August 2023…
“Hi Mom,” Michael Stetson said, embracing his mother, “Julie’s getting the kids out of the car and set up in the yard, if you don’t mind.”
“That’s fine honey,” Amanda said, just glad that her son was there. It was a family cook out. Lee wanted to see everyone one last time before school started. He was already out setting up the grill. Even at seventy-two the man could not be stopped from doing what he wanted, when he wanted to. The same went for his wife.
“I see Robert and Ethan are already here,” Michael pointed out his nephews.
“Constance brought them early to help me set up,” Amanda said.
“Nice of her,” Michael remarked sarcastically.
“Why do you have to pick on her?” Amanda asked.
“Because she’s been divorced from Phillip for years, and he’s bringing a date, or so he said,” Michael answered, “Where is Grandma?”
“Doing her hair,” Amanda laughed, “Wants to look good for her great-grandchildren.”
“Hi, Grandma,” a little voice came, as if on cue.
Amanda turned to see her only granddaughter, Michael’s oldest child, running in for a hug.
“How are you Mariah?” Amanda asked as she hugged the ten-year-old girl. She had dark hair and brown eyes. Amanda often said her granddaugtergranddaughter was a duplicate of herself.
“I’m fine. School’s starting soon. I don’t want to go. Can you tell Dad not to make me?” Mariah asked.
“You really need to get your education. But come with me upstairs, I think I have something for you,” Amanda said, taking Mariah by the hand. Michael shook his head as he watched the two of them walk down the hall together. His mother spoiled that girl every chance she got.
Julie came in from the yard and wrapped her arms around Michael’s torso, “We’re all set up.”
“Good,” he grinned as he leaned down to kiss her, “Are Mikey and Zak behaving themselves?”
“They’re little boys, they never behave,” Julie said, giving him a wry grin.
“Want to go up to my old room, get in a little…y’know?” Michael grinned devilishly.
“We just got here, Michael, don’t you think that’s rude?” Julie asked.
“Making love to my wife is never rude,” Michael replied softly. He was leaning down for another kiss when someone came in the front door behind them.
“Hi Mike,” Jamie greeted them. He was almost fifty now, and was a professor at the high school up the road. He taught Mechanical Drawing and Photography and lived a few blocks away from his mother and stepfather. His wife Kelly was entering right behind him, arms full of side dishes. She had shoulder length blonde hair and blue eyes. One might have sworn the couple were twins if they didn’t know better.
“Where’s Joseph?” Michael asked.
“He went around back,” Kelly volunteered as she made her way into the big country kitchen.
“Ah ha,” Michael said. He watched his beautiful wife retreat into the kitchen to help Kelly and to gossip about whatever it was women gossiped about. He frowned when he saw Constance come in and join them, then turned back to his brother.
“How go the home improvements?” Jamie asked.
“It’s only decks, cabinets, and the oddball door or window installation, but it’s going pretty well. One of my workmen quit last week, so if Joseph needs work for a couple of weeks, I can use his help .help. Otherwise it’s good. Three orders were phoned in just last week ,week,” Michael said.
“Great. You can ask Joe when you get a chance today. I don’t know how he plans to spend his last few weeks of summer.
Michael nodded, “Well, I’m going to say ‘hi’ to Dad. If you need Mom, she stole my daughter to spoil her with something upstairs.”
Jamie laughed, “Okay.”
“Hi, Dad,” Michael greeted Lee, “How’s your old knee?”
“Hi Michael. It’s getting as much a work out with your mother as usual,” Lee grinned, meaning to throw his son off guard, “Did you bring what I asked for?”
“Yep…here,” Michael said, handing his father the scratch-off tickets as if they were contraband. He was glad his father had changed the subject. Thinking of two old people going at it, especially his parents, wasn’t appealing.
“I appreciate that. Have to get my weekly fix, and your mother’s been making me putter around the house all week, getting ready for this barbeque,” Lee said, “Used to be, we’d just drop everything and go shopping for food, plates and cups the day of, and the condition of the house didn’t matter…now she’s worried somebody’s going to criticize her housekeeping. With Dotty riding herd on me too, couldn’t sneak out.”
“I’m glad I can help, Dad,” Michael grinned. His father had placed a piteous call to him on Wednesday, as much to request the tickets as to get a break from running around the house and sprucing up.
***
1989…
The combined family had moved into their current house the September after Michael was born. Phillip and Jamie needed more space, and Lee didn’t want to move again later, so he and Amanda had gone house hunting.
The boys were spending a lot of weekends with Joe, most likely because it was just Joe and Carrie at the split-level condo. That made two less people for the boys to worry about sharing space with.
Sometimes Michael went with his parents, and sometimes Dotty babysat, if it looked like there would be more driving than walking around.
On the occasion that they found their house, the “forever” house, Lee and Amanda had seen four houses already and had lunch with the realtor, Roger. Lee was all for a ranch, but Amanda wanted something just a bit bigger than the house in Arlington.
The house they found was 18505 Ridge Mill Place. It was mostly brick, with a fireplace in the living room and the den. On the main floor was the foyer that walked into the living room. A country kitchen led to the one-acre backyard. A coat closet was just inside the door. The dining room was on the other side of the stairs on the right as they walked in. The stairs were a square spiral that went up and down with one landing before each floor.
Upstairs was a long hallway. The first door to the right was the linen closet. The next door up was a full bathroom. On the left were two bedrooms and a little further down on the right side was the master bedroom with a master bath.
In the basement were the laundry room, a half bathroom, another two bedrooms and the den. There was storage space under the stairs.
“This is it,” Amanda said when the tour was done.
“You sure?” Lee asked. The realtor had gone out to his car for a more detailed brochure on the house, “I’ll have to check something first.”
“What?” Amanda asked as he led her upstairs. He took her into the master bedroom and shut the door, locking it. He took a walk around the room, then grinned at her.
“Yep, we can live here,” Lee agreed.
“Why did you lock the door?” Amanda asked him directly. Lee took her by the shoulders and kissed her, pushing her against the wall with his weight.
“Because I haven’t been alone with you all day and you’re driving me crazy, walking around, bending over to look at things,” Lee paused to kiss his wife again, “I bet I know what Roger’s doing out in his car. I’ve been watching him.”
“Lee, behave,” Amanda said, pushing Lee back.
“I guess I can…we’re done house shopping now. I’d say that requires some celebration this afternoon. Do you think Michael will sleep that long?”
“I’m afraid not,” Amanda replied, knowing their young son would sleep through the night but was probably halfway through his second nap of the day.
“Damn. The car?” Lee asked.
“If you can find a spot…”
“Mister and misses Stetson?” Roger’s voice came through the door. In two seconds, Lee had it open.
“Sorry, didn’t know it was locked,” Lee said, only a little ashamed. He knew he’d only have a few minutes with Amanda, but now “arrangements” had been made.
“Here’s the brochure,” Roger held it out to Amanda.
“We won’t need it…we’ll take the house…if we can get a little lower price. Right Lee?” Amanda said, all smiles.
“That’s right,” Lee smiled, hoping they’d leave soon.
“Wonderful. I’ll get in touch with the sellers for you,” Roger held out his hand for Lee to shake. Lee declined, brushing past the realtor, Amanda in tow courtesy of his left hand in her right.
///
August, 2023…
Lee smiled at the memory. For more than thirty years they’d lived here. So much had happened since. His baby boy was grown up now. With his own three children. Michael had wandered back into the house.
Lee scratched the ticket his son had brought. Of five, he had hoped to win at least one dollar back, but all of them were losing tickets. Lee shrugged. There was always next time.
“Grandpa, it’s one o clock,” Robert, Phillip’s oldest son said, “Time to start the barbecue.”
“You’re right. You want to light it up?” Lee asked as he sat down at the picnic bench nearby to the grill.
“Definitely,” Robert said with a grin. He had turned nineteen in January and was a sophomore at Virginia Tech. He was strong, built like his father, and played for the football team.
“You starting the food?” Ethan asked as he approached his brother and grandfather. The prefixes “half-“ and “step-“ had been dropped from the family’s vocabulary long ago.
Ethan was more his mother’s son. She had an Irish background, and Ethan let his temper show through at frustrating times. He was a junior at the high school his father had gone to in Arlington. Recently he had begun his driver’s education.
“Yep, just getting the okay from Grandpa,” Robert said.
“You boys do anything you want. Just don’t do anything that’ll get us in trouble with the women,” Lee warned. Robert started the gas grill easily and piled hamburgers, hotdogs and a couple of steaks on top.
“C’mon Grandpa, we know you and Dad and Uncle Jamie and Uncle Michael aren’t always that well behaved,” Ethan said.
“Yeah, you were an agent before Dad was,” Robert said, “Didn’t you ever make Grandma mad?”
“Sure I did. A lot of times. But there was one time, before you two were born, that your Uncle Mike made her madder,” Lee said, setting his losing tickets on the picnic table.
***
2001…
Phillip King, age 28, was due to be married in a week. His fiancée, Constance McManus, was obsessed with him not seeing the wedding dress. So for a week, Phillip had moved back in with Lee and Amanda. Joe and Carrie were housing Joe’s parents in their condo, so Phillip had opted to stay with his mother to keep Constance sane.
Michael Stetson sat in his room, brooding. His parents were on some sort of heightened state of alert the last two days. And everything Phillip told him to do, he had to do. He was so tired of the wedding preparations that had been ongoing for the last six months. Even his grandmother seemed unrelenting.
They wouldn’t let Michael out of their sights for ten seconds, let alone ten minutes, so he’d stayed in his room, trying to play videogames, surf the net, do his homework…anything that would keep him out from underfoot. Even then, someone kept interrupting him. He sighed when he heard it again. His mother’s knock at the door.
“Sweetheart,” Amanda called through the door.
“Yes?” Michael called through, irritation seeping into his voice even though he didn’t mean for it to.
“Your tuxedo’s here. Try it on for me, okay?” Amanda called.
Michael sighed, “Okay, bring it in.”
Amanda grinned as she brought in the newly purchased suit for her son. He’d outgrow it in a year, but they had the money, it was nice. Not like when Phillip and Jamie were younger, and she tried to struggle by on whatever Joe found the time to send and her salaries from the jobs before the Agency, and after.
“Come on down to the den and show it to me when you’re ready, okay?” Amanda asked.
“Okay,” Michael shrugged.
“And don’t forget your shoes. I want the whole show,” Amanda insisted.
“All right,” Michael said, her demands taxing his patience.
“Hey,” Amanda said, grabbing his cheeks in one hand and turning his face to her, “Don’t give your mother attitude.”
“Sorry,” Michael said with his face puckered up. Amanda kissed him on the forehead and left the room.
A few minutes later, Michael was in the den, tuxedo on and shoes shining. He had tied his bow tie by himself. His father had taught him how years before. He stood before an audience of his parents and grandmother.
“Honey, you look great,” Amanda said, “Just like your father.”
Lee nodded his agreement. Michael already had most of Lee’s height and was also a spitting image of his face-hazel eyes, brown hair and dimples.
“I know,” Michael moaned, “Can I go get out of this now?”
“Sure,” Lee answered, “And when you come back down, could you set the table for dinner? It’ll be done soon.”
“Yeah,” Michael acknowledged as he ascended the two flights of stairs to his room.
Once he closed the door, he stripped out of the tuxedo and hung it up so that it wouldn’t get wrinkled. He put on his jeans and a dragon T-shirt.
“I hate this whole wedding thing,” Michael said aloud to himself, “I wish they’d leave me out of it.”
He shook his head and went downstairs to set the table, as his father had commanded. He didn’t mind the chore, but it was one more thing for him to hate at the moment.
“Mom, I’m going to go out and shoot some baskets till it gets dark, okay?” Michael asked when he’d cleared his plate.
“No, you’re going to clean your room. We might have guests this weekend and it has to look neat,” Amanda instructed him.
“Fine,” Michael said. I’ll just shove everything under the bed.
“I’ll be checking under the bed,” Amanda called after him as he went upstairs.
Dammit, Michael thought.
An hour later, Michael reappeared in the living room.
“Mom, there’s a movie on cable, so I’m going to the den to watch it while my clothes dry,” Michael said, thinking he was ahead of the game for once that night.
“Have you done your homework, and did your Dad look it over?” Amanda asked. She was watching TV while Lee caught up on the newspaper.
“I haven’t looked at homework,” Lee commented unhelpfully from behind the newspaper.
Michael glared at them both but they didn’t seem to notice, “Fine.”
Lee found nothing wrong with his son’s homework ten minutes later, so Amanda freed him to go downstairs to watch TV. Michael found his oldest brother on the couch, watching TV.
“Hey, there’s this movie I want to watch. Mom said I could. It’s about that book series, the Star Fighters. Can we watch it?” Michael asked.
“Nope. I got here first,” Phillip said.
“C’mon, you weren’t in here twenty minutes ago. It took me that long to get out my homework, have Dad check it, and put it back in my bag. Please, Phillip?” Michael was forced to beg. He hated it, but didn’t see where he had a choice.
“Sorry squirt, you snooze you lose. Go watch TV in your room.”
“I would but I don’t have cable in there…this is the only one that has it,” Michael pointed out.
“Oh. Well, I’m watching this…it’ll be over in about a half hour. Then we can switch,” Phillip said of his History Channel documentary.
“Never mind,” Michael said. He retreated to his room in silence. No one noticed or followed him up. Entering his room, Michael saw his tuxedo hanging in the closet. He hated it. It was only Tuesday night and he didn’t think he’d survive until Saturday. He flopped in his chair, rage building toward the wedding, his family, and that damned tux. He played idly with the assorted schools supplies on his desk, slowly letting the anger build. Then he had a fit of rage before he could have second thoughts.
Thursday afternoon at four, the wedding rehearsal was scheduled, and after that would be the rehearsal dinner. Michael was an usher and was supposed to be getting ready to go. Instead, he was moping on his bed. After calling for him for ten minutes, Amanda finally made her way upstairs.
“Michael, it’s three o’clock. Can’t we be early for once?” Amanda called through the door.
Michael didn’t answer her.
“Michael?”
He turned on the bed so he was facing the wall, not the door.
Amanda opened the door, “Why aren’t you getting ready to leave?”
“Can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Nothing to wear,” Michael almost whispered.
“What?” Amanda asked. She walked over to his closet and then she saw his tuxedo hanging there, in shreds, “Michael! What on Earth happened?”
“What’s wrong?” Lee called up the stairs when he heard his wife’s yelling.
“You better come down stairs and explain this to me. You do not want your father to come up here and see this,” Amanda warned, motioning for Michael to get off the bed and follow her.
“What’s wrong?” Lee asked as his wife and son brushed by him.
“Den,” was all Amanda could say without giving him the rest of the story in a blur. Lee followed obediently.
“Sit,” Amanda said to Lee then turned to her son, “You will stand there and tell us what’s going on.”
“Yes, I’m dying to know now,” Lee said with concern.
Michael couldn’t say anything. He didn’t know how to explain himself, and he knew he was in big trouble.
“Tell him about your tuxedo,” Amanda pushed. Lee looked at her with raised eyebrows. When she said nothing more, he looked at Michael.
“I messed it up,” Michael admitted.
“Okay, well, how messed up?” Lee asked, wondering.
“I cut it up with the scissors from my desk. I don’t want to be in Phillip’s wedding,” Michael said in a quiet tone.
“You did what to your brand new tuxedo?” Lee asked again, stunned. He didn’t mind the cost of the suit so much as the vicious treatment it had received.
“I shredded it, so I couldn’t be in the wedding. Nobody will care if I’m not there,” Michael said.
“Of course we’ll care, don’t be ridiculous,” Amanda said.
“I really lost it on Tuesday. That suit’s been there a whole day like that. Everything has been about Phillip, even if it doesn’t seem to be,” Michael looked at the ground as he spoke.
“Lee, what are we going to do about the rehearsal?” Amanda asked.
“I don’t know if Michael’s even going to live that long,” Lee said after a moment thinking. He’d never been so upset with his son as he was now.
“Lee, we don’t have time for this. We have to get to the rehearsal,” Amanda said, one hand on his shoulder to keep him seated.
“You didn’t tear up all your suits did you?” Lee asked.
“No, just that one,” Michael said, still staring at the floor.
“Well, you can wear one of them to the rehearsal, and we’ll tell everyone you didn’t want to ruin your tuxedo. I’ll talk to Phillip and Constance later and explain the real reason, but the guests don’t need to know,” Lee reasoned.
“That’s good,” Amanda said as she thought of an idea, ”And Lee, you have some tuxes in our closet. Michael is almost your height. Mother and I could probably tailor one to fit him for Saturday.”
“Sounds like somebody just got back into the wedding party. But this is not over, son. We’ll be talking more about this tonight,” Lee said, “Go change and be out at the car in fifteen minutes.”
“Okay,” Michael said, heading up to his room.
Late Thursday evening found Lee and Amanda in their bedroom, discussing what possibly set Michael off. Phillip had to ride home with them, and had gotten the real explanation shortly before. He decided not talking to Michael was safer than creaming him two days before the wedding.
“Lee,” Amanda said after she’d changed, “Maybe we spoiled him too much.”
“Who, Michael?” Lee asked, joining her on the bed after he’d finished his evening ablutions.
“Yes, you know…he has a computer in his room, a TV…”
“…That Playstation thing,” Lee nodded, “But those are all things he’s earned, Amanda. Michael’s usually well behaved. His grades in school are better than mine ever were. It’s got to be something else.”
“Well once we find that out, what’s the punishment?” Amanda asked, still seething.
“He’s going to pay us back for that tuxedo, that’s what. He gets a very good allowance each month. He’ll also be doing extra chores around the house,” Lee told his wife. The couple heard a hesitant knock at the door.
“Come in,” Lee called.
As expected, Michael entered, “Before you guys say anything,” Michael started, “I just want to say that I’m really sorry.”
“Why are you sorry? You said before that you don’t want to be in the wedding. Why?” Lee asked as if he was interrogating a terrorist.
“I just got fed up,” Michael said, “No one has noticed me since Phillip came to stay. And every time I go to do something, I can’t.”
“Like what?” Lee asked in disbelief.
“Like the other night, I just wanted to shoot some hoops, and Mom said no. And last night, all I wanted to do was get online for a while, but I had to wait for Phillip, and by the time he was done being mushy with Constance, I had to go to bed,” Michael explained.
“That’s not so bad if you think about it, is it?” Amanda asked.
“No,” Michael agreed, “But it’s been every night since he got here. It’s always something.”
“Well, taking it out on your tux was not acceptable. Talking to me or your mother would have been,” Lee reprimanded him.
“I couldn’t even talk to you guys. All week, it’s like I don’t exist, and I have to be everybody’s slave,” Michael continued.
“You’re buying yourself a replacement tux and you’ll be doing extra chores, too. And you’re grounded to the end of the month. You can make phone calls, but that’s it. No Internet unless it’s for homework, and you can do that on the computer in the den,” Lee said.
Michael sighed, “Okay.”
“And you could have come to us, like tonight, Michael,” Amanda pointed out, “I don’t remember hearing you knock at all.”
“I didn’t,” Michael admitted.
“All right…to bed,” Lee ordered, glad that the ordeal was over.
“He really is going to be a slave till he pays us back,” Amanda said, shaking her head in sympathy.
“You were angry with him earlier, and now you have pity for him?” Lee asked.
“It’s a mother’s job to feel sorry for her son when he’s down, Lee. Even if he did it to himself,” Amanda said, “But don’t worry. I have a list of chores as long as my arm waiting for him.”
“I have something for that arm to do,” Lee suggested, giving her a wink and raising an eyebrow.
“Do you?” Amanda asked turning off the lights.
“Mmm hmm,” was Lee’s last discernable reply of the night.
///
August, 2003…
“Did Grandma really stay mad that long?” Joseph asked.
“He ended up with a bunch of chores, let me tell you. She is not one to let up when she’s right,” Lee said. The boys all laughed, nodding agreement.
In the kitchen, Amanda, Constance and Kelly were making three kinds of salad, and baked beans were warming on the stove under Julie’s watchful eye. Mariah had wandered in to watch.
“Grandpa was saying how bad Dad was as a boy,” Mariah piped up. Julie noticed her daughter had switched the earrings she’d worn to the picnic for the ones Amanda had given her when she arrived.
“He did?” Amanda asked.
“Yea, all about how he ripped up his tux,” Mariah grinned.
“I remember that,” Constance said, a frown in her voice.
“All of my children have done crazy things from time to time,” Amanda said, “I suppose they get it from the father’s side of the family.”
“I’ll bet Jamie was never that bad,” Kelly said, “He’s always helping out around the house. We hardly ever argue.”
Both Constance and Amanda gave Kelly dagger eyes.
“What?” Kelly asked, returning to her task of pasta salad.
“I remember the things he’s done. Especially the time he crashed Phillip’s car into a ditch,” Amanda said to prove her daughter in law wrong.
“What happened?” Mariah had to know.
***
1991…
The summer after Phillip King graduated, he got a job. It was just above minimum wage at a fast food place, but it was money for college on top of the two five thousand dollar grants he’d gotten and his father’s help. Lee and Amanda were contributing, too, but he still needed loans for school. He had had his license for a year, but needed a car to better facilitate getting to and from work. Lee, Amanda, and Dotty were always making use of the two cars the family had.
His parents couldn’t afford to buy a car for Phillip outright, but they did have the two thousand dollar down payment for him as a late graduation gift in July. They had found a dark green 1987 Ford Taurus at the dealership for seven thousand dollars. They’d also agreed to help him with payments for the car and car insurance.
One day in August, Phillip notified Amanda and Lee that he would be leaving tomorrow to go to King’s Dominion with some friends as an end of summer trip. It was a Wednesday and they were hoping the lines would be short.
Lee Stetson was not surprised when he returned home from grocery shopping and saw that Phillip’s car was gone. He and his friends had planned to leave at about ten. Amanda had gone to an interrogation at work, and he and Michael had gone grocery shopping just before Phillip left.
“Anybody home?” Lee called hesitantly. He guessed Jamie was out with friends somewhere. And although Phillip said he had a ride to the park, his car was gone. Lee shrugged, figuring the boy had decided to drive after all.
“We home, Daddy,” Michael said as he ran into the living room, “TV…TV!”
“Okay,” Lee said, turning on PBS for his son. Amanda had been right to move it out of his reach. He’d be up at all hours, watching it. The entertainment center with its closing doors was worth its weight in gold. Out of sight, out of mind. During the day, it was open.
“Ernie…” Michael said when the Rubber Ducky song started to play.
“You stay right there. Daddy’s going to get the groceries,” Lee said as he went back out the door. He had no doubt his son would still be there when he came back in.
Lee hauled in the groceries and put them away in between Michael asking for juice and then telling Lee he had to go potty. The two of them were having a great time. Michael had popped open a box of Life cereal in the store and asked Lee for more. When he got some in a bowl to eat dry, he ran back into the living room for more Sesame Street. When he’d finished with the groceries, Lee joined him on the couch.
An hour later, the phone rang. The weather had changed to rain and it was drizzling heavily outside. Lee had fallen asleep, and the phone did not wake him up. Michael however did get up from his place on the couch next to Lee.
“H’lo?” he said when he reached the phone.
“Michael?” came Jamie’s voice.
“Jame,” Michael laughed. He never said both syllables.
“Michael, give the phone to your Daddy,” Jamie ordered.
“Shhh,” Michael responded, “Daddy sleepin’.”
“Michael! Give him the phone!”
“Bye bye!” Michael said, laying the phone down on the counter and walking away.
Jamie’s calls of, “Michael, Michael!” were steadfastly ignored.
Amanda Stetson sat behind the two-way mirror taking notes on the interrogation. Over three years had passed since she and Lee had gone public with their marriage and jobs. She and her husband had swapped time off so she could help Billy debrief a suspect in an international murder case. He liked her note taking best, and wanted it done same day if possible. Unexpectedly, the M P on duty interrupted her with a phone call. Francine was sitting next to her, shaking her head.
“Francine, are we recording this?” Amanda asked.
“Uh huh,” Francine replied in her snootiest tone.
“I’ll be right back,” Amanda whispered and left to take the call.
“Hello?” Amanda asked.
“Mom, hi,” Jamie said back.
“Jamie, I’m working. They said it was an emergency, what’s wrong?” Amanda asked.
“Well, I…” her son’s voice faltered.
“What is it?” Amanda asked again.
“I sort of got Phillip’s car stuck in a ditch and-“
“You did what? Where’s Phillip?”
“No, he didn’t take me driving. I, um, took his car by myself and now Vanessa and I are stuck in the rain…well, not really. We walked a mile in the rain to this gas station,” Jamie’s tormented voice came over the phone.
“Where’s Lee?” Amanda asked. He wouldn’t make her drive all the way home and then some to rescue her son.
“I suppose he’s home with Michael. Michael picked up the phone and I guess Lee’s napping. Michael left the phone off the hook, so it’s a busy signal when I try him.”
“I see,” Amanda said, thinking. She knew Lee would turn off his cell phone as soon as he was at the house, “I’ll try to get him within the hour. You tell me the address you’re at and then sit tight. Someone will pick you up. Vanessa’s parents can’t do it?”
“They’re divorced, remember? Her mom is working too. And this was my fault,” Jamie said in an apologetic tone. He gave her the address and waited for any further instructions.
“I can’t talk right now, but either Lee or myself will pick you up, okay?” Amanda asked.
“Okay Mom. Bye,” Jamie agreed.
Amanda hung up and returned to the interrogation room. Francine was sipping her coffee.
“What did I miss?” Amanda asked.
“Nothing. They’re taking a break for an hour. Your caller had good timing,” Francine informed her.
“So I can go and do some things and come back?” Amanda asked to be sure.
“You’re free till three o’clock. Then they’re going to go at it again,” Francine said.
Amanda didn’t have to be told again. She left the room and tried to call the house from the Q Bureau.
“Hello?” came Lee’s voice.
“Lee, Jamie’s been trying to get you,” Amanda informed him.
“Sorry. Michael picked up the phone at some point, left it off the hook,” Lee said.
“He did that when Jamie called,” Amanda sighed mentally.
“He did?” then quieter, “Michael, did you talk to Jamie on the phone?”
“Jame!” she heard Michael say in the background, and couldn’t stop herself from smiling.
“I guess that’s a yes,” Lee said, “What’s going on?”
“Jamie took Phillip’s car and went to Vanessa’s house, and then he landed it in a ditch. I need you to go and get him from the gas station he’s at. It’s not too far,” Amanda rambled.
“Whoa, wait a minute, why did he take the car?” Lee asked.
“I didn’t have time to go into that. But if you’d go get him, I’d appreciate it a bunch. That way I won’t have to leave and come back.”
“I think Michael and I can handle one more errand today. We’re rested up,” Lee agreed.
“Thank you, Lee,” Amanda said, smiling.
“Just give me the address,” Lee requested, writing as she spoke, “I’ll get the car towed, if I can’t get it out of the ditch.”
“Wonderful,” Amanda said in a half grin, half groan. Jamie was going to have to be dealt with later, and she didn’t really want to do it. With a kiss over the phone, Amanda went to get a sandwich and some coffee and look over her notes.
When Amanda stepped into the house at five-thirty, she found that Lee had prepared a four star meal. At least for them. Michael was in a booster chair eating mac and cheese. Phillip and Jamie weren’t around.
“Hi,” Lee grinned at her
“Mommy!” Michael slid out of his chair, forgetting about dinner.
“Hi Michael,” Amanda said, kneeling down to his level for a kiss and a hug. She ruffled his hair and then stood for Lee’s kiss.
“Ewwww,” Michael said quietly.
“Hey, young man, how do you think you got here?” Lee asked, knowing the question was useless.
“Huh?” Michael asked loudly.
“Never mind,” Lee said, “You need to finish your dinner.”
“Mommy, pick me up!” Michael ran to Amanda, who was checking whatever Lee had cooking on the stove…wild rice as it turned out.
“You’re too big,” Amanda objected teasingly. Michael took her hand anyway and led her to the table, where she helped him into his booster seat again. That done, Michael set to eating in earnest, sometimes with his hands, sometimes with his fork.
“He’s behaving tonight,” Amanda noticed. Lee was leaning against the counter, and Amanda joined him there, kissing him playfully.
“Yeah, waiting on the tow truck wore him out. I pretty much let him go in the grass wherever he wanted, as long as he stayed out of the road. You don’t want to see the clothes he had on earlier,” Lee explained. He remembered with a grin as their son had jumped around in the grass, muddying his shoes, socks and blue jeans. His shirt had been saved, mostly thanks to the yellow hat and raincoat Lee’d made him wear.
“Oh, Lee! I bet he was nothing but a mud bucket when he got back here!” Amanda pouted.
“Hey, I put the blanket from the trunk on the back seat…the floor was a little messed up, but I cleaned it. And…I already took care of his bath and the laundry,” Lee told her. That statement earned him silence and a kiss. Amanda let him hold her against his chest for a good five minutes and just watched their son eating.
“You know,” Lee suggested, “I have a nice steak in the oven on warm for us, and the rice and some bread too. How about we eat that. I can get you some wine or beer and you can chill out.”
“The first half sounds nice, but I’ll pass on the alcohol until I talk with Jamie. Who isn’t around, I see.”
“He’s on self punishment or something. Made himself a couple of sandwiches about an hour ago and went up to his room. I sure wasn’t going to bother him,” Lee informed her.
“Ah. He’s hiding,” Amanda said, “Well, let’s eat. Any word on Phillip?”
“The rain cleared up. I wouldn’t expect him before dark.”
“Lee, this is delicious.”
“Thank you, I strive for perfection,” Lee said teasingly.
“Boy, you did something right tonight,” Amanda teased back. They discussed her day at work and the retrieval of Phillip’s car as they ate. Jamie hadn’t offered Lee much of an explanation. They’d dropped off Vanessa at her house, and then gone home.
When they finished, with a choice of Michael or dishes, Lee picked the dishes and let Amanda deal with their son.
Amanda returned downstairs half an hour later with Michael, both in their pajamas. Michael hadn’t needed a re-bath since that afternoon, so Amanda’s only struggle was wrestling the boy into a set of pajamas. He ran straight into the living room, where Lee turned on the Disney Channel.
“Jamie didn’t come out of his room yet, so I’ll be up there, talking to him,” Amanda stated.
“Okay,” Lee nodded.
“Jamie, we have to talk,” Amanda said as she knocked on her son’s door.
“I didn’t lock it,” Jamie said sullenly.
Amanda went into her son’s room, now kept neater then when he was a young child. His desk had some library books on it. His bed wasn’t made, but it wasn’t totally trashed. At the moment, Jamie was trying to beat a motorcycle game on his Nintendo system. When she entered the room, he set the game on Pause and turned off the television.
“Hi,” he said quietly. He switched positions from the floor to the bed. Amanda joined him, sitting an arm’s length away from him.
“Hi,” Amanda said calmly, “I’m hoping you had a very good reason to take that car while you still have only your Learner’s Permit.”
“It’s not fair,” Jamie started, “Phillip gets to go to the amusement park and he didn’t even invite me, and I always let him come with my friends and me.”
Amanda was already shaking her head, not buying her son’s story, “You took the extra set of keys and picked up your girlfriend. My question is why? Lee would have driven you both to the movies or the mall or wherever you wanted to go.”
“I know. I just feel like I can’t do anything on my own. And we were just going to go out for lunch and a movie. Would’ve been back in plenty of time for Phillip to get back. And Lee wouldn’t have noticed probably.” Jamie whined some more, “If I hadn’t gone in that ditch, we would have been fine, but the rain started and I couldn’t stop when I started skidding off the road. Trying to get out of the ditch in reverse was no help either.”
“Which is why you ONLY have that permit and not your license,” Amanda admonished him further, “And I bet Lee would have noticed what you’d done, if you got away with it. You would have gotten him to keep quiet by telling him it went okay, and he would have probably agreed with you. But you couldn’t be sure he still wouldn’t tell me the whole thing later.”
“But it would have gone fine. Kind of too late to be mad at me anymore,” Jamie grinned guiltily.
“You know me too well,” Amanda agreed with her son, “But there has to be a punishment for this. You are going to pay me back for the repairs to Phillip’s car. The insurance will cover some of it, but there’s a deductible. If they raise the rate, you’ll pay the extra on it too, as this wasn’t Phillip’s fault.”
“But MOM! I don’t have a job!” Jamie practically screeched.
“I guess you’ll have to get one,” Amanda said, “You’re allowed to work part time starting at fourteen. And that’s during school. You’re older than that anyway. You can work full time till school starts, whatever you decide to do,” Amanda said sternly. She had never expected such behavior out of this son. He was fifteen and seemed to be doing fine with school and friends and being a teenager in general.
“I’ll try to find something, I guess,” Jamie said. Now that the full implications of his actions had hit him, his face became a little flushed and he looked down.
“I’m not going to ground you, but I am going to take away your permit unless you are driving with myself or Lee. We can’t afford to just pay for this ourselves, Jamie. Not with Michael and the house payments. Understand?” Amanda said, trying to let him know that the punishment was not only out of her frustrations.
“Yeah,” Jamie said, “I’m sorry. I just wanted to get out of the house.”
“It’s okay. This time,” Amanda said as she rose to leave, “But you better not let it happen again.”
“I won’t,” Jamie said, returning to his videogame.
On her return downstairs, Amanda found Lee and Michael watching a crocodile special. Michael made smashing motions with his hands, like the jaws of a croc closing. Sometimes he would nail Lee’s arm, and Lee would start thrashing around on the couch.
“Are you wearing him out, or is he wearing you out?” Amanda asked when the commercial came on.
“Me eatin’ him!” Michael informed her.
“Oh, is that it?” Amanda laughed. Michael nodded.
“So, what was this all about?” Lee asked, pointing toward the stairs.
“He was feeling cooped up,” Amanda explained.
“I would’ve driven him with Michael and myself earlier, dropped him off-“ Lee started to defend himself. He had gotten Michael strapped into his booster chair and left. He let Jamie know where he would be, but didn’t ask him if he needed a lift anywhere.
“Lee, it’s not your fault. Jamie knew he could ask you, but he wanted to be independent,” Amanda interrupted, “Anyway, he’ll be getting a job to pay off the repairs, whatever the insurance won’t cover, so if he needs a ride for that, I guess we’ll have to work it out. I’ll be holding onto his Permit for when he’s driving with one of us.”
“Sounds fair,” Lee agreed.
Michael clamped down on his arm again, so Lee started rolling them both around on the couch. He begged his son not to eat him up. Michael relented; the commercial was over.
///
August 2023…
“Uncle Jamie really did that?” Mariah asked, “Is that the worst thing he ever did?”
“I’m too old to remember anymore. I’m sure it is right up there though,” Amanda replied.
“I can’t wait to talk to him about this tonight,” Kelly giggled.
“Now, don’t you pick on my son too much,” Amanda said.
“I promise,” Kelly said, holding one hand across her heart. She still had a guilty looking smirk on her face.
Amanda shook her head, and everyone went outside with the salads and beans.
Lee was reminiscing with the three oldest grandchildren still. A little further away, Mikey and Zak were playing with Michael and Jamie on a swing set/pirate ship. Dotty had made her way outside to the picnic bench during Amanda’s reminiscence.
Burgers, steaks and hotdogs were starting to pile up on a plate next to the toppings on the picnic bench. Robert was pinch-hitting with Ethan, taking turns to load up the grill, flipping burgers, and turning steaks.
“Smells so good,” Amanda said.
“No, you smell good,” Lee said, taking her salad bowl and setting it down. He pulled her in close and gave her a kiss. The boys looked away. The women grinned at each other, knowing the exact way Amanda probably felt at that moment.
“Yick,” Mariah said in a small voice when no one else objected.
“Hi Grandma, Hi Mom,” a new voice greeted them all.
“Dad!” Robert and Ethan both said, running over to him.
“The party’s here now!” Robert said, noting the alcohol his father brought along.
“Not for you,” Phillip King told his son.
“Shoot,” Robert said, returning to mind the grill.
Once everyone greeted Phillip, they turned their attention to food. Michael, Julie, Jamie and the two boys had wandered over when they saw Phillip in the yard.
After beers and wine coolers were cracked open, little was said. All concentration had turned to food. Mikey and Zak were getting help from Julie with their hot dogs. Zak didn’t like mustard, but Mikey did, and their father could never remember which liked what.
“So Mom, Lee, how have you been lately?” Phillip asked when he’d finished eating and was concentrating on sitting and digesting.
“We’ve been good, sweetheart. Lee reorganized the attic just recently, so I could put some old bills and accounting records up there. One of those things I can’t bear to throw out,” Amanda said.
“It was fun, puttering around up there. I probably haven’t touched anything but Christmas stuff in the last decade. All that other stuff in the attic just sits,” Lee grinned, “How’s the Agency?”
“It’s fine. Being section chief isn’t nearly as tough as being a field agent. I’m seeing more now of Robert and Ethan than ever. I miss going out in the field. But I just do what my old boss would do…hitch along on the occasional case. As long as it’s local,” Phillip admitted.
“Hey Dad, where’s your girlfriend?” Robert asked, “Jill is it?”
“No, it’s Dawn, can’t you keep track?” Ethan nudged his brother. Robert shoved back with enough force for Ethan to fall off the picnic bench and onto his butt on the ground. Ethan glared up at Robert a moment and then laughed. His cousins didn’t take long to join in the laugher.
“Well, where is she?” Robert asked. Ethan righted himself next to his brother again and started slurping Jell-O.
“She’s not coming. I guess I scared her off, telling her there would be fifteen or so of us and I’m related to all of them. Really, we aren’t a large family, but that’s okay. I don’t think she’s permanent,” Phillip said.
“I’m sorry she didn’t come,” Amanda said.
“Well, I’m glad for her,” Constance sniped from down the table, “It’s for her own good.”
“Shut up, Constance,” Phillip hissed, standing up to get another beer. He stood glaring for a good minute before he moved for his replacement drink.
“Guys, please, do you have to fight?” Robert asked, rolling his eyes.
“I’m sorry,” Constance said quietly to Robert. Phillip sat and sipped his beer as the awkward silence continued.
“Hey guys, I brought my game system, want to play?” Robert said. He wanted to be away from his parents at the moment.
“Yeah,” all the boys agreed. Mikey and Zak followed their older cousins into the house. Mariah stayed where she was, next to her mother, wanting to find out what the adults would talk about next.
“You’re awful quiet, Jamie, what’s on your mind? Or do you just need another one of these?” Phillip asked, opening a bottle of beer for his brother.
“Thanks for the beer, but I was just thinking about when the kids were littler, that’s all. Joseph’s going to graduate next May. And he’s so independent now, right Kel?” Jamie said, taking a swig of beer and putting his arm around Kelly’s waist.
“He sure is. He’s got all these girlfriends and wants to learn to drive already, but I think we’re going to make him wait,” Kelly leaned into Jamie’s embrace.
***
Late August 2005…
It was early in the King household, five a.m. One of its occupants was up, anyway. He made himself a cup of tea and walked back upstairs, to his son’s room. The baby was six months old now and getting bigger all the time.
James King, whom everyone called Jamie, had been married for three years to Kelly. She was a bank manager near the school he taught at. He’d changed banks after his mother had a terrible time with some monthly fees that finally got worked out, but as a show of solidarity, he changed his bank to the one where Kelly happened to work.
He was thirty when he’d met Kelly, and had had his share of relationships. Women making it on their own. Women with kids. Older and younger women. Co-workers. Women who wanted sex and women who just wanted him to buy them pretty things. He thought he was done with women.
The third time he deposited his paycheck, he’d inadvertently left his wallet behind. Kelly had been the one to chase him down and give it back to him. He’d asked her out to dinner, and the rest was history.
As he watched Joseph sleeping in the crib, he imagined how he now had what he never thought he would. And how soon, he would have to go back to teaching. September was sneaking up on him and right after Labor Day, he’d be back to teaching Mechanical Drawing and Photography. He wondered if Joseph would be more like him or like Kelly. He couldn’t know for years to come.
Jamie’s parents were in their mid-fifties now. His mother wasn’t acting her age at all. Jamie thought that might be some of Lee’s influences on her, but he wasn’t sure. The two of them had retired from the Agency in June. Amanda wanted to spend more time as a grandmother, and Dotty, though still spunky, needed more care at home than Amanda could manage working as a full time agent. Lee wanted to be where Amanda was, so there had been no question about the two going into retirement together.
Jamie’s father was looking older; more tired, but was always glad to see his sons and grandsons. He was still helping the hungry in Africa, but from an office in Virginia. Carrie was as always by his side, herself a lawyer, but now she was handling fewer cases.
Phillip had been married for four years, and his son, Robert was almost one. Phillip had called Jamie the other week and said that he suspected Constance might be pregnant again, but that he wasn’t sure. Phillip and Constance had had a few disagreements about Phillip being an agent. Jamie usually heard Phillip’s side of it within hours. He wasn’t sure if he liked Phillip’s job much either, but his brother had to do what he was good at, the same as Jamie was doing. Phillip’s knack for solving cases was almost as good as Lee and Amanda’s.
Michael was going into his senior year at Rockville High School. He was into lifting weights and was the kicker for the football team. He also had a fine drawing hand, a solid baritone when he sang, and he was always puttering around at one of the many construction sites in Rockville. He thought he might like to be an architect. He was handy around the house, too.
Joseph began to cry, so Jamie set his tea down on the dresser and picked him up. Joseph quieted a little as his father rocked him and began to walk downstairs.
“How about a bottle?” Jamie asked of his infant son, knowing the only possible answer was a discontented scream. Joseph knew it was time for a bottle, and his father couldn’t make it fast enough. Especially not with one arm and a shoulder occupied.
“Here, don’t wake up your Mom. She’s got work today, so we’ll hang out, just like always,” Jamie said. Joseph sucked on the bottle and looked up at Jamie.
“And how about a diaper change when you’re finished? Maybe a burp or two?” Jamie continued his monologue.
After Joseph’s birth, Kelly had told her job she would be taking three months off to stay home with the baby. They didn’t make a big deal of it. She was nursing him then, but when she went back to work, she decided to go with the bottle and formula only.
Joseph had given Kelly some resistance to being weaned, but both of them had it worked out by the time Jamie was done with school, and could stay home to take care of Joseph.
Jamie wasn’t sure he had what it took to actually be a stay at home father. He had only had solo duty on the weekends, when Kelly went out with her friends or met up with Phillip’s wife, Constance, for lunch. Jamie’s first day of summer, Kelly had kissed him, said he’d do fine and left for work. Apparently that was all the encouragement Jamie needed. Knowing his wife was three streets away helped. But he’d gotten through the day by himself.
“Too soon, you’ll be big,” Jamie told Joseph, “Just don’t forget your old man when you’re rich and famous.”
///
August 2003
With the majority of the meal over, Lee helped his wife and Kelly to put away the extra meat they’d cooked, and anything else that might need to be refrigerated. They left out a veggie tray and chips for everyone to munch on throughout the afternoon.
Mariah had gotten bored with adult conversation and gone inside to see what her brothers and cousins were doing.
Once everything was put away, the adults sat around the yard, drinking whatever they happened to prefer, and conversing. They hadn’t really had an opportunity to be together as a family since the winter holidays. There had been phone calls and drop-ins by individual family members, but not a real get together since then.
Constance had turned the conversation to when Robert and Ethan were younger.
“They both were a lot like Phillip growing up,” Amanda commented.
“If he’d been around,” Constance sighed, “They always had so much energy.”
“Hey, I was around,” Phillip said, “Not that you listened to me, anyway.”
“What does that mean?” Constance asked back, knowing exactly what her ex meant.
“I told you, put them in sports…baseball, karate, something. But no, you let them drive you crazy,” Phillip retorted.
“I was the one who was the disciplinarian because you didn’t want to believe they were out of control. And all those weekends you were gone on “business”…They could have used you to take them to the park, or something,” Constance frowned.
“Hey,” Lee interjected in a deep, gruff voice, “I don’t want to hear it. They’re fine now, aren’t they? Robert’s majoring in psychology, and Ethan’s doing well in school. They get along at home?”
Constance nodded, and Phillip looked away from the older man.
“I’m sorry Lee,” Phillip said, “I didn’t mean to start anything.”
“Me too,” Constance said, somewhat contrite, “But it would be nice if Phillip would visit his sons more often.”
“Constance…” Michael dropped his thought as Julie subtly pinched him near his hip. Constance finally shut up, which was what he wanted.
Phillip stared hard at Constance, but for his mother and Lee’s sakes said nothing. Instead, he got up and walked away toward the edge of the fenced yard, which had a view of the forest. Unbidden tears sprang to his eyes.
***
April 2009…
“Do you even care that Robert’s got an ear infection again?” it was yelled, not asked, by Constance.
“Of course I do, but I can’t come home every time he or Ethan gets sick!” Phillip yelled back.
They had been married for eight years, and were two weeks away from finalizing a divorce that had been years in coming. For now they still shared their three-story townhouse, Phillip sleeping in the guest room, until the house was sold. Constance was picking on him every day, and he couldn’t get away from the arguments, which she didn’t seem to care that they often had in front of their two children.
“Why can’t you at least get up with him at night?” Constance harped. Robert was in front of the TV, and turned up the volume, as his parents got louder. Ethan was out of sight at the moment, though Phillip expected he was probably in his room, making a mess of it.
“You don’t understand, do you? I am a federal agent. I work cases every day, all day, all times OF the damn day. I am the one who puts the food on our table and pays our bills,” Phillip shot back, “Why isn’t that enough?”
“Children need more than food and money to grow up on. They need you to set the example for them, which you cannot do if you are not here,” Constance was always firm in an argument and always had to be right.
“I’d love to be here, but all we do is argue. I’m going out,” Phillip grabbed his light jacket off the door and left the house. He was so angry that he didn’t remember he was driving until he was almost at his destination. IFF.
Phillip had inherited the Q-Bureau from his mother and stepfather when they decided to be the trainers at Station One. He gave the password to the night guard and carried his tag with him upstairs. He didn’t bother clipping it on. Instead he threw it on Lee’s old desk and put his head down on his arms.
He wasn’t going to run to another woman while he was married, that was for sure. Even though the divorce was almost final. Custody for the most part had been settled, too. His mother had raised him to be loyal to his wife, and to respect her, and that he would do.
Phillip did not want to end up a duplicate of Joe King, but every time he looked at his life, that was how he felt. He’d gotten married at twenty-eight and was divorcing at thirty-six. He had two sons and wasn’t home to see the boys as often as he liked, even though he didn’t live in Africa.
He hurt for Robert and Ethan if they were sick, but he was the sole earner in the family. Constance had a degree in English literature, but had decided to stay home to raise their boys. Phillip had no problem with that. His mother had done the same rather than work.
He didn’t hate Constance. He still loved her in many ways. Mentally, he ticked off what he loved about her. First there was her unconditional love for Robert and Ethan, energetic as they were. Robert would start Kindergarten in September, and both were in preschool for now, and that helped Constance have some time to herself. Unless one of them was sick.
She was beautiful outside and in and had a very romantic soul, which would be the reason for their two sons’ existence. When they were alone they could be at their best.
She was an excellent housekeeper for all their sons kept her on the run, and she cooked well. She kept track of the bills and was always right down to the penny when balancing the checkbook.
The problem was that real life intruded on them. Phillip couldn’t quit his job. He was one of the best Agents of his graduating class. His first partner and their backup had been murdered early on in his career. He hadn’t had a partner since. He had kept working and done well enough to get regular raises.
He had tried taking vacations and using sick days when he needed them, but he didn’t see a need to stay home with his sick child when Constance was the one who more easily could. More often than not, his cases were difficult. Being a married agent didn’t keep the section chief from assigning him overseas.
He remembered when his parents had first divorced, and his father left for Africa a month after his ninth birthday. His mother had been a hell of a soldier for himself and Jamie. They knew she was upset that Joe was leaving, but she’d put on a strong front, a smiling front. If she ever cried, they never heard.
Joe had sent money to help keep the household going, since Amanda wasn’t working. Dotty had been a tremendous help for their mother also. Phillip still respected the way he was raised by the two of them. Having two mothers instead of a father and a mother had its payoffs.
Phillip and Jamie often wheedled staying up later out of both of them. And talk about knowing stuff about girls that most of the other guys in school didn’t! He and Jamie grew up knowing how to behave with their mother and grandmother. Later on, girls were a piece of cake.
When his mother initially started out as a spy, he had no clue for the first five years. As far as he knew, she was either pet sitting or working at a film company.
Phillip laughed, as he knew the truth now. Film company, indeed. Of course, Constance had always known he was an agent. They didn’t already have a family when he got married, and also, Connie wasn’t his partner.
Even working part time, his mother made time for him and Jamie. She did miss a few of their extracurricular activities, but there was Grandma, keeping everything going when his mother couldn’t.
And then Lee had come into the picture, on a permanent basis. Learning that his mother was an agent, married to Lee, and pregnant had blown his mind that night. Jamie was shocked more, but both he and his brother had gotten over it, once the truth had sunk in. And having another guy in the house was nice
Phillip admitted that Lee was a good dad and stepfather. As Joe was living nearby, and would for the rest of his life, he made more of an effort to be a father, picking up Phillip and Jamie on weekends and holidays. When Michael was three and four, he’d sometimes go, too. And Carrie wasn’t that bad. Phillip hadn’t warmed up to her as much as he had Lee.
Lee had been a great influence on him, and probably his brothers, too. He was home most nights, gone occasionally when he had to be. But they knew why, and there was no doubt that he wanted to be home instead.
When Lee was there, he was as involved in his stepsons’ lives as he was allowed to be. The first two years were hesitant, but then it was as if Lee had been there forever. He respected Amanda, and when Lee was around, she seemed happiest. They tried not to argue in front of their three sons. And Phillip never heard raised voices for more than a minute or two. That was the way Phillip knew it should be.
It was now near ten at night. Phillip decided he could probably go home and get some sleep. Hopefully, Constance would leave him alone. He wasn’t going to argue with her again, even if it meant returning to the Q Bureau and sleeping on the couch.
The house was quiet. Constance must have put the boys to bed and then herself. Phillip entered Robert’s room as quietly as he could. He just wanted to peek in on his son, make sure he was sleeping okay. With a small sigh, he pulled off his tie and suit coat.
“Daddy?” Robert asked, coming groggily out of sleep.
“Yes, son?” Phillip asked, closing the gap between the doorway and his five-year-old.
“Can you stay here tonight?” Robert asked.
“Sure, I’ll be in my room, in the basement,” Phillip promised.
“No, I mean, in here with me, so I can sleep,” Robert said.
Phillip hung his head and then met his son’s eyes, “Yeah, but you’ll have to make room.”
Robert smiled happily, allowing his daddy a spot on his bed near the wall. He snuggled into Phillip’s chest, and let the covers be tucked in over top of them both.
Phillip reflected that at least there was one thing he could do for his son. Hopefully they could both sleep through the night okay, and he would be there to reassure Robert if he woke up.
///
“Phillip?”
“Huh? Don’t worry about me,” Phillip turned to embrace his mother. Reflecting back further, she had been instrumental when he had been gone for weeks at a time, taking the boys for a few weekends.
“I just want you to know that I think Constance said some things to you that weren’t necessarily fair,” Amanda said.
“I shouldn’t let her get to me,” Phillip said, “It’s been thirteen years and I’ve done what I could.”
“You loved her. When she says things like that, it’s hard to understand. It hurts,” Amanda insisted.
“Mom, I’m a big boy. But I am not going to listen to it. At least the boys were inside. If you don’t mind, I am going to visit with them,” Phillip hugged her again.
“Okay, sweetheart,” Amanda said, smiling as she watched him go.
“Mom!” Michael called, waving his mother back over to the circle of conversation. She ambled her way back toward her chair next to Lee’s.
“You need something?” Amanda asked.
“Actually, I have to be going,” Connie said before Michael could respond.
“We were just going to mention that it’d be a good time for dessert. Why don’t you stay a few minutes?” Julie offered, always the peacemaker.
“No, I really should go. Phillip agreed to take the boys home later on, so they can bring the salad dish home with them then,” Connie said, rising. She went inside to grab her purse and tell her sons she’d see them later. Amanda followed her in to bid her goodbye.
“Good riddance,” Michael mumbled.
“Behave,” Julie warned him. Michael laughed.
“What was this I heard about dessert?” Joseph asked from the back door. He’d poked his head out to ask the question, “Robert and Ethan and the rest of us guys are looking forward to something good.”
“And me!” Mariah put in. She had snuck in next to Joseph.
“You can have some too, Mariah, if you give your Grandpa a big hug,” Lee teased.
“Well okay,” Mariah said, feigning her hesitation.
“And me,” Amanda said as she rejoined the group. Mariah hugged her too, and sat on her lap.
“So, what do we have?” Joseph asked, now leaning against the doorway.
“Mariah, you’re too big for Grandma’s lap,” Michael admonished his daughter.
“She’s fine, honey,” Amanda said, encircling her granddaughter’s waist.
“We have watermelon, and strawberry shortcake,” Kelly piped up.
“Who brought the watermelon?” Jamie asked.
“My lovely wife and I did,” Michael replied, “I’ll go cut some. It’s big…we can have a seed spitting contest.”
“Cool,” Joseph and Mariah said at the same time.
Soon, all the family was eating watermelon and spitting seeds at one another. Lee of course, could not resist joining in, although a fair share of his seeds were directed at his wife, to annoy her if nothing else. Amanda was not one to let Lee get away with spitting seeds at her. She spat seeds back
This made the grandchildren roll on the ground, howling with laughter. Especially Mikey and Zak. Michael only made his sons’ laughing fits longer, rolling around on the ground with them, tickling. Zak, who was six, begged for mercy first.
“You’ll have to check with your mother,” Michael advised him, still holding the boy tight in his grasp.
“Mom! Help me!” Zak called to her.
“Oh, Michael, let him breathe,” Julie rolled her eyes as her son was freed and ran to her comforting embrace. Michael didn’t see his nephews ganging up on him at his daughter’s direction as he stalked Mikey. In seconds, they had him pinned and Mikey was free to run.
“Hey guys, let me go,” Michael warned, flexing the muscles of his taut biceps, “I’m not old like your fathers. Not yet.”
“You’re old enough,” Robert was laughing with the joy of having caught his uncle off guard, “You’re not going anywhere.”
“Okay, okay, I’ve learned, I’ll behave,” Michael promised, struggling against the boys.
“Nuh uh Dad, we don’t trust you,” said Mariah, who was right in her father’s face.
“Julie? Honey? Can you please call these boys off me?” Michael let out a little gasp as Mikey and Zak piled onto their cousins.
“After picking on our baby?” Julie asked.
“He’s no more a baby than Mariah is,” Michael hissed.
“That’s right, I’m not, but you’re acting like one now, Dad,” Mariah said, “Let’s spank him!”
“We can’t move, Mariah, he’ll get up,” Joseph pointed out as he leaned on his uncle’s hip and legs.
“Darn,” Mariah sighed.
“Phillip? Jamie? C’mon…without your sons, I can win this,” Michael pleaded with his older brothers.
“Nope,” was the laughing response from the two men.
Michael was forced to do what he didn’t wish to resort to, “Mom, please, I’m you’re baby. Save me.”
“Robert, Ethan and Joseph, let your poor uncle up. Don’t we have a seed spitting contest to sort out?” Amanda asked.
“You are such a mama’s boy!” Robert laughed as he got up.
“Yeah,” Ethan and Joseph remarked snidely.
“You’ll get yours,” Michael promised, “And as for you three…”
With a scream, Mariah was halfway across the yard, followed by her brothers. They came back to the picnic table, staying very close to their cousins and away from their father, who had reseated himself next to Julie.
“All right, seed spitting,” Jamie said, rubbing his hands together. We should all congregate in the driveway out front. Who’ll measure?”
“I will,” Julie volunteered. She wasn’t much into spitting seeds.
“I think I’ll just watch,” Dotty said.
“How can I win? I’m the littlest one,” Zak complained.
“You can help me if you want,” Julie suggested, “And practice in the grass out front. How’s that sound?”
“Okay,” Zak nodded.
“That means I’ll be the youngest, but I’m going to play anyway,” Mikey said.
Everyone who was willing reloaded with a slice of watermelon and headed for the driveway. Julie measured as everyone had a turn. Lee held the record for a long time until Joseph spit one even further. Mikey managed to beat out Mariah, who didn’t really seem to mind. Robert and Ethan tried a second time to beat Joseph’s distance on seeds but couldn’t. Jamie and Phillip spit for a while too, but couldn’t beat out the younger King boy.
“Joseph’s the winner then,” Julie said when everyone had had their fill of watermelon and seed spitting.
“Cool, what do I win?” Joseph asked.
“The rest of the watermelon,” Michael said, laughing.
Joseph shrugged, “Okay.”
“I always knew your big mouth would be good for something,” Jamie teased his son.
“You have no idea,” Joseph grinned as he walked back to the yard with his cousins.
“Hey, what does that mean?” Jamie asked.
Joseph just smiled back at him.
“I want the strawberry shortcake now,” Mikey said.
“You just had watermelon. You’re still hungry?” Julie asked.
“Yep I am,” Mikey nodded emphatically.
“Me too,” Zak said. His shirt had several seeds stuck on it that hadn’t managed to go very far from his mouth.
“I guess I can go ahead and dish some of that out too, if anyone else wants some,” Julie said.
“I always want some,” Michael said, nuzzling her neck.
“Keep doing that and I’ll never get there,” Julie warned him.
“That’s okay,” Michael said, grabbing her tight around the waist.
“It isn’t if Zak keeps nagging me,” Julie argued.
“Well, okay, go then,” Michael released her with a light slap to her rear end, and she headed in toward the kitchen.
It didn’t take long for news to spread of strawberry shortcake being dished out. Everyone had to have some and soon there was strawberry and crumbs added to Zak’s shirt.
The adults sat around a while longer, watching the older cousins play tag with the younger ones. Dotty had gone inside to have her bath, and Amanda went in to make sure she got settled in okay. A short time later, she rejoined the group outside.
“I hate to say so, but it’s already seven. We better get going,” Julie said.
“That late already?” Michael asked.
“Do you really have to go?” Amanda inquired with pleading eyes.
“We better get them headed toward the door now, or we’ll never make it to the car,” Michael said.
“We’re glad you could stop by,” Lee said, rising to bid his son and grandchildren goodnight.
Michael called Mariah to him to help him gather up her brothers and the toys they’d brought. Julie rounded up any leftovers they were bringing home and also serving spoons she didn’t want to leave behind.
“Joe…can we talk a second?” Michael asked his nephew.
“Sure Uncle Mike,” Joseph said, walking with him toward the house.
“One of my men quit on me last week, so I could use some help till school starts. Taking phone orders, accepting deliveries, and you know how to do scheduling. Interested?” Michael asked.
“Can I have Friday afternoons off?” Joseph asked.
“I guess so. You have a girl you’re trying to impress?” Michael inquired.
Joseph grinned, “Maybe even two.”
“What are you going to do with two women? Oh never mind,” Michael sighed, “You’re still young.”
“Yep,” Joseph grinned again, “Might as well get into trouble while I can. Now if only I could drive…”
“That isn’t up to me,” Michael winked, “I’ll see you on Monday morning.”
“Okay,” Joseph agreed.
After saying goodbye to his brothers, Michael found Lee and Amanda waiting for him at his SUV. The children and Julie were all loaded in, awaiting the driver.
“Mom, Dad…we’ll see you soon. Have you up for dinner in a few weeks or something,” Michael said.
“Sounds good Sweetheart,” Amanda said, hugging him goodbye.
Lee offered him a hearty handshake; “We’ll come up and spoil those grandchildren any time.”
“Gee thanks,” Michael grinned as he got into the SUV and started it.
On arriving home, Zak had fallen asleep in between Mariah and Mikey. Michael shook him awake so that he could carry him into the house. As soon as the kitchen light was turned on for Julie to put the food away, all three children became active, and suddenly needed something.
“I need a snack.”
“My shoe’s got a hole. I need new ones.”
“Undo my pants! I have to go and they’re stuck!”
“Michael,” Julie swung into action, “You handle Zak’s pants. Mikey, you aren’t dying, go put your things away and ask again in five minutes for a snack. Mariah…new shoes…tomorrow.”
Michael obediently unbuttoned Zak’s trousers and then zoomed his youngest down the hall to the bathroom. Mikey retreated to the room he shared with his brother, and Mariah was snagged for helping her mother in the kitchen.
Once he had Zak situated in the bathroom, Michael wandered back to the kitchen to find his wife and daughter transferring food into smaller containers and trying to clean out the larger bowls.
“Need my help too?” Michael asked, putting his arms around his wife.
“I think we have it covered honey,” Julie replied in a soft voice, “But the boys need their baths
“I’ll go do that!” Mariah offered.
“No, you’ll stay here and help me. Daddy can handle the boys,” Julie said, knowing how much Mariah would end up playing with the boys, and not getting them clean.
“Straight to bed after that?” Michael asked.
“No, they can stay up till they start acting cranky, then we’ll read ‘em a story and throw them in bed,” Julie said, craning her neck up for her husband’s kiss.
After the kids were in bed, and Michael and Julie had indulged in some quiet time, they lay together in their bed, a light blanket covering them. For all his tiredness, Michael lay awake, thinking about when he’d first met his wife.
***
January 2010…
Michael Stetson had been out of the Marine Corps for a few weeks. He had a basement apartment, close to his parents in Rockville. He was going to college on the GI Bill and worked at a coffeehouse to make ends meet. He’d been on his own since he’d decided to join up, living in the barracks wherever he was stationed. He was reassigned every year, which did not make it easy for him to date, although he managed a few girlfriends.
He had saved what little money was leftover after eating out most days during his stint and buying things that always seemed to need replacing. Soon, he’d have to find a higher paying job that would let him go to college as well.
His parents were proud that he’d decided to serve his country in the Marines. They had retired as intelligence operatives a little over a year after he joined. They were just as proud that he was going for his business degree now.
As he walked along the street, he pondered going to the movies, or eating first and then going. He hated the cost of concessions. So he thought he’d eat first. But then, it would be after six, and the ticket price would practically double.
It was cold and he just wanted to sit in the warm theater a while, and zone out. He wore blue jeans and a gray sweatshirt, along with his heavy, black leather jacket and a USMC cap
While he walked he saw a couple arguing near the ticket booth. The girl had light brown hair. She wore a knee length red dress and a long brown leather coat over it, along with a pair of red dress shoes. She seemed very upset and was trying to hit her boyfriend with her purse, but it wasn’t very effective. The boyfriend wore a black leather jacket and black slacks, and had his hair slicked back.
Michael crossed the street, merely to monitor the situation. He was out of the direct line of sight for the couple, but he could see them just fine, and hear everything.
“What’s your problem Julie?” the man yelled.
“You asshole! You’ve been cheating on me, that’s what’s wrong!” she screamed back, going for another swat with the purse.
“What are you talking about?” he ducked easily.
“I saw that phone number on your cell phone this morning. So I called it later on. I had a big long discussion with your mistress.” Julie huffed.
“Hey, we aren’t married, she can’t be my mistress,” the man denied.
“Paul, I’m leaving. Thank God I changed my mind and didn’t move into your place,” Julie walked away.
“Hey, come back here,” Paul grabbed her arm.
“Let go!” Julie screamed.
Michael decided to step in, against his better judgement. He and females didn’t get along well recently, “She said let go.”
“Or what?” Paul asked, pulling Julie closer to him. She turned her head and spit in Paul’s face.
“Just let her go. You guys can work it out tomorrow,” Michael said, looking around and seeing on the edge of his vision that some other men were becoming interested in the show, “Who are these guys?”
“You better leave before you find out,” Paul warned snidely.
“I don’t think so. Let the girl go,” Michael said again, calmly.
“Come on,” Paul said, turning himself and Julie away from Michael, her arm still firmly in his grasp. Julie was still resisting, but Paul was too strong.
Michael had had enough. He wrenched Julie’s arm free and back fisted Paul, who fell to the ground from the blow. One of Paul’s three friends came at Michael next.
“Run inside! Bathroom!” Michael called to Julie, and then turned to face his new opponent. The two exchanged punches and blocks for a moment and then Michael jump kicked the assailant and knocked him to the ground.
The other two assailants who were waiting their turn struck together. Michael turned and punched one in the face and side kicked the other in the chest. The two fell down, but then got back up. Michael let one grab him, incurring a blow to his face at the same time. He kicked the other with an axe kick to the neck, using the leverage from the hold to his advantage.
Paul had gotten back up, as had the first assailant. They were both coming at Michael when all five heard police sirens. Michael was freed, and the four ran off. One of the employees from the theater came outside.
“Hey, I saw everything, I know you were the good guy, man,” the usher said.
“Thanks, Roy,” Michael said, reading the nametag.
“No problem.”
Michael looked around, but Julie was either still hiding inside or gone. He decided she was probably gone. And probably right back to Paul. Some thanks for him. He’d have to explain to the cops now too, since the goons ran off. At least he had a witness.
Fifteen minutes later, the cops were gone. They didn’t arrest Michael and said they probably wouldn’t arrest his attackers. They also advised him to stay out of trouble. Michael nodded to all their instructions, and crumpled the business card they gave him as they left. He doubted he’d be calling the cops.
Michael turned to down the street to the café for dinner. He wasn’t in the mood for the free movie Roy was offering. He just wanted to eat and go home. That was when Julie came up behind him, his only warning her shoes sounding on the pavement behind him.
“Wait!” Julie called him.
He turned toward her.
“Thank you. Thank you for helping me with him,” she said.
“No problem. A guy shouldn’t treat his girl like that,” Michael said.
“Well, I’m not talking to him anymore,” Julie said throwing her cell phone into a nearby trashcan as it began to ring.
“You don’t want to get that?” Michael asked.
She shook her head no.
“Well…How about dinner…then?” Michael asked cautiously. He knew she was on the rebound now, but she was too hard to resist.
“I’d love it,” Julie said, taking his left arm in both of hers.
Over dinner, Michael more formally introduced himself. He explained his living situation and his school situation, but insisted on picking up the dinner tab when they were done.
Julie explained that Paul was a rich kid. She had known him from the local campus. She said his friends frequently accompanied them when they were out, as was the case tonight. She thanked Michael again for his help.
The two exchanged phone numbers, and then Michael flagged down a cab to take her home. He tucked her number into a safe place in his wallet, and whistled in the cold evening air as he walked home.
///
August 2023
Michael smiled at the remembrance. She’d had his heart from the word go, and never let loose. She helped him start his business, working as the office manager. They’d had three children together.
Naming those children he’d left up to her, only giving input when asked. He thought she’d done a beautiful job. In all of his thirty-five years, he never felt happier.
Sighing and smiling, he spooned himself against her a fell asleep.
It was ten at night when Lee snuggled into bed with Amanda. He’d only bothered with pajama bottoms and a t-shirt that night. It was plenty warm out not to warrant long sleeves. Amanda snuggled into him and sighed a happy sigh.
“Nice day, wasn’t it?” Lee asked.
“I always love seeing my children and grandchildren. They are so busy these days, I’m glad everyone made it,” Amanda agreed.
“Even Constance?” Lee asked.
“Even her, Lee. She’s Robert and Ethan’s mother, so don’t think she’ll ever be unwelcome here,” Amanda told him.
“Okay. Far be it from me to banish anyone without my wife’s permission,” Lee laughed, “She just gets to me a bit.”
“Me too. But I got to see my granddaughter,” Amanda said.
“Ah yes, my wife’s double, only in miniature,” Lee smiled. He’d never had a daughter, but he sure enjoyed spending time with Mariah. She was clever.
“That’s where the fun part of being a parent come in, Lee, you get to see how the kids and grandchildren turn out,” Amanda pointed out.
“True,” Lee said, “It’s been a good day.”
“Perfect,” Amanda said before falling contentedly asleep in her husband’s arms.
The End
Story Notes:
Disclaimer: None of the SMK characters belong to me, and I have in no way harmed them during this writing.