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The wife was there the next day.

"Dr Core?" she looked surprised upon opening the door. "How are you!"

"Great! You?"

"You heard the news didn't you?" she sighed. Then she noticed Don's gun. "I haven't seen him!"

"I'm not here for your husband" Don assured her. "We would just like some information on the psychic cat"

"Wasn't it stolen?" she said. "And why is a federal agent involved in the disappearance of a cat? Did it have information on Iranian military secrets or something?"

"Don is my boyfriend's son" I explained.

"Oh..."

"Did your husband know anything about its disappearance?" Don continued.

"No!"

"All we want is the cat back. I'm not gonna call it in, I promise"

"Look, Don, if my husband and I were to steal pets from their owner because we suspected abuse, he and I would have a zoo on our hands" she argued.

"Maybe it also bothered you that people were being exploited." Don suggested.

"This is bullshit! You're only here because of the drug charge!" she glared at me. "We're never coming to your clinic again!"

"I share your husband's concern for the cat!" I told her.

"I've got things to do!" the wife snapped, and slammed the door.

"So much for that" I said. "Thanks for trying though"

"No problem."

He took me back home.

"How did it go?" Alan asked me when we kissed.

"The wife wouldn't corporate" I sighed and sat on the couch. "And it wasn't like Don could threaten her over a cat"

"Don's smart! He'll think of something" Alan assured me. Soon, we were having dinner. He had made spaghetti with meat sauce. Then we played scrabble.

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The next morning, Don again came to visit me at my office.

"Hey Dad! I brought burgers!" he told me with a grin.

"Thanks!" I got a bag from him.

"I talked to Charlie..." he began.

"Really?" I was angry at my younger son for what he said, and childishing refusing to visit me.

"He's upset, Dad"

"And I'm not?" I snorted.

"He feels like you're taking us for granted" Don tried to be casual.

"The two of you always come first! He should know that!" I insisted.

"You need to talk to him, Dad! He needs you to convince him"

"Sure! When he comes over, we can have a talk." I said.

"I think maybe...you should be the one who comes over to his place" Don suggested, while biting a fry the same way his mother used to.

"Why?" Did it really have to be me? This was so typical. I fight with one, and the other comes to his defense.

"Someone has to, and it'll be the right step in..."

"Look who's lecturing me on how to be a father!" I scoffed with annoyance as he gave me a look.

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I wasn't trying to advise Dad on how to be a father, just how to make peace with Charlie. I hated to see them at odds, especially over Natalie.

"Family needs to stick together! Aren't you always telling us that?" I countered.

"You're brother's acting like a three year old!" Dad said.

"He felt like you didn't listen to us that day in my car" I tried to explain, and then had an idea. "We don't we all meet at that diner? Just the three of us? So we can talk this out?"

"Like last time, when your brother had a tantrum?"

"Dad, come on! I know you miss him! Don't deny it!"

Dad decided to retreat "I've got to get back to work" He pulled out some stuff and began to read it. Taking the hint, I finished up my burger and returned to work.

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Don came to see me at my office again.

"Hey Buddy! I was thinking that maybe you, me and Dad should go out to eat sometime. Just the three of us. Why don't you call Dad, and invite him?"

"He knows that he is welcome anytime, by himself. " I told him. Why should I put up with that twit just to be with my father?

"Come on Charlie! Be the bigger one!" Don tried to cajole me.

"What about Dad? He chooses his annoying girlfriend over us!" I snorted. Why did Don have to take Dad's side?

"Your brother's right" Larry commented as he suddenly came in. "This fight with your father can't last forever!"

"That's easy for you to say!" I snapped. "Your father isn't going out with Natalie!"

Larry said with a pensive look" Actually, I'd prefer Natalie to the woman my father is currently dating"

"He chooses her over us!" I told him.

"No he does not!" Larry argued. He and my father got along very well. "How would you feel if Don had accused Amita of stealing?"

"Don would never do that, because Amita is not weird and nutty!" I said. Larry's questions was like comparing apples to oranges.

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Soon,I got a call, and had to go. As I drove back to work I had a brilliant idea. Iwould invite both Dad and Charlie to myplace. Neither would knowthat I invited the other until they saw each other.First, I called Charlie.

"Hey Buddy...why don't you come over to my place tomorrow to watch the game around two?"

"Sure..." I could hear the smile in his voice.

Then, I called Dad.

"Dad, the owner of my apartment building is remodeling, but it looks like they are doing a mickey mouse job. Could you come and check it out? Then we can watch the game at my place and have pizza.

"You're inviting me over to your place?" Dad's voice sounded puzzled.

"Yeah." It sucked to be stuck in the middle. Maybe if I hadn't mentioned my suspicions to Charlie... Either way, I had to make things right.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with Charlie would it?"

"No..come on Dad! Can't I invite my own father to my place?"

"Not unless you're trying to play peacemaker again." Dad sighed. "Something tells me that you've made the same invitation to Charlie."

"Dad..."

"I've got a project to do this weekend anyway. You're free to come to my place to watch the game. With that, Dad hung up. I could tell,by the sound of his voice, that my attempt had annoyed him. I could never fool my Dad.

I shook my head. "So much for that brilliant plan"

TBC