New Beginnings: Life Changes

ch. 55

Too Young To Be Parents

part 2

Having convinced Alex and Claire to join them in a double ceremony, successfully found dresses and new dress pants for their weddings, the two couples return to the hotel. Opening the door to the room he shares with Alex and Joseph, Rob is nearly bowled over by Ben.

"ROB! JOSEPH BEAT ME! HE HIT ME WITH A RULER!

"What do you have to say about this Joseph?" Rob turns to the older boy.

"I spanked him, not beat him. He was way out of bounds. Someone needed to step up and take him in hand! That 'someone' was me."

Deciding to let Rob be the peacemaker, Alex escorts the girls into the next room.

"It isn't your place to punish the boys, Joseph!"

"As I said, someone needed to and I sure haven't seen you take him in hand so I did!" Joseph states equally aggravated.

"Ben, go in with Alex and the girls. I want to talk to Joseph." Rob tells the now smiling boy.

After the younger boy was out of the room, Rob scolds Joseph "You shouldn't have done that. It isn't your responsibility and you're too young."

"I'm about the same age you were when you spanked ME! Remember the time you were 'in charge' and I came home late from town? I was older than Ben. You bent me over that front room bench and set fire to my butt!"

"Hmm, yeah, I remember that. I was feeling like a big man with all the authority. I apologize to you for that. You shouldn't have copied my actions though." Rob replies.

"I wasn't copying you, I was being the responsible parent. Ben deserved a spanking! He has misbehaved and defied everything we've told him from the time we got here today. He was told to stay close and didn't, told to stay away from the furniture, and he climbed on it, was deliberately rude, and you didn't do or say anything. In the toy store, he was told by me to be careful of what he touched because of the expensive items. Instead of listening, he decided to ride on a velocipede inside the store! The price on that was eighty dollars! What if he broke it? WE would have to buy it! Then he stuffed six candy bars in his shirt to steal them! The storekeeper made me pay for them. I've been his brother a long time and during that time I was also his parent. Remember? Back in St. Louis and when we first came to live with uncle Ethan? I took on that role again. You must talk to him and punish him too. He sees you as the authority but you aren't acting like one! Ben will only make our trip even worse if we don't stop his behavior!"

"I am not the parent here. Just like you, I'm his brother not his father. I can't act like his Pa. I'm not old enough to take on that role. I can't use my belt the way our Pa would do if he were here." Rob confides his thoughts.

"I know but Ben doesn't. You can be forceful and get the point across that you are in charge here. Punish him some other way. Spank him, confine him to the room, no dessert, early bedtime, SOMETHING! I know him well, Rob. You will regret it if you don't do something to let him know you mean what you say! You and Claire are letting him get away with everything!"

"You're right. Claire doesn't want to scold the boys as she's been away for so long. I was letting him get away with it because I wanted this trip to just be fun. I see that I was wrong. Go tell him to come in here.

"Ben, come sit with me here by the window. I talked to Joseph and I know what happened in the toy store. You've been misbehaving all day today. Not listening, doing what you were told not to do, and now stealing. If Pa were here, what would he do?"

"Probably whip me with his belt. Are you going to do that?"

"I don't think there is any 'probably' Ben. He definitely would. Now, as for your question, no, Joseph took care of that part of your punishment. I believe you need some thinking time to decide if you want this trip to be fun. Tonight, while the rest of us go downstairs to enjoy a good dinner, you will stay here. You will be locked up in the room just like a thief in jail. I'll get something sent up for you to eat. You will then go to bed. We're going to get a special dessert but you will not have one."

"That's not right! I already got punished!" Ben complains.

"What's not right is you acting so badly and being rude today. You made Joseph have to punish you when all he wants is to enjoy this trip. That's all any of us want, a fun time together. You ruined that time today. You deserved that spanking and if you keep behaving this way, I will give you another! I won't hesitate to use Claire's hairbrush! She still has the flat-backed wooden one. Am I understood?"

Hearing the sternness and recognizing his brother is not teasing, Ben answers "Yes, Rob. I'm sorry for causing problems."

'Thank you for the apology, now remember this talk! You owe Joseph an apology as well, so give him one."

"Yes, Rob. Are you going to tell Pa about how I was acting?"

"If you continue to cause problems, I certainly will!" Rob answers firmly.

Having heard the story of Ben's behavior from Joseph, Claire and the others wait for Rob to finish talking to Ben.

"Claire? I told the lady in the toy store I picked this jumping jack toy for Emerson, my baby sister. She spoke of how she liked her name. I told her Emmy was named for the Emerald Isle. The lady didn't know what it was so I told her it was Ireland and how Mama was Irish. She started acting all different, not friendly or nice like before I said that. She said Irish people are 'trash and thieves' and wanted us out of the store. That was before she knew Ben was stealing. Why'd she talk about Mama that way? Mama isn't trash or a thief!"

"Come over here and we'll talk about it," Claire answers sitting down on the bed.

"George, remember how Mama told us how many people in Ireland during her parents' childhood were losing their farms and going hungry? So many people who grew crops or worked on farms that were growing potatoes had lost everything when the crops began to die. People were starving and there was little work to do. Many left Ireland and immigrated by ships to try to find a better life. Those who chose to come to this country arrived in America with no money and had to live in small one or two-room places with many other families. The people were often sick and hungry. They were desperate and began to steal to have something to eat. Store owners despised them for that reason and others. When the men went to find work there were signs up saying "No IRISH need apply". Because they were poor and sickly plus having others be thieves no one wanted to hire the men. The storekeeper you met must have been taught to hate from her family. These are old stories today as this happened over fifty years ago now. Try not to let people's ugliness bother you. You know and we all know, to judge people by their background is wrong. Skin color, heritage, those things don't matter. Your character, how you conduct yourself, and how you treat others, that's what matters, right?"

"Yes, Pa says to never ever judge a person by looks or where they come from. He tells us to always treat other people how we want them to treat us."

"That's right, George." Alex chimes in, having listened. "Remember the scripture Matthew 7:12 'Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you: do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."

"I remember it, Alex. The store lady does not though." George answers just as Rob and Ben enter the room.

In Paradise, Ethan and Chris are listening to Aaron explain why he has come to the Sheriff's office when he was to be out at the Cord ranch helping with chores.

"Mama told me to come. She says to tell you these things." Aaron answers Chris' stern inquiry of what he was doing there at this time.

"What things, Aaron?"

"I am supposed to tell you, Pa, to come out to Uncle Ethan's place after work today. She says not to go home."

"She did? Why is that?" Chris asks.

Letting his Pa's questions go unanswered for a minute, Aaron addresses Ethan.

"Uncle Ethan? Mama says to tell you to NOT go home either. She says Aunt Delphie will meet you here at the office at five o'clock. All of our family will be staying at your place tonight. We are going to babysit Emerson all night and tomorrow too. Mama wants you and Aunt Delphie to have what she calls 'together time'. She says you need to get a room at the hotel and have this time alone."

"Well Aaron, your Mama sure does have a lot to say, doesn't she? Do you think you can take care of Emerson for one night and some of the next day?" Ethan asks.

"Probably not by myself but with Alyssa, Mama, and Papa there too, I could. How much trouble can a little baby cause? Not nearly as much as Nathaniel, I would guess."

"Chris? Are you in agreement with this idea?" Ethan asks his friend and deputy.

"I find it a great plan. You two deserve some 'together time' and now with all the kids gone, it will be the best opportunity. Don't worry over the ranch, we can handle the chores. Isn't that right, Aaron?"

"Yessir, I can do the chores Ben and George do and you can do the rest. Mama, Nathaniel, and the girls can take care of the baby while we do the man stuff."

"I'll hold you to that plan, Aaron. Just so you know, your young brother will help with the chores and we are also going to help with the baby. I need baby care lessons as I missed out with all four of my children on baby time." Chris answers.

"I have asked Caleb to go help with the horses and other chores Saturday. He may show up tomorrow. I promised payment to Aaron and Caleb so let them earn their wages, Chris. We'll be home before supper tomorrow or maybe earlier. Delphie's never been away from Emerson more than a few hours. I think this is going to be a faster trip than she has planned. Thank you, my friend." Ethan tells him.

Enjoying the opportunity to be with his wife outside the home, Ethan is taking his time with his steak meal at the restaurant.

"What do you think the children are doing tonight? I hope they arrived safely. I do wish you had requested Rob telegram to tell us they arrived."

"Delphie, the trip was less than three hours. They went to Denver, not across the country. The young people need this time to be independent. Having to report to me isn't allowing them to be very independent. Let's enjoy our evening without worrying about them. Day after tomorrow will come quickly and we will not have time to ourselves. Your idea of eating in town was to give us a little time together, wasn't it?"

"Yes, alright, I see your point. I will worry in silence. How is our friend today?" Delphie asks not stating the name on purpose as the family has chosen to keep John Taylor's situation private.

"He's still not moving his legs. I thought he would be by now as he can sit up and move his arms. He is talking more but everything is muddled. It's difficult to get a coherent answer."

"It takes time. He's doing the best he can. Are you having dessert?"

"I'll wait until later, as I can't eat anymore. Will you walk with me awhile?"

"I'd like a nighttime stroll. I have something to talk to you about."

"I wondered when you might get to that point. I suspected something as you arranged this evening out together."

Stopping to sit in the gazebo, Delphie asks "Do you remember how we came here after the wedding? This is one of our special places."

"Of course, as it was only a year ago. We've only just had our first anniversary. A lot has happened in one year. Emerson came a little sooner than we were anticipating but I'm so delighted we have her."

"I'm happy to hear you say that. I am ready to create a brother or sister for her. If we do this right, they will be close in age just as Ben and George are. I admire the bond those boys have." Delphie tells him quietly.

"You are ready to make a new life? Emerson is not quite five months old. Isn't it too soon?"

"Amy says it's fine to try. I stopped taking the herb mixture and we can follow through during our special time together now. We won't need to stop early. I want babies close in age."

"Two babies in the house. That's something I've never experienced. The little boys were past babyhood they were five and six when we met. We will need another cradle so I'll start working on it tomorrow." Ethan replies.

"Actually, we will need a baby cot with tall sides. We'll move Emerson out of the cradle as she'll be able to sit up soon and then pull up to stand by Fall. We are nearly at the end of May. It isn't as if a new baby will arrive next week, Ethan. These take a long time to grow, remember? We don't have the seed even planted yet and you are ready to put the crop up for winter!" Delphie exclaims, earning a chuckle from Ethan.

"Let's go home and work on planting those seeds. We'll just get the baby to sleep first or maybe we'll get lucky and Savannah will already have done that. I would have liked to see Chris managing a baby."

"We can give him a lot of practice time with Emerson. He needs to learn as they have one coming, remember?"

"Our community continues to grow each year."

"Yes, many new people and new babies as well. There are four expecting Mamas in the area including Savannah, Amy told me."

"Why don't we leave Chris and Savannah a few more hours of baby practice and have a special time in the hotel. I'll get a room."

"Savannah did pack bags for everyone and said we should stay the night. I worry about the baby though. I've never left her that long, Ethan."

"She'll be fine, dear. Savannah knows how to comfort a baby. She's had two of her own. Alyssa is good with Emmy as well. She's a little mother already. Let's take this opportunity of not having all the children to have time for just us. Not having the boys is a very rare event!"

"You've convinced me. I do hope Joseph and the boys are enjoying their trip."

"I hope they are behaving as well as enjoying the trip. Rob seemed very indifferent to disciplining when I brought up the topic." Ethan replies as they walk back to the hotel.

Denver:

Saturday morning, Rob takes Ben aside for a private talk.

"I appreciate you taking your punishment well last night. I've been doing some thinking. We both know what the outcome will be when Pa hears of what happened. I can't keep this from him, Ben. He will find out, he always does. Besides that, I promised a year ago to never hide wrongdoing from him. I don't intend to break that promise."

"Yes Rob, I hear."

"Don't look so forlorn. I have an idea that will let me keep my promise and save your backside. You didn't walk out of the store without paying, correct? Joseph paid for the candy, right?"

"Yes."

"As I see it the candy was purchased, not stolen. What we need is for YOU to pay for the candy though. So you give me the money and we can say you paid for that candy not stole it. This doesn't mean you can EVER ATTEMPT to steal again, Got Me?"

"Yessir! Here's my money. I had it in my pocket."

"Sir?" Rob asks.

"You sounded like a Pa so I was being respectful." Ben answers.

"Thanks, I appreciate that. Now, let's go join the rest. We're going to go to a confectionery and ride a streetcar this morning after breakfast. I heard Baur Confectionery is one of the best in town for sweet treats. They make candies. We can see some made and taste some of their treats."

"What's a streetcar?" George asks having been told the plans.

"It's similar to a small train car in a way. It runs on a rail but is only one car, not the whole train. It's hard to describe. You'll see soon." Rob answers.

Walking up to a long three story brick building, the younger boys look amazed at the size.

"Joseph, have you ever seen a building this tall?" George asks as they follow the two couples to the entrance.

"Do you think they sell candy on all three floors?" Ben asks hopefully.

"Not since we were here in Denver a year ago. The bank Rob uses is also three floors high. The top floor is not for customers though, just the offices, George. I suspect, Ben, that this building is the same. I really doubt they have enough candy to sell to fill up three floors. We're about to see since we can go inside now. Be nice and don't beg for samples as you do when Mama makes treats. Wait to see what is offered. We'll be buying some, I'm sure." Joseph replies.

Walking along the glass-covered case, Ben and George are reading the names of all the candy they see. "Taffy, licorice, cherry chews, divinity, marshmallows, tootsie rolls, maple chews something called 'chicken feed' looks like a piece of corn, it has a yellow lower part, a lot of soft candy over here," George calls to Ben. "I see hard candy: orange balls, pep- o -mint is a circle candy with a hole in the middle, lemon balls, root beer balls, peppermint twists, something called an All Day Sucker is here too."

"The chocolate counter is over here, guys," Alex calls to the excited young boys. "It has the soft chocolates. Come see."

As the boys salivate over all the delicious looking chocolate choices, Rob returns from the back of the room.

"We are invited to come to the back where they are making taffy today. Afterward, we'll choose some treats to buy."

"Hello, welcome to the taffy room. I'm Paul and I could use some helpers. After I show you what to do, I'll have you do it as well. First, everyone needs to wash their hands and arms over at the sink, then put on the apron to keep your clothes clean."

"Good, now come over here and watch as I stretch the taffy. First, I butter my hands so the taffy won't stick, then I stretch it out by pulling as I walk." Paul demonstrates as he talks, walking about four feet from the group before turning to walk back, winding the stretched taffy around his hands as he does so.

"Now I put it back on this large hook, push it down and start again. I do this until it is very soft. The stretching helps get air into the mixture which makes it soft. Finally, we put it on this long table, roll it into a smaller roll, and cut it into pieces the size of your small fingers. Alright, let's divide into teams, we'll put the three younger men together and you older fellas can work with your ladies." Paul announces having seen how there were two couples.

Taking turns, each group stretches the taffy mixture just as they observed Paul do. Ben, George, and Joseph are first and the two youngest boys are surprised at how stiff the mixture feels.

"This is hard to pull. I thought it would be easier." Ben remarks after several turns stretching the candy.

"I agree, it is much more difficult than I thought," Joseph says.

"Yes, but after everyone else takes a few turns, you'll notice a difference. Let's have the couples try it." Paul agrees.

After both of the couples took their turns, the younger boys are given a chance to finish the process.

"My goodness! This is so much softer and stretchier now. I think it might drop to the floor!" George exclaims as he walks beside Ben pulling the taffy.

"Then we are ready to remove it. Please bring it back to the hook and we'll take it to the rolling table. Please join me there." The confectioner tells them.

"Now everyone, please stand along the sides, you boys take one side spread out down the table, the couples the other, and we roll it back and forth as I stretch it."

Soon there is one long rope of light yellow taffy and everyone watches as Paul slices it into pieces. Giving each person a piece to try he puts the rest in a paper sack. Handing it to Rob, he tells him "Here you are, a full bag of molasses taffy. You are all excellent taffy makers! Thank you for visiting Baur's Confectionery. Enjoy your treats!"

"Thank you, that was fun!" Ben adds his thanks to everyone elses' "Thank you".

"I'm happy to hear that, young man. Now, if you'd like a special treat, there is an ice cream soda fountain on the second floor. The stairs are at the end of the hall. We sell many flavors of soda here. My favorite is strawberry. We have lemon, chocolate, raspberry, blueberry, and root beer. There is also the newest soda, with the Dr. Pepper syrup added to the seltzer water. Try them all if you'd like. Enjoy the rest of your visit and don't forget to purchase some of our delicious chocolates or hard candies."

In the hallway, Rob feels George tug on his hand. "Yes?"

"Can we please go see the soda fountain? I'd like to see it. It must be big to have all those flavors. Mr. Axelrod's only has about two flavors and his soda glasses don't come with ice cream beside them."

"We are going up now. There are seven of us so if everyone orders a different flavor, we can all share and taste each one. George, the ice cream isn't beside the soda, it is in the glass. There are ice cream sodas here which are different from what Mr. Axelrod sells. Just wait until you taste it! I have had one before and it's so good!" Rob tells him.

"Before we leave Denver, can we please stop in at The Dairy Barn? I saw the sign on the building when we rode out to the furniture place yesterday. It was on a window and the other window sign said the place sells twelve flavors of ice cream and cones. Could we go there, Rob? I bet Amelia likes ice cream too. Don't you, Amelia?" Ben asks, pulling her into the conversation.

"I am a very big ice cream fan, Ben. I would enjoy going to a place specializing in just ice cream."

"I saw a bakery on the way here today. The bakery windows had pies and cakes in them. Maybe we need to go there too. Pie and cake are good treats as well as ice cream." George adds his idea to the discussion as they walk upstairs.

"You two are only interested in eating sweets. You'll get a stomachache if you eat too much of them." Claire reminds.

"Not true, Claire. I'm not just interested in eating sweet things. I'm interested in looking at toys too. George and I saw another toy shop on the way here. It's not a big fancy one like where we were yesterday. There were smaller toys in the window. It would be fun to go there too. There's a store beside it with ladies' stuff in the window. Corsets, bonnets, shirtwaists, that stuff. You and Alex might like to go in there." Ben answers giving Alex a sly grin.

"Thank you, Ben, for including me in that offer to enter the store. Didn't you two see any shops with guy things in them? I'm not much interested in 'ladies' stuff', as you call it." Alex teases, ruffling the younger boy's hair.

"Not yet but maybe we will. I haven't been looking for that kind of store." Ben answers as they reach the door to the soda shop.

😍 Thank you for all the support and kind reviews. I am going to take a brief break with publishing. The next chapter will be up in February.

Merry Christmas! 🎄

Happy New Year 🔔🎆