"Dad, what do you think Martha and I should do? The friendship thing was her idea and not mine," Louise told Lumpy.
"Have I told you how many times I have been close friends to Mr. Cleaver and Mr. Haskell?"
"I think so."
"Then please don't ruin our friendship. Daddy and Mr. Cleaver were both business partners and friends at the same time. When he would stop talking after an argument, the three of us would make up instead of quitting our friendship. We don't want that to happen with you girls."
"You sound like you really mean it, Dad."
"You better believe it. Go ahead and call Martha and tell her what I just told you."
"Do I have to do this now?"
Lumpy nodded.
"Have I told you about this one time when I told Mr. Cleaver and his squirt brother to take a different route home?"
Louise shook her head.
'Here we go with another fifties story,' she thought quietly but didn't say this thought aloud.
"Well, here's what happened: I was riding my bicycle in the neighborhood when I saw them head close to my house. I stop them and tell them to take a different way to and from school. I was always a big and tough kid back in the day. Then Mr. Cleaver and his squirt brother told me they can walk in my neighborhood if they wanted to. Squirt brother started to call me names and I tell both of them to scram.
"Mom and Daddy were going over to their house to play cards. Daddy really wanted to bring some slides over with them about their trip to South America. As usual, Mr. Cleaver's father didn't seem too anxious to hear about the South America trip. They went to South America for a business trip Daddy had to do.
"Mrs. Cleaver usually watched for them when they came home. I'd make them take a longer way home in the past week so they'd be late for supper every evening. Boy, Mrs. Cleaver really got worried then, thanks to my telling them to take a different route.
"When Daddy and Mom were playing cards that night, Daddy was telling the Cleavers he had an accident, which he did. He fell in a trap with ropes and barrels. That trap was meant for me and not Daddy. While in the middle of the game, Daddy mentioned that he found a baseball cap. Mr. Cleaver had asked if Daddy ever thought of taking the cap to the police and see if they could hold onto it to hand over to its rightful owner.
"Daddy said he didn't think of that, but did agree he would do so the next day. Then Squirt brother and Mr. Cleaver come down to say good – night to Mom and Daddy. They were dressed in pajamas and outfits cowboys and Indians usually wore. Then that's when Daddy recognized them since they were the ones who set up that trap.
"Then Daddy says it really was Mr. Cleaver and Squirt brother who made the accident happen. Then it was forgotten about turning the baseball cap over to the police station since the cap belonged to the Squirt. Mr. Cleaver made them apologize about the trap. Daddy seemed to accept the apology. Then the game was over and when he and Mom came home, he and I had a chat. I really was caught from the Cleavers. Then Daddy told me I was punished for a while."
"Ouch. That was quite a story," Louise said.
After hearing this type of story, she could now see why people said she and Martha were a lot like their parents. Lumpy never really planned on marrying a girl, but that was okay too. This story Lumpy just told her, it really didn't sound familiar at all, but Lumpy really didn't tell her many stories from the fifties, but she could tell she actually ended up hearing this story that was another memory her father had while in high school and enjoyed hearing this story she'd just heard.