CHAPTER 4

ONE

LISA'S SOLUTION

"Bart," Lisa shouted as she flung open his bedroom door to see if he's returned. Her eyes swept the room, scanning the surface of the room in a mere instant. "Yeah, he wants to do better. Can't even make his own damn bed," she mumbled.

Lisa slams the door and walks to the kitchen of the apartment. Opening the stainless-steel refrigerator, her eyes immediately locked onto an opened tupperware container. Her yellow face nearly turned orange with anger as she removed the tray to examine it. The salad that she had made for the previous night's dinner was nearly eaten.

"Damnit, Bart," she said as she closed the container and shoved it back into the fridge. Suddenly, the doorbell to her apartment rang with an audible chime.

Lisa quickly hurried to the entrance, and spoke into the intercom. "Who is it," she asked in a calm tone, hiding her previous anger.

"Lisa, it's your mom. I've got a few things for you."

Lisa buzzed her mother in, and a few moments later, the blue-haired Marge Simpson walked through her daughter's front door, carrying a big red bag at her side.

"Hey sweetie," Marge said giving Lisa a large hug. "It smells really good in here. Did you just finish cleaning?"

"Kind of. After we talked, I realized that there really wasn't much to do, so straightening up is more like it."

Marge takes a big whiff of the apartment air, and asks, "Did Bart come back? I know I don't have to ask, but I will anyway. Did he help?"

"Hell no," she shouted angrily, answering all of Marge's questions at once. "And I have no idea where he is. He was just telling me about how he hated his new job, but after a little conversation, I apparently convinced him to tough it out. He doesn't start til a little later, so he can really be anywhere right now."

"What's his new job," Marge asks with a sigh. "What exactly is he doing?"

"Something having to do with warehouse work. Loading and unloading trucks, stocking, stuff like that I guess. Didn't ask him for all the details."

"Hmmm," Marge grunts, sharing an unsure look. "Well, it beats him being a stripper I suppose."

"Yeah, it sure does," Lisa said with a chuckle, following it up with a slight sigh. "He said he's gonna try and do better. Granted, that was after a night out on the town, which, like I said earlier, ended with him being carried home by Milhouse and Kearney. Either way it goes, I just hope he stays true to his word."

Marge's face takes on a serious look. "It's not easy, Lisa. Your father vowed to change his ways a bunch of times. No more being lazy, no more drinking, but he still does the same old things till this very day. If I'm being completely honest, I'm not sure how he does it." She removes the bag from her wrist, and proceeded to hand it to Lisa. "Here, I brought you guys some dinner."

"Oh, thanks," she said, accepting the bag from her mother, carrying it to the kitchen with her mother behind her. "I told him that I'm not gonna put up with his crap for too much longer," Lisa says as she removed two fairly large tupperware bowls from the red bag and placed them on the counter.

"I hate to put it so bluntly, but you're the only one who's gonna be there for him, sweetie," Marge said. "Your father doesn't want him at our house, and you already know your aunts aren't the caring type. You're the only one he's got. I know it's hard, but you really have to be patient with him. If he said he wants to change, then he must really want to."

"Mom, I get that," Lisa said with a calm sincerity. "I have been very patient and accepting of him and his many flaws. I don't mind looking out for him to an extent, but it grows really old after awhile. Bart's my brother, but he's not my child. It's not my job to care for him, so he has to do it himself. If he's not gonna do it on his own, then I'll have to force his hand, and if that has to be by tossing him out on the street, then so be it."

Marge sighs as she leaned against the wall. "Can't say I disagree, dear. I just hope he'll do the right thing."

"You and me both," Lisa said sternly. "Like I said; if not, I have a solution for that problem."

TWO

BART'S CROSSROADS

It is evening time in the town of Springfield, and the sun shined brightly, with the faint dim of the approaching night.

"Bart, I gotta be honest with you," Milhouse said as he drove his beaten up sedan slowly down a commercial road. "I dunno how much longer you can keep this up. Lisa's gonna get suspicious one day."

"Look, Milhouse, I'm already in too deep."

"That's what she said," Milhouse said with a child-like chuckle. Bart followed suit with a snigger of his own.

"But you're right," Bart agreed. "I need to find a better job. Well, a normal job." He paused momentarily as his face took on a expression of worry. "Man, she's gonna kill me if she finds out."

"Yeah, she sure is," Milhouse said with a laugh. "You better come up with a plan fast. It's not like being a stripper's making you a lot of money anyway."

"Yeah, but there's good nights." Silence falls between the two. Bart glances at Milhouse, who appeared to have immediately lost interest in the conversation. He sighs and continues, "But every night isn't guaranteed good money."

"Exactly," Milhouse agreed. "Ya know, Bart, sounds like you like being a stripper to me."

"Hell no," he rebutted, somewhat defensively. "I already told you why? It's a easy job with okay hours. You wouldn't want to go from working that to doing some stupid warehouse job."

"Like a stupid warehouse job that you told Lisa you were working? I'm sure I could do that besides stripping, Bart. However, I have self-respect."

Bart grinned. "Yeah right, Mr. Gas Station Attendant."

"At least I don't get paid the same amount... well, depending on some nights of course, less money for getting naked for people that I don't know." This quiet's Bart, bringing a momentary silence between the two again. "I dunno what it's gonna take, Bart, but you need to find a new job quick before she finds out. The longer you keep this lie going, the worse it's gonna look on you when she does find out."

"I know," he concedes. "This is my last weekend doing this. After tomorrow, my stripping days are over. I'm gonna have to apply to a temp agency or something. They hire quick."

Milhouse looks over to his friend with an approving smile. "Good! You know I'll help you any way I can."

"You always have. If I ever needed help with something, I could always count on you."

"You start the same time tonight, right," Milhouse asks.

"Yup, nine o'clock as usual."

"Okay, so we'll have a little time."

"Time for what," Bart asked.

"Time to get something to eat and look into some nearby temp agencies," his friend replied. "I'm holdin' you to this. Not just for you, but for Lisa too. You can thank me later."

Bart rested his head on the headrest, pondering if this would all play out in his favor. Of course, anything can happen, but just for a slight second, he imagined what would happen if Lisa found out about his lies, and as one would expect, her reaction surely wasn't one of delight.

As Milhouse cruised down the road in his small, worn-out Chevy sedan, Bart Simpson hoped and prayed all would go his way, and as Milhouse pulled into a Krusty Burger drive-through, he promised himself that he would change for the better if it did. It was too much effort to maintain this facade. Most importantly, he meant it.

AUTHOR TO READERS

As always, I want to thank anyone who has stuck with this story from chapter to chapter, and thank you to those who have just dropped by to see what this story's about. I truly do appreciate all of the support. If you've been enjoying the story, be sure to follow or favorite it, and as always, be sure to leave a review with feedback or comments on what you think of the story so far. I love to hear what people have to say whether it's good or bad.