Pinochle

By E Walk

(Copyrighted by the Author)

Edited By Will B.

Chapter 59 - The Perving Quarterbacks

This is Beau.

Talk about kicking someone in the stomach, John just delivered the knockout blow. John left and walked toward the kitchen where we could hear Lauren and Morgan talking.

Becca and I went up the stairs and started to Brian's room. His door was open and we could hear him talking, "Ben, can I come live with you and Grant? Dad and Mother don't want me here. I can't seem to do anything to please them. ... John and I walked into the house a while ago and before we could close the door, Mother accused me unjustly of posing nude in art today. ... Of course, I wasn't posing nude. I wore the tightest jockstrap I had and my light beige Speedo suit, so you couldn't even see the outline of my penis with a magnifying glass. ... What hurt the most was that they just assumed that the rumors they heard were true. It's like they're preoccupied about something. ... Okay, I'll talk to you later after I have made my plans."

Becca was crying and I guided her to our bedroom and held her. She looked at me, "Beau, I really blew it this time. We have to do something. We can't let Brian leave."

My cell rang and I looked at the caller I.D. It was Ben, "What's up, Ben?"

"Dad, you and Mother need to talk to Brian, now. Something has happened that has him very upset with the two of you. You need to try to make it right or he is planning to leave. I'll have him come live with us in Ithaca if need be."

I stopped Ben. "Ben, your Mother and I overheard Brian's conversation with you. His door was open and he didn't know we were standing there. We are trying to compose ourselves before we go to talk to him now. We are feeling as if we have been beaten up. First, John tears into us and then we heard Brian's conversation. Now you're telling us what we need to do. We'll talk to you after we talk to Brian."

Becca came over to me, "Beau, this is why I need to get off the school board."

I shook my head, "Becca, this is exactly why you need to stay on the school board. This smacks as if it is being undermined by the religious right. I've been devastated by what I heard in the last half hour. I, no, we, said that our children would always come first, and we've forgotten that for some reason. Now we need to go talk to Brian before he leaves."

We went to Brian's room and knocked. He mumbled, "Come in."

He was packing some suitcases and that really shook both of us. Becca pleaded, "Brian, please, can we talk. I'm very sorry for how I confronted you downstairs."

Brian kept packing. I wanted to go grab him and make him stop, but thought better of it. "Brian, would you please sit down and talk with your Mother and me. We heard your conversation with Ben, and you kicked us in the stomach after we were already beaten severely by John. Ben just called and chewed us out too. Son, we love you, and we apologize for upsetting you."

Brian wheeled around, "You sure have a funny way of showing it. I walked in the door and you accused me of something I didn't do. All you would have needed to have said or asked was, "Hey Brian, we heard that you were posing naked in art today. Were you? It seems like ever since you came back from your trip to Ithaca while we were in England, you have been preoccupied. You just haven't seemed the same. I thought it was because of Dad's medical problems, but I am beginning think it is more than that."

Brian pointed his finger at us, "I think that the two of you need to take a nice quiet vacation and get away from this rat race. Uncle Zack and Uncle Mark can handle the business. They need something to do now that their sons have flown the coop. I'll find some nice romantic place where there are no telephone connections, but first I'm starved. I hope someone's been fixing dinner."

Brian started to leave, "Come on, we gotta go make sure that John is okay."

Becca and I looked at each other and just threw up our hands and followed the boss of the house down the stairs.

When Becca and I walked into the kitchen area, Brian was terrorizing his sisters and John, "I'm probably going to die of ptomaine poisoning because you people fixed the meal. Make sure I have a big funeral."

As we were finishing dinner, the phone rang and Brian started to look a little piqued. He still got up answered it, and we heard. "I'm sorry we ain't got nobody who lives here by the name of Lauren. ... Oh, you mean Ms. Lorna Doone like the cookie. ... I believe she just left with this good looking six foot tall stranger that looked like he was Mr. Atlas. She said she wouldn't be back until next week, Derek."

Lauren grabbed the phone, "Hey, Derek, what's happening? ... Things have been wild around here. I'll tell you about it when you get here. ... Let me check with my parents and the boss."

Lauren turned to us, "Mother and Dad, would it be okay if Derek came to spend tonight and tomorrow night with us? His parents have a meeting in Las Vegas and he doesn't want to go. Brian, he even said he would do the cooking."

Brian was his old self, "Tell the old man that if he snores, I'll stuff my dirty socks down his mouth and put a clothes pin on his nose. I can't have two people keeping me awake all night."

Lauren had turned on the phone speaker, "Benson, you're the one who snores and I won't be shoving my dirty socks down your mouth. It will be something much more potent than dirty socks. I'll see you in an hour and half."

This is John.

Brian is such an enigma to me. I never know what he's thinking. He can be so caring and loving and then he can be so silly. I don't know how many more sides of Brian there are. I was afraid that we might lose him after this afternoon when his parents unfairly jumped on him. I probably said some things to the Bensons that should not have been said, but they never even gave Brian a chance to explain what had been happening. They reminded me of my father.

When Lauren hung up, Brian announced that he was off of phone detail and that he and I were taking care of the cleanup, since Morgan had received permission to spend the night with a friend and Lauren was going to go primp for this Derek's arrival.

Mr. Benson came into the kitchen, "Guys, we would like to talk to you when you finish the cleanup, please."

Brian turned around, "You're daughters made such a mess that we won't be finished until two o'clock. You know that you and Mother turn into pumpkins at midnight."

I looked at Mr. Benson, "Sir, I'll carry your poor feeble son to the living room in about five minutes, and then I'll leave before you blister his behind."

We walked into the living room and Mr. Benson had his arm around Mrs. Benson. This was something my parents didn't do. They were just listening to some soft quiet music.

Brian went to a closet and pulled out a couple of games and we were sitting on the floor playing cribbage when the doorbell rang. Brian hopped up and went to answer it and there were these two little guys there asking if their brother was there. Brian brought Jason and Jeremy into the room and I just about lost it when they hugged me. It hurt, but it felt so good that I didn't even care.

My Mother followed Brian into the room, "Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce her majesty, Mrs. Waters."

Brian took charge, "Okay guys, we're going to play Chinese checkers and if you cheat, I'll send a note to Santa Claus and tell him how bad you have been."

Jeremy, who was six, looked at Brian. "Brian, Daddy says that there is no Santa Claus. He says that Reverend Waite says that Santa Claus is one of the biggest evils of today's society along with the Easter bunny. Reverend Waite says that Halloween is why we are so evil."

Brian looked at me but didn't say anything. We were lying on the floor playing and Jason and Jeremy would every so often yell, "You guys are cheating."

The doorbell rang and Brian jumped up and went to answer it. We heard, "Well if it isn't Sir Derek, the King of Westside High. Come on in and I'll introduce you to your counterpart here in Fremont and then go see if Lauren's fairy godmother was able to perform miracles."

Brian brought Derek in and introduced him to the people who hadn't met him and went and called Lauren, "Hey Lauren, there's this ugly guy here who says he has an appointment to take you to see 101 Dalmatians. I want a written report on the movie in the morning. Curfew is at 9:30 and I'll know when you come in because I'm setting the smoke detectors."

He came back to where I was sitting with Jason and Jeremy and declared, "It's time to fatten these two little weenies up so we can eat them and not die of hunger." He helped me up and grabbed Jason and threw him over his shoulder.

I could tell that my brothers were totally in love with this crazy nut. Heck, I think I was falling in love with him, myself. I so wish he could have been my other brother.

We went into the kitchen and Brian made the guys each a banana spilt. Their eyes were very wide because this is not something that we would have had at home. My Father thought everyone needed a banana for breakfast but bananas weren't to be eaten the rest of the day.

The guys' desserts were interrupted by Mother, "Guys, we need to go. Your father will be home soon."

Jason and Jeremy quickly finished the sundaes and hugged Brian and me and thanked us. They stopped in front of Mr. and Mrs. Benson and asked if they could come to visit again. Jeremy added, "Please, make sure Brian and John don't cheat next time."

This is Brian.

I'm exhausted. This has been one heck of a day. The last two days have been some of the worst days of my life. I started up the stairs and John followed me. When we got to my room, I started to shed my clothes. When I got down to my briefs, I looked at John. "Okay mister; take those clothes off so I can check to see if I need to call Dr. Tommy in the morning."

John shed his clothes and there was a trace of blood on the briefs. I led John to the shower but he was able to take care of his needs by himself, so I left and sat down at the computer and pulled up the story that I had written. When John came out of the shower, he was able to put his own briefs on by himself, which was a major step.

I handed him the edited copy of the story that Mr. Peters and Mr. Cox had sent me. "Here, read this while I go take care of my frustrations in the shower."

When I came out of the bathroom, John was lying on the bed reading and laughing, "Brian, this is the funniest story I've ever read; where did you find it? It's making me laugh so hard that it hurts."

This is John.

Brian was so nonchalant, "I wrote it this morning in Creative Writing Class, and Mr. Peters read it and sent it to a friend. Look at the editors' comments.

I was giggling; so Mr. B. B., "Where did you get the inspiration for this story? It almost seems like the characters could be real."

Brian flipped back, "Maybe they are real."

Our conversation was interrupted by Derek coming into the room. He looked at us and laughed, "Guys, do you want me to get a room or what?"

Brian crawled out of bed and pretended like he was sniffing Derek, "No, but you need to take a shower if you are going to sleep with us."

This is Brian.

John and I were sitting on the bed talking about what happened at football practice. I nodded, "Yeah, I guess I was a little out of line telling the coach that he didn't know what he was doing, but I think he is stuck in the old school."

When Derek came out of the shower, I asked, "Derek, I know that Fremont has played Westside the last two years. When you think of Fremont football, how do you conceive the team?"

Derek shrugged, "Guys, I think everyone knows that you are a team that runs 90% of the time. Our coach says that your coach is lost in the l950s."

I turned to John, "I rest my case."

Derek looked me, "Brian, Lauren says that you were suspended from school on the first day of school. Is that right?"

John and I explained what had happened and Derek was laughing so hard that he put up his hand, "Stop, or I'm going to go the bathroom right here. Brian, I think I'm glad that I'm not in any on your classes."

We settled down after John took a pain pill and, the other two guys appeared to be sleeping or close to sleep. I was reviewing everything that had happened the last two days. Surely my parents couldn't still be upset by the stupid suspension. No, there's something more that I don't know about. I'm really worried about what's going to happen to John and his brothers and his mother. If I meet Mr. Waters, I would like to punch out his lights. I hope I never come in contact with the Reverend Waite or I'll spit in his face.

I was finally beginning to relax when I `heard' Ben and Grant talking to me,

"Hey, Bri, are you going to be okay?"