Monday Morning
Six fifteen on a Monday morning is not the optimum time to be called on the cell phone and told by your ex wife that she is sick again with morning sickness from her new husbands baby and she needs you to take your kids, their musical instruments and school books to school in the next fifteen minutes when you have an hour long drive yourself in the other direction.
But that is exactly what happened and Dan did the dutiful dad thing and went to pick them up in his Mercedes. The oldest Brent, had decided he didn't want to cut his hair and was forever tossing his head to get it out of his eyes. Dan didn't say anything, he and Nancy had agreed to let him grow it as long as he wanted provided he take care of it. Brent slouched to the car, another affection that Dan would like to address but he'd agreed to keep his mouth shut about it. The theory was that he'd grow out of these fazes.
Brent plopped unceremoniously down on the front seat while his brother, David, several years his junior bounced to the car, out of breath juggling a clarinet, a huge book bag and a bag with his boy scout uniform into the back seat. "Thanks for the ride, Dad." David said.
"So your mom has morning sickness again?"
"Yeah, like all the time. She must be having a litter of mongrel puppies." Brent said with a great deal of teenaged sarcasm.
"Watch your mouth. She's still your mother." Dan told him firmly.
Brent cast him a resentful look. "Not that she remembers that." He said with a sneer. "If you two were still married….."
"We aren't so drop the subject." Dan cut him off. Every time lately that he'd seen him the subject came up.
Brent folded his arms and slithered down in his seat, resentfully. "Fine."
"Are you picking us up tonight, too?" David asked.
"No, why would you ask that?" Dan asked starting to turn around.
"Mom has a doctors appointment and she said she might have to call you to come get us. So are you?"
"I don't know. I'll call your mom from the office." Dan said. "Buckle up." Brent made no move to do it. Dan looked at his defiant son. "Buckle your seatbelt. It's the law."
"Are you going to arrest me if I don't?" the young man demanded.
Dan just stared at him until he became uncomfortable enough to comply. Teen agers are nervous about being about being stared at. Satisfied, he started the car and drove the boys to school. David chatted on about his day, his activities and his friends. Brent sulked in the seat the whole way. Dan stopped at a drive thru and got some coffee.
He got them to school just as the others were getting there too. "Now, lets have a talk. Your mother is pregnant and having a hard time with it. You two need to be more understanding. David, I'll try to be here to get you. Brent, I don't know what your problem is but it needs to change."
"He's got a new girlfriend." David crowed from the back seat. "She thinks he's sexy with all that hair."
"Shut up!" Brent snarled at his brother.
"Knock it off." Dan barked. "David, go inside."
Brent reached for the door handle but Dan stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Not you."
David got out and stuck his tongue out at his brother and laughed on his way into the school. "I'm going to be late." Brent told his dad in a surly tone of voice.
"You have time. What's going on, Brent? You've been harder than the devil to get along with lately and I need to know why?"
"It's not."
"It has to be something. You're not leaving this car until you tell me what it is, so give it up."
"If you must know, I'm getting teased by the other kids about Mom being pregnant. It's not natural. She's old. She shouldn't be knocked up!"
Dan suppressed a grin at the anguish in his older sons voice. "I didn't have anything to do with that, I'm afraid. I know this is unexpected, but it's only for a few more months then it'll be all over with. You can hold out for that long, can't you?"
"Do I have a choice?" Brent demanded.
"You can be laughed at or laugh with them. It's your choice. How about if you come over this weekend while David has that camp out with his friends and we do something together?"
"Go bar hopping?" Brent demanded brightening for the first time.
"Not even close, but we'll find something to do where we can watch the girls. Deal?"
"Yeah, okay. Can I go now?"
"Go ahead, just ease off on your Mom."
"But I can still harass Todd, right?"
"Brent!"
"Just asking. Later, Dad."
All elbows and knees Brent got out of the car, rocking it violently and Dans coffee fell off the dashboard right onto his lap. Thankfully it had cooled off so it didn't do any damage and he sighed, watching Brent race into the school. He looked down and it looked like he'd wet himself. Well he had another suit at the precinct.
Which was not meant to be. He'd gotten blood all over the other one and the cleaners had not been able to get it out. He didn't have a suit to change into and he spent the whole day sitting down behind his desk, hiding a bright brown spot on the front of his trousers. That is what you get for having kids. Ah, how he hated Mondays!
Fin