New Beginnings: Life Changes
ch.59
A Rough Start To Summer
As the children settle around the picnic tables and on quilts for their lunch, the adults walk among them pouring lemonade or water. Each of the children were asked to bring a tin cup from home with their lunch.
Unpacking his lunchpail, Ben checks his sandwich to find it is ham. Turning to Aaron, he asks "What kind of sandwich did your Mama send?"
"Umm, roast beef with cheese."
"Want to swap half? I have a ham with cheese on thick brown bread. I'll give you my slice of chocolate cake too."
"I'll swap you sour cream cookies for the cake but I want to keep my sandwich."
"Okay, that's a deal," Ben says completing the swap by handing over the cake.
"Hey, Jackson? What kind of sandwich do you have?" Ben asks the boy across the table from him.
"My Ma chopped up chicken and put that with lettuce for a sandwich. You have ham and cheese you said. Want to swap half?" Jackson asks.
"You bet! I like chicken sandwiches. Here, have this half, or do you want to swap all of it?"
"I can do all of it if you'd like it. I'd rather have the ham. We had chicken for dinner last night so I'm tired of chicken." Jackson answers.
Having been walking among the children, Claire returns to stand by Alex and tells him "Ben is busy bartering his lunch. He's traded his cake for cookies and now his ham sandwich for a chicken sandwich! That boy seems to always find a way to get what he wants."
After eating, the group of boys sitting with Ben decide wading would be a fun activity.
"Come on Ben, roll up your pant legs, lose the shoes and socks, and come in with us!" Caleb says as he enjoys walking in the shallow water at the edge of the lake.
"Not today, Caleb. You guys go on in without me."
"Why not? Why won't you come in with us? You scared of water?" Jackson asks tauntingly.
"It's not the water, I love getting in the water. My Pa told me to stay out of the water and he meant it. He'd punish me if I disobeyed him."
"I don't see Sheriff Cord here. How's he to know?" One of the other boys asks as he stomps through the water.
"Rob is here, Joseph, Amelia, Claire, and Alex are also here. Any one of them could inform on me or Rob might just handle it right here. He is my oldest brother and has been known to whale on me at times."
"You have too many older brothers and sisters, Ben. I thought having Theo and Cecily was bad but FIVE, my goodness what a mess. I'm grateful Cecily moved away when she married." Jackson says as he walks past Ben.
"Amelia and Alex aren't your brother and sister, Ben. They just married some that were. They shouldn't get to be a boss over you or George. Joseph shouldn't either as he's not a grown up yet."
"Well tell that to my Pa, Caleb. He's the one who said we were to obey all of them. I agree Joseph isn't grown and shouldn't get to boss me but Pa sees it differently. Do you have to do what your Pa says?"
"You know I do, Ben. I have to do what all grown people say. It's extremely tiring." Caleb answers. The last statement has the other boys snickering and nodding in agreement.
"Guys! Mrs. Hale told me to tell all of you to come up as it's time for our group to start relay races." Thomas tells the boys.
"Mrs. Hale?" Caleb asks, "Who's that?"
"Ben's sister of course. She got married. Don't you remember? You can't be that dumb to forget when it just happened. I wish she'd married me, she's pretty. You were there just a few weeks ago so you should know her name."
"She's my cousin and I call her CLAIRE! You, however, have to call her 'Mrs. Hale'. She wouldn't have married you for two reasons, one you are too hateful, and two you are thirteen or so you tell us all the time. Grown women don't marry thirteen year olds, dummy." Caleb returns in the same haughty tone the other boy used.
"He's such a know it all. I wish he'd never come here as he's been such a pain ever since he came in March. He just loves to be hateful and act as if he knows more than anyone else doesn't he?" Jackson whispers to Caleb as they follow behind the rest of the boys to the race site.
"Everyone make two even lines, boys. What you will do is race the other team to see which team finishes first. Do you see the two lines of crates and barrels?" At the boy's nods, Claire continues. "You are to leap over the crates but crawl through the barrels, then go around the post in the ground and back through your course. When you get to the next person, tag them and they start the course. The first team to get all five members through the course wins. Any questions?'
"What if I get stuck in a barrel?" Thomas asks impudently, "Will you come rescue me and stay in it with me?"
"You won't get stuck, those are large enough to crawl through." Claire answers.
"Hmm, too bad, she and I could have practiced kissing in there," Thomas whispers to another boy after Claire has walked away.
"Hush! If someone hears you talking that way you'll catch it bad! You can't talk about grown ups that way." the boy whispers back. Neither boy realizes Ben can hear them.
"Thomas, don't you talk about my sister like that! Leave her alone!" Ben commands confronting the boy.
"Calm down, Ben. He's still new here. He may not have meant to insult your sister." Jackson says having also heard.
"You best not talk about Claire like that again or you will regret it!" Ben tells the other boy.
"You threatening ME? I'm older and taller so you don't scare me. Go play with the little kids at the fishing booth. You're too little to do this event. You might get scared in the dark barrel and wet yourself." Thomas sneers.
Seeing Ben's face darken, Aaron, having been standing nearby, takes him by the arm and pulls him away.
"Come be on my team. Thomas is only trying to get you in trouble. Don't let him, Ben. George is over here too."
Having enjoyed the relay race and also enjoyed winning, Ben and Aaron take time to go get something to drink.
"Hi Rob, Amelia, can we please have a drink? All that running and squirming through the barrels made us thirsty!" Ben says as the two boys approach the drink station.
"Hello Ben, Aaron, of course, you can have a drink. Would you like water or lemonade?" Amelia asks as Rob greets the boys with "You two are quite dirty, you know that?"
"The barrels were dirty so we got dirty," Aaron answers as his requested lemonade is poured.
"Your mamas will have to scrub those shirts with all of that caked on mud." Amelia tells the two boys as Rob says "They may not be happy about that either."
"Hmm hmm, I will probably be the one scrubbing it." Aaron answers as Ben says "We could wash them now over in the lake. Going for a swim would do it, I'll bet."
"It might at that, Ben. However the aching backside you will get if you attempt your idea is not worth it." Rob answers in the same matter of fact tone his younger brother had used.
The look Ben gives him for that remark has him saying "I know you were told to stay out of the lake. You best abide by that order if you know what's good for you. I'm not fooling, Ben. Go into that lake and you'll deal with me and THEN Pa."
"You aren't the BOSS today, Rob. Miss Donaldson is in charge of us, not YOU. Leave me alone!" Turning to his best friend, Ben says "Come on Aaron, I don't want to stay here with him anymore. Let's go somewhere else."
As the two children leave, Amelia asks "Why did you threaten to spank Ben? He was only suggesting an idea of how to clean his shirt. He never said he was going to go swimming. I'm confused."
"One thing you need to know about Ben is he is always planning. He pretended to be only suggesting an idea when in fact he had the idea in advance. I know him very well and know he deliberately allowed himself to get filthy so he would have a legitimate reason to go in the water. He had planned to use his dirty shirt as the excuse to go in the lake before he ever went through that barrel. I had to see to it he wouldn't follow through on his plan."
"You'll be a good father someday as you can outthink children. I wouldn't have known it was a con game to get in the lake."
"I have a few more years of experience with my brothers than you do. I was a young boy very similar to Ben at one time, as well. We'll learn parenting together when it's time. I hope we start with a baby and not a big kid as babies are easy." Rob replies.
Having left his brother and sister to their discussion, Ben finds George and joins his team for the tug of war event. The children have divided into two groups mixing older and younger children on both sides.
"Alright children, this is our last event for the day. You are to pull as hard as you can when Mr. Anderson says pull. The team that moves the center bandanna across the line you are standing behind is the winner. I hope you all have enjoyed our fun day at the lake. You are dismissed to your family after this event. Enjoy your summer. I will see you in the Fall. I'm going home for the summer." Miss Donaldson tells the groups.
"Get READY everyone, stand behind the line and grab the rope. Teams SET your feet. Count of three ...ONE! TWO! THREE! PULL!"
Amid calls of "PULL! We're moving them! Brace your feet! Don't let go!" both groups of children are successful at tugging the opposite group forward with the game evenly matched, the bandanna moving in both directions. Ben sees Thomas on the opposite team grinning at him as he pulls the rope.
"Everybody, stick your feet and LEAN BACK! PULL HARD!" Ben yells to his team members. His strategy works as the opposite group is pulled so hard many stumble and fall to their knees. The bandanna jerks over the line for Ben's team.
"WE DID IT!" Aaron calls joyfully!
"The Red team is the winner! Good game everyone! That was a struggle." Mr. Anderson declares.
"NO fair! They are CHEATERS! The back of their team pushed up mounds of dirt to brace their feet!" Thomas complains.
"There's nothing in the rules of the game that says you can not use whatever you have to help your team, son." Mr. Anderson tells him.
"I AM NOT your son!" the rude child replies before stomping away.
"Touchy isn't he? Who is that boy?" Mr. Anderson asks.
"Thomas Bartholemew Henderson is his name. He's quite the character at times. His father works on one of the ranches nearby. He joined the class a couple of months ago." Miss Donaldson replies as Ben, Jackson, and George are coiling the rope behind them.
"Bartholemew?" Ben whispers to Jackson, "What a strange middle name!"
"Yes, it's a funny name too," Jackson says quietly. "I see my Ma so I'm going to gather my lunch pail and go home. I'll see you guys later."
"George, do you see Mama yet?" Ben asks his brother a few minutes later as he walks up to where he's visiting with Aaron and Alyssa.
"No, I haven't seen her. Rob and Amelia are still here though. We can get a ride home if Mama doesn't come soon."
"I'm going to go with Caleb to look at the dunking booth again. Let me know if Mama comes, George."
"Okay."
"I'll come with you while I wait for my Mama too," Aaron says joining Ben.
Having reached the booth, Ben tells the other boys "I'm going to climb on the seat. You see if you can dunk me. I have a nickel saying you can't hit it hard enough to dunk me."
"I can so hit it hard!" Caleb declares as Aaron replies "You just wait and see, Ben! I can throw hard!"
Settling himself on the seat, Ben looks around for any of his older brothers or sisters before calling out "You two throw like baby girls! You ain't gonna hit no target, sissy girls."
"MISSED Again, Caleb! C'mon, can't you even see? Maybe you need Dr. Amy to get you spectacles!" Ben taunts as Caleb throws the second ball.
"Your turn, Aaron. I couldn't hit it, you try."
"Aww Aaron, didn't your Pa teach you how to throw? Your little sister, Charlotte, can do better than that!" Ben taunts his friend.
"No, she can't, Ben!" Aaron answers as he aims for the center of the target and throws with all his strength. He's surprised when he sees Ben splash into the water.
Standing up sputtering, Ben laughs gleefully before calling "Thanks, Aaron! I wanted to fall in the water. That was fun!"
"I see your Pa coming with the wagon, Ben. You'd best get outta there." Aaron answers.
"Pa's here, Ben. Joseph just told me to get you. Aaron, Caleb, you are to come too. Ben, you are going to be in trouble for getting all wet." George tells them.
"Please tell Uncle Ethan that Alyssa and I will be there after we fetch Charlotte. She's with her friends." Aaron replies as he rushes off toward his twin.
Having gathered all the passengers, Ethan informs them "Your parents requested I pick you up as I was coming out. Did you enjoy your first ever Beginning of Summer celebration? Miss Donaldson and others created a fun time for all you schoolchildren."
"Uncle Ethan, I won at the fishing booth! They let me go two times so I have something to give Nathaniel. He was crying this morning because all of us could come but he couldn't. He's only five and not able to attend school." Charlotte tells her honorary uncle.
"That was very thoughtful of you, Charlotte. I'm sure Nathaniel will enjoy having something. What about you older children? Did you enjoy your day?"
"Yes, it was fun! We even went wading in the water. Miss Donaldson didn't mind." Caleb answers adding the last when he received no reply to his statement.
"What event did you enjoy Alyssa?" Ethan asks after nodding in reply to Caleb's second comment.
"The balloon relay was fun but also hard. We had to put a balloon between our legs and not drop it as we raced the other team. Bobby was against me and he kept dropping his balloon. He'd have to go back five steps and start again. I dropped mine only once before reaching the end. Liam was the best at that game as he never once dropped a balloon." Alyssa answers.
"Oooohhh, LIAM, that's the boy you like for your suitor, right? You talk about him all the time! Have you two kissed yet? Joseph could teach you how to do it right. He's old enough." Aaron teases his sister.
"Aaron! That topic is NOT something you will discuss or tease about. Your parents would agree with me. No more, understand me?" Ethan scolds as Joseph turns to give Aaron a warning look to watch his mouth.
"Yes sir"
"Apologize to your sister!"
"I'm sorry Lyss, and I apologize to you too, Joseph."
"Apology accepted, Aaron," Joseph replies as he knows his Pa expects him to do.
Arriving home after depositing the other kids with their families, George and Joseph head inside. Ethan keeps Ben with him.
"Alright young man. I believe you and I need to have a discussion. What was my direction to you boys at the lake this morning?"
"To stay out of the lake and obey." Ben answers.
"Yes, but I heard on the drive home how you children went wading. You stand here before me in wet clothes. It seems to me you disobeyed both of my orders of the morning. When I give you a command, you will do as I say, young man! This is not a good way to begin your summer vacation from school, Ben. You've earned a pants warming! Let's go!" Ethan says gesturing for Ben to proceed him into the barn.
"No, Pa, please listen! No, I didn't disobey. I never went into the lake! Joseph can tell you, as can George, Rob, Alex, Claire, or Amelia. I followed your instruction! Ask them if you don't believe me."
"Why would I disobey with everyone in the whole family but you, Mama, and the baby there to see me? I'm not that dumb! I will even swear on the bible, that I'm telling the truth. I'm wet because I went up in the dunking booth and got dunked. I did not go in the water at the lake at all. Caleb, Jackson, Aaron, and some other boys did but George, Joseph, and I did not."
Looking at the irate child and really listening, Ethan realizes he's mistaken.
"No, you are not at all dumb. I apologize for thinking the worst of you, son. Why did you want to be dunked though?"
"We did a relay race where we had to crawl through barrels and my shirt was caked in mud. Rob said Mama would be upset at having to clean it and so I wanted to clean it myself so she wouldn't be upset. I couldn't go in the lake to wash it so I got Caleb and Aaron to try to hit the target and dunk me. Aaron has a good arm. I'm getting tired of wet clothes though. Can I please go inside and change?"
"Go ahead and tell your mama your story after you change. She'll enjoy it."
In bed that evening Delphie and Ethan enjoy a few laughs at their young scalawag.
"So his excuse for getting into the dunking booth was to save me the trouble of washing his shirt?" Delphie asks.
"That was what he told me. I believe that was his reason but I also believe he was just itching to find a reason to get in that booth. He desperately wanted to go inside it the entire day according to Joseph. He was fascinated by it from the first time he saw it. The soiled shirt gave him the opportunity."
"Ben is quite clever for reasoning this out. He does know how to scrub clothes so he could have just come home and helped me by scrubbing it clean."
"Yes, he could have but you know Ben, that was not what he would prefer to do. The opportunity to get wet arrived and he jumped at it, quite literally! I let him get away with it even though I know it was all a ruse from the start." Ethan says with a chuckle.
The first week of summer doesn't measure up to Ben's ideas. Instead of having long hours at the pond fishing or time spent at the swimming hole he has found himself on his knees beside George. Both have been tasked with the horrible job of pulling weeds and thinning out the garden plants. Before that, the two have been cleaning the chicken coop, washing windows, and all sorts of cleaning chores assigned by their mother and father.
"Why are we stuck here doing all this work? Joseph is allowed to go have fun but we aren't, it's not fair! I want to go see friends, see Claire, go fishing, go swimming, you know FUN things." Ben complains as he throws another weed into the wheelbarrow.
"Joseph did his chores before going to town. You know that. He has a job in town so he is there. I thought you'd be happy he gets to work in the new ice cream parlor."
"I was until Pa had a talk with us and told us we weren't going to be getting any free ice cream. We aren't allowed to even go there without permission. This summer is off to a bad start already and it's only been five days!" Ben answers as he yanks at another weed.
"Ben, that's not a weed. Those are onions! Don't pull it up." George cautions having looked up at Ben's complaint.
"I don't like onions. Good riddance to them!" Ben declares as he snatches another plant out of the ground.
"You may not like onions, but I do and I want them to stay in my garden. Kindly stop removing them, if you please, young man!" Ben hears his Mama say from behind them.
"I need you both to help me get your mattresses outside. We're going to remove all the old hay and restuff them with fresh. You two go get a cart full of hay and we'll start.
"We didn't finish the garden yet, Mama. Don't you want us to finish?" George asks.
"You've done enough for today. You two can work more on it tomorrow and other days. Go get the cart and load fresh hay, please."
"Mamaaaa, I want to go fishing! I have a can of worms I found here in the garden. I neeeed to use them today. We can do mattresses another time." Ben complains.
"We could but why should we wait on the mattresses when we plan to move them to the attic room tonight? We'd have to drag them down the stairs to refresh them. No, you can fish another time. Today we're finally ready to restuff those mattresses. That's enough stalling from you, Ben, it's time to go boys. I need the clean hay. After you bring the cart, then we'll go get your mattresses from your old room. While you get the hay, I'm going to get Emerson ready for her nap. If we're lucky, she'll sleep long enough to get this chore finished."
Out in the barn, a grumbling Ben climbs past the first loft to the second. Pushing the cart, George looks up to see where Ben is in order to position the cart under his place. Finding the first loft empty, he looks up. He finds his missing brother fifteen feet up grinning at him.
"Ben! What are you doing up there? We're supposed to pitch the hay from the first loft. You know we're not to go into that loft without Joseph or Pa with us. Come back down."
"This will be easier. I'll push a hay bale down and we'll have the full load all at once. We'll have to each do at least ten pitchforks full of hay to get a full load. I'm tired from pulling weeds and scrubbing windows. I don't want to take a long time doing this."
"Ben, that's a bad idea! You might fall again. It's a lot higher up than the first loft. Don't do it!"
"I'm going to push it over the edge so be ready to catch it in the cart," Ben answers as he shoves the bale by pushing with his legs and feet.
"Ben! You're going to get in trouble! Come down and we'll take turns with the pitchfork. I'll do more of the work, just come down."
"It's coming! One more... oh it missed! Oh well, I'll come help you load it in the cart."
"Ben? I think it broke the side of the cart. I see splintered wood. How're we supposed to lift this into the cart? It's twice as big as both of us together."
"How are you doing in here. boys? Do you need more help? I can use a pitchfork to pitch some..." Delphie says walking into the barn only to stop talking at the sight.
Both boys are attempting to manhandle a giant bale of hay into the cart.
"Well, I thought you were to stay out of the higher lofts without supervision. You apparently disobeyed that rule as the bales are in the high lofts."
"I didn't Mama. I tried to talk Ben out of climbing up there but he is stubborn. He pushed it over with his legs and got hay all over his pants." George replies.
"Ben, did you do as he says? Tell the truth." Delphie questions.
"Pushing the hay bale was much faster than having to do a billion pitchforks of hay, Mama. I saved time."
"Let's load the hay and get started on the mattresses. We'll discuss this incident later."
Having heard of the time saving strategy of his middle son, Ethan has taken the boy to the scene of the crime.
"Do you see how high this loft is from the floor?"
"Yessir"
"Did you think of the fact you could have fallen off this loft when you pulled this stunt today?"
"I knew I wouldn't fall and I didn't fall. I only wanted to save time. It worked too because we stuffed the clean hay very fast. We even had our mattresses up in the attic before supper."
"Benjamin, what is the rule for the high lofts?" Ethan asks not commenting on the defense argument.
"Not to go up without you, Mama, or Joseph with us."
"Didn't I just talk to you about the dangers of being alone in the higher lofts a few weeks ago? The time you ran away from Joseph and fell from the rope out of the top loft?"
"Yes sir" Ben has to answer.
"Then you know what to expect. Let's go down to the tack room. You best remember what I tell you, young man. You do as you are told or you'll be having more trips to the tack room and leaving with a smarting behind!"
That evening a solemn young man is not enjoying his first night in his new room very well.
"Ben? Could you please be still? Every time you roll around, the hay crackles and I can't sleep." George requests.
"Sorry but my bottom is burning when I stay still. I'll sleep on the floor so I won't bother you."
"Was it worth it? I tried to warn you but you wouldn't listen. Now you got a whipping and can't enjoy our new room."
"No, but he didn't have to use the doubled-up belt. He could've punished me in a different way. Because of him and Mama telling on me, my summer is off to a rough start already! I'll move to the floor now."