Free A Father for Philip by Judy Griffith; Gill Page A

replied earnestly, adding, “anyway, it’s
only Kathy and Bill coming.”
    Jeff, who by this time knew of Kathy and
Bill and their place in the scheme of Philip’s life said, “No friends from
school?”
    “Nah… They all live too far away except
for Jamie Peters and I don’t like him. He’s a dumb old fatty. His dad’s fat,
too, and he isn’t even going help get the field ready ’cause he wants to play
golf with his boss.”
    The triumph inherent in Philip’s tones
made Jeff smile. “It’s not very nice to dislike someone just because they’re
fat, Phil. He can’t help it, can he now?”
    “Aw… That’s what mom says.”
    “And you listen to your mother, young
fella. But I promise I will help get the field ready, so you don’t have to
worry about that anymore.”
    “Would you come to my party?”
    “No, son.” That was the final answer and
Philip knew it “What you want for your birthday, Phil? A pony, maybe?”
    “No! Ponies is horses but smaller. I
don’t like horses!”
    “Don’t you? That’s too bad. I’m getting
a horse next week and I was hoping you and I could ride together sometimes.”
    “No! The day I laughed at Grant when he
fell off he put me on his horse and it was so big! Bill took me down and I ran
and ran into the woods and then I found an axe an’ pretended I was chopping off
Grant’s head and things and—” Philip abruptly remembered just whose axe it was
he had found and used. “Oh!” he said, putting his hand to his mouth, waiting
for Jeff to get mad at him for doing such a bad thing as chopping someone up,
even if it was only pretend.
    Jeff did not get mad. “I understand,
Phil. You said you hated him, and just then, you did. It’s all right to hate
someone sometimes, but you just have to learn not to go around chopping them
up. You chopped up a log, and then we started building the cabin together and
you forgot all about hating Grant, didn’t you?”
    “Mostly… But I hated him before that,
when I was just little and he laughed and made fun of me every time I cried
when I hurt myself… And he pulled out my loose tooth and made it bleed and
called me a sissy. When he tried to give me riding lessons and I said no he
said I’m just a stupid baby.”
    “Oh. Well, son, sometimes even grown-ups
can be wrong. I know you’re no baby, and you’re sure not stupid. It takes a
big, smart, strong boy to help build a log cabin.” The firm conviction in
Jeff’s words made Philip glow with pleasure.
    “Did you ever hate anybody enough to
want to chop on them, Jeff?” Philip asked, frowning slightly, still not sure
that it was all right to hate.
    “Yes. Once.”
    “Who?”
    “Someone you wouldn’t know about, Phil.”
    “What did you do? Chop him?”
    “No. I told you, we might be mad enough
to think we hate people now and then, but we don’t chop them up. Anyway, when I
found out what he had done to me, he was already dead.” Jeff looked incredibly
sad and Philip slipped a hand into the big one hanging by Jeff’s side. The man
looked down and smiled. “It’s okay, I got over hating him. I can understand why
he did what he did, and I can forgive him, I think. But it’s not my forgiveness
I worry about…”
    Philip, who hadn’t a clue what Jeff was
talking about, said, “How come you have whiskers now? You didn’t have them
before.”
    “I felt like growing a beard,” Jeff
smiled. “Do you like it?” He stroked the short, yet full beard and mustache
covering his lower face.
    Philip nodded slowly. “Hmm… Yes,” he
decided. “I like it.”
    “Good. What should I get you for your
birthday?”
    “Gee, I don’t know. What do you want to
give me?” he countered.
    “Something I can’t… But how would you
like a lucky horseshoe to hang over your door?”
    “Oh, sure!” Philip’s eyes glowed. Jeff
was sure he if he had offered him a stale cooked carrot for his birthday, that
too would have been just as good. “But could I wait for until we