"Jake? Is that you honey?" his mother called out as her oldest son slammed the front door.

"Yeah," he replied dryly. Who else was she expecting?

Gail Green strolled into the entry hall glancing at her watch. "Wow. You are right on time. Guess you're getting the hang of this curfew."

Jake nodded noncommittally. He'd actually left school hours ago and had been sleeping in a neighbor's hammock until he could safely 'get home on time.'

"Your Dad and I are leaving at 7:30 for Aunt Rose's. Gail tone grew stern. "Do I need to remind you that you are grounded and are not to leave this house?"

"I know Mom," he replied in an exasperated manner.

"Well see to it you do not forget," she said reaching out to pat his cheek.

Jake rolled his eyes, sidled away and then bound up the stairs.

"Jake, I mean it," she yelled after him.

Jake was clearing the first landing when he saw Eric exiting his room. "I need to talk to you," he said man-handling his younger brother backwards into the bedroom. He shut the door and leaned against it. "I'm going out tonight and you are NOT going to say a thing to Mom and Dad, got it?"

"Why should I do anything you ask?" Eric retorted.

Jake pushed off the door moving menacingly towards his little brother, who was two years younger but a lot taller. But what Jake lacked in stature he made up in intensity. "Because I have been at school enough this week to have caught your tryst with Nancy in the storage shed."

Eric blushed even though he tried to keep up his bravado. "So?" he replied cavalierly.

Jake got right in his brother's face. "To use an old baseball metaphor, I'd say you were blowing past second and heading for third base with a home run on your mind."

Eric's face blanched. "It wasn't like that!"

"I know what I saw and it was third base, or damn close. I can not help thinking," Jake said deliberating hitting him with his shoulder as he circled behind, "that an unwisely placed word in the preacher's ear about what you and his daughter have been doing might not be so pleasant for you. Or I could mention it to Sandra. You two are dating right?" Jake completed his circuit and got back in his brother's face. "And that, dear brother, is just the beginning of the trouble I can cause. Do you get me?"

Eric involuntarily took a step back under the onslaught. "Look, I won't say anything alright?"

Jake smiled and semi-playfully punched his brother on the arm. "That's all I'm asking," and with that, Jake headed for the door.

"But you know," Eric threw after him, "You're going to get caught. You always do Jake."

Jake's shoulders hunched as his brother's mark hit home but he kept on walking out the door, slamming the it behind him. Jake knew his brother was probably right but he didn't care.

3

"I really don't want to go," Johnston groused as he flung an empty duffle bag on the bed.

"I don't care," Gail replied. "Don't forget to pack a pair of pajamas this time. Last time was embarrassing."

"How was I supposed to know that anyone was going to be up at 2:00 am in the morning when I had to take a whiz," Johnston grumbled walking over to the dresser where his pjs resided. "I had underwear on for God's sake. It wasn't like I was buck-naked."

"To a 92-year-old nun, underwear is buck-naked."

"Humph." Johnston grabbed a pair of clean pajamas and stuffed them to the duffle bag. "Why do we have to go? I'm sure she'll out live us all. Can't we skip this year?"

"At 92, there is no skipping. You celebrate each and every glorious year."

"Well," Johnston countered, "if I live to be 92 I'm not having birthday parties."

Gail came over and patted him fondly on the cheek. "If you live to be 92 and you can do whatever you want."

Johnston locked his arms around his wife's waist. "Anything?" he queried nuzzling her ear.

Gail playfully swatted him. "Let me go you lecherous old man. We have to pack and get going or we'll be late."

Johnston released her. "Like it is going to make a big difference to Aunt Rose. At 92, she should be use to waiting. "

Gail smiled and went back to packing.

"Do you think," Johnston started, trying a new tactic, "that it is wise to leave the boys home alone? After all, Jake is grounded. Do you really think that boy is going to stay put?"

"Do you think that by staying home, you can keep Jake 'put'?" Gail countered. "That boy can get in trouble sitting alone in a room." Gail perched on the edge of the bed. "I'm worried about Jake. Things are getting worse, not better with him. Do you know he has been hanging around Jonah?"

The mayor of Jericho grimaced. "Emily's Dad? Yeah, I have heard that," he said tightly.

"That can't lead to anything good."

Johnston put his arms around his wife's shoulders, drew her close and rested his chin on her head. He had no answer on how to straighten out their son. Once, he and his first born had been close, hunting, fishing, buddies; but somehow that had all slipped away. Now they snapped, snarled, growled and drove each other crazy. Jake defied him every chance he got and Johnston had no clue what to do. "It will be alright," he finally said to his wife even though they both knew it was a lie.