It takes five of us children holding hands to reach around my swing tree. The tree is older than my grandfather who was born here. He says the family tree was always big. I know that he sometimes forgets things, but I think he is right about the tree, especially about the family part of the tree.

Of course, my swing wasn't always there; the tree was the place that we had family picnics during the warm parts of the year. The family all came, aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins. There was laughter and fun and lots of hugs. I liked to be with the women not the children, to hear their chatter and to learn the things they knew. My real mom was in charge of everything, and I got to practice being like her.

Sometimes, only my mom and dad and I ate out under the giant tree. This is the place that reminds me of my mom and the special times that we shared. When I need to remember my mom, I go to the tree and sit at the picnic table. The tree is a great place to do homework or to just be alone. No one else comes to the tree anymore, and there are no more family picnics. So the tree is just for remembering.

My mom died of cancer when I was eight years old and we haven't had many family activities since then. Maybe you know what this is like; although I hope you don't. I was very sad but my time has been filled taking care of my dad who seemed sad and confused both.

At first, he didn't do a lot of the things that he should, and I had to remind him. Sometimes I had to do them myself. He is ok now and in a way that is even harder. That was more than two years ago; right now SHE is in the kitchen with my dad and I can hear them laughing.

SHE is Paula Annette Jefferies, a new teacher at our school, but she is old, about thirty, I think. They met at a PTO meeting I made my father go to. If I had known what was going to happen I might have skipped that PTO meeting.

I don't understand how he can do this. The kitchen is my mom's kitchen and I had to care for it when my mom died, and my dad has just let HER in there to take over. Oh, there are all new appliances and new stuff there, but still its the principle of the thing.

I wonder about daddy now; did he really love my mom, and does he really love me.

"Daddy, I'm going down to Grandpa's," I hollored from the front room. I really didn't want to go into the kitchen to talk to Daddy. I knew that he would be distracted and would probably be glad for me to go to Grandpa's. I whistled for Snuggles, and she came running. Snuggles is all soft and furry, a cocker spaniel. The two of us went off to my grandfather's house just down the road.

"Hi, Muffin."

I was never too sure that I liked being called "Muffin", but Grandpa usually did whatever he wanted, and the name, Muffin, was his very own special name for me that no one else ever used. That made it ok.

"Hi, Gramps. I'm lonesome."

"Well, let's be lonesome together." Sometimes he says things like that. Things that are funny and serious, too.

"I don't think daddy cares about me anymore," I whispered.

"He's busy?"

"He's busy with her. He doesn't have time for me."

He looked at me kind of funny and didn't say anything for a few moments. Finally after he stroked his chin like he had a beard which he didn't really have; he looked me in the eyes and said, "Muffin, you go on home and tie up your dog, Snuggles. Then you meet me at the family tree; I've got something for you."

"What is it?" Grandpa can get me excited.

"Meet me at the tree without Snuggles."

When I got to the tree, there was Grandpa sitting and waiting. Something scampered up his arm and around the collar of the old flannel shirt that he loved to wear. It was gray and white. Well it was gray all over except for white paws and a white patch on its chest. Its hair was long and fluffy. His kitten couldn't have been more than a few weeks old because it was so small.

After I sat down, the kitten immediately came over and climbed on me which was a little scary because it takes a while for a kitten to learn to pull its claws in. Here were claws like little needles climbing all over me. Oh well, I will admit that I loved every minute of it. I loved it so much that I couldn't resist, "Oh, Gramps, can I keep him, can I? Please? "

Gramps just smiled at me and nodded, "Why else would I bring him to you?"

He paused, pulled on his chin a few times before he went on, "What about your dog?"

Now, I'm not dumb or especially dumb so I caught on right away. He was trying to show me something, and I was pretty certain that I knew what it was. "Ok,ok. You are trying to tell me that I have to pay attention to my dog, too?"

"Maybe that's the message. Tell me later what you think about things."

At dinner there was daddy, me, and Paula Annette Jefferies with her smiles and her eyes watching daddy all the time. Of course, she was nice to me, and I thought that she probably really did like me. At least, she didn't seem to want to compete for daddy's attention when I started telling about the kitten. Some people would have had to tell about their own kitten and would have spoiled the fun. She didn't and that made the evening kind of nice. Naturally I had to show off the kitten; it didn't have a name yet.

"What's his name going to be?" Paula Ann asked.

Yes, we had gotten around to calling each other by our first names. That felt a little strange for me to be calling an adult by her first name.

"I don't know, yet, Paula Ann."

Daddy interrupted us, "Why don't you think about it while you feed Snuggles. Snuggles is used to staying indoors at night. What are you going to do with the kitten?"

"I'll figure out something."

About nine Paula Ann left. I had one daddy, one dog, and a new kitten to tend to. I put the kitten in the kitchen with food, water, and a litter box. I put a chair on its side across the doorway so the kitten couldn't leave the kitchen. Snuggles went to bed with me. I left daddy to watch TV.

I was awake at daybreak, and Snuggles wasn't in her usual place at the foot of my bed. When I looked around, I didn't find her. Not in the bedroom, or the bath. Sometimes she gets up early and goes and sits by the front door waiting for someone to let her out. She wasn't there either.

A little spot of worry began inside my brain, and I headed for the kitchen. As I moved the chair, Snuggles raised her head a little. She had been asleep next to the kitten's food bowl, but where was the kitten. There was a small gray spot right up against Snuggles. When she raised her head, the kitten stirred, got to its feet, arched its back, and yawned. They had been curled up, asleep together. Snuggles had lived up to her name.

It never crossed my mind that the two would get along, and here they were asleep together. Maybe Snuggles wanted someone to care for, or maybe the kitten really missed its mother. At breakfast, daddy and I had a good time joking about our strange new animal family. I couldn't wait to tell Gramps after school.

When I told Gramps the story, he just pulled on his chin a little while before he spoke, "Well sometimes good things really do happen just by accident, or do you think that maybe both your animals might have just discovered that they could get along and enjoy it at the same time?"

"I think that Snuggles found out about the kitten and went to the kitchen, and jumped over the chair. How could they like each other?"

"Of course you're right. Maybe they need each other."

"I think they make a strange family, but if they like each other I guess it's alright."

Gramps looked at me and grinned.

Half way home I came over the small hill where I could see our part of the farm. In the drive was the little red car that Paula drove. She was visiting daddy and I didn't want to go in the house with them just then. Instead I went on past the house down to the big old tree, our family tree. I sat on the picnic bench just listening to the breeze.

I was lost in my own thoughts when I realized that I heard the back door close. When I looked up, Paula was coming down the hill toward me. She was alone. Stopping near the picnic table, she looked at the tree.

"It's perfect," she said. Paula sat down next to me and began, "I was afraid that you might have misunderstood about your daddy and me."

"Daddy likes you; I can tell," I answered quietly.

"You did a great job taking care of your daddy." She smiled. "I would like to add something to your family tree. Something that I always wanted. When I was younger, I really wanted a place like this and a swing. But I never had either one."

Daddy put up the swing. It even looks like something that Gramps would make. I have a new friend-she's not really my mother, but she is awfully nice. Now we both take care of daddy. Maybe it's an accident, or maybe we just needed each other. I'm going to suggest that we have some family picnics this year.

Snuggles and Smoke still nap in the kitchen together.