Chapter 15

Before Tammy or Karl had even begun to think of waking up the morning after their very tiring and surprisingly eventful yesterday, Reeve came booming through the door. "Wake-up you sleepyheads."

His deep baritone voice bounced off the four walls and rattled the barely awake couple. "Time to get a move-on. We've got a ton to talk about," he continued.

Darlene laughed and added her two-cents, not directed at her daughter and fiance who were just beginning to wipe the sleep from their faces, but to her husband. "Reeve, give the love-birds a chance to wake up."

Speaking more softly to Tammy and Karl than her husband's frightening yell, she apologized. "Sorry you two. Dad's excited. We've got some good news for you and even some better news.

"But let's let that wait for a bit. You two get up and get dressed. I'll put on some coffee and set breakfast out.

"OK?"

By then Karl's feet had touched the floor, his hands rubbing the sleep from his eyes and he began working on clearing the cobwebs from his mind. "What time is it?" He sleepily asked.

Then looking at his prospective mother-in-law he wondered, "Has the Sun started to come up yet?" Glancing over at the open door he exclaimed, "My God ... It's still dark out!"

"Mom ... Dad, what's happening?" Tammy asked through the grog that was still in place in her mind, "What are you two doing here so early?"

"Children," Darlene said to her supercharged husband in a falsetto huff. "They never listen."

With that, Reeve picked up his booming banter again, shocking the pair's newly awakened sense of hearing, "What's-a-matter!" Reeve boomed. "Your ear's got plugged while you were sleeping?

"Rise and shine. We've some very important news!"

"Reeve, give the kids a chance to wake up," Darlene said again. "Remember, we planned to give them a hearty breakfast and THEN fill them in on what you found out last night after we got home."

"Sorry. I'm just so excited.

"I'll shut up and sit down."

"Good," said Darlene. Then under her breath she softly said to herself, "That will be the day."

"I heard that," replied Reeve.

"So did I and everyone the next county over. Oh my God dad ... do you have to be so loud!" were Tammy's first strung together words after she had slung her legs over the edge of the bed to let them dangle for a couple of seconds. "And it's true," she added with a laugh as her brain finally caught up.

Karl still standing naked by the bed held out his hand to Tammy as an invitation to trundle outside with him as was their habit upon waking. Nature was calling him quite loudly and he was sure she was hearing the same thing.

"Be right back," said a similarly naked Tammy as she took Karl's hand. They both headed outside to relieve themselves from their nightly bladder buildup. As usual, she took the low road and slipped into the out-house while he took out his liquid wrath on one of the nearby trees.

"How come you water a different tree all the time," she casually asked on their trip back to the house.

"Ammonia build up," he replied. "Pee too many times in the same place and it starts to smell. Then you've got to have a big rain to dilute things back to normal."

"Makes sense," Tammy said as they reached the front doorway. She turned toward him and placed her hands aside his cheeks. Drawing their faces together she planted a moist kiss on his lips.

"Great start to breakfast," Karl joked.

"Wait till you see what we brought," was Darlene's cheerful call to the kids from inside as they stood in the doorway.

"Hope it's as good as the 'Lip Sandwich' I just had," Karl answered with a huge smile on his face.

The smell of percolating coffee permeated the cabin and drifted out to the love-birds. "What's with the cooler on the table?" asked Tammy as they moved into the house.

"We brought breakfast," explained Reeve. "And it's not just a cooler ... Remember, it also keeps things WARM!!!"

Warbling "Dad???" Tammy questioned, "What about the rules?"

"Rules ... Shumles," corrected Reeve. "Who cares!!!

"That's part of the 'good news' we have. Sit! ... Eat!" he ordered as Darlene pulled out foil wrapped plates setting them on the table.

"Homemade French Toast with sausage, bacon and eggs! A complete breakfast which you'll both need for strength," she laughed.

"Even brought a special treat... 'Real' Maple Syrup," said Reeve as everyone settled around the table.

"Great," said Tammy with a knowing tone in her voice as Karl gave her a wink with a twinkling eye.

"What?" said Darlene catching the exchange.

"Private joke," replied Tammy as they both smiled at each other.

Sighing, Darlene said with an exhaled breath, "Ah! ... Young love."

"Sis," Reeve with a huge smile on his mouth as he climbed into a chair and pulled up to the table countering, "They ain't so young anymore."

Staring bullets at him for breaking her reverie, she stood akimbo, head tilted slightly to her right side. When the laughter to Reeve's statement died out, he held out a conciliatory hand toward her saying, "C'mon Darlene. Let the love-birds sit down so we can all eat this fabulous breakfast."

Slowly an almost smile lifted the edges of her mouth to at least a straight line. It looked better than the frown she had worked herself into. Settling into the chair next to her husband she turned slightly toward him. She stirred up some more laughter by giving him one of her 'Swats' followed by, "You old coot!"