Sunday morning I slept late, and when I woke up it was to stretch, still feeling a sense of well-being. I could hear various sounds throughout
the house, but it wasn't overly loud. I looked at my alarm clock and saw that it was nearly 8:30, which for me, is sleeping late. I got up to go to
the bathroom, and then went back to my bedroom, dressing in a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt with Willie Nelson's face on the front. I went downstairs
in my bare feet, thru the living room, where Clare and Brian were sitting on one of the couches. Clare was working on her crocheted blanket she
was making for the baby, and had her feet resting in Brian's lap.
Clare immediately perked up and smiled at me, laying her crocheting in her lap.
"Morning, toots," she greeted me.
"Morning," I said, in answer, pausing beside the edge of the couch.
"How was your night?" Brian asked me.
"It was good," I told him.
"Guthrie said the country club served up some good food," Brian said.
I nodded, and sat down on the arm of the couch next to him. "Duck cor," I told him. "And asparagus."
"Classy," Brian said.
"It was fun," I said.
"Did you get home on time?" he asked.
"Yes, Bri," I said, and gave his shoulder a light push.
Clare asked me a few questions about the dance and all of that, and then after a few minutes of talking, she said, "There's eggs and things on the
stove. You'll just have to heat them up."
"Okay," I said, feeling hungry.
I got up and went to the kitchen, which was empty, but the promised food was on the stove. I made a plate and heated it up in
the microwave, and poured myself a cup of still-hot coffee.
I could hear voices coming from the basement, and somebody coming up the basement steps. It was Adam, carrying a wrench, which he
took with him, as he stepped onto the back porch, to begin filtering thru the tool box there.
He saw me at the coffee pot and said, "Morning, sugar," to me.
"Hi," I said. I held my plate, and ate, standing there, watching him as he sifted thru the tools.
"Something broken?" I asked him.
"Washing machine."
I knew what a dire thing that would be to our huge family.
"Oh, no," I said.
"We'll get it fixed up," Adam said.
"Where's Ford?"
"Down in the basement, helping me."
"Okay," I said, and moved past Adam to go down the basement steps. Ford was there, and Hannah was, too. One of the washers
was pulled out from the wall, and Ford was sitting on the floor behind it. Hannah was standing beside him, holding Isaac on her hip.
"Good morning," Hannah said.
"Hi," I said, going to stand beside her. I was still holding my plate which had some egg left on it, and I took a bit in my fingers
and fed it to Isaac, who gobbled it up with a gummy grin.
"You have fun last night?" Hannah asked.
"Yeah. We did."
"Guthrie said it was real nice," Hannah said.
"It was." I started telling Hannah about the waiter and how everyone there had been dressed, as Adam came back downstairs. He was carrying
more tools, and he and Ford got on the floor and began doing whatever they were doing to the broken washing machine.
"What's wrong with it?" I asked.
"It won't drain out," Hannah said.
"Is the other one okay?" I asked.
"Haven't checked that one yet," Hannah said. "I thought we should contain the bad news in smaller doses."
"The laundry's gonna really stack up, huh?" I said, and Hannah nodded, with a sigh.
"I could take some into the laundromat if you want me to," I offered.
For a moment, Hannah looked relieved, as if she was considering it. "Well, we'll see how the guys get along first," Hannah said.
"We probably won't have to use the laundromat," Adam said, sounding confident.
"Want me to take Isaac for awhile?" I offered.
Again, Hannah looked tempted. "I want you to finish your breakfast first," she said, nodding at my still half-full plate. "And then-you've
got other things to get done. You've got homework probably?"
"I do," I said. "But I can take Scooter for a little bit."
Hannah said alright, and told me to go upstairs and finish eating, and she'd bring Isaac up to me.
I said okay, and leaned over the washer to look down at Ford. "Want to go riding?" I asked him.
"Sure. When I'm done here," he said.
"Make sure you manage your time, Harlie," Adam said, without looking up from his task of wrench turning and washer scrutinizing.
He didn't say it in any sort of a mean way, more stern, but it still bothered me a little. I knew it was his way of giving me a warning that I
needed to not lose track of my responsibilities, whether they're chores or the blasted homework.
"I will," I said, trying to sound respectful.
I went upstairs and finished off my plate of food, and then took Isaac from Hannah, when she brought him up to me. I took him upstairs
to put his little shoes on him, and a jacket, since there was a little wind outside.
I pulled Isaac down the long driveway and back in his wagon, and then pulled him around the yard, all while he jabbered to me in his
baby language. He is so cute that at one point in the yard, I stopped and scooped him up out of the wagon into my arms.
"I love you, Isaac," I told him. "Can you say, Har-lie? Huh? Har-Har? Please?"
Isaac gave my cheek an affectionate baby pat with his damp fingers, and jabbered again, but nothing that sounded remotely like
Harlie. Guthrie came across the yard, pulling off a pair of fencing gloves. He came up and leaned in to rustle Isaac's dark hair.
"How's Scooter?" he asked, fondly. "Huh? How are ya, little buddy?"
"He's perfect, of course," I said, giving Isaac a kiss on his forehead.
"Yeah. He's pretty okay. It's gonna be hard when he gets older," Guthrie said.
"How come?" I asked.
"You know-like when he's four or five or whatever, and Adam gets onto him for somethin'. It's gonna be tough to see him get
spanked."
"Ugh," I said. Just the thought of Isaac getting into trouble big enough to get a spanking made my heart hurt.
"Maybe he won't get into trouble," I said, and Guthrie gave me an eye-roll.
"Come on, Har," he said. "You're livin' in a dream world if you think Scooter's never gonna get into trouble."
"Maybe Adam won't," I said.
"Maybe he won't, what?"
"Spank him," I offered, and Guthrie gave another eye-roll.
"He spanked us sometimes when we were that age, remember?" Guthrie reminded me. "Brian did, too. It goes to figure that they'll do that
with their own kids, too."
"Maybe Hannah and Clare won't let them," I said. "I mean-"
"Maybe Hannah and Clare won't let who do what?" Adam said, from behind us. Neither of us had even heard him approaching us.
Guthrie and I exchanged sort of an awkward look between us.
"Nothing," I answered, just as Guthrie said, "Har thinks Scooter's never gonna get into any trouble when he's older." For some obnoxious reason, Guthrie
seemed to find that amusing.
Adam smiled slightly, and then said, "Well, if he doesn't, that would be alright with me. But, I don't think it's very likely that it will never happen."
I hugged Isaac's warm, little squishy body closer to my chest. "Yeah. But he's so sweet. And he's good-natured and all. Maybe you won't have to."
"Have to what?" Adam asked, as Isaac reached his arms out, wanting to go to his dad. Adam took the baby from me and Isaac began patting
Adam's face.
"Get after him and all," I said, vaguely.
"She thinks you shouldn't ever spank him," Guthrie volunteered, and I gave him a glare.
"Oh," Adam said, and for a moment or so he looked a little amused. Then he seemed to turn serious and he said,
"Bein' a parent isn't an easy thing. Sometimes it's hard to know what's the right way to do. But-you have to go on your instincts, and
on what you learned from your own parents-" here he paused, and regarded both of us. "Mom and Dad were good parents, and Brian and I
leaned a lot towards the way that they did things, once we were raising all you kids." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "It was different, though,
since we'd had Mom, but then didn't have a woman's influence for a lot of those years, until Hannah came. But, Brian and I did the best we could."
"You guys did good," Guthrie said, stoutly. Then he threw out his arms and said, "I mean-look how good I turned out, for Pete's sake."
Adam laughed, and I did, too.
"Yeah, Guth. You're a shining jewel in our crown," Adam said, jokingly, and Guthrie joked right back.
"Absolutely, I am," he said.
Adam looked at me, then. "I imagine Isaac's gonna get into some trouble, now and again. I hope I can be fair, and patient, and everything
else that he needs me to be, Harlie. That's all I can promise. I can't promise that he's never gonna get spanked or sent to his room, or
anything else."
Realistically, I knew Adam was talking sense.
"I know," I said, quietly. In an attempt to change the subject, I asked if he'd gotten the washer repaired.
"I think it's fixed, temporarily, at least. We need to get a new part for it."
"Well, that's good, at least the laundry won't become Mt. Washmore," I said, and he laughed again.
"Right. We don't want that," he said.
"Want me to take him again?" I offered, gesturing towards Isaac.
"No, I'll take him up and put him down for his nap. You go on and do whatever else you need to do. Thanks for helping with him."
"It's okay. It's not like it's work or anything," I said.
Adam gave me an appreciative smile, and after he went towards the house with the baby, Guthrie and I talked for a few more minutes.
We talked about the night before, and I asked him how much he was giving to Trent for his and Kristen's share of the dinner and all. I found
the whole thing sort of unique and interesting.
Ford was coming down the front porch steps and across the yard.
"Ready to go riding?" he asked me.
I said yes, and Ford asked Guthrie if he wanted to go along, too.
Ordinarily, I wouldn't mind, I mean, I like to spend time with Guthrie, and I know he wanted to hang out with Ford, too. It was sort of
selfish, but I wanted Ford to myself. At least for a little while.
"Nah," Guthrie said, in answer. "You gonna be around all afternoon? Maybe we can go into Butch's, and shoot a game of pool?"
"Sounds good to me," Ford said. "We'll be back in a couple of hours, probably."
Ford and I went to saddle the horses. We raced the first bit of the ride, and then slowed the horses to a walk. Petra had beat Buttercup easily, and
I turned back to Ford, laughing.
"Not even a contest at all,' I said.
"Yeah, yeah," Ford said. For a whille we rode and talked. Ford was telling me about his classes, and then, even, about a girl
in one of those classes that he liked.
"We've gone out a couple of times," he said, and I looked at him with interest.
"What's her name? Is she pretty? Where's she from?" I fired at him.
"Good grief," Ford said. "Her name is Joanie. I think she's real pretty and she's from a little town in Nebraska."
"That's cool," I said. "I'm glad."
"It's nothin' serious, Har," Ford said.
"She's nice, though? She must be, if you like her."
"She is nice," Ford said, with sort of a smile.
I sighed in satisfaction. "Awe."
"How about you and Kenny? Still goin' strong?" he asked me.
"Yeah. We have a lot of fun together." For a moment I thought about telling Ford about the promise ring. "I think Kenny and I will end
of together in the future," I shared.
"You're kind of young to decide that," Ford said, predictably.
"I know. But I still think we will. He's sort of asked me, already."
Ford's eyes widened. "Asked you what?"
"To get married." As Ford's eyes widened even more, I added hastily, "In the distant future, I mean."
"Wow," Ford said, shifting in his saddle. "That's pretty major, Har."
"Sometimes it can happen when you're real young. Like it did with Mom and Dad. She was 17, when Dad asked her to get married," I reminded him.
"Yeah," Ford said, in agreement, but he still seemed a bit taken aback by my comment.
"It's not like we're going to run off and elope, or anything," I said.
"Well-that's good," Ford said, sort of dryly.
After a couple of moments, Ford said, "You and Kenny aren't taking things too far, are you?"
Despite it being Ford, and how comfortable I am with him, I still felt my face get hot with embarrassment.
"No, Ford," I said, leaning forward to pet Petra's neck.
I felt Ford scrutinizing me, and I guess he took me at my word, because he dropped that subject. Thankfully.
And, even though that subject was uncomfortable, when Ford moved on to my school situation, and started asking questions, I didn't find that
topic any fun, either.
7
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