Fun in the Sun

Chapter 6

“Hi, Dada,” Bree said into the phone.

“Hey, Squirt, are you and Ashley doing okay?” Brian asked.

“Yeah.”

“That doesn’t sound like a resounding yes,” Brian observed. “Is everything all right?”

“Why are boys so stupid?”

“Uh oh,” Brian reacted. “What happened?”

“Patrick has a new friend, and he’s weird.”

“I see.”

“I don’t see, Dada. Boys are stupid,” she repeated.

“Um, would you like to talk to Daddy?”

Bree sighed. “Sure.” She didn’t think she was going to get any answers from this source either.

“Hi, sweetheart.”

“Hi, Daddy, are you having fun?”

“Yes, this holiday is just what I needed. How are you and Ashley doing?”

Bree chose her words carefully. This vacation was for her Daddy. What she said to her Dada wasn’t what she was going to say to her other father. She wanted him to have a good time, and not worry about her. “We’re good, Daddy. We’re going shopping with Ashley’s mom today.”

“Buy some cute stuff. I can’t wait to see it.”

Bree smiled to herself. She and Ashley would have fun shopping. And maybe Patrick would too, if he didn’t bring that stupid Chet with him. “I better go get ready. You and Dada have a good time.”

“We will, sweetheart. I love you.”

“Love you too, Daddy.”

Bree handed the phone to Bobby. It was his day to take care of the kids, and he thought he was a better one to go shopping with Susanna than John would be.

“My mommy’s here!” Ashley shouted as the buzzer indicated a visitor at the end of the lane.

“Better go, Justin. Susanna just arrived,” Bobby said into the phone before cutting the connection. He pushed the button to release the gate. Everyone picked up what they were going to take with them on the day’s shopping expedition. They walked outside waiting for Susanna’s car to pull up. Once she arrived and received her hugs, they all got into John’s big SUV which seemed the most convenient vehicle for the number of people and all the impending purchases.

“So what’s the plan for today?” Bobby asked as he headed the SUV down the lane.

“I thought we’d hit Pittsburgh,” Susanna said with a big smile. “We could start at the mall and then hit some of the specialty shops near Liberty Avenue. Maybe lunch at the diner. I always hear you guys talking about it.”

“You want to eat in Gayville?” Bobby asked with a chuckle.

“I think I can handle it, and I hear the burgers are the best.”

“Yum!” Bree agreed. “I like this plan.” She looked over at Ashley and Patrick who both nodded their approval. Bree was very glad that they all seemed to be on the same page. And she was more than glad that Patrick hadn’t invited Chet to come with them.

They hit the mall first, going to the children’s stores for Bree and Ashley. They were able to find several outfits that were not exactly the same but had similar colors, including lots of pink and purple. Bree was happy with what they found, but she also wanted to see what the boutiques along Liberty Avenue might produce.

They paid for their purchases and headed to one of the big department stores in the mall. Patrick was tall enough that he could buy clothes either in the boys’ department, using the clothes that were at the upper end of the size scale, or in the men’s department where he could often fit the smaller sizes.

Patrick tried on a few outfits with Bobby making the selections. They consisted mostly of shirts and jeans with some T-shirts thrown in. Ashley and Bree nodded their heads when they approved or gave a thumbs down when they didn’t. Soon Patrick had three things that he had decided on.

“How come all your stuff is blue?” Bree asked as they waited at the checkout for Bobby to pay and the clerk to fold and bag the clothes.

Patrick looked at the pile of his purchases. He hadn’t realized that they all were various shades of blue. “I guess mine are blue for the same reason all yours are pink and purple,” he said giving Bree a self satisfied smile. He was pleased with himself for thinking that up.

“But pink and purple are two colors,” Bree informed him. “You only have one color.”

“Hm,” Patrick said. “Maybe when we go to the boutiques we should each get something that’s a different color from everything we’ve bought so far.”

“Okay,” Bree said with a giggle. “I can get blue and you can get something pink.”

“I don’t think so!” Patrick protested in horror.

“What’s the matter with pink?”

“It’s … girlie.”

“Is not!”

“Is so!”

“Sometimes my Dada wears a pink shirt.”

“Good for him.”

“You could wear a pink shirt too.”

“No I couldn’t. I don’t want everybody making fun of me,” Patrick replied.

“Would Chet make fun of you?” Bree asked.

“I don’t know. And he doesn’t go to our school anyway.”

‘Thank the heavens,’ Bree thought to herself. “What if you choose another color?” Bree asked after some considered thought.

“Maybe,” Patrick said. He wasn’t sure what color he might like … other than blue.

“All set,” Bobby told them as he walked away from the counter with the bag of new clothes. “I vote for lunch.”

“Me too,” Bree agreed. Patrick and Ashley also chimed their agreement.

Susanna laughed. “Looks like lunch it is. Shall we head over to Liberty Avenue?”

“Sounds good,” Bobby replied before leading them out to the SUV.

 

*****
 

Once they were all ensconced in the big back booth at the Liberty Diner, Lacy came to the table.

“It’s great to see all of you here. What are you doing in Pittsburgh?” she asked.

“Clothes shopping for school,” Susanna supplied.

“Did you get anything good?” Lacy asked with a smile.

“Me and Ashley got some outfits that go together,” Bree said proudly. “They look really cute.”

“Yeah,” Ashley agreed.

“That’s great,” Lacy concurred. “What about you, Patrick?”

“I got some school clothes,” he replied.

“They’re all blue,” Bree informed Lacy.

“Boys do love blue,” Lacy said with a grin at Patrick.

“See!” Patrick said looking at Bree. “It isn’t just me.”

“So, what can I get you?” Lacy asked, deciding it might be best to leave the topic of the color of boys’ school clothes for another time.

Everyone placed their orders, all opting for burgers and fries. While they were waiting for their food, the door to the diner jingled, heralding the entrance of JR, Richie and Candy. There were excited greetings and hugs as the children saw each other for the first time in a while.

JR, Candy and Richie took the booth next to the Edna’s Treasures group so that they could talk across the back of the seat.

“So what are you guys doing here?” JR asked.

“We’re shopping for school clothes,” Bree told her sister. “I wish you could come with us.”

“I’m working this afternoon. Dad and Ben are having some alone time,” JR explained with a wink to her friends.

“My daddies always want alone time too,” Bree said with a little pout.

Richie, Candy and JR giggled.

“I hope they get enough of it while they’re on vacation,” JR said with a sly grin.

“Me too,” Bree agreed. “But I bet they’ll want more when they come home.”

The teenagers chuckled again.

“What’s so funny?” Bree asked with a frown. She didn’t think she had made a joke, but there seemed to be something that she wasn’t getting. Even Patrick was staring at the table with a smile on his face. He refused to look at Bree.

“Um, I can’t go shopping with you today, but you should take Richie. He knows how to find all the best stuff in the shops. And then he accessorizes. The results are to die for,” JR informed them.

“Would you like to come with us, Richie?” Bree asked batting her eyelashes at the young man. “Please.”

“Um, sure, yeah, I could go with you,” Richie conceded. “Who needs the clothes?”

“Well, it’s not me,” Bobby said with a laugh. “And remember these two are just children,” he added indicating Bree and Ashley. “We’d like them to look like children when they go to school in September.”

“I’m not a children!” Bree declared. “I’m a young lady.”

“I stand corrected,” Bobby said with a chuckle. “We’d like them to look like the young ladies they are.”

“Sure,” Richie replied. “I’m confident we can find some appropriate stuff.”

“I could use some new clothes too,” Susanna interjected, “but my budget is rather limited.”

“We should check out the consignment shops,” Richie suggested.

“Oh yes, Richie finds the most amazing clothes in those shops. That’s where my graduation dress came from,” JR gushed.

“I saw the pictures Brian and Justin brought back from the ceremony,” Bobby said. “You looked wonderful.”

“Thanks, I thought so too,” JR said with a winning smile for Richie.

“I’d love your help, Richie,” Susanna said.

“Then you shall have it,” Richie replied gallantly.

“What are you doing this afternoon, Candy?” Bobby asked. “If you’re not busy, maybe you could join us too.”

“Sure, I guess I could, if it’s all right with Richie.”

“That would be good,” Richie agreed.

Lacy delivered the burgers for the Edna’s Treasures group and everyone dug in. There were a few comments made, but mostly everyone simply enjoyed their food. JR, Candy and Richie managed to finish up their lunches about the same time the others were done. Once the bills had been paid, they said goodbye to JR who was going back to work. Then everyone headed for Richie’s favorite consignment shop.

The owner of the consignment store greeted Richie and his friends warmly. She knew Richie’s tastes and fashion sense. She was also pleased to have new customers who might spend some considerable money if they all made purchases.

“I’ll let Richie show you around,” the owner said. “I think he knows my shop better than I do.”

“Um, Richie,” Bree said after looking around for a few minutes. “Aren’t these clothes … used?”

“Yes they are. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t great clothes here,” Richie told her.

“I don’t know if I want to wear clothes that someone else had,” Bree said with concern.

“Lots of people pass on their clothes,” Bobby explained, “when they are finished with them, or they outgrow them. We sent many of yours and Patrick’s clothes that are too small for you to charities.”

“But I’m not a charity.”

“And these clothes aren’t free,” Richie reminded Bree. “But you can often find very high quality garments at very affordable prices in these shops. Some of them have their original sales tags still on them.”

“Oh,” Bree said.

“And you don’t have to buy anything unless you really like it,” Richie advised. “There are lots more shops with brand new clothes that we can look at later.”

“’Kay,” Bree replied. She wasn’t sure her Dada would like her shopping here, and she knew he never would shop there.

“Oh, Miss Susanna, look at this,” Richie called to the woman he was trying to help with her wardrobe.

“What is it, Richie?” Susanna asked as she moved over to where he was lifting something from the rack.

“It’s a beautiful Chanel style suit. And the color is to die for,” Richie said with enthusiasm.

“But it’s … pumpkin.”

“I know. Isn’t that great? With your coloring it will look wonderful.”

“I … I never wear oranges,” Susanna protested.

“Auntie Emm wears tangerine … sometimes,” Bree supplied.

“I know this will look wonderful on you. Go try it on while I find a blouse to go with it,” Richie ordered.

“Are you sure?” Susanna asked uncertainly.

“Absolutely!”

“Okay, I’ll give it a try.” Susanna went into the change room while Richie searched for a suitable blouse. Soon he found what he wanted and handed it in to Susanna.

While Susanna was completing her transformation, Richie found a wonderful chocolate brown dress and a blazer in a rich plum color that would go well with black slacks or skirts.

Susanna came out of the change room dressed in the suit that Richie had selected. Bobby let out a wolf whistle before he gave it a thought. Susanna blushed beet red, but then decided to go with the praise and did a twirl for everybody to see how she looked.

“Mommy, you look so good!” Ashley gushed.

“That’s really spectacular on you,” Candy observed in all honesty. “Richie has the best eye.”

Richie beamed at his friend. “I thought that would look great on you.”

Susanna went to the full length mirror and studied how she looked. She realized that she would never have chosen this suit because of the color. However, it did make a statement, and she had to admit that she looked better than all right.

“You definitely have to take that,” Richie advised her. “And try these on.” He handed her the other outfits he had found.

“It’s too much,” Susanna protested.

“Just try them on.”

“Okay,” Susanna said and headed for the change room. She did like the suit … a lot.

Bree tugged at Richie’s hand. “Can you find something for Patrick that’s not blue?” she asked very seriously.

“Um, I’ll look around, but they don’t have much in this store for children,” Richie said.

“Oh.”

“But there’s a store down the street that has some great kid’s clothes.”

Bree smiled. “Just don’t pick something pink. I don’t he’ll try anything on if you try to get him to wear pink.”

“No problem,” Richie said with a conspiratorial wink.

Susanna modeled her outfits which all got great reviews. She didn’t think she should get all of them, fearing that they would be way over her budget. However, Richie had the owner total everything up, and to Susanna’s surprise it came to a fraction of what she was expecting to pay. She got everything she had tried on.

Then the group hit the children’s store down the street, and Richie found some more wonderful things for the children. This wasn’t a consignment shop, so Bree was happy. And the prices were quite reasonable.

With a little prodding from Richie, Patrick tried on a plaid shirt that was predominantly yellow and some black acid washed jeans.

“You look really good,” Bree said with a big smile.

“I don’t know.” Patrick frowned at his reflection in the mirror.

“That looks good, son,” Bobby said.

“You really think so?”

“I do.”

“I do too, but … yellow?” Patrick asked.

“Sometimes we need to step outside the box,” Bobby said. “Wear it proudly.

Patrick nodded and went to change back into his regular clothes. He had one more outfit for school.

Ashley and Bree listened to Richie’s explanation of what he thought would suit each of them. He picked out a turquoise blue slack and top outfit that really complemented Bree’s strawberry blond hair. He found a lime green similar outfit that Ashley just loved. The girls were very happy and added this pair of outfits to their already substantial selections.

With many thanks to Richie the Edna’s Lane group headed for home.

“I like your yellow shirt,” Bree said as she sat beside Patrick in the back of the SUV.

“I like your turquoise outfit too,” Patrick replied.

“See, you can wear other colors.”

“You got my blue color,” Patrick said with a grin.

“It looks better on me,” Bree said with a laugh.

“I don’t think turquoise is your color, Patrick,” Ashley advised, “even if it is blue.”

“I agree,” Patrick conceded. “Turquoise would have been as bad as pink.”

“You’re in-corrigible,” Bree stated.

“Do you even know what that means?” Patrick asked.

“Yes I do,” Bree replied. “Daddy calls Dada that all the time so I looked it up in the dictionary.”

“What does it mean?” Ashley asked.

“It means that you do stuff that can never be corrected, and you do it even when you know you shouldn’t,” Bree explained in her inimitable fashion.

“So, why am I incorrigible?” Patrick asked.

“Because you would have rather had another blue outfit instead of the yellow shirt,” Bree said with a self satisfied smirk.

“Yeah, I would have,” Patrick admitted.

“But you got the yellow one anyway.”

“Yeah, I figure change is good sometimes.”

Bree smiled at her Patrick. “I had fun today,” she said.

“And I’m going to have fun tonight,” Patrick averred. “Dad’s taking me and Chet to stay overnight in the treehouse at grandma’s.”

Bree frowned and made a face. That wasn’t how she wanted the day to end.
 

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