(I don't own Hair or Rent, I'm just borrowing them for my little stories. Thank you all for the reviews on the last ones they mean a lot to me.)
(June, 1980)
13 year old Roger walked through the front door as the phone started ringing.
"Hello?"
"Hi, is George there?" Said an older woman's voice.
"Who? I'm sorry I think you have the wrong number."
"Oh maybe I do, thank you Honey."
"Rog, who is it?" Asked Berger walking in the door with the mail.
"I don't know, some lady asking for George."
"I got it, go start your homework."
"Okay." Said Roger heading for his room with his back pack.
"Hello?"
"Hi, I'm sorry I'm trying to find my son, but your son said I had the wrong number."
"Mom?!" Asked Berger finally recognizing his mother's voice.
"George?!"
"Hi, is everything okay? It's been a while."
"We're fine; it has been a long time. I'm so sorry that's on us Honey."
"How'd you find me?"
"I ran into your friend Mike and he said I could reach you here."
"Good I'm glad you found me, I thought about calling but I wasn't sure you would want to talk to me."
"You and your father are too much alike that was his fear too." Said Mrs. Berger.
"It's funny sometimes I hear myself saying things to Roger that Dad said to me growing up."
"That's good Honey, so you have a son?"
"Um, sort of. You remember my friend Jeanie?"
"I think so."
"Roger's Jeanie's son, but he needs a male figure so I'm an uncle."
"Are you and Jeanie together?"
"No, we just live together."
"Well to me that sounds like you're a father."
"Whatever you say Mom, so what else is going on?"
"Your father and I would like for you to come to dinner Sunday afternoon, bring Jeanie and Roger along, and anyone else you want."
"I'll talk to Jeanie. I'm not sure if she's working this weekend."
"Okay, well I expect you here in some way and please dress nicely."
"So fringe belt is a no?" He asked with a laugh.
"You can wear it, as long as you wear pants with it, unlike the last time we saw you. I swear George you almost gave your father a heart attack."
"That was the point Mom." He said with a laugh.
"Yeah well we're all older now please come fully dressed and bring your family."
"I'll try. Are you guys still on Bleaker?" Asked Berger not believing he was asking that question.
"Of course."
"Okay I'll see you on Sunday what time?"
"Let's say around 2."
"I'll be there."
"Okay, well I'll let you go Honey. Have a good night."
"You too, night Mom."
Berger hung up the phone and decided to go see how far Roger had gotten on his homework.
Meanwhile back in New Jersey Berger's mom Elaine looked at Harold with a smile.
"He's coming."
"Really?"
"Yeah, either by himself or with Jeanie and her son Roger."
"How old is this child?" Asked Harold curious about his son's life.
"12 or 13. Jeanie was pregnant the last time George was here."
"Do you think there's a possibility Roger's his?"
"No George was seeing other people then. Remember Sheila and Claude."
"Well I'm looking forward to Sunday." Said Harold.
"You mean it?"
"Yeah, listen I don't always agree with his lifestyle choices, but he's my son."
"I'm glad you feel that way."
"It's taken a while. But it's true."
In New York City, Roger was finishing his homework right as Jeanie got home.
"Guys I'm home."
"Hey Mom."
"Hi Sweetheart, how was your day?"
"Good."
"Did you finish your homework?"
"Just now."
"Good, I'll start dinner in a bit."
"Okay can I use the phone for a bit?"
"Go ahead, I'll tell you when dinner's ready."
"Thanks." Roger took off to his room to call his friend Maggie.
"Hey." Said Berger coming out of his room.
"Hey. Have a good day?"
"Yeah, got my next project set up. And I got an unexpected phone call."
"Yeah, from who?"
"My mother."
"What? Your mother called you? Is everything okay?"
"Yeah it was funny Roger almost hung up on her."
"What how?"
"Simple, he answered the phone and she asked for George."
"Oh my god. That's too funny. So what did she want?" Asked Jeanie with a laugh.
"To invite me to Sunday dinner. Actually she invited all three of us. So are you working?"
"No it's my weekend off. I work next weekend."
"Good. Oh and we have to be fully dressed."
"What?!" Asked Jeanie with a laugh.
"My mom said we have to be fully dressed and if I wear my fringe belt I have to wear pants."
"What in the world were you doing when you last saw them?" She asked still laughing.
"I was leaving to go see Claude and Sheila and I might have been a little high. Look all I know was that was the night I left and never looked back until now."
"Well then I will make sure you don't smoke anything and you are wearing pants." Said Jeanie lovingly tapping his cheek.
"That's all I ask."
"So did you tell her about you raising Roger with me?"
"Yup, I think she sees this as her chance at a grandkid."
"It is, if they want to see Roger as their grandson I'm fine with that." Said Jeanie.
"She said no matter that I call myself an uncle that she saw me as a father."
"I've been telling you that for years. Oh you have to get something for your dad for Sunday."
"Why?"
"Sunday's Father's Day."
"Shit, I'll get something for my mom too since I missed Mother's Day too."
Jeanie started on dinner while Berger went to start work on the book he was illustrating for an author he had worked with many times before.
"Boys! Dinner!" Said Jeanie putting the turkey loaf on the table with everything else she made.
"Great I'm starving, looks good Jeanie." Said Berger coming into the kitchen.
"Thank you. Where's Roger?"
"I'll get him." Berger headed down to Roger's room and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
"Hey Kid dinner's ready tell Maggie you'll talk to her later."
"Maggie I have to go dinner's ready. Okay bye." Roger hung up the phone and followed Berger out into the kitchen. "Sorry Mom I didn't hear you."
"That's fine Honey. Have a seat."
The family sat down and ate a quiet dinner before finishing up the things they needed to do before going to bed, Jeanie checked over Roger's homework and signed a permission slip for a field trip his history class was taking the next week. While Berger started working on the cover art for the book he was working on.
"Whatcha working on?" Asked Jeanie standing in the doorway of Berger's room.
"Karen wrote a new book, and she asked for me to illustrate it."
"What's it about this time, last time was puppy cops or something right?"
"Yup, now it's rabbit doctors."
"What?"
"Yeah, it's a book where the main character is getting a new bunny brother and sister so Mama Bunny goes to the doctor so they can see the baby bunny."
"Oh thank god we never had to read these kind of books to Roger."
"I think it would have given us an excuse for some acid laced joints. Hell I want one now and I'm only working on the cover." He said with a laugh.
"No acid for you it makes you stupid." She responded.
"Hey I had some good ideas while I was high."
"Really what were you and Claude going to do when you got to Canada?"
"I don't know but we would have figured something out."
"I know Honey I wish you guys would have gone up there, but at the same time I'm happy you stayed I couldn't have raised Roger without you."
"Yes, you could have, he just wouldn't know the finer points of giving blow jobs." He said with a laugh as she smacked him with a pillow from his bed.
"Yes I'm so thrilled my 13 year old knows how to give a blow job." She said laughing out loud.
"Oh stop you know you are."
"Berger thank you for everything, I don't think I say it very often but I really do appreciate everything you do for us."
"It's no problem Jeanie I'm glad to do it for you guys." Said Berger.
The rest of the week went by quickly and before they knew it, it was time to get ready to head over to Berger's parents' house. He and Jeanie had gone shopping the day before for gifts for his parents, he didn't even begin to know what to get so he decided to get them gift certificates to a couple nice stores that Berger knew they used to shop at when he was younger.
"Jeanie, does this look okay?" Berger came out dressed in casual dress shirt and his cleanest pair of jeans.
"You look fine Honey." Said Jeanie impressed with his choices. "And I didn't even have to lie anything out for you unlike your nephew who still needs his mommy to pick out his clothes." She said with a smile.
"I do not! I've never met grandparent type people, I didn't know how nice to dress." Said Roger coming out of his room still trying to put on his shoe.
"Face it Kid you need your mommy to pick out your clothes."
"Well you asked Mom's opinion too."
"Yeah, but I picked out my own clothes."
"Whatever when are we leaving?" Roger asked with a smile.
"Now, let's go." Said Berger opening the door.
The family walked over to the subway and got on the train heading to New Jersey.
"I'm nervous, is it okay to be nervous?" Asked Berger.
"You have every right to be nervous Berger it's been a long time since you've seen them, but I don't think they would have called unless they were ready to make amends. If it gets bad we'll just leave. We have that option. I honestly don't think there will be a problem you're not the same person you were back then, you've calmed down a lot and you have a job you love doing and are really good at. You changed the day he was born and you also changed the day we got the news about Claude. You are better than you were then."
They arrived at the station in New Jersey and headed outside to grab a cab to his parents' house.
"Where to?"
"125 Bleaker St." Said Berger. It was a quicker ride than Berger remembered, soon he was looking out the window of the cab at the house he grew up and noticed it hadn't changed much. Just a few new bushes and the shutters had been painted recently but other than that it was exactly the same.
"Has it changed at all?" Asked Jeanie.
"Nope just the bushes." Said Berger smiling at her.
"Are just going to stand here staring and creeping out the neighbors or are we going in?" Asked Roger.
"We're going Kid."
They all walked up the walk way, but before any of them could knock the door swung open and Berger was pushed back a bit as his mother fiercely hugged him.
"You came, you actually came." She said through tears.
"I said I would and I brought some people with me." Said Berger.
"You must be Jeanie." Said Elaine.
"I am and this is my son Roger."
"Hi Roger."
"Hi." Said Roger awkwardly.
"Elaine let the kids in the door." Said Harold walking towards them.
"Hi Dad."
"George, how you been?"
"I've been good, this is Jeanie and Roger."
"Jeanie it's nice to put a name to a face, and Roger how are you?"
"I'm good."
"Good, well come on in, nice day we're having."
"Yeah it's not bad out. I thought the weather guy said rain but I guess he's wrong again."
"So I thought we could start with coffee in the living room and just catch up?" Asked Elaine.
"That's fine Mom, whatever you guys want to do." Said Berger as they followed her into the living room.
"Roger would you like a soda or something to drink?" Asked Harold.
"Mom?"
"Go ahead Honey you can have one."
"Thank you sir." Said Roger as Harold got up and got Roger a soda from the kitchen. He quickly returned with the soda and handed it to Roger who thanked him again.
"So George what have you been doing for work?" Asked Elaine.
"I've been illustrating children's books for about 6 years, and before that I was doing odd jobs at night so Jeanie could go to school and someone home would be home with Roger."
"That's great, and Jeanie what are you doing?" Asked Elaine.
"I'm an ER nurse at Fairview Memorial."
"That's amazing, you guys have done well for yourselves. I'm proud of both of you."
"We've tried, we had a couple of rough years but we've gotten through them." Said Berger.
"I have an idea why don't you guys go get the grill going while Jeanie and I get to know each other." Suggested Elaine.
"Alright have fun." Said Harold.
"Be good and ladies no embarrassing stories from my youth." Said Berger jokingly.
"Me? Never." Said Jeanie joking looking up at him from her spot on the couch.
"Yes, you." Said Berger. "You have too much dirt on me, come on kid you're with us." He said to Roger.
"Okay."
The guys headed outside and Harold grabbed the charcoal on the way.
"You guys all eat meat right?"
"Yeah. The only time we didn't was when we all first left home and only because we couldn't afford it." Said Berger.
"So how did you keep from getting drafted?" Asked Harold he knew it could be a touchy subject but he was curious.
"When my number was called Jeanie and I were already living together and Roger was already born. I burned my draft card at a be-in we had right before Claude left so when my number got called I was bartending, the guys had the news on and I was opening a new bottle of Jack Daniels I ended up dropping it on the floor. I went down to the office the next morning with Jeanie and the baby. I was the sole provider at the time cause Jeanie was in school."
"That's an honorable way. I'm proud of you for going that route." Said Harold.
"I wanted to go to Canada, but I wouldn't go by myself."
"What do you mean?" Asked Harold who poured the charcoal into the grill.
"Claude and I had talked about it briefly, but he couldn't do it." Said Berger watching what his father was doing and then glancing at Roger who was observing them quietly.
"You loved him, huh?"
"Yeah, I did."
"You seeing anyone now?"
"No I'm just happy working and hanging out with Jeanie, Rog, and our friends who are in the area still."
"Good, oh crap I forgot the matches inside." Said Harold.
"Here I got a lighter." Said Berger pulling his out of his pocket.
"Thanks, so you still smoking?"
"Yeah, but I only smoke pot occasionally when we go out with our friends."
"No other drugs?"
"Not anymore, too expensive and too dangerous now."
Harold nodded and then turned to Roger who was patiently watching them interact. "So Roger what grade are you in?"
"8th, I go to high school next year." Said Roger.
"That's great, what do you do for fun?"
"He plays a good guitar, and he draws really well."
"No I don't you're better." Said Roger.
"Kid, that's only because I've been practicing a bit longer. It'll come together." Said Berger while Harold looked on smiling.
"So you getting good grades?"
"I do okay."
"He is being modest he gets straight B's are every term." Said Berger.
"How's your attendance?" Asked Harold is a joke which Berger caught.
"I go every day."
"Good, school is very important."
"Yeah, don't be like me." Said Berger.
"Don't listen to him, be like him, just don't get expelled from school for not going. You didn't turn out too bad."
"Thanks dad."
Meanwhile inside Jeanie and Elaine were sitting on the couch sipping coffee.
"So how do you think it's going out there?" Asked Elaine nervous.
"I think it's going pretty good there hasn't been any bloodshed and Roger hasn't come in screaming yet." Said Jeanie with a laugh.
"So how's he really doing?"
"He's really doing well, like he said it was rough a couple years but we made it through. Claude's death hit him hard, but I think having a job he likes and Roger to look after has mellowed him out a lot over the years. You know a mellow that wasn't drug induced." Said Jeanie with a laugh, which Elaine returned.
"So how did you become a nurse?" Asked Elaine.
"Everything was so crazy back then. We would go to protests and sometimes the cops would show up. More than a few times people needed patching up. Especially the boys so I would just jump in and fix them with whatever we had on hand. I mostly realized when Roger was born that I needed something to do and I was good at triage so I went to nursing school."
"I'm so glad you guys are doing good now, and I'm so happy you guys decided to accept my invitation."
"Honestly it wasn't a hard sell for either of us. I haven't spoken to my parents since I found out I was pregnant. And it was George's night to cook, so I thank you again." She said with a laugh. "If he decides to stay in touch I'm more than happy to help him along." To Jeanie it still felt weird to call Berger 'George'.
"I would love that, and I want you to know that we would like to consider Roger our grandson no matter what George calls himself." Said Elaine.
A little while later Berger came into the living room through the kitchen.
"Ladies whenever you are ready, so is the food."
"Okay. Did you cook it or your dad?" Asked Jeanie with a smile.
"Are you complaining about my cooking?"
"No not at all. It's just we've had a lot of surprise dinners over the years."
"Hey, the first couple of years of your experiments weren't the best there dearie."
"What mine?" She asked laughing knowing they had a lot of trial and error in the beginning.
They headed outside and sat down at the picnic table Harold had brought out all the food that Elaine had prepared before everyone got there.
"Geeze, Mom did you cook for the army or for us?" Asked Berger.
"Well I wasn't sure what exactly you all ate so I made a little bit of everything." Said Elaine.
They all started eating and talking about various things and finally it was time for Berger to give Harold and Elaine their presents.
"Mom, Dad. Happy Mother and Father's Day." He said handing them the envelopes.
"Oh, honey you didn't have to get us anything." Said Elaine.
"Yeah, I did I missed so many of them and I wanted to make up for it. So open them up."
Elaine and Harold opened the envelopes and smiled when they saw the gift certificates for the stores.
"Thank you so much Honey." Said Elaine kissing him on the cheek.
"You're welcome."
"Good job son, this will defiantly come in handy."
"Thank you."
"Uncle Berger I have something for you." Said Roger as Jeanie dug in her purse for the gift.
"Bud, you didn't have to do anything like that."
"Yes I did." Said Roger as Jeanie handed him the gift and he handed it to Berger.
Berger opened the envelope that Roger handed him and saw that it was a gift certificate to the stationary store where Berger got his supplies for work.
"Thank you so much, I really appreciate this."
"You're welcome."
All in all the day was successful and new relationships were formed. Berger called his parents once a week and they started coming around for important functions they were there the day Roger graduated 8th grade and were there for his high school graduation as well. Jeanie formed a mother/daughter relationship with Elaine and sometimes they both ganged up on Berger for different things to be done. There were days where he wished Jeanie and Elaine didn't get along so well but was so happy that his parents finally accepted his chosen lifestyle.