What Do I Do Now, Mom?
by: E Walk
(© 2009-2011 by the Author)
 

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

Chapter 54 

The Menagerie Grows

On Tuesday, I took Wade to the high school so he could have his physical, in order to play football. After I signed the necessary papers, I went to my school.  Gloria was already at school when I arrived.  She was opening boxes.  I admonished her, “Gloria, you shouldn’t be lifting those heavy boxes.  Where’s Ted?”

“There’s a note on your desk saying that he’s going to be on vacation the next ten days, so he can be here when the teachers report for duty.  He took his family on a trip to the Grand Canyon.”

“Gloria, I’ll bring one or two of my guys to help you with all these supplies.  I don’t want you lifting these boxes.  Wait until I get one of the guys here.  You must have other things that need to be taken care of.”

I was working on the paperwork that had been in the school mail when Wade arrived.  “Where’s my Dad?”

Gloria looked up, “That depends on whom you’re looking for?”

“I’m sorry, I’m looking for Mr. Adler.”

Gloria decided to play the game to the hilt.  “Might I ask who you are, to see if he has time talk to you?”

“I’m Wade Latham.”

 Gloria knocked on my door. “Mr. Adler, there’s a Mr. Latham here claiming he’s your son.”

“Which Mr. Latham?  I know a lot of Mr. Lathams.”

Wade stuck his head in the door, “Dad, all the other Lathams are home.”

“If you say so.  Roll up your sleeves and help Mrs. Hawkins.”

Wade looked puzzled, “What can I do to help her?”

“You can put the boxes on the table and open them for her.  She’ll tell you what to do after she checks the invoices to make sure the contents are what the invoices say they are.”

Wade started to put the boxes on the table, “Dad, you’d better call the farm and let them know I won’t be home to help the guys with the produce stand.”

“Wade, Walt and Witt are both there to help.  I’ll call home and tell them we’ll be home about four.”

I took a break to go get us each a sandwich and a drink.  When I returned Amy Sadler was waiting for me.  “Mr. Adler, my parents sent some more papers for Nugget.  Dad wrote a note to you.  Is Nugget going to be okay living with you?”

“Amy, Nugget will be just fine.  She slept on her pillow next to Wylie’s  bed last night.  It will be interesting to see if she can adapt to the wide open spaces.”

I didn’t look at the papers because I had a phone call.  I was beginning to think that being a principal had nothing to with educating children. 

At four o’clock, I went into Gloria’s office, “It’s time to bust out of here.  There’s nothing that can’t wait until tomorrow.”

Wade asked, “Mrs. Hawkins, will you have this many things here to take care of tomorrow?”

“Wade, this first day back is always the worst.  There will probably be more things arriving, now that there is space to put them, but this is the biggest bulk of the incoming supplies.  Thanks to you, it looks as if we’re ready to start school.”

When I was getting ready to go home, I put the papers that Amy Sadler had given me in my briefcase, thinking I would look at them when I got home. 

It was strangely quiet when Wade and I pulled into the driveway.  “Wade, I think we need to change our clothes and see where everyone is.  With all the people who live here, we should at least see one person.”

We went into the stable and Walt was helping Billy.  That’s explained two of the guys.  I asked, “Where is everyone else?”

Walt answered, “Bobby is taking care of the other animals.  Mrs. Wallace took the four girls to get school supplies.  Witt took the three little boys with him to the other farm.  Some of the people who are there from the college class had some questions.”

“Dad Randy and Mr. Wallace went to see about a  job.  They finished the plumbing at the other house today.  One of your mother’s friends called and asked if they could do some plumbing work at her house.  They went to see what the lady wanted done.”

“Wade, you go see if you can help Bobby, I’ll go check on dinner.”

Wilt shook his head no, “Dinner is just fine.  It’s in the roaster oven and there’s a Jello and fruit salad in the refrigerator.  Someone needs to go to the store after dinner.  We need a number of things.”

“In that case, I’ll go and pout since no one needs me.”

Billy looked up, “Dad, we all need you.  Go relax.  You’re going to need your strength for when school starts.”

I went to the house like a good boy and did what I was told to do.  I sat down at the breakfast bar and looked through the mail.  I started to sort through the mail  There was a stack for the Lathams and a stack for the Wallaces.  I was trying to figure out why we were getting the Wallaces’ mail.  It suddenly dawned on me that we hadn’t put up a mailbox for the Wallaces.   We needed to take care of that.

I noticed that there were ten checks from the government, addressed to each of the Latham boys and their four sisters”

I was reading the mail to see if there was anything that I needed to take care of.  I paid the two bills that were in the mail for me.  I decided that everyone needed to sit down after dinner and take care of the remainder of the mail.

I was reading the note from Colonel Sadler that was a attached to the paperwork that Amy Sadler had dropped off at the office, concerning Nugget.

Mr. Adler,

Here are the pedigree papers for Nugget.  She is about due to go into heat for the first time.  Dr. Boyd has been her vet.  When we had her in last time, he recommended that he check her before we bred her. 

                                                                      Tom Sadler

I decided that I needed to make a list of the things that had to be done.  ‘Why is everything happening, now that I have to get ready the school year?’

I saw the tractor and a wagon approaching.  I watched as Witt backed the wagon into the shed.  When he stopped and the tractor was unhitched from the wagon, three boys and a golden retrieve disembarked from the wagon.  I hadn’t seen where the boys and Nugget had been sitting.

I went to meet them and I saw that Witt, or somebody, had made a barrier of sandbags to keep the boys from being thrown from the wagon.  Witt greeted me, “Hi, Dad.  The other farm has college students all over the place.  It seems that the professor has given them until Friday to finish their projects.  Dad Randy and Mr. Wallace finished the plumbing this morning.”

“I heard they went to see about doing some work for one of my parents’ friends.”

Wally, Willy and Wiley hugged me and took off for the barn: Nugget went right with them.  Witt was walking to the house with me.  “Dad, it’s going to be very different around here, now that Dad Randy isn’t working close by.  With Walt and Wilt being gone for band and football practice, I guess I need to be home to take care of the young guys.  We can’t ask Mrs. Wallace to take care of the boys all the time.  She’s going to have her hands full with taking care of our four sisters.”

“Witt, do I detect a little bit of self pity.  What happened when you older children went to school last year?  Are you telling me that your Dad stayed with the younger children while the rest of you went to school?”

Witt started to laugh, “Dad Henry, you should know better than that.  If he was going somewhere, he would have one of us three older guys call in sick.  Walt and Wade didn’t mind.  It’s surprising that the school officials didn’t catch on to what was happening.  I know that I was charged with having been absent sixteen days.  I’m sure that Walt and Wade had almost twice as many absences for being supposedly being ill as I did.  In fact, the school officials called and threatened to take our father to court.”

“Witt, I can assure you that none of you guys will be calling in sick.  If someone is ill, Dad Randy or I will do the calling.  I know that you’re a good student, but neither Walt nor Wade are particularly turned on by academics.  I plan to try and change that if I can.  I think that you’ll see a big change in your two brothers' attitudes now that they’re involved in a school activities.  At least, I hope so.  We have some bills for the other farm to take care of.  Why don’t you get your checkbook and we’ll take care of them?”

Witt went to get his checkbook but we never were able to pay the bills that applied to his farm because everyone started to arrive.  Tim was the first to arrive,  “I’m absolutely exhausted.  I’m going to take a nap.  Don’t wake me for dinner.  I’ll find something to eat when I wake up.  I’m so glad that I don’t have to drive back and forth to Nebraska City each day.”

Tim started to trudge up the steps when Randy arrived.  That was the signal for the barn crew to appear with their baskets of eggs.  As we were finishing eating, the phone rang.  Walt handed the phone to me, “It's your Mother.”

“Hi Mom.”

“Henry, are you and Randy going to be home, tonight.”

“Yes, Mother Dearest, we haven’t made any plans to do anything tonight.”

“Good, your father and I have some things we need to talk about with you and Randy.  We’ll be there about seven thirty.”

I hung up and turned to the assembled group, “The grandparents are going to be arriving about seven thirty.”

After dinner, Randy and I were in the living room.  He was explaining, “We finished the plumbing at the Latham house this morning.  Your Mother called at lunch time and said friends of your Dad and her wanted to do some plumbing updating in their house.  She gave me the number to call.”

“I called the number and the lady asked if we were available to start immediately because she wanted to get the work done before Labor Day.  What she wants done is rather extensive and she really has no definitive idea as to what she wants the final product to look like.  After Jake and I talked to her, we went to a plumbing supply warehouse and picked up some brochures and took them to the lady so she and her husband could look at them and get some ideas.”

Randy didn’t get a chance to finish what he was telling me because my parents arrived.  We were settled and Dad started, “Randy, now that you’re going to be working away from home, so to speak, you’re going to need some sort of enclosed conveyance to take your tools and supplies with you.”

Randy sighed, “I know.  I stopped and priced a new van today and there is no way that I can afford to buy one right now.  Even to lease one is out of sight.”

Dad put up his hand, “Randy, that’s why I wanted to talk to you.  I
have a patient who had to retire.  When I was visiting with him today, he mentioned that he had sold his business and that he needed to get rid of his van since the buyer of the business already has a fleet of vans.  I told him I thought that you might be interested in buying it. 
I told him that I would have you call him about possibly buying it.  If the van is in good condition and you want to buy it, I’ll spring for the capital for you to do so.”

Randy started to complain, “Dad, that’s very generous of you, but I’m sure that Hank and I would be able to make a go of it.  We might have to give up a few of the extra things, but the boys are already better than they have ever been before.”

That was more than my Mother could take, “Randall Lee, you’re not listening to Leon.  All we’re trying to do is make sure that the boys aren’t missing out on fun things.  They have endured enough of the lean years.”

“Mother dearest, Randy and I can make sure the boys don’t have anymore lean years.  Dad, let Randy and Jake take a look at the van.  We’ll decide if we can afford it.  If we need help financially, we’ll let you know.”

Dad cleared his throat.  That was a sure sign he was irritated by my response.  “Hank, I’m not trying take control of your lives.  All I was doing was offering to help Randy get his business started.”

“Dad, I’m sorry if I upset you.  But there are too many things happening right now with school starting for me.  I’m overwhelmed by everything that is happening and it doesn’t show signs of easing up.”

Mother shook her head in disgust.  “Henry, we’re not trying to control your lives.  I agree that you two have a lot on your plate right now.  Neither one of you were prepared to have all these boys dumped  on your doorstep.  You’re going to need all of the help you can get until the youngest three, especially, ready to assume more responsibilities.”

The conversation was interrupted by the entrance of Wiley and Nugget.  Wiley came over to where I was sitting, “Daddy, Nugget wants to know if she needs to take a bath?”

“Wiley, Nugget probably shouldn’t take a bath in the house.  She’d leave a trail of water and shake, and everyone else would have to take another bath.  We’ll give her a bath in the swimming pool this weekend when the weather is nice.  You need to brush her good, so she looks pretty when she has to go to the vet tomorrow.”

“Okay Daddy.  Does she have to have her teeth cleaned like we did?”

I had to stop and think how to answer.   “Doctor Boyd wants to check Nugget.  Amy’s Daddy sent me a note and said we needed to take her to see the doctor.”

“When do we gotta go?”

“Wylie, we need to set up an appointment tomorrow.  We’ll get the two of you to Doctor Boyd’s office at the scheduled time.”

Mother changed gears, “Wiley, what do you and the other guys want for their birthday presents?”

“Grandma,, Nugget is already my birthday president.  I don’t need or want anything else since I never really received a birthday present before.  Dad, can I give Nugget some treat snacks for dessert?”

“Wiley, just don’t scatter them all over.  We need to have a bowl for treats so that she gets used to where they will be.”

Mother was pushing, “Wylie, are you sure there isn’t something else you need for you birthday?”

“Grandma, I never had a dog before. So why would I need anything else?"

To be continued...

Editor's Notes:

I think that Mother Dearest enjoys sticking her nose into the guys' business, a bit more than she needs to.

Now that school is starting, certain things will be more hectic, but maybe other things will finally settle down to a regular routine.

I think it is a good idea for Randy to get a van, and since Daddy dearest is willing to help get the van, they should let him have his fun. If Randy and Henry are able to pay them back later, so be it.

I am ready for the next chapter.

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher

Posted: 04/22/11