Oh My Gosh

Chapter 17

It was five forty-five the following evening, and Dotty was putting the final touches on the the Beef Stroganoff, and putting it in the oven, she then called up to the boys, "Are you two almost dressed? Lee's uncle will be here shortly!"

Amanda had just come in through the back door, stating in a rush as she headed for the stairs, "Sorry I couldn't get home sooner, but the beltway was a bit difficult tonight...Are the boys ready?"

Dotty shook her head remarking with a gesture, "I sent them up to take showers half an hour ago...Who knows?"

Amanda went by Dotty, and hugging her answered gently, "Did I thank you yet for doing all this?"

Dotty sighed with a nod, commenting, "Yes, Darling...It's just that I want everything to go well...Oh, Lee called and said he'll be here soon, alright?"

Amanda nodded and heading up, stated, "Thank you, Mother...I'll check on the boys."

As Amanda got upstairs, she heard the shower in the boys bathroom, and then going to the bedroom, found Jamie emptying his half of the closet, his clothes strewn all over his bed!

Amanda, putting her hands to her head, gulped, asking, "Wh-What are you doing, Sweetheart?! The Colonel will be here in less than an hour!"

Jamie shook his head answering, "Mom! I can't find the right tie to go with my pants and jacket!"

Amanda, shaking her head, gestured to Jamie's bed, commenting, "Make room for me here for a second, please..."

As Jamie moved some things off the bed onto the floor, Amanda, chuckling lightly, queried, "Honey? Were you and Phillip watching your grandmother get ready for dinner after school today? Is that why you're so nervous?"

Jamie said with a sigh, "Yeah, and she said she wanted us to put on our Sunday best! I don't even know what that is!"

Just then, she heard Lee's voice from downstairs calling out, "How's everybody doing?"

Amanda sighed with relief, as she called back, "Lee! I'm up here in the boys' bedroom, and I could use some help, please!"

Lee stated, "Coming, Sweetie..."

When Lee came to the boys' bedroom, he took a look around, and let out a low whistle, and groaning, asked, "Wh-What's going on?"

Amanda stated, "Mother told them to put on their Sunday best for the Colonel, and I'm afraid Jamie went a bit overboard-"

Jamie answered weakly, "But Mom-"

Lee, putting up a hand, remarked gently, "Hey, Jamie...Don't worry, huh? We can fix everything...Where's Phillip?"

Jamie, making a face, commented, "In the shower...Preening..."

Lee and Amanda shared a smirk, and Amanda replied, getting up from the bed, and kissing Jamie's cheek, answered, "I can only imagine...Gosh, I still have to get ready-"

Lee responded with a gesture, "You-You go ahead, Honey, and I'll help them get dressed-"

Amanda looked around the messy bedroom with concern and asked, "Are you sure?"

Lee kissed her temple and nodded, commenting, "I know how to right a disheveled room, remember? I grew up with the man."

Amanda nodding, then stated to Jamie, "Okay...You and Phillip help Lee, and he'll help you...Don't worry...Everything's gonna be just fine, huh?"

Going out into the hall, Amanda went to knock on the bathroom door, answering, "Phillip! I need you out of there now! Move it!"

-SMK-

At precisely six-thirty, the dining room table was ready, as was Amanda and her family as the doorbell rang.

Amanda opened the door, and greeting the Colonel, let him in stating with a gesture, "Welcome, Colonel, please come in...Thank you for coming tonight..."

As Lee took the Colonel's coat to hang up in the foyer closet, Amanda gestured to her family then, answering, "Colonel Clayton...This is my mother, Dotty West, and my two sons, Phillip and Jamie King..."

Colonel Clayton smiled and greeting everyone, remarked, "M-mm...Something smells delicious here."

Dotty smiled responding, "It's Beef Stroganoff...I hope you'll like it. Would you care for a drink, Colonel?"

The Colonel answered, "Yes, thank you. Bourbon on the rocks, please."

Dotty stated, going to the kitchen, "Coming right up..."

Phillip quipped, "I'll have the same, Grandma-"

All eyes, stunned, immediately stared at Phillip, who gulped, and remarked, "J-Just a joke! Relax."

Amanda sighed, and shaking her head, answered firmly, "You will have milk with dinner, Young Man."

Phillip asided to Jamie as they all went into the family room to sit down, "Geez! Tough room..."

Jamie nodded and answered back in kind, "Yeah, but did you see how Lee whipped our bedroom into shape? Now that was cool!"

The Colonel, overhearing them, stated as he sat down in the wing chair, "Son, that's due to Lee's upbringing. I taught him about room inspections, and conduct becoming an officer's offspring...Which, sometimes, fell off the radar, did it not, Skip?"

Lee, clearing his throat as he sat on the chair near the couch, replied tiredly, "Y-Yes, Colonel, but please, can we forgo all the war stories for now? It's supposed to be a relaxing evening, okay?"

-SMK-

But later, as the Colonel and Lee sat in the dining room with Amanda and her family enjoying their meal, he still had tales to tell, embarrassing Lee to no end!

Then as everyone laughed, Dotty added her own anecdotes about Amanda's childhood in bits and pieces, which made Amanda wish the floor would swallow her whole for her escape!

Then, nearing the end of the dinner, the Colonel, noticing Lee and Amanda's uncomfortable silence, responded lightly to Lee, "Oh, c'mon! It's not like I would've sent you to the guillotine for your actions...Then or now."

Dotty nodded in agreement stating to Amanda, "And I wouldn't have sent you to one of those homes for wayward girls...Then or now."

Lee and Amanda, shared confused looks with one another, and then realized that they had been had!

Lee sighed, asking, "Alright, Colonel...When did you talk to Dotty?"

Colonel Clayton smirked and replied lightly, "Oh, about an hour before I arrived..."

Dotty, giggling, remarked to Amanda, "I did say that you had something to discuss with him, and I was only trying to test the waters beforehand to see just how gruff the man would be."

Amanda, shaking her head, stated, "Oh, Mother-"

Lee replied, "Geez, Colonel-"

Colonel Clayton, putting up a hand, commented, "Stop!"

Looking at Amanda, he remarked, "Mind if I have a word with your boys in private?"

Amanda, perplexed, shrugged saying, as she looked at her sons, "If they don't mind...Boys, be nice, alright?"

Phillip and Jamie chimed, "Sure, Mom..."

Lee asided to Colonel Clayton, "Remember, no classified stuff, alright?"

Colonel Clayton sighed, answering, "Of course! I didn't just fall off a turnip truck, Skip!"

Lee, clearing his throat, commented, "Just checking, Sir..."

And as the three headed to the den, Lee pleaded with Colonel Clayton, " Now, take it easy on them, huh? They're just civilian kids..."

As the boys went into the den, Colonel Clayton turned to look at his nephew, stating gruffly as he pointed his index finger at Lee, "Listen, Sonny Boy...I handled you, and I can handle them, alright?"

Lee nodded with apprehension, "O-Okay..."

Lee and Amanda spent the next few moments wondering just how bad it was going to get...

-SMK-

In the den, Colonel Clayton had the boys sit on the couch as he answered, "Alright, Fellas...I just want to say that I think your mother is a fine lady and has helped my nephew stay on the straight and narrow, and he'd be an excellent addition to your family...Now, what say you?"

Jamie asked, "Huh?"

Phillip groaned replying to Jamie, "He wants to know if we like Lee enough to have him stick around."

Jamie remarked, "Oh...Well, after your stuff happened with Dad, I think it's okay now-"

Colonel Clayton queried, "What do you mean? What happened?"

Phillip sighed, responding, "Well, Sir, Mom and Dad divorced when we were little, and I kinda thought after hearing about Lee and Mom dating that he might leave too...See, Dad left to work in the EAO, and he and Mom didn't get back together, so-"

Colonel Clayton nodded and stated firmly, "Well, I assure you here and now that you have nothing to worry about with Lee. He once took a bunch of kids on defending a girl, and came out on the other side just fine. I raised him to be a upstanding young man, and I see how much he cares for your mother...His once wandering days are over...Now, what was that earlier about putting your room to rights?"

So, Jamie explained about their grandmother being nervous about the evening, and thereby making him nervous, so their room was in a bit of a shambles as he got ready.

Chuckling, the Colonel asked, "Really? But it's alright now?"

The boys nodded, and Phillip answered, "It's cleaner than when we do it..."

Colonel Clayton queried with piqued interest, "Really? Would you care to show me? I'd like to see for myself just how well Skip did."

The boys nodded, and as the three came out of the den, and Lee and Amanda saw them heading for the stairs to go up, Amanda asked, "Boys? What's going on?"

Phillip answered with a wink, "Room inspection! We'll be back down in a minute!"

As the boys headed up with the Colonel, Dotty queried to Amanda, "He's-He's not checking our rooms, is he?"

Lee, with a deep sigh, shook his head and replied quietly, "N-No...Just my handiwork in the boys' bedroom, that's all."

Dotty giggled as she asked Lee, "A bit of a taskmaster when you were growing up, was he?"

Lee muttered softly as they heard the Colonel and the boys come down, "Ohh, you have no idea, Dotty..."

-SMK-

Coming into the family room a little while later, Colonel Clayton stated to Lee, "On your feet, Soldier!"

Lee, gulping, immediately stood up at attention in front of the Colonel, who responded, "At ease, Son...You've passed Room Inspection once again...Congratulations..."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Lee, shaking the Colonel's hand, answered, "Thank you, Sir."

Colonel Clayton then remarked to Dotty, "I'd like to thank you for the delightful evening and the meal was delicious, Dotty...But I now need to speak to your daughter and my nephew...Alone, please?"

Dotty nodded, but then remembering, stated with a gesture towards the kitchen sink full of dinner dishes,, "Of course... Just as soon as I clean these-"

But the Colonel remarked firmly as he looked over at Lee,"Nonsense! These two can help clean up while we talk...You do remember your K.P. duties, don't you, Skip?"

Lee sighed commenting as he followed Amanda and the Colonel to the kitchen, "Only too well, Sir..."

Dotty, glancing at Lee and Amanda as she headed to the stairs with Phillip and Jamie, "Well, good night..."

The boys said good night also, and followed their grandmother up, and then there were only Lee, Amanda, and the Colonel in the kitchen.

The Colonel leaned against the counter as Lee and Amanda began washing and drying the dishes, and remarked, "Alright...We're alone now, so what's on your mind, Skip?"

TBC