Chapter 17: Party Time Again

Cade continued to teach Callie how to drive, and as it turned out, her unauthorized trip to town had taught her volumes about driving. Now she was leaps and bounds ahead of where she had been. Cade made inquiries and learned that she could get a driver's license by passing a written exam and taking a road test, so he got a copy of the driver's handbook from the DMV for her to study. Callie was afraid of the tests, but Cade encouraged her and reassured her, and told her that she could always retake the tests if she didn't pass the first time. She needed his constant reassurance, because she lacked confidence in her abilities.

While Callie studied for her driver's exam, Cade searched diligently for another job. He was unable to find employment anywhere and he applied at every place that was hiring. Several different businesses offered him a job, and then later called and informed him they had changed their mind. Cade couldn't figure out if Drake Pennington was behind that or his constant rejection was because of his criminal record. Either way, no one would hire him.

Cade finally went to see Roger to find out if Roger had any leads on a job, but Roger was stumped. "Don't worry, we'll figure something out," Roger assured him. Cade wished he shared Roger's optimism. His unemployment checks would eventually run out and if he couldn't pay the taxes on the property, or support his family, he didn't see how they could continue living in the old farmhouse. The thought of losing everything he had worked for since he arrived, depressed him.

Callie's ticket set him back over a hundred dollars, and he didn't want to pay it, but he realized that he didn't have a choice. His money was dwindling, and to top it off, Jessica's birthday was coming up. "I want a birthday party," she whined.

Cade wasn't sure what a young child's birthday party consisted of, nor was Callie. Neither of them had ever thrown a birthday party for their children. Callie suggested they barbecue some hotdogs, buy some potato chips, and invite some kids over who were close to Jessica's age. She figured they could play some birthday games, and serve some cake and ice cream. Cade thought it sounded like a lot of work and expense, for a child's sixth birthday, but when Jessica looked at him with a pouting face, he couldn't resist her. "OK, you can have a party," he agreed. Jessica jumped up and down excitedly.

Callie took her written drivers exam and passed it the first time. She was ecstatic. She took her road test a few days later and passed that as well. She received her official driver's license a few days prior to Jessie's birthday party.

Jessica had invited about ten kids to her birthday party, which was a lot of kids, but all of them lived nearby and were close to her age. Callie didn't mind driving the truck anymore; in fact, she had grown rather fond of it, calling it the "ugly old beast." Now that she had her official driver's license, she was always driving places and she was delighted with her new found freedom. Cade was not thrilled about the cost of the gasoline for her various trips into town. She always wanted to run to the store or Laundromat, or pick up more supplies for Jessie's party, but Cade enjoyed seeing her excited and he was happy that she had finally gotten her driver's license.

Cade had tightly budgeted money for Jessica's birthday party, but Callie kept buying more things, and driving up the cost of the party and Cade became irritated with her. "She's only six," Cade said angrily.

"Yeah, but we don't want to be thought of as white trash," Callie moaned. She was afraid of the ridicule they might receive if Jessica's party bombed.

Cade wasn't sure he cared one way or the other if the party was successful or not, but he realized it meant a lot to Callie and he reasoned that the little bit of overspending she had done was OK, and that maybe he should lighten up.

He had managed to clear some of the clutter out of the garage and clear off the old workbench that Walt had made many years ago. Cade found a metal box that locked and he placed the envelope that contained the results of the paternity test in the locked metal box, along with the newspaper clippings he gotten from the library. He kept the box in an empty drawer of the old workbench and he hadn't had time to look at the results of the paternity test, or read the articles thoroughly, but he thought about doing so, frequently.

Cade had applied for state Medicaid benefits for his family, and other forms of public assistance when he had applied for his unemployment. The children were now covered with medical insurance, but he didn't like being on welfare. It had been his goal when he got out of prison to stay off of public assistance and welfare. His mother had always milked the welfare system while he had been growing up, and he didn't want to be the same way. He wanted to be self-sufficient. He had managed to build up a small reserve of cash when he worked, but it would not hold out indefinitely, nor would the unemployment money, and he feared for their future.

Ashley and Harley were jealous of Jessica's birthday party, and they adopted the attitude that since she was the youngest, she got whatever she wanted. Cade chuckled about their jealousy because he realized it was a sign they were settling into a normal sibling relationship.

The afternoon before the party, Callie drove over to pick up Harley from his friend Collin's house where Harley had been playing. Collin had a younger sister who would be attending Jessie's birthday party named Patty, short for Patricia. Callie learned that Collin's dad's name was Peter and his mother's name was Lilly. When Collin's dad Peter opened the door to find Callie standing on his doorstep, he was instantly enamored. "Hi, I'm Peter Marchbanks," he extended his hand.

"Callie Harrison," she said and flashed him a smile as she took his hand. She had attempted to avoid flirting ever since Cade punished her the night of the Christmas party, but she had never learned to say anything to a man without it coming out flirtatiously.

Harley appeared at the front door just in time to see Peter eyeballing his mother and his mother gushing at Peter. Harley cringed. His mother never seemed to have trouble attracting men, even when it was unconscious on her part, and the way she looked at Peter, and the way he looked at her, made Harley angry. He sulked on the ride home, and Callie had no idea why he was upset. "Didn't you have a good time at Collins house?" she asked.

"Yeah it was OK," Harley said dully. He hoped his mother wouldn't ruin their good life by flirting with Collin's dad or by having sex with him. Harley knew his mother and he was worried.

Callie still had no idea why her son was upset when they got home and she watched Harley stomp up the stairs to his bedroom, and shrugged it off.

Callie was afraid on the day of Jessie's party that everyone they invited would see how poor they were and find out about Cade's prison record and that they would become instant outcasts. She always worried about that sort of thing, but the party was something they had worked hard to plan and put together, so Callie tried her best not to show her apprehension.

Cade could sense her nervousness and before the little kids began arriving for the party, he massaged her shoulders, "It's going to be fine, you'll see."

"What if the kids we invite don't like the party and they tell their parents we're bad people or something," Callie said in a worried voice.

"We're not bad people," Cade said. "Stop worrying; it's just a birthday party."

But Callie felt like it was somehow more than a birthday party, as if it were a test they had to pass in order to be accepted. If the party went well, then they would be accepted, and if not, then they would be rejected. It was the way she always thought about things, and she always expected the worst.

Cade shared her fears to a certain extent, but mainly he hoped the party would make Jessica happy, and that was all he really cared about. "Screw them if they don't like it," he said casually.

Callie wished she could be as cavalier as Cade, but it simply wasn't possible.

When the children began arriving for the party, every parent got out of their car and walked their child to the front door of the house. Callie had hung up decorations inside the living room and since it was a nice day, they would play their party games outside on the front lawn. The party would only last two hours, so it wouldn't be long. The parents of the children were interested to meet Cade and Callie, and they stayed long enough to make sure they met them before leaving their child there.

Callie tried to play the role of the causal homemaker, but Cade realized, as he looked at her, that she looked a bit slutty in the clothes she was wearing. He hadn't really noticed it until now, but some of the men who came with their children, stared straight at Callie's cleavage, and Cade didn't like it.

All of Callie's fears were laid to rest after awhile however, because the party turned out to be a huge success. The kids enjoyed the few games they played and they devoured the food. Each child gave Jessie a small present, and she was very excited when it came time to open the gifts. Cade realized as he watched Jessie with the children her age that she fit in very well, even though she was a bit bossy. He would have to work on that with her. He chuckled to himself as Jessica told everyone what to do and where to go, and they did it.

When the parents came back to pick up their children after the party, Cade was a bit more relaxed, and he was able to strike up a conversation with most of the adults, without even trying. Callie made a point of talking to the women instead of their husbands because Cade had warned her about that, but it didn't escape Cade's attention that Collin's dad Pete was a bit forward with Callie and he also noticed that Peter couldn't seem to keep his eyes off Callie.

"So, you're Walt's grandson." Cade whirled around to face a man about his age. "Yes, I'm Cade," Cade extended his hand to the man.

"Nice to meet you Cade, I'm Lonnie Jameson," he said and he shook Cade's hand. "This is my daughter Bethany." Cade smiled down at Bethany who had been at the party, and made sure she had a balloon and a goody bag to take home with her.

"I sure miss Walt," Lonnie sighed, "We were good friends you know."

Cade looked at Lonnie curiously, "You were?"

"Well we spent a lot of time together. I did my apprenticeship under Walt when I became a plumber," Lonnie said enthusiastically. "He was the best damn plumber in town."

Cade recalled seeing plumber's tools and some plumbing attire in some of the pictures he had seen of Walt, but until that moment, he hadn't thought much about it. "I guess I forgot he was a plumber; I didn't know him that well." Cade said.

"I know," Lonnie looked down. "He told me your stepfather wouldn't allow you to visit, and it damn near broke his heart."

"He told you that?" Cade was surprised.

"Yeah," Lonnie nodded, "I guess Walt sort of looked at me as a substitute grandson," Lonnie chuckled. "Plus he did me a huge favor when I was looking for work; he took me under his wing and taught me how to be a plumber, and now I've got more business than I know what to do with."

Cade stared at Lonnie, "What else did you have to do in order to become a plumber?"

"Well I had to go to the local trade school two towns away, and then I did an 8000 hour apprenticeship with Walt. It took about four years," Lonnie explained. "And when Walt got sick and retired, he sold me all of his tools and his inventory."

Cade got a far off look in his eye, "I bet he was a good plumber."

"Like I said, he was the best," Lonnie smiled. "If you want to know the truth Cade, he told me that his dream was to train you to become a plumber and take over his business if you wanted. I guess it simply wasn't meant to be." Lonnie mused. "Walt never knew how to contact you, but there wasn't a day that went by that Walt wasn't thinking of you. I was with him when he passed away."

Cade got a lump in his throat. "So you live nearby?" Cade asked.

"A few houses away, on Brierly Road," Lonnie said. "It's my parent's old house. They relocated to Florida a few years ago and left their house to me. We love it here."

The wheels in Cade's head were spinning. "Maybe we can get a beer sometime and talk more about Walt."

"I'd like that," Lonnie smiled.

By the time all of the little kids left, Callie was on cloud nine because the party had gone off without a hitch. The people that lived near them were friendly and nice, and Jessica was tired but happy. Jessica wouldn't allow Harley or Ashley to look at her presents.

"Mom she won't let us look at her stuff," Ashley complained.

"Yeah," Harley echoed.

"Jessica, stop being so selfish," Callie warned. "They just want to see what you got for your birthday."

"No!" Jessica said stubbornly.

Harley and Ashley rolled their eyes.

"Jessie," Callie warned, "Don't you tell me 'no.' Stop acting that way or I'll get your daddy to give you a good hard spanking."

"No you won't," Jessica said with confidence.

Callie threw her hands in the air in exasperation, "If I ever acted like that when I was your age, you better believe I'd have been in for it," She looked over at Cade, "Isn't that right Cade?"

But Cade wasn't paying attention. His mind was elsewhere. "What?" He turned as if seeing them for the first time and they realized he had not been paying attention.

Callie threw her hands up in the air again in frustration. "Jessica won't let Harley and Ashley look at her presents."