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Scarecrow and Mrs. King – A Tale of Seven and a Pizza

This is the next story in my series! I retain the rights to the series and their ideas, Eric, Adam and Jennie, however everyone else is not mine. I'm just borrowing them.

The other stories in the series are:

Secrets Can't Be Kept Forever

The First Time, For the Stetsons'

A Familiar Dance

Hush Little Baby

Total Comfort

Sorry, I forgot two when I listed it in Total Comfort. I hope you continue to enjoy my series, I'm releasing them sporadically, some of them I already have written others I have yet to write, and others are just bits and pieces. Either way, I'm glad you're reading them, and I hope they make you smile. Thanks.

            A minivan. Lee thought it over once again. They'd owned the minivan for a little over 17 months now, and he still couldn't believe it. Lee Stetson drove a minivan. Sometimes he spent more timing contemplating the van than others, and now was one of those times. Jamie sat in the back seat of the minivan playing his Gameboy®, Adam was strapped securely in his car seat directly in front of Jamie.

            No doubt Philip was still in the bathroom combing his hair for the eighth time or applying another pint of cologne. Amanda was probably fussing with Jennie's hair, trying to force the tiny strands of golden hair atop their 14 month-old-daughters head to hold the plastic barrettes Amanda insisted she wear. Eric was indisputably running about the kitchen still in search of his army men. Why did it seem that the running time for a trip to Pete's Pizza grew longer every week they went?

            "Jamie, I'm going to go see what's holding your mother. Watch after Adam for me, will you?" Lee asked as he finally decided to step out of the van. Glancing at the back seat he saw Jamie's faint nod and figured that'd be the best he could hope fore.

            "Amanda!" Lee shouted up the stairs when he walked into the house. "What's taking so long?"

            "I can't get the barrettes to stay in Jennie's hair! They keep sliding out!" Amanda shouted from upstairs.

            "She's too little for them, get Philip and let's go!" Lee replied in a shout back. He then turned into the kitchen, and there was Eric's behind, sticking out from inside the cupboard. Pots and pan were strewn about the kitchen.

            "Eric." Lee warned in a singsong voice.

            "Uh oh." Came a low reply. Eric quickly crawled out from beneath the cupboard.

            "What were you doing under there?" Lee asked him.

            "I was looking for the army men, Dad, I know I left them in here!" Eric stood and pulled the bottom of his shirt down.

            "Do you see the mess you made?" Lee questioned him. Eric merely nodded.

            "Go to the car, when we get back from pizza you can clean it up." Lee stretched his arm and grabbed hold of Eric's shoulder, then lead him out of the kitchen.

            When Eric reached the door he turned back to his father to see him walking up the stairs. "Daddy, can I bring a book?" Eric asked.

            "Pudding Pie is still in the car, you can ask Philip if he'll read it to you on the way." Lee told him with a smile. Eric nodded and went out to the car.

            "Amanda!" Lee said once he got upstairs.

            "I'm in Jennie's room." She answered to him. Lee didn't doubt that. They traded weeks for dressing the twins and making sure they'd made it to the car on time with their twin, Amanda always went over board when it was her week for Jennie. Lee slowly walked to his daughter's room.

When they'd first decorated the room he thought he'd have nightmares if he spent too much time in there. It was painted pale pink with kitties and teddy bears in pastel colors scattered about the room. It didn't really have more stuffed animals than they'd given to either of the boys; it just had different colored stuffed animals. Lord knew the little girl didn't need another pink elephant. The crib was white, instead of the oak colored one they'd used for the boys, the furniture was white. It was too girly for his original tastes. But then, after the countless nights spent rocking his daughter to sleep on the white rocking chair, and surrounded by the girly colors, he'd learned to appreciate the room. How the room was decorated didn't seem to matter half as much as the angel it was decorated for.

"Should I put her in the pink dress, or the blue dress for pizza?" Amanda asked holding them up. She hated dressing her little girl in the few pairs of shorts that she did actually have. Lee hadn't guessed what Amanda would be like having a little girl after four little boys, but he should have. Jennie was treated nothing like the boys. It wasn't that Jennie was treated better, and that she loved the boys any less, because her love for all four boys was very much so apparent, but Jennie was her little girl.

"It's pizza, put her in the overalls." Lee told her as he reached into the dresser drawer and pulled the overalls out.

"She looks like a hobo in overalls." Amanda said as she began to pull the pink cotton dress decked out in lace and falling white flowers, over her head.

"Adam and Eric are both wearing overalls." Lee replied.

"Adam and Eric are boys." Amanda countered.

"Amanda, you don't have to put her in a dress all of the time." Lee pleaded.

"No, I don't, but I want to." Amanda snapped the three snaps on the back of the dress and then laid Jennie down to put the panties on over top of her diaper. Once Jennie was dressed Amanda lifted her into her arms and began to leave the room. Lee shook his head and followed her. "Are all of the boys at the car?" Amanda asked as she began descending the stairs.

"No, I'll go get Philip." Lee turned back around to get Philip. "I'll be down in a sec." He told Amanda as he headed toward Philip's room.

Philip stood in his bathroom that was located in the corner of his room, admiring his face. He turned to face Lee. "Do I look okay?" He asked.

"You're eighteen, and we're going for pizza, you look fine, let's go!" Lee motioned out the door.

"What's the rush?" Philip complained as he grabbed his jacket and headed out the door. "I just want to look my best, you never know when a hot girl will be lurking around the corner."

"Trust me, you don't want to go out with any hot girl that's lurking." Lee said as he followed Philip down the stairs.

"If she's that hot, I don't care if she's lurking." Philip opened the front door and began to walk out. "Hot girls can do whatever they please, as long as they're doing it to me."

"Good Lord." Lee sighed as he stepped into the van. Amanda had Jennie strapped in her car seat both twins were happily playing with their toys. Eric was already beginning to annoy Jamie, and Philip had just said no to Eric's request that he be read to. They were just leaving the driveway. Pete's Pizza was only a ten-minute drive, yet somehow, Lee knew it'd be the longest ten minutes of his life.