Chapter 20

"Moooom," Mandy wailed. "You can't go in. You didn't even need to drive us over. Jimmy said he would pick us up."

They were double parked in front of a ranch style house and the big F-250 was still rumbling. Bill didn't park yet because both sides of the street were lined with cars and trucks in various states of repair. Bill assumed they were all functional cars and trucks because most of them were driven to the party by friends of Jimmy's. The only open spot to park was in the driveway. Bill shrugged and eased the big truck into the space and turned off the engine.

"Mandy Rene Pierce," Susan said sternly. "You are 16 and Beth is 14. Neither of you are going to Jimmy's party until I make sure Carol is here. Allen would probably supply the beer for the party if it was up to him. Carol at least has some common sense."

"But Mom, Jimmy told me today that both his parents would be there. You don't have to come in," Mandy said a little quieter. Some of the kids standing around outside were watching and without the big diesel to muffle her words they could hear her.

"Give it up," Beth said in exasperation. "You know that mom won't change her mind when she puts on her super mom hat."

"I have an idea," Bill said. All three females looked at him expectantly. "We haven't officially invited them to the party in the park. Why don't both of us go in with the girls and we can invite them?"

Susan shrugged and said, "OK." She turned her head a little so Mandy couldn't see her face but Bill could. She winked and continued. "But I was really looking forward to embarrassing her. Can't I at least tell Carol that I don't want my babies to be kissing any boys? I can tell her real loud so the rest of the kids can hear."

"I guess that would be OK," Bill said controlling his smile. "But you get to embarrass her all the time. Once we get married that will be part of my job and I don't have any practice at all. Instead of you telling Jimmy's mom, why don't I tell Jimmy? You said the party's in the basement. I can call down the stairs and tell him."

"Oh, that would be even better. Can you make sure all the kids can hear?" Susan asked wiggling in her seat as if she was excited at the prospect of embarrassing her daughter more.

"No problem," Bill replied smiling. "I learned to yell like a drill instructor. I can make sure the whole block hears."

"Oh honey," Susan gushed. "You're going to be such a good dad."

Mandy had been following the conversation with growing horror. It wasn't until the last exchange that she figured out they were yanking her chain.

"You guys are terrible," Mandy grumped.

Bill and Susan started laughing and they all got out of the truck. Susan had perfected the slide, hop and fall technique of exiting the tall vehicle. She liked it when Bill helped her down because his hands on her gave her tingles but tonight she was focused on her daughters and their safety at this party. She remembered some of the parties she went to as a teen and wasn't going to take any chances with this one. Besides, she had a question for Carol.

The front door opened as they approached it and a burly, red headed man greeted them.

"Hey Suzy-Q," the red headed man said with a friendly grin. "I see you still can't stay away from my party's."

"Don't puff up to much Allen," Susan said smiling back. "Since my daughters want to come to this party I need to make sure there was some adult supervision. Is Carol around?"

There was tinkling laughter behind Allen and a petite blond pushed past him.

"Now Susan," Carol Randal said. "You know I wouldn't let him do anything unsupervised. I even have to supervise his bath time."

Allen grinned down at his wife and wiggling his eyebrows said, "You just think I keep forgetting how to do it."

Mandy blushing a bright red said, "Grownups will talk about anything," as she led Beth past the grownups.

Carol hugged the girls as they crowded past her then turned back to Susan and Bill.

"Come on in to our den of iniquity," Carol said. "Excuse the mess. I have the boys pretty well trained but Allen isn't house-broke yet."

Susan punched Allen in the arm and hugged Carol as they entered. Bill thought it looked like the standard greeting between the three. He smiled at the banter and thought he would like them.

"Carol, Allen, I want you to meet Bill Miller. We're getting married," Susan said with a shiver of excitement. "Bill, I would like for you to meet Carol. Carol, Ruth and I were the three musketeers in high school. Then Allen came along and broke us up. None of us have forgiven him but Ruth and I think Carol should since she married him and all."

Carol squealed and hugged Susan again. "I heard you were getting married but I didn't believe it," Carol said.

"What?" Susan asked leaning back to look at her friend. "You didn't believe a man would marry me?"

"Nope," Carol answered with a giggle that sounded like a little girl. "I couldn't believe you found a man that could measure up to your standards." She slowly looked at Bill and exaggerated the motion as her eyes traveled from his feet to his head. "It sure looks like he measures up," she said with a wicked grin. "Glad to meet you Bill. Let me know if she dumps you and I'll trade Allen in for you."

"Hey," Allen said in mock shock. "I'm right here!" He turned to Bill and with a grin said," Glad to meet you Bill. I don't know if Susan told you but I own the local Farmhand insurance office. I have a special comprehensive policy that I have devised just for people that spend time with Susan. Since you are getting married and will be spending an extended time with her I can give you a discount."

Bill was laughing when he shook Allen's hand and replied, "Thanks Allen but I don't think that's necessary. I've been immunized against any major damage."

"Yeah, I heard about that," Allen said feigning gloom. "I've made a lot of money off that policy over the years."

Susan punched Allen again and said, "You know you can't even read and write yet you dumb ox. Carol put that policy together."

They were still laughing when they sat down at the kitchen table. Allen offered sodas to Bill and Susan and apologized to Bill for not having anything stronger.

"Carol made me get rid of my beer for the party," Allen explained. "We trust Jimmy but some of his friends are a little less dependable."

"That's OK. We can't stay anyway," Bill said. "We thought we would go out on the town tonight. We just came in to embarrass the girls and to invite you to a party we are having at the town park next Saturday."

Allen rolled his eyes and complained, "Town park, no beer, another boring party."

Carol punched him this time.

Allen grinned at Bill and rubbing his shoulder said, "Let me give you some advice from an old, worn out, beat up, married man. Wear shoulder guards. Women have sharp fists."

Carol absently punched Allen's shoulder again before saying, "Of course we'll come. So, when's the wedding and how are you embarrassing the girls? Can I help? Where are you going tonight?"

Susan's giggle was very similar to Carol's earlier and she explained how they teased the girls and about the wedding plans and about going to Paddy's Place because of the live band. Bill was amused at the way the women communicated. The rapid fire questions and answers between the two were almost indecipherable.

"There is something that I would like to ask you," Susan said."Ruth and I talked about it. Since it's going to be a double wedding, Bill and Tim asked Bill's brother to be the best man for both of them. Ruth and I thought it would be great if you would the Maid of Honor for both of us. Would you?"

"Let me see," Carol said musingly. "Allen said I can't hang around with you two anymore because I always get in trouble. Since it wouldn't be 'any more' than I used to but it won't be any less and I don't pay attention to what he says anyway, Yes."

The women giggled and hugged.

"So, do we get to embarrass the kids now?" Allen asked.

"It isn't necessary," Bill said still laughing at the women. "I already talked to Jimmy about it."

"What did you talk to Jimmy about?" Allen asked curiously.

"I explained to him how I expect him to treat Mandy and to watch out for Beth when she's with him," Bill said seriously. "I hope you don't mind but I love those girls as much as I do Susan. I felt like it was my responsibility, kind of like they were my daughters. Also, Jimmy asked if he can work for me. When I explained how to treat the girls to him I put it in the context of how I expect my employees to conduct themselves."

Allen nodded his head and said, "Yeah, I guess I would react the same way if we had daughters."

"Jimmy's going to college at ASU next fall," Carol said warningly.

"I know," Bill replied. "This project should be finished by then anyway. I did offer him a part time job in Phoenix when he goes down to college. Our office is in Phoenix and Jack, my brother, is always looking for dependable people. I talked to Jack about it and, if Jimmy accepts, we thought about setting it up like an apprenticeship program."

"The money would help," Allen said thoughtfully. "The economy has hammered his college fund. There's still enough to pay for school but not much else."

"What's the difference between working part time and an apprenticeship program?" Carol asked.

"Everything is controlled by federal regulations," Bill explained with more than a little frustration in his voice. "The cost of benefits for part time workers is different from people in an apprenticeship program. A person on an apprenticeship program can be counted as a full time worker even though they are only working and getting paid for part time work. It's good for the company too because we can get tax deductions for people in apprenticeship programs. Apprenticeship Programs are also eligible for some federal money because it's considered training. It would be a good fit for Jimmy too because he said he was thinking about going into structural engineering his second year. If he does we can adjust his job to better reflect what he's doing in school so he gets real experience to go with what the books tell him. I don't know where he will be staying down there but we have a couple of other construction 5^th wheels and Jack has a big place. We can offer him a place to stay until he gets settled."

Allen and Carol just stared at Bill in astonishment. There were so many of the issues around their son going to college that seemed to be rushing at them like a freight train and they didn't know what to do about them. Business was bad and the economy was bad. They were both worried that Jimmy would need to wait a year to go to college or even do his first year at home while attending a community college. Bill had just been solved almost all of them.

Susan got up and stepped behind Bill. She hugged the big man from behind and proudly said, "See why I have to marry him? He fixes things."

Carol shook herself and said, "OK that settles it. Allen, pack your bags. Sorry Suzan but you're stuck with Allen. Bill, can you move in tonight or would tomorrow be better?"

"Not gonna happen," Susan said grinning. "I know how Allen kisses. Remember? I kissed him our sophomore year on a dare and I like Bill's kisses better."

"I've taught him how to kiss better," Carol said defensively. "It's almost fun now. Do you want to try again and see if I can change your mind?"

"Don't the men get a say in this?" Bill asked plaintively.

"The last say I had was when the preacher asked if I wanted to say 'I Do'," Allen grumbled.

The four new friends talked a little longer discussing party plans and wedding plans. Interspersed in the conversation were instructions to new arrivals of Jimmy's friends to go on down stairs and not to break anything. Bill and Susan really couldn't stay long though. They were meeting Tim and Ruth at Paddy's Place for dinner.

Bill and Susan left after they made arrangements for the girls getting home. They decided it would be OK for Jimmy to drive them home after the party. Susan stumbled going out the front door and Bill absently caught her while saying goodbye.

"Bill, if you aren't going to let her fall then I'll need to cancel that Hazardous Susan policy I took out for when she comes to visit," Allen said complained.

They were all still laughing when Bill and Susan climbed into Bill's truck.

"I still can't believe mom let me come to this party," Beth said nervously as they started down the stairs to the basement. She didn't go to many parties with kids her own age. She wasn't a dweeb or a nerd and she was glad because those groups were at the bottom of the social pecking order. She was still a long way down the ladder from the 'in crowd' so Beth didn't get invited to many parties. She had sleepovers with some of her friends but the parties she had attended in her own age group had been pretty lame. Beth had gone to parties her mom was invited to when her mom didn't have a babysitter. They were usually fun because some of the other parents brought their kids too and plans were made to keep the kids entertained. She had never been to a party with 18 year olds. Beth didn't know what to expect or how to act. What should she do if they all started kissing or something even more provocative?

Mandy stopped about halfway down the steps and looked back at her sister. She considered for a moment then said, "Mom didn't want you to. She thought you were too young for this party. She asked Bill what he thought and he said yes. Actually he said the party would have a safe, social environment to to spend time with your friends." Mandy shook her head in amazement. "Where does he come up with that stuff? He says some of the weirdest stuff sometimes."

"Do you think it's a safe environment?" Beth asked her sister.

"Yeah," Mandy said with anger in her voice as she turned and continued down the stairs. "Bill talked to Jimmy this week about how he expected Jimmy to act around me and how he's supposed to protect you when he's with both of us. Who does he think he is? He's not our dad!"

Beth put her hand on Mandy's shoulder at the bottom of the stairs and stopped her. "But Mandy, he will be our dad. He wants to be just because he loves us. Isn't that better than having one that doesn't care or not having one?"

"I guess so," Mandy said grudgingly. "It's just that ... I don't know. Jimmy is mine to talk to. It's like mom said when she tried to give us the birds and bees talk. She said it's up to the girl to manage the relationship because guys don't know how," as she moved to the side of the stairs so some seniors clattering down the stairs could get past.

Beth snorted in derision and said, "Maybe that's how she thought it worked because of the guys she's known in the past. I don't think she's been very successful with Bill."

Mandy giggled and said, "That's for sure. Did you hear them last night when mom wanted to sleep with Bill and he sent her to bed? He must be made of iron."

"From the looks of things this morning he is made of iron," Beth giggled with her sister.

Mandy got serious and after hesitating a moment said, "Beth, I need to tell you something. I thought about not telling you because I don't think you would have found out but you might. Besides, I don't like keeping secrets from you."

"What? Are we adopted or something?" Beth asked still smiling as she thought of Bill's condition that morning.

"This is serious," Mandy said grabbing her sister's arm. "Look, I was worried about you because everyone else was pairing up with someone and you didn't. I told Jimmy and he offered Carl $20 to skip the JV party tonight and spend it with you."

Beth jerked her arm from her sister and turned towards the stairs. "I'll ask Bill to drop me at home. I don't need to buy a date."

Mandy grabbed her sister's arm and pulled her back around. "Would you be quiet and listen to me," she hissed. She was surprised when she saw how bright Beth's eyes were. It looked like she was trying to keep from crying.

"Damn," she thought to herself. Aloud Mandy said, "I should have told you this earlier."

"You're damn right you should have," Beth said. She wished she understood swear words better because she wanted to say something really bad.

"Look," Mandy said urgently. "Jimmy offered $20 but Carl turned it down when he found out what Jimmy wanted him to do. Carl said the thought you were hot and didn't want money to hang out with you at the party. He's too shy to talk to you at school."

"Really?" Beth asked. "Did Carl really say that or are you just trying to make me feel good?"

"He really said that," Mandy reassured Beth. "I decided I had to tell you for two reasons. If you found out and got only half the story it would have hurt your feelings. I know how good you are at finding things out so I couldn't take the chance. The other reason is, well, guys are weird. We girls need every edge we can get to deal with them so I thought you should know how Carl felt about you. You know. So you can 'manage the relationship'."

They giggled and Beth hugged her big sister.

"Thank you Mandy," Beth said softly. "You're the best big sister in the world."

Mandy hugged her back and said, "Well, someone needs to get some benefit from all this experience I'm building up."

They giggled again, linked arms, and marched into the family room. Beth was no longer nervous. Her head was high and her shoulders were back. More than a couple of guys were appreciative of the generous nubs displayed by her stance with her shoulders back the way they were. The boy that was most appreciative was the guy she was there to control.

Beth saw Carl right away and smiled at him. "Hi Carl," she said brightly. "I see that you're stuck down here with the old folks too."

Mandy was laughing when she walked through the French doors into the back yard looking for Jimmy. Her little sister was going to be just fine.

The sound of lively country-western music washed over them as Bill and Susan pushed through big double doors. The Paddy's Place restaurant and bar was packed because of the live band and it seemed that every table was full. They looked for Tim and Ruth and found them sitting at a table. It was a good location too. It was next to the wall near enough to the dance floor to get up and dance but far enough away from the band so they could still talk over the music without too much of a problem. Two extra chairs were leaning forward against the table.

Bill and Susan sat down and Susan noticed that both Ruth and Tim were sipping sodas. She raised her eyebrows at Ruth in a silent question when Ruth took a sip. Susan knew both Tim and Ruth liked beer.

Ruth shrugged and said, "Tim said we couldn't order beer until you guys got here."