leena’s mother, Amelia,” she said as she offered her hand to Meredith and shook hands. “Please come in," Amelia smiled as she moved out of the way to let them enter what was a gorgeous, multimillion-dollar home.
Amelia was absolutely stunning in appearance. Although very modestly dressed, her outfit was a long, somewhat tight, solid-colored skirt with a matching top and dress jacket. Her modesty was in perfect taste as she felt no need to reveal any skin that could cause others to think she intended to dress flirtatiously or encouraged the lustful thoughts of others. That simply wasn't her style. She had mastered the art of modest elegance and it showed. Alex would learn quickly where Leena got her own taste for modest yet attractive attire from and Alex loved it!
Amelia's strawberry blonde hair was high in a tight bun and her pearl earrings and necklace matched well. She probably made most people think she herself invented the perfect magazine cover look for tasteful fashion, since so many women are tired of the constant pressures to wear the same old look that’s created only to satisfy a debasing vision for straight males through the entirely unoriginal so-called sex appeal of the skin revealing, cleavage exploiting fashions of modern times. Both Meredith and Alex felt it was refreshing to see a woman be so bold and unashamed for breaking from the typical over-revealing, hypersexual fashion trends that so many women's magazines so tirelessly preached to the boredom of so many readers, both young and old, who struggled to find other, more tasteful fashion magazine options.
Amelia’s hazel eyes and warm smile were enchanting. Meredith felt fairly simple in her dress attire since it wasn't as dressy as Amelia's was. But Meredith was comfortable being more practical in her own style of clothing. In time it would be revealed that Amelia preferred skirts and Meredith preferred pants but these small differences wouldn’t stop them from recognizing and enjoying other more important things they had in common. If Amelia could dress so smoothly several days a week, then more power to her. Meredith didn't want to fret over such matters so h
er simple, classic style would have to do. But at least they seemed to have the same preference in common: classic modesty.
Once Alex and Meredith were in the front foyer, Amelia gently closed the door behind them and Alex noticed Leena was already running down a set of stairs that led to the foyer. Leena was clearly excited to see Alex.
"Hi, Alex!" Leena said happily as her voice echoed off of the same white marble floor that had recently echoed the sounds of Amelia's black dress shoes.
"This is Alex Opalstone. I'm her blessed aunt since she gets to stay with my husband Samuel and I," Meredith said to Amelia as Meredith hugged her arm gently around Alex's shoulders.
"It's nice to meet you," Amelia smiled cordially as she shook hands with Alex.
"It's nice to meet you too," Alex replied politely.
"This is my daughter, Leena," Amelia said to Meredith. "Leena, this is Alex's aunt, Meredith Andrews. She was kind enough to drive Alex over so you two could work on...what did you say it was called?”
“It's North Ivy's Charity of Choice Championship. But we call it the 'Triple-C' for short," Leena said eagerly.
"Come on upstairs, Alex," Leena motioned to Alex.
"See you later, Aunt Meredith," Alex said.
"It was nice to meet you Mrs. Andrews," Leena said just before helping Alex hobble up the stairs with her crutches.
“Wouldn’t you two prefer to work downstairs so Alex doesn’t have to use her crutches on the stairs? That’s rather dangerous,” Amelia said as she followed Leena and Alex to make sure Alex didn’t fall. She kept one hand on the banister and another up in the air ready to catch them.
“I’m okay,” Alex said confidently as she carefully navigated her way up the stairs. Once they arrived in the hallway upstairs Amelia headed back down to Meredith.
“ Would you like anything to drink, Meredith? Coffee? Tea? Ice water?" Amelia offered most pleasantly as she led the way into another room. The home was pristine in its décor. The lighter colors with white accents gave the home such a clean look, it seemed like a nearly dust free museum.
"No, thank you," Meredith politely replied as she followed Amelia into the next room.
"So tell me, Meredith. Do you work?" Amelia curiously inquired.
"I do. Yes. I teach at the university."
"What subjects?" Amelia asked as they both sat down across from one another. They sat on finely upholstered couches with a slender oval glass table separating them. It had a short vase of beautiful fresh flowers in it.
"Home Economics and Personal Finance."
"Oh, how interesting. How long have you been doing that?"
"Four years," Meredith replied amiably as she tried to guess Amelia's age in her mind. Amelia looked to be in her early thirties. That would make her just a few years older than Meredith. Maybe five years, max. Meredith was fine with that.
"Well that's wonderful! Good for you."
"So how about you? Do you work?" Meredith asked intrigued.
"As a matter of fact I do. I work the equivalent of two full-time jobs, according to the estimates of most experts," Amelia smiled.
"Oh, I get it. You're a full-time choosing-home mom, right?" Meredith guessed slyly.
"Absolutely! I see that choice to spend the majority of my time personally raising my children as far more rewarding than choosing a career that takes me away from my home and family. My family is my first priority and I love being at home and available for them. I wouldn't have it any other way," Amelia said proudly. “I tried the corporate scene for a few years. It was tolerable. But now that I spend most of my time as a mother I would never go back to working away from home if I had the choice. And right now, I do have the choice. And I love it!”
Meredith nodded in agreement. "Well, hopefully, that will be me too sometime soon––having children of my own and not having to work away from home," Meredith said optimistically.
Amelia had a way of helping Meredith feel especially welcome as they sat and talked. Never at anytime did Amelia's upper class style come across as smug or pompous. Amelia seemed genuinely interested in getting to know Meredith although she seemed to come from a more middle class background. Meredith would discover how right she was about Amelia's first impression. Amelia was cool from head to toe in open acceptance of Meredith and the shallow subject of fashionable trends or financial status never seemed to be an issue for either. This was the start of a warm friendship.
"I always feel that if you have a strong marriage founded upon real love and high moral values, and you couple that with a few common sense means of financial preparedness––such as a truly sufficient income by your husband, similar goals and parenting styles as well as some extra occasional help at home when you're husband isn't available––then you're ready for the tremendous challenges of parenthood once you're married. Otherwise, you're sure to bite off more than you can chew which will cause you to be quickly overwhelmed and more likely to fail and feel awful about it all. But if you've got those things in place first, parenthood will be more of a joy, just as God intended, despite the natural challenges of it all," Amelia shared wisely.
Meredith looked puzzled. "What do you mean, 'extra occasional help at home'," Meredith asked curiously. Amelia was happy to reply.
"All mothers who have two or more children should really have some form of hired help to occasionally help a mom stay on top of things at home. If someone else can come in for a few hours about once or twice a week and help me with laundry and dishes, then I can focus more on those things that are the most important such as teaching my children important morals and principles, such as when we're making snacks together or when I'm teaching them how to clean their rooms or bathrooms.
"Extra help with laundry or dishes on occasion helps free up my time and energy to also help my children with their homework or other tasks. It helps me to not feel quite so torn in so many directions at once. I like the reduction of stress the added help brings. I feel less agitated when one of my children comes up to me simply wanting my time, or some praise or needing help to do something. I enjoy my children more and I enjoy being a mom more. The Bible had it right with the concept of a handmaiden to help out busy mothers."
"That makes sense to me," Meredith smiled.
"But not everyone can afford it.” Amelia lamented. “That's why it's important for a husband to provide enough money for things like that. Ideally, our husbands would be home often enough to help out with dishes and laundry, but that’s not always realistic since most men are away at work. And some men just don’t think their wife needs much help until they themselves are left to care for the kids for a day. I highly recommend that experience for all husbands, by the way," she winked to Meredith.
“A husband who actually has to be a father for a full-day on his own, without his wife’s help, is usually an eye-opening experience for men that helps them have more compassion and understanding about the seemingly constant demands a child makes upon a parent. And more compassionate understanding or more empathy by a husband for his wife’s challenges in child-rearing, is often a very good thing since a good husband and father will usually seek to help out his wife more at home after that.”
“I’ll have to remember that,” Meredith nodded slyly. Amelia simply smiled. "What does your husband do for a living?" Meredith asked curiously.
"Steve is in commercial banking. He’s the CEO. How about your husband?"
"Samuel works in construction. Commercial construction." Meredith replied simply.
Meredith was crunching the numbers in her head as to how much Steve might be earning. An experienced commercial banking CEO made an average of about $1.2 million dollars a year and that was just his salary. When you combine the salary with the bonus, insurance, perks, tax reimbursements, stock and options awards the total compensation in just one year can be well over $20 million dollars.
Samuel only averaged about $500,000 a year for his salary and the benefits and perks he
had were limited so Amelia’s husband was earning far more than Samuel. No wonder Amelia talked about being able to afford extra help with an absentee husband. But Meredith wasn’t jealous. Who would want an absentee husband? But Meredith was impressed because those higher executive positions in banking were particularly demanding. So she imagined Steve traveled and was away a lot. Meredith was right. Amelia and Meredith continued getting to know one another as Alex and Leena worked on the Triple-C upstairs.