Chapter 6

I woke early the next morning feeling as if everything was going to work out great. I was dressing after a hard swim when accosted by Lisa and Tina.

Tina excitedly told me, "The doctor in charge of the interns and residents has agreed to allow me to be out for two to four weeks so I can go with you on the tour. It would be a lot of fun and some special time with the family even if I can only be with you guys in Hawaii." She snuggled up to me with that, and asked, "Want to come back to bed to find out how much fun we're going to have?"

I laughed, as I pointed at the bed with women sprawled across each other, resisting getting up. We could hear the jabbering of young voices telling us that morning was upon us and we needed to get going.

Getting so many little ones up, diapers changed, dressed, and contained within a manageable area, is a real chore even for three people. Tina had to get ready to go to the hospital, so it was going to be up just Lisa and me to keep the critters corralled and get their mothers moving.

Aunt Etta and Julie began harassing the women to get moving about the time I was becoming frustrated.

The mothers were all up within minutes, having juice or coffee before we went to the patio for breakfast.

My mind was made up to get the details ironed out and prepare for this adventure. It wouldn't be much of a vacation, but it will be a fun time with the family. First thing though, was to get everyone to the patio so we can get the day started.

I didn't realize today was Saturday until the women began loading kids and getting into the carts wearing sexy gowns and robes. Even Lisa came out with a gown that was totally indecent. It's difficult to keep your mind on anything when your eyes and brain are controlled by views of the women in teasing apparel.

We had just entered the patio where I had been waved at by Tiny, who had a bottle of mix for his favorite weekend morning drink. I heard a gasp behind me as I nodded to have him make me one. Judy Benton had just come in and was looking around at the open display of near nudity with her mouth agape. I waved at her to sit down with Ruth, Mercy, and Kathy at a table near the bar, and advised her, "Ask them about the tradition. I don't think I can tell it as well."

I went to the bar and gulped the Bloody Mary Tiny had prepared. He looked at me and asked, "Needed that this morning, huh?"

"Lot of things going on, Tiny. The next week or so is going to be busy with planning and getting ready to go to Hawaii."

He was smiling as he said, "It's going to be a great trip. Ruth and I are looking forward to it too. We're not going farther than Hawaii, but just being there will be great. We always have a wild time when we go with Steve, Dewey, and you. I'll get to see all of the Hawaiian holdings and have a good idea of how they're doing beyond what the financial numbers show."

I could see Judy Benton was now comfortable with the women being scantily clad when Lisa and I sat down at the big round table where she was sitting, but it could be the Bloody Mary she had in her hand. Kathy winked at me and mouthed that this was her third, so she was probably loosening up pretty fast. We would have to feed her well so she wouldn't stagger while getting on her return flight to DC later that morning.

Pop wanted Lisa and me to come to the studio after breakfast, so he could show us some of the new music he had for the group. He thought some of it had merit and might be usable.

Any mention of the studio and Bonita and Lizzy want to come, but I reminded them they had motocross and music lessons on Saturday morning. There was a lot of grumbling, but they agreed because we were going to include them when we went on tour.

Two of the four new pieces Pop had for us were very interesting, and I could hear the brass background in my head on the one, and the other should be sent to Santana, as it had a Latin beat and rhythm that would interest the man himself.

Lisa and I got our guitars out and played along, developing additional leads and making notations on the music, until Pop said, "Now we have to get more players in here to make this thing complete. Let's do a little this afternoon and we can try it out at the theater tonight if you want."

Elmer was busy in the control room and came out with some scores that had just printed. "I ran this through the MIDI and had it compose other instruments. You guys should be able to put this together pretty fast. I like it."

I found out at lunch that the DC counselor had left to go back to the world of bigots and assholes, after telling everyone that she wanted to come back to live with us. She is like most people who become intimate with the family; they want to be a part of it.

The afternoon was all music with Bonita and Lizzy joining in, although they didn't have a real part in the Latin piece. We practiced several pieces, anticipating trying the new music out at Sue's Blues. I knew what was coming, and Lisa and I prepared. We both figured that Pop and Rags would hijack Lisa and me for the whole show. They surprised us even more by having Bonita and Lizzy join us all evening.

We were all tired by the time we made it home, and enjoyed one last drink on the patio before going to bed.

Life at home became amazing. My family worked with Steve's and Dewey's families to determine the number of people who were really coming for the entire trip. Lisa came to me and asked, "Do you think Momma, Peaches, and my sisters, Sheena and Timetra, could come along? Rags and Momma have become very close, and it would be nice if they could share in this vacation."

How do you answer that without agreeing that Mama and the girls were an equal part of the family? They were, and who would notice a couple more people? The girls would be a help taking care of all of my kids, as the mass of rugrats from my family is enough to overwhelm any group of adults.

The chief out at the airpark, John Truant, told me, "I have this figured out, Chuck, and if you go along with me, it will work out perfectly. There will be plenty of room for everyone, even a few stowaways."

Lisa and I had been going over to St. Pete to practice with the band, but they had also been coming over to my studio to practice in order to incorporate Bonita and Lizzy into the mix. Using my studio was also a way to practice with Pop and the brass. Elmer kept excitedly telling me that he had another hour of marketable music at the end of a practice session. I know that he was constantly giving the agent and recording production people more to assemble into marketable music groups.

The Monday morning of our departure was a really big event. Nearly half of the folks who were part of the daily routine at the park were going on the trip. I wish they could have all gone with us, but that just wasn't possible and still keep the companies functioning.

Three big busses were sitting, idling, waiting for the families. We loaded up and the mothers all confirmed their critters were accounted for. I think Steve's family had more difficulty, as their kids were older and moved around quicker. Sue, Mercy, Kathy, and Juanita were extremely strict about keeping the kids in place long enough to confirm that we weren't leaving any behind.

I realized the adventure was underway as I sat in the bus seat with Tina, and Lisa sitting across the aisle with Aunt Etta.

Tina leaned to me and whispered, "You know this is the first time you and I have been paired together for the beginning of a trip? I'm really excited knowing I'm going with you and Lisa on a concert tour, Chuck. I know I don't share much in the music you two enjoy, but I do recognize how important it is to you two. Lisa includes me all of the time when she is practicing and playing, but I don't think it's important that my voice is there. She says it is, but only future listeners will know. God, I love you two so much and want to be with you two all of the time, but I still want to be a doctor, Chuck. I want to be the person who comes between life and death when it is important to those around the patient."

"That's what makes a doctor. All of their knowledge, their enthusiasm, ability to perform miracles, and all their love of mankind makes them humans who are doing everything they know to keep a patient with their family and loved ones a little longer. I hope I'm there when fate takes that patient so I can give solace to family and have the courage and knowledge to continue to save more and more."

There were three 737s lined up ready to board out at the airpark. John was standing at the door of the charter office when I walked up with a questioning look.

John smiled and said, "I've busted everyone up into three groups so that there will be some room to move around a little. The kids are going to want to run from end to end, while the adults will find ways to occupy their time. I know I'm spending your money, Chuck, but this is a special trip for your families and besides that, I'm going with you guys too."

"How did you find enough pilots for this, John," I asked. Each aircraft has to have four. Can the charter company afford to have twelve pilots gone at once?"

"Not really, but I've found enough semi-retired guys who will pick up the slack for the domestic stuff. We don't have to have flight attendants because so many of the women have helped out on the planes before. I figured you could take care of yourselves in flight."

"Okay, John," I said, letting out a large breath of air. "I'm good if we have room for everyone."

The division was done surprisingly well so the little guys were in one aircraft, and the mid-size kids on another. This should work and everyone would be content for the trip.

The first leg was to California where we picked up Dewey and family. The kids all had a chance to get some fresh air and run around in circles for a few minutes before taking off on the longer trip to Hawaii.

This was actually perfect, since I had a chance to play with each of my kids. It's so amazing to realize that I'm the father of these little critters who will all grow up hugging me as their dad. This was also an opportunity to spend time with each of the mothers, of course. I really shouldn't have so many women who look upon me as their man because I can't give them the individual attention they deserve. They all surprise me though, as they all take turns snuggling up to me getting some extra loving. The women do the same thing with Lisa and Tina, and I think they feel those two women are also husbands, or whatever they are in our relationship.

We were met by Crystal and Bear when we landed in Hawaii. I think they were overwhelmed with the nearly hundred people who descended upon them. A nice surprise was that the other resort investors were there to greet us. They had set aside several floors of the resort for our entourage, and directed my attention toward a building next to the hotel that they said was the studio I had requested.

The design of the hotel/resort was to have the most luxurious suites on the bottom floor so those staying there could walk right out onto the beach. This hotel was designed using the layout of the resorts on the Riviera.

We directed some ground people to take our instruments to the studio and let the two engineers work on setting up the equipment.

It was decided that we have a banquet room set up just for our group so that we could have time to eat together and a place to regroup a few times a day.

Food was first, then rest. It would take a couple of days to get our body clocks in sync with the new time, but we would adapt faster if we got some good rest.

The partners had planned well for us as we were able to get to our rooms and easily return to the large area set up as a dining room. We ate heartily, but the food was light as it was mostly fish and fruit.

The plan was for us to let the kids run wild and play in the surf while the adults did whatever they could to keep the babies up and stimulated so we could begin making up the seven hour difference in time zones. We would eat again before crashing at an early Hawaiian hour, but actually an early morning hour Eastern Time.

All the mothers had a good time playing with babies around the pool. The little ones were now all swimming, or at least floating on their backs and splashing anyone nearby. They loved the water and the mothers took pride in their ability to play in the water.

All of the music people wanted to get right into the studio to begin practicing, but I made them all relax and enjoy the Hawaiian outdoors and the ocean breezes.

I think everyone, including the little ones, were more than ready when it was time to go to bed. They were all falling asleep getting the last snack at their mother's breast. I think everyone was asleep right after the last little one was in his crib.

I woke Tuesday morning knowing it was still early, since it was still dark outside. Glancing at the clock told me that it was just after five in the morning. This was good as we would quickly be adjusted into the right body rhythm. I checked on the critters after getting up to use the bathroom, and only a couple were awake, batting at their mobiles overhead. They were adjusting too.

Thinking I could do the daddy duties, I began changing diapers of those who were awake, and the rest of the little ones were awake by the time I had done most of them. Their usual morning schedule had them nursing for a few minutes before breakfast of delicious cereal and fruit. The problem was that the moms weren't awake.