What's Happened to Michael?
Later that night, Julie and Catherine were in their rooms. Julie was playing with her Etch a Sketch and Catherine was coloring with their dogs were sleeping at the foot of their beds.
"Hey girls," Grandpa came in, "I brought you each something to dress up your room with." Grandpa showed them a taxidermy of a fox and a black cat.
Catherine grimaced at the sight of the dead animals, but Julie gave a smile and said, "Thanks Grandpa."
As Grandpa said the fox on Julie's side of the room and the black cat on Catherine's side he said, "I'm also going to make one for Sam too."
Lucy then comes in, "9:00 lights out," she said, "Did you brush your teeth?"
"Yes Mom," Julie answered.
"Yes Mommy," Catherine answered.
"Good night girls," said Grandpa leaving their room.
"Good night Grandpa," the girls say in unison.
"Okay then bed time," Lucy said.
"But Mommy I'm not sleepy," Catherine yawns.
Julie chuckles, "Yeah sure you're not."
Lucy then tucked her daughters in and kissed them good night. Julie cuddled up with her teddy bear, Blue and Catherine cuddled up with her Buddy doll, Chucky, her stuffed dog, Jack, her gremlin toy, her ET doll, her stuffed Garfield and her musical white teddy bear, Snowball.
The next day Sam tried waking up Michael but he told Sam to go away and let him sleep. Grandpa then asked Sam, Julie and Catherine if they would like to go into town with him, which they said yes to. Grandpa opened his garage door, and his 1957-1958 car sat there.
"Well, how do you like that baby, huh?" Grandpa asked.
"It's a beauty," Sam answered.
"Come on, let's get in," said Grandpa.
"Alright. Hey, can I drive it on the way back?" Sam asked, as he got in the passenger seat.
Julie laughs as she and Catherine climb in the back, "Yeah right."
"Like Mommy would allow it," Catherine adds.
"Fat chance," Grandpa said, "And your sisters are right. Nobody drives this baby but me." He got in, and started the car. The car had a very nice engine. "Yeah. You gotta let it warm up a little. Hear that sound? Just like a baby pussycat. Okay, let's go to town."
"Alright!" Sam said smiling. But then he frowned when the engine stopped, and Grandpa got out. He looked at Sam through his window.
"Well, are we having fun or what?" Grandpa asked.
"I thought we were going to town." Sam said.
"That's as close to town as I like to get." Grandpa said, and then left.
"What a weirdo man," Sam mutters.
Later in the afternoon Lucy calls home. Sam picks up the phone.
"Hello," Sam said.
"Sam it's me I need to talk to Michael," Lucy said on the phone.
"Okay," Sam said and goes to Michael's room to wake him up, knowing that he's still asleep. Julie and Catherine, who were in the kitchen too, followed Sam.
"Mousy get up," Catherine states jumping on his bed and onto his lap.
Mousy was another nickname that Catherine called Michael. Julie laughs as Michael groans in frustration.
"Mike. Wake up," Sam said pulling the blinds open letting in the sunlight, "It's Mom." Sam gives the phone to Michael.
"Mom's home?" Michael asks sleepy, putting a hand over his face.
"No, on the phone Mike," Sam says.
"What time is it?" Michael asks.
"It's 2 o'clock," Sam answers with a slight chuckle.
"Give me my sunglasses," Michael told Sam.
"Mousy needs sunglasses to talk on the phone?" Catherine asked looking at Julie who gave a shrug.
"You need your sunglasses to talk on the phone?" Sam questions as he hands them to Michael, "Are you free-basing? Inquiring minds want to know."
Michael stuck up his middle finger, flipping him off in response.
"Oh," Sam murmurs.
"Hello," Michael answers softly.
"Michael, are you still in bed?" Lucy asked over the phone.
"No, I'm up," Michael told her.
"Michael, would you do me a favor? Max asked me to go dinner with him after work tonight. Would you stay home with Sam, Julie and Catherine?" Lucy asks.
"Look Sam is old enough to stay by himself right now," Michael said. "And he can stay with Julie and Catherine."
"Hey, I don't need a babysitter Mike," Sam protests.
But Michael shushed him.
"Look Michael, you know you come home in the middle of the night. You sleep all day, I work all day. Sam, Julie and Catherine are always alone. You know it's been a long time since somebody asked me to go to dinner," Lucy said, "I'd like to go, okay?"
"Okay Mom," Michael said.
Lucy smiled, "Thanks honey it's a real favor. Bye-bye." Lucy then hung up the phone.
Later that day, Michael, still having his sunglasses on was lifting his weights. Sam, Julie and Catherine came into the kitchen with their dogs.
"Mike," Sam said, "What'd you do last night, bud. You look wasted."
"I can't remember too much after the Chinese food that looked like maggots," Michael said, making the girls look at each other in confusion.
Michael then sat down with his foot on the chair.
"Hey do you guys think Grandpa's an alien?" Sam asks.
"Why would Grandpa be an alien?" Catherine asked.
"Mom and I didn't want to tell you and the girls until you were 18," Michael said.
Nanook, Bonnie and Baltogo went over to Michael and started licking his foot.
"Stop it Nanook, Baltogo, Bonnie," Michael tells them trying to push the dogs away, "Stop it."
"Nanook come here," Sam said to his dog.
"Bonnie that's gross," Julie states, picking up Bonnie.
Catherine pulls Baltogo away from Michael's foot, and said, "Don't lick Mousy's foot."
"No I said stop it, Nanook," Michael said trying to push Nanook away, who was still there.
"What are you doing? Come here, come here," Sam said coaxing Nanook away from Michael's foot. Sam noticed the bottom of his foot, "Spilled something?"
"No, why?" Michael asked.
"Because the bottoms of your feet are covered with salt," Sam said before laughing a little, the girls also noticed it.
"Yuck!" Catherine said.
"Yuck indeed!" Julie agrees.
Michael sees that there is indeed there is salt under his foot and takes a little from his foot. "That was some pretty funky Chinese food," Michael said putting the little bit of salt on Sam's mouth before walking away.
"Wanna go to the comic book store?" Sam asked.
"Nope!" Michael answers.
David and the boys will be in the next chapter.