Chapter 92

She did as I asked, and I asked for a song she knew ... she answered, “When I Fall In Love.” I smiled, gave her a quick kiss and began the music...

When I fall in love
it will be forever
Or I will never fall in love

(She never turned to the audience -- she was singing directly to me!)

In a restless world like this is
Love is ended before it’s begun
And too many moonlight kisses
Seem to cool in the
warmth of the sun
When I give my heart
it will be completely
Or I’ll never give my heart
And the moment I can feel
that you feel that way too
Is when I fall in love with you.{br}

(She took a moment to sit down by me and finished the song... )

And the moment I can feel
that you feel that way too
Is when I fall in love with you.

The applause rang out. She had my face in her hands and we kissed very softly, but also very lovingly. The applause turned into a hush with a “Holy Shit” blurted out by Peter.

Tracy was not even a bit embarrassed by the moment, and got Andrew back from Jennie.

“Jennie, would you like to sing a song tonight?” I asked.

“No thanks, I think it’s past my bedtime,” she said.

“One more song,” I said. “Sit down everyone ... it’s not time to leave yet. I have a new singing impersonation to try out!”...

I began the piano, lowering my head to drive up my intensity, to become Robert Goulet...

God bless the day I found you
I want to stay around you
And so I beg you
Let it be me
Don’t take this heaven from one
If you must cling to someone
Now and forever
Let it be me
Each time we meet love
I find complete love
Without your sweet love
What would life be{br}

(I motioned an awestruck Katie to come over and sit by me)

So never leave me lonely
Tell me you will love me only
And then you will always
Let it be me{br}

TOGETHER
Each time we meet love
I find ... complete love
Without your sweet love
What would life be
So never leave me lonely
Tell me you’ll love me only
And then you’ll always
Let it be me!

“Goodnight, God bless and drive safely, everyone,” I said before our mouths connected with a kind of infatuation we hadn’t had in a while.

Jennie walked by and said, “I love Robert Goulet, that was beautiful.” She handed me a coke!

As we were all getting ready for bed, I walked into Andy’s room where Tracy was humming to him and put my arms around her.

“I’m sorry about that kiss. Nobody has ever been as nice to me as you all have. I didn’t get you in any trouble, have I?”

“No more than I get myself in every day.” She giggled at that. “You did take a Plan B pill since our ‘group engagement?’”

“Of course I did ... I’m not about to do something as stupid as getting myself pregnant by a fourteen-year-old boy.”

“Actually, I turn sixteen in June.”

“You are so confident for a boy your age. How did that ever happen?”

“By having a great dad and a mother who saw my potential,” I said cupping her bosom in my hands. “That’s why I feel so confident around those older than I. Especially women.”

“That’s rather obvious. Is it too personal to ask who all you have ... been with?”

“Jennifer, Isabel, Jennie, Cece, Clarice, Jen Chapman, my mother and Jennifer’s mother. You make number nine. I have a few girls at Lincoln High who would very much like to join that club, but I have made promises to Jennifer and Isabel that I wouldn’t. My word is very important to me. You have become very important to me but, I think you are very aware of that already.”

“He also has some younger girls at Jackson Heights who wouldn’t mind a ride on my guy,” Jennifer said walking in. “I heard most of what you have been talking about. Personally, I don’t mind. Michael is more than I can handle. Isabel has a history that shaped their relationship early on. I will leave him to tell you all about that. Michael, let go of her boobies, it’s time for bed.”

I ... had nearly forgotten I had my hands on her. She kissed my hands as I let go of her. “He loves you very much,” Tracy said to Jennifer.

We woke up ready for another day of school. The idea of not going to school, but going to work filled my head and my heart with great expectations.

Again, I visited Clarice asking about her relationship, then asked to speak to Uncle Richard. She giggled and so, “Go on in, he’s expecting you, lover.”

“Michael, two visits so quickly, to what do I have the honor?”

“Since our talk, I realized something. Theoretically, I don’t really need to start any next year classes if I’m planning to take and pass the GED, do I?”

“I wondered when that would kick in. No, you won’t. We will have to make an arrangement that will allow you legally be on the grounds of the school.”

“Really, Sir?”

“To be on the grounds of a VSD (Vincennes School District) school, you need to be a registered student, a teacher or teachers intern or aide, an administrator or an employee of the school or school district.”

“How do I apply to be a member of the school district?” I asked, evoking him to pick up a piece of paper and hand it to me.

“I have taken the liberty of calling the Vincennes Community School Corporation on your behalf. Read and sign, along with a parent and you will become an Ad Hoc employee of the School District with the minimum starting wage of $30,000 a year. You would be expected to spend some time at every school in the district, promoting and encouraging students of all ages to join in the musical and fine arts. You won’t have any quota’s, but more students joining school bands, choirs and such would only help the overall status of Vincennes becoming the center of musical arts in our part of the state.”

“That’s quite impressive, sir, but what about Jennifer?”

Seemingly ready for this, he smiled broadly, pulled out another document and said, “She would have the same salary, with the same expectations. I see this working to your advantage, Mr. Thomas.”

“How is that, Sir?” I responded with a chuckle.

“You could scout for new members for the GSS as you do ‘that thing you do.’”

“Well said, Sir,” I said getting up. I shook his hand, adding, “This is quite a coup ... thank you very much. We both plan to have these documents looked over carefully, but unless something very strange comes along, we will have them back within the week.”

Once home, I explained all of this to the girls. Princess thought it was cool, but she also was worried she wouldn’t be seeing as much of us. I ameliorated her concerns by mentioning that she could do the same thing when she is closer to turning sixteen herself. I got a kiss for that.

Next to tell this to was the parents, plus siblings. Jenn and Princess called Peter and Katie, Janice and Brian plus Jeff and Ally. Jennifer also thought we should tell Cece and Paul, so everyone was invited for dinner, our first big event since we moved back into the house.

With everyone at the house, we brought Tracy up to speed and the first thing we did was to take the covers off the table, and shine it up. That was my job.

After it met the lady’s approval, I got thirteen orange colored cloth napkins, and with Isabel’s help got a full set of utensils out. How has my mom been doing this for so long?

While everything else was being done, we brought Jennie and Tracy up to date on our plans. A little shocked, but they said they understood the reasoning behind our decisions. Princess made the point of doing the same thing in a year.

All the while with Andy on the kitchen counter watching everything going on around him, Princess, Jennie, Tracy and Jennifer were finding all the goodies we needed to pull off a grand dinner.

Stuart was in the middle of all the ladies helping all he could, being asked to, “Hold This?” “Carry this?” along with many other tasks. Whoever had asked him, gave him a kiss on the cheek. Unintended consequences strike again.

Most of our kitchen equipment was in use. The microwave was cooking the baked potatoes, the oven was baking the chicken breasts ... there were rice and green peas cooking on the stovetop. I put two bottles of the wine we had in the refrigerator on standby. Any more than that would be promoting alcoholism, wouldn’t it?

Promptly at six pm, everyone started to arrive. Peter and his wife were first. I took their jackets; it was cold outside. Right after them came Cece and Paul, who gravitated to their child and her sister. A few minutes later, Mom and Brian plus Jeff and Ally showed up. Thinking I had everyone here one more car pulled up.

It was Gerald Jones. I quickly recounted in my head, and he would make an even dozen. I welcomed him and he went over to Jennie and gave her a nice kiss.

I asked how much longer before the dinner would be ready, Jenn said, “About twenty minutes.”

“Wonderful,” I said, walking to the high tech piano.

Without any flourish, I began to play an instrumental version of “Almost Like Being in Love,” seeing all the couples holding hands.

“Could I please have Janice, Alice, Jennifer Guthrie and Jennifer Chapman ... the original Gold Standard Quartet, please come up. Do you ladies remember the first song you learned together?”

I heard Mom say, “1, 2, 3 and 4... Bum bum bum... “

It sounded as perfect as always. I gave it a bass beat with my trick piano.

They finished exactly together, prompting me to say, “They aren’t getting older, just better looking ... and they sing pretty well.”

“I need Anna and Elsa please?”

They jumped up from where they were, as I began “The First Time in Forever...”

These two magnificently talented and proportioned teenagers sang this song as well as they ever had to everyone standing.

Dinner was announced, and everyone turned around to see mounds of food before them. I sat down with Princess on one side of me and my mother on the other side. Mom quickly leaned in to me and asked, “You’re not about to tell us that one of your young ladies is pregnant, are you?”

Apparently, Isabel heard that and said, “Janice, if she is a girl, I plan to call her Jennifer Janice Thomas, so her initials are JJ.”

Across from me, Jennifer added, “Our little boy will be Michael Robert Thomas III.”

Jennie joined in and said, “Janice, Michael and I are having twins.”

Not to be left out, Tracy said, “Michael and I thought Andrew should have a cousin also named Andrew.”

Everyone looked at everyone else and Alice started the laughter that quickly spread around the table. Peter, who was between his wife and his sister said, “I knew at least one of them was kidding, but I wasn’t sure which.”

Paul, sitting between his wife and her sister, just quietly chuckled with the rest of the guys.

With everyone having a big plate of food, the conversation went quiet, except for the occasional look. I saw Cece looking at me, then Tracy. Mom looked at Jennie and Gerald. Peter glanced at his sister, dropping his eyes noticeably. Jennifer would see me looking around and stare me down.

Near the end of the meal, Brian asked, “As much as you love having all of these people here for your first big dinner, I suspect there is another reason this particular subset of the friends and family of Michael Thomas were invited?”

“Very perceptive of you father, would anyone like a refill of wine?”

“Oh, that’s a tell. This oughta be good,” Peter said.

“I guess it is,” I said getting up to get the other bottle out of the refrigerator and clearing my throat.

“You all are aware of my hopes and wishes for all of you ... for all of Vincennes for that matter,” I said opening the bottle.

“The school year Jennifer and I are in, will be our last ... as far as high school is concerned.”

That got the response I expected. I took the time to pour everyone who wanted a refill of his or her wine. I went on to explain, adding a moment no one was aware of.

I went over to my fiancée, dropped on a knee and asked, “Will you marry me, the final Sunday in November, the 30th?”

Even though everyone there knew we were engaged, the tears and the slaps on the shoulder invariably happened. With her response, everyone was so happy, I got the papers from my nearby backpack and Mom and Dad signed mine while Alice in tears signing Jennifer’s.

I sat and had a few bites of chicken and potato washing it down with a glass of water. I ambled to the piano, sat down to play and sing one of my favorite songs from ANNIE GET YOUR GUN...

I have had my way
with so many girls
An’ was lots of fun.

My scheme was
to know many girls
To keep me safe from one
I find it can’t be done.

My defenses are down
She’s broken my resistance
And I’m in an awful jam.
I went into the fight like a lion
But I came out like a lamb.
My defenses are down
She’s got you where she wants you
And you can’t escape no how
I could speak to my heart
when it wakened
But my heart won’t listen now.
I might as well surrender
For the battle can’t be won.
But I must confess that I like it,
So there’s nothing to be done.
Yes, I must confess that I like it
Being miserable is gonna be fun

I got loud applause and my girl came up to me giving me a great big kiss. That was nice ... then I called up Princess for them to sing the rewritten “Anything You Can Do,” first performed by Cece and Katie.

JENN Anything you can do
I can do better
I can do anything better than you
IZZY No, you can’t
JENN Yes, I can
IZZY No, you can’t
JENN Yes, I can
IZZY No, you can’t
JENN Yes, I can, yes, I can
IZZY Anything you can be...
I can be greater...
Sooner or later
I’m greater than you
JENN No, you are not
IZZY Yes, I am
JENN No, you are not
IZZY Yes, I am
JENN No, you are not
IZZY Yes, I am, yes I am{br}

Mrs. Planck and Mrs. Chapman were the first to stand up and applaud the young ladies when they were done. After the girls finished bowing, they went to them and they all hugged really tight.

Tracy said, “I’d love to learn that song to sing with my sister, sometime in the future.” Cece smiled at her, mouthing OK!

I got Jennie and Gerald up to perform one of their songs from SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM. They were well-received by our well liquored up crowd. Both bottles were emptied, so everyone had been cut off.