Julien Gregg's Hopper

 PART THREE
NICOLAS 

Chapter 7 

"Denise?" I said as I opened my eyes.

"Oh, thank God," she breathed. "Mom and Daddy are gone. They went home to sleep. You've been in a Coma for three weeks. I thought you'd die."

"I'm doing fine," I said. "What happened to me?"

"You fell off the back of a truck," she said. "They said that you're brain swelled, but not enough to bur holes or anything. Your machines went berserk and I thought you were dying."

"I'm not dying," I said with a smile. "I'm awake now. Is my brain still swelling?"

"No," she said. "They took you to do tests and said that your brain was back to normal. They didn't know why you didn't wake up. They thought you'd have deficits."

"I feel normal," I said. "But I'm very hungry."

"I'll get you something to eat, but a nurse has to watch you," she said.

"Thank you," I said.

While she was gone I called the law firm and gave them the code phrase and told them when my birthday was and where I lived. I'd hovered for seven years. So I knew who I was and I remembered a lot of this one. I had hovered off and on as he grew. I didn't know how I knew it but I knew that he would fall. Brent wasn't in a body yet. He was looking through his family to find one. I hoped he'd find one soon. She came back with a nurse and burger and french fries. This was all I got the last two times and now again. She handed me a can of Dr. Pepper. They looked different, but it was the same soda. I opened it and took a drink. It tasted great. The nurse watched me close. I dressed my burgers and began to eat. I was so hungry that I almost scoffed them down, but I knew the nurse needed to see me eat. So I ate them slowly. I ate the fries. This time the burgers were better than the last two times.

"There's a food truck outside of the hospital," Denise said. "I got them there."

"That's why they taste so good," I said with a smile.

"I also called Mom and Daddy," she said. "They'll be here soon. Probably be a while. They were asleep."

"Okay," I said. "How's Randy?" Randy was her boyfriend. She was three years older than me. She didn't go to college, though.

"He was here this morning, but he had to go to work and then went to the house to go to bed," she said. "He was worried about you."

"I thought he didn't like me," I said.

"Oh, he likes you," she said with a smile. "He thinks you're a great person. He just doesn't talk to you because you're too smart."

"Well, that's awful," I said. "Tell him that he can talk to me. I won't use big words or confuse him."

"I'll tell him, but I won't say what you said," she laughed. Her hair was dark like mine, and her eyes were green. The genes in the Patterson family were strong. My eyes were green and brown. They were different because of Mom. Hers were brown and Dad's were green. They mixed in me.

"Don't you have to work?" I asked. She ran a daycare.

"No," she said. "My assistant has been working while you were here. I haven't left you much."

"Well, thank you," I said. She and I were close, so I wasn't surprised that she'd stayed with me. This was a great life already. Nicolas was a gifted person. Both with his studies and with witchcraft. I thought it had died out in the family, but it hadn't. I could feel his ghost. He was surprised that I was in this body, but he drifted and was looking at the family to get a new body. I smiled at that.

"Why are you smiling?" she asked.

"Because I feel so good," I said.

"You ate fine," the nurse said. "The doctor will be in tomorrow and you'll probably be released. Thank you for waking up. We were all worried about you."

"Thank you," I said. I read her name on her badge. "Patricia, I'm doing fine."

"I see that," she said with a smile. "Do you need anything else?"

"Do you have pudding?" I asked.

"I can get you some," she said. "Chocolate or Butterscotch?"

"Chocolate," I said, smiling.

"I'll get you two of them," she said with a wink.

Hopefully this life would be full. I got rid of all of the cancerous causing cells in this body, and I strengthened the heart, the prostate, and the liver and kidneys. I didn't want anything killing me. I even flushed all of the toxins out of the body. I would eat healthier in this body. I wanted to live a full life. It had been so long since I'd made it past forty. I wanted to make it to the eighties or nineties. People were living much longer in this time.

"Did you see the spirits?" she asked when the nurse was out of the room.

"I saw many of them," I said. "I've been floating above my body, checking out the hospital. That's how I knew they had pudding in the fridge of the nurse's station."

"Good," she said. "You're much stronger in gifts than I am. I can't see the spirits. I just hear them. You can do magic better than I can. Mom doesn't like it, but Daddy said to leave us alone. We're witches, and there's nothing she can do about it."

"We're strong witches," I said.

"You're stronger than me," she said. "Daddy says that the strength runs in the male line."

"It does, but I haven't heard anything about it being in the last seven or eight generations. If they were witches they were weaker than me."

"They must have been," she said. "It's because Grandma Sarah was a Moreau witch that we even have gifts strong enough to notice."

"Yeah," I said. "The Moreau witches are very powerful."

"You're almost as powerful as a Moreau witch," she said. "Are you going to just be a witch like me or are you going to college? You hadn't made up your mind the last we talked about it."

"I'm going to college," I said. "I don't want to just be a witch."

"Well then you'll probably go far," she said. "You're good at what you set your mind to."

"I was accepted to Saguaro University in Osage," I said. "I have the acceptance letter in the top drawer of my desk. I just don't know how I'm going to pay the tuition. Mom and Daddy say we're on our own at eighteen unless we go into the family business, and I don't want to."

"Neither did I," she said. "Randy gave me the money to start the daycare. He doesn't like Mom and Daddy too much."

"My friends don't either," I said. "They think it's wrong that they have all of that money and won't help us if we don't do what they want. I'm not even coming home from college for breaks and summer."

"I'll visit you where you live," she said.

"I'm going to get a place in Osage once I find a job," I said. All of this would be moot in eight days. I'd turn eighteen and I'd inherit.

"You might inherit the fortune," she said. "You had a brain injury. How's your memory?"

"Pretty good actually," I said. "After seven or eight yeas, it's a little spotty but I remember almost everything. I remember the argument I had with Daddy about Metrics"

"Yeah," she said. "That was epic."

"I'm not going to have anything to do with the family," I said. "Just you."

"I'm about there, too," she said. "Randy wants to move out of Harris. I do, too. But I can't leave my assistant without a job."

"See if she wants to move to Osage," I said. "The city has grown. We can live there and have lives without Mom and Dad."

"I'd definitely have more kids of the daycare," she said, smiling. "I'm going to talk it over with Randy and see what he says. He works in a factory anyway. He can do that in Osage. There are three of them there now. One is even Metrics."

"I know," I said. "Tell him to have nothing to do with Metrics. In fact, tell him to work at the GE factory. They're a rival. That should piss them off."

"Yeah," she laughed. "I'm going to do this and let my assistant take over the daycare here. It's mostly for Metrics people. That and Patterson."

"Yeah," I said as Mom and Dad came into the room.

They didn't hug me or touch me. They just stood there and looked at me. "We're glad you finally woke up," Mom said. It was almost cold.

"Has your brain injury changed your mind about Metrics?" Dad asked.

"No," I said. "I'm going to college in the fall, and I'll decide what I want to do when I get there."

"You'll do it with no help from us," Mom said.

"I've just had a brain injury," I said. "You can't even be warm to me after that? You can just leave if you want. You don't have to be here. No one knows. We won't tell anyone."

"With an attitude like that we just might," said Dad.

"Whatever," I sighed as the nurse came in with my puddings. She looked at Mom and Dad and rolled her eyes at me.

"I see you finally came to see him," she said. "You've been here all of three times, and he's been in a coma for three weeks."

"Don't tell us how to take care of our family, Patricia," Mom said. "Do you like your job?"

"Don't threaten me," she said. "I've already put my notice in. I'm moving to Osage to work at the hospital there now that you two don't control it anymore."

"Well, I'll speak to your charge nurse and the director of nursing here to see if you can't be let out of your contract early," Dad said.

"Just stop," I said. "Don't be mean to her. She's actually taking care of me."

"You stay out of it," Mom said. "Just recover so you can figure out how to go to college."

"We'll all take up a collection to send him," Patricia said smugly.

"Do that," she said. "He's never been much more than a disappointment."

"He's had parents like you," she said. "If you were my parents I'd have run away as soon as I knew how to care for myself."

This was vastly different from the other two lives. I couldn't believe that the Pattersons had come to this. I ate my pudding and watched the show. They argued back and forth, but then Patricia told them she didn't have to stand there and talk to them. She told me if I needed anything to put the light on. I told her I would. She kissed my forehead and left the room. Mom glared at her as she left. She tuned her cold eyes on me and let me have it.

"Have you two turned the staff against us?" she demanded.

"No," I said. "They turned against you on their own. They've had no help from us."

"You just better find a way to go to school, because in eight days you're out of the house," she said.

"I'm only coming to the house to get my stuff," I said. "I'll move in with Denise and Randy."

"Do that, but you'll get no stuff from us," she said. "We paid for all of that."

"Well, isn't that nice," I said. "Fuck you, Mother."

"Don't talk to your mother that way," snapped my father.

"Leave!" I cried. "You're not wanted here. I have Denise here. That's all the family I need."

They left. I sighed. Denise called Randy to tell him that I was moving in with them for the summer. I could hear him on the phone. He said he'd be at the hospital soon. He was on his way there now. She said I was awake. He said that was good and he'd see us soon. She hung up and smiled at me. I laughed. This was vastly different from what I was used to. It meant I had fewer people to please. I had loved my parents in both of my other lives, but this time I could care less about them.

"He's happy that you're awake," she said.

"I heard him," I told her. "I should have asked if I could move in with you."

"Well, we'll do what we can to get you clothes," she said. "Yours were destroyed when you got here. They cut them off of you."

"Randy and I are about the same size," I said. "Do you think he'd loan me something to leave the hospital in?"

"Sure," she said. "I'll tell him to when he gets here."

He arrived and smiled at me when he saw that I was awake. She told him that Mom and Dad had been here and showed their asses to Patricia. She said Patricia had put in her notice tonight. He whistled through his teeth. She told him that they weren't letting me have anything from the house, so he'd have to loan me something to come out of the hospital in. He said he would. He sat in the other chair and smiled at me again.

"Did you run them off?" he asked.

"I did," I said. "They were cold and hateful, so I told them that you and Denise were all the family I need. She wants to talk to you about moving to Osage."

"You're finally ready to leave Harris?" he asked.

"I'm tired of trying to get them to love me," she said. "Nick's been accepted at Saguaro. We'll figure out how to pay his tuition later. He won't be in Harris much longer, and he's the biggest reason that I stayed."

"Can't you use magic?" he asked.

"That would be dark magic, thank you very much," I said. "I had a head injury, do you want me to invite death?"

"I guess dark magic is bad then," he said.

"Very," Denise said. "It backfires too."

"That's not good," he said. "So, you're going to Saguaro?"

"One way or another," I said. I'd have to tell the lawyer to come to Denise and Randy's.

"Oh, we'll get you there," he said. "How much is the tuition?"

"I have no idea," I said. "I'll look it up when I get to your house."

"Okay," he said. "Can I make her go home and sleep?"

"Sure," I said. "I'm a little tired. I'll sleep too."

"See you in the morning," she said and kissed my head.

"Bye, bud," Randy said.

"See ya," I said and smiled.

Patricia came in after they left and told me she was sorry for fighting with my parents. I told her not to be sorry. I was moving in with Denise and Randy for the summer. She told me they really would take up a collection to send me to school. I told her not to worry about it. I might actually inherit the estate. I'd had a brain injury. That was the only stipulation to inherit. She said she hoped I did. I smiled at her. She told me she'd bring me another pudding. She asked if I was really tired.

"Not at all," I said. I picked up the remote to the television. She smiled.

I called the law firm and told them Denise's address and said that I'd be there on my birthday. Then I turned on the television and watched late night movies on cable. Patricia brought me another pudding and another soda. She sat with me. She told me the ICU was virtually empty and the others could take care of the other two patients. I laughed at this. We watched a movie and then she went to take vitals. She started with mine. She told me I was doing remarkably well. I smiled at this.

She left to do vitals, and I watched another movie. I did fall asleep shortly after that. I woke up again when Denise and Randy came in with clothes. I told them the doctor hadn't been in yet. Denise told me he was coming. He came in a minute later, and checked my pulse. He put his hands on my head and asked if it hurt. I told him it didn't. I told him I felt just fine. He signed my release papers while he was there. Denise and Randy left the room so I could dress in Randy's clothes. I did that and then we left the hospital. Randy drove us to his and Denise's house. Then he went to work.

"I'm going over to the daycare to check on Tandy," she said. "Do you need anything while I'm out?"

"Nope, you got Dr. Pepper in the fridge?" I asked.

"Of course," she said. "Two cases of it. Randy would die without it.

"Okay," I said. "I'll find sandwich making or something. I'll be fine. Go on."

"Love you," she said.

"Mean it," I replied. She smiled.

She left and I got a Dr. Pepper. I found ham an cheese, so I made myself a sandwich. I found chips on top of the fridge so I grabbed those and had myself a little lunch. She came back as I was putting the chips on the fridge. She told me that she was going to get tenderloins from the bar down the street. I thought that sounded good. So much for eating healthy. She called in her order and I took a shower. I put on more of Randy's clothes. I'd have clothes of my own after my birthday. I went back into the living room and sat down. I drank some Dr. Pepper.

"I'll go and get them in a little bit," she said. "Randy's clothes do fit you."

"Yeah, we're about the same size," I said. "They're a bit big but I just have to keep pulling the pants up."

She went into their bedroom and grabbed me a belt. I put it on and that solved the problem of the pants. She said they'd get me some clothes soon. I told her not to worry bout it. I told her I'd probably inherit the fortune. I told her I had called the law office and told them I had a head injury and was in a coma for three weeks. They'd asked my address and I gave them this one. Her eyes got big. She smiled and laughed.

"Wouldn't it be funny that Mom and Dad won't let you have anything out of the house and then you inherit it all?" she asked.

"They don't own the house," I said. "The estate does. I could throw them out on the street."

"Would you?" she asked.

"No," I said. "I'm not like that."

"Too bad," she said. "I would. Want to come with me?"

"Sure," I said, standing and grabbing my can of soda.

"Come on," she said.

We drove to the bar and went in. They had our order ready. She ordered tenderloins and mozzarella sticks. It was a feast. We took it home and ate the tenderloins they were so big that we got extra buns and had two sandwiches. I ate my cheese sticks and both of my tenderloin sandwiches. She did, too. She wasn't afraid to put away food. I liked that about her. She cleaned up the mess and brought me another can of soda.

"Well that was good, thank you," I said.

"You don't have to thank me," she said. "You live here now. There's a bed in the other room. I don't know how comfortable it is, but the couch isn't."

"I'll sleep in there," I said. "The shower was great."

"Yeah, Randy put a new shower head in there last week," she said. "We get so much better pressure with it."

"I'll help out around here," I said. "I'll do the dishes in a little while."

"Okay," she said. "You really don't have to do much. None of us are messy. Just take the trash out for Randy. He hates to do it. I have to remind him all of the time."

"I'll do that," I said.

"Okay, I have to go and help Tandy," she said. "You'll be all right here by yourself?"

"Yeah, I'll call Peter," I said.

"Good," she said. "Have him come and keep you company. There's food in the kitchen. Just don't eat it all."

"I won't," I laughed. "Go help Tandy. I'll be fine."

I called Peter Tanzy when she left. I found out that he was in the hospital. He had pneumonia. I thought that was weird but I told them I'd have my sister take me to see him. They said he was admitted this morning and was in the ICU it was bad. I thought Brent might have a body sooner than I thought. I hung up and sat there. I didn't know what to do. I watched television, but my mind was on Peter. It turned out that he got better. It wasn't Peter Tanzy that he hopped into. It was his older brother, Paul. He'd been messing with friends and fell off the pier and struck his head on the boards. He was in the hospital with a brain injury. I walked to the hospital to be there for him. When he opened his eyes, he smiled at me.

"Are you Max?" he asked.

"Yes, but my name is Nicolas now," I said. "Are you Brent?"

"Yes, but my name is Paul now," he said, smiling again. "I'm so happy that you're here."

"Well, get better and come home," I said. "Have you hovered?"

"For ten years," he said. "I don't know how but I knew it would be Paul."

"Well, I live with Denise and Randy," I said.

"I know where that is," he said. "You go home, and I'll come to you."

"Okay," I said. "Your brother is in here too."

"I know, he has pneumonia," he said.

"Okay, I'll see you when you get out," I said. "I love you."

"As I love you," he said and smiled once again.

I walked back to Denise's house, unlocked the door, got another soda, and sat down to watch daytime television. He had a body! This time I was doing everything to make sure I didn't leave him with the kids. If I even had kids this time. Maybe it was time for this branch of the Patterson family to die off. I didn't know. I couldn't hop into any that didn't come from my direct line or so I thought. He had hopped into others. He'd told me so. I would have to figure it out the next time I was a spirit. I'd have children to make sure that this line continued just in case.

Denise came home just before Randy. I told her that Peter and Paul were both in the hospital. Peter had pneumonia and it was bad. He was in the ICU. Paul had fell off the pier and struck his head on the boards. He had a brain injury, but he was wake. I told her that he would come over when he got out of the hospital. Peter and Paul were twins, so he might spend some time visiting his brother. I didn't know. I wanted him to show up over here.

"Denise, would you hate me if I were gay?" I asked.

"No, why? Are you?" she asked.

"I'm in love with Paul," I said. "I have been for years."

"Well, you couldn't have picked a better looking boy," she said. "He's much better looking than Peter."

"Well, Peter is just my friend," I said. "I was friends with both of them, but I'm going to date Paul."

"You're sure about this?" she asked.

"Absolutely," I said.

"Well, then I guess I'll welcome him to the family," she said. "Randy will love this. It will make you that much more normal in his eyes."

"He has no aversion to gay people?" I asked.

"His dad is gay, Nick," she said. "Did you forget that fact?"

"I guess I did," I said with a smile. "Thank you for reminding me."

"Any time," she said. "I know your memory is spotty. I'll be around to remind you of what you forgot about."

"I'm so glad that you and I are so close," I said. "If we weren't I'd be up a shit creek."

"No, you'd be with our cold and lifeless parents," she said. "That's a fate worse than shit creek."

"Yes," I agreed.

"So, your mom and dad are like that all of the time?" Randy asked.

"They had everything to do with us when we were little," Denise said. "Then when we were old enough to have an opinion that didn't automatically match theirs they were done."

"I just wish I'd had the chance and the presence of mind last night to tell them that I'm gay," I said.

"You are?" Randy asked.

"Yes," I said.

"That's awesome," he said. "Look, I admit that I've always been a bit intimidated by you. You're a witch and you're so smart. I felt like a dumb bumpkin around you. But knowing that you're gay, and the way you've been talking since I got home have shown me that I'm wrong about you. You're an all right guy, Nick."

"Thanks," I said with a smile. "I've always liked you, Randy. I think you're good for Denise, and she's good for you."

"Thank you," he said. "Your mom told me I'd never be good enough."

"Well, look at the source of that nonsense," I said. "My mother is a cold bitch. My father is a cold prick. My sister is warm and loving. You love her, so in my book, you're almost a God."

"Thanks, Nick," he said. "That means a lot coming from you, man."

"Any time," I said. "And thank you for letting me borrow your clothes. I'll let you both in on a secret. I called the lawyer, like I said. He asked when I would turn eighteen and what my address was. I gave them this one, so he'll come here. I'm going to inherit the estate."

"No shit?" Randy asked.

"No shit," I said. "He almost said as much. He said he'd see me on my birthday. That was confirmation."

"Oh my God, Nick!" Denise said. "You're going to be rich."

"Yes," I said. "I'm going to own Metrics, Patterson, the hospital here and the one in Osage. I'm going to own it all. Plus I'll have the money to move to Osage and go to school. I'll even buy you guys a house there if you want. I'll stay with you while I'm in school if that's all right."

"Of course it's all right," Randy said. "You're going to buy the house, you aught to live there. God."

"So, it's a go?" I asked.

"Sure," said Denise. "Is Paul going to live with us, too?"

"If he's with me he will, but Peter isn't going to college," I said. "He's going straight to work for his dad."

"Well, Paul can stay with us," Randy said. "If he's with you, then he's okay in my book."

"Thanks, Randy," I said. "I hope he's with me."

"You went to see him today," said Denise. "Did he say anything?"

"He said he was happy that I was there," I said. "I told him I was staying with you for the summer. He said he'd see me soon."

"Well, that's just great," she said, smiling. "You might just have the boy of your dreams."

"If nothing else he'll be my friend," I said, though I knew he was much more than that. I just didn't to say things that made them think strange things. This pretending was old hat for me.

"Well, we'll see," said Randy. "I hope he's with you. I really do. You deserve some happiness. We were really worried about you when you were in a coma. I mean, I barely talked to you, but I always thought you were so much better than your parents."

"Thanks," I said. "That's high praise. My parents are awful people. I've half a mind to throw them out of that house. If we were staying in Harris I would. But I don't want it. Denise doesn't want it, so let them rot in it."

"That's the ticket," said Denise. "Let them rot."

I took out the trash and did the dishes. Then Denise cooked dinner. It was pork chops in mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, and green beans. I was definitely not eating healthy. I'd have to say something eventually. But dinner was great. We kept up a lively conversation during dinner, and I did the dishes after. Randy told me I didn't have to do all of that. I told him I was just doing my part around the house. He said he appreciated that I took the trash out, but I didn't have to do the dishes all of the time. I told him I wouldn't. I'd clean up after myself and all, but I did the dishes today because of nervous energy. He said that was fine.

It took three days for them to let Paul out of the hospital. Then his parents wouldn't let him leave the house for two days. Finally he came to Denise and Randy's. He kissed me as soon as he got here. I loved it. I told him that I told Denise and Randy that I was gay and that I wanted him. He said I had him forever. I told him I knew that but Denise and Randy didn't. He said he'd be on his best behavior. I told him that Denise and Randy were moving to Osage, and I was going to college.

"What do you want to be this time?" he asked.

"Nothing much," I said. "I'm not going hog wild this time. I'm buying a house for all of us to live in. You, me, Denise and Randy. It'll be their house. I might buy another one when I graduate for you and me. I have to buy a truck and you need another Jeep."

"I'd like to have a truck this time," he said. "How much do you know about being Nick?"

"A lot," I said. "I hovered around from time to time, heavily the last seven years. So I know pretty much everything."

"It's the same for me," he said. "I've hovered around Paul and Peter for so long that I know pretty much everything. I know that my parents aren't going to get bent out of shape that I'm gay. They'll take it in stride. My mother's sister is a lesbian, and my dad's brother is bisexual, so they've already dealt with it. My dad's brother is over all of the time. My mother's sister lives in Phoenix, but she comes with her partner for the holidays."

"Good," I said. "I hope the accept me."

"You better believe they will," he said. "They've always liked you."

"Yeah, but I'm probably going to be a little different," I said. "You know the drill."

"You don't have to be," he said. "Nick is more like you than any of the others."

"That's true," I said. "Maybe I won't have to be different."

"So, do we tell them we're together now?" he asked. "Because Denise is on her way inside."

"Yes," I said as she opened the door.

"Paul," she said. "I was wondering when you would show up."

"I was in the hospital for three days," he said. "Then my mom and dad wouldn't let me leave for two days. When I told them I was coming to see Nick they let me out of the house."

"Well that's good," she said.

"We're together, Denise," I said with a smile.

"I thought you would be," she said. "Congratulations, guys. It takes balls to know at your age who you are and to accept it. It takes love to get together the way you have so quickly."

"It wasn't quick," Paul said. "I've lusted after him for years."

"The same for me," I laughed.

He stayed for dinner. He went home and told his parents that we were a couple. His mother called and welcomed me to the family. I thanked her and told her I'd be over the next day. She told me she looked forward to it. She told me that they brought Peter home that morning. I told her that I would see him tomorrow. We got off the phone and I told Denise and Randy that Mary had welcomed me to the family. Denise said that she liked Mary and Adam. I liked them, too.

"You'll probably go home with him for Christmas," she said.

"Probably but maybe not," I said. "I might spend it with you and Randy this year."

"That would be great," Randy said. "The lawyer will be here in three days, and you'll be rich."

"Yes," I said. "But it won't change me."

"Of course it won't," Denise said.

"No, I mean I'm going to buy a house, and two trucks," I said. "I'm not going to become a spend thrift."

"Well, that's a relief," said Randy. "I was afraid I'd be intimidated again."

"Well, you shouldn't be," I said. "I'll be the same old Nick."

"Well, some things are different," she said. "You're not so ridged."

"I'm not with the parents anymore," I said simply.

"Well, yes," she said. "That's what I meant."

"I feel free now," I said. "Of course, I'll buy a shit load of clothes."

"Well, that's a given," Randy said. "You need your own clothes. There's not enough in my wardrobe to clothe us both."

"I'll get on it as soon as I have the money," I said.

The next day I went to Paul's house. Mary and Adam hugged me and welcomed me to the family again. They told me to call them Mom and Dad. I liked that. Peter was thrilled for us, but he was too weak to get out of bed for more than the bathroom. I felt for him. Pneumonia was a bitch. I sat in their room with him and Paul. He kept smiling at us. We smiled back. Paul asked me about the lawyer. I told him he'd be there on my birthday. Peter asked me what I was talking about.

"I had a head injury," I said. "I'm inheriting the estate."

"No shit?" he said weakly. Then he coughed.

"No shit," I said. "Don't get too excited or your parents will make me leave."

"No they won't," he said. "You walk on water in this house."

"Well, that's a bit of an overstatement," I said.

"It's not really," Paul said. "They love you."

"Well, I love them, too," I said. "I can't believe they told me to call them Mom and Dad."

"They'd love to adopt you," Peter said.

"Well, eventually I'll marry their son," I said. "In a way, they will adopt me."

"Don't let Mom hear you say that or you'll be married before you know it," laughed Peter.

I stayed for dinner. It was much healthier than at home. Mary made grilled chicken with snow peas and carrots. I loved it. They asked a bunch of questions about my parents, and I told them that they wouldn't give me a thing out of the house, but that I lived with Denise and Randy. They said they understood. Mary said if they had the room I could live with them. I told them that Denise and Randy were going to Osage with me when I went to college. They thought that was amazing.

"You know, Peter is going to work for Adam," she said. "Paul wants to go to college. We just don't have the money to send him."

"I can take care of that," I said before I thought about it. Then I told them all about the estate and what it took to inherit it. "The lawyer will be at Denise and Randy's on my birthday."

"Isn't that remarkable?" Mary asked. "You're going to own everything that your father wants."

"I know," I said. "I hope it burns his bacon."

Adam laughed about that. When dinner was over I spent a little time with Mary and Adam and then I went back to Denise's house. I was there a few minutes before Mom came to the door. She asked me if I was inheriting the estate. I told her that was none of her business. She told me that if I inherited they wanted a million dollars. I told them to shit in one hand and want in another. They had been awful parents and they wouldn't see a dime of that money. She said they'd sue me. I told her to try it and see what happened. The estate was protected from shit like that. I told her to leave. Denise told her she wasn't welcome there anymore. She left.

"Happy birthday," Denise said when I got up the morning of my eighteenth.

"Thank you," I said. It was only seven in the morning. The lawyer would be there at nine.

"I'm not going in today," she said. "Tandy hired another girl. I officially gave her the daycare. I just work there now."

"Well, at least she has it," I said. "I'll give you the money to open on in Osage."

"Thank you," she said.

We had breakfast which was French Toast with bacon. I told her that I needed to eat healthier. She said she'd try. We were just cleaning up the breakfast dishes when the lawyer arrived. He went over the estate, telling me exactly what I owned. He didn't know that I knew all of this already. He was just a lawyer that worked for the firm. He gave me the deeds to everything and told me to sign them. I did that. Then we went to the bank so the accounts could be switched to my name. I told him my mother was planning to sue, and he told me that she didn't have a leg to stand on. The estate was protected from lawsuits like that. I told him that was good.

He left, and Denise took me to buy a truck. I bought a Ford F150 and drove to get insurance. Then I went shopping for clothes. I bought a lot of them. When I got home I washed them all. Then I filled my closet and the dresser that was in there. I told her I had clothes of my won. I took a shower and dressed in my new clothes. Then I called Paul. I told him I would pick him up and take him to buy a truck. He said he'd be waiting.

He bought another Ford F150. His was blue while mine was black. They were both crew cabs with all the perks and extras, fog lights, roll bars, and harnesses instead of seatbelts. He drove to get insurance and then met me at Denise and Randy's. He remarked on my new clothes. I told him all of the clothes I owned were new. He laughed at that. I told him that my mother was planning to sue me for a million dollars. He shook his head. I told him the lawyer told her that she didn't have a leg to stand on.

It took two days, but the lawyer called and told me they had tried to sue but their lawyer was telling them that I could sue them for an unlawful lawsuit if I chose. I didn't choose to. Let them suffer on their own. I appointed an uncle to be the head of Metrics and demoted my father. He was pissed off. He quit that very day. I didn't care. I called Patterson and told them they weren't to hire him for anything. At Metrics I told Uncle Larry not to give him back the job I had demoted him to. He wasn't to work here period. He said it would be as I said.

Two days later, they were knocking on Denise's door begging for money. I told them no and made them leave. Life went on. Paul and I went and bought things for school. Notebooks, loose leaf paper, folders, pens and pencils and backpacks. We were ready. Denise told the landlord that they'd be out by the end of the month. We started to pack everything. We filled my truck and Paul's. We even rented a truck. We hitched Randy's truck to the back of it and we took off for Osage. I'd already paid our tuition. We told them we would have housing. I'd driven up there with Randy and Denise and bought the house that they wanted. It was three bedrooms with two stories. There was a formal dining room and a mud room on the ground floor and a three-car garage. We moved into the house and started school. I didn't rush the fraternity this time and neither did Paul. We just lived in the house and went to classes.

School was good. We weren't taking anything earth shattering. I was taking accounting classes and business classes. I pieced together a major of Accounting and General Business. It worked. Paul did the same thing. We had the same classes and sometimes at the same time. We were happy. We were sharing a bedroom in the house, and we were doing our part to help keep the house clean. I had paid for a building and Denise opened a daycare there. It was doing very well. Randy went to work for GE and was making a lot more than he made at Metrics. He had a better job, too.

"Moving to Osage was the right decision," Denise said one night at dinner. "You're thriving, Paul's thriving, and Randy is over the moon about his new job. I've hired three girls to help me with the daycare. We have a lot of kids to take care of."

"I'm glad it's working for you," I said. "When are you going to let me buy you a new car?"

"You can buy that any time you like," she said. "Mine is about to fall apart. Randy's truck is only two years old. He bought that and made all of the payments until it was paid off."

"Well, tomorrow I don't have a class until one," I said. "We'll go in the morning and get you an SUV."

"Make it a Ford," she said.

We got her a white Ford Escape Hybrid. She loved it. She drove off to update her insurance and got to work. I went to my class. It was the only one I had on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I had three on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Rhetoric and Composition 1, Accounting 101, and Psychology 101. I was doing well in all three classes because I'd taken them so many times before. I was at the top of my class. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I had Music Appreciation. I needed electives for my degree.

Paul had my schedule almost duplicated. On Tuesdays and Thursdays he had Art Appreciation instead of Music Appreciation. He'd always liked artwork, so that was perfect for him. I was a music lover so mine was perfect for me. We studied modern music in all genres. I loved my classes. He loved his. Randy loved his job, and Denise was happy. We were all doing just fine. We'd promised to be in Harris for Christmas Eve. That's when Mary and Adam were having their Christmas Dinner and all of that. We'd be with Randy and Denise for Christmas Day. Next time we'd switch. Harris was only two hours away so it wasn't a big thing. We'd spend the night before Christmas Eve with Mary and Adam, and then come home after dinner on the twenty-fourth. Then we'd be home for Christmas with Denise and Randy. It was a way off. We'd just started classes.

We weren't playing a sport, but we got into the intramural soccer league. We played on Tuesdays at five. Randy and Denise came to watch us play from time to time. We had fun. There were six teams. We played against each other in an elimination type setting. When there were two teams left we played. They even bought trophies for the winners. I'm happy to say it was our team that one the whole thing. Then it was just classes and hanging out with members of the team. The season was over, so we just hung out. We went to a college bar and had drinks. At the end everyone would put money in for the bill and tips for the waitress. They had food, too.

Then we reserved time in the gym for a volleyball game just for fun. We had a great time that night. Someone operated the scoreboard. Our team challenged the team we'd beat at soccer. We played until one team reached twenty. Then we went for drinks after cleaning the gym. We had drinks and food again. We'd won the game, and they were the buyers that night. We were loud and crazy that night. Playfully taking pot shots at each other. The waitresses had fun that night. The others were drinking. They never carded us in the bar. Paul and I drank soda and had pizza. They wanted a rematch but this time in broad daylight outside on the sand. I told them they were on. We had a fun time that night, and I was looking forward to playing in the hot sun on the sand.

We went back to classes on Monday, and I had a great time in those, too. Denise asked us how we were doing. I told her we were doing just fine. I told her about the volley ball game that was coming up. She said she'd take the day off to watch. I told her when and where. Then we were playing. It was Saturday and it was hot. We played in the sand until one team had twenty. We took breaks to hydrate. Then we played until we had twenty once again. They ribbed us, and we ribbed them back. Denise went for drinks and food with us. The sun was going down. We sat at the bar until it closed and then they paid again. Denise, Paul, and I drank soda and this time we had barbecue beef sandwiches and chips. When we got home, Randy asked where we'd been. I told him about the volleyball game and then drinks and food at the campus bar. He nodded. He'd ordered a pizza and ate most of it. There were four slices left of a twelve slice mega pizza. We ate the rest. Then we were in bed.

Sunday morning we did some research for classes. We had chips and salsa while we did it. Then we just vegged out on the couch and watched movies. Neither of them were at work on Sunday so they were home with us all day. Randy said I was a lot different than he'd thought I'd be once school started. He said that he'd thought I'd be study focused. I told him that we would be around Mid Term and Finals time. He said he was looking forward to seeing me in the study daze. I just laughed.

He got his chance when Mid Term arrived. We went to the library and looked up facts for Psychology. We wrote papers for Rhet and Comp. I listened to the music selections and made notes for Music Appreciation. I did the examples for Accounting. Then we took the exams. We did very well on them. I aced mine. Paul aced his. Randy was amazed. Then we were back to the same thing. Going to classes, playing volleyball and hanging out at the bar until it closed on Saturdays. We even had shirts printed with our team name. We were the Sentinels and they were the Kings. We were famous on campus for our rivalry. It was friendly though. We nodded to each other on campus, and we studied together when we needed to. We traded back and forth on who won the volleyball games, but we had fun. That was what was important. We played another round of soccer even though the season was over. We wore our team shirts and pissed off a couple of teams. We were among the two final teams once again. We won again and got another round of trophies. The school had showed up to watch the games, and we played at the football stadium.

Of course we took over the bar again. They were expecting us. They had extra servers on staff to take care of us. There were three teams in the bar that night. We ate for free, because the losers played. We said we could do it all over again in a few weeks. That got everyone going. We left there when the bar closed and went home. We'd drank soda all night, so we could drive. I gave some of the boys a ride back to their frat house. Then I went home and made love to my lover.

We had fun on those nights, but they were getting to us. We needed to study. Semester finals were right around the corner. And then we'd be in Harris for Christmas Eve. Paul told me he didn't want to play volleyball or soccer any time soon. I told him I was pretty much over it, too. When they tried to get a volleyball game going, we begged off.