Brian Un-henged

Chapter 11

Bree sat next to the window as she, Patrick and the rest of the kids were being carefully driven to the camp. Being the farthest from the camp, they were the last ones to be picked up. But they would be the first ones dropped off home. Both kids had looked around when they had boarded and were happy to see so many familiar faces. The Little Flowers Camp was centrally located to many of the neighboring towns and schools, so it serviced most of them. Bree was a little worried when she didn’t see her best friend in the whole world, besides Patrick, on the bus.

“I bet her mom is dropping her off,” Patrick said knowingly, reassuring his cousin. Bree looked up into the eyes that matched her Dada’s, her big brother and her Uncle John’s. She gave Patrick a pensive nod then turned her head to look out of the window.

Neither child had much experience on a school bus. They were always dropped off and picked up to and from school by their families. The only time they were ever on a school bus was during a school trip and that only happened once or twice a year. Bree was a little nervous.

As Bree continued to stare, Patrick reached out and slowly took a petite hand into his. At almost nine, girls were still icky and sometimes stupid but this was Briana and she held a very special place in Patrick’s heart. Bree turned her head, a small smile began to curl up the sides of her mouth and her violet blue eyes became very large. As her smile grew, it lit up Patrick’s heart and he was beginning to understand what his Uncle Brian meant with his laments about that Taylor smile. They held hands all the way to the camp.

 

*****
 

“Ashley!” Bree cried out as she saw her best friend climb out of her mom’s car. Bree and Patrick were patiently waiting off to one side while they were being assigned to their individual groups. Patrick had seen several of his friends already in his group but he decided to wait until Bree was assigned as well.

“Bree!” the little girl called out. The two friends hugged, bouncing up and down as if they hadn’t seen each other in ages.

“I hope we’re in the same group,” Bree said and Ashley nodded as they watched a camp counselor approach them.

“Ashley St. John?” the young woman asked. Ashley held up her hand.

“Briana Kinney-Taylor?” the counselor asked looking at Bree. Bree nodded. “This way, girls. You both are assigned to Carol’s group.”

“Yay!” the girls happily exclaimed, jumping up and down again then joining their assigned group. Patrick went to his group once he knew the girls were together and happy.

Each group was comprised of six to eight children, all about the same age, a counselor and a junior counselor or counselor in training (CIT). The day began with introductions within each group and with the CIT’s collecting the lunches to be refrigerated. The highlight was when each child received two camp shirts with matching shorts, a camp baseball cap and a camp tote bag. Bree was a little disappointed that the t-shirt wasn’t purple or pink but she decided to rise above it.

“We’ll be taking many trips so it’s important that you wear your camp shirts. The camp’s name and phone number is printed inside just in case you get separated from the group.

“Where will we be going, Miss Carol?” Bree raised her hand to ask.

“Very good question, Briana. We’ve been very fortunate that a generous benefactor has made a donation to our camp, so we’ll be able to take several trips each week. We’ll be going to Harrisburg tomorrow to visit one of the museums. So make sure you get here on time and wear your camp outfits,” Carol informed them all.

The day proceeded rather quickly with the children learning the schedules and the rules of the camp.

 

*****
 

“Where the fuck is the damn thing?” Brian demanded gazing up the road. He was pacing nervously on the lane just outside of the cottage.

“It’ll be here soon … I’m sure,” Justin said with a feeling of déjà vu. “Brian, I don’t have to remind you that this is the first day. They have to get used to the route.”

“Thank you, Justin Taylor, for yet again another PSA,” Brian snarked but then quickly kissed Justin’s temple taking away the sting of his words.

“I know you’re nervous, Bri, so am I, but just try to stay calm. If Bree thinks you’re upset, she won’t want to go back tomorrow.”

“I know,” Brian sighed. “I’m being an asshole again. It’s bad enough that Gus is heading off to college but now Bree and Patrick are jet setting all over Pennsylvania!”

“Brian, I don’t think camp day trips qualify as jet setting.”

“You know what I mean. If they do half of what’s on the camp’s itinerary, they’ll be seeing ten times the amount of things I experienced at their age. I never went to camp, day or otherwise. Did you go?”

“Yeah, Mom made me go although I was happier to stay home and draw. She thought it would help me to socialize more if I went to camp. I guess it worked, but every day when I got home I tried to draw the places we had gone to.”

“Always the artist, weren’t you, Sunshine?”

“I guess,” Justin said softly. “Hey, there’s the bus. Bri, what are we going to do when the gate is completed?”

“I’ll work it out. We can always meet the bus at the gate with the kids. That’s if they’re on time,” Brian grumbled. “Or just buzz them in when they get here.”

“Dada! Daddy!” Bree shouted as the bus doors opened after the bus came to a full stop by the curb. Bree flew down the steps and into Justin’s arms. Patrick came down and was greeted by Brian.

“See you in the morning!” the driver and bus counselor said with a smile and a wave. The kids waved as the bus turned itself around then drove back out of the lane.

“Did you have a good time today?” Justin asked both children as they went into the cottage. Brian and Justin were bombarded and regaled with the day’s events by both children, as their afternoon snacks were served.

 

*****
 

“Hey, Mol, Owen, come on in,” Justin said as he answered the front doorbell.

Molly, Owen and Taylor were coming to dinner after having checked out the latest additions to their cottage down the lane.

“Hi, big brother,” Molly said as she kissed Justin’s cheek.

“Auntie Molly!” Bree screeched as she came running in from the screen porch. “I’m glad you’re here ‘cause I went to camp and I swam and I played horseshoes and we hiked and I spent the whole day with Ashley and it was great.”

Molly laughed as she squatted down and gave her niece a warm hug. “Sounds like you had a very good day, peanut.”

Bree leaned back and looked into her aunt’s eyes. “I’m not a peanut,” she declared rather indignantly.

“I didn’t mean that you were an actual peanut, Bree,” Molly chuckled. “Peanut is just a term of affection, like your Dada calls your Daddy Sunshine and your Dada calls you Squirt.”

“Oh,” Bree said her face thoughtful. “And like Gus calls me Short Stuff.”

“Exactly.”

“Okay,” Bree said agreeably.

“How’s my favorite sister-in-law?” Brian asked as he came in from the porch too.

“Just great,” Molly said.

Owen was standing holding Taylor in his car seat. He cleared his throat. “I’m here too, in case anyone’s interested.”

“Hello, Owen,” Brian said as he looked down at the sleeping baby in the carrier.

“I’m just fine,” Owen replied. “Want to take Taylor out of his carrier?”

“Yeah, if that’s okay,” Brian said, starting to unbuckle the little one. He lifted the sleeping baby out of his nest and cradled him in his arms.

Bree watched all this. “Doesn’t Taylor do anything but sleep?”

“Not much,” Molly laughed. “Eat, sleep, poop, that’s about it.”

“Gross,” Bree said but she moved over beside her father to have a closer look at the baby. “Can I touch him?”

“Of course you can,” Owen replied.

“Come with me, Bree,” Brian said as he headed for the living room. He sat down on the sofa and Bree climbed up beside him. “See Taylor’s little fingers,” he said to his daughter. “You could hold onto them.”

Bree took the little hand carefully in hers. She felt Taylor’s fingers close around one of her fingers. That made her smile. “He’s pretty cute,” she said looking at her Dada.

“Yeah, he is,” Brian agreed.

“But why wasn’t he a girl?” Bree asked. “I asked for a girl.”

Brian snorted. “There are some things in this world that you don’t have control over, Squirt.”

Bree frowned. She didn’t like the sound of that. “Can you and Daddy get a baby sister for me?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Why not?” Bree demanded.

“It’s not that easy to get a baby.”

“You got me, didn’t you?”

“Yes, we did. After a lot of soul searching and finding the right person to carry you and…”

“Was I heavy?” Bree asked.

“Huh?”

“You said you had to find someone to carry me. Was I heavy?”

Brian chuckled. “No, Squirt. We had to find someone to carry you in their belly like Auntie Molly carried Taylor.”

Bree stared at her father. “Who did that?”

“A very nice lady.”

“Couldn’t she carry a baby sister for me?”

“I don’t think so,” Brian said slowly not liking the direction this conversation was taking. “Would you go ask Auntie Molly if Taylor needs to be fed? I could do that before we all eat.” Brian hoped this misdirection would put an end to the topic of a baby sister.

“’Kay, Dada,” Bree said as she slid off the sofa. “But I really, really, really want a baby sister.”

Brian heaved a sigh as Bree ran out to the kitchen where Molly, Owen and Justin were talking.

 

*****
 

A little while later they were all sitting around the table in the sun porch. Bobby, John and Patrick had joined them for dinner. Justin had done the cooking. They were enjoying a roast of pork with baked potatoes and salad while Taylor slept in the middle of the big brass bed, having been fed by Brian. The baby was surrounded by pillows to ensure that he couldn’t roll off.

“How are your sculptures coming, Justin?” Owen asked.

“Um…”

Owen looked from Brian to Justin and back again trying to decide what was going on. “Care to explain that ‘um’?” Owen asked.

“I’m still working on the henge, but I’ve cut back,” Justin said carefully.

“Till you start setting up at the Village?”

“Sort of.”

“Am I missing something?” Owen asked with a frown.

“Well, some of the equipment I’m using is kind of dangerous,” Justin said.

Brian’s eyebrows shot up. “You know you can do whatever you need to do,” he said emphatically.

“I know,” Justin replied.

“But…?” Brian asked.

“But I don’t want to worry you.”

“I worry when you leave our bedroom.” Justin chuckled. “I want you to continue with your henge. It will look beautiful in the Village.”

“Are you sure?” Justin asked looking into Brian’s eyes. He had promised not to spend so many hours out in the shed working on the henge, but he had privately decided that he didn’t want Brian to worry about him. He had done little on his henge in the last few days, since the incident of the intruders at the July Fourth party.

“I’m positive. Just don’t cut off anything essential.”

“And we all know what he means by that,” Molly laughed. Owen’s mouth dropped open at Molly’s comment. His wife always amazed him.

“I don’t know what it means,” Bree said innocently.

“Later, peanut, much later,” Molly told her.

 

*****
 

“Dada, but why can’t I have a baby sister?” Bree asked again as Brian was tucking her into bed for the night. Brian thought they had finally closed the door on that subject but apparently he was wrong. He briefly thought about making some lame excuse but Brian knew their daughter was very smart and very perceptive. Briana Victoria Kinney-Taylor required logical reasoning. Brian steeled himself before answering.

“Squirt, there are several reasons why your father and I have chosen not to have more children.”

“Tell me, Dada.”

“Well, we think you and Gus are more than enough for us. And then there’s Patrick and JR and now Taylor. That’s a lot of children in our family. Auntie Molly and Uncle Owen will most likely have more. Not right away but probably in a year or two. Another reason is that having a baby is a 24/7 job. What does Taylor do?”

“He only eats and poops and cries sometimes and burps and he likes to bounce in your lap.”

“But not much else right now, right?”

“Right.”

“And when we get tired of bouncing Taylor in our laps, what do we do?”

“Give him back to Auntie Molly or Uncle Owen.”

“That’s right. If we had our own baby there would be no one to give her back to. She’d be ours 24/7 to clean and feed and burp and bounce.”

“Oh.”

“And there’s something else I’d like you to think about. Your Daddy is a famous artist and he needs to be able to paint and draw and make his metal flowers and anything else he wants to do. He spends a lot of time making his art and then the rest of the time he spends with us. If we had another baby, one of two things might happen. Your Daddy would stop making his art to spend time with the baby or I would spend more time with the baby and less with you and your Daddy. Now I’m sure we would all work out some sort of schedule, but frankly, Squirt, I don’t want to. I love spending time with you, taking trips to New York and other places, and your Daddy needs to have the freedom to work on his art.”

“Artistic freedom?”

“Something like that. And there’s one more very important reason. Your Daddy is still very young and has plenty of energy but I’m a lot older. I’m not sure I could handle a baby.”

“But Dada, you’re not old! You have lots and lots of energy.”

“Thank you, Squirt. But I have to be practical about these things. One day when you and Gus are old enough and find the right people, you can have all the babies you want.”

“I can have a baby girl when I grow up and get married?”

“Yes you can.”

“Okay, Dada.”

Brian gave his little princess a kiss then retrieved the book that Bree wanted her Daddy to read to her.

“Dada, can I marry you?”

“No, Squirt.”

“Why?”

“Because one day a handsome prince with flaming red hair is going to marry you.”

“Okay, Dada.” Brian walked out of his daughter’s room.

“Hey, is she ready for her story?” Justin asked as Brian came into the sun porch.

“Did you know we have an amazing daughter?”

“I had an inkling.” Brian kissed Justin deeply with promises of much more later on in private.

“What story did she pick out,” Justin asked breathlessly when finally released from Brian’s searing kiss.

“The Cat In The Hat. Be prepared to do the voices.”

“As if I could get away with not doing the voices.”

“Probably not. And Sunshine, don’t you ever stop fulfilling your dreams or doing the projects that you want to do. Not for me, not for anyone. Promise me, Justin.”

“I promise,” Justin vowed then sealed it with another kiss.

“Go,” Brian said with a gentle push. “The princess is waiting.” Justin smiled brightly then hurried to do their princess’ bidding.

Brian walked out into the gardens for a bit of air.
 

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