The hotel breakfast was quite good. It was complimentary with the room. Brenda had the French toast and bacon, so did Fritz. Marcus got waffles. Bobby ate chicken and waffles. Sharon went with an omelette and Charlie got the fruit bowl, sausage and biscuits.

They ate and chatted about the day's plans.

"Are Jimmy and Frank coming?" Charlie asked.

"I don't think they're coming until dinner," Bobby said.

"Lucky," Brenda muttered.

"What's wrong with visiting the family," Marcus asked.

"It's Junior," Bobby answered for her. "He's such a drag."

"He is rather snarky," Fritz said.

"Charlie is snarky," Brenda answered. "He's just a spoiled brat."

Charlie laughed at that.

"Well, he'll get put in his place."

"Brenda," Friz looked at her. "What did you do?"

"Just a public service." Brenda grinned. Clay would die when he learned that Susan wasn't going to be his door mat anymore.

After breakfast, Charlie did some homework. Marcus dropped his letter in the mailbox. Bobby and Sharon went for a stroll. She called Rusty to check in. He said dinner was great. The table was swarming with food. Everyone was happy and loud and all the adults were drunk and there was pie and cake and ice cream and cider and afterwards, everyone was ready to sleep. He didn't mention that they let him drink too.

They went back to the Johnson house. Clay of course was happy to see his two kids. Bobby did some work on the attic that required a latter. Sharon helped Hank finish his puzzle. Charlie told Katie about college, skipping over the drugs and the sex, she focused on school and friends, and living without parents. Trey kept working on his model airplanes. Brenda showed Marcus old photo albums of the family. She told him about her mother and about growing up in Atlanta. The different escapades they got into, the neighborhood feuds, the celebrations.

Susan started to make lunch. Katie and Charlie came down and she offered their help. Susan was taking the leftover turkey and making a soup and some sandwiches. Charlie chopped the vegetables. Katie boiled the water. She hadn't taken an interest in cooking before, but cooking with Charlie was fun. Susan managed to slip away, leaving the cooking to the girls. Sharon came downstairs. She wanted a drink. It was vacation after all.

She looked in the fridge, an already open bottle of white wine. She poured a glass.

"It's not even five yet," Katie said.

"It's after five somewhere," Sharon retorted. They laughed.

Bobby came in next. He grabbed a beer. "Dad put me to work. It's Clay's house. Why doesn't he fix shit!"

Charlie laughed. Katie gave an I told you so look.

Brenda appeared, looking for wine. No red, just white. She took it and poured the rest into a pitcher. She added some liquor and fruit and poured in some juice. She poured herself a glass. "Hard liquor already," Katie ribbed her.

"Your father's harping is driving me nuts. Don't track dirt here. What are you doing over there. Don't touch that. Why can't you sit still? AHHHH!" Brenda was chugging her drink at this point. Susan came in, feeling relaxed. She didn't have to cook. Brenda poured her a glass. "Trust me," she said.

Susan drank a sip. It was strong.

Lunch was ready and everyone gathered round. Sharon looked for more wine. "Where did it go?" Charlie pointed to the pitcher. Sharon poured herself a glass.

"That is strong."

"Thank Aunt Brenda."

Sharon sipped slowly. The soup was delicious. Clay Jr. thought it was too spicy.

"Then don't eat it," Charlie answered.

Katie laughed.

Everyone talked at once. No one listening to anyone else. It was a short, rowdy lunch. Afterwards, the dishes were left everywhere and people wondered off. Brenda stacked them all and put them in the sink. Her way of washing dishes was to fill the sink with soap water and leave them there.

Clay started fussing about his suits.

"Is the dry cleaners open today?" Jr. asked.

"Not until Monday."

"You will need to take my clothes in."

"I take the clothes in on Wednesday."

"Excuse me."

"From now on, I go to the dry cleaners to drop of clothes on Wednesdays."

"I want my suit there on Monday."

"Then drop it off before work. They're open early."

Jr. was pissed. "Why can't you go on Monday?"

"I can go. I, however, am not going to. I spend all day working just to come home and run around, cleaning after everyone else. Not any more. It's about time that the members of this house took more responsibility."

"Excuse me?"

Susan returned with her schedule. She read it aloud.

"I'm not taking my suits to the cleaners."

"Then, you can wear dirty clothes to work." She could feel the sangria.

Susan ended the conversation and went back upstairs.

What got into her? Clay waited for her to come around.

Brenda went up to the attic to see her brother and father. "What's going on up here?"

"Fixing Clay's house, since he's too lazy to do it."

"Bobby!"

"A man ought to fix his house or at least hire someone with all the money he's got. He works all day for what, to stick the money in his 401k."

"I don't know what to do with that fool," Dad admitted.

Brenda offered to return with beer. Her father requested bourbon. She went downstairs to grab some drinks.

"What is it with you guys? always drinking!" Her brother was there, staring her down.

"Only when we're here." Brenda took the drinks and went back upstairs. Alas, the sangria was dead. Brenda had to settle for tequila.

Clay and Bobby grabbed their drinks and started to drink. Once everything was done, Clay fished out a cigar. "Should you be smoking dad? You had cancer."

"I lived this long, didn't I. What's a cigar gonna change?"

"And you're heart!"

"Let it go, Brenda. You can't change the man."

Brenda knew that. Clay only took a couple of puffs before he got tired of it and handed it to Bobby. Bobby took a puff. "This cigar is good." Clay found it when he was cleaning his room.

"I bet this is where his salary goes."

Brenda laughed. She wanted some too. What's a couple of puffs? Marcus came upstairs.

"You want to try some?"

"Bobby, he's eleven."

"You're right. When you're thirteen."

"Bobby."

"That's how old I was when grandpa handed me a cigar."

"Grandpa was a nut. He taught me to drive at 12."

"Is that why you're such a bad driver," Clay asked.

They all laughed at that.

Bobby put out the cigar. Let's head downstairs.

Clay was grouchy. No one respected him, no matter how much money he made. His wife had become contemptuous. He smelled cigar smoke. He saw his family slinking out of the attack. Of course, they all went without him. They even brought a kid up with them.

Fritz noticed his son smelled like smoke. "What's that smell?"

"Uncle Bobby had a cigar."

Sharon came out, noticing the scent as well. It reminded her of growing up in New York. Her grandfather loved cigars.

Charlie borrowed Susan's car, so she could go to CVS. She went there and bought some gum, but she was looking for something else. She found some kids smoking cigarettes in an empty lot. "Perfect." Charlie bought some weed and headed back. She called her uncle on the say. She had just what she needed to make brownies. They rented a hotel suite and had their own kitchen. They picked her up from the house, and they baked some special dessert.

The brownies cooled and Frank sliced them up and put them in an airtight container. He wrapped the container in paper towels. He then filled a big bag with activated carbon and put the container of brownies in there. "We need to hide the smell," Frank explained.

Charlie smiled. This weekend was going to be fun after all. They made a batch of sugar cookies that were plain. This way, they could eat something once they felt the affects of the brownies. The trio came back to the house. They offered to cook dinner. Jimmy and Frank went to the fish market that morning. They came back with lobsters, shrimp, scallops and mussels.

Susan gave them some money to defray the cost of dinner. There were a lot of mouths to feed. The trio was going to make paella and pork chops. Jimmy chopped the vegetables. Frank cleaned the seafood and put it all in a brine. Charlie got her father, and he heated up the grill. She seasoned the chicken and threw it on. Frank took the garlic and added it to some butter. He opened the mussels in the butter and then added the vegetables and some chicken stock. Charlie flipped the chicken and later moved it to a higher level of the grill to cook slowly.

She grilled the shrimp. Jimmy half cooked the lobsters in boiling water. He pulled it out and cut open the lobster. He took them outside for Charlie to grill. She brushed them in butter and grilled them. Frank toasted the rice in a big dish in the oven. He took the rice out and set it on the stove. He added the broth.

Brenda came down, smelling amazing things. She offered to help. She saw they were mostly done, so she made them drinks. She was greatly appreciated. She made a quick salad. She saw all the leftover stuffing and the bacon and got an idea. She wrapped the stuffing in the bacon and set it in the oven. She saw the left over casserole, cut it into squares, dredged them in flour and froze it. After 15 minutes, Brenda deep fried them and got little, crunchy, green bean casserole squares.

Charlie took everything off the grill. She quickly seared the scallops, not cooking them all the way through, so they could finish cooking with the rice. She added spices, the diced chicken, shrimp, mussels, lobster, all of it together. She added the scallops and closed the lid. She turned the stove on low and let the flavors blend together.

She then started to sear the pork chops. Once they got a nice crust, she moved them up on the grill. Brenda took the lid off the paella and cut off the stove. No one wants overcooked shrimp.

Frank ate a brownie. He gave one to Jimmy. "What about me?" Brenda asked. They looked at each other.

"Don't be mad," Frank said, "but they're enhanced."

Brenda caught their drift. "Too bad, they smell excellent."

Charlie ate one too. She took another for her father. Brenda was surprised to see Bobby eating one.

"Won't Sharon get mad?"

"It's just one. She won't notice."

Brenda shook her head. Jimmy hid the evidence, and it was time for dinner.

Everyone came down. There was a lot going on at the table. Hank liked the fried casserole squares. Katie liked her pork chop. It had a nice glaze on it. Tray had on idea what they heck he was eating. He was scared to ask. Jr. wasn't. "What the heck is this?"

"It's paella."

"Looks gross."

"Don't be rude," his father scolded him.

"You can't scold me at my own table."

"I brought you into this world, and I'll take you out."

Charlie was sick of him. All you do is complain about food. If you don't like, why don't you try cooking? Oh wait. You don't know how. She thought this all in her head. The brownie made her rather relaxed.

Brenda snickered. "I think it's great."

"Me too," said Fritz.

Sharon enjoyed hers as well. Bobby was chomping on his meat.

Marcus liked it all, except the shrimp. Hank saw it and poached them off his plate.

"Hank, don't be rude." His mother told him.

"He can have it," Marcus said.

"Yum! Shrimp."

Clay Sr. bit into a stuffing ball. "This is awesome."

"Didn't your doctor say to not eat so much bacon?" Susan worried about him.

"My doctor is a drag!"

"Like my brother," Brenda muttered.

Bobby giggled, so did Frank and Jimmy, not that they knew why he was giggling.

They talked about tomorrow. Hank was excited about the museum. Charlie planned on eating a brownie before it or too.

After dinner, the kids ran their separate ways. Brenda and Charlie helped Susan clear the dishes. Fritz and Bobby moved the furniture, so everything was in its normal place.

Charlie offered Brenda a sugar cookie. Brenda looked at it unsure if ….

"It's just a cookie."

Brenda heard that and took it. It was tasty, but it had no chocolate. "Thanks, Charlie."

"Do you want any enhancements before the museum?"

Brenda was about to say no when she heard her brothers yelling. "Hold that thought."

She went outside. "Out of all of the disgusting things I have ever …."

"Disgusting, who are you to call me disgusting?"

"Boys, what are you doing?"

Jr. looked right at his sister. "Did you know these two perverts are together?"

"Did you not?" Jimmy was a grown man with his own money and he voluntarily lived with another man, and they were always together. Was there another explanation?

"And they're getting married."

"Congratulation."

"What! Are you kidding me?"

"No. Why shouldn't they have the right to suffer through marriage like everyone else."

Jimmy smiled. "Will you help me tell Dad?"

"I'll talk to him for you. I'm his favorite." Brenda brought her dad some bourbon. She sat him down for a talk.

"I won't have this in my house," Clay said.

"We're not getting married here, duh! And don't worry. We won't be back."

"No!" Charlie yelled. "You two make this place tolerable."

"Sorry Charlie, but I won't be insulted by my impish brother. We're leaving."

Charlie hugged them.

Bobby and Sharon were getting it on in Clay's BMW. They didn't hear the commotion.

"I've always wanted to do it in a luxury car," Sharon admitted.

"Really? Why?"

"I don't know. The commercials make them look so comfortable, so stylish. It's like having sex covered in gold dust."

Bobby giggled. "That is awesome. Clay will kill us if he catches us."

"We'd better hurry then." He had Sharon in the backseat. Her skirt was hiked up and her legs were on his shoulder and on the front seat.

Clay Sr. was confused. "You mean all this time, they weren't just roommates."

"No. They weren't"

"Why didn't he just tell me?"

"He didn't want you to be disappointed in him. Growing up in the south when we did, you know what times were like. What they're still like some times."

"I would never be disappointed in him, or any of you, except maybe Jr. but that's beside the point."

"Well there's more. They're getting married."

"They can do that?"

"They can in New York."

"Knowing my kids. He better sign a pre-nup."

Brenda giggled. "Jr. wasn't happy with the news. Jimmy and Frank left and I don't think they'll be coming back to the house."

"Like hell they won't be. He's my son, and we have talking to do. Jr. can put a sock in it."

Clay got up to call his youngest son.

Fritz and Marcus were tossing the football out back. Brenda came out to check on them. "What was the arguing about?" Marcus asked her.

"My brother is upset because Jimmy and Frank are getting married."

"What's the big deal?"

"I don't know. Do you want any cookies?"

Marcus ran right to the kitchen. She said the magic words. Fritz went to talk to his wife. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"This must have been a big shock."

"I'm not surprised he's gay. I'm surprised he finally told the family about it."

"You knew."

"He's my brother. It was kind of obvious."

"Where's Bobby?"

"Beats me." Brenda heard the music from upstairs go way up. She went to check it out. Rage Against the Machine blared from Trey's room. She knocked on his door. No answer. She pounded on the door.

"What!"

"You're going to blow the house down."

"My bad!" His eyes were sunken in. He looked awful.

"What happened to you?" His pupils were huge.

"Nothing."

Brenda peeked over his shoulder. She saw a magazine with a buff man on it. "What's that?"

He tried to shut the door, but she was too quick. "Did you hear your father arguing with Uncle Jimmy?"

A single tear fell from Trey's face. Brenda knew why he was so withdrawn, why he was so desperate for his father's approval.

"It's okay. Uncle Jimmy has a perfectly normal life, and so will you."

"If dad knew, he'd kick me out."

"Why would you think that?"

"He said, if any boy of mine were a faggot, I'd kick is gay ass out."

Brenda sighed. "Is there anyone at school you can talk to?"

"I live in Florida." That was a good point. "I hate it here, can you please take me with you to California?"

Brenda wished she could. "I can't just take you from your parents, but if you are ever in trouble, you can come to me, or Jimmy or your grandfather. I don't know what's with my brother, but there's nothing wrong with you." She gave him her cell phone number. "If you want to get out of the house tomorrow, I'd be glad to take you with me. We don't have to go the museum."

Unfortunately, Trey was depressed and scared, like many teens in his situation, particularly those who grow up around homophobic people. All he wanted was his father's love, but he felt like he would never be good enough.

Brenda wanted to help, but she didn't know what to do. Should she talk to his mother? How would she react? What about her dumb brother? She wanted to talk to Fritz. He always knew how to stay level-headed.