I just wanted to thak all of my reviewers Thank you! Thank you!
*blushes and bows, whiles blowing kisses and waving*
I'm sorry it has taking me so long to update : ( I've been sick sick with some sortof flu thingy. I hope to update quicker. Anyways, here is chapter 4. I hope ya enjoy it : )
"Well, well, well, doesn't everything look nice." Mr. Hardy said as he came into the dinning room with the boys. "Aren't these your best plates?"
"Yes they are. I wanted tonight to be special. Let's all sit down."
"Here you are my dear." Mr. Hardy said pulling out a chair at one head of the table, while he took the other, and Frank slid into a chair on one side of the table.
"Why Joe, honey, what in the world are you doing?" asked Mrs. Hardy as she saw Joe dragging his chair over to Frank's side. "I set a place up for you right there."
"I know." Joe said, now moving his plate, silverware, and glass over. "I just wanted to sit by Frank tonight."
Frank smiled understandingly. For some reason when they were going to get in trouble, as they knew they were going now, it didn't feel as bad when they were together, even if it was just sitting together.
"Is everyone all settled in now?" Mrs. Hardy asked eyeing Joe particularly, who nodded his head. "Alright then, Fenton, would you please say the blessing."
"Certainly." Mr. Hardy said clearly his throat. "Dear Lord, we would like to thank you for each other , our wonderful new home, and for this food that is set before us. . ." Mr. Hardy paused for a moment with a boyish grin on his face, "And Lord, I would especially like to thank you for me getting to be a detctive. Amen.Let's eat! Laura, could you pass me the casserole?"
Mrs. Hardy suppressed a smile. "Here you are. Boys, aren't you hungry?" Mrs. Hardy asked seeing that they hadn't put anything on their plates. "I thought you'd be starving by now."
"Of course mom." Frank said handing her his plate, and forcing a smile. "Could you please get me some of your wonderful casserole and potatoes."
"Would you like some punch too dear?"asked Mrs. Hardy heaping his plate.
"Yes, please."
"Me too mom." Joe said now giving her his plate and glass. "Please." He added as an afterthought. After getting his plate handed back to him, Joe just starred at it, wondering what he was going to do. He lifted his head and looked over at Frank to see how he was doing, and seen that he merely pushing his food around with his fork.
Frank feeling someone's eyes on him, looked over at his brother. They looked at each other, each one hoping to see a light in the other's eyes, giving them some hope as to what they could do. Seeing none, they both turned back to their food.
"So, Fenton honey, who is the Bayport police chief, and what is he like?" Mrs. Hardy asked taking a drink of her punch.
"His name is Ezra Collig, which he told me stiffly that I could address him as Chief Collig. He seems pretty rough and tough on the outside, but I'm sure he's just a big softie at heart. There's this one rookie cop I got on pretty well with. His name is Con Riley. Oh! Chief Colig is even handing me a case they've had for a few weeks. It's nother really big, but it will be enough where I can get my name built up some and people will hire me. He didn't seem too fond of letting me work on it. I suspect the only reason I get a try at it is, is because of Chief Henderson of the NYPD put in a good word for me." Mr. Hardy paused for a moment. "I sure hope I don't blow it."
"I'm sure you'll do fine dear."
"A case! Wow!" Frank exclaimed forgetting about his woes for the moment and looking up from his plate. "Joe, Dad really is going to be like the detectives on tv."
Mr. Hardy smiled with pleasure.
"Fenton, that reminds me." Mrs. Hardy said eyeing her husband. "The boys told me something very interesting today. It seems that you have been leting them watch certain detective tv shows, that I don't find proper for a 7 and 8 year old to watch."
"What shows would that be dear?" Mr. Hardy asked not looking at her.
"I'm talking about the shows like the one you let them watch last night while I was gone."
"Oh . . . those shows. Bu - but honey, they aren't that bad of shows, they really pretty good. Besides Frank and Joe just love them." Mr. Hardy turned to his sons desperatly. "Don't you guys."
Both boys looked at each other and opened their mouths to speak, but one look at their mother's fiery face and they held their tongues.
"Fenton, I do not want them watching those shows anymore. Understood." Mrs. Hardy raised her eyebrows at her husband.
Mr. Hardy nodded his head.
"I can't hear your head nod." Mrs. Hardy told him as if she were speaking to her sons.
"Yes dear." Mr. Hardy mumbled while his sons tried to stiffle their giggles. Their father was getting in trouble by their mother.
"I mean, you should have heard what Frank was saying today, he and Joe were playing and he called Joe's person dirty-rotten-lilly-livered, and I don't know what all. Oh, but he did tell me that he wasn't going to use the "sh" word mom, he was just going to say crap." Mrs. Hardy paused and lowered her voice to a whisper, as if she was afraid the neighbors would hear. "And Joe, Joe said the "D" word."
At this Mr. Hardy couldn't hold it in any longer, and he started laughing.
"Fenton!"
"I'm sorry, it's just that it just struck me as funny dear."
"Don't say that! Now their going to think that everytime they do something wrong you are just going to laugh and it will be okay." Mrs. Hardy pointed to their smiling sons.
And indeed Frank was smiling, for he had just came up with a plan.
"Mom. . . mom?"
"What is it Frank."Mrs. Hardy asked looking at her son.
"I need some more napkins."
"Here." Mrs. Hardy said passing him a handful, turning back to her husband.
Joe wondered what Frank was up to as he watched his mom pass Frank some napkins. He had seen the way Frank had smiled and the look in his eyes. He watched as Frank took a huge bite of his now cold casserole, chewed some, then look at his parents. It seemed to Joe as if he was making sure his parents were still bickering with each other and not paying any attention to them, then he brought his napkin up to his mouth and coughed a little, after this he wadded up his napkin, he sat it beside his plate and did the same thing over again.
"Hey mom, I need some more napkins too, this casserole can be messy." Joe said while his mom handed him some more napkins. Finally understanding what his brother was doing, Joe grabbed his napkins and got to coughing.
* * *
"Boys?" Mrs. Hardy asked just as the two of them finished their plates, with a hill of wadded up napkins between them. "Are you two coming down with something? You coughed an awfully lot during dinner."
"Oh no mom! We're fine. We're done with dinner. Can me and Joe go now?" asked Frank as he and Joe started to rise.
"Sit back down boys. I still haven't told your father about the vase."
"You mean there's more?" Mr. Hardy asked eyeing his wife wearily.
"Yes. Do you know what your sons did? They were playing ball in the house when they knew they shouldn't have, and they broke the vase that your sister sent to us for our last anniversary. And what's worse is they tried to hide it from us."
"You mean the one with all of the weird looking camels on it? I never did like it."
"That's what I said Dad!" Joe exclaimed.
"Look!" Mrs. Hardy said finally losing it. "I know it had weird looking camels on it. And I know that nobody liked. But that is entirely beside the point. The point is that they broke it while they were playing ball in the house and they tried to hide it from us!"
All of the Hardy men looked at her as she sat their fuming. Boy, was mom mad, it looked like smoke was coming out of her nose.Frank and Joe were thinking while Mr. Hardy thought, it must be that time of month.
A thick silence hung in the air until Mr. Hardy started forth tentatively. "What do you want me to do dear?"
"Punish them!" Mrs. Hardy yelled fusterated. Honestly, she thought, sometimes her husband didn't have a clue, and here he was going to be a detective.
"Alright. Boys, stand up." Mr. Hardy said in a somber tone while standing up himself.
Frank and Joe looked at each other then slowly stood up. "What are you doing?" Mrs. Hardy asked her husband, her anger fading away as she saw him taking off his belt.
"You said to punish them and that is what I am going to do. Joe, come here." Mr. Hardy said even more somberly.
Frank looked at his younger brother and he felt like he had to protect him,even if it was just from a whipping, after all, he thought, he was the older brother. He was suppose to take care of his baby brother. He bravely stepped in front of Joe as he was about to go to their father. "Let me go first Dad. Actually, Joe didn't do anything at all. It was all me. I should be the only one getting punished."
"You will both get punished Frank, but you can go first."
Joe gave his big brother a small smile and squeazed Frank's hand as he stepped foward.
"Bend over Frank." Mr. Hardy said his voice quiet and quivering slightly.
Mrs. Hardy had been watching all of this quietly and when Mr. Hardy brung his belt up and was just about to let it go, she cried out. "Stop! Dont' you dare whip my babies!" Mrs. Hardy said glaring at her husband. "Come her honeys." at this Frank and Joe ran to her and she hugged them tightly, crying silent tears. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have screamed at you."
"It's okay mom. Don't cry." Frank said while Joe patted her on the back.
"Fenton, we don't have to whip them over a silly little vase, do we?"
"No dear, I don't think that vase is worth whipping them over." Mr. Hardy let a out a breath he hadn't relised he had been holding. No matter how many times he had whipped them before, it was still just as hard as the first time, and he was secretly pleased he didn't have to whip them right then.
"Good, I'm sure we can come up with soemthing more practical anyway." Mrs. Hardy said rising and motioning for everyone to sit back down. "Would you like no tv for a week, no dessert for a week, or having to go to bed at eight for the rest of the week?" Mrs. Hardy asked looking at her sons.
Before either one of the boys could answer her Mr. Hardy spoke up. "Laura, I agree that we can do something besides whipping them, but don't you think that letting them pick their own punishment is letting them off a little too easily?"
"Oh . . .I . . ."
"What about no tv for a week. That okay with you?"
"That would be fine." Mrs. Hardy said with a small smile. "Well, now that that's all cleared up . . ."
"You mean there's nothing else?" Mr. Hardy teased.
"I'll go get the dessert." Mrs. Hardy said ignoring her husbands teasing." Mrs. Hardy went in the kitchen and came back out with a puzzled expression on her face. "I can't find the dessert. I know I sat it on the counter."
"What did you make?"
"A chocolate-chip cake."
"Mmmm . . . I love those. Maybe you put it in the ice-box dear."
"No . . .I . . . boys, were are you going?" Mrs. Hardy asked looking at her two sons who were trying to slink away from the table unnoticed.
"We don't really feel like dessert tonight mom. I'm stuffed with all of that dinner I ate." Joe said pushing his chair in.
"Yeah." added Frank, "I'm also pretty tired, think I'll go to bed."
"Me too." Joe pulled on Franks arm and they started moving out of the dining room.
"Hold on boys." Frank and Joe froze." Put your plates up first." Mrs. Hardy said gazing at her two sons intently.
"Okay mom." They both went back and began pilling all of their napkins up on their plates.
"You two sure did use a lot of napkins."
"It was sure messy." Joe said giving her a nervous smile.
"Let me see one of those." Mrs. Hardy said holding out her hand.
"Why mom? There are some clean ones right there." Frank said not giving her anything.
"Boys, do as your mother says."
Joe looked at Frank then slowly handed his mom one of the wadded up napkins. "Joe!" Mrs. Hardy yelped. "Look dear." Mrs. Hardy said handing it to her husband.
"Are yours like this too Frank?" Mr. Hardy asked looking at his eldest son. "Yes, sir."
"Why would you two spit all of your food in these napkins? I mean I thought the food tasted . ."
"Hon?" Mr. Hardy interrupted his wife. "I don't think this is about how the food tasted. Is it?" Mr. Hardy asked eyeing his two sons sternly. He had put one and one together, and came up with the perfect answer. When his wife told him she couldn't find the dessert, and obviously his sons weren't hungry at dinner, and didn't want anyone to know it, since they had so deviously tried to conceal it.
Frank just looked at him in silence, but Joe just couldn't take that look his father was giving them, and he caved in. "They would have found out anyways." Joe said looking at his brother who gave him a dirty look, then sighed. "I guess so." And with that the whole story came flowing out.
"And when we got back up in our room, Frank had forgotten the forks so we had to use our hands, and we were just finishing washing up when Dad came home and said it was time for dinner." said Joe finishing up the tale.
Mr. and Mrs. Hardy were silent for a while. "So the crashes I heard, that was you two?" Frank and Joe nodded. "And that's why I couldn't find the cake." Another nod. Mrs. Hardy's face had gone red, and the boys and Mr. Hardy feared she was going to blow up again, and that's why it surprised them when she started laughing. "Good Heavens!" Mrs. Hardy got out between spurts of laughter.
"So your not mad at us?"
"Well, you shouldn't have done that, but I think you two learned your lesson. You probably both have pretty bad tummy aches, don't you?" Both boys nodded. "Come on Fenton. Let's get these two mosters to bed."
* * *
"So, we're not going to get into trouble for it?" Joe still couldn't believe his mother had just started laughing like that. He thought she had gone crazy, and by the look on his brother's and dad's faces, they had too.
"Don't forget you still can't watch tv for a week though." Mr hardy said opening the boys door.
"We won't Dad." Frank said as his father hugged him and Joe goodnight and went down stairs.
"Try to get to sleep soon okay." Mrs. Hardy said as she finished hugging and kissing her sons. She knew they would probably talk or play for awhile, though she also knew that if she heard them and came to check on them, they would appear to be fast asleep. "Tomarrow we are going to go shopping for clothes and your school supplies. Less than a week away."
"Hey mom, what is our school's name going to be?"
"Bayport Elementary."
"Ooooohhh . . . how imaginative." Joe muttered sarcasticaly.
"Just try to make the best of it okay." Mrs. Hardy said closing the door. She knew her sons hated having to change schools and leave all of their friends behind, but this would be better for them. "I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight."
* * *
"Frank, what do you think the kids at our new school are going to be like?" Joe asked his brother. They had just gotten through brushing their teeth getting ready to go to bed, after playing for about thirty minutes.
"I don't know Joe." Frank said pulling his covers up over him. "I suppose just like any other kids. We'll know when we start."
Joe didn't seem too satisfied with that answer, but he figured it would have to do, and got up to turn the lights out. "Frank did you plug the you-know-what in?"
"Yeah I plugged it in right inbetween our beds."
"Good." Joe turned the lights off and jumped into his bed. He didn't like a lot of people to know, but he was still afraid of the dark and liked to sleep with a nightlight on. Luckily his brother didn't tease him too much about it.
"Frank? What are you doing?"
"Trying to go to sleep. Which is what you should be doing."
"Frank?"
"What Joe?" Frank asked tiredly. He had just about gotten to sleep when Joe called his name again.
"You know that this is a new house and - and I . . ."Joe faltered
"Joe, you do know that we are less than 3 feet away don't you?" Frank already knowing where his brother was going.
"I know. I just, I mean . . .I "
"Come on Joe." Frank said pulling his covers back. "Get in"
Joe eagerly hopped out of his bed, and into his brothers, snuggling down under the covers. I mean, after all, he reasoned, this was a strange, new house, it wasn't the first night, but his family had all been togther that night, just throwing sleeping bags on the den floor.
"Frank?"
Normally Frank would be getting pretty fusterated with Joe right about now, but he was just too tired to care. "What is it now Joe, do you need more cover?"
"No, I just wanted to tell you goodnight." Joe yawned sleeply, "Goodnight big brother."
"Good night little brother." Frank mummbled, "Don't let the bed bugs bite."
"Yeah, you too." Joe let his eyelids close, and soon both were fast asleep.
I'm sorry it has taking me so long to update : ( I've been sick sick with some sortof flu thingy. I hope to update quicker. Anyways, here is chapter 4. I hope ya enjoy it : )
"Well, well, well, doesn't everything look nice." Mr. Hardy said as he came into the dinning room with the boys. "Aren't these your best plates?"
"Yes they are. I wanted tonight to be special. Let's all sit down."
"Here you are my dear." Mr. Hardy said pulling out a chair at one head of the table, while he took the other, and Frank slid into a chair on one side of the table.
"Why Joe, honey, what in the world are you doing?" asked Mrs. Hardy as she saw Joe dragging his chair over to Frank's side. "I set a place up for you right there."
"I know." Joe said, now moving his plate, silverware, and glass over. "I just wanted to sit by Frank tonight."
Frank smiled understandingly. For some reason when they were going to get in trouble, as they knew they were going now, it didn't feel as bad when they were together, even if it was just sitting together.
"Is everyone all settled in now?" Mrs. Hardy asked eyeing Joe particularly, who nodded his head. "Alright then, Fenton, would you please say the blessing."
"Certainly." Mr. Hardy said clearly his throat. "Dear Lord, we would like to thank you for each other , our wonderful new home, and for this food that is set before us. . ." Mr. Hardy paused for a moment with a boyish grin on his face, "And Lord, I would especially like to thank you for me getting to be a detctive. Amen.Let's eat! Laura, could you pass me the casserole?"
Mrs. Hardy suppressed a smile. "Here you are. Boys, aren't you hungry?" Mrs. Hardy asked seeing that they hadn't put anything on their plates. "I thought you'd be starving by now."
"Of course mom." Frank said handing her his plate, and forcing a smile. "Could you please get me some of your wonderful casserole and potatoes."
"Would you like some punch too dear?"asked Mrs. Hardy heaping his plate.
"Yes, please."
"Me too mom." Joe said now giving her his plate and glass. "Please." He added as an afterthought. After getting his plate handed back to him, Joe just starred at it, wondering what he was going to do. He lifted his head and looked over at Frank to see how he was doing, and seen that he merely pushing his food around with his fork.
Frank feeling someone's eyes on him, looked over at his brother. They looked at each other, each one hoping to see a light in the other's eyes, giving them some hope as to what they could do. Seeing none, they both turned back to their food.
"So, Fenton honey, who is the Bayport police chief, and what is he like?" Mrs. Hardy asked taking a drink of her punch.
"His name is Ezra Collig, which he told me stiffly that I could address him as Chief Collig. He seems pretty rough and tough on the outside, but I'm sure he's just a big softie at heart. There's this one rookie cop I got on pretty well with. His name is Con Riley. Oh! Chief Colig is even handing me a case they've had for a few weeks. It's nother really big, but it will be enough where I can get my name built up some and people will hire me. He didn't seem too fond of letting me work on it. I suspect the only reason I get a try at it is, is because of Chief Henderson of the NYPD put in a good word for me." Mr. Hardy paused for a moment. "I sure hope I don't blow it."
"I'm sure you'll do fine dear."
"A case! Wow!" Frank exclaimed forgetting about his woes for the moment and looking up from his plate. "Joe, Dad really is going to be like the detectives on tv."
Mr. Hardy smiled with pleasure.
"Fenton, that reminds me." Mrs. Hardy said eyeing her husband. "The boys told me something very interesting today. It seems that you have been leting them watch certain detective tv shows, that I don't find proper for a 7 and 8 year old to watch."
"What shows would that be dear?" Mr. Hardy asked not looking at her.
"I'm talking about the shows like the one you let them watch last night while I was gone."
"Oh . . . those shows. Bu - but honey, they aren't that bad of shows, they really pretty good. Besides Frank and Joe just love them." Mr. Hardy turned to his sons desperatly. "Don't you guys."
Both boys looked at each other and opened their mouths to speak, but one look at their mother's fiery face and they held their tongues.
"Fenton, I do not want them watching those shows anymore. Understood." Mrs. Hardy raised her eyebrows at her husband.
Mr. Hardy nodded his head.
"I can't hear your head nod." Mrs. Hardy told him as if she were speaking to her sons.
"Yes dear." Mr. Hardy mumbled while his sons tried to stiffle their giggles. Their father was getting in trouble by their mother.
"I mean, you should have heard what Frank was saying today, he and Joe were playing and he called Joe's person dirty-rotten-lilly-livered, and I don't know what all. Oh, but he did tell me that he wasn't going to use the "sh" word mom, he was just going to say crap." Mrs. Hardy paused and lowered her voice to a whisper, as if she was afraid the neighbors would hear. "And Joe, Joe said the "D" word."
At this Mr. Hardy couldn't hold it in any longer, and he started laughing.
"Fenton!"
"I'm sorry, it's just that it just struck me as funny dear."
"Don't say that! Now their going to think that everytime they do something wrong you are just going to laugh and it will be okay." Mrs. Hardy pointed to their smiling sons.
And indeed Frank was smiling, for he had just came up with a plan.
"Mom. . . mom?"
"What is it Frank."Mrs. Hardy asked looking at her son.
"I need some more napkins."
"Here." Mrs. Hardy said passing him a handful, turning back to her husband.
Joe wondered what Frank was up to as he watched his mom pass Frank some napkins. He had seen the way Frank had smiled and the look in his eyes. He watched as Frank took a huge bite of his now cold casserole, chewed some, then look at his parents. It seemed to Joe as if he was making sure his parents were still bickering with each other and not paying any attention to them, then he brought his napkin up to his mouth and coughed a little, after this he wadded up his napkin, he sat it beside his plate and did the same thing over again.
"Hey mom, I need some more napkins too, this casserole can be messy." Joe said while his mom handed him some more napkins. Finally understanding what his brother was doing, Joe grabbed his napkins and got to coughing.
* * *
"Boys?" Mrs. Hardy asked just as the two of them finished their plates, with a hill of wadded up napkins between them. "Are you two coming down with something? You coughed an awfully lot during dinner."
"Oh no mom! We're fine. We're done with dinner. Can me and Joe go now?" asked Frank as he and Joe started to rise.
"Sit back down boys. I still haven't told your father about the vase."
"You mean there's more?" Mr. Hardy asked eyeing his wife wearily.
"Yes. Do you know what your sons did? They were playing ball in the house when they knew they shouldn't have, and they broke the vase that your sister sent to us for our last anniversary. And what's worse is they tried to hide it from us."
"You mean the one with all of the weird looking camels on it? I never did like it."
"That's what I said Dad!" Joe exclaimed.
"Look!" Mrs. Hardy said finally losing it. "I know it had weird looking camels on it. And I know that nobody liked. But that is entirely beside the point. The point is that they broke it while they were playing ball in the house and they tried to hide it from us!"
All of the Hardy men looked at her as she sat their fuming. Boy, was mom mad, it looked like smoke was coming out of her nose.Frank and Joe were thinking while Mr. Hardy thought, it must be that time of month.
A thick silence hung in the air until Mr. Hardy started forth tentatively. "What do you want me to do dear?"
"Punish them!" Mrs. Hardy yelled fusterated. Honestly, she thought, sometimes her husband didn't have a clue, and here he was going to be a detective.
"Alright. Boys, stand up." Mr. Hardy said in a somber tone while standing up himself.
Frank and Joe looked at each other then slowly stood up. "What are you doing?" Mrs. Hardy asked her husband, her anger fading away as she saw him taking off his belt.
"You said to punish them and that is what I am going to do. Joe, come here." Mr. Hardy said even more somberly.
Frank looked at his younger brother and he felt like he had to protect him,even if it was just from a whipping, after all, he thought, he was the older brother. He was suppose to take care of his baby brother. He bravely stepped in front of Joe as he was about to go to their father. "Let me go first Dad. Actually, Joe didn't do anything at all. It was all me. I should be the only one getting punished."
"You will both get punished Frank, but you can go first."
Joe gave his big brother a small smile and squeazed Frank's hand as he stepped foward.
"Bend over Frank." Mr. Hardy said his voice quiet and quivering slightly.
Mrs. Hardy had been watching all of this quietly and when Mr. Hardy brung his belt up and was just about to let it go, she cried out. "Stop! Dont' you dare whip my babies!" Mrs. Hardy said glaring at her husband. "Come her honeys." at this Frank and Joe ran to her and she hugged them tightly, crying silent tears. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have screamed at you."
"It's okay mom. Don't cry." Frank said while Joe patted her on the back.
"Fenton, we don't have to whip them over a silly little vase, do we?"
"No dear, I don't think that vase is worth whipping them over." Mr. Hardy let a out a breath he hadn't relised he had been holding. No matter how many times he had whipped them before, it was still just as hard as the first time, and he was secretly pleased he didn't have to whip them right then.
"Good, I'm sure we can come up with soemthing more practical anyway." Mrs. Hardy said rising and motioning for everyone to sit back down. "Would you like no tv for a week, no dessert for a week, or having to go to bed at eight for the rest of the week?" Mrs. Hardy asked looking at her sons.
Before either one of the boys could answer her Mr. Hardy spoke up. "Laura, I agree that we can do something besides whipping them, but don't you think that letting them pick their own punishment is letting them off a little too easily?"
"Oh . . .I . . ."
"What about no tv for a week. That okay with you?"
"That would be fine." Mrs. Hardy said with a small smile. "Well, now that that's all cleared up . . ."
"You mean there's nothing else?" Mr. Hardy teased.
"I'll go get the dessert." Mrs. Hardy said ignoring her husbands teasing." Mrs. Hardy went in the kitchen and came back out with a puzzled expression on her face. "I can't find the dessert. I know I sat it on the counter."
"What did you make?"
"A chocolate-chip cake."
"Mmmm . . . I love those. Maybe you put it in the ice-box dear."
"No . . .I . . . boys, were are you going?" Mrs. Hardy asked looking at her two sons who were trying to slink away from the table unnoticed.
"We don't really feel like dessert tonight mom. I'm stuffed with all of that dinner I ate." Joe said pushing his chair in.
"Yeah." added Frank, "I'm also pretty tired, think I'll go to bed."
"Me too." Joe pulled on Franks arm and they started moving out of the dining room.
"Hold on boys." Frank and Joe froze." Put your plates up first." Mrs. Hardy said gazing at her two sons intently.
"Okay mom." They both went back and began pilling all of their napkins up on their plates.
"You two sure did use a lot of napkins."
"It was sure messy." Joe said giving her a nervous smile.
"Let me see one of those." Mrs. Hardy said holding out her hand.
"Why mom? There are some clean ones right there." Frank said not giving her anything.
"Boys, do as your mother says."
Joe looked at Frank then slowly handed his mom one of the wadded up napkins. "Joe!" Mrs. Hardy yelped. "Look dear." Mrs. Hardy said handing it to her husband.
"Are yours like this too Frank?" Mr. Hardy asked looking at his eldest son. "Yes, sir."
"Why would you two spit all of your food in these napkins? I mean I thought the food tasted . ."
"Hon?" Mr. Hardy interrupted his wife. "I don't think this is about how the food tasted. Is it?" Mr. Hardy asked eyeing his two sons sternly. He had put one and one together, and came up with the perfect answer. When his wife told him she couldn't find the dessert, and obviously his sons weren't hungry at dinner, and didn't want anyone to know it, since they had so deviously tried to conceal it.
Frank just looked at him in silence, but Joe just couldn't take that look his father was giving them, and he caved in. "They would have found out anyways." Joe said looking at his brother who gave him a dirty look, then sighed. "I guess so." And with that the whole story came flowing out.
"And when we got back up in our room, Frank had forgotten the forks so we had to use our hands, and we were just finishing washing up when Dad came home and said it was time for dinner." said Joe finishing up the tale.
Mr. and Mrs. Hardy were silent for a while. "So the crashes I heard, that was you two?" Frank and Joe nodded. "And that's why I couldn't find the cake." Another nod. Mrs. Hardy's face had gone red, and the boys and Mr. Hardy feared she was going to blow up again, and that's why it surprised them when she started laughing. "Good Heavens!" Mrs. Hardy got out between spurts of laughter.
"So your not mad at us?"
"Well, you shouldn't have done that, but I think you two learned your lesson. You probably both have pretty bad tummy aches, don't you?" Both boys nodded. "Come on Fenton. Let's get these two mosters to bed."
* * *
"So, we're not going to get into trouble for it?" Joe still couldn't believe his mother had just started laughing like that. He thought she had gone crazy, and by the look on his brother's and dad's faces, they had too.
"Don't forget you still can't watch tv for a week though." Mr hardy said opening the boys door.
"We won't Dad." Frank said as his father hugged him and Joe goodnight and went down stairs.
"Try to get to sleep soon okay." Mrs. Hardy said as she finished hugging and kissing her sons. She knew they would probably talk or play for awhile, though she also knew that if she heard them and came to check on them, they would appear to be fast asleep. "Tomarrow we are going to go shopping for clothes and your school supplies. Less than a week away."
"Hey mom, what is our school's name going to be?"
"Bayport Elementary."
"Ooooohhh . . . how imaginative." Joe muttered sarcasticaly.
"Just try to make the best of it okay." Mrs. Hardy said closing the door. She knew her sons hated having to change schools and leave all of their friends behind, but this would be better for them. "I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight."
* * *
"Frank, what do you think the kids at our new school are going to be like?" Joe asked his brother. They had just gotten through brushing their teeth getting ready to go to bed, after playing for about thirty minutes.
"I don't know Joe." Frank said pulling his covers up over him. "I suppose just like any other kids. We'll know when we start."
Joe didn't seem too satisfied with that answer, but he figured it would have to do, and got up to turn the lights out. "Frank did you plug the you-know-what in?"
"Yeah I plugged it in right inbetween our beds."
"Good." Joe turned the lights off and jumped into his bed. He didn't like a lot of people to know, but he was still afraid of the dark and liked to sleep with a nightlight on. Luckily his brother didn't tease him too much about it.
"Frank? What are you doing?"
"Trying to go to sleep. Which is what you should be doing."
"Frank?"
"What Joe?" Frank asked tiredly. He had just about gotten to sleep when Joe called his name again.
"You know that this is a new house and - and I . . ."Joe faltered
"Joe, you do know that we are less than 3 feet away don't you?" Frank already knowing where his brother was going.
"I know. I just, I mean . . .I "
"Come on Joe." Frank said pulling his covers back. "Get in"
Joe eagerly hopped out of his bed, and into his brothers, snuggling down under the covers. I mean, after all, he reasoned, this was a strange, new house, it wasn't the first night, but his family had all been togther that night, just throwing sleeping bags on the den floor.
"Frank?"
Normally Frank would be getting pretty fusterated with Joe right about now, but he was just too tired to care. "What is it now Joe, do you need more cover?"
"No, I just wanted to tell you goodnight." Joe yawned sleeply, "Goodnight big brother."
"Good night little brother." Frank mummbled, "Don't let the bed bugs bite."
"Yeah, you too." Joe let his eyelids close, and soon both were fast asleep.