A half hour later Wally found Beaver walking home, and he honked. Beaver turned to see who was honking at him then saw Wally.
"Beaver!! Where have you been? You got Mom worried and you got Dad mad!" Wally told his brother as Beaver jumped into his car and Wally drove home.
"I was at a friend's house."
"Beaver! Mom called Gilbert and found out that he is on restriction for the last week, you lied to her," Wally said then a few minutes later they were home.
"Beaver!! Are you alright? Where have you been?" June asked as she gave him a hug.
"Why don't we eat first then we will talk about this in the den." Ward said then continued, "I hope you didn't eat wherever you were at."
"No sir."
During dinner, everyone talked and ate.
"Hey Dad, can I borrow your car for the long drive to Crystal Falls on Saturday?"
"Why? What's wrong with your car?" Ward asked concerned.
"Well, it's been goofing up lately and I don't know if it will be okay for the trip."
"Well, I'll have to see Wally. The home office wants a meeting on Saturday, so I'll see what I can do."
"Dad, how was your day at the office?" Beaver asked nervously as everyone looked at him.
"Did you get a note from Mrs. Rayburn today?" Ward asked sternly.
"No, sir. But can I go to a party on Friday night?" Beaver asked apprehensively.
"Boy Beaver, you are really asking for it now."
"That will be enough Wally," Ward told his son.
"You come home late; you weren't where you said you--."
"Ward, our dinner is getting cold," June told Ward as she felt that it wasn't the time to give Beaver a lecture. Wally shook his head with a sarcastic smile.
After dinner, Wally did the dishes while Ward and June were in the den talking to Beaver. As he sat on the chair, Ward and June sat at the edge of the desk with the doors closed.
"Okay, when did you know Gilbert was on restriction?"
"Today," Beaver lied.
"Beaver, I talked to his mother, she said you never even came to the house or even rang the doorbell."
"He told me a few days ago," Beaver told them.
"Now, where were you?" Ward asked as he folded his hands in front of him, and June had her arms to the side as they looked at Beaver who looked down.
"At someone's house."
"Whose? Do we know them?" June asked.
"No, you don't know them."
"Well, Beaver, you are on restriction for the rest of the week and the weekend--." Ward started then was interrupted as Beaver stood up.
"Aw gee Dad, I can't go to the party?" Beaver complained then asked. Ward folded his arms in anger.
"Beaver, you lied to your mother, got her worried sick about where you were going and you refuse to tell us and you are not to go to the party you asked about over dinner."
"Oh gee Dad!! It's not!! Its not fair!!" he told him as he slid open the den doors and ran to his room slamming the door. Wally came through from the kitchen as he heard the door slam.
"He had to have been with a girl June," Ward said.
"I'm done with the dishes and I'll go do my homework."
"Okay," June said as Wally went upstairs, she continued to speak, "I think you are right Ward but how can we find out who it was?"
"We can't. If we call all his friends, they won't tell us," Ward said as she folded her arm around his arm and they walked to the couch to read.
In the boys' room—
Beaver laid on his bed thinking about the party as Wally walked in.
"Did Dad yell at ya?"
"Yes, and he told me I couldn't go to the party. Boy, what a creep," Beaver said as he folded his hands behind his head.
Wally sat on the edge of Beaver's bed as he looked at him with his hands on the bed.
"Come on Beav, you are being unfair to Dad. It's just you and me now in this room." Wally said
"He said I'm on restriction and that I can't go to the party."
"Sorry Beav, if you told Mom the truth or even called her when you were somewhere else maybe you could have gone to the party. You almost made her cry."
"Whose side are you on anyway?!!" Beaver shot out of his bed, yelled then ran into the bathroom.
The next day after school—
Beaver and Gilbert were taking their school books from their lockers when they talked about the day before.
"So what happened last night Beav? My mom got the call from your mom."
"I went to Trisha's house instead and now I can't go to the party and I'm on restriction and I have to come straight home from school. I have to stay in my room too," Beaver said with slight anger as they walked home.
"That's rough Beav. Since it's an all night party, you can go anytime, after your parents go to bed. You can just sneak out of the house and go to the party."
"I don't know. I mean what if my dad finds out?" Beaver said.
"Look Beav, he won't find out. He'll be asleep and so will your mom and brother. Do you want to go to the party or not?" Gilbert asked.
"Yeah!!"
"Plus, your dad forgot what it's like to be a kid and be interested in girls since he married your mom. And he doesn't want you to have fun," Gilbert told his friend.
"Yeah!! Are you going to the party?"
"Are you kidding, of course!! I'm going to sneak out of my room once my parents are asleep. But it might be till midnight before I can leave the house," Gilbert told him.
"I don't know."
"If you don't get to the party, you're chicken!" Gilbert told his friend as he walked away.
The night of the party came as Beaver and Wally did their homework then Ward and June came upstairs to tell the boys they were going to watch TV in their room as the boys said goodnight to them. An hour later Wally went to bed while Beaver stayed up finishing his homework.
"Beaver, no party, do you understand?" Wally told him as he put his pajamas on, slipped into his bed, and turned off his light that Ward had to buy.
"Yes, Wally."
Forty-five minutes later Beaver finished his history homework then went over to his side of room and saw Wally had fallen asleep on his bed. He got his suit out of the closet then put it on, turning off the light at the desk and quietly leaving the room.
He carefully and quietly walked downstairs as the rooms were dark then he saw the light from outside through the window near the door and opened it. After he closed and locked it, he ran to Trisha's house for her party.
"Freedom!!" he thought to himself as he was almost at her house.