Brian Ottomas Ch. 24 It's Raining Kids Pt. 2

Raine's home-schooled art lessons were coming along nicely. She longed to be able to do the kind of paintings her mother and Willow did, but knew that would take time.

When Heath and Willow were eating some leftovers as a snack the next day he said,

"Jamie was asking about you the last time I was over there."

He was referring to his girlfriend Maddie's twin brother.

Willow ignored his remark and asked,

"Want to jam after we eat?"

"Willow. He's a nice guy and I think he really likes you. He's just kind of quiet and a little shy."

"Why are you telling me this? He's a junior, I'm only a freshman. He's too old for me and Momma said I shouldn't think about dating until I'm 15. Besides, I don't want a shy boy."

"Oh, really? You prefer to hang out with your friend Angelo? You really need someone who's laid back and mature, not a kid who likes to sneak out at night and take you with him. Besides, once Jamie gets to know you he talks all the time," then he added in parental tones, "I worry about ya, kid, and he'd be a steadying influence. You'd be safe with Jamie."

"Oh, poo!," Willow huffed, "Angelo is a friend and that's all. You're just trying to sound like you're an adult or something and, anyway, I don't want to be 'steadied'. And I don't want to be 'safe'; I want to have fun. Things are never dull when I'm with Angelo"

"We could double-date," Heath coaxed, "Maddie and I would be there to kind of break the ice and if we did that I know Momma would let you go."

"Wow," Willow smirked, "Maddie must really be on you about this."

Heath frowned since that really was part of the reason he was urging Willow so hard.

"We-ell," she dragged out the word, looking off as if pondering hard. Then she said as though making a magnanimous gesture, "I'll...think about it."

"Oh, just let me know when you're done thinking," Heath said dryly.

"Okay," she said in a perky voice, pretending not to hear his intended sarcasm, "I'll get back to you on that."

Raine was the youngest in the family and Brian always said she was well-rounded she was not only a daddy's girl, but also a mommy's girl. She always came over to hug her daddy before he left to go to Club Dante which he still owned and operated and which had recently become a restaurant that featured karaoke instead of a country-rock bar.

The change to a full service restaurant was with the idea of expanding out, but it had been hard for Brian to make the decision to drop the idea of a live band and feature the karaoke instead. He was a long-time musician and even though he rarely played at his club any more, he sympathized with his house band. But they'd started with just a karaoke night and soon it was their busiest night.  Karaoke was popular and practically no expense compared to a band. Commercially and financially it was the best idea.

He'd found a good chef and they came up with a fairly large menu that emphasized casual dining for the smallish groups of people who usually showed up to do karaoke. Sandwiches and wraps, both hot and cold, enormous old-fashioned burgers, salads, both large and small and various side items like cheese fries, baked mac and cheese casserole, sweet potato fries, homemade barbeque beans, Old Bay fries and hand-battered onion rings were available. A couple of Brian's mothers best recipes were included; Mo Jo Chicken Sandwiches, Muffuletta To Die For and Pastrami Heaven on a Roll proved very popular.

The fare was not sophisticated but all the food was fresh and homemade; nothing frozen, nothing canned. Even though the bar served any kind of mixed drink, beer and wine, Brian had delicious non-alcoholic fresh fruit coolers available year round along with the usual soft drinks and tea. Peanut Butter cake and Peach Cobbler were the most popular desserts.

MoJo Chicken Sandwich:
Marinated pulled chicken, pineapple,  honey mustard, mayo, hot peppers, shredded lettuce and melted Swiss on grilled flatbread

Pastrami Heaven on a Roll:
Black peppercorn pastrami, turkey breast, cheddar cheese, tomato, sliced yellow onion, deli mustard and herb mayo on a toasted kaiser roll.

Muffuletta To Die For:
Served on a crusty top roll with layers of baked ham, provolone cheese, Genoa-style salami and Swiss cheese, topped with a zesty olive salad. Served with kettle chips.

Meadow now began to work with Brian as the restaurant hostess. Brian hired another woman to hostess on the weekends, though. He'd begun to take Saturdays off, leaving the restaurant in the hands of his assistant manager. Meadow had been begging him to take a little more time,

"The kids are growing up, Brian; Heath goes off to University this fall and Brook and Willow are right behind him, Rocky will be having his birthday. You don't want to miss these last moments of their childhood; we don't want to miss them. And the twins will be glad for any extra time you can give them."

"You're right, sweetheart," he had agreed.

"Besides," Meadow grinned, "it gets really crazy around here on the weekends with every kid in Pleasantview plus our own six monsters. I really need your support."

So Brian had moved in an assistant manager who'd been recommended by his older brother, Dylan, and who soon proved he was more than up to the job. In fact, after a while Brian thought it might be possible to take a day off during the week from time to time.

The three oldest babysat with the three youngest the evenings their parents worked. They actually liked each others company most of the time, besides when their parents were absent things were more relaxed than ever. Rocky thought it was cool that his older sisters and brother didn't really care if he jumped on the furniture, but they DID insist on choosing what would be on TV and on the kids finishing their homework first.

 Saturday morning Brook and Willow came outside to where their father was trimming the bushes--the job was never done--and asked if they could throw a party that afternoon.

Brian laughed,

"You mean all the kids who drop by and congregate here every weekend don't constitute a party?"

"Daddy. We're serious," Willow chided him, "We mean a real party where they all come at once because we invited them."

"How many?"

Brook looked at Willow and Willow nudged her.

"It's just people who have been over here other times...um...Maddie, of course, and her brother Jamie, Angelo, Karen and Kirstie Burb and Christopher Cooke. Only six. Plus Heath and us," Brook said.

Brian sighed and wiped the sweat starting to appear on his brow,

"Well, it's okay with me; but you'll have to convince your mother."

They rushed off to confront Meadow fully prepared to beg and grovel, but Meadow easily agreed saying,

"I'll grill the burgers, but you girls will have to set up cold drinks and snacks and clean up after the party."

"We will! We will!"

"There's another big bag of chips in the cupboard by the stove, Daddy just bought Coke and Sprite, I think it's still on the counter, and you know where the plastic cups and paper plates are."

Ecstatic, the girls rushed off to follow her orders and call their friends.

The three younger kids were fishing at the little pond out front so they wouldn't be a problem. As soon as their guests arrived Brook took Jamie Candeloro with her to the pool. Kirstie jumped in a moment later. Heath had asked Brook to try to get Jamie and Willow together but Willow stayed out on the front porch playing "Don't Wake the Llama" with Karen and Angelo. Heath and his girl, Maddie, played Mah Jong on the other end of the front porch.

It was getting really hot and, rather than fighting for room in the pool, Raine, Rocky and North turned on the water wiggler.

As evening fell Meadow served up cheeseburgers for everyone including Brian and "the littles" as Brook and Willow referred to Rocky, North and Raine.

 In the background L to R: Angelo, Heath, Karen Burb and Maddie

In the foreground L. to R.: Brook, Jamie, Christopher Cooke and Kirstie Burb

 L. to R.: Rocky, North and Raine

 Background: Brian and "The Littles"

Table on the right L to R: Kirstie, Jamie, Christopher and Brook

Table on the left L. to R: Karen, Maddie, Angelo and Heath

 Meadow, Brian and Willow

The party was a success and the girls gladly cleared the tables after saying goodbye to their guests. Heath took a garbage bag and policed up the yard where paper napkins and empty plastic cups had blown off the tables.

"We should have parties more often," Brook told Willow, "But we need to ask Momma way ahead next time."

"Yeah, maybe we could have some theme parties."

"But what kind of theme?"

"I dunno. Hmm, like maybe a 4th of July party and we could have sparklers and Daddy could get fireworks--" Brook contemplated.

"We're going to Grandma's for 4th of July, remember?" Brook sounded letdown.

Willow was not deterred in the least,

"Don't worry; I'll think of something. Maybe we'll have a labor day picnic or...fall is coming, maybe a harvest theme or there's always Halloween. The point is; we're good at this; we can be our own party planners."

Brook nodded, she knew Willow--and she WOULD think of something. Hopefully nothing that would get them in trouble....

Next update: The Brothers Everhart Ch. 21 Undead and Unhappy Part 1

Brian Ottomas Ch. 24 It's Raining Kids Pt. 1

Brian and Meadow's house was a busy, noisy place most days and overflowed with activity and children of all ages. After school you would hear one or more kids playing the guitar, keyboard or drums in the music studio or out on the front porch, the TV or video games would be going full-blast. Often music poured from the various radios and CD players, in the kids' rooms. Between their dog, Elvis, barking to go out or barking to come in and kids heading out to the yard or trooping inside the screen door slammed all day. Meadow or Brook would have the sewing machine humming, and over all that people laughed, droned and yelled. On the wide porch there were usually kids playing Don't Wake the Llama or Mah Jong. Small children usually congregated in the upstairs playroom or outside on the playground.

Somehow the Ottomas family home had become a mecca for all the Pleasantview kids, even thought it was the farthest away from the center of town (except for the Cullen house buried in the trees and halfway up the mountain).

At suppertime the meal often spread across the long dining room table and over to the kitchen island because anywhere from one to four additional kids had been invited to stay.

Randy Hanzlik was a frequent guest at the house; he was in the same class as Rocky and they loved to play cops and robbers. The living room was especially good for this since there was a big over-stuffed sofa, two over-stuffed love seats and an over-stuffed armchair. All made for soft landings when one had been shot to death.

Their preoccupation with a life of crime meant that little North could have the video games all  to himself which was fine with him.

Raine and her friends, like Oona, still preferred the playroom and happily left the living room to the boys . When the weather was nice, of course, they played outdoors.

Brian still worked on keeping the spacious yard up between gardener visits and dog duties were divided between Meadow and Heath most of the time.

Following Heath's example Brook was learning to cook. But with so many people in the family and usually a couple guests Meadow made supper with her, grilling chicken outside while Brook made salmon or pork chops inside. The meals tended to be served with a different main course at each end of the table and the kids were used to seeing a big spread in between with plenty of vegetable offerings and fruit for dessert.

 

With the kids all in school, Meadow could now occasionally have a leisurely afternoon shopping and one of her favorite places was the Westbrook Candle & Gift Shoppe in Bluewater Village.

Elvis, while a huge scary looking dog if you didn't know better, was actually so laid back and friendly that even the gardener couldn't resist him. The usually tight lipped and grumpy woman was often seen petting and talking to him.

He loved to snooze in the sun especially when his family was out and about in the yard.

Brian was teaching his youngest son, North, to fish in their tiny pond. They usually threw the fish back. Meadow said they probably had the most tender-mouthed fish in the county and they should give the poor things a break and go fish at the park.

North had also expressed interest in learning the guitar and keyboard and was hinting that the family should get a real piano. There wasn't much more room left in the house though and certainly none in the music studio so it was unlikely his "hints" would prove successful. However his father was all for teaching him some other instruments.

Rocky used to love to play in the toilet and create watery mayhem as a toddler. Although he now stayed away from the toilet, thank goodness, when the sink recently overflowed he managed to stomp in the puddles for a while before he ran off to tell big brother Heath there was a slight problem.

"How long did you play in this?" Heath demanded when he went to the sink, wrench in hand.

"Huh?" Rocky hedged with an innocent look on his face.

"Your socks and shoes are soaked, squirt. How dumb do you think I am? Now the water has spread across the whole floor. Guess who's gonna mop it up?"

"Willow?"

Heath had to laugh,

"Negatory. You are gonna mop it up as soon as I'm done so don't go anywhere."

Heath started banging on the faucet while Rocky watched. Ordinarily he looked up to his brother but sometimes he was as bossy as Daddy and Momma. Oh, well, next year he'd have his birthday and then they would all have to give him respect. He went to go get the mop and bucket, his shoes squishing with every step.

Ty Generica and Skylar Scott dropped by one afternoon and they and Brook and Willow ended up playing backgammon. Ty was giving Brook lovestruck glances but it was no use. She was friendly but nothing more because most of her attention and effort was into qualifying for University. She was thinking of going into design. She was sixteen and a junior so she had a while to go, but school and an eventual career still occupied her mind a lot. She liked male attention she just preferred to keep it casual. Brook knew what she wanted and was determined to fulfill her dreams.

Willow, on the other hand, changed direction every other week thinking perhaps she'd be a vet, or a model or actress. Lately she'd decided she would go to art school and become an artist, specifically painting.

"I can understand wanting to pursue that, Punkin, and your mother and I both think you're quite good," Brian told her, "But it's an unsteady profession for the most part; remember you want to be able to support yourself. You've been saying you want to have an apartment by the time you're 21."

"Oh, but I don't need anything big or expensive; I'll be so busy at work and going out. Just as long as there's a bed, a bathroom and a hot plate, I'll be fine, Daddy. I can just eat out a lot at diners and Bill's Snappy Service and fix ramen noodles on the hot plate," she dismissed breezily.

"A minimalist, huh?" Brian couldn't help smiling, "Well, you have plenty of time to decide. You may feel completely different by the time you graduate."

Nodding vaguely, Willow went in the living room and flopped down gracelessly on the love seat. Brook, who had been listening rather than watching TV, now sat down daintily on the adjacent love seat. She learned toward Willow and hissed,

"Really, Willow! Why do you say stuff like that? Endless ramen and cheeseburgers?"

"Sounds good to me," Willow replied stubbornly.

"Well, how are you going to paint if you have this dinky little one-room dump, probably with only one tiny window?"

"So I'll go to the park to paint!" she tossed off, "Besides, I have to go to art school first. I'll figure out something; you have to suffer for your art to be good."

Brook rolled her eyes, but her tone was a bit kinder,

"You're so infantile. I thought you wanted to be a vet."

"I did, but then I realized I'd have to go to school for forever. Anyway, I don't like to make plans and sink them in concrete like you. I might change my mind next year."

"Ha! You'll change your mind next week," Brook muttered darkly, "You're so random."

"Why are you giving me grief about this? Just worry about yourself, Miss-Hospital-Corners."

The girls glared at each other and went to their separate corners...

Next blog update: Brian Ottomas Ch. 24 It's Raining Kids Pt. 2

Jenny Lomax-Hammond Ch. 10 Dropping the Bomb Part 1

Lonnie Hammond, owner and manager of the Le Magnifique Restaurant, was ordinarily not an introspective man. He preferred to keep things easy and simple. He had two young daughters and a pretty wife, Jenny, and he loved all three of them dearly. So when his attention wasn't focused on his restaurant it was on doing things with his family.But over the last four or five years he did have one thing that continually rode him because he had yet to deal with it or the repercussions.

Lonnie and Meadow Thayer had only dated a few times during the period when he and Jenny were struggling with their relationship and had broken up. He dated 3 or 4 other women at the time as well, but Meadow was his favorite. The short affair was soon over and Lonnie had gone back to Jenny, this time permanently.

Six years ago Meadow, now Mrs. Brian Ottomas, had called him out of the blue and asked him to meet her in town. There she proceeded to tell him that he had fathered a son; she was the mother, and the boy was then eleven years old. Any disbelief on his part ended when she showed him a photo. The son, Heath, looked just like his father, there was no mistaking it.

Meadow and Brian had five other children now besides Heath. She had become involved with and married Brian after Heath was born. She also told Lonnie that Brian had adopted Heath when he was a baby.

For a recap of Heath's birth see  

Brian Ottomas Ch. 2 When Sunny Gets Blue

Lonnie was anxious to meet the boy, but he put off telling his wife. Jenny and their daughters knew nothing about Heath. Meadow introduced to his son at last over at her home where she felt Heath would be relaxed.

 

Lonnie had begun seeing his son monthly and taking him to various places like the park, the movies, the skating rink--all public places. Heath had been cautious at first but they'd become friends as both of them relaxed.

Pressure to tell his wife and daughters built up but Lonnie still dreaded telling Jenny so he continued to delay. At first Heath had peppered him with questions about his half-sisters and Lonnie's life with them but after a while he stopped. After two or three years, as Heath hit his teens, he became withdrawn and moody as many teenagers do and not only quit enquiring about his sisters and even cancelled a few get-togethers with Lonnie. The monthly visits dropped to bi-monthly and then a couple times a year. When Lonnie had been turned down so many times and faced with his only son's seeming apathy he had quit trying.

Heath was in his senior year now and it had been eight months since Lonnie saw him. It had become a painful subject to Lonnie and so he pushed it to the back of his mind. However; he finally realized that he had to tell Jenny and the girls, maybe if Heath felt that Lonnie was proud to have them meet him he might thaw a bit. Besides he owed it to his family to be truthful.

It was late on a Monday afternoon and Lonnie's day off when he said to Jenny,

"I have something to tell you. Let's go upstairs."

Jenny nodded and followed him up to their bedroom, but her forehead creased immediately with concern. They started out calmly enough, sitting on adjacent comfy armchairs in the corner of their bedroom. 

"Well, what is it?" she prompted somewhat impatiently. It didn't fill him confidence.

"Remember when we broke up and then kept going back and forth before Loni Faye was born? You knew I dated some other girls during that period."

Jenny tensed but she put on a bored and cynical act,

"Yes, I did know, but I certainly hope you don't expect me to keep track of all your conquests back then."

Lonnie paused and then rushed ahead,

"I don't know how to tell you this, except to just tell you. It turns out I have a son by another woman. I didn't know, of course, not right away."

Her face froze as she tried to absorb what he was saying,

"What do you mean you have a son by someone else? Who? Who is the little witch?"

He could see Jenny getting ready to blow.

"Now, honey, keep in mind, I didn't know. Her name is Meadow Thayer, well it was Thayer now she's Meadow Ottomas. She's married to Brian Ottomas, you know, he owns Club Dante around the corner from Le Magnifique?

Jenny's mouth dropped open. Talk about a one-two punch; she'd had a fling with Brian just before meeting Lonnie. Not something she had particularly wanted Lonnie to know. She still didn't want him to, especially since she'd have to think about how she might use the information for her own benefit.

"When did you find out, anyway?" she asked, suddenly suspicious.

"Well, a few years ago."

"A few years ago! When were you planning on telling me? In fact, you've hidden it so well, why tell me now?"

He hated it when Jenny got all sarcastic and catty.

"I was going to tell you as soon as I got up my nerve, but obviously that didn't happen until today. I was seeing him fairly often, but the we just sort of drifted apart. It recently occurred to me that he might have been hurt that I'd never introduced him to Loni Faye and Liara and so it's been eight months since I last saw him. I just can't get him off my mind and I miss him."

Jenny narrowed her eyes,

"I. Want.To. Know. About.This. Meadow. Person."

"It was no big thing with us, Jenny. She admitted she just used me like a sperm donor, frankly. She's married and has 5 other kids besides Heath."

"But now she wants you back in her life?"

"No! She's HAPPILY married, I told you. When she told me about Heath I wanted to meet him. Jenny, he's a great kid; you'd like him. I know it's a lot to ask but I want to tell the girls. I want Heath to get to know them and them to know him.

For the first time in 20 years, Jenny wished she had a cigaret.

"Lon, I'm trying to stay calm here. You tell me that you have a son by some other woman. She got pregnant, you say, while we were broken up. I was already carrying Loni Faye then, right?"

"That's right. It was while you and I were apart. You knew I was seeing other women, then. Said you didn't care."

That made Jenny furious because, of course, Lonnie was right. She'd known he was seeing other women again and had told herself she didn't care.

For a recap of the Jenny and Lonnie's courtship and leading up to Loni Faye's birth, see this

Jenny Lomax Ch. 1 Amour Fou

"Okay," she replied, "If you want to continue seeing him--what's his name again--Keith?"

Lonnie gave her the stink-eye which Jenny ignored,

"It's Heath."

"If you want to continue seeing 'Heath' I can't stop you, but I don't want the girls dragged into this."

"Jenny, if we don't tell them they'll find out somehow--as it is, they're going to be upset they didn't know sooner--I mean Loni Faye must see him in school all the time."

Meanwhile, downstairs in the tiny studio, Loni Faye and Liara were home from school and painting. They could bear their parents' voices getting more agitated but they couldn't tell what was being said.

"Think Daddy wants Momma to stay home from the restaurant like he asked you to do?" Liara finally ventured.

Loni Faye frowned. She hated that her little sister had to hear her parents fighting.

"No. At least I don't think  so. He wants me to quit working there until after graduation. He said I need to be able to attend all the senior events that are coming up and to work hard on my classes so I can go to University. But why would he want Momma to stay home?"

Liara looked around the room fearfully as though checking for listening devices,

"Well, he might do it because Momma gets so mad if there's a pretty woman there at the restaurant and Daddy is even friendly to her. And you know Daddy has to be nice to all the people who come there. I wish Momma would be happy more often. She's so pretty and when she smiles--"

"Liara, honey, I know she does get jealous and I know Daddy isn't doing anything except being the owner of a fancy restaurant. He's pretty goodlooking for an older man so I see women do flirt with him, but he's always just polite to everyone. He has to kind of schmooze with customers you know. But I think the reason she worries so much is because she's older than Daddy and she told me that before they got married he had like a gazillion girlfriends."

"When I get married it will be to a man who has never had any girlfriends at all before he met me," Liara pouted darkly.

"Good luck with that," Loni Faye laughed, "You're too young to worry about that anyway."

"Well, my birthday will be here soon and--oh, no my French blue got dried out. Do we have any more of that?" Liara asked.

"Yes, here's another tube. But you need to be more careful about putting the top on tight, Li."

Liara shrugged and sighed,

"I know," she sounded a bit fatalistic and then the voices upstairs got even more vehement and she turned to her sister, tension clouding her face, "They're getting louder, Loni."

"I'll put my new CD on--you haven't heard it yet anyway--and we'll crank up the volume."

Next blog update: Jenny Lomax-Hammond Ch 10 Dropping the Bomb Part 2