Pinochle

Pinochle By E Walk (Copyrighted by the author) Edited by Will B.

Chapter 25 - Last Farewells

This is Grant.

When Ben and I finally crawled into his car, I had a sudden thought. "Ben, can we please stop by a florist shop on the way home? I want to do something."

We stopped at a local florist that Ben's parents used. We walked in, and I asked, "Would it be possible to purchase four roses in vials that could last for some time?"

The lady behind the counter looked at me as if I were out of my mind. "What is it that you have in mind?"

"I was thinking it would be nice if we could have a red rose, a white rose, a yellow rose and a pink rose in vials, so we could do a special presentation." The lady got us the four roses; I paid for them, and we put them in the trunk.

I asked Ben to drive to Dad's house, and we went in. I practically demanded that Dad and Dad Harley come with us. I told them we had an errand to do before dinner at the club. Dad and Dad Harley were a little miffed at my persistence, and Ben had no idea what I was planning.

Dad and Mr. Gordon reluctantly joined us. I directed to Ben to the cemetery where Jerry was buried. I even directed him to area near his plot. Dad was a little nervous, but I persisted and had Ben open the trunk. "Dad, please say your goodbyes to Dad Jerry. The rest of us will join you shortly. Here is a red rose that I think you should place on his grave as you say your last farewell."

Dad went and knelt by Jerry Caldwell's grave. I motioned for Ben and Mr. Gordon to follow me. We walked very slowly to Dad, and when he looked at me, I whispered, "Dad Jerry, we are here to say our farewells. You need to go to your final resting place. Dad Harley is going to place a rose on your grave. He realizes that he can never take your place in Dad's heart, but he wants very much to become someone special to Dad."

This is Ben.

Grant knelt down and placed his rose on the grave. "Dad Jerry, I am sorry I never had the opportunity to know you. You must have been very special to have caused Dad to give up twenty years of his life, trying to making others happy. It is time that you go make peace with your maker, but before you go, I want you to meet my special friend, Benji. He brought me to life, and I don't know what I would do without him."

I knelt down and placed the yellow rose on the grave, and it was if a whiff of steam came out of the ground. It stopped at Mr. Garrison first and paused, then it stopped in front of Mr. Gordon and paused. It stopped in front of Grant, and Grant got the biggest smile on his face. The whiff stopped in front of me, and I heard, `Take care of Grant. He is special, as are you."

The whiff of steam, smoke, or whatever it was, moved backed to the center of the grave and picked up the four roses; we heard, "I am off to see my maker. Please just love each other unconditionally."

That must have been more than Mr. Garrison could handle, because he started to openly shed tears. The whiff of whatever stopped in front Mr. Garrison and hovered; suddenly Mr. Garrison started to smile. The whiff floated into the clouds. We watched until it was out of sight.

No one said anything as we returned to the car, or on the entire trip to the club. I think we were all too busy trying to understand what had happened. As I pulled into the parking lot, Grant turned around. "Dad and Dad Harley, I hope that I didn't upset you by having us do what we did, but I felt that we had to bring closure to that phase of Dad's life, and I couldn't figure out how else to do it."

Mr. Garrison spoke for the first time. "Grant, to be honest with you, I was very angry with you at first, because I thought you were meddling in things that did not concern you. When Jerry spoke to me, just before he disappeared, he reminded me that he could not move on until he knew that I was at peace. He told me that it took a hot-headed stud to make it possible. To be honest with you, I am relieved. I know that he is gone, and he has given his blessings to whatever happens with Harley and me."

Grant looked at Mr. Gordon. "Dad Harley, what did Dad Jerry say to you, if you don't mind sharing?"

Mr. Gordon laughed. "He threatened to come back and kick me in the place where it would hurt the most, if I ever caused Gregg any real grief."

I spoke before Grant had a chance to question me. "Before you ask, Mr. Caldwell said that I was to take care of you, because you are special. Now what did he say to you?"

Grant got a sheepish look on his face. "Dad Jerry said that he wished he could have been around to be a real father for me. He also said I was to make sure the three of you were doing what you were supposed to be doing, and he thanked me for bringing everyone to the cemetery today. Now let's go eat."

This is Grant.

I guess I will probably be chewed up one side and down the other after this fiasco. I don't think any of the four of us really wanted to go to a party after the experience we just had, but we couldn't very well not go.

When we entered the club, we were directed to a party room, and I was surprised to see how many people were there. Ben knew everyone and made the introductions. It was very casual, and it was starting to be fun, since I was getting to meet some of Ben's relatives and friends.

It was a very nice buffet and, as we were finishing eating, Ben's dad stood and announced, "This is a day for celebrating. Becca and I have just bought the Toy Shoppe from Mr. Garrison. He is going to be moving to Ithaca to make sure our sons don't get into too much trouble. Mr. Harley Gordon will be handling our business interests in the northeast area of the U.S. Now, I would like to introduce the two people who will be managing the Toy Shoppe for Becca and me, Mr. Lash Lasher and Mr. Paul Murphy."

There was a round of applause, and Dad continued, "I would like everyone to take this opportunity to say farewell to Gregg, since he and Harley are planning to leave for Ithaca on Saturday. Thanks for coming, and have a great weekend."

It was almost an hour before the party finally broke up. We took Dad and Dad Harley back to the house and went to meet with Brian. He and Ben packed what they thought they would need.

Mr. Benson came into the room. "Guys, I would only pack the basics; if you need more, you can always buy them. Ben, here is a card, in case the three of you need something."

We got Ben and Brian packed and went back to Dad's house, which I guess is now my house, from what Mr. Benson had announced at the party. When we walked in, Dad and Dad Harley were drinking coffee and making a list, making plans or something. I looked at Dad. "Dad, when did Mr. Benson decide this was going to be my house?"

"Beau and Becca suggested that I sign the house over to you, since it is clear and free. They have a real estate agent who will handle it for you and take care of the repairs and the bills. They figure that you should be able to have about $400.00 a month income from the house, which should be sufficient to pay for your incidentals, since you are going to be living with Ben and the two young ladies."

Dad stood up and grabbed me. "Grant, I should be angry with you for the antic you pulled this afternoon, but I'm not in the least angry; in fact, I am relieved. You have made this move so much easier, now that I know Jerry has gone on to a better place." Dad did something very uncharacteristic. He kissed me on the lips and held me tight. I held him as tightly as I could and whispered, "I love you Dad."

We finally let go of each other, and I patted Dad Harley on the back, "We love you too, Dad Harley. We need to go and get my things packed."

When we walked into my room, Ben pushed me onto the bed and kissed me. "Okay, Mr. Psychologist, how did you get so smart? You are making me look like a complete idiot."

"Oh, Benjamin, don't you realize that it is all your fault. When you brought me to life, you shared your compassion and wisdom. Now kiss me, you fool, and let's see what else I need to get for this trip. You know what? I don't even own any luggage, so how am I supposed to pack?"

Ben was unfazed, "Well, let's go take care of that right now. We might check with your Dad and see if he has enough luggage to pack his things for their trip."

We stopped in the kitchen, where Dad and Dad Harley were still drinking coffee, and Ben announced, "We're going to go get Grant some luggage. Mr. Garrison, do you need any more luggage?"

Mr. Garrison looked as if he had been awakened from a dream. "Guys, I never thought about luggage. I only have the two pieces that we took to Ithaca. Could you pick me up a couple more pieces? I don't have many clothes, and there aren't too many other things that I want to take. I will ship some things to Harley's address tomorrow. My mind is on overload again."

This is Ben.

Grant sure doesn't make anything easy. He looked at every piece of luggage in the store and read the warranties and guarantees. Finally, he decided. "Dad only needs cheap luggage, since it will be in his car and may never be used again. We need to make sure it is not too large, so he and Dad Harley can handle it easily. I think I would like to get that set over there for myself. It has a five-year guarantee and is on sale. It should get us through college. I'll get the blue set, since your luggage is gray, and Brian's is brown. That way, there will be no confusion as to whose suitcase it is." After that crisis was handled, we took the luggage back to the Garrison house.

We just walked in with our hands full, and Mr. Garrison and Mr. Gordon were sitting on the sofa, leaning next to each other; they looked as if they were asleep. Grant and I quietly slipped up the stairs and packed the things he wanted to take in the two suitcases that we were permitted to take, according to our tickets. We put Mr. Garrison's new luggage in his room since his door was open.

We went back to Grant's room and shut the door; I pulled him tight. I wanted to shove my tongue down his throat, but I resisted and just held him and gave him a gentle kiss. I looked at him. "Knock, I can hardly wait until we are living together, so we can do whatever we want to do, and no one will know the difference. I am going to leave now. I think you might want to wake your two Dads, or they are going to be worthless in the morning."

Grant and I went downstairs, and he hugged me as I left.

This is Grant.

I went and touched Dad and Dad Harley. "Dads, I think you should go to bed, or neither one of you will be able to move tomorrow. I'll lock up."

Dad and Mr. Gordon were finally able to stand; I gave them a hug and watched them as they slowly went up the stairs. All I could think was `Thank goodness for elevators.'

I went to my room and took a shower. When I came out of the bathroom, Mr. Gordon was standing there. I just went about my business as if this were an everyday occurrence.

Mr. Gordon's eyes were fixed on my appendage. "Grant, would you please cover that monster of yours. I won't be able to say what I came to say, if you don't. If Ben looks anything like you, there are going to a bunch of people chasing after the two of you."

Dad Harley watched as I stepped into my briefs before he began, "Grant, I don't have a clue why you thought of the roses and going to the cemetery this afternoon. That was absolutely the best thing that you could have done to get your Dad to move on and enjoy the rest of his life. You may not realize this, but even though you have only been a human being for approximately three weeks, your Dad dearly loves you. And, Grant, thank you for including me in your family. I'd better go now, before your Dad decides to come visit with you."

Dad Harley left, and I felt a tickling sensation running up and down my reclining sexual piece. "Ben, how long have you been here?"

"Dear Knock, I was waiting here in the bed, when I heard Mr. Gordon approaching. I just came to kiss you goodnight, since we didn't do it right the first time."

Before we could say anything else, there was a knock on the door. I went to open the door, and Ben disappeared. Dad was standing there. "Grant, can we talk?"

I hugged him. "Please come in. His royal highness, Benji, is here too. Ben, let Dad know you are here."

It was the strangest thing that Dad and I had ever witnessed. This invisible thing went to the drawer where I keep my briefs and we saw some briefs being pulled up. Then we watched, as the invisible Ben adjusted his package before he appeared in person .

"You called, sirs?"

Dad was laughing harder than I had ever seen him laugh. He was finally able to compose himself. "Guys, I don't know whose idea it was to go to the cemetery, but thank you. That was just what I needed to say goodbye to Jerry. I have dwelled far too long on his passing."

Dad stood to leave, and Ben looked at him, "It's about time, Mr. Garrison. You look like a healthy specimen of manhood. Maybe I should check you out, before I throw you down and love you to death."

Dad was standing there laughing. "Benji, you are even worse than your father. This little thing of mine has forgotten what standing at attention means. Guys, I suggest that you get some sleep. You need to train Lash and Paul tomorrow."

Dad caught both of us off guard when he hugged and kissed us. "Good night, sons. Don't mess around too long."

Dad left and Ben stood. "I'm going to go, too. I love you, my piece of wood."

Author's Comments: If you want to read more of this story and other interesting stories, you might like to visit www.tickiestories.us.

Will's Comments: I cannot think of a single thing to say, not a wisecrack, not a pun, nothing! This is a beautiful chapter, and I am grateful to our Greatly Esteemed Ed for allowing me to edit it--not that it needs that much.

To be continued: