"Home DNA Test?" Alan repeated, and then remembered "oh yea! I heard about them on the news."
"My girlfriend got it for me! You and I should do the test!"
"but what do we know about their accuracy?" Alan asked, with doubt.
"It still goes to a lab, the difference is that we ourselves get the sample" Aakash said, emotions overriding his budding scientific side.
"Let me think about it" Alan promised.
"Is that a no?" Aakash frowned.
They talked of other things. Then, during dinner, Alan asked the boys about it. Charlie had been told about Aakash's visit to Alan's office. Like Don, he felt suspicious, and hoped that any test would come out negative.
"Those tests aren't valid in court" Don remarked. He was familiar with many good labs that did the standard version of the test. "I've got doubts about their reliability, ya know? You're better off getting a swab from a good lab."
"Don's right!" Charlie agreed. Any DNA test, if there had to be one, needed to be nothing short of very accurate. He got the whole steak with a fork, and bit at it.
"Would you like me to cut that for you?" Alan asked impassively.
"It's okay Dad" Charlie shook his head from the wheel chair. "But could you serve me some more mashed potatoes?"
"I'll do it" Don offered, and gave his brother a good sized portion.
"Boys…how would you feel about him coming here for Thanksgiving?"
The two of them stopped eating.
"What about his mother? She might not give permission" Don pointed out quickly.
"Thanksgiving…here?" Charlie looked at his father with shock. "you haven't done the DNA test!" Charlie didn't relish the thought of that kid coming to Thanksgiving in his home, and would fight the idea to the bitter end.
"I'd like for us to get to know Aakash better" Alan tried to explain.
Charlie objected. "Dad! He doesn't like me or Don!"
"I know that he's a little rough around the edges" Alan remarked gently " but that's to be expected. It has to do with abandonment issues. My cousin Ben had them for most of his life because he didn't know who his father was."
"That doesn't give the kid a right to undermine Charlie in his classroom" Don disagreed.
"I talked to him about that" Alan tried to assure his older sons.
"And why haven't I gotten an apology by phone?" Charlie demanded sharply.
"I…suggested to him that what he did was wrong and that an apology in person was in order" Alan replied.
"like on Thanksgiving?" Don piped up. He knew his father all too well.
"yeah"
"A letter or email would be fine" Charlie muttered.
"I do not condone what he did to Charlie!" Alan insisted. "All three of you got off to a very bad start. Donnie, while I'm proud of your loyalty to Charlie, manhandling Aakash could have gotten you in serious trouble if there had been a visible bruise"
"It would have been worth it" Don thought, but said, "I'm not apologizing Dad"
Alan sighed. His boys, all three of them, were stubborn. "Why don't we all try to start fresh?"
"You can't just expect us to be one happy family!" Don contended. "I won't ever have the same relationship with him that I do with Charlie."
"Don respects me and my work!" Charlie supported his brother.
"Boys" Alan tried to cut in
"We're the ones that you raised, Dad!" the mathematician grew aggravated, threw down his fork, and wheeled away using his good hand.
"Charlie!" Alan exclaimed. "Let's talk about this" The mathematician didn't listen, and continued his course.
Don followed his brother to the living room.
The mathematician complained sourly. "I can't believe him!"
Don remarked gently. "Dad's just trying to do the right thing, buddy, and went a little overboard. That's all"
Charlie countered, "We don't even know if the kid is his!"
"I know buddy, but it might be a while before we can be sure" Don sat on a chair close to Charlie.
Charlie then turned on the TV, and Don, after some time went to see Alan, who loaded the dish washer.
Don leaned on a counter "You're expecting too much, Dad, especially from Charlie."
"I missed a lot." Alan said.
"It doesn't do any good to alienate Charlie."
"that wasn't my intention." Alan protested while rinsing a plate.
"But that's what you 're doing" Don countered.
"I thought thanksgiving would be a good time for us to get to know each other" Alan explained.
"Maybe you should back off on that for now?" Don suggested, feeling that the subject should be taken up again only when both parties had cooled down.
Alan protested at first, but finally agreed. "I'll talk to Charlie tomorrow"
Don stayed over that night, to mediate things, and help out with Charlie, who had taken his medicine sometime ago..
Setting up the sofa bed, Don remarked, "I talked to Dad…he's starting to think that maybe he's pushing things a little, ya know,?with the whole thanksgiving thing.?"
"Really?" Charlie felt lazy and out of sorts from the pain medication.
"He meant well"
"but why should some alleged kid get special treatment over the established…kids?" Charlie's mind, at the moment, ran like a very old computer with low memory, too many open widows, and not enough processing power.
"He wasn't giving anyone special treatment, buddy…" Don tried to assure him. "He hates to see us fighting"
"that kid shouldn't be a part of 'us'" Charlie grumbled, as Don helped him to the bed. "DNA test or not"
TBC