Bart and Chris
by: E Walk
(© 2009 by the Author)
 

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Chapter 24
Not Again

After Zack and I secured the house, we went to the apartment.  Bart was sitting on the sofa in his briefs looking as if he had just gotten out of the shower.  It was rather obvious that he was waiting to talk to us.  “Dads, I was really ticked off that Mrs. Sweet didn’t offer me a job too.  While I was in the shower, it dawned on me that she must be planning to work with me over the summer.”

Zack and I sat down beside Bart, and Zack started, “Bart, we have no idea exactly why Mrs. Sweet offered Steve and Andy the job.  You heard Andy say that he needed to earn money to help support his family.  I’m thinking that may have had something to do with Mrs. Sweet’s decision.”

I put my arm around Bart, “Bart, Mrs. Sweet has not told us what her plans for you are yet.  I am going to need you here to help me make sure that the other five children get to where they need to go this summer.  I’m positive that things will work out for the best this way.  Now, give your Dads a hug.  This is has been a long day.”

He hugged both of us and kissed us on the cheek.  “Goodnight, Dads.”

Zack and I took a quick shower together.  As we crawled into bed, I held him, “Just think, my handsome stud, two more weeks and you will be finished with school.  When you’re home every night, you’ll probably get bored with me, and you’ll have an itch that will cause you to want to try something new.”

That caused Zack to sit up, “Mark, that’s not even funny!  Please don’t even think things like that.  Remember, we have two sons that we need to take care of.  Besides, eventually I will probably be traveling on business, so we need to make the most of the time that we do have together.  You need to be punished for even thinking like that.  I need to give you an injection to stop you from thinking that way.”

He injected me so good that I needed to make a final trip to the bathroom before I could go to sleep.  I was awakened the next morning by the feel of something wet on my penis.  I tried to sit up an but Zack pushed me down and mumbled, “I’m trying to get my week’s supply of vitamins to keep away the itches.  Now cooperate.”

I cooperated just in the nick of time, because we heard some voices in the bathroom.  We climbed out of bed had our briefs on when their was a knock on the door.  I opened the door and Chris was standing there, “Dads, I think you overslept this morning.  It’s already 7:15.  Me and Bart will go start breakfast and make sure the other children are up.  I guess this is a cereal day, huh?”

I checked the alarm clock to see why it hadn’t gone off.  The dial was blank.  “I guess I need to go buy two clocks in case one doesn’t go off.”

Zack turned on the switch for the light on his night stand and it didn’t come on.  I reached up and turned on the light on my night stand with the same result.  I started to laugh, “Well that proves that the injection you gave me last night must have been very powerful.  Let’s go find the circuit breaker box and check to see what’s happening.”

It took a while to find the circuit breaker box, but we finally found it and the breaker that needed to be reset. 

Tip and Ty left with the children and I hugged Zack as he was leaving for K. U.  I went to the apartment to take a shower so I could face the day.  I was getting out of the shower when Bart entered, “Dad, are you upset with me?  Something seems wrong.”

I put a towel around my waist and hugged Bart, “Son, I’m not the least bit upset with you.  I’m trying to make sense of everything that is happening.  You need to go make sure that there is a lot of coffee for Mrs. Sweet when she arrives.”

When Mrs. Sweet arrived, the first question she asked was, “Mark and Bart, did you see the article in yesterday’s Society Section of the Star?  There are some great shots of Bart performing at the benefit for The Children’s Theatre.  The two young reporters did an excellent job of reporting what happened at the benefit.”

I looked at her, “Mrs. Sweet, I haven’t had time to read yesterday’s paper.  We had something cause a circuit breaker to shut off last night.  We were almost late getting the children off to school today.”

Mrs. Sweet was laughing, “Come on, Bart, we have work to do.”

After I had Barbie settled, I went to find the paper and the society section was open on the coffee table in the living room.  I’m surprised that we hadn’t noticed it last evening.  It indeed had some nice pictures of Bart and the band that was accompanied by a well written story about the benefit by Amy and Chrystal.

I was giving the kitchen a thorough cleaning before I fixed lunch when the phone rang.  “This is the Jefferson, Washington and Jackson residence.  This is Mark speaking.”

The voice on the other end of the line was giggling, “What happened to Leavitt?  I thought you lived there, Mark.  This is Amy Savage.”

“Hi, Amy.  I do live here but I am just an employee.”

Amy was having fun, “Okay, Employee Leavitt.  First, did you see the article about your son in the Society Section of yesterday’s newspaper?”

“Yep, you and Chrystal did a superb job.”

She continued, “Second, tomorrow’s paper will have the review of the Pizza Palace and feature Bart and the band in the Entertainment Section.  She didn’t stop there, Chrystal and I have a favor to ask of you and Zack.”

I had no idea what might be coming, “What might that be, Amy?”

“We have been assigned to cover the Debutante Ball on Saturday night and we were hoping that you and Zack might be available to escort us.  It would require that you wear tuxedoes.”

“Amy, I need to check with Zack before I commit to something like that.  I also need to check with my employers to make sure that they don’t have any plans.  Let me call you after I check to see what’s happening here.  I know I don’t own a tuxedo, and I seriously doubt that Zack does either.  I’ll call you tomorrow with our answer.”

Mrs. Sweet and Bart came into the kitchen as I was hanging up the phone from talking to Amy.  “Bart, please go collect Barbie for lunch.”

While Bart was gone, I asked, “Mrs. Sweet, what do you know about the Debutante Ball.  Zack and I have been asked to escort two young ladies.”

She looked at me, “Mark, I’m on the committee that is sponsoring the ball.  I was hoping that you and Zack would be my escorts.  Who has asked you to be their escorts?”

“Mrs. Sweet, we made friends with two young ladies who work for the Kansas City Star last Saturday night at the Pizza Palace, and Amy asked me today, if we would be their escorts when they cover the event.”
 

Mrs. Sweet started to laugh, “Okay, I’ll tell you what we’re going to do.  The five of us can go as a group.  If Amy gives us any static, I’ll cross her off my Christmas list.  She just happens to be my niece.  Now I hope that you two gentlemen have tuxedoes.  If not, we need to get each of you one immediately.”

“Mrs. Sweet, I need to check with Zack and Tip and Ty before we make any definite plans.”

After lunch, we went to visit my insurance agent and had Bart put on my policy.  Was that ever a shock for both of us.  As we were driving home, Bart commented, “Dad, I need to be able to pay for my insurance.  Maybe I can get a part time job in addition to working with the band.”

“Bart, let’s just make sure that you get good grades in school instead of working all the time.  We'll discuss this more when your other Dad is home this weekend.”

As we were eating, I asked, “Tip and Ty, what are your plans for the weekend?”

Ty shrugged his shoulders saying he had no idea, “Mark, we haven’t made any plans.  Why did you ask?”

I told them about my conversations with Amy and Mrs. Sweet, and Tip started to laugh, “Mark, if something like that should come up, all you need to say is, Tip and Ty, Zack and I have plans for Saturday so you need to take care of the children.”

The conversation was interrupted by the phone.  Bart went to answer it.    He had been talking so we couldn‘t hear what he said.  He turned around, “Just a minute, Steve.  I’ll ask.”

He stood with his hands on his chair, “Uncle Tip and Uncle Ty, Steve wants to know if the band can practice here again this week.”

Ty nodded yes, “Bart, we have no objection if they want to practice here at any time.  Just make sure that you clear it with your Dad.”

Bart turned toward me, “Dad, the band has been offered a job on Friday as well as Saturday.  Would there be a problem for me to go both nights?”

“I would like to talk to Steve about where the job on Friday night is.  I have no problem with you all working at The Pizza Palace, but I would like to be sure what you’re getting yourselves into at the other job before I give my answer.”
 

“Okay, Dad, I’ll tell Steve he needs to talk to you.”

Bart came back and started to clear the dishes, “Dad, Steve said he would talk to you when they get here.”

That was the signal for the other children to start to help with the dishes. 

Everyone had left the dining room and I was trying to make a list of everything that needed to be done in the next couple of weeks with Zack’s graduation.  I wanted to have a surprise party for him but how was I going to be able to arrange it. 

The band arrived and went downstairs to practice so I got the young children ready for bed.  I wasn’t really doing anything except monitoring them.  I had Ty’s children in bed and their fathers were saying goodnight to them, so I went to check on Chris.

When I sat down to hug him, he fell into my arms, “Dad, I have this feeling that something bad is going to happen to me and Bart.  Please make sure we don’t have to leave you and Dad Zack!” 

I pulled him as tight as I could and whispered, “Son, I’ll do everything that I can to make sure that nothing happens to either of you.”

He looked up at me, “Dad, I really love you and Dad Zack, and I don’t want to ever be taken away from you.”

I laid down beside him, “Christopher, we love you too.  We don’t want you to leave us either.  I suggest that you go to sleep or you will be a bear tomorrow.” 

I kissed him on the cheek and crawled off of his and Bart’s bed, “I need to go check on the teenagers to make sure they are behaving.”

“Goodnight, Dad.”

I went to the living room where Tip and Ty were sitting.  “I’m not sure that I’m really ready to be a parent.  The guys keep coming up with new obstacles.”

Ty looked at me, “Mark, that’s why we hired you so you could make the obstacles go away.”

The teenagers were coming up from the basement and they all departed except for Steve and Andy.  I could tell they wanted to talk, so I suggested that we go to the kitchen.

Andy shook his head no, “There is no reason that Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Washington can’t hear this conversation.  The place that wants to have us on Friday night is a singles bar where boy meets boy and girl meets girl or perhaps a guy meets a girl.  Our parents said we can only take the job if we get someone there to chaperone us.”

Ty looked at Andy. “Why are you coming to us with this problem?  Why can’t one of the other parents go with you?”

Steve answered, “Mr. Jefferson, most of the other parents wouldn’t understand and my parents have younger children that they need to worry about.  Andy’s Dad can’t go to something like that.”

Tip stood, “Andy and Steve, two of us will go with you on Friday,  but we can’t be your babysitters for the rest of your lives.  Right now, I am not sure if it will be Ty and me or Zack and Mark who will be there.  We’ll let you know who is going to be there to protect you from the big bad wolves.”

Steve had a hard time talking, “Mr. Washington, please don’t make fun of us.  The band never expected anything like this to happen.  We started what we were doing to have fun and now we are making some money.  We need a business manager to help us.”

Ty answered, “Guys, talk to Zack when you see him this weekend.  Once he graduates, if he ever does, he may be able to advise you.  I can give you legal counsel, Tip can give you medical advice and Mark can give you advice on how to be the boss of the family.  Now I think it might be prudent if you guys get home and check with Mark tomorrow to see who will be your babysitter on Friday.”

When Zack called he was having kittens so speak, “So, you’re trying to make me into a babysitter and a socialite at the same time.  I say, let’s go for it, and we will have everyone in our debt for a long time.  I’m in desperate need of a vitamin injection.  I don’t suppose you would consider driving to Lawrence to take care of the deficiency?”

“Dearest Zack, I’m not coming to Lawrence.  It has been a long day.  I’m going to bed  and recover from the ravaging I took last night.  Now what are we going to do about a tuxedo for you?”

“I'll go to the shop here tomorrow and have my measurements taken so they can send them to Marci and Mike’s costume shop and we can show up in drag outfits at both shindigs.  I always wanted to be a hippie.  Maybe we could go to the Debutante Ball dressed as King Kong and Tarzan.”

I was laughing so hard that I could hardly speak, “Okay, I get to be Tarzan so I can boss you around.”

Zack was ready for me,  “Good, then I will be King Kong and grind you into submission.  I have to go.  I have a long day tomorrow,  Keep the home fire burning until I can get there on Friday.”

To be continued...

Editor's Notes:  I am a bit nervous about Chris and Bart.  I know from past experience that when Chris has feelings about something happening, they often happen.  Let's hope that he is wrong this time. 

I think the band is going to become something very special very soon. 

Things are really complicated all around when it comes to this family.  I, for one, am quite ready for another fine chapter of this wonderful story. 

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher 

Posted: 02/27/09