Chapter 2

Now the driverless van speeds down a highway, with the kids inside, passing by endless stretches of grass on either side of the road.

"What does Tommy's mommy's school look like anyway?" Phil asked.

"I don't know Philip." Lil answered.

"Yes you do Lillion." Phil argued.

"No you don't, Phillip." Lil argued back.

"I don't think we're going the right way." Chuckie intervened.

"Tommy, what does your mommy's school look like?" Kimi asked.

"Um, uh, I remember it's big with lots of…" Tommy starts having a coughing fit.

"With lots of what?" Zack asked.

Just then, Tommy spots a button on the dash board that looks like a stop sign. He presses it, causing the van to stop in the middle of the road.

"What did you do that for?" Zack asked, irritated.

"Zachary, you know we shouldn't have taken this grown up toy of your aunt's. Now we're losted and we're not gonna make it home. And like Angelica said, it sounds like graduations are boring anyway. We shouldn't have gone in the first place." Tommy snapped.

"But I thought you wanted to go to your mommy's graduation." Zack snapped back.

"No! I'm only here cuz Chuckie got ascared when daddy tried to break the house." Tommy argued back.

"Nah uh." Chuckie added.

"What's wrong with you guys? I thought you guys liked going on adventures." Said Zack.

"Not on grown up cars that get us losted." Replied Chuckie.

Just then, a line of cars forms behind the driverless van. At the end of the line sits Stu, Didi and Celeste, with Betty, Howard, Chas and Kira in front of them.

"Oh goodness Stu, we're never gonna find Celeste's van and the kids with this pile of traffic in front of us." Didi panicked.

"I'm gonna step out and have a look." Stu said, shutting off the car and stepping out into the road, looking down the line of traffic.

"Didi, I see them, they're stopped in the middle of the road. Come on." Stu said, as Didi and Celeste step out of the car, the three of them walking down the road.

Back in the driverless van, the kids continue to argue, when suddenly, Dil spots his mommy and daddy coming nearer.

"Hey look, we're saved. Mommy and Daddy are coming closer. But why does mommy have a funny string on her hat?" Dil asked, pointing at the tassle of Didi's morter board, dangling down in her face.

"I don't know Dilly but I don't care if we see mommy graduate now. I just wanna go home. My head, ears and throat have an ow ee, and I… I…" Tommy bursts into tears.

"Wow, I've never seen Tommy like this before." Zack yelled. Chuckie leaned up towards Zack in the front seat.

"Um, I have, remember last year's Gray Plague stuff when we first met?" Chuckie whispered to Zack.

"Oh yeah," Zack whispered back.

"Don't worry Tommy, it's gonna be ok." Chuckie said reassuringly, patting Tommy on the shoulder. Tommy pulled away.

"Just leave me alone." He shouted through his tears.

By this time, all traffic was stopped on the road. Celeste approaches the driver's door and Didi approaches the passenger door. A police man comes up to the front of the van.

"Is there a problem here?" Asked the officer.

"I think we'll be ok sir, thank you." Celeste replied, opening the driver's door.

"Zachary Michael, you know Aunty's van is for grown ups. I'm sorry sweetie, but when we get back to Tommy and Dil's, you're gonna have to sit in a corner and think about what you've done." Celeste snapped.

"Now Celeste, he's quite young. I'd just… If I were you, I'd not leave your purse where the kids can get to it." Didi replied.

"I'll make note of that." Celeste replied.

Didi opens the passenger door to find Tommy there, crying. Glancing at her sick, pale child, she puts a hand on to his forehead.

"Oh goodness sweetie, you do feel warm. Stu, looks like you're gonna have to take Tommy home." She said worriedly, turning towards Stu who was behind her. Celeste moves Zack to the back seat with the others, and Stu gets in front, passing Tommy to Didi, who puts him into the back with the others.

"I'll be home as soon as I can sweetie." Didi said to Tommy, now calmed down, as she put him into a car seat in back with the others, patting his head and blowing him a kiss. As she walked away from the car, she turned towards Stu.

"Once you're home, make sure Tommy rests, and keep him away from the others." Didi added.

"Sure thing Didi." Stu replied.

"Come on Didi, get in, we'll get you to your graduation." Betty shouted, motioning Didi towards her car. Didi hops in and they make a u turn, and head in the correct direction to her graduation.

"Wait a sec Celeste, since it sounds like Betty, Howard, Chas and Kira are driving Didi to her graduation, I'll grab Tommy and we'll head home. You take the kids to the ceremony, we'll see you afterwards at Didi's graduation party, at our house." Stu said, getting out of the van.

"Sounds good to me." Celeste said, nodding approvingly.

"Come on champ." Stu said, getting Tommy out of Celeste's van and heading back to their car. Celeste punches into the computer the correct destination, after reviewing what was put there in the first place.

"Do you no longer wish to head to Maine?" The robotic voice asked.

"Glad we got here when we did, before our children ended up across the country." Celeste thought, as she plugged in some headphones, and punched in the correct destination, getting the van going to the correct place. It made a u turn and they were soon not far behind Betty's car.

Chuckie looked around, frowning.

"What's wrong Chuckie?" Phil asked.

"Now everyone's mad at us, and Tommy's missing his mommy's graduation." Chuckie replied.

"What are you worried about him for?" Phil asked.

"Yeah it's not like he wanted to go anyway." Lil added.

"Yeah, maybe you're right guys. I just hope he's gonna be ok." Chuckie said quietly.

Before they knew it, everyone had arrived at the school auditorium. Didi hopped out of Betty's car and ran quickly to where they were lining up.

"Looks like I made it just in time," Didi smiled, as she found her place in line, and they started to profess. The rest of the gang went into the auditorium, looking around for Drew and Charlotte.

"There they are!" Betty shouted, leading everyone towards where they were sitting, Celeste with the kids bringing up the rear. They spot Charlotte on her phone.

"Jonathan I'll have to call you back, the graduation ceremony for my sister-in-law is about to start." She hung up the phone and glanced up to see the crew getting closer.

"What took you guys so long?" Drew asked.

"It's a long story." Chas replied as everyone took their seats, the ceremony starting as bagpipes began to play and the graduates started to walk inside.

Back at Tommy and Dil's house, Stu pulls into the driveway and carries Tommy inside. He sits him down on the couch.

"Sorry you're sick champ and we had to miss mommy's graduation." Stu said with a frown as he sat down next to Tommy who looked pretty sad and droopy. Stu picked up the TV remote from the coffee table.

"You just sit and relax. I think it's time for The Dummi Bears. We'll watch that till they get back." Stu said, switching on the TV. Just then, a bullaton appears on the screen.

"We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you some special local coverage." Said an announcer. The screen then changed to a view of several people wearing caps and gowns, one of them is Didi.

"Oh my gosh, Tommy! What a pleasant surprise, I had no idea your mommy's graduation was being televised. We'll get to see it after all!" Stu said excitedly. Tommy smiled at the TV.

Back at the graduation ceremony, Didi is called up to give her speech. She heads to the podium, realizing she forgot her script, she sighed.

"Guess I'll have to wing it." She thought, as she positioned herself at the podium, the audience clapping. Once the applause died down, she began.

"I almost didn't make it here today. But as I stand here today, about to journey on to the next chapter of my life, I realize that it wasn't easy getting here. I faced many obsticals, just to get to this graduation. Everything from my husband's exploding inventions, to having to rescue my lost children, one of them being sick, and having to miss seeing me graduate today. But I know they're here in spirit, and I'd just like to say, don't let any obsticals stand in your way. Rather, be thankful for the people who come into your life. Because if it weren't for wanting to be a better mom today, I wouldn't be here right now, talking to all of you. I'd like to thank 3 very special people in my life, my husband Stu, and my 2 boys, Tommy and Dil, without them, none of this would be possible. Thank you guys, you're the best. And finally, school can teach you a lot of good things, but there's one thing we should always remember. Never give up, and face your obsticals, head on, even if they are scary at times. And so, as I leave you all today, go out there, conquer those obsticals, and live out your dreams! I now present the graduating class, of 2014." Didi said smiling as everyone applauded, Tommy and Stu stared at the TV back home happily.

A brounette man wearing a gray suit, came up to the podium.

"As I call your names, step forward, to grab your deplomas." Said the man at the podium.

"What's a diploma?" Zack asked.

"I don't know." Kimi replied.

Several minutes later, Didi's name was called and she walked up to grab the diploma, which looked like a piece of paper.

"That's a diploma? A piece of paper?" Dil asked disappointingly.

"Looks like it." Kimi replied.

"And when is this graduation gonna be finished anyway?" Phil asked.

"It's lasting too long." Lil added.

"Yeah and my butt's growing soar." Chuckie griped, standing up from his seat.

"Sit back down sweetie, the ceremony isn't finished yet." Kira said from behind Chuckie's seat, reaching up and patting him on the shoulder, helping him to sit back down.

Everyone sat down and listened to the rest of the ceremony. At the very end of the ceremony, the kids watched as the graduates moved their tassles to the other side of their head and started to profess out.

"Ah, that's what the string is for, to play with when it's all over." Dil said playfully.

"That sounds like fun!" Kimi said excitedly!

"Yeah I can't wait to get all grown up and graduate." Chuckie added.

"Yeah but I'm glad that ceremony is over and we can all go home." Phil muttered.

Back at Tommy's, Stu had arranged a pillow and blanket on the couch, and Tommy was now lying down, asleep.

Later, everybody returned to the house. They came into the front door. Stu put a finger up to his lips.

"Tommy's asleep." He whispered, heading towards the backyard, the rest of the gang followed him there.

"You did great today sweetie." Stu said, smiling at Didi once they were outside.

"But… How…" Didi paused, shocked.

"Your graduation was televised. Tommy and I were watching you on TV. Well, Tommy fell asleep about halfway through it. We were both awake for your speech. Nice job honey, and sorry about earlier." Stu said, putting an arm around Didi's shoulder.

"Oh Stu." She said happily.

The kids snuck back inside the living room, gathered around the couch where Tommy was curled up. Tommy stirs.

"How are you feeling Tommy?" Chuckie asked.

"I don't feel good, but I still got to see mommy graduate. Mommy was on the TV." Tommy said, smiling, his eyes half open.

"Everyone, I'm sorry about getting us into all that trouble earlier. I guess, I just thought I knew what I was doing." Zack said.

"Yeah and we're sorry we drug you along Tommy." Said Kimi.

"I should have known, when you don't feel good, you don't always wanna do what you usually like to do. And, there are some things, that only grown ups should play with, even if they seem easy enough for us to play with too." Zack added, moving closer to Tommy.

"It's ok guys, and, I just need to rest and I'll be better real soon." Tommy said.

"And, for once, Angelica was right, that ceremony was long." Phil added.

"Told ya." Angelica snapped, coming through the kitchen into the living room, carrying Cynthia.

"Other than tossing the string at the end, I can wait a while to grow up and graduate." Dil said, giggling, everyone else joined in laughing.

Just then, Didi walked into the living room and scooped Tommy up from the couch.

"Let's go take your temperature sweetie." She said, carrying Tommy off towards the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Didi gives Tommy a good look over. She looks at his throat and in his ears, to find both of them red, and takes his temperature by placing a thermometer in his ear.

"Looks like you might have an ear infection sweetie. We'll go to the doctor's tomorrow and get that all checked out." Didi said.

Later on, at the graduation party, the adults are seated around long tables out in the yard, the kids have congregated beneath a deserted table with a table cloth on it. Tommy watches out the glass doors at the back of the playpen, now dressed in pajamas, drinking a sippy cup of juice. He exits the playpen and joins his friends outside.

"Hi Tommy, how are you doing?" Asked Chuckie.

"I'm alright. Mommy's gonna take me to a doctor tomorrow, but I wasn't gonna miss my mommy's party, even if she does think I have an ear inflection." Tommy replied, joining them under the table. They glance up at their parents and Zack's aunt, sitting across the way at another table.

"Good thing we got to the kids when we did, they were headed across the country. And, rest assured, they won't be having anymore adventures in my van, unless I'm there with them." Celeste said, taking her car keys out of her purse and putting them into her pants pocket, and placing her purse on the back of her chair.

"That's a relief." Chas said, turning towards aunty Celeste with a smile.

"A toast, to our graduate, congratulations Didi." Betty said, as all of the adults around the table stood up, and raised their glasses and bumped them together.

"Congratulations mommy." Said Tommy and Dil, raising their sippy cup.

"Congratulations Tommy's mommy." The rest of the kids said together, raising their sippy cups and bumping them together.

The End