The Kids Grow Up by Trish Hanan (novel24 .TXT) 📖

their fathers.
“Dads, can we talk to you for a minute?” Jackson asked solemnly and Harry felt his heart drop, this was it, they were going to tell them that they wanted a house. He nodded and Emma and Jackson sat in the chairs facing the desk. Harry sat on the edge of the desk while Jake sat in the chair. Jackson cleared his throat.
“Well, we were talking to Stevie and Stephie and them about moving out and we thought you should know our decision,” he began and both men nodded.
“We know that we’re old enough and that most kids move out at sixteen,” Emma told them. “But we listed the pros and cons and frankly we feel that we’re not ready yet to move out. I mean, Jackson’s name hasn’t come up on the white milk lottery and you know he doesn’t drink green milk and until next year or the year after when his name comes up, we won’t be ready,” she said. Harry nodded.
“We know how much Jackson loves his white milk, he’s just like his father,” he said and Jake beamed at his son who smiled at him.
“And Stevie and Stephie are pigs, Dad,” Jackson told them. “They’re slobs and they’re always throwing their clothes around the house and leaving a big mess for Aunt Kathleen to clean up and I can’t live like that. Now Martin and May are neat and they’ll make good roommates but Stevie, no way, he’ll drive me crazy so maybe in a couple of years when he’s more mature he’ll be ready to move out.” Harry nodded.
“Some boys take longer than others to mature,” he said and they both nodded.
“I can take George and Martha with me when I go can’t I?” Emma asked; her face worried. Harry nodded.
“Of course, you can, darling, they’re your cats, I gave them to you,” he told her and she smiled.
“Great, so it’s alright with you if we stay here for a couple more years?” she asked and they both nodded.
“Of course, Emma, this is your home for as long as you want to stay here,” Harry said firmly and they both looked relieved. He walked around the desk and hugged them. “Maybe you two should start helping with the cooking and food prep work more so that when you’re ready to move out you’ll know more,” he suggested and they grinned.
“Yeah and I want to bake bread with Fran and you more, I haven’t done a lot of that,” Jackson said and Harry nodded.
“That’s a great idea, Jackson, I know she’s going to bake bread tomorrow, why don’t you help her,” he said and his son grinned.
“Great, Dad, oh, well, we’re meeting the guys at the roller rink, see you later,” he said and they both left. Harry waited until they were out of sight and then he jumped up and spun around. Jake laughed and caught him. They kissed long and hard. Harry laid his head on Jake’s chest and sighed.
“Our babies are staying home for a couple more years, oh, honey, I’m so happy,” he gushed and Jake laughed.
“You do know the real reason is because of the white milk don’t you, babe?” he teased and Harry giggled.
“Yep, and the clean laundry, the cooking, food prep and the freshly baked bread,” he said smugly and Jake laughed again and kissed him.
“You do take good care of us, babe,” he told him and Harry got that look in his eyes and looked around the room. Jake shivered and cleared the desk off. Harry giggled and reached for Jakes zipper.
The whole town waited and waited but summer came and went and the kids still didn’t move out and Kate accused him of being a hypocrite and forcing his children to remain at home.
“For your information Mom, Emma and Jackson informed us that they didn’t want to move out until they were eighteen,” he informed her smugly and she was surprised.
“Eighteen, why on earth would they decide that?” she asked. He laughed.
“I’m not sure but I’m fairly certain it has something to do with the fact that Jackson only drinks white milk and his name hasn’t come up on the lottery yet,” he told her and she laughed.
“That boy takes after his father,” she said. “Oh, well, I’d give him my white cow, but then Barb would kill me. So, you get to keep your children longer than me but that doesn’t mean you’re a better parent, Henry, so don’t be acting all smug,” Harry sighed. It was just like her to read that into it, he was a better parent and that was just a fact.
“Have fun with your sheep, Mother,” he said and hung up. Lately she and Barb had taken to raising sheep with Jan and Joy whose herd had grown too large for them to handle so the two older women had taken half to help them. Now all the lesbians were known around town as the ‘sheep ladies’, Harry loved it.
“Why do our kids move out at sixteen and their kids stay home until they’re eighteen,” Linda snapped at one of the ladies weekly coffees. Myra shrugged.
“Charlie told me May wanted to move out but Emma didn’t want to, she said she wasn’t ready to move out and give up her laundry service and maid service and Harry does everything for those kids and treat them like royalty and his kids don’t want to give that up,” she informed them. Meri nodded.
“Stevie told me Jackson won’t move out until he gets a white cow, he refuses to drink green milk and since Jake refused to drink green milk he won’t let his son have his while milk cow,” she told them. Gloria laughed.
“Well, you can’t blame him for that, David and I wouldn’t give up our white milk cow for anyone,” she said and they all rolled their eyes. In the fifteen years of the lottery the selfish couple hadn’t let their precious cow get pregnant once and everyone thought that was so selfish. Linda sighed.
“Well, its not right, my Diana moved out this year and I was looking forward to Emma and Jackson moving out and now I don’t get to gloat,” she spat and everyone laughed. Shelley giggled.
“Well, I’m glad Doris moved out, that girl did nothing but talk on the damned phone to Diana and eat all the cookies and make a mess everywhere and didn’t do any housework, I hate to think of what their house is going to look like,” she stated and they all laughed again. Linda giggled.
“Well, if Diana has to do the housework then they’ll never see their floors, I don’t think I ever saw her bedroom carpet since she was ten,” she teased. Shelley grinned.
“Georgie was like that but now that he’s out on his own, I was over there the other day and it was neat and very clean, I guess since it’s his own place he wants it kept clean,” she rolled her eyes. Linda nodded.
“Paul and Victor’s place is neat like that too. Paul was such a little piggy when he was at home but when I peeked in their living room it was very neat, I was so surprised I could have died,” she said and they all shook their heads.
“Well, we have two more years to enjoy the last ones and then they’ll be gone,” Myra said with a sigh. Josie grinned.
“We could always have more, we’re going to be thirty-seven for another six hundred years,” she teased and they all rolled their eyes.
“Bite your tongue, I’m going to relax and drink martinis every day for the next fifty years before I think of kids again,” June declared and they all agreed, no more kids for at least a hundred years.
Now that all of the kids were in High School most of the adults didn’t have anything to do with their days so Harry suggested that they take up a hobby.
“What kind of a hobby?” Linda asked. He shrugged.
“We have a quilting store, you can make quilts, there’s knitting, crocheting, arts and crafts, wood working, painting, sculptures, ceramics, there is a loom store, you can learn to weave, buy a camera and take pictures, find something you like to do and do it,” he told them. They all nodded and went shopping. And some took up knitting and some arts and crafts and some everything he mentioned and the craft houses he had built soon became occupied by the adults instead of the kids and they all had fun.
The men on Farm One continued with their pastime of playing golf, tennis and hanging out at the club drinking beer and mixed drinks and making fun of the rest of the men. And of course hating Harry and making fun of him and his sons, that was their favorite pastime. Dr. George listened by never made any comments and they knew he didn’t agree with them and that pissed Max and Charles off but he was one of them so they put up with him.
“We should ask that little fagola if he brought down another golf course, I’m tired of playing this one,” Max said one day in August. Charles nodded.
“We should, hey, George why don’t you ask him, he likes you,” he suggested. George nodded.
“Sure, I’ll ask him after the next town meeting,” he told them and they all laughed.
“Yeah, I knew old George wouldn’t mind talking to that little freak,” Max muttered and Charles snickered. Bernie rolled his eyes.
“George is fine, don’t make fun of George, you might need him one day, hell, the way you drink, Max, you might need Harry one of these days,” he told him. Max glared at him.
“I’d rather die than have that little freak touch me,” he declared and everyone rolled their eyes because they knew he was talking out of his ass.
A week later, Linda was going down on him and noticed a lump on his left testicle. She gasped.
“Max, you have a bump on your nut here,” she said and he frowned.
“What, what are you talking about?” he asked and she showed him where it was and he felt it and felt his heart stop.
“It’s probably an infected gland or something, my Uncle Stan had one of those once and they had to cut it out, he was fine,” he told her and she nodded. It did kill the mood though and they went to bed without making love, they just held each other and worried.
The next day he called Dr. George and they went to the hospital for a scan and George sighed and patted his shoulder. Linda took one look at his sad face and burst into tears. Max was shocked, he was a young man and young men didn’t get sick.
“I’m sorry, Max, its testicular cancer and its spread pretty good, unless Harry can heal it, you’re going to die,” Dr. George told him. Max gasped.
“Can’t you do anything, George, this is a hospital,” he stammered. George shook his head.
“This is just a clinic really and it’s not set up for cancer or leukemia, it’s mostly for surgery and child birth; things like cancers go to the larger hospitals and we don’t have one. But don’t worry, I’m sure that Harry will be able to heal