Oh, Bompie!
I can see why he wanted to come home to his England. It’s so pretty here, with roses climbing up the side of the house, and lavender spreading in big clumps along the walk, and inside are tiny rooms and wee windows and miniature fireplaces.
I had so wanted to see him alone, but instead we all clumped into the room together.
“Is he dead?” Cody asked.
“Shh,” the nurse said. “No, he’s not dead, but he’s a little confused. Don’t scare him.”
He looked different than I expected him to look, but I figured that was because his eyes and mouth were closed. What I saw was a gentle round face, very pale, with wisps of gray hair over the top of his head. He looked like an older version of Uncle Dock.
Uncle Dock took Bompie’s hand and stroked it gently. “Bompie,” he whispered. “Bompie?”
Bompie opened his eyes, blinked, and stared. “Peter?” he said to Uncle Dock.
“Peter?” Uncle Dock said. “Who’s Peter? It’s me—Dock—Jonah.”
“Jonah is away,” Bompie said. “He’s at camp.”
Uncle Dock bit his lip.
“Bompie?” Uncle Mo said.
Bompie stared hard at Uncle Mo. “Who are you?” he asked.
“It’s me, Moses.”
“Moses is away,” Bompie said. “He’s at camp.”
Uncle Stew said, “Bompie? Do you know me? It’s Stuart.”
Bompie blinked again, three or four times. “Stuart is away,” he said. “He’s at camp.”
And then Cody stepped forward and Bompie said, “Oh! There’s Moses. Are you back from camp?”
Cody said, “Yes. I’m back from camp.”
And when Brian stepped forward, Bompie said, “And here’s Stuart! You’ve come back from camp, too?”
And Brian said, “Yes.”
And then I stepped forward and I knelt beside Bompie, and I said, “Bompie? Do you know who I am?”
And he stared hard at me and said, “Are you Margaret?”
I said, “No.”
“Claire?”
“No.”
Brian said, “Sophie, stop. He doesn’t know you.”
And Bompie said, “Sophie! Are you Sophie?”
And I said, “Yes.”