Learn From Cigarette Burns

All at once, it seemed that all the girls in the Thompson family erupted into a fit of laughter that caused anyone who had not been in on the original conversation to stop and gaze curiously in their direction. Being taller than most people in the vicinity, I was able to see to the center of the commotion. What I was found, though, was my wife hanging tightly to her dad’s shoulders like a monkey, while the two of them laughed for a reason unbeknownst to me.

I smiled softly and then took a sip from my, very, very sweet Hawaiian punch (rumor has it that one of Dee’s younger cousins was in charge of mixing the Hawaiian punch) before I turned to the California native standing beside me. My good friend in turn looked back at me, giving me a half smirk, before taking a drink of his can of Root beer.

“What’s that look all about?” I questioned.

“Dee’s wrestling around with her dad once again,” he pointed out, “that means she has the energy now to jerk you around.”

“She doesn’t ‘jerk’ me around,” I mumbled.

Justin laughed quietly and then shook his head. “Your little lady is, has always been, and always will be the boss of the house.”

“Well,” I said slowly as a smile started to creep across my lips, “that’s true … for the most part.”

“Told you.” Justin said.

“Actually, I don’t know,” I told him, “Miss Penelope can give her a run for her money. She’s getting up there in the bossiness business.”

“I noticed that,” Justin admitted, “she sure does boss her brother around,” he grinned.

“Darren’s pretty much laid back for the most part.” I smiled, thinking of my son. “I just have their weird feeling that one day he’s going to move to California and become a surfer bum. He just has that kind of persona about him.”

“Nothing wrong with California,” Justin grinned.

I smiled a little and then rolled my eyes, given that my friend is a born and raised California boy. “Yeah, that’s why you’re always leaving the first chance you get.”

Justin laughed lightly and then shrugged his shoulders. “I like to travel.” He said simply.

My smile remained in place, but I chose not to say anything in response as I turned my gaze back to my wife. My father in law had since succeeded in removing his daughter from his back, though she continued to badger him.

“Where’re the kids?” Justin wondered aloud.

“With the younger cousins.” I said. “Believe it or not, they’re actually pretty reliable babysitters.”

Justin raised an eyebrow in question. “Thompson kids? Reliable babysitters?”

I put up my hands as if to stop his comments, and then shrugged my shoulders. “Hey, I don’t get it either.” I told him. “But somehow it works out.”

“How about David? Where did he run off to?”

“Last time I saw him, he was taking Patch inside to change him.”

Justin smiled a little and then looked over at me. “Patch is going to be a cool little dude when he gets older.” He said. “You know, kinda like me.”

I let out a small snort of laughter. “Excuse me?”

“Well, and you, I guess.” Justin smirked. “He’s going to have the same personality as all us nerdy band geeks. He has that kind of attitude.”

“He’s only two months old!” I laughed.

“Believe me, man … he’s going to be a band geek when he gets older.”

“Fine,” I grinned, “I’ll take your word for it. Patchfield Mason Thompson will be a band geek when he gets older.”

“While Darren Louis O’Callaghan will be a California surfer bum.” Justin laughed.

“And Miss Penelope Jade O’Callaghan will be the bossy boss of a multibillion dollar corporation.” Jennifer added with a smile as she approached, cradling the girl in question in her arms.

I eyed Jennifer momentarily before I leaned over and smothered my baby girl with a handful of kisses. Penny’s hazel eyes widened slightly before a small smile pulled across her lips.

“Where are you two off to?” I questioned, given that my daughter had been left in charge of the middle school aged Thompsons.

“Diaper change.” Jennifer told me. “Apparently this is the third one in the past hour. Those guys conned me into doing it.”

“Oh, well then, continue.” I teased.

Jennifer rolled her eyes and then shook her head, very much like her cousin did whenever I had said something silly or unreasonable. She glanced over her shoulder and then the humor in her eyes faded away as she turned back to me.

“You know, Auntie Lynn was really laying in on poor David back there.” She mumbled. “I think he could use a quick rescue.”

I furrowed my eyebrows. “What’s she criticizing him for, now?”

“She’s giving him a hard time about Patch.” Jennifer whispered. “I was looking around for my dad, and ask him to have a few words with her but I couldn’t find him …” She trailed off, giving me an expectant look.

I nodded my head, understanding what she was asking. “I’ll go tell Ron. He outta be able to put a stop to it.”

Jennifer nodded her head as well, mimicking my actions before she continued her way to the house. Justin and I watched her walk away, though Justin watched her with more interest than me. I rolled my eyes and then sighed quietly.

“Forget it, Justin,” I told him, “she’s taken.”

“Just looking,” he insisted, “that’s it. You’d better go rescue your brother-in-law before Miss Lynn drives him to do something he’ll regret later.”

I uttered a quiet agreement, and set off in search of Ron. Along the way, I passed the place where Miss Lynn had David cornered between a picnic table and a rose bush, and caught a piece of their conversation.

“What kind of name is ‘Patchfield’ anyway?” She jeered. “It’s completely unheard of!”

“That’s the name of Ava’s grandfather,” David snapped, “he passed away when she was six years old …”

I walked by too fast to hear the rest of his sentence. I reached the small group that Ron was a part of in about a minute, and quickly filled him in on what was going on, on the opposite side of the yard. Ron sighed in annoyance and then nodded his head before hurrying off, leaving a quiet audience in his wake.

Dee stared after her father, having not caught any part of our conversation, and then turned to give me a questioning look. I gave her an apologetic smile and then reached over, draping an arm across her shoulders, steering her away from her cousins.

“Cornelius,” she frowned softly, “what was that all about? What’d you tell my papa that made him all pissy?”

“I told him that Miss Lynn is harassing David.” I mumbled.

“Harassing him? About what?”

“About Patch,” I sighed. “When I passed him, she was sneering about Patch’s name.”

Dee growled lowly and then shot a mean look in the direction her father had disappeared. “That old maid,” she grumbled. “She’s never been happy with her life, so she always tries to bring other people down to the same level of misery as herself.”

“She’s always been pretty reasonable whenever she spoke to me.” I said, trying to find a lighter side to the aunt of my father-in-law.

“The woman hates you, John.” Dee sighed. “She gave me so much shit when she found out you and I had gotten engaged. She’s terrible, O’Callaghan, completely terrible.”

“Oh,” I said, slightly taken aback; this had been the first time I had heard of Miss Lynn’s dislike for me. “Well…” I trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

“She’s old fashioned,” my wife said, shaking her head. “She grew up in a time where it was unheard of for an unmarried couple to conceive a child together. Work was a regular nine to five, not touring around the country with a band.”

“Lucky for us, then, we only have to put up with her once a year … twice at most.” I pointed out with a soft smile.

Dee, who had been watching the opposite side of the yard with a mixture of anger and sadness, turned her hazel eyes to me, much like my daughter had done a few minutes prior. As she watched me, the emotions that had previously occupied her gaze was overpowered with happiness and amusement. The corners of her mouth turned down slightly as she tried to hide a smile, but she soon gave in to her urge. A full smile pulled across her lips as she wrapped an arm around my middle and hugged me tightly.

“Kayla and Angie have agreed to watch the kids tonight.” She told me. “All of them,” she said, referring to Patch as well. “Lance just got his own place on the other side of town. He’s throwing a party tonight and invited us all along.”

“A party?” I repeated. “With lots of alcohol?”

“Babe,” Dee sighed, “it’s Lance. Of course there will be lots of alcohol there.”

“Done,” I said, “and I feel I can speak for Justin as well.”

A quizzical look crossed Dee’s face as she looked around. “Where is that Chico boy?” She asked. “I haven’t seen him all afternoon it seems.”

“I left him over there somewhere,” I said, nodding in some general direction. “He was checking out Jennifer. I think he might have followed her inside after I left.”

“That boy’s going to get himself into trouble,” Dee sighed, “he’s going to get his ass beat down. Have you seen Jennifer’s new boyfriend? He’s training to become an MMA fighter!”

“Justin promised me he was just looking,” I informed my wife.

Dee rolled her eyes, knowing that my good friend was actually quite the flirt when he worked up enough courage. “The new boyfriend will be at the party tonight, so tell him to get his looking over and done with by tonight.” She threatened.

I smiled. “I’ll pass the word along.” I promised before I leaned over and kissed her temple.

Dee leaned into my touch, indicating that she wanted more and I obliged, moving my lips down to hers. Seeing as how I was surrounding by seemingly the entire Thompson family, I kept the kiss short and appropriate, not wanting to cause any early disputes with the family I had married in to.

Shortly after, Dee was called away by one of her uncles, and I was talked into a game of horseshoes with Dee’s slightly older, out of town cousins. Before we parted our ways, I squeezed her hand tightly, and she glanced over her shoulder, giving me a mischievous smirk that promised a night filled with better acquaintances and memorable events.