Chapter 8

“We’ll stay with Peg,” Diane said. “Want to bake Easter cookies, Peg?”

“Cookies!” she said, bouncing up and down.

“Thanks, honey,” Dennis said, giving her a kiss. “I really want to go with Mom to see my dad.”

“We love you,” Judith said. She’d shown that again this morning and Dennis was beginning to think she had the most talented mouth of all his girlfriends, but having his finger in her twat while he licked her clit was just about as good.

“Then we should get going,” Dot said. “If you’re sure.” Dennis and Dot pulled out of the garage to visit his father in Des Moines.

“Mom? Is Dad really improving?” Dennis asked.

“Either he’s improving or I’m getting used to it,” she answered. “He remembered my name all through my visit yesterday. Dennis, please don’t get upset if he doesn’t remember you again. I know how hard it must be on you kids. I’m sorry.”

“Mom, it isn’t your fault. We know you do the best you can to be strong for us. You’ve always been there for us and I think that’s what keeps Peg stable when she misses Dad,” Dennis said. “I hope I’m being enough help. I didn’t have to manage the track team.”

“It’s where you belong,” Dot said. “You have far more responsibility at home than I ever did as a teen. At least than I did until I got married and had Peg. But high school is supposed to be your time to grow and learn, not to babysit all the time. I’m thankful for all the breaks you give me and for the way you care for your sister. You are really what keeps her stable, not me. She is very proud of her big brother and loves all the sisters you’ve brought home for her.”

“No more, Mom. I mean, I love every single one of my girlfriends, but I don’t want any more. Sometimes I think they are trying to recruit other girls.”

“They’re just so very proud of you, they can’t help bragging,” his mom laughed.

Will was awake and watching television from the chair in his room when they reached the hospital. He was dressed in sweats Dot had brought him. He’d lost so much weight, she was sure none of his clothes would fit. As he got thinner, he looked younger, too. She could see the boy who wooed her in high school shining through.

“Oh, hi!” he said. He clicked off the TV, happy to have live company instead of the pictures. “You’re um ... You’re my wife! Right?”

“Yes, Will! I’m your wife. I love you so much.” She hugged him and he nodded.

“You sure are pretty. What was your name, again?” That took a bit of the wind out of Dot’s sails but she still considered him remembering something to be a victory.

“I’m your Dottie, Will. I’ll always be your Dottie.”

“Yeah. Did you enjoy the movie Friday night? They’ll close that old drive-in down if they ever figure out what we do there,” he laughed. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes, Will. I’ll always marry you.” She motioned Dennis forward. “I brought our son, Dennis, to see you. He misses his daddy.”

“Dennis?”

“Hi, Dad,” he said.

“Now, listen carefully, son. You don’t have to put up with any of the shit those boys pulled ever again. I’m sorry I wasn’t there when it started, but it’s over now. Are we still buds?” Both Dennis and Dot were startled by the clarity of Will’s statement. He held out his fist. Dennis bumped it with his.

“Yes, Dad. Best buds,” he said.

“Now how do the fields look? I know I’m not able to work right now, but we need to keep ahead of things. That means you’ll need to be ready for harvest. Have you cleaned up the corn picker like I told you?” Will asked. Dennis had cleaned the corn picker, but that had been nearly ten years ago. He’d been proud of the job he did on it and Dad had given him five dollars to put in his bank.

“Yes, Dad,” Dennis said, swallowing the lump in his throat. “I made sure to get it good and clean. Can I ride with you when we pick?”

“Sure! You can miss a day or two of school. Now don’t argue with me, Dottie. A boy needs to learn the farm as well as he learns the multiplication table. We’ll be fine.”

“Yes, Will. I won’t object to that,” Dottie said.

A throat being cleared behind them brought their attention to the doctor standing in the doorway.

“Dr. Nelson,” Dot said. “Won’t you come in?”

“I was hoping to see you this morning. The nursing station called me when you came in,” the doctor said.

“Is something wrong?” Dot’s voice quavered.

“No. Quite the contrary. Will, I think we’ve done all we can do for you here. I’m going to release you this week.”

“That’s great, Doc. I need to get back on the snowplow and keep the roads open,” Will said. He’d skipped in his timeline again and instead of being a farmer, he was driving a snowplow.

“We’ll see how soon you can return to work. For now, you’ll need to keep working on walking and keeping your balance.”

“Walk? I can walk!” He started in a recognizable John Wayne accent. “You stand up straight and put one foot in front of the other, pardner.”

“Yes. And you’re doing a good job of it,” Dr. Nelson said. “Mrs. Enders, we can’t keep Will here any longer. I really do think we’ve done everything we can. But it may be too much for you to have him at home. I’m going to recommend transferring him to a nursing home or halfway house.”

Dot stared at him with tears running from her eyes. They were not tears of joy. Dot was frightened.

“We’ll take him home,” she whispered. “We couldn’t pay for a nursing home. I don’t even know how to pay for the hospital. I don’t know how we’ll live.”

“Dorothy,” Dr. Nelson said softly. He led her away from her husband and son. “There is help available. You are a strong and loving wife and mother. You deserve help. Neither Will’s condition nor your daughter’s should force you to live on the street. Here is a number. Tomorrow morning, call and ask for Rhonda White. Tell her I referred you and she will go to work finding you the resources you need. And don’t worry about the hospital bill. We aren’t going to come after your home either.”

“Thank you,” she sniffled. “I just don’t know what to do. It’s all so ... overwhelming. I’ll make this call in the morning.”

Dennis finally understood why his mother spent time each morning doing her hair and makeup. She always dressed nicely before she went to visit his father. Three times before they left the hospital, Will had turned to her and said, “You sure are pretty.” That was usually followed by a proposal or a request for a date. His mother always accepted. She seemed to blossom when he complimented her and Dennis was happy to see the love between them survived, even when his dad’s memory failed.

“How was your dad?” Diane asked when he walked the girls out to their car. Judith clung to his other hand as if he would disappear.

“I guess he’s better. They’re going to release him sometime this week,” Dennis said.

“That’s wonderful! Um ... Isn’t it?” Judith asked.

“Well, yeah. Except, I might need to cut back my track activity. Mom’s already exhausted and it will be like having two of Peg around with no help. I mean, Dad isn’t all there, you know? When I got there, I thought he recognized me and was talking to me about the gang and all. Then, all of a sudden, he was talking about needing me to clean the corn picker and letting me ride in the cab with him. It was like the two things happened at the same time to him. And every time he sees Mom, he tells her she’s pretty and asks her to marry him,” Dennis said. “I don’t know how we’re going to afford to live here.”

“Oh, Dennis! That’s terrible. I promise we’ll all be here to help. It’s only two months until school is out and we’ll set up shifts to help you and your Mom,” Diane said.

“That’s really kind of you and I know you’d all do your best to help,” Dennis said. “But the real core of things needs to be handled by Mom. We have to follow her lead and not try to lead her.”

He kissed each girl with a deep and passionate kiss. They both responded to his touch by rubbing up against him. They finally pulled away with a deep sigh.

“We need to get out of here before we strip and make love in the yard. It’s still too cold for that or I’d say ‘let’s do it.’ I love you, Dennis,” Diane said. Judith followed with similar words.

“I’m going to try to wait until summer,” Judith said. “I’m aching to have you fuck me. I want to feel your cock in my sloppy wet pussy. I love you, Dennis.”

“Hi, boyfriend,” Rosie said when Dennis answered the door.

“Hi, Rosie. Amy! You’re here, too?”

“Yeah. It’s Sunday evening and tomorrow is still vacation. I’m spending the night with Rosie,” Amy said.

“Um ... Does that mean the two of you plan to spend the night here? With me?” he asked.

“No, darn it,” Rosie said. “Mom said she didn’t think it was such a good idea for us to spend the night here when there wasn’t an emergency or all the girlfriends were here. Friday, she took me to Planned Parenthood in Des Moines and got me on the pill. I think she suspects that we might be romantically involved.”

“Wow. What made her think that?” Dennis asked innocently.

“I don’t know. Maybe my request to buy new underwear. It wasn’t very subtle. Wait till you see it.”

“I’m looking forward to it. We usually just have popcorn and milk while we watch a movie on Sunday night. Want to join us?”

“Yeah. That’s what we told Mom we were going to do,” Rosie said.

“We told her we’d be home by ten,” Amy whispered.

“But we end so Peg can go to bed by...”

“Shh!” Amy said. “Don’t tell!”

Dennis smiled and went to the kitchen to make popcorn as Amy and Rosie joined Dot and Peg in the living room.