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

us, we’ve got to find something interesting to do,” he told him. Jake nodded and sat next to him.
“You find anything?” he asked. Harry shrugged.
“I found a ski resort, but I don’t want to build it here, we get such awful blizzards, I was thinking maybe we could build it over in Sherwood and go skiing there,” he said. Jake grinned.
“That might be fun, they have terrific mountains over there, but the only way to get there would be your ship, do you want to spend your time taking people back and forth during the winter to go skiing?” he asked. Harry shrugged.
“What else do I have to do and I could do it like every other weekend, take one group over and bring one group back,” he reasoned and Jake nodded.
“That sounds good, hell, why not, we love to ski and the kids do, let’s build the Talbert Lodge and we won’t charge anyone to stay there, they just have to wash their own damned sheets,” he said and Harry giggled.
“Yeah, and only family gets to stay in the grand room,” he told him and Jake kissed him.
Harry sent out an email the next day telling everyone about the Ski Lodge and asking for volunteers to fly with him to Sherwood to build it and he got a lot of volunteers, especially among the kids who always loved to build something. So they flew off to Sherwood and picked the closest mountain range that Harry had named the Jackson Range after his son and they built the Lodge. It was two stories with a dining hall, kitchen and bar and very nice. They also built a log barn so people could bring their cows if they wanted fresh milk in the winter and Harry promised to build the ski lift when the snow fell and they saw how the slopes went. Everyone thought it was the best idea he had had in a long time and they had the best time building it.


Now that everyone was out of school and had a lot of free time people began to go exploring Eden And Eden was a very large continent; it took them several years to see all of it and to map all of it. They went camping and hiking, fishing on lakes and rivers. They found out that it didn’t snow at all in the winter on the East Coast and that there was a big swamp in the Northeast filled with all kinds of giant lizards that didn’t bite. They found coffee in the south and tea on a little island off the southern coast so they could get them without going all the way to Savannah. They found some really great, long rivers that ran the whole distance of the continent and went rafting and high mountain peaks to climb.
Danny finally moved out when he was twenty but only because the other kids put the pressure on him too but he didn’t go far. He asked Harry if he could move into the house next door and, of course, his dad said yes, so, Danny, to no surprise of his siblings who always knew he was stuck up Harry’s ass, moved into Jewel’s old house and even shared the barn with his dads. They saw him every morning when they milked their cows and it was a very pleasant way for them to start the day.
When the exploring was over Jake decided he was bored and he didn’t know what to do with himself so Harry sat him down for a talk.
“So, honey, what did you want to be when you grew up?” he asked him solemnly. Jake laughed.
“Oh, Harry, let’s be serious,” he said and started to get up from the chair. Harry grinned and grabbed his hand and brought him back to the chair.
“I am being serious, honey, sometimes what you really wanted to do as a small boy is what you need to be doing as a man,” he informed him. “I seem to remember someone saying they wanted to become a Vet and go to work with their dad, why don’t you do that?” he asked him. Jake looked surprised.
“Because there’s no Veterinarian College on Eden would be a good reason, babe,” he answered. Harry grinned.
“Yes, but there is a really good computer generated program with three-d teaching screens that I can set up for you in the study and it will be just like you’re at Veterinarian College,” he told him. Jake looked impressed.
“But I never finished High School, how am I going to learn all that without a normal education?” he asked. Harry grinned.
“I finished High School and College with six degrees I can help, plus Jake, you’ve got thirty thousand years to do it in, I bet it won’t take you that long,” he teased and Jake laughed.
“I bet it won’t take me more than a hundred,” he boasted and they kissed.
So Harry set up the program and turned the study into a Vet’s office complete with all the diagnostic equipment and tools. He put the program on the computer and they even scanned a green cow and bull so Jake could learn about them and Harry made up a program to study them. Then Jake began to study and it was hard at first but he found it fascinating to learn all about the different parts of the animals and how they worked. Then he learned about all the diseases they could get and how to treat and diagnose them and about vaccines and tests and soon he was studying like mad and Harry was helping all the way.
Everyone leaned not to bother them between certain hours because Jake was going to school and everyone prayed he would become a Vet real soon because they were tired of taking their dogs to Dr. Jackson who hated them. He was proud of his son and encouraged him every time he came over and they talked about everything and it soon became apparent to Jake that he was beginning to know more than his dad and that tickled him. Especially about green cows, his dad hated the green cows because they drooled so much and he hated treating them. So when they got sick they usually died because he hadn’t a clue as to what was wrong with them. So when Jake became a green cow expert and people started to realize that, they began calling him whenever their green cows got sick and he would rush over and try to figure out what was wrong. Occasionally he was wrong and the cow died anyway, but more often he was right and the animal got better. Everyone began calling him Dr. Talbert even before he took the test.
Jake took the Veterinarian’s License’s Examination in forty-two eighty-six, he was a hundred and fifty-six, which meant he was really fifty-three and he had been studying for nine years. He scored a ninety-eight on the same exam his father had scored a barely passing seventy-seven. Everyone in town came to the celebration party Harry threw for him and looked over his award winning test paper with all of its correct answers, he had only missed two questions and they were both on elephants and they didn’t have any elephants on Eden so who cared that he had missed them.
“I’m so proud of you, honey,” Harry gushed and kissed him. His dad shook his hand.
“Dr. Talbert, it should be Dr. Jackson like me, but I’ll take Dr. Talbert,” he said and everyone laughed.
“Thank God, it’s Dr. Talbert,” Jackson exclaimed and they all laughed again. His granddad glared at him.
“Jackson Jackson is a fine name,” he declared and Ryan and Sean giggled.
“Oh, man, the things we could have done with that name,” they both said at once and Harry laughed.
“They would have made their brother’s life a living hell, Jackson, thank God, Jake took my name,” he told him and Dr. Jackson grinned.
“I suppose living with those two ornery rascals was enough punishment for anyone,” he retorted and they picked him up and hugged him while he protested and laughed. All of his grandsons except for Danny were taller than he was and he loved it. Adam was the tallest being an amazing six feet four inches tall and the tallest man on the planet.
Violet watched the happy family and made her usual face. All seven men were a wonder to see, all tall and handsome. And the girls were both tall and beautiful, Harry and Jake had the most attractive children on the planet and together they were stunning and a little bit over-whelming. They all dressed well and looked good and knew it, having the confidence of growing up knowing that they were loved and they were all well-adjusted and happy adults. They had done a fine job at raising them. Why did she want to go over and smack all of them in their fantastic looking faces?
“You look like you’re swallowed a dead fish, what’s wrong with you?” Susie asked as she stood beside her used to be best friend. Susie was living with Pearl Jackson these days, the two were thick as thieves and more than a few people suspected they were lesbians. Violet glared at her, she’d never forgiven her for moving out and leaving her in that big house all alone.
“Why are you speaking to me, I thought you said you were never going to?” she sneered. Susie sighed.
“Violet, this planet is too small to hold a grudge, can’t we at least be social?” she said sweetly. Violet shook her head.
“Why don’t you go back to Pearl where you belong, you traitor,” she snapped. Susie sighed.
“Fine, we were going to invite you to a party we’re having but I guess you wouldn’t want to come to one of our parties,” she snapped back. Violet laughed.
“I don’t come to dyke parties,” she declared in a loud voice and a few people looked over at them. Susie glared at her.
“That’s funny, I could have sworn that was you I saw eating Maggie Patterson’s pussy late week at Gloria’s sex party,” she said just as loud and Violet gasped and went to slap her but Pearl was there and grabbed her arm.
“No one slaps my gal,” she whispered into Violet’s ear and squeezed hard on her wrist. Violet gasped again in pain and Pearl laughed and let go of her wrist. Then she and Susie walked away. “I don’t know why you bother with that twisted bitch, Susie,” Pearl said loudly and a few people snickered. Violet’s sharp tongue had won her more than a few enemies. She rubbed her wrist and glared at the two girls.
The following Monday Jake put on a suit and tie and drove to the Vet Clinic to work in the office next to his dad’s office. They had no receptionist but didn’t need one as the people called before they came and set up their appointments a day or two before. Jake took over all the dogs and Dr. Jackson took the cats and of course Jake handled most of the life stock since Dr. Jackson wasn’t interesting in treating cows, sheep or lambs. Harry put their names on the outside wall in big black letters and Dr. Jackson came first because he was the oldest but Jake’s name was a tenth bigger which no one