"Better than you did, Mom!" replied Beth with a sarcastic little laugh.

"Whatever are you referring to?" she responded in her best fake "southern belle" accent.

"You know what were taking about, MADAM!" Lucas mocked in his deepest voice.  At this Rale, Lucas, Beth and Sylvia started laughing hysterically.  Janet, her tigress daughter, and Rock, her "adopted" wolf son just looked at each other questionably.

"What is so funny?" Rock questioned.

"Yes, let us in on the joke!" Janet joined in.

Trying to collect herself, Sylvia responded "Well, you kind of had to be there to really understand.  It has to do with one of the guests that arrived today."

"Yeah, and knowing you, Janet, I’m surprised you weren’t there.  I mean he’s such a tiger!" Beth said with a heavy sarcastic tone.  Once again, the four of them broke into heavy laughter, while Rock and Janet looked on them dumbfounded..

"And he’s a great tipper, too!" piped in Lucas.  "He gave me a 10-spot just for bringing his luggage up from the dock.  It did weigh a ton though, and there was a lot of it.  I’ll bet he must be rich."  Janet’s eyes perked up at this revelation.  "anyway" he continued on, "after I was done, and asked him if he needed anything else, he gave me this look like he was going to devour me for dinner!  He almost looked like a damn animal!!"

At this comment, everyone around the table just let out hushed "Oohs" and "Aahs".  In polite society, calling some one a "wild animal" was  a terrible insult.

"Lucas Slipsunder!" Sylvia bellowed, "You know we don’t call people that!  I thought that I raised you better than that!"

"But Ma, you weren’t there!  He has this strange short hair with a long "ruff" and goatee!  He snarled and growled at me, and showed his huge teeth at me!  And those eyes of his!  I thought that they were looking right into my soul!" explained Lucas.

"I don’t care - that’s still no reason to insult the man!" Sylvia said.

"He sounds like quite the character" Rock responded.

"He is awfully big and scary looking," Rale chimed in, "I saw him at the dock today - he’s at least 3 times my size!"

This brought on a few more chuckles from the assembled group.  Sylvia announced "Anyway, this does bring up a point.  I did want to talk to you all about Mr. VanAnkat."

"Yes," said Beth, "And I want to know why you were bending over backwards to please that arrogant....individual!"

"Mr. VanAnkat has requested we give him as much privacy as possible, not only in regards to us, but from other guests as well.  I don’t know why, and his reasons are his own business anyway.  But since he has paid in advance for 6 months at a premium, we ALL will try and accommodate him as much as possible."

"SIX MONTHS!" came the combined sound of Rale, Beth, and Lucas.  "We have to put up with him that long?!"

"In fact," Sylvia responded, "He has an option to renew for up to another year and a half."

"What?!" came the response from Lucas, "What were you thinking?!"  He regretted saying this as soon as the words left his mouth.

"Young man, you are NOT the head of this family - I am!"  It quickly became deathly quite.  "You do NOT make the decisions, economic or otherwise regarding the resort - I do!  I am the one who has to make sure that there will be enough money to keep this place afloat and food on your plates.  Your brother is in college - that isn’t cheap either you know.  So when someone offers to pay me for six months, and pay me extra at that, I am certainly not going to turn them away!  If you don’t like Mr. VanAnkat, or are simply afraid of him, then by all means, don’t go near him.  It’s that simple.  And in the future, I would appreciate it if you would treat me with a little more respect than you have shown me tonight!"  By this time her eyes were glazing over with the starting of tears.

"Yes mother " was his only response.  "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get you so upset."  As he saw his mother wipe away the tear, he felt his stomach tie into knots.  Lucas, like all the Slipsunder children, deeply loved their, mother.  Lucas did on occasion though talk without thinking things through.  This was not unusual for a 15 year old boy though.  He actual felt his own eyes start to moisten.
  "Well you did.  Do you think it has been easy raising all of you by myself?  Well, I will tell you it hasn’t been easy.  I try my best.  And I want you all to have everything you want, but sometimes I have to make the tough choices.  And this, this was really an easy one, I thought.  You know we don’t turn away guests, even if they are a little grumpy.  I don’t want you to think things are bad financially, but I mean, it was so hard to say no to all that money."  Sylvia looked at her son in earnest.  She saw his eyes moisten over as she stared at him, no one in the room saying a word.  She could tell that he felt very sorry for what he had said and done.  It was hard for her as well, but she really wanted to get her point across.  After a tense moment, she walked over to Lucas, and bending over him, hugged him to her with all her strength.  "You know I love you don’t you?"

He looked up into his mother’s eyes as a tear fell from her cheek and landed onto his paw.   He quickly returned the hug, burying his face in his mother’s shoulder to hide his own tears from his siblings.  "I love you too, Mom!" he cried as he slowly raised his head to look up into her eyes.  "I love you too mom!  I’m SO sorry!  I have been acting so stupid!  Please, forgive me?"

She looked down at her son’s wet face and replied "Of course your forgiven.  I just wish you would choose your words more carefully, and think a bit longer before saying them."

"I’ll try - really I will!" he exclaimed.  And with that Sylvia gave him a last little hug,  and returned to her chair at the head of the table.

"So," Janet exclaimed, "not to change the subject, but what is the story with this new guy?  Is he really hot?!"  Once again, the room filled with the sounds of laughter, the tension finally being broken.

"Yes, inquiring minds want to know." added Rock.  "Is he like a big "stud" or what?"

"Well you two," responded Beth, "I know your hormones are in high gear, but I think that he is probably a little "old" for either of you..  I mean its hard to tell, what with the white fur and all, but he must be at least mother’s age!"

Sylvia let out a gasp.  "And am I some ancient relic or something?  Lucas - go get your poor OLD decrepit mother her wheelchair like a good boy!"  This made everyone break up again, and the light mood was fully restored to the room.

After regaining her composure Janet once again pressed her siblings for further information.  "No I really want to know - what is this guy really like.  What is he?"

"We already told you." said Beth.

"What?  You never said anything!"

"Yes we did, you just weren’t listening or believing" responded Beth.

"But all you said," thought Rock, "was that he was a real tiger."

"You men he really is a tiger?" exclaimed Janet.  "But you said his fur was white - that can’t be right."

"Haven’t you ever heard of white tigers before?" Sylvia interjected.

"You mean... he’s and albino?!" Janet said.

"Lucas - what color were his eyes?" questioned his mother.

"God I’ll never forget the look of those blue eyes!" he said.

"And as you know, albinos have pink eyes, not blue." Sylvia stated.  "He is not an albino.  Although they are extremely rare, I have heard of, but never seen a white tiger.  That is until today."

"Cool!" came the response from Rock and Janet.

"Now keep in mind that this poor man has probably had to put up with people staring at him all his life.  In fact he said that he wants to avoid people.  I would bet that he is so grumpy because all his life he has had to put up with ignorant people treating him like some circus freak.  Try to put yourself in his place." Sylvia paused for a moment before adding "So keep this in mind as you deal with him.  I want you all on your best behavior!  And no bothering him, and especially no staring at him!  Have you two got that?"

"Yes, mother." Rock and Janet replied dejectedly.

"And that goes for the rest of you also.  I expect ALL of you to be on your best behavior.  Only time will tell with Mr. VanAncat.  I hope that he will "loosen up" as time goes by.  We need to give him that time.  O.K. everyone?"

"Yes Mother!"  they all responded in unison.

"Good!" she said trying to stifle a giggle.  "Now, since your mother is so "old" and "weak", I find myself too tired to clean up after supper.  So you young whipper-snappers will have to clear the table and do the dishes now won’t you."  This was met with the usual gasps and round of blame placing before the children got up and began to clear the table while Sylvia sat there and grinned.