Julien Gregg's Hopper

 Chapter 4 

The Blind Parrot was a two story bar with an outdoor grill on the left side, and a disco bar on the right. Upstairs was the cabaret where the shows happened. We paid to get into the cabaret. We weren't old enough to get into the disco bar. We went up the stairs and sat in the audience. Robert came to the table in full makeup. He looked a lot like Mother, but younger and with longer hair. He smiled at us. He told us that he had planned quite the show for us tonight. I liked that. He went back stage. He came out on stage and stepped up to the microphone. The people cheered for him. He put his hand up to silence them. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Girls On The Brink. I'm your host, Helen Bed. Now, attitude check!"

"Fuck you, Helen," the crowd yelled.

"Very good," he said. "Put your hands together and welcome, Miss Heart of the Desert, Miss Marsha Dimes!"

The crowd cheered. Marsha came out in a Betty Boop get up. She did a song by Madonna called "More." It was a good number, and I tipped her.

Robert came back on stage. "Wasn't she lovely?" he asked.

The crowd cheered. He smiled. "Put your hands together for, Miss Gay Sedona USofA, Miss Anna Madragral!"

The crowd screamed louder. Anna came out in a nun's outfit on roller skates and did another Madonna song, called "Hanky Panky." I loved it. I tipped her, too. When her number was over she took the microphone. "Are you having a good time?" she asked. "I said, are you having a good time?"

The crowd screamed for her. She laughed. "Put your hands together for Miss Gay Arizona USofA, Miss Helen Bed!"

The crowd wolf whistled and screamed for Robert. He came out in an evening gown and did a song by Madonna called "Sooner or Later." The crowd ate it up. Brady and I tipped him. Justin just kept grinning from ear to ear. Then he was back at the microphone. "Put your hands together for Miss Jackie O'Nasty!"

The crowd screamed even louder. A punk rock looking drag queen came on stage. She didn't do Madonna. She did Cindi Lauper, "She Bop". When the number was over, Robert returned to the stage. "That concludes the first show of the night. Drink up. The drunker you get, the better we look! We'll return at eleven. Then the lights on stage went out. We go to more soft drinks and returned to the table. Robert didn't come out to ask us what we thought of the show. He was back stage getting ready for the next show.

We talked back and forth about what we liked about the show. Brady told me they always did Madonna for the first show of the night. Then all bets were off. At five minutes to eleven there was a drum roll and the lights came up on stage. The crowd cheered. Robert came out, dressed in black and white. He said, "We're going to do something special tonight. We're going to give you a peak of Girls on the Brink do Disney!" The crowd screamed. "Put your hands together for Jackie O'Nasty!"

She came out in a see hag outfit that where the whole thing moved as she moved. She did "Poor Unfortunate Souls" from "The Little Mermaid. It was fantastic. When it was over, Robert came to the stage again. He said, "Wasn't she lovely as the Sea Hag?" The crowd screamed. "Well, put your hands together for Miss Marsha Dimes!"

Marsha came out with a blond wig, in a peasant's dress. She had a mop and pretended to mop the floor while she sang, "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" from "Cinderella". The was perfect. I tipped her. Then Marsha went to the microphone and said, "Well, a woman's work is never done. These floors!" The crowd laughed. "Put your hands together for Helen Bed!"

Robert came out in a mermaid dress with long fire engine red hair. He did "Part of That World" from "The Little Mermaid". I tipped him. His dress looked like a mermaid's tail. It moved as he he moved. It was amazing. When the number was over, Robert took the microphone and said, "That was your sneak peak into Girls on the Brink do Disney. Put your hands together for them!"

He left the stage and the lights went out. People were wondering if the show was over. Then they were all on stage in black and white. They did "Vogue" by Madonna. It was fantastic. We tipped all of them for that one. Then Marsha Dimes did something from another movie that I hadn't heard of. It was a good song, and she performed it beautifully. I tipped her. Then Jackie O'Nasty did a song called "Bitch". It was a good song, and I tipped her for it.

Then Robert came out in pigtails and did "Goodbye Earl" from the Dixie Chicks. It was hilarious. I tipped him, Brady tipped him, and Justin tipped him. Then a drag queen who'd not been in the first show was introduced. Her name was Samantha Foxy. She did "Naughty Girls Need Love, too" by Samantha Fox. She as sexy, and she had real breasts. She looked like a woman. She was much more convincing than the others. I tipped her, and Justin did, too. Then Robert was on the stage again. He said, "Wasn't she lovely?" The crowd screamed. "She's Miss Gay Continental!" The crowd screamed. "Well, I hope you enjoyed our show. Come back on Thursday nights to see the full show of Girls on the Brink do Disney. Have a good night and drive safe when you go home. Remember, a thing of beauty is a joy until sunrise."

The crowd whistled and cheered. The lights went out on stage and then they were just sitting there. The lights in the cabaret came on, and everyone was leaving. Robert came out without makeup and thanked us for coming. "What did you think?" he asked.

"It was fabulous," I said with a big smile.

"Really outstanding," Justin said. "I was thoroughly entertained."

"Good," he said. "Do Mother and Daddy know you came to this?"

"Yes," I said. "Daddy asked me if I was ready to see you impersonate a woman. What's that Miss Gay Arizona?"

"It's a title," he said. "I competed in a pageant, and went to Miss Arizona and won. I got a lot of money for winning. Now I get a lot of money to appear in bars all over Arizona in drag with my crown on. Plus I am entered in the Miss Gay USA pageant in August in Texas."

"Awesome," I said, smiling.

"I also have strippers that I manage," he said. "They're called the Nine Inch Males."

"I like that," I laughed.

"Maybe you'd like to come next week on Saturday night. The strippers will be performing," he said with a smile.

"Maybe we would," I said. "Who knows?"

"Well, we need to get on the road," Brady said. "Love you."

"Love you both," Robert said. "Justin have a good night. It was good to see you."

"You too," he said, smiling.

We left after that. We drove back to Harris and went to bed. The next morning Daddy asked us if we really went to one of Robert's shows. I told him we had and loved every minute of it. He shook his head. I was about to get angry, but he never said anything about it after that. I ate my breakfast and then got out of the dining room entirely. Mother glared at him. Justin didn't know what to think. He asked me about it when got to my room.

"What's your dad's problem with what Robert does?" he asked.

"He cut him out of the family when he found out about the female impersonations," I said. "After my head injury I stood up for Robert and made him think about what he was doing. Then they reconciled, but Daddy didn't want to hear anything about what he was doing for a living. Now he's asking questions about it and shaking his head in disgust. It's pissing me off."

"Well, I can see that," he said. "What does your dad care that we went to see the show?"

"He didn't want me to go and see the show," I said. "He's probably disappointed in me."

"That's stupid," Justin said.

"Yes, it is," I said. "I'm disappointed in him for his attitude about it."

"Well, I think it was a great show," Justin said. "I had a great time."

"So did I," I said. "Let's just not think about my father. Let's get out of here."

I drove us to the shopping mall. Malls weren't really a thing anymore, but ours was hanging on. We went to a department store and got new t-shirts and shorts. Then we went to the movie theater in the mall and watched a movie. I was in no better mood where my father was concerned when we got back to the house. I took Justin to my room and we just sat there and talked. Brady came over and asked what was wrong with Daddy. I told him about his attitude this morning and he sighed.

"When is Daddy going to just get over it?" he asked.

"He's never going to just get over it," I said. "He's going to make his snide comments and shake his head in disgust every time anyone brings it up."

"Well, from what you told me, he brought it up," he said.

"He did," I said. "You should have seen the sneer on his face as he asked me if I really went to the show."

"Damn," he said. "You are upset and once again, it's Daddy's fault."

"Yes," I said. "I'm ready to move out."

"Over this?" he asked.

"It's all of it," I said. "The comments about my money, Robert, and what he does for a living. Hell he asked me if me and Justin were a real couple. Then he told me he didn't know how that worked, but it wasn't for him to worry about. Just from what he said he's clearly worried about it."

"Damn," Brady said. "Where will you go?"

"We'll go live in the Cabin," Justin said. "Do you really want me to apply at Brighton Academy?"

"it's in Pleasantville," I said. "It's twenty miles from the cabin. Harris is an hour away."

"Plus it'll pay you more money if you work for a prep school," he said. "You'll have a better class of students. I don't mean that they're any better than regular students, I mean better class as in you'll have state of the art technology and better books for you students."

"Okay," he said. "I'll think about it. If we're going to live in the cabin then it's perfect actually. Can you get me hired there?"

"I'll donate money to the school," I said. "I'll make it known that I'm doing it so they'll give you a job."

"Thank you," he said. "I don't want you to spend your money on me at all, but I really want to teach."

"I know," I said. "That's why I'm planning to do it this way."

I rented a truck and packed all of my stuff. I took the bedding off the bed and the curtains down and packed those. I packed all of my books, the computer, the iPad, and the iPod. I got it all packed up in boxes and we carried them down to the truck. Daddy asked what I was doing, and I said moving to the cabin. He asked why, and I told him it was his attitude about certain things. He walked away from me after that. We got it all packed. I told my mother I'd call her later. Then Justin drove the truck and I drove my car. We headed to the cabin. When we got there we unpacked everything. I set my computer up on the desk in the living room. I put my television on its stand and hooked the DVD player and the home theater. I put speakers all over the living room. The oval rug helped to hide the cords. Then I put the bedding on the bed in the master bedroom. I put the curtains on the windows. Then I put my clothes away, and plugged in my iPad and iPod. I plugged in my cell phone charger and Justin's. I also had one downstairs and in the car. I plugged the one downstairs in where my computer was.

"Well, we're moved in," he said.

"Yeah, we have to go to Pleasantville and get groceries," I said. "We'll take the cooler for the frozen stuff."

"All right," he said. "I have to take the truck to Pleasantville and turn it in anyway."

"Well, why don't we do that and go grocery shopping," I said. "I'll call Turner and tell him we'll be here all summer long, and then go back to school. We'll spend every break here as well. I'll call my mother one we get back and put everything away."

That's just what we did. We took the truck back and then we went to the grocery store. The prices were a bit higher in Pleasantville, because it had a college and a prep school. I paid the prices and didn't care. I had plenty of money. We took it all back and put it away. Justin started to make dinner and I called my mother. I told her that I had moved out because of Daddy's attitude. I was tired of seeing the sneer on his face when he talked about what Robert does for a living and me and Justin being a couple. I told her that I was no longer putting up with him. She told me that she would be there for the weekend without my father, and I told her she was welcome to come.

Then we ate dinner. Justin loved it at the cabin. I loved it. We fished and had fish for dinner the next evening. We watched my collection of movies, and I called to have a satellite hooked up so we would have channels. I'd pay it for a year and that way we'd have it at breaks. Mother came for the weekend and moved into the room she shared with Daddy when we were all here. I hugged her and kissed her cheek. She hugged me tight.

"Brady is upset that you moved out," she said. "He and your father got into a yelling match about it. Your father wants Brady to move out. I told him that if another of my children moves out of the house because of him, I'd leave him. He shut up about it then. He didn't want me to come here. He told me that you were done with us. I told him no, you were done with his attitude. That pissed him off."

"Well, I'm glad you are here," I said. "You have nothing but good things to say about Robert, and you have nothing but good things to say about me and Justin. He needs to understand that Justin and I are a couple. We're talking about marriage."

"Well, he'll get the memo eventually, or you'll cut him out of your life," she said. "I don't want to be cut out of your life. I love you and Justin. I love Brady and Robert. You are my children. Justin is about to be my son in law. Caster may not be a part of the family much longer. It all depends on what he does and says next. I didn't agree with shutting Robert out. We fought about that a lot. Then you were hurt and it went on the back burner, but the feelings are all still there. We just didn't talk about it."

"I'm sorry that it came to this," I said. "I don't know what would have happened if I had never been injured. I just know that he's a toxic individual, and I can't have one of those in my world."

"Well, I understand you perfectly," she said. "I called Robert and told him that you moved to the cabin permanently. He said that was a good idea. He's so happy that you don't blindly follow your father anymore. He loves that you're more your own person since the head injury."

"Did you know that he's Miss Gay Arizona?" I asked. "And that he can compete in Miss Gay USA?"

"I know a lot more about what's going on in Robert's life than you think," she said with a smile. "I was there to watch him be crowned as Miss Gay Arizona. I plan to go to Texas for Miss Gay USA."

"Mom, you're are a remarkable woman," I said with a smile.

"I love my children," she said. "You'll love yours when they get here."

"Yes, I will," I said with another smile.

Justin had news that shocked me to the core. We were out on the boat when he told me that he knew that I was a hopper. I wasn't prepared for what he said. We were just setting the anchor when he said that we had to have a talk. I thought he was going to leave me. I was scared. I didn't want him to leave me. I loved Justin. I loved him a lot more than I wanted to, and that was scary enough. I really wanted us to go the distance.

"What's up?" I asked, leery of what he'd say.

"I know that you're a Hopper," he said. He'd even put the right emphasis on the word.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"The clues were all there," he said. "Your mother said that Robert loves that you're more your own person since the head injury. Brady always says it's like you're a different person since the head injury. Even Robert has said a few things like that. Your cousins talk about it endlessly. They like you so much more since the head injury. Tommy commented about it to me one day. He said that before the injury, you were your father's son. Now you're more a fully rounded person and not so shallow. I put it all together. You are a different person since the head injury. You're Ellowat."

"How do you know my real name?" I asked. "I haven't said that name in centuries."

"I know because I remember Ellowat," he said. "I am Imbizu."

"You are?" I asked. "How?"

"I'm a Hopper," he said. "Just like you. I've been a woman a man, a child, a teenager. Over the centuries I have hopped into the bodies of the males and females of my mother's line. She is a direct descendant of me."

"I have been hopping into the bodies of males in my father's line. He is a direct descendant of me. I've watched the family for centuries. I know that my sons are all mine. I fathered a lot of them."

"Well, you don't have to worry about me leaving you," he said. "I have loved you for so very long, Breck."

"This is amazing," I said. "I didn't know that there were other Hoppers."

"There are a lot of us," he said. "Did you forget that we were witches in our original bodies?"

"No, I didn't forget it," I said. "I just thought that the others didn't pay enough attention during the talks of leaving our bodies behind and taking over another."

"Well, we did pay attention," he said. "We've all been alive since that time. We've just been in other bodies."

"How many are there?" I asked.

"At least a hundred," he said. "Elloward teaches the males of his line to hop."

"Elloward was my brother," I said.

"I know that," he said. "I talk to him on the internet all of the time. I've been searching for you for centuries. I have loved you since you were Ellowat."

"I wish you'd found me each and every time I hopped," I said.

"Well, now that you know who I am, we can hop together and stay together for eternity," he said with a smile. "When I said the sex was better with you I knew it was because I had finally gotten the man I always wanted."

"I would like to talk to Elloward," I said. "I would like to know where he is."

"He's not far from where we are right now," he said. "He's in Pleasantville. He's a professor at the college there."

"Well, we'll set up a meeting and we'll see each other," I said.

"He's been hopping into the male bodies of his own family line," Justin said. "They're all related to you as Ellowat and Breck."

"Well, then they need to know me," I said.

"They will," he said. "This conversation is the one I've been wanting to have with you, but you've been so upset about your father."

"Well, I'd have liked to know this about you and Elloward," I said. "Thank you for telling me."

"I love you," he said.

"I love you so much," I said, grabbing him and holding him.

"People are out here," he said.

"I don't care," I said.

We went back to the house after that. Mother asked us what we wanted for dinner since we didn't get any fish. We laughed about that. She smiled. I told her that the pork chops were in the fridge. We'd planned to have those tonight anyway. She told me she'd make them and asked what we wanted for desert. I told her that I got all of the stuff for chocolate cake and chocolate frosting. She said she'd do it up. I hugged her.

Then we went into the living room and watched television. We kept touching each other and kissing. I couldn't believe that he was a Hopper, that so many from our village were Hoppers. I'd known I couldn't be the only one, but I hadn't thought it was half the village. I wanted to find them all. I didn't know if I could or not. I'd work on that. We'd have to come together some time and just talk with each other. That would be amazing.

We ate dinner with Mother and had a great time. She commented on how attentive we were with each other. I told her we were in love. We were getting married next summer. Mother said she'd plan the wedding. She asked where we'd like to get married. I told her that we'd like to get married at the old Mansion that was in the family. We could get married inside it. No one lived there, and I owned it now. It was in Phoenix. She said she'd make it happen.

When she went back to Harris I was sorry to see her leave. Brady came for a weekend and told me that he was so upset with our father for making me decide to move out. I told him that Mother was furious about it. He said he knew. He told me that she had shocked him when she told him she was thinking of leaving Daddy. I told him that it was coming before I was injured. Then I was hurt and it went on the back burner while I was in a coma. Now it's bubbling again.

"Is she going to move in here?" he asked.

"No," I said. "She hasn't said anything about it."

"Well, she's ready to leave him," he said. "She's been talking to Robert a lot."

"Well, maybe she's planning to go live with Robert," I said. "She never once said anything about living here. You know I'd let her if she wanted to."

"Well, we'll have to wait and see," he said. "Justin, it's good to see you."

"It's good to see you, too, Brady," he said with a smile.

"Well, you know that Mother, Robert, and I are planning to come here for Christmas and New Year's," Brady said. "Mother isn't inviting Daddy."

"Whatever she wants to do," I said. "If he comes I'll make it clear that he's to be on his best behavior or he can leave."

"That's the ticket," Brady said with a smile.

"I know how many shares Daddy has of Metrics," I said. "I have about triple of those. I want to give you a bit more than what he has, so when you graduate from college, you can oust him as CEO."

"That would be awesome," he said. "He needs to know that if there's a divorce, we've all chosen Mother."

"Yes, he does," I said. "I'm going to give her an income that matches what she's used to."

"That's awesome," he said. "She's planning to rake him over the coals in the divorce, but she knows there's much that she can't touch. She can't take his shares of the company, and she can't take more than twenty percent of his income."

"Well, he won't have that income when I'm done," I said. "I'll give her the income. She needs to know that."

"I'll tell her when I see her," he said.

"I'll even buy her a house," I said. "Unless she decides to move to Sedona."

"Well, you're giving Robert fifty thousand dollars," he said. "He can buy a better house than the one he lives in."

"Yes, he could," I said. "I don't care how the two of you spend the money I give you."

Brady coming for the weekend was an eye opener. Mother filed for divorce not long after Brady went home. She moved out of the house, and Brady moved with her. Daddy called me and told me that Mother had filed for divorce. I told him that I wasn't shocked. He didn't like that I had known it might happen and hadn't told him. I told him that we all chose Mother's side and he hung up. That was the last time I spoke to my father on the phone.

Mother took her twenty percent of his income, but I set up an income for her out of the trust. She thanked me. I told her I was planning to buy her a house to live in. She said that would be wonderful. I asked her where she wanted it, and she said Sedona. I checked the market and let her pick the house she wanted. She chose one about the same size as the one she'd just moved out of. I bought it and she went to buy furniture and stuff to fill it with. Then I gave Robert fifty thousand dollars. He was astounded. He kept hugging me. I told him to invest it or buy a house. He said he'd invest it. I put him in touch with my broker. He invested the full fifty thousand and made a fortune.

We went back to school in August. Turner promised to keep an eye on the place until we returned in December. We moved into the frat house and nothing changed. We were still lovey dovey with each other. We told everyone that we were getting married next summer, and they were thrilled. I told them they were all invited, and if they needed transportation to the wedding just let me know. They said they would be there.

Mother had invitations printed. She'd chosen the date. Justin and I just went with it. They were masculine looking invitations. She sent me a thousand of them. I handed them out to the brothers. Of course I asked Brady to be my best man. He accepted. I told Adam and Chase that they were my groomsman. Tommy and DJ were ushers. Justin's sister's twin girls were the flower girls, and her young son, Parker was the ring bearer. The wedding was set. Invitations had gone out, and Daddy didn't get one.

Meanwhile we had classes and a lot of assignments. We had papers to write and facts to find. We took over the library and hunted for this and that to study for midterms. I aced mine. Justin did rather well, too. This was the last year for the associate's degree. We'd be moving into core classes for our majors next year. I was looking forward to it. I also tracked down more and more facts and figures for my company. I was going to call it Patterson Medical Technologies. I bought the land for the building. I also hired a construction crew to build it. They were thrilled with "money is no problem". They got to work. We had two years to get through school and open the company. I had suppliers lined up, and an ad would go into the paper to hire for the plant floor. This was going to happen. My professors commented about what I was doing and gave me extra credit for turning in my research into the company.

When Winter Break arrived we went back to the cabin. Mother spent the entire break with us. Brady did, too. He was still working in Harris, but he had controlling interest over my father. He was just waiting until he graduated to oust him as CEO and take his place. Daddy didn't know what was coming for him. We set it up that way. None of us were talking to him. He was alone in the mansion. We were all at the cabin. Robert came for Christmas, and it was a a wonderful day. Then it was a New Year's party thrown at the cabin. Adam, Chase, Tommy, and DJ came with their families. We were filled up. We had a nice time though. When it was over we said goodbye to the family. Then we got ready to go back to school.

At school we were talked about for at least breaking ground on a building that would house the company I was starting. People sought me out to talk business. They wanted to work for me. I told them to wait until the company opened and then submit their resumes. I'd give them special attention. They liked that. Then we were taking quizzes, and doing assignments. The semester flew by. Before I knew it I was taking finals. Then we were back in the cabin for the summer. We were fitted for tuxedos. Our colors were green and soft orange. Mother had the mansion decorated in green and soft orange. There were flowers, but they were tasteful. The banister of the double staircases were decorated. Mother had gone all out. There was a platform for the minister to stand on. She'd gotten a parish priest at the church that we all went to. He didn't insist on counseling, so we were happy.

The groomsman, best man, and ushers were fitted for tuxes, too. The reception would be on the lawn of the mansion. We spent the night in the mansion on opposite sides of the building the night before the wedding. We'd had a rehearsal and dinner with Justin's family. His mother and father were there. They got along for the night, which Justin said was a miracle. We were up the next morning, and getting into the tuxes. I helped Brady with his bow tie. Then we were getting ready to be in places. I was coming down the left staircase with Justin and his guys coming down the right. We met in the center and walked to the platform together.

The Priest had us say our vows, which we had written ourselves. Then he prayed for us. He had us repeat after him. Little Parker gave us the rings, and we put them on each other. Then I was kissing him, and we were filling out the marriage license. Mother would male it to the proper place in the morning. We moved to the reception on the lawn, and there were so many Aboo brothers at the wedding that it was almost like a frat event. We had a great time, and then we were in the limo taking us to the airport. We went to Greece for the honeymoon and had a great time. When we got back, we had photographs to choose from to make our wedding portfolio that would go on the wall of the cabin. We chose one pose for the eight by ten, and then four for the smaller photos that would go in it. Of course we had a photo album of all of the pictures of the wedding. We had another with pictures from the honeymoon.

I met with Elloward, too. He was Professor Eric Patterson now. He was happy to see me. He said he knew a lot of Hoppers, and they knew a lot of Hoppers. I told him we needed to all come together at least once to be with each other. He said he'd work on that. He told me that he'd known Justin since he was fifteen when he hopped into that body. He told me that our sister, Ellowise was also a Hopper. She was in the family. She was Miranda Patterson now. I told him I couldn't wait to see her.

We set it up. We'd all get together eventually. After that it was just living at the cabin, fishing for supper sometimes, and swimming or taking out the jet skis. We had a good life. We loved it. Then Daddy came to the cabin to talk with us. He told me that he was hurt that he wasn't invited to my wedding. I told him that I didn't think he'd want to come. He said he missed his family. I told him that it was his own attitude that had lost him his family. He said he knew that and was working to be better. I told him that when he proved to me that he could be better, we'd talk.

At the end of Summer we threw a barbecue. Eric came, and so did Miranda. Adam, Chase, Brady, Robert, Mother, and Justin's sister, Kate came. Miranda and Kate brought their children. I loved them. They had a blast in the water. We had a blast with each other. Miranda said she was looking forward to the time when all of the Hoppers would come together. They were from so many different families, but we were a people, and we needed to know each other.

Back at school, our classes were more centered on our majors. I had economics classes, and finance classes. I had business classes. I had a lot of fun in those classes. Everyone told me I was like a study machine. I tracked down facts and figures for this assignment and then wrote papers that the professors told me it was a joy to read. Then I was doing fraternity things. We co sponsored a "Feed the Hungry" mixer and event. Of course we were partnered with Omega Beta Zeta. The mixer was a lot of fun. Several talked about how much fun they'd had at the wedding. Some asked about the honeymoon. I told them we went to a nude beach there in Greece and had a great time. They thought that was amazing.

The feed the hungry event was packing lunches and dinners for underprivileged kids. Parents could come and show their food stamp cards to get the food packages for a week for their children. We did a lot of them. There were six thousand dinners and lunches. When the event was over we had no more. It was considered a success. The paper came to do a story on it. The television news came to do a story on it. Alpha Beta Omega and Omega Beta Zeta were commended for helping the community, but that wasn't the last of the things that we did. Aboo and Obiz were known for philanthropic events. We sponsored a help the elderly movement. We did odd jobs around houses, the girls balanced check books and went grocery shopping. We mowed lawns, and trimmed hedges. It was an event that made the paper again, but the television news didn't come.

In the middle of this there were papers to write, and quizzes to take. There were assignments to get through, and case studies to read. There were troubled business plans that we had to fix, and so much more. Justin was doing well. He was student teaching at the high school there in Osage. He was happy. I was happy. The others were happy. Classes went on, and the philanthropic events kept going. We sponsored a blood drive for the Red Cross, and a backpack program for latch key kids. These had snacks and games in them. Parents could once again come and collect a backpack for every child in their family. We had thousands of them. When it was over we had none. It was a success.

Then we were taking semester finals. Winter Break was coming again. We had Thanksgiving there in the frat. Obiz came and celebrated with us. It was catered again, and it was a feast. We had good friends to share it with. We got to know a girl named Michelle Brandt from Omega Beta Zeta. She told us that when we were ready she would donate eggs for us. That made me very happy. We became really good friends. She finally said she'd carry the kids for us, too. I hugged her. We hung out with her. She was a business major, too. She said she lived in Kline, Arizona, but she'd be willing to relocate for the right job. I told her I could help with that. She smiled.

Then we went home for Winter Break. Mother came and spent it with us. She met Michelle when she came to the cabin for the weekend. Mother hugged her when she said she was going to give us children. We weren't ready for that, but Mother was ready to become a grandmother. I told her to let us graduate first. She laughed at that. We had a good break, and Christmas was epic. I got a truck for Christmas from my mother and Brady. Justin got an iPad and iPod of his own. We had a great Christmas. New Year's was another party with the family. We had a great time. Then it was back to school. We hung out with Michelle a lot. She got to know Chase and Adam, and Brady. She got to know Tommy and DJ. She loved DJ, but Tommy she said was a bit much. He thought he was putting on the charm, but really he was alienating her. She told him she was a lesbian. He left her alone them. He talked to her like a normal person and she grew to like him. She told me she wasn't a lesbian, but she was bisexual. I told her that I understood completely.

Back at school we went back to the grind. There were philanthropic events, and we participated. We went to basketball games and football games and cheered for our teams. We went back to tracking down facts and figures. The building in Pleasantville was finished. I was surprised and happy about that. They went to start building the plant beside it. Then it was just waiting for us to graduate to open the company and hire the staff.

The semester was going good. Then I got a call from a doctor. It seemed Caster had suffered a heart attack. We left school to be at his side. He told us he was happy to see us. Brady and Robert were there. He told us that we were his children and he loved us. We told him we loved him, too. He asked if we could have a relationship. He wanted to see Robert perform. Robert told him that he was going to be at the Miss Arizona pageant next week to hand down his crown. He hadn't won Miss USA, but he was ready to try again. He talked about a pageant that would take him to Miss USA again. It was Miss Heartland States USA. Daddy said he'd be there.

He asked me and Justin when he'd be a grandfather. I told him not until after graduation. He laughed. Then he underwent quadruple by pass surgery. He came out of that and was better. He recovered there in the hospital. We went back to school. The semester went on. We had papers to write and quizzes to take, case studies to read, and more failed business plans to read through. I presented my business plan to my professor and he told me it was sound. I thanked him. He gave me an A+ on it. I was thrilled. The semester ended with finals of course. We sailed through those. One more year, and then I could open the company.

We went back to the cabin, but this time my father came for a weekend. Mother didn't come while he was there, but Brady did. We had a good weekend, and he told Justin that he was happy to call him family. That shocked me. He had gone to see Robert perform, and said that it was very entertaining. He had loved it. He was a different person now. Brady said he didn't want to oust him as CEO. I told him it was all up to him. He said that liked that.

After that Daddy came a lot. He and Mother finally sat down and talked, and shocking all of us, she put the house in Sedona up for sale and moved back in with Daddy. They were remarried and we were all at the wedding. I was astounded. I had thought she was done with him, but she said this was the man she had fallen in love with. I told her I understood perfectly. We went to their house for weekends. They came to ours for weekends. Daddy met Michelle and she told them she would give us children. He asked when that would be. She said after graduation. He said he'd be patient.

The Hoppers came together at the tail end of Summer. They came in campers and parked them on my property. We had good food and a lot of visiting. They told me that they had been searching for me for generations. I told them to keep their eye on my branch of the Patterson family. They talked to Justin and about how to find him. He said to watch his female line of the Tanzy family. He said the females in his family never changed their last name. There were Tanzy women all through the family. He said he followed the female line because he could never be sure if the sons were really the father's. So he followed the female line. The others told him that they hovered around their families and knew when the son was the father's child. That's why they were following the male side a lot closer than the female side. Of course some of them were female. They told me I hadn't lived until I'd hopped into the body of a woman. I laughed at that. We had a great time together. They were with us until we had to go back to school for our senior year of college.

Our senior year of college was faster passed than any other. We had harder classes. Justin was still student teaching in Osage. He loved it. We spent time doing course work and writing papers, but we also did philanthropic events. There was the Adopt a Resident program where you chose a resident in a care facility and did their laundry, bought them snacks, and puzzle books, and sat with them and talked. I had a resident named Miles Fulsom. He was eighty years old and still did most things for himself. He told me stories about his time as a young man. Of course I remembered those times, and could talk to him with an educated mind. He looked at me funny from time to time, but he was forgetful and that didn't last long. I bought him peanut butter filled pretzel bites. He loved those. He wasn't a diabetic, and had no dietary restrictions so it was fine. He also had puzzle books, and crosswords. He liked those a lot. He had written a crossword puzzle every week for the Osage Herald until he'd gotten too forgetful to do it. He didn't have dementia. He was just forgetful. I did his laundry, and folded it and hung it in his closet or put it in his dresser. He told me he was sweet on a woman across the hall. I thought that was awesome. She liked him, too. Sometimes I'd come to see him and she'd be in the room with him. They'd be watching his color television. He liked to call it his colored television. I got her some of those chocolate covered peanuts that she liked. She thanked me kindly every time I gave her a bag. She also had puzzle books and crosswords. I got her some of those.

The month was up, and I said goodbye to them. I checked on them from time to time and was sad when Miles died of old age. I went to his funeral. Then it was back to case studies and papers. Quizzes every Friday in one class, and every Thursday in another. We were pushed and pushed and pushed. I survived it, but Brady was ready to throw in the towel if it didn't stop. Midterms happened and we all did very well on them. Then it was back to the same schedule. Brady said if he wasn't so close to the finish line he'd stop all together. I told him to hang in there. It was almost over.

Finally we took semester finals. We left for Winter Break. Michelle came with us and spent Christmas and New Year's with us. She told us her family life wasn't ideal. I told her she was part of our family now. She'd be Aunt Michelle to the kids. She liked that. She didn't want kids of her own, but she liked the idea of having nieces or nephews. I told her that she'd be a part of the family until she died. She liked that, too. We had a blowout New Year's party. The Hoppers came, and we did it right. We roasted marsh mellows, and had fireworks. We chased youngsters, and had a great time. I was sad to leave when we had to return to school.

Our final semester of school wasn't as bad as the first semester of this year. We had relaxed classes and less studying. It was odd. We had harder classes and they spent time talking with us and asking our opinions. We still had quizzes and papers to write, but we didn't have trouble with case studies or business plans now. We had aced them over the years. Justin was back in classes. His student teaching days were over. We headed for our degrees. We had a lot of discussions about businesses in the world. Metrics was discussed, and they commented that my father was at the head of that business. I told them that a Patterson man had been at the helm of that business since it started in the twenties. They thought that was remarkable. I told them that so many people had a refrigerator or freezer from Metrics in their houses that it wasn't hard to understand. They were quality appliances. The Professor said he had one of both in his kitchen at home. That made the class laugh.

Then it was more papers, and quizzes as we got ready for final exams. These would be the last that we would take. Now it was time for the real world. We took finals and sailed through them. This year had been hard at the start and better at the end. We went to graduation and accepted our degrees. Then we went to a party for the graduates. We had a great time. Then we drove home to Harris. We threw away a lot from the frat house. I had my truck this year so we packed a lot to take back to the cabin, too. I put the mini fridge under my desk in the living room and filled it with soft drinks and tea. I put the microwave in the garage on the work bench. I planned to make things in there eventually.

I donated money to Brighton Academy, and Justin went to work there as a Math teacher. He loved it. I opened the company and put Chase at the head of it. Adam was CFO. Tommy was COO and DJ was a production head. I took a job there as head of quality control. I didn't do much but enter numbers into a computer and print out reports. It was a good job, and I loved that I owned the company. Chase and Adam were happy. Tommy and DJ were happy. They all moved to Pleasantville. Michelle underwent in vitro fertilization and got pregnant with our first child. She moved into the Cabin while she was pregnant. Nine months later, our son, Dillon was born. He had the dark hair and green eyes of a Patterson. He was a happy baby and well loved. Mother and Daddy came to see him. Brady and Robert came to see him. Brady had been dating the same girl from Omega Beta Zeta all through college. Her name was Becky Pearson. He married her shortly after graduation. We were all there. He had his friends as groomsman and Robert was his best man. I thought that was fitting. I went to the wedding. I paid for the wedding. I also got them a very expensive honeymoon package in Hawaii. They thanked me for it.

They came back tanned and happy. They loved Dillon. When he was a year old, we did it again, and our daughter Elizabeth was born. We called her Liz. They told Michelle that she couldn't have more kids after that. We were happy with our son and daughter, and I paid Michelle a lot of money both times. She loved the kids, but she also loved that she was Aunt Michelle to them. She moved to Pleasantville and was head of personnel at my company.