You Ain’t Santa Claus
by: E Walk

(© 2009 by the Author)
 

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 10

Pancakes With Syrup?

As we got into bed,  Dan had a silly grin on his face, “I wonder if what they say is true?  I guess I will just have to find out for myself.”

I had no idea what he was talking about, “Danny, I have no idea what you are talking about.”

I didn’t have to wait long to find out what he was talking about, because he threw back the sheet and worked his way to his target area which rapidly responded to his oral ministrations.  When he was satisfied that I was adequately aroused, he lowered his body onto mine until he was sitting on my thighs. He leaned forward and started to sing, “Roll me over, roll me over, lay me down and do it again.”

Being the compliant person that I am, I did I was told to do.  The upshot of the encounter was that we were about to be declared a disaster.  After we cleared the debris in the shower, Danny started to laugh. “I wonder how many alligators you impregnated tonight.”

I hugged him, “Probably not as many as you.”

He smacked my behind, “Well, I figured we'd better make hay while we could, since the boys will probably be sleeping with us starting tomorrow night.  Besides, I wanted to see if a full professor performed better in bed than an associate professor.”

“Did I perform up to your expectations and why are the boys going to be sleeping in our room starting tomorrow night?”

“The jury is still out.  It was great as always.  I figured we would have to get the boys’ room ready for your parents tomorrow, since we will be cooking on Sunday.  By the way, we haven’t called Mrs. Belton yet.  What do you think we should have for Sunday dinner?”

I chuckled, “Danny, you’re beginning to talk like your youngest son.  I haven’t a clue what we should have, but it needs to be something that we get ready before hand so we can meet this mysterious Mr. Holloway.  Let’s see what your mother thinks we should have, tomorrow.  Now let’s get some sleep.”

When I woke up, it was already eight o’clock.  I thought it was strange that we hadn’t had any visitors yet.  I put on a warm up suit and went to see if the boys were up.  The door to their room was open and I heard voices coming from downstairs.

Dad Thornton was sitting with the boys, having coffee while the boys were eating cereal and a banana.  I looked at the boys, “I see my monkeys are having their banana.”

Nate looked at me, “Dad, that wasn’t nice.  What can I get the big bad baboon?”

“Never mind, little one, I can help myself.  Dad, what would you like to eat.  How about a ham and cheese omelet?”

Dad nodded, “That sounds good to me.”

Nathan had a funny look on his face, “Why are you eating dinner now?”

Dad looked at the boys, “Why would you have an omelet for dinner?”

“At the home we only had cereal for breakfast.  We sometimes had eggs for lunch and sometimes supper.  Our other mother never fixed eggs, because our other Dad didn’t like them.  We’ve never had an omelet.  Dad, can me and Ryan share one to see what they taste like?”

I decided to not react, “Of course, Son.  Go tell your other Dad to get his lazy you know what out of bed.”

I pulled out the griddle, “Ryan, please set the table so we can eat when everyone gets here.  There will be six of us.”

Dad Thornton was helping Ryan.  He winked at Ryan, “Okay. Grandson, where do they hide the bread?”

Ryan pointed to the freezer, “They put it in the freezer because they don’t use very much.”

Dad got the bread, “Ryan why don’t you get the jam and butter out of the refrigerator and I’ll start the toast.  He handed me a can of frozen orange juice.  Let’s make some more orange juice.”

Mother Thornton appeared on the scene.  Ryan looked at her, “Hi Grandma, do you want some coffee?”

“Thanks, Ryan, but I can get it.  You keep helping your Granddad.  Where’s Nate?”

That question was answered by Nate’s voice, “Dad, please put me down.  I’m not a baby.”

Dan challenged, “Who says you’re not a baby?  Besides, who says an eight old can’t be carried by his Dad?”
 

They walked into the kitchen and Nate looked at his Granddad, “Granddad, make your son be nice to me.”

Dad Thornton threw up his hands, “Nate, I gave up trying make him be nice when he started walking.  We will just have to pamper him, or he’ll go cry in the corner.  Then the water will start flowing out the door and the sidewalks will be covered with ice.”

Dan put Nate down, “Dad, whose side are you on, anyway?”

Dad turned away, “Nate’s.”

Dan turned as if to leave, “I’m going back to bed.  Nobody loves me.”

Ryan stopped what he was doing and put his arms around Dan, “Daddy, I love you.  Let me give you a kiss and make the ‘ouey’ all better.”

Dan picked Ryan up and Ryan kissed Dan, “Daddy, please put me down so I can go finish my job.”

As we were eating, the two boys were chowing down as if they hadn’t already eaten the cereal and banana.  Ryan looked at me, “Daddy Santa, this is really good.”

After breakfast, Mr. and Mrs. Thornton looked at the boys and Dad spoke, “Boys, why don’t you go get some clothes on, and we can go run some errands.  We’ll help your Dads with the dishes.  They seem as if they need some help today.”

Nate stuck his tongue out at us as they turned to leave, “Good thinking, Granddad.”

Mom Thornton looked at us, “They are so precious.”

I looked at her, “Mom, what do you suggest that we fix for dinner tomorrow night?”

She thought for a minute, “Why don’t we fix something that we can do ahead of time and throw into the oven at the last minute.  Why don’t we fix chicken divan, the frozen salad that you like so much, French bread and why don’t we start with a shrimp cocktail.  We can make mini cheese cakes for dessert,  That way we have all bases covered.   I’ll make a shopping list so the two of you can go to the grocery store while we take the young guys shopping and to lunch.  We can help get ready for tomorrow when we get back.”

Dan’s parents took the two boys.  We had no idea what they had planned.  No one ever tells us anything.  Dan and I went to the grocery store and bought the items that Mom Thornton had on the list. There were some strange things, so it took us a while to find everything.

After lunch, we cleaned the boys bedroom and took their clothes to our room.  We had just gotten downstairs when the boys and Dan’s parents returned.  Nate was almost in tears, “But Granddad and Grandma, we don’t need any more clothes.  Why do we need a coat and tie?”

Dad Thornton knelt down, “Look Nathan, I have been in the courtroom enough to know that the judges like to see people who are properly dressed.  If you went in jeans, the judge would probably think that your Dads didn’t care what you did.  We don’t want that, do we?”

Nate was still upset, “Granddad, that’s so silly.  They have already done too much for us.”

Dad Thornton shook his head, “Boys, just be thankful that you have two Dads to spoil you.  Some boys and girls don’t even have one.”

Mom took over, “Guys, we need to get started on dinner for tomorrow night when your uncle comes.”

Nate and Ryan both reacted, “We don’t have an uncle!”

I knelt down, “Guys, a Mr. Bruce Holloway called the other night and said he was your uncle.  He is going to be coming for dinner tomorrow, just to talk.  We thought it might be nice if he could meet you.”

Ryan started crying, “Dads, he’s not going to take us away, is he?”

“Ryan and Nate, let’s just see what he wants.  That’s why Granddad is here, so he can protect you and make sure that you don’t have to leave us.”

Ryan wasn’t satisfied, “Dads, call that man and tell him we don’t want him to come here.  We want to live with you.”

Mom Thornton looked at me, “Kirk, please call someone and tell them that the boys want to stay here.  Come on guys, we need to start fixing the things for dinner tomorrow night.”

I took the phone and called Mrs. Belton, “Ginger, this is Kirk Richter, your presence is requested at our house at 5:30 tomorrow evening for dinner.  Please invite your husband.”

“Kirk, I was beginning to wonder when you were going to invite me.  My husband is leaving at noon tomorrow for a business trip, so I guess it will be just me.”

I took a deep breath, “Ginger, things have been rather hectic around here, and we aren’t as organized as we should be.  Why don’t you bring Will and Brandon with you?   They might be able to deflect the boys attention away from whatever is happening.”

“Just a minute, Kirk.  Let me see what the guys’ plans are. … They agreed to come for dinner and entertain the boys.”

We not only started to fix dinner for tomorrow night, we fixed dinner for the evening as well.  We had just finished dinner when the doorbell rang.  Brandon and Will were standing there and Will asked, “Can the boys play?”

I introduced the guys to Dan’s parents.  After the introductions, Will asked, “Do you guys want to work on the train set for a while before you go to bed?”

Nate answered, “Sure, we need to finish helping with the dishes first.”

Mom looked at the boys, “Go ahead, we four old people can handle the dishes, tonight.”

We were sitting in the living room talking when the guys came up the steps.  Ryan announced, “Uncle Will and Uncle Brandon are going to get us ready for bed.”

I nodded, “Don’t forget, you’re sleeping in our room tonight.  We have already put your clothes in the closet.   Your futons are all set for you.”

Ryan and Nate hugged and kissed the four of us before they went up the stairs.  Nate yelled back, “We’ll see you in the morning.”

It was approximately thirty minutes later when the two college students returned laughing,  Brandon started, “It was as if Ryan fell asleep in the middle of a sentence.  We have some instructions for you.”

“Granddad and Grandma Thornton, you’re supposed to take the new clothes back to the store.  Nate thinks everyone is spending too much money on them.”

Will took over, “Daddy Santa, you’re supposed to call the Uncle Bruce person and tell him you all are going to be busy tomorrow night.  Daddy Doctor, you’re supposed to make sure that no one eats any of the desserts or the salads that they helped make for tomorrow night.”

We were all laughing.  I stood, “Guys, can I get you something to drink.”

Brandon shook his head no, “No thank you, Dr. Richter, we’re meeting some friends at a club at nine o’clock.  We’ll see you tomorrow.  What time do you plan to go to Church?”

I looked at Dan, he answered, “Why don’t we go to the late service?  That way we aren’t so rushed.”

Brandon nodded, “We’ll see you there, and thanks for inviting us to dinner.  We’re anxious to meet the unwanted mysterious Uncle Bruce.”

After the guys departed, Dad Thornton started to laugh, “Guys, are you sure that we’re in the correct house?  There is more activity going on here than in Union Square.”

When Dan and I got to the bedroom, both boys were on the same futon.  We looked at them and Nathan was holding Ryan.  Nate whispered, “Dads, Ryan is really worried that this uncle is going to take us away.  He says he going to stop talking again if he does.”

Dan and I sat down on the edge of the futon.  I kissed Nate, “Son, we will do everything within our power to make sure that you aren’t taken away from us.  Let’s just see what Mr. Holloway has to say.” 

“Dads, please pray real hard that we get to stay with you.”

I was awakened the next morning by a little boy holding my face, “Dad, you gotta make sure that we get to stay with you Daddy Dan.  We don’t love this uncle person.  Please make him go away.”

I pulled Ryan on top of me, “Son, we’re not going to let anyone take you away.  Wake your brother while I wake your other Dad and we’ll go fix breakfast.”

I tried to keep the boys minds occupied by having them help fix the pancakes and sausage.  Ryan looked at me when he saw what we were going to be eating, “Daddy, did we sleep that late.”

I looked at Ryan, “Son, what are you talking about?”

He looked at me with his big eyes, “Dad, at the home they gave us one pancake and one piece of sausage for dinner.  We already have the stuff fixed for dinner.  Is this lunch?”

Dan’s parents were standing there listening to the conversation, but said nothing.  Everyone was present, so I started to put the food onto plates.  I put two pancakes and two pieces of sausage on the plates.  “Nate and Ryan, please take these to your grandparents while I fix your plates.”

The boys were so careful as they put the plates in front of Mr. and Mrs. Thornton.  They returned and I handed them their plates and I watched to see what they would do.  I handed Dan his plate and I sat down.  The boys started to eat the pancake without any butter or syrup.

Thankfully Mother Thornton took the bull by the horns, “Guys, you need to put some butter on the pancakes and then some maple syrup.  They will taste much better.”

The boys were sitting beside Dan’s parents and the parents helped them.  The guys eyes lit up when they tasted the pancakes.  Nate looked at us skeptically, “Is this the way pancakes are supposed to be eaten?”

Dan patted Nate, “I personally like blueberry syrup, but your other dad forgot to buy any.”

Dan’s Mother  looked at him, “Well you know where the store is, and you know how to drive, so maybe you could go buy some instead of blaming Kirk.”

Dan didn’t look up, “It’s much easier to blame Kirk.”

After breakfast when the dishes were done, we went to get ready for church.  I laid the boys' clothes out for them and I decided to have them wear the new blazers that were causing Nate so much consternation.

Nate started to complain, but I stopped him, “Nathan, please humor your grandparents.  They have been around longer than you.  Please, just wear the clothes that they bought you and make them feel good.”

We were all dressed and Dan and I wore a tie and a blazer.  Of course the boys had to have their hair sprayed so it wouldn’t get mussed up.

When we met Dan’s parents in the living room, Dan’s Dad started walking around the two boys, “Where did you find these handsome young men?”

Ryan looked at Mr. Thornton, “Granddad, you’re being silly.”

Will and Brandon joined us in the pew just as the service was beginning.  The boys did what everyone else did.  As we were leaving the sanctuary, an older lady approached us, “I’m so glad that there are some young people in the world that know how to dress properly.  These two young men are very handsome.”

Ryan stuck out his hand, “Thank you ma’am.  I’m Ryan and that’s is my brother Nathan.”

The woman shook the boys hand.  “I’m Rachael Sherman.   I know Will and Brandon, but who might these other beautiful people with you be?”

I was curious to see how the boys would answer.  Nate did the talking,  “The gentleman on the far end is Doctor Dan Thornton, and these are his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Thornton.  The gentleman next to me is Dr. Kirk Richter.”

As we were shaking hands with Mrs. Sherman, Ryan started to speak and I held my breath.  “Doctor Thornton is a doctor who gives you shots and fixes broken bones.  Dr. Richter teaches people at the college.”

After Mrs. Sherman had gone, Nate looked at the Thorntons. “Grandpa and Grandma, I’m sorry I was acting like a baby about the jacket.  You were right.  People do notice when we dress nice.”

Dad leaned down and hugged the boys, “Guys, people are going to notice you, because you are so handsome not because of the clothes you’re wearing.”

Editor's Notes:  Okay, we still haven't met the mysterious Uncle Bruce yet. I am beginning to think we are never going to get to meet him, and I am still a bit nervous, wondering exactly what he wants.

As is always the case with E Walk's stories, I have completely fallen in love with these boys. I certainly hope everything works out well for them.

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher

Posted: 10/02/09