Another huge thank you to those that left a review and those that send me private messages. Thank you to fiction is life for telling others outside about this. That makes me feel very humble.
Hope everyone likes this chapter as well. It was only partly planned, but sometimes that happens when you're writing.
Chapter 8
A scratching sound at the door caused Brian to shoot up to a sitting position. His first instinct was to check whether Guthrie was still asleep. Brian had only just pulled out the sofa when his little brother had found his way downstairs and sleepily crawled under the blankets. Now the younger boy was vast asleep, thank goodness. Next, Brian slipped out and reached for the rifle in the cabinet.
Then he heard grumbling outside, grumbling in an awful familiar voice and he grinned. Leaving the rifle where it was Brian made his way to the door, unlocked it and opened it. "What time do you call this, mister?!" He thought it was a pretty good impression of Adam's own tone and voice, which in turn was very alike their own dad as Adam matured.
"What the…" Adam rolled his eyes, "Why'd you lock the door when you know I'm out?"
Brian grinned, "Hmm I seem to remember a certain older brother doing that to me a few weeks ago. Not so fun now the shoe's on the other foot, is it?"
"You came home drunk at 2 am. I'm home by midnight, sober."
"Ah…but according to our younger brother Evan your curfew and bedtime is a quarter past 11, young man, so you're late. Hmm what would a fitting punishment be?"
"Huh?" Adam walked past Brian and the younger man closed and locked the door again. "What on earth did I miss?"
"Oh nothing, just a very interesting technique in stalling. Didn't work, but I have to give the boy extra points for trying. It was a good night here. We can survive without you for a few hours, as you see." He leaned in the kitchen doorway now watching Adam take a class of milk, "Much more important is the question how your evening was…"
"A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell." Adam put the carton back in the fridge.
"Ah so there was kissing involved. Good to know you still know how that works. Or did she have to give you some lessons first?"
"I don't need any lessons, thank you very much."
Deciding not to tease any further Brian became more serious, "So you had a good night?"
"Yeah, it was a good band," It was Adam's turn to tease.
"And good company."
"Yeah, that too…," Emptying the glass Adam hid a secret smile, "that too."
"So you still mad at me for giving you that little push?"
Adam sighed, "Oh I wanted to throttle you. Be glad you're not Daniel's age."
"Yeah you were pretty peeved."
"But no, I'm not mad anymore."
"In that case…a thank you would be nice."
"Don't push it, buddy. It was still a rotten thing to do."
Brian laughed out loud, "Even if it worked out well."
"Even if it worked out well. I like her."
"I'm happy for you. Adam, you deserve to be happy. To go out and have fun. To have a girlfriend."
"Daniel didn't seem too happy about it." Daniel's words were still ringing in Adam's mind.
"Ah don't mind him. He's just worried because it's his teacher. He's afraid you're gonna hear every bit of mischief now and he thinks the other kids might tease him. We had a good talk about it."
"Wish Crane was here."
"Yeah, well, he'd probably tell us there was much more to this, some deeper hidden fear, but honest, Adam, I talked with him and he's fine. If something happens at school he'll talk to you or me and we'll sort it out. And he's mighty sorry he hurt you tonight."
"Still can't believe he'd think I'm the kind of guy who sleeps with every pretty girl."
"Like me, you mean."
Adam looked shocked, "No, I didn't mean that and I didn't say that. I'm just hurt that he thinks that, that's all."
"He didn't know that that's what he was saying. Adam, he hears things, he uses words, but he doesn't know the impact of them, the implication of what he's saying. I set him straight and now, well, you know Daniel, he'll try to make it up to you, at least apologize."
"That would be nice." Adam stifled a yawn, he wasn't used to staying up this late. But he knew there was something else he needed to address. There was a nagging feeling that he was leaving something important unsaid. But he was too tired to think. "Well, considering it's apparently 45 minutes past my bedtime, I'd best head up."
"Morning comes early…"
As Adam passed the sofa he stopped and looked down on the sleeping 8-year-old, "If you'd rather he slept in his own bed you know that's fine, don't you?"
Brian shrugged, "It's fine. I guess he got so used to sleeping in my bed when he was little that it's become a habit. I don't mind." He'd never admit it, but he kinda liked having his baby brother close by, to keep an eye on him. "Besides, it gives everyone upstairs a bit more room."
Adam sighed, "You don't have to sleep here either. You've always had a bed upstairs."
"I know…I like this better. I'm the gate keeper."
"Well, gate keeper, I'll leave you to it. Night."
Brian slipped back under the covers as Adam made his way upstairs, "Night." But sleep didn't come easy. Not wanting to wake Guthrie Brian tried not to move around too much, so he listened to the sound of the clock ticking the minutes of the night away hoping it would lull him to sleep. It didn't work. It wasn't until Guthrie turned in his sleep and draped his arm over his big brother's chest that Brian felt his body relax a little. He placed his hand over Guthrie's and closed his eyes, finally drifting off.
"Give it back, Trevor!" Guthrie shot to his feet as the older boy snatched the marble out of the ring.
"Won it fair and square," Trevor taunted, "Sure's a beaut."
"You didn't win anything! You cheated." Guthrie glared, although behind the glare the tears were threatening.
"I did not cheat. The way you play I don't have to." Holding the marble above his head the boy continued, "If you want it so badly…try and get it."
Guthrie did try to snatch it from his hand by jumping up, but missed and frustrated he stomped his foot, "You're being mean."
"Right! You only got to play cause you're a bully and now you're a cheat too," Bobby, a friend from his own grade, agreed, "Give it back, you cheat."
"Nah, I think I'll keep this." Trevor studied it, "I kinda like it."
"It's MINE!"
Trevor pushed him aside and started to walk off. Realizing Guthrie was about to attack to older boy Bobby held him back, "It's not worth it, Guthrie. He'll eat you for lunch. And then you'll have a black eye at least and you still don't have your marble back."
"But it's mine. It's not fair."
"Just ask Santa for new ones."
Trevor was still close enough to hear and he snorted, "Yeah, ask Santa for new ones….you two are such babies."
"I'm not a baby!"
"You are if you still believe in Santa. Must be because ya don't have any parents. They would have set ya straight by now about the whole deal."
And at that Guthrie lost it. Despite Bobby's attempts to hold him back Guthrie launched himself at the 12-year-old. He got at least a good punch in before the boy fought back. It was an unequal and unfair fight, of course, but Guthrie would have happily struggled on if it wasn't for the strong hand that suddenly lifted him off the ground by the scruff of his neck. It wasn't until he was on his feet that he noticed that a whole crowd had gathered around them. Trevor was restrained as well, but still struggling.
"Alright, show's over!" Mister Williams called out, "Recess is over." He gave Guthrie a little shake and with a glance at his colleague, said, "And you two can explain to the principal what on earth happened here!"
"Come on, Guthrie, over here!" Brian called out from the truck.
Guthrie looked a little startled seeing the truck. "What are you doing here?"
"What does it look like, squirt? Picking you and your brothers up. Had an errand to run in town, the tractor broke down again, and figured I might as well save you all some time with all those stops."
"Oh." Usually, Guthrie would be happy to have ride home, it did save a lot of time, but today he wasn't in any hurry to get home.
"Come on, hurry up, need to pick up your brothers too." Trying not to wonder why Guthrie was dragging his heels Brian just opened the passenger door and waited until the boy was seated. "What's with the long face, kiddo?"
"Nothing."
"Hmm…bad grade?"
"There's nothing, Brian, honest."
There was that word again: honest. But he let it go for now, figuring whatever was bothering the boy would come out eventually.
Minutes later all four boys were in and the family was on its way back to the ranch.
"Are there any brownies left, Brian?" They weren't even home yet and Ford was already thinking about snacking.
"Nope."
"Ah boy, I was looking forward to them."
"Then you should have left some. You had the last one last night."
"Oh yeah," Ford conceded. He looked through the back window at Evan and Daniel in the bed of the truck. "But they had some too."
"Not saying you ate them all, but since you had the last one, you should know there aren't any left."
"Yeah…I guess…you could have made some though." Ford was seldom lost for ideas.
Brian nodded, as if he contemplated that idea, "Yes, I guess I could have. If someone had brought their laundry down to the laundry room like they were supposed to, and had cleaned the bathroom like they're supposed to, yes, I might have had some extra time then, but now I had to pick the clothes off the bathroom floor and your bedroom floor before I could do the laundry. Not to mention the state of the bathroom."
Ford had the decency to blush, "I would have done it after school."
"You were supposed to do it before school."
"I know. I'm sorry, Brian."
"You need to stop being sorry and start doing your chores better, buddy. You're 12 now. It's just making sure the sink and faucet are wiped down right away, towels on the rack or in the hamper. It's not like we expect a whole lot. But it has to be done. If you don't wipe it down it gets harder and harder to clean."
"it's not just me that uses it," Ford offered a small protest.
"No, it's not, but this week it's your turn and it's not to standard. And it was your clothes I was picking up off the floor. So guess what? There'll be no treat for you when we get home. Instead of that I've got a little list of chores that need to be done before you go to bed today. If that means no tv or playing games, so be it. But you will do your homework." Of course he'd made sure it was a manageable list, but one that would keep the easily distracted boy busy for a bit. He almost felt sorry for the blonde when he saw the crestfallen face. He had a feeling it wasn't so much the extra work as having to miss his snack and time with his brothers to play. "I know you don't like it, kiddo, but hopefully you'll remember from now on."
"Yes, Brian," Ford felt he was too old to cry over a little lecture, but within two minutes his great day had turned into a horrible, miserable day.
Brian sighed and concentrated on driving. Maybe he should have left it till they were home. Now he had two quiet boys in the cabin. The silence was deafening. One glance sideways told him they were both on the verge of crying. Goodness, how did mom and dad do this? He remembered a day where all 7 of them had been in trouble, even little Guthrie, who had only been a toddler had finally pushed mom too far. If mom and dad could survive that day, surely he could survive this day.
As he pulled into the yard he was pleased to see last weekend's lesson in town had stuck with the older two as both Evan as Daniel waited until the truck was completely stopped before jumping out. "Alright...snacks, chores, homework everyone. I need to get this part to Adam so we can get the tractor back up running. It'd be great if you guys could help with the rest of the chores. This tractor really put us behind. Ford, your list is on the kitchen table. Make sure it's done well. I'll be checking." He didn't wait to see if he was obeyed, but made his way over to Adam who was working on the tractor. He didn't even have to look at the man to see he wasn't happy. Made sense. They'd had a lot of plans for the day and the tractor breaking down really had set them back.
"Found it. Hope this works."
"Where the hell have you been?" Adam got to his feet and slowly pushed his open coat back and placed his hands in his side. "Doesn't take that long to drive to town and back."
"Whoah, partner, no need to start yelling at me."
"What was it this time? Or should I say, who was it? You just happened to see Marcy and you just had to offer her a cup of coffee? Or oh no…you ran into Frank and you decided one beer wouldn't hurt while you chatted up some new girl in town."
"Hey!" he angrily shoved the new part in Adam's hands. "You and your damn assumptions all the time. I get that you're frustrated. I get that today didn't work out as it should have. But that doesn't give you the right to take it out on me. Wanna know what took so long? The hardware store didn't have it. So I had to drive a bit further. By the time I drove back through Murphys I figured I might as well pick the boys up and get them here sooner, so they might be able to help with the regular chores while we finish this. Does that meet your approval, boss?"
If Brian wasn't so frustrated he would have laughed at the sudden deflated look, it was like someone had let the air out of his brother, "Oh…yeah, I didn't know that."
"No, you didn't. And so you just assumed stuff. Don't do that anymore, Adam. You know me better than that."
"Yeah, I know…I'm sorry, really sorry. Between this piece of machine, being tired already, and a phone call from Guthrie's principal I just about had it for today."
"Apology accepted…wait a minute," the last bit of information suddenly clicked, "a phone call from Guthrie's principal…might that explain his silence on the way home?"
Adam had put the part down and brushed his hands off on an old rag, "It might. He's supposed to have a note for me. They wanted to make sure I got it."
"So you don't even know what happened yet."
"Not completely. Just that he got in a fight."
"A fight?!" Brian couldn't imagine their little brother getting in fights in school. Not that it should surprise him. Guthrie was a McFadden after all. But so far, Guthrie had stayed away from fights. Of course, until this year, he had an older brother in school with him to stick up for him. Much to his dismay. "He got paddled?" It didn't happen often anymore in school, but fighting on school grounds was still cause for a paddling. The thought of his baby brother getting a paddling at school made him feel sick.
"Yeah, I know, I can't even let my mind go there. Sure, he's been in trouble with us a few times, but at school? It breaks my heart."
"It makes me sick. I know he shouldn't fight…and I know it didn't kill us…but this is Guthrie…"
Suddenly Adam realized he hadn't answered the question, "Sorry, no, no…he didn't. Not sure why. The letter will explain."
Brian studied Adam's face for a moment, "So….are you going in and demand to see that letter?"
"No," Adam said carefully, "I'm going to give him a chance to give it to me voluntarily."
Brian nodded, recognizing the strategy, "I figured. I hope he won't take as long as you did that one time."
Adam shuddered, "No one's as dumb as that."
Laughing, Brian slapped Adam on the back, "Your words, brother, your words." Then he glanced at the tractor, "Wanna try and get it working now?"
"Might as well. If we do it now we can get an early start tomorrow."
"Oh goodie…early starts. My favorites."
"Barn chores are done," Daniel stood at the sink washing his hands when Brian and Adam came in. "Guthrie and I did them. Evan started supper."
"So I see. Thanks, guys, that means a lot that you covered our word. We got the tractor fixed so we can try and catch up on our work tomorrow." Adam joined Daniel at the sink. "I feel like I should get a shower instead of just washing my hands."
"Well, there's time. You've been under that tractor for hours. So go and shower. I'll just wash up and help Evan finish supper." Brian pushed Adam away from the sink and winked at Daniel, "Looks like Evan could use a hand."
"Hey, I got the potatoes in the oven and Ford made a salad. Just the pork chops left."
"Well, perfect timing then," Brian washed his hands while Adam made his way upstairs, grateful for the opportunity to shower. "You did well, Ev, thanks. Ford, you too, the salad looks great."
"It was on the chore list," Ford stated softly.
"Yes, it was," Brian agreed.
"As was unloading the laundry and folding it."
"Right. And you did that? All folded neatly?"
"Uh huh," Ford nodded. "You can check if you want."
"I think I trust you."
"Thanks," Ford still kept his eyes on his older brother.
"Something on your mind, champ?"
"They were just regular chores. Stuff that had to be done today. But that you didn't have time for."
"Hmm hmm."
"So I just made up the time that you lost today."
"That was the idea yes."
"I'm sorry you had so much to do today." Ford suddenly found himself studying the floor. He finally got the message. "We all have to work together. If I don't do my jobs someone else has to work harder."
Brian felt his chest swell to twice its size, at least, that's what it felt like. In two big steps he was close enough to pull Ford in a fierce hug, "That's exactly it. I am so proud of you, buddy, so incredibly proud."
"I don't feel so proud. I shouldn't have done it…I won't slack again, Brian, I promise."
"It's okay, kiddo, really, we all make mistakes and we forget things. I know you're not lazy. In fact, you're a hard worker. You just get distracted easily. But I think you made a huge step today. And so I really am proud."
"I won't forget again."
"Alright, then enough said. Why don't you get the pork chops from the fridge or they'll never get cooked."
Adam's shower had been quick, but refreshing, and by the time he got downstairs his brothers were finishing setting the table. "Looks great!"
"Team effort!" Evan grinned as he slipped into his seat.
"So I heard. Proud of you, boys."
"It was fun. Even if I'd rather have worked with Diablo."
Adam laughed at Evan's words, "I'm sorry, buddy, tomorrow, I promise."
"It's okay, chores come first. And homework."
"I got mine done at school," Daniel scooped a large amount of oven roasted potatoes on his plate. "No math's today. Toa…I mean, Mister Quackenburg, was ill."
"Good catch, mister," Adam couldn't help pointing out. He really didn't like all the nicknames the kids came up with for their teachers, but couldn't deny that Brian and he had done the same thing. They had both had this Math's teacher as well and the nickname Toady seemed to still be around. "So did you have to stay inside during that period?"
"Yeah, they had us sit in the cafeteria so they could keep an eye on us. Figured I might as well do my homework."
"Smart thinking."
Daniel gave a little smile, "What else was there to do?"
"Ford and Evan, much homework?"
"Not much, but I got a history test tomorrow," Evan swallowed a huge bite of pork chop before speaking, remembering his manners for a change, "But I studied on Sunday, so it shouldn't take too much time."
"Well, I can quiz you if you'd like," Brian looked at Guthrie, who was just pushing his food around. "Something wrong with the food, Guth?"
"No, it's fine."
"Then why are you playing with it instead of eating?"
"Just not hungry, Brian," To prove that he was trying Guthrie pricked his fork in a piece of cucumber and brought it to his mouth.
"Hmm you're not getting sick, are you?" Adam reached over and felt the boy's forehead, only to have his hand pushed away.
"I'm not sick, Adam."
"Okay, if you say so. Any homework?"
The boy nearly choked on his cucumber, "Just a bit." He coughed and took a sip of milk. Then he focused on his plate again and the fine art of pushing potatoes around.
While drinking some water Brian glanced at Adam. He hoped the man wouldn't leave this too long. Guthrie was clearly suffering. Adam, on the other hand, wanted to give Guthrie the opportunity to come clean himself, without being confronted. Hard as it was, he'd feel better in the end the older brother knew.
"Do you need help with your homework, Guth?" The oldest McFadden tried.
"I can do it."
"Okay….so now that we got that all covered…and since you already know Brian and I had a rotten day…how was yours?"
"No math's, I was happy," Daniel grinned.
"It was school," Evan shrugged, "But lunch was fun." That made them all laugh.
"And how was your day, Ford? It seemed you were in a good mood when I picked you up," Brian hadn't missed how the boy's mood had immediately shifted when he'd been scolded.
Ford's face broke out in a grin, "Got an A+ for science."
"An A+? Wow!" Adam looked suitably impressed, "I'd say that calls for something good for dessert."
"Oh and where are you gonna get that?" Brian challenged, "Brownies are gone, I didn't bake anything..."
"Oh ye of little faith," Adam grinned, "you leave that to me. There is enough to make my special Adam's messy cake."
"Oh God," Brian groaned. "It's gonna make a mess!" But the boys were already cheering. Well, two of them were and they were loud. But not loud enough for the oldest two to miss the fact that neither Ford nor Guthrie was cheering. "Ford? Don't you want dessert?"
"You said no treat today," the boy looked like he was about to cry and Brian rolled his eyes.
"That was about the after school snack. Nothing to do with dessert, certainly not when it's your own treat for doing so well in science."
"Oh," A smile broke through now. "In that case…" and the boy whooped.
One down, one to go. But Adam beat Brian to it, "You don't sound excited either, Guth. Are you sure you're not feeling ill?"
"I'm sure, Adam. I'm just not hungry."
"Not even in Adam's messy cake?"
Guthrie slowly shook his head, but by then everyone had gone quiet, noticing the tears that were slowly dripping down the boy's cheeks.
"Guthrie, whatever it is, it can't be that bad that you can't tell me," Adam encouraged. Part of him wanted to put the boy out of his misery, but he knew from personal experience that there was a lesson to be learned here. 8 was old enough to learn it, even if he could tell Brian didn't completely agree.
The boy simply shook his head, "I don't know."
"You don't know?" Guthrie was in his usual seat next to Brian, but Adam held out an arm inviting him. "Surely you know. Come here," he caught himself before he called his brother baby, knowing that would truly insult him. "kiddo." Before he finished speaking the kid was in his arms already. "Hey…are you sure it's that bad?" A nod against his chest was his answer. Adam motioned to the rest to finish their supper and they quietly did. "I doubt it. I promise I'll listen to you. I won't jump to conclusions." If he'd looked around he would have noticed a few hidden smirks and knowing faces. They had all been on the receiving end of those conclusions at times.
"You'll get mad." Adam had a hard time hearing Guthrie's words, but rubbed his back hoping to calm the boy down. For some reason, he knew that there was more behind this than just being worried over being in trouble.
"Well, all I can say is that it's usually never as bad as you fear it will be."
"This time it will be."
"Okay, take a deep breath now and just blurt it out. You'll feel better, I promise."
"He's right, Guth," Daniel stepped into his big-brother shoes and tried to help his brother, "I always thought he'd kill me, but he hasn't yet. And he won't. He can't help you if you don't tell him."
Well, hallelujah, Brian thought, some of those words were finally sinking in. But he kept his opinion to himself.
Guthrie kept his face hidden, but pulled away from Adam. He walked to the living room and returned with an envelope. He didn't look at anyone, not wanting to see their faces. He would have seen surprise and maybe slight amusement. Not because they thought it was funny that Guthrie was in trouble. But they'd all had a note home every now and then, trust Guthrie to think it was a big drama. Of course, the boys didn't know what was in the letter.
Adam waited until Guthrie handed him the envelope and then slowly opened it, taking the letter out. He took his time reading it. "Do you know what's in here?"
Guthrie shrugged, "I guess."
"So….why don't you tell me?"
"I got into a fight."
"Yes, that's what it says here. But I'm pretty sure you didn't just walk up to someone and started punching."
"You started a fight, Guthrie?" Adam wasn't sure if it was surprise or admiration in Evan's voice, but he didn't like it.
"Did you, Guthrie?" He looked at his youngest brother. "You started it?"
Guthrie nodded, "Is that what the note says?"
"Doesn't matter what the note says, Guthrie, I want your story. Your side."
"I started it." A collective gasp followed the words.
"And why? With whom?"
Guthrie shrugged, "Does it matter?"
"Of course it does!" Adam tried not to sound exasperated, but it was hard, "I can't believe you would just start punching. Something must have happened." He decided the boy needed a little help or they'd be there all evening, "It says here the other boy is 12 and a head taller than you are."
"Trevor. He was kept behind last year," Guthrie explained.
"Trevor Manning?" Ford's eyes grew wide. "You fought Trevor Manning?" At Guthrie's nod, Ford looked at Adam, "Trevor's a bully, a big bully! He's the same guy I got in a fight with last year. Remember?"
"I remember….didn't know this was the same guy," Adam thought for a moment. "Was he teasing you? Bullying you?"
"I guess…we were just shooting marbles and he came and started playing too even if we didn't want him to. He said we couldn't stop him. And he cheated. And then he took my big marble. And…and….then he called me and Bobby babies. And he..he….he said….he said I was a baby cause mommy and daddy are dead…."
You could have heard a pin drop, each McFadden in his own personal hell. Then Adam pulled Guthrie in a tight hug again. "Oh Guthrie…that was a mean thing to say."
"I'm not a baby!"
It caused a nervous laughter at the table and it broke through the collective sadness. "No, you're not," Adam agreed.
"You're pretty darn tough to take Trevor on, Guth!" Ford praised and Guthrie managed a little smile.
"Don't encourage him, Ford. I know it was brave, but it wasn't smart, Guth," Adam scolded, "For one, he's much bigger than you and you could have gotten hurt. I'm amazed you are not hurt."
"It didn't last long….he hit my side though."
"I'll check you over later. But Guth, it is also against the school rules. Now, your principal seems to think you were provoked and because Trevor is so much bigger she is leaving it at lunch detention for three days, which is pretty darn nice of her. You do know she could have paddled you for this, right? Even if you were provoked."
Guthrie looked sick, "Now everyone's gonna think I'm a baby because I wasn't paddled."
"Oh you want a paddling?" Adam looked as stern as he'd ever looked at their baby brother and the boy cringed.
"No, no I don't, Adam."
"Smart answer." Adam slowly folded the letter and put it back in the envelope. "See? I didn't get mad. I didn't yell. You're still in one piece."
"But I'm in trouble, right?"
"You bet you are. But nothing that you won't survive. Go on…finish your supper, so I can do the same before it's totally cold. And then I'll whip up some magic dessert. Then while your brothers clean up my mess," He grinned at the others before turning back to Guthrie, "You and I will have a little talk about holding your temper after which I'll sign this note."
"A talk or a talk?" Guthrie couldn't help asking.
"Eat your supper, kiddo," Was Adam's only answer and Guthrie figured that was answer enough.
