(Karen came through the front door with her hands full of take out food, she was mentally going through a check list of all the things that she had to get done before the night was over, first and foremost she had to deal with her sons. Chris was lying on the couch, TV blaring and head phones in his ears. She sat all the sacks down on the chair by the door and pulled a folded piece of paper out of her purse and walked over to the back of the couch.
Ka: Chris. (He didn't move.) Chris. (A little louder, but still no response.) Oh for crying outloud. (She pulled one of the ear pieces out.)
Chris: NATHAN, I SAID LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE! (He sat straight up and then realized that it was his mom.) Oh hey.
Ka: Hey back. You and your brother fighting AGAIN?
C: He is just being a pain.
Ka: (Pointing to the MP3 player that was still playing the music very clearly from the now removed headphones.) You are going to go deaf if you do not turn that thing down. (She walked around to the TV and shut if off.) How about you choose the TV OR the music?
C: I am multi-tasking.
Ka: Multi-tasking huh? (Sitting down next to him on the couch.)
C: Yeah, you know, doing more then one thing at a time.
Ka: I know what it is, I was just wondering where your homework fit into this? (She handed him the piece of paper and watched as he scanned it.)
C: (Smiling.) Cool! Only one "C".
Ka: Yeah, I was quite impressed. You managed to raise your grades from last quarter.
C: Did this come in the mail today?
Ka: No, I had conferences with your teachers today.
C: (No longer smiling.) I thought that was Thursday?
Ka: It was, but I couldn't make it then, so I went tonight instead. All your teachers were more then willing to chat with me.
C: (Slouching down in his seat.) I'm sure they were. In my defense, they are out to get me.
Ka: They are not Chris. For the most part, they had great things to say about you.
C: (Surprised.) Really?
Ka: Yep.
C: Sweet.
Ka: I said, "for the most part". It's the rest that we need to talk about. How about all the missing assignments? All your teachers pointed that out to me tonight.
C: At least I am consistent.
Ka: Oh yeah, that reminds me, they also pointed out your great sense of humor.
C: What can I say?
Ka: Don't get cocky. I don't think that it was all a compliment. Chris there is a time and place for everything and the middle of a lesson is not the time for you to interrupt and tell a joke. (Chris never commented.) But you already know this because we have had similar talks like this all year.
C: I got good grades.
K: That's because you are very intelligent and I have never doubted that. But your behavior in class is NOT OK.
C: I'll do better.
K: I know you will because things are going to change. (Hearing her son groan.) Starting with all homework getting done before you do anything else at night. (Chris shook his head knowing that he was in enough trouble with out adding to it by complaining.) Plus all your teachers will be sending progress reports home with you every Friday for me to look at and send back. One bad comment on there Chris and you don't leave this house for a week.
C: (His eyes got wide.) I told you that they are out to get me. They could make stuff up.
Ka: Then you have a problem sweetie and you will be spending lots of weekends at home.
C: OK.
Ka: And...
C: There is more?
Ka: Any week that you are grounded, means no participation in ANY school related functions.
C: (Jumping off the couch.) NO WAY! You mean no track?
K: Nothing!
C: Mom, I can't miss a week of track.
K: Well then I hope you don't have to.
C: I have been training for the relay all winter. We might be the first all-freshmen team to go to state. Dad will not go for this.
Dan: (Coming in the room.) Won't go for what?
C: Your wife has totally lost her mind.
D: (Smiling.) Why is that?
C: I raised all my grades this quarter and she is making me quit track. (Knowing there had to be more to this then that he turned to Karen.)
Ka: CHRISTOPHER! You know that is not the conversation we just had.
C: Pretty close.
K: (Looking at Dan.) I talked to his teachers today and it seems that YOUR son still can not get his work in and he thinks that he has to be the class clown all the time, even if that means disrupting class to get a laugh. So I made it clear to him that any bad report I get means a week of complete restriction, no sports included.
C: See Dad, she has lost her mind.
D: Chris, what your mom says goes.
C: You're kidding me!?
D: Sorry. (Looking back at his wife.) Did you pick up dinner on the way home?
C: DINNER!? You are worried about food at a time like this?
D: You are being a little over-dramatic aren't you? Go set the table.
C: It's Nate's turn.
D: Then go tell him to do it. I need to talk to your mom alone. (With a huff he turned on his heals and headed to the kitchen. Dan sat down on the couch. He smiled.) He's not very happy.
K: Nope. I watched Dr. Phil the other day and he was talking about how the best way to get better behavior from your child is to take away his currency.
D: Money?
K: No, ding dong. He meant you need to find the most important thing to him and take it away. I found it.
D: So your were serious?
K: Well yes Dan! It was embarrassing sitting there and listening to the crap that child, YOUR child has put his teachers through.
D: Why is it they are always MY kids when they misbehave?
K: Because he is acting just like you did in high school.
D: Those teachers have a long three and half years ahead of them then. You know he can not make it until the end of the year without getting in some kind of trouble right?
K: Yep.
D: So are you trying to punish him or me? I have been up at 5 AM every morning timing his runs and now it might all be for nothing?
K: Sorry. How was Kaylee's conference?
D: Carbon copy of all the others. Straight A's and the teachers could not say enough good things about her.
K: She takes after me.
D: Do I want to know how it went with Nathan's teachers?
K: I am worried about him Dan. His grades are awful. I mean worse then they ever have been.
D: (Smiling.) I didn't know that it was possible to do worse.
K: Dan this is not funny in any way. He is going to be applying to colleges soon and SAT's are coming up...
D: He is never going to get great grades sweetie, you are going to have to face that.
K: I am not saying that I expect straight "A's", but he can do better then "D's" and "F's".
D: They are that bad? Good thing that he is good in basketball. He gets phone calls and letters of interest every day offering him a full ride. (Looking at his wife scared.) I know that you would take track away from Chris, but you wouldn' t take basketball from Nathan would you?
K: You are the one that insisted that I go to conferences and then hand out the appropriate punishments. You also pointed out that I need to treat the kids the same and not be so easy on Nathan.
D: I swear that everything that I say to you, you somehow turn it around and use it against me. I am not saying that you should favor Nathan.
K: Yes you are. Track is Chris's currency and Basketball is Nathan's.
D: I need to talk to this Dr. Phil character. He sounds like a quack. Honey, I am just saying that Chris will get in trouble and once he is out of track for a week, it will kill him and he will be the best behaved kid at the high school, but with Nate that is not the case. Sometimes I think that if it was not for basketball, the kid would have dropped out of school a long time ago.
K: Don't you see a problem with that? What happens if he gets injured and can never play again?
D: You really going to do this to him?
K: No Dan. Because I do agree with you. He hates school so much right now. But I think that you need to expect more from him then what you do. He lives down to your expectations with school work and up to your expectations with sports.
D: So then what are you going to do to him?
K: You'll see. But I don't think that he is going to like it. You want to come with me when I tell him what it is?
D: Nope. He is all yours. He won't hate you for punishing him. I do it all the time.
K: But you are his father.
D: And you are his mother.
K: Step.
D: Karen he loves you.
K: So I should remember that when he tells me that he hates me.
D: He says that to you and he will be picking himself up off the ground. I heard from the lawyer today.
K: And?
D: He knows a Lawyer that specializes in family law in Nebraska and we will be meeting with him tomorrow. I guess he has already talked to the social worker and she is aware that Lucas is out biological son and that we want to adopt him and the little brother. They confirmed that the only relative is an elderly grandmother that is in the nursing home and has no way of taking them in. She is not an option. They don't think that there will be any problems with this at all. But Kare, once we get there tomorrow things are going to move fast. We will meet with the lawyer and then the social worker.
K: The social worker already tomorrow?
D: The kids are in a group home and sometimes they are not the safest places especially for the little guy, so they want to get this moving. Once we talk to the social worker, we will be able to see Lucas and his brother. Are you sure that this is what you want to do?
K: (Putting her head in her hands and crying. Dan rubbed her back to comfort her until she looked up.) I am finally going to see him.
D: Yes you are.
Ka: Will we talk to him?
D: We have to tell him the truth Karen.
Ka: I know eventually...
D: No Karen, not eventually. Tomorrow. We have to meet with the judge too. The kids will be in the room and the whole story will come out. If the hearing goes well, they will be coming home with us.
Ka: That fast?
D: It's not too late to change your mind.
Ka: No, I am not changing my mind, but I just figured that they would have to come and check out the house and the family.
D: Normally that would be the case, but since we are Lucas's biological parents and the fact that they are sitting in a shelter, they will push this through quickly and then a lot of the legal stuff and paperwork will come later.
K: But there is so much to do. We have to paint and clean their rooms...
Da: Kare? (She kept going like she did not even hear him.)
K: I'm sure after the fire they have nothing left. We will need to go shopping...
D: Karen, we need to tell the kids tonight. (She stopped talking and just starred at him.) Karen, did you hear me? I think that if we come back with the boys without preparing the kids a little bit, we will be making a huge mistake. It is going to be a huge adjustment the way it is without surprising them. (Still his wife said nothing.) Karen? (He took her hand.)
K: Yeah? Sorry. It's just happening so fast.
D: So you agree that we need to tell the kids tonight?
K: Of course.
D: (Looking at his watch.) I'm going to make the travel arrangements.
K: What about dinner?
D: I'm starved. I'll only be a few minutes. Just enough time for you to talk to Nathan about those grades.
K: Ugg! I forgot. How about I make the travel arrangements and you go talk to him?
D: (Smiling.) Nope. Good Luck. (He walked to his office and Karen headed to the kitchen.)
Please respond all.... next up- what does Karen have planned for Nathan to get his grades up? Could another Tree Hill person be entering the picture?...Karen and Dan tell the kids everything.