Chapter 2 The Question
Jamie and Philip King sat in their tree house, heads together, talking in conspiratorial tones.
"I've done everything you've suggested," said Jamie earnestly. "I've cut the coupons and put them in Mom's purse with the grocery list, I've put notes up around the place where she could find them and I've even talked to Uncle Jackie, twice."
"Good," responded Philip. "Tonight ought to be a good time to bring it up. Lee's coming to dinner and that always puts Mom in a good mood. Besides, Lee's trying to get on our good side, so who knows, he may even help."
"Boys," called a voice from the house, "come set the table."
"O. K. Grandma."
"Well, how was your first day of summer vacation guys?" asked Amanda as she placed a scoop of green beans on her plate and handed them to Dotty.
"Good," said Philip.
"Well, I think that Jamie is turning over a new leaf, at least as far as his room is concerned," commented Dotty as she placed some green beans on Philip's plate. "He must have hauled three large trash bags of junk out of his closet today. Why I hadn't even asked him to clean up his room. It must have taken him a good four hours. He even ran the vacuum."
Philip eyed the green beans with a look of total disgust and at the same time elbowed his little brother.
Amanda studied her younger son, a questioning look on her face. "This new leaf doesn't have anything to do with the extra coupons I found in my grocery list and the note I found on my alarm clock this morning?"
"Jamie wants to get a dog," said Philip a smug look on his face.
Jamie gave his brother an irate glance.
"Oh no," Dotty butted in, "It's bad enough that the Ferguson's dog tramples the flowers and digs holes in the yard. We definitely don't need a dog at this house. Besides dogs are expensive. They need shots and check-ups every year. They need to be walked and cleaned up after."
"Jamie's already talked to Uncle Jackie and he said he would give the dog its shots for whatever it costs him," volunteered Philip.
"Is that all he said?" asked Amanda a knowing look on her face.
"Well, he did say that you had to say it was O. K.," admitted Jamie looking a little sheepish.
There was an awkward silence at the dinner table until Lee finally cleared his throat and asked, "What position are you playing on you baseball team this year, Philip?"
A cheerful dinner conversation resumed. The talk centered on sports and other summer activities. There was no more discussion about dogs.
"I'll make you a deal Mother," said Amanda. "If you take the boys to ball practice, Lee and I'll do the dishes." "Okay, it's a deal," replied Dotty getting up from the table. "Come on boys get your gloves and bats. You don't want to be late."
"I knew it was only a matter of time until Jamie asked for a dog," sighed Amanda as she dried a dinner plate. "He really enjoyed watching the McHenry's dog over spring break. I just wonder if he is really ready for the responsibility."
"Well, I do recall you telling me several times what a good job he had done. Besides it could be a good opportunity for him to practice being responsible. And you know it may not be such a bad thing to have a dog around. If you had had a dog maybe your house wouldn't have been broken into last week," responded Lee handing Amanda another plate to dry.
"Are you and Jamie in cahoots? That's exactly what the note on my alarm said this morning."
"No, I just think it would be good for him to have the opportunity to be responsible for something."
"I don't know, after all, kids shouldn't get everything they want. It's tough making decisions like this. That's one of the toughest things about being a single parent, having to decide by yourself if you're spoiling them by giving in."
"Well, if it helps any, I vote yes, but you may have a hard time convincing your mother."
"At least now that you don't have to sneak around the back yard, you won't have to worry about being discovered by a barking dog." Amanda commented with a knowing smile. "You're backing up Jamie doesn't have anything to do with you possibly wanting a dog now does it?"
"No. I just think kids and dogs go together."
Amanda stepped across the kitchen to put away the casserole dish she'd finished drying. As she turned around, she glanced at Lee and a devilish grin crossed her face. She quietly began to twirl the damp dish towel into a tight spiral. She flicked it with a snap at Lee striking him on his back jeans pocket. He turned and gave her a fake angry look and then raised his hands from the dishwater, wiggling them in a treating way as they dripped soapy water.
"You wouldn't dare," cried Amanda her eyes round with laughter.
"Oh!" he laughed. With a cock of his head and a grin on his face, he took a big stride toward Amanda as she turned to run.
He caught her on the second step, lacing his wet soapy fingers around her abdomen and pulling her into a tight embrace. Laughing she turned to face him gazing into his eyes. Their lips were millimeters apart when the phone rang.
"Ignore it," said Lee pulling her even tighter.
"I can't," she replied. "What if Mother had an accident or one of the boys got hurt."
He sighed and released her. Hurriedly she picked up the phone.
"Oh, hi Jackie," he heard her say. "No, the boys aren't here right now. They're at ball practice. Well, they have a game Saturday night, but they could come Sunday after church. One would be fine. They'll be ready. O.K. Bye."
"That was Jackie," she related in response to Lee's questioning look as they both moved to the sink to finish the dishes. "He wants to take the boys tubing this Sunday. He's really been good about spending time with them since moving here this January. I thing he feels that Joe doesn't spend enough time with them, so he's trying to make it up for it."
"Well, I thing he's right about that. He sounds like a decent guy."
"Oh, he is. Mother absolutely adores him. She commented once that I married the wrong King brother." Amanda mused.
Amanda noticed Lee's raised eyebrows and questioning look.
" You don't need to worry. Jackie is pretty devoted to his wife and five kids and besides he's four inches shorter then me. We'd make a pretty funny looking couple," Amanda said playfully trying to break the tension.
"He didn't mention the dog."
"Oh, I think he'll let me bring up that subject."
"Speaking of subjects, where were we," said Lee placing his arms around Amanda's tiny waist.
"I think we were finishing the dishes," she uttered with a chuckle, giving him a gentle push, both hands on his chest.
Jamie and Philip King sat in their tree house, heads together, talking in conspiratorial tones.
"I've done everything you've suggested," said Jamie earnestly. "I've cut the coupons and put them in Mom's purse with the grocery list, I've put notes up around the place where she could find them and I've even talked to Uncle Jackie, twice."
"Good," responded Philip. "Tonight ought to be a good time to bring it up. Lee's coming to dinner and that always puts Mom in a good mood. Besides, Lee's trying to get on our good side, so who knows, he may even help."
"Boys," called a voice from the house, "come set the table."
"O. K. Grandma."
"Well, how was your first day of summer vacation guys?" asked Amanda as she placed a scoop of green beans on her plate and handed them to Dotty.
"Good," said Philip.
"Well, I think that Jamie is turning over a new leaf, at least as far as his room is concerned," commented Dotty as she placed some green beans on Philip's plate. "He must have hauled three large trash bags of junk out of his closet today. Why I hadn't even asked him to clean up his room. It must have taken him a good four hours. He even ran the vacuum."
Philip eyed the green beans with a look of total disgust and at the same time elbowed his little brother.
Amanda studied her younger son, a questioning look on her face. "This new leaf doesn't have anything to do with the extra coupons I found in my grocery list and the note I found on my alarm clock this morning?"
"Jamie wants to get a dog," said Philip a smug look on his face.
Jamie gave his brother an irate glance.
"Oh no," Dotty butted in, "It's bad enough that the Ferguson's dog tramples the flowers and digs holes in the yard. We definitely don't need a dog at this house. Besides dogs are expensive. They need shots and check-ups every year. They need to be walked and cleaned up after."
"Jamie's already talked to Uncle Jackie and he said he would give the dog its shots for whatever it costs him," volunteered Philip.
"Is that all he said?" asked Amanda a knowing look on her face.
"Well, he did say that you had to say it was O. K.," admitted Jamie looking a little sheepish.
There was an awkward silence at the dinner table until Lee finally cleared his throat and asked, "What position are you playing on you baseball team this year, Philip?"
A cheerful dinner conversation resumed. The talk centered on sports and other summer activities. There was no more discussion about dogs.
"I'll make you a deal Mother," said Amanda. "If you take the boys to ball practice, Lee and I'll do the dishes." "Okay, it's a deal," replied Dotty getting up from the table. "Come on boys get your gloves and bats. You don't want to be late."
"I knew it was only a matter of time until Jamie asked for a dog," sighed Amanda as she dried a dinner plate. "He really enjoyed watching the McHenry's dog over spring break. I just wonder if he is really ready for the responsibility."
"Well, I do recall you telling me several times what a good job he had done. Besides it could be a good opportunity for him to practice being responsible. And you know it may not be such a bad thing to have a dog around. If you had had a dog maybe your house wouldn't have been broken into last week," responded Lee handing Amanda another plate to dry.
"Are you and Jamie in cahoots? That's exactly what the note on my alarm said this morning."
"No, I just think it would be good for him to have the opportunity to be responsible for something."
"I don't know, after all, kids shouldn't get everything they want. It's tough making decisions like this. That's one of the toughest things about being a single parent, having to decide by yourself if you're spoiling them by giving in."
"Well, if it helps any, I vote yes, but you may have a hard time convincing your mother."
"At least now that you don't have to sneak around the back yard, you won't have to worry about being discovered by a barking dog." Amanda commented with a knowing smile. "You're backing up Jamie doesn't have anything to do with you possibly wanting a dog now does it?"
"No. I just think kids and dogs go together."
Amanda stepped across the kitchen to put away the casserole dish she'd finished drying. As she turned around, she glanced at Lee and a devilish grin crossed her face. She quietly began to twirl the damp dish towel into a tight spiral. She flicked it with a snap at Lee striking him on his back jeans pocket. He turned and gave her a fake angry look and then raised his hands from the dishwater, wiggling them in a treating way as they dripped soapy water.
"You wouldn't dare," cried Amanda her eyes round with laughter.
"Oh!" he laughed. With a cock of his head and a grin on his face, he took a big stride toward Amanda as she turned to run.
He caught her on the second step, lacing his wet soapy fingers around her abdomen and pulling her into a tight embrace. Laughing she turned to face him gazing into his eyes. Their lips were millimeters apart when the phone rang.
"Ignore it," said Lee pulling her even tighter.
"I can't," she replied. "What if Mother had an accident or one of the boys got hurt."
He sighed and released her. Hurriedly she picked up the phone.
"Oh, hi Jackie," he heard her say. "No, the boys aren't here right now. They're at ball practice. Well, they have a game Saturday night, but they could come Sunday after church. One would be fine. They'll be ready. O.K. Bye."
"That was Jackie," she related in response to Lee's questioning look as they both moved to the sink to finish the dishes. "He wants to take the boys tubing this Sunday. He's really been good about spending time with them since moving here this January. I thing he feels that Joe doesn't spend enough time with them, so he's trying to make it up for it."
"Well, I thing he's right about that. He sounds like a decent guy."
"Oh, he is. Mother absolutely adores him. She commented once that I married the wrong King brother." Amanda mused.
Amanda noticed Lee's raised eyebrows and questioning look.
" You don't need to worry. Jackie is pretty devoted to his wife and five kids and besides he's four inches shorter then me. We'd make a pretty funny looking couple," Amanda said playfully trying to break the tension.
"He didn't mention the dog."
"Oh, I think he'll let me bring up that subject."
"Speaking of subjects, where were we," said Lee placing his arms around Amanda's tiny waist.
"I think we were finishing the dishes," she uttered with a chuckle, giving him a gentle push, both hands on his chest.
