The Fremont Saga
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 44  

Here Comes Merry!

When we arrived at the house, Ron’s car was sitting in front of the house.  As soon as he saw us pull into the driveway, he was walking to meet us.  “Guys, we need to talk.”

Timmy looked at Morgan, “I don’t think Ron wants to talk to you or me.  Let me go put my things away, and we’ll get the things out to start the gingerbread people.”

We went into the garage and Ron started, “Guys, I think it would be best if I didn’t go on the ski trip.  I blew it last night, when I let my hormones take control.  Tanner, I’m sorry if made you feel uncomfortable.  I falsely assumed that you were ready to move on to the next level.”

Tanner took a deep breath, “Ron, I’m sorry if I upset you.   I know now that I can’t give myself to you.  I am deeply attracted to someone else.  I want you and me to be good friends, and nothing more.”

I wanted to get out of there, “Ron, you can’t back out of going skiing with us, now.  We invited Kate and Gwen on the trip predicated on the fact that you and Tanner would be there.  I’ll make sure the room assignments don’t have you and Tanner in the same room.  That should help alleviate some of the problem.  The other guys who are going with us are all neat people, so you should easily be able to make some new friends.  I need to go check on Timmy and Morgan to make sure they aren’t trying to do too much.”

When I walked into the kitchen, Timmy announced, “We have the things ready to decorate the sugar cookies, and to make the gingerbread cookies and the candy cane cookies.”

I started to mix the frosting and separated it into five bowls and put food coloring in four bowls and then told Timmy and Morgan to have at it.  “I’ll be right back.  I need to make a phone call.”

I went to get the mail and took it into the den.  I shut the door and called a sporting goods store that sold the Fremont High letter jackets and ordered one for Tanner and one for Timmy.  Fortunately, the person to whom I was speaking knew who I was and they were even going to have the guys’ names sewn on the jackets so I could pick the up in the morning.”

When I walked into the kitchen, Tanner was helping Morgan and Timmy.  Tanner looked at the clock and asked, “I thought the parents would have been back by now.  I don’t know when to put the lasagna and bread in.”

It was about five fifteen when we heard the garage door open.  Tanner started the oven and Dad came in, carrying all sorts of bags. “Brian, I need a stiff drink.  Don’t ever stop at an outlet mall with three women, especially at Christmas time.”

Timmy went and hugged Dad, “Daddy, all we have is milk or water.  The robbers stole everything else.  All the food was gone when we got up this morning, and the police were here four times while you were gone and we only had to call the firemen two times because Morgan set fire to the house when she was trying to cook.  Tanner fell and broke his wrist and can’t drive and we’ve been stuck in the house for two days.”

Mother, Lauren and another girl were standing there with packages.  The stranger announced, “This sounds like my kind of place.  Call me Merry.  Who might the rest of you be?”

Timmy put his hands on his hips, “I thought your name was Meredith?”

“That’s too long, and people make it sound like Merry Death.  Something smells really good.”

Mother was laughing, “Tanner and Brian, please get our luggage.  The girls brought so much stuff that I was sure the back bumper was going to be dragging.”

After dinner, which everyone devoured, we started to do the cleanup and Merry started to help us, “My compliments to the chef.  That meal was magnificent.  What kind of cookies are we making after dinner?”

Timmy was as enamored by this creature as she was by him.  Timmy shrugged, “We need to finish the gingerbread cookies and then we’re going to make some candy cane cookies.  What kind of cookies do you like?”

“I like all kinds of cookies.  I really like to eat raw cookie dough.  Let’s get busy.  I have some gifts to wrap.”

Fast forwarding, Merry was spending more time with Tanner, Timmy, Morgan and me than she was Lauren, who seemed oblivious to what was going on.  Timmy went to her.  “Lauren, you need to call Derek and ask him to spend Monday night with us, since we’re going to leave for Swissland early on Tuesday morning.”

“Oh, okay.”

I went to where Dad and Mother were seated, “Dad and Mother, what’s wrong with Lauren, now?  She acts like a zombie.  She’s there but she isn’t.”

Dad took a deep breath, “Brian, I think that she’s being over medicated.  I called the psychiatrist while the ladies were shopping, and she has an appointment in the morning.  Don’t say anything to her, or she may flip out on us.  Meredith has been a steadying influence on her.”

We finished the gingerbread cookies and the candy cane cookies.  We couldn’t have done it without Merry’s help.  Timmy, Tanner and I went to our bedroom and Timmy went to take a shower.  When he was finished, he plunked himself down on the bed. “Brian, read to us about what happened when the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come appeared.”

I read and I could feel Timmy getting tense.  When I finished, he exploded, “Brian, change the story.  Tiny Tim can’t die.  Please don’t let him die.”

I was thinking to myself, ’Why did I pick this story to read to Timmy?’

I heard a voice, “Timmy needs to learn that life isn’t just a bowl of cherries.  He’ll be fine. I’m worried about you.  Are you going to be okay.”

I was thinking, “Grandpa Nappy, I’ll be fine.  There has been a lot put on my plate in the last couple of days.”

Tanner surprised me when he followed me into the bathroom, “Brian, are we ever going to have time to be really alone?”

I hugged Tanner even though I was naked, “Can we practice kissing so I can check to see if little Tanner gets excited, too.”

Tanner hugged me, “I can tell you unequivocally, that little Tanner gets excited like little Brian.”

“Show me.”

Tanner showed me so good that I was sure that his briefs were going to tear apart.

I went to bed thinking, ’What’s going to happen next.’

I was awakened in the middle of the night by Timmy thrashing about.  He was mumbling, “Make that ugly man leave me alone.  I don’t want to die.”

Tanner had been awakened, too.  “Brian, you need to read us the rest of the story as soon as possible.  Timmy is seeing himself as Tiny Tim.”

I woke first and went to the bathroom.  I kissed Timmy.  “Do you want to go running?”

Timmy sat up, “I’m still alive, aren’t I?  I dreamed that man with that knife on a stick came and took me away.”

“Timmy, you look very alive to me.  Here, let me check.”

I pinched his arm, and he yelled, “Brian that hurt.”

“Good, then you’re alive.  Get your little butt out of bed while I wake your lazy brother.”

Tanner sat up, “Never fear, I’m awake.  How could I sleep with the two of you making all sorts of noises?”

When I walked into the kitchen, Meredith was sitting there, “Brian, is there anyplace to go running around here.  I need to get some exercise.”

“You’re in the right place.  We run every morning we can.  Timmy and Tanner are on their way.  We’re running a little late this morning.”

Timmy and Tanner entered, dressed in their hoodies.  Timmy asked, Miss Merry, are you going running with us?”

“Yes, but the name is Merry.  Forget the Miss.  It makes me feel old, and I’m probably not much older than your brothers.”

“Ben and Grant are old.  So you must be old.”

“I thought Ben and Grant were college students.”

“They are.”

Then I can’t be old.  I’m just a year older than Lauren and Tanner.  Let’s go running.  We have cookies to make when we get back.

We walked to the park and limbered up and started to run.  It soon became apparent that Meredith was indeed a runner.  She and Timmy were leading the way, and Timmy was talking non stop to Merry.”

Tanner commented, “Brian, I wish we could be together alone, sometime.  I guess that as long as Timmy is around, he’s going to be first fiddle.  I would love to see if I could make you hum.”

“Tanner, we need to get through Christmas, before the humming starts.  I’m scared shitless by what’s happening.  Why did this have to happen now?”

“Brian, I never meant to upset you.  It’s just that Ron was forcing my hand.  What I want to do right now is take you into the clump of trees and have my way with you and see what you taste like.  After all the cookies we’ve brrn making I’m sure you’d taste as good as you smell.

We completed the second lap of the park and slowly walked back to the house, so we could cool down.  When we arrived, Mother and Morgan were fixing breakfast.  Mother announced, “Timmy, go make sure your Daddy is up. Merry, go get Lauren moving.”

After a spirited breakfast, Merry and Timmy decided that they needed to make some snicker doodle cookies and some peanut butter cookies, just to make sure we had lots of cookies to take to the home and for us to eat.

Tanner excused himself, “I have some errands to run. I should be back in an hour.”

Lauren finally surfaced and she and the parents went to see the psychiatrist. Meredith watched as they left, “I hope they can get her meds squared away.  She’s really a wonderful person when she isn’t overmedicated.  I’m concerned about what might happen when we go skiing, if they can’t get her meds adjusted properly.  Do any of the others of you have to take mood altering medicines?”

Morgan nodded, “I need take pills. Mine seem to be working, if I take them when I'm supposed to.”

Merry, Morgan, Timmy and I made four much easier kinds of cookies before anyone returned.  It seemed to be taking Dad, Mother and Lauren a long time.

I looked at Merry, “Miss Merry, quite contrary, do you have a driver’s license.”

“Of course, any respectable seventeen year old has a driver’s license.”

“Good, you can take me on a short trip while Morgan and Timmy fix lunch.  We should be back in twenty minutes.”

Merry drove me in Mother’s van to the sporting good store and when we walked in, Tanner was standing there.  “Brian, what are you doing here?”

“I came to pick up some merchandise.  It should be ready.”

I saw the young man who had taken my order and it was indeed ready.  After I inspected the engravings I stuck the friendship ring into a pocket of Tanner’s jacket.  After I paid for the jackets. they gift wrapped them.  When we departed, Tanner was still looking for something.”

When we arrived at the house, everyone was there except Tanner. Timmy and Morgan had fixed lunch.  As we were finishing eating Timmy announced, “I need someone to take me to find a gift for Carmody.  She called and said she had something for me.  Dad and Mother, would it be too silly to wear Santa hats and beards at the home tomorrow, to make our visit more fun?”

Dad volunteered, “Timmy, I’ll take you after we finish lunch.  You don’t suppose something happened to Tanner, do you?”

“Daddy, you need to remember that this is his first real Christmas in a long time.  He’s probably overwhelmed by everything, like me.”

Tanner came in and moaned, “Remind me to not wait until two days before Christmas to do my shopping, next year.  Everything that I wanted was sold out.  Timmy there will be no Christmas this year.”

Timmy, grinned, “That’s okay, Tanner, we understand that you’re too cheap to spring for anything that costs more than a dollar.  Eat. You have some more cookies to make while Daddy and I run some errands.”

When Timmy and Dad returned, Timmy had two packages and a bag with eight Santa hats.  “Daddy and I decided that wearing beards would seem silly.  Tanner, after I put the tag on Carmody’s gift, will you take me to her house, please?”

“Of course.”

Timmy brought his packages and two tags to where I was working,
Brian, how do you spell Carmody.?”

After he had that tag made and attached, he asked, “How do you spell Meredith?”

“Timmy, we already had a gift for her.”

“I know, but I wanted to get her something, just from me.  I really like her.  Daddy said it was okay.”

I grinned and thought to myself, ‘Someone sure knows how to manipulate the system to get what he wants.’

By Friday evening, we had cookies in almost every container that we had in the house.

Mother had cooked dinner in the crock pot, so the cookie makers wouldn’t be interfered with.  Lauren surfaced about five, and she seemed different, “Dad, can Meredith and I take my van and look around?”

Dad nodded, “I think it might be advisable to have Meredith drive, since your medicines are adjusting to the changes.”

“Yeah, I get a little woozy from time to time.”

Merry asked, “What time are we going running in the morning, guys?  I run whether its snowing, raining, sleeting or hailing.

Lauren laughed, “That’s what happens to marathoners.  They run in any weather conditions.

When Timmy, Tanner and I were finally ready for bed, there was no question what they, especially Timmy, were waiting for.  I read the rest of the story and Timmy was very quiet, “Brian, was I Tiny Tim before I was born?”

“Timmy, Tiny Tim is just a character in a book.”

Timmy wasn’t finished, “But Brian, I sorta remember having to walk with a crutch, but I don’t remember why or when.”

“Guys, we need to go to sleep.  Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day, since Merry wants to go running and then we have to get ready to go to the home.  We have a Candlelight Service at eight o’clock, at the church.”

As I was falling asleep, I remembered the tent that had been in Tanner’s briefs and was thinking, ‘I wonder what what’s hidden inside those briefs would taste like?’

To be continued...

 Editor's Notes: My goodness, it still isn't time for Christmas.  We still have to wait for another chapter, at least. Merry seems to be a very nice person, doesn't she?  I am pleased to see that Lauren seems to have improved, to some extent, but they need to balance her med levels. She is still a bit muddled, so hopefully, they can straighten out the amounts, soon.  I do have a feeling that things are getting better, though. 

I am ready for another chapter!

Darryl The Radio Rancher

Posted: 10/29/10