Chapter 6

“Well done, Mr. Love,” he said. “However, I wouldn’t play that at a young person’s party, it could be interpreted incorrectly as a song of impurity.”

“What about if we played it at a dinner party of adults?” I asked.

“If alcohol is being served, go for it!” he said. “Speaking of drinking, I could use one, excuse me, everyone!”

He went into the kitchen where the other three adults all were.

April came up to say, “Daddy used to sing a lot when I was a very little girl but getting him to sing these days might be tough.”

“Why is that?” I had to ask.

“I’m not real sure, Michael. Don’t push him too hard about it, please?”

“That’s OK, I now have six wonderful voices to listen to, don’t I?”

“What can I sing, please?” my darling redhead asked.

“Do you want to try ‘Muskrat Love?’”

“Sure, but why don’t we sing first,” she said, making me blush.

I began the song...

APRIL
Muskrat, Muskrat,
candle light
doing the town and
doing it right in the evening
It’s pretty pleasing

Muskrat Suzie,
Muskrat Sam
Do the jitterbug out
in Muskrat Land
And they shimmy...
Sam is so skinny
And they whirl and they
twirl and they tango
Singing and Jinging a Jango
Float like the heavens above
Looks like Muskrat Love

Nibbling on bacon,
chewing on cheese
Sam says to Suzie, “Honey,
would you please be my Mrs”.
Suzie says yes with her kisses

Now he’s tickling her fancy,
rubbing her toes
Muzzle to muzzle, now,
anything goes as they wriggle,
Sue starts to giggle

And they whirl and they
twirl and they tango
Singing and Jinging a Jango
Floating like the heavens above
Looks like Muskrat Love

I tried the cute muskrat sounds while the keyboard kept the music going.

And they whirl and they
twirl and they tango
Singing and Jinging a Jango
Floating like the heavens above
Looks like Muskrat Love

The kids all giggled, but I got a kiss for trying, on the lips.

After we did a few more numbers, our mothers called ‘Dinner’ together.

We had been keeping all of the extensions in our dinner table, as often as we all ate together. All the brothers, even William, pulled out the chairs for their young ladies.

“As a reminder, I am taking April out to dinner tomorrow night. You all have already approved of it, I just thought I should remind you,” I said.

“Remind us, where you are taking our daughter?” Mr. Nicholas said.

“I hadn’t told you, because it is a secret for her. Possibly after dinner we could have a private discussion if you really need one, Sir?”

“Do you know, John?” he turned to ask my dad.

“I have not and will not ever interrogate him on where he is going, Tyrone. They are good kids, I trust him,” my father said to him.

In front of us, was a selection of Tex-Mex Lasagna, Nacho Casserole and Shepherd’s pie.

April asked me to dish her out some of the Lasagna, and I did, then I gave myself some. On my other side was Mary who asked for a portion of the Casserole, which I also did.

“Pass it down, Loverboy,” my brother Charles said.

I stood up, and did as he asked, without remarking to his poor choice of words.

Before I sat back down, I looked at Mr. Nicholas, who was looking at me.

Since a good offense, is the best defense, I sat and told April, to wear the prettiest dress she had for our dinner date. She thanked me for that, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

Things stayed cordial as our dinners usually did, but afterwards, Mr. Nicholas got up and motioned me to follow him. I kept April from following us, and we found ourselves in a quiet place.

He was trying, much too hard, to be casual, as he was likely pissed at me for speaking to him as I had, earlier.

I was going to let him lead this, as I saw my father do with him.

“Michael!”

“Tyrone!”

He smirked, then said, “Are you going to tell me where you are going, Michael?”

“I was waiting for you to ask, Tyrone,” I said. “Oh, I guess that was you asking me just now, wasn’t it?”

“You are being rather impertinent, if you asked me.”

“You are being rather condescending yourself, Sir.”

“Just tell me where you are taking my daughter for dinner tomorrow, please?”

“Harvest Restaurant, but if you tell her before we get there, that will tell me a lot about how you deal with people, Sir.”

“That place is rather expensive. How can you afford it, young man?”

“I get a formidable allowance from my father, Sir. It shouldn’t be a problem, really. Perhaps you would be willing to help me out on the tipping? I’m of the 20% lot, unless the server or the restaurant does something unexpected. What do you have to say about that?”

He looked at me for a long moment.

“I’ve always been a 15%er myself, without regard to quality of service. Those servers make a very small hourly wage and live off the tips they get.”

“Thank you, Sir,” I said extending my hand to him.