A Simple Addition

At Whit's End, John Avery Whittaker is on the phone helping Mrs. Ramsey hunt down an out-of-print book when Joe Rogers walks in with his little boy, Nicky. Joe has taken a sabbatical to work on a manuscript at home, which means he will be there when the new baby arrives in about two weeks. Nicky has only one thing on his mind: the boots his father promised him, the ones he plans to wear to the movies. He also tells Whit about Nana and Dadu, his grandparents, who are missionaries in Brazil and have lots of snakes in their yard. Then Shelly Rogers comes back from the ladies' room looking pale, and everything changes at once. She needs to go to the hospital, today, and Whit offers to stay with Nicky.

A few days later, Whit lifts Nicky up to the nursery window so he can count the babies. Shelly and Joe are glowing over their new daughter, Shannon, who is bald as an egg and may end up with reddish blonde hair like Nana's. Whit reports that Nicky has been a fine houseguest - he put away his toys, showed Whit where his pajamas were, and fed the dog, Jingle Bells, his bologna sandwich. Nicky presents his mother with a drawing of their house, complete with a fire truck, orange flames, and a row of tulips. When his parents finally show him his baby sister and ask what he thinks, Nicky answers honestly. He would rather have his boots.

Home is harder. Nicky climbs into the crib and announces that it is his bed, because it was, back when he was small. He wants to sleep in his parents' room again. He spots the pacifier in Shannon's mouth and insists that the binky belongs to him, and when he tugs it loose, his father sends him out of the room. Moments later a glass breaks in the bathroom and Nicky dissolves into tears. He is not cut, and nobody is angry, but nothing seems to help until his parents dig out his old Blankie, now worn down to a scrap, and his Lambie, the little lamb whose music box quit working long ago. Then Nicky puts on his coat and goes outside.

He crawls into the doghouse with Jingle Bells and shares smuggled chicken and a piece of cake with icing. He shows the dog his treasures and explains the situation the way it looks from in there: Mommy and Daddy got a new baby, so he must be the old baby. Then he winds Lambie's key, and to his amazement the broken music box begins to play "Jesus Loves Me."

Joe finds him and sits down on the doghouse porch, and the two of them talk it through. There is room in his parents' hearts for both children, Joe says, and there always will be. When Nicky asks whether he is the favorite, Joe reminds him of the four kittens at Mr. Riley's house, all of them loved and fed and protected, every one of them different, every one of them known by name to the mother cat and to the God who made them. Nicky was born first, Joe suggests, because he has learned so much that his sister still needs to be taught, starting with how to talk. Love grows, Joe explains, but God's love never needs to, because He invented it - which is exactly why Nana and Dadu went to Brazil.

Then Nicky brings up the boots, and Joe admits he broke his promise and asks his son to forgive him and be patient. At that moment Shelly calls from the house. Whit has arrived, and there is a package addressed to Nicky from Brazil. Inside is a card recalling how Nana once traced his feet on paper, and a pair of boots handmade by a man at the mission who has no feet at all and wanted to give Nicky a special gift. God knew all along, Joe says, and they open the box to put them on.