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Partially based on true events, and I wanted to give it a happy ending. Really hope you enjoy it! ", "description_bbcode_parsed": "This is one of my older series of stories. Partially based on true events, and I wanted to give it a happy ending. Really hope you enjoy it! ", "writing": "Audie was so relieved. He feared that a boy who had to get a spanking wouldn’t deserve chauffeur service. \"Thank you,\" he said before he forgot. He pulled up his underpants which had puddled on the floor during their discussion and reached around for his pants. Separating his from Greg’s he pulled them on and then located his shoes and put them on, too. Dressed now, he allowed Mr. Carmichael to lead him to the car. On the way they passed Mrs. Carmichael.\n\n\"I’m taking Audie home, Ash,\" he told her. She nodded. They didn’t say anything to Greg, who was still in his room with the door closed licking his wounds. He had stopped crying by now, but it still hurt. Audie followed Mr. Carmichael out to the car without saying anything more, got in the front seat and fastened the seat belt. Mr. Carmichael got in the driver’s side and did the same. He glanced at the boy sitting beside him and took note of the seat belt, grimacing slightly to himself as he remembered that he usually had to remind his own son. What was it with this strange boy who tried so hard? \"You, OK, Audie,\" he asked. Audie nodded and the man cranked the engine, which roared to life.\n\nThe first half of the ride was made in silence, then Audie turned his head. \"It’s nice of you to drive me home, Mr. Carmichael,\" he said softly, \"Kevie will be worried by now, I’m sure. Hungry, too, I’ll bet.\"\n\nMr. Carmichael took that in. \"Your mother isn’t home?\" he asked, although he knew the answer.\n\n\"Nah,\" Audie sneered. \"She doesn’t get home until real late.\" If at all, he didn’t add.\n\n\"And she leaves you alone all evening?\"\n\n\"No,\" Audie said, confused. \"I’ve got Kevie.\"\n\n\"That’s not what I meant, Audie,\" Mr. Carmichael almost laughed. \"I mean there’s no adult around to look after you two?\"\n\n\"No,\" Audie admitted. \"It’s kinda weird, I know, but we manage. Usually I cook dinner for us then we do my homework and then read some or watch TV... I don’t like TV, but Kevie does, then take a bath and bed. We get along.\"\n\nMr. Carmichael soaked that in, too. It seemed a dreary life for two young boys that should be up and about and full of life. It was a wonder that they didn’t get into trouble. Come to think of it, it wasn’t too much short of a miracle that the two of them were such outstandingly good boys. Should be the opposite. \"What are you having for dinner tonight?\" he asked, just to make conversation, although he wanted to check, too.\n\n\"Dunno,\" Audie answered, \"it’s too late to cook. I guess we’ll have to go to Mc Donald’s.\"\n\nMr. Carmichael suddenly had an idea. \"How about I take you two to Steakbones instead? My treat.\" Steakbones was the local family steak house restaurant.\n\nAudie whipped his head around. \"You mean it?\" he asked, excitedly.\n\n\"Of course I do,\" Mr. Carmichael responded. Thinking about it he had decided that it was a really good idea. Not only would the boys get better food than where Audie was planning to eat, but it would give Mr. Carmichael a chance to talk to the two of them. He was interested.\n\n\"Gosh! Thank you! Kevie will really like that. We’ve never been there before. We don’t get much of a chance to go to a real restaurant, they don’t let kids in without their parents.\"\n\nMr. Carmichael was taken by the casual way Audie just assumed that adults were not a part of his life. What a life. He hid those feelings. \"Good!\" was all he said.\n\nThen Audie turned his head to stare at Mr. Carmichael, who was now looking straight ahead, concentrating on the road. \"Sir,\" he said, seriously.\n\n\"Yes, Audie,\" Mr. Carmichael said without taking his eyes off the road ahead.\n\n\"Why are you doing this for me after I needed a spanking? Aren’t bad boys supposed to have to do without treats, at least for a day or two, so they learn their lesson?\"\n\nStill staring straight ahead, Mr. Carmichael answered and the answer so confused Audie that the boy just couldn’t think of a thing to say. \"You’re not a bad boy, Audie, just the opposite.\"\n\nWith that they arrived at Audie’s apartment complex. Mr. Carmichael parked the car and turned to Audie. \"Can I come it and use your phone, Audie?\" he asked. \"I have to tell my wife I won’t be home for dinner.\"\n\nAudie paused a second before answering. They were under strict orders not to let anybody in the house. This HAD to be an exception, Audie decided. A chance to go to Steakbones didn’t come up every day. Audie didn’t even stop to think that this might be a real fancy way of offering candy, the archetypical lure to be turned down every time. \"Sure,\" he said, then a second later softly added, \"Sure must be nice to have someone who might care where you were.\" That was outrageously unfair, Audie realized the second he said it. He had Kevie, after all, but that was not what he meant.\n\nMr. Carmichael got a lump in his throat when he heard Audie’s comment. He didn’t answer. Instead, he got out of the car and followed Audie up to Apartment #33. Audie noisily unlocked the door and opened it part way. \"Kevie,\" he yelled inside, \"it’s me.\"\n\n\"Audie!\" Kevin yelled. Hearing that, Audie opened the door all the way and was all but attacked by his brother who rushed to greet him with a huge bear hug. Surprised at himself for being embarrassed by this simply because Mr. Carmichael was right behind him, Audie disengaged himself rather brusquely.\n\n\"Kevie,\" he explained \"Mr. Carmichael here is going to take us out to dinner! What do you think of that?\"\n\n\"Huh?\" Kevin replied too surprised by the unheard of offer to remember his manners. Then for the first time he saw the man right behind his brother. \"Oh,\" he exclaimed, \"hi, Mr. Carmichael.\"\n\n\"Kevin,\" his brother said, getting the younger boy’s full attention by using his real name, \"did you hear what I said? Mr. Carmichael is going to take us to Steakbones restaurant. What do you say?\"\n\nKevin had to think for a second, still having a hard time comprehending the magnificent offer. \"Oh,\" he finally said, \"thank you, Mr. Carmichael. That’s great!\"\n\n\"Let him in, Kevie,\" Audie had to order next, \"he wants to use our phone.\" Kevin stepped aside, as did Audie and let the man walk in through the door.\n\nMr. Carmichael half-way expected to walk into a trash dump, given that two young boys were, for all intents and purposes living alone, his judgment being based on what his own son’s room was like even living with two parents. He was amazed that he was so wrong. The small apartment was not richly furnished by any means, but it was neat and tidy and did not smell bad at all. The small television was still on, showing a cartoon. Kevin must have been amusing himself waiting for Audie to get home. Mr. Carmichael felt a twinge of remorse at keeping Audie away for so long. Well, he’d make up for that. He saw the phone in the kitchen and made his way there without asking. He dialed home.\n\n\"Honey,\" he said into the mouthpiece a moment later, \"I’m taking Audie and Kevin out to dinner at Steakbones. I won’t be home for supper. You and Greg eat by yourselves. Make sure he sits down for it. The ache in his butt will serve as a reminder... yes, I know. We’ll discuss it when I get home. Yeah. Love you.\" He hung up and turned to look for the boys. They were gone. He heard noises from one of the back bedrooms, so he sat down on a kitchen chair to wait for them to finish what they were about.\n\nBack in their bedroom, Audie was changing into better clothes because he felt that going to a real restaurant was special. He also forced Kevin to change, too, although \"forced\" was not the right word. Kevin didn’t mind dressing up if it that’s what it took to go get food. When Audie slipped his jeans off, Kevin asked the question he was aching to since he saw his brother come in the door.\n\n\"Did Mr. Carmichael spank you, Audie?\"\n\nAudie sighed. \"Yes he did, Kevie, with a strap.\" He didn’t feel it necessary to mention that it was a baby spanking, not a \"real\" whipping. Kevin made it hard, though.\n\n\"Let me see,\" he said and pulled down Audie’s underpants. Audie immediately turned around to hide his bare bottom from Kevin’s view.\n\n\"Aw, come on, Audie,\" Kevin whined. \"I want to see the welts.\"\n\nAudie sighed again. \"Oh, alright,\" he groused and turned around and lifted his shirt.\n\n\"It’s red, Audie,\" Kevin said, reaching out to rub Audie’s left cheek some.\n\n\"Ow!\" Audie exclaimed - a fake complaint, since he barely felt his brother’s touch. He just wanted Kevin to think his spanking still hurt when in fact it never really did. When you came right down to it, Audie was amazed that he was still red after all that time. He was grateful for it, however, since he didn’t have to explain things to his little brother, something that would probably be hard to do. He quickly pulled his underpants back up and continued dressing.\n\nWhen the boys reappeared, with new, clean clothes and Kevin’s hair combed, Mr. Carmichael was surprised. He had to bully his own son to dress up when it was required. Audie’s hair could stand a little better comb job, but Mr. Carmichael didn’t say so. \"Goodness,\" he exclaimed, \"you didn’t have to get dressed.\"\n\n\"Huh?\" Kevin asked. \"You mean we should go naked?\" Neither Audie nor Mr. Carmichael could tell if Kevin was joking or not.\n\nAudie promptly replied that he wanted his brother and himself to look presentable so as not to embarrass their host. \"It’s no big deal,\" he added. Mr. Carmichael had other ideas about that.\n\n\"Well, let’s go, then,\" he said. The three of them trooped out to the car, no one apparently caring that Audie left no note for his mother - to say nothing of getting her permission! Later that night, at home in bed before he fell asleep, the man realized what an extraordinary thing that was and worried a bit what it might look like if Audie’s mother should find out and object. Then he decided that that was unlikely to happen and fell asleep.\n\nThey arrived at Steakbones quite soon as it wasn’t far. The waitress seated them and handed the man an adult menu and a kid’s menu for Audie. Kevin was left out, apparently the waitress decided he was too young to read. Audie handed his menu to his brother as soon as the waitress had turned her back. Kevin studied it intently. Mr. Carmichael forgot to look at his menu as he watched the mini drama unfolding. He remembered that Kevin could read, but was still amazed. A few moments later Kevin turned to his brother and whispered something in his ear. Audie then turned to Mr. Carmichael.\n\n\"What can we order, Sir?\" he asked. \"Kevie would like to have a kid’s steak, but it’s kinda expensive...\"\n\nTaken aback that both kids would even think of such a thing, Mr. Carmichael made a decision. \"I have a better idea,\" he said. \"Put the menu down and let me do the ordering.\" The boys did as they were told. Mr. Carmichael was the host after all. The waitress returned. Mr. Carmichael looked up at her. \"We’ll have three T-Bone dinners, please. From the adult menu.\" It was a toss-up at who was the more surprised at that, the boys or the waitress. The latter took the order without daring to question it. The former started to but, but, but about. \"Eat what you can, boys, and we’ll ask for a doggy bag for what you can’t muckle. It’ll give you something to snack on later.\" Both boys smiled a huge grin at that.\n\nThe food arrived in due course, and Mr. Carmichael was amazed anew at how slowly the boys, especially Kevin, ate their dinners, despite how obviously hungry they both were. The boys did so because both of them were concentrating on their manners, something that finally impressed Greg’s father because it was so unlike his own son. Audie had to reach over and cut Kevin’s steak for him as Kevin hadn’t learned to use a knife yet. Mr. Carmichael noticed how attentive Audie was to his brother. No sibling rivalry there! Between bites he began to talk to the boys about their life. He got an earful.\n\nThere was surprisingly little for the doggy bag (they needed only one) to do when it was all over. Both boys remembered to thank Mr. Carmichael profusely after he had paid and they went back to the car. \"You’re quite welcome,\" he responded and meant it.\n\nArriving back at the boy’s apartment, Mr. Carmichael got Audie’s attention. His long conversation during dinner had affected him more than he knew. \"Audie,\" he said with meaning, \"if you ever need anything, any help at all, please give me a call.\" He didn’t know what prompted him to make that offer, maybe a premonition?\n\nAudie took that in and replied seriously. \"Sure thing, Mr. Carmichael. Thanks for the offer. And thanks again for dinner.\"\n\n______________\n\nSome weeks went by after that without much happening, but then Audie arrived home after school one day to find his mother unexpectedly home and in the bathroom amid a litter of medicine, or what looked like medicine.\n\n\"Are you sick, Mother?\" Audie asked, alarmed.\n\n\"Yes,\" the woman replied. \"I mean no, not in the sense you mean.\"\n\n\"Huh?\" Audie asked, unable to understand that statement at all.\n\n\"Never mind,\" his mother told him. \"I’m OK, really.\"\n\n\"You say so,\" Audie returned tentatively and left.\n\n\"Like hell,\" the woman replied under her breath when Audie was out of earshot. She gathered up the remains of the second pregnancy kit she had used in as many days and tossed the lot into the trash can. She had hoped that the positive results of the first one had been a mistake, but when the second kit confirmed the findings of its predecessor, she couldn’t deny it any longer. Hazards of the job. She went out to the kitchen, picked up the phone and called the First Street Clinic. She didn’t have to look up the number.\n\nThe First Street Clinic was actually on Baseline Road. It had started out on First Street, but the landlord had terminated the lease after the first year saying that the building was \"unsuitable\" for medical offices. The fact that the space was subsequently rented to a dentist put the lie to that excuse, but the clinic owner decided not to file a discrimination lawsuit, since such an action more likely to generate unwelcome publicity than get acceptable results. Besides, the Baseline Road facility was bigger and cheaper anyway. They had kept the original name, however, because that’s what was on the letterhead and that’s what all the clients knew. Audie’s mother walked to her first appointment two days after her telephone call. Her second appointment a week later was all but useless, all she got out of that one was the results of the tests made at the first - confirmation of what she already knew - and a third appointment, which would be the one that counted. She kept all of this from her boys, who, therefore, knew nothing whatsoever.\n\nShe walked to her third appointment with enough money for a taxi ride home. Rounding the corner she was horrified to see a couple of police cars with flashing lights across the street from the clinic, which was cordoned off with yellow barrier tape. Outside the barrier was a large crowd of noisy people. Alarmed that something had happened to the clinic, she was almost relieved when she saw the posters carried by the crowd. One said \"Some Choice Are Just Wrong!\" Another said \"Stop The Baby Killers!\" Others proclaimed sentiments somewhere between those two extremes. The crowd was chanting slogans. The police were forcing them to keep their distance from the front door, thankfully. The woman approached and was stopped by a policewoman who asked for identification. When she showed the police her appointment slip she was allowed to pass the barrier tape and enter the clinic.\n\n\"Jezebel!\" The crowd shouted at her. \"Murderer!\" She hurried in and slammed the door shut.\n\n\"Whew!\" the receptionist said, shaking her head. \"Glad you made it past those bastards. We’re ready for you. Please come this way.\" She followed the receptionist to a small treatment room in the center of the building. \"Please be seated,\" the receptionist said, motioning to the single chair. \"The nurse will be in to see you shortly.\" She left, closing the door behind her with a click, which went unnoticed by the nervous patient. There was a long wait. So long, in fact that Audie’s mother needed to use the bathroom. She got up to do so. As soon as she was on her feet there was a tremendous explosion that forced her back into the chair. Alarmed, she screamed and rushed to the door, only to find it was locked. She turned around looking for a window. There was none, this being an inside treatment room, something that violated several codes, but the clinic owner had only given the landlord instructions for the modifications without fully explaining what they were for and the contractor had hastily put up the walls without filling out any permit forms. The panicked woman began pounding on the door screaming for help, not knowing that the receptionist, the nurse, and the doctor, the clinic’s only other occupants were then laying dead in the reception room where they had been eyeing the crowd of protestors when the rocket propelled grenade burst through the plate glass window, killing them instantly in the name of Christ, the Prince of Peace and turning the clinic into a man-made hell.\n\nStill screaming and pounding on the door, the woman began to smell smoke. She looked up to see a cloud of black, oily vapor pouring out of the air conditioning duct...\n\nAudie fixed a treat for his brother and himself - sloppy joes - food that was fun to eat as well as tasting good. He had no trouble getting Kevin to eat that. None at all. The boys cleaned up the dishes, did Audie’s homework, read a bit, bathed and went to bed as they always did. When he got up in the morning, Audie was surprised to note that his mother hadn’t come home yet. That was unusual, but by no means unheard of. Audie even smiled, it usually meant lots of money when his mother spent the whole night \"out\".\n\nWhat was unusual was when Audie got home the next afternoon and his mother still wasn’t home. Kevin apparently didn’t notice anything amiss, so Audie kept his misgivings to himself, fished some money out of the emergency cigar box, gathered up the wasps, hustled Kevin to the market and came home with chicken parts, string beans and instant mashed potatoes. Audie couldn’t make mashed potatoes from real ones.\n\nThe next day even Kevin noticed that their mother hadn’t come home yet. Audie began to worry, but fetched some more emergency funds and carried on as best he could.\n\nWhen the cigar box was empty, both Audie and Kevin knew something was seriously wrong. It couldn’t be ignored any longer - they were out of funds, unable to carry on. Kevin wanted to call 911 since that was what you did when you needed help. Audie, on the other hand, knew that meant the police and would not let Kevin make the call, afraid that that would be the last time he and his brother would do anything together. Racking his brain for another alternative, he remembered Mr. Carmichael’s offer to help. Audie didn’t want to impose, but he had no choice. He dialed Greg’s number. Greg answered.\n\n\"Greg?,\" Audie asked, \"it’s Audie. Can I speak to your dad, please.\"\n\n\"Huh?\" Greg asked at the unexpected request. \"What do you want him for?\"\n\n\"I’ve got some trouble here,\" Audie explained. Greg would hear about it soon enough.\n\n\"Uh-oh,\" Greg replied, \"OK, I’ll get him. DAD!\" he yelled, \"It’s Audie for you!\"\n\nMr. Carmichael came to the phone remembering his offer, worried that it might be serious. It was. \"Hello,\" he said. \"Audie?\"\n\n\"Yes, Sir, it’s me. You said I could call if there was trouble. My mom hasn’t come home. It’s been a week...\"\n\n\"A WEEK!!?\" Mr. Carmichael exclaimed, not believing Audie would wait this long to call about something that serious.\n\n\"Yes,\" Audie confirmed without realizing there was something extraordinary about the delay, \"and we are out of money for food. What do we do?\"\n\n\"You waited until you were out of money to call?\" Mr. Carmichael gasped, realizing why Audie had delayed so long. Then he gathered his wits. \"Wait right there, Audie, I’m coming over.\"\n\n\"Thanks, Mr. Carmichael, I’m sorry to bother you...\"\n\n\"Never mind about that,\" Mr. Carmichael said and hung up.\n\nSeveral minutes later the Carmichales, all three of them, showed up at Audie’s door. He let them in and they gathered together in the living room, filling the small space to capacity. When Audie finished explaining about his mother, Mr. Carmichael announced that they would have to call the police and file a missing person report.\n\"NO!\" yelled Audie, \"Not the police. They’ll separate us and put us in a ’home’. I don’t want to lose my brother. Please don’t call the police!\"\n\n\"No they won’t,\" Mr. Carmichael assured Audie, to no avail, the scared boy simply was too afraid to believe otherwise. He stood his ground and refused to call the police. His fear spread to his little brother. Kevin began to tear up and reached out to hold his brother’s hand. He didn’t want to lose Audie, either. Mr. Carmichael glanced at his wife. A decision was silently made. \"No, they won’t,\" he repeated. \"We won’t let them. You are going to stay with us until they find your mother. We won’t let them separate you. It’s final.\" He got up and made his way to the telephone. Audie almost tried to stop him, but realized that the man was right. There was nothing else they could do.\n\nIt took several hours before the cops left with as complete a description of Audie’s mother as the boys were able to give, a picture of her and all the paperwork done and assurances from the Carmichaels made about the boys’ immediate care. Mrs. Carmichael helped them pack a few things, noting in passing that they owned no pajamas. Letting that pass without comment, she checked the apartment, turning everything off and they took Audie and Kevin home with them.\n\n(to be continued)", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "Audie was so relieved. He feared that a boy who had to get a spanking wouldn’t deserve chauffeur service. "Thank you," he said before he forgot. He pulled up his underpants which had puddled on the floor during their discussion and reached around for his pants. Separating his from Greg’s he pulled them on and then located his shoes and put them on, too. Dressed now, he allowed Mr. Carmichael to lead him to the car. On the way they passed Mrs. Carmichael.

"I’m taking Audie home, Ash," he told her. She nodded. They didn’t say anything to Greg, who was still in his room with the door closed licking his wounds. He had stopped crying by now, but it still hurt. Audie followed Mr. Carmichael out to the car without saying anything more, got in the front seat and fastened the seat belt. Mr. Carmichael got in the driver’s side and did the same. He glanced at the boy sitting beside him and took note of the seat belt, grimacing slightly to himself as he remembered that he usually had to remind his own son. What was it with this strange boy who tried so hard? "You, OK, Audie," he asked. Audie nodded and the man cranked the engine, which roared to life.

The first half of the ride was made in silence, then Audie turned his head. "It’s nice of you to drive me home, Mr. Carmichael," he said softly, "Kevie will be worried by now, I’m sure. Hungry, too, I’ll bet."

Mr. Carmichael took that in. "Your mother isn’t home?" he asked, although he knew the answer.

"Nah," Audie sneered. "She doesn’t get home until real late." If at all, he didn’t add.

"And she leaves you alone all evening?"

"No," Audie said, confused. "I’ve got Kevie."

"That’s not what I meant, Audie," Mr. Carmichael almost laughed. "I mean there’s no adult around to look after you two?"

"No," Audie admitted. "It’s kinda weird, I know, but we manage. Usually I cook dinner for us then we do my homework and then read some or watch TV... I don’t like TV, but Kevie does, then take a bath and bed. We get along."

Mr. Carmichael soaked that in, too. It seemed a dreary life for two young boys that should be up and about and full of life. It was a wonder that they didn’t get into trouble. Come to think of it, it wasn’t too much short of a miracle that the two of them were such outstandingly good boys. Should be the opposite. "What are you having for dinner tonight?" he asked, just to make conversation, although he wanted to check, too.

"Dunno," Audie answered, "it’s too late to cook. I guess we’ll have to go to Mc Donald’s."

Mr. Carmichael suddenly had an idea. "How about I take you two to Steakbones instead? My treat." Steakbones was the local family steak house restaurant.

Audie whipped his head around. "You mean it?" he asked, excitedly.

"Of course I do," Mr. Carmichael responded. Thinking about it he had decided that it was a really good idea. Not only would the boys get better food than where Audie was planning to eat, but it would give Mr. Carmichael a chance to talk to the two of them. He was interested.

"Gosh! Thank you! Kevie will really like that. We’ve never been there before. We don’t get much of a chance to go to a real restaurant, they don’t let kids in without their parents."

Mr. Carmichael was taken by the casual way Audie just assumed that adults were not a part of his life. What a life. He hid those feelings. "Good!" was all he said.

Then Audie turned his head to stare at Mr. Carmichael, who was now looking straight ahead, concentrating on the road. "Sir," he said, seriously.

"Yes, Audie," Mr. Carmichael said without taking his eyes off the road ahead.

"Why are you doing this for me after I needed a spanking? Aren’t bad boys supposed to have to do without treats, at least for a day or two, so they learn their lesson?"

Still staring straight ahead, Mr. Carmichael answered and the answer so confused Audie that the boy just couldn’t think of a thing to say. "You’re not a bad boy, Audie, just the opposite."

With that they arrived at Audie’s apartment complex. Mr. Carmichael parked the car and turned to Audie. "Can I come it and use your phone, Audie?" he asked. "I have to tell my wife I won’t be home for dinner."

Audie paused a second before answering. They were under strict orders not to let anybody in the house. This HAD to be an exception, Audie decided. A chance to go to Steakbones didn’t come up every day. Audie didn’t even stop to think that this might be a real fancy way of offering candy, the archetypical lure to be turned down every time. "Sure," he said, then a second later softly added, "Sure must be nice to have someone who might care where you were." That was outrageously unfair, Audie realized the second he said it. He had Kevie, after all, but that was not what he meant.

Mr. Carmichael got a lump in his throat when he heard Audie’s comment. He didn’t answer. Instead, he got out of the car and followed Audie up to Apartment #33. Audie noisily unlocked the door and opened it part way. "Kevie," he yelled inside, "it’s me."

"Audie!" Kevin yelled. Hearing that, Audie opened the door all the way and was all but attacked by his brother who rushed to greet him with a huge bear hug. Surprised at himself for being embarrassed by this simply because Mr. Carmichael was right behind him, Audie disengaged himself rather brusquely.

"Kevie," he explained "Mr. Carmichael here is going to take us out to dinner! What do you think of that?"

"Huh?" Kevin replied too surprised by the unheard of offer to remember his manners. Then for the first time he saw the man right behind his brother. "Oh," he exclaimed, "hi, Mr. Carmichael."

"Kevin," his brother said, getting the younger boy’s full attention by using his real name, "did you hear what I said? Mr. Carmichael is going to take us to Steakbones restaurant. What do you say?"

Kevin had to think for a second, still having a hard time comprehending the magnificent offer. "Oh," he finally said, "thank you, Mr. Carmichael. That’s great!"

"Let him in, Kevie," Audie had to order next, "he wants to use our phone." Kevin stepped aside, as did Audie and let the man walk in through the door.

Mr. Carmichael half-way expected to walk into a trash dump, given that two young boys were, for all intents and purposes living alone, his judgment being based on what his own son’s room was like even living with two parents. He was amazed that he was so wrong. The small apartment was not richly furnished by any means, but it was neat and tidy and did not smell bad at all. The small television was still on, showing a cartoon. Kevin must have been amusing himself waiting for Audie to get home. Mr. Carmichael felt a twinge of remorse at keeping Audie away for so long. Well, he’d make up for that. He saw the phone in the kitchen and made his way there without asking. He dialed home.

"Honey," he said into the mouthpiece a moment later, "I’m taking Audie and Kevin out to dinner at Steakbones. I won’t be home for supper. You and Greg eat by yourselves. Make sure he sits down for it. The ache in his butt will serve as a reminder... yes, I know. We’ll discuss it when I get home. Yeah. Love you." He hung up and turned to look for the boys. They were gone. He heard noises from one of the back bedrooms, so he sat down on a kitchen chair to wait for them to finish what they were about.

Back in their bedroom, Audie was changing into better clothes because he felt that going to a real restaurant was special. He also forced Kevin to change, too, although "forced" was not the right word. Kevin didn’t mind dressing up if it that’s what it took to go get food. When Audie slipped his jeans off, Kevin asked the question he was aching to since he saw his brother come in the door.

"Did Mr. Carmichael spank you, Audie?"

Audie sighed. "Yes he did, Kevie, with a strap." He didn’t feel it necessary to mention that it was a baby spanking, not a "real" whipping. Kevin made it hard, though.

"Let me see," he said and pulled down Audie’s underpants. Audie immediately turned around to hide his bare bottom from Kevin’s view.

"Aw, come on, Audie," Kevin whined. "I want to see the welts."

Audie sighed again. "Oh, alright," he groused and turned around and lifted his shirt.

"It’s red, Audie," Kevin said, reaching out to rub Audie’s left cheek some.

"Ow!" Audie exclaimed - a fake complaint, since he barely felt his brother’s touch. He just wanted Kevin to think his spanking still hurt when in fact it never really did. When you came right down to it, Audie was amazed that he was still red after all that time. He was grateful for it, however, since he didn’t have to explain things to his little brother, something that would probably be hard to do. He quickly pulled his underpants back up and continued dressing.

When the boys reappeared, with new, clean clothes and Kevin’s hair combed, Mr. Carmichael was surprised. He had to bully his own son to dress up when it was required. Audie’s hair could stand a little better comb job, but Mr. Carmichael didn’t say so. "Goodness," he exclaimed, "you didn’t have to get dressed."

"Huh?" Kevin asked. "You mean we should go naked?" Neither Audie nor Mr. Carmichael could tell if Kevin was joking or not.

Audie promptly replied that he wanted his brother and himself to look presentable so as not to embarrass their host. "It’s no big deal," he added. Mr. Carmichael had other ideas about that.

"Well, let’s go, then," he said. The three of them trooped out to the car, no one apparently caring that Audie left no note for his mother - to say nothing of getting her permission! Later that night, at home in bed before he fell asleep, the man realized what an extraordinary thing that was and worried a bit what it might look like if Audie’s mother should find out and object. Then he decided that that was unlikely to happen and fell asleep.

They arrived at Steakbones quite soon as it wasn’t far. The waitress seated them and handed the man an adult menu and a kid’s menu for Audie. Kevin was left out, apparently the waitress decided he was too young to read. Audie handed his menu to his brother as soon as the waitress had turned her back. Kevin studied it intently. Mr. Carmichael forgot to look at his menu as he watched the mini drama unfolding. He remembered that Kevin could read, but was still amazed. A few moments later Kevin turned to his brother and whispered something in his ear. Audie then turned to Mr. Carmichael.

"What can we order, Sir?" he asked. "Kevie would like to have a kid’s steak, but it’s kinda expensive..."

Taken aback that both kids would even think of such a thing, Mr. Carmichael made a decision. "I have a better idea," he said. "Put the menu down and let me do the ordering." The boys did as they were told. Mr. Carmichael was the host after all. The waitress returned. Mr. Carmichael looked up at her. "We’ll have three T-Bone dinners, please. From the adult menu." It was a toss-up at who was the more surprised at that, the boys or the waitress. The latter took the order without daring to question it. The former started to but, but, but about. "Eat what you can, boys, and we’ll ask for a doggy bag for what you can’t muckle. It’ll give you something to snack on later." Both boys smiled a huge grin at that.

The food arrived in due course, and Mr. Carmichael was amazed anew at how slowly the boys, especially Kevin, ate their dinners, despite how obviously hungry they both were. The boys did so because both of them were concentrating on their manners, something that finally impressed Greg’s father because it was so unlike his own son. Audie had to reach over and cut Kevin’s steak for him as Kevin hadn’t learned to use a knife yet. Mr. Carmichael noticed how attentive Audie was to his brother. No sibling rivalry there! Between bites he began to talk to the boys about their life. He got an earful.

There was surprisingly little for the doggy bag (they needed only one) to do when it was all over. Both boys remembered to thank Mr. Carmichael profusely after he had paid and they went back to the car. "You’re quite welcome," he responded and meant it.

Arriving back at the boy’s apartment, Mr. Carmichael got Audie’s attention. His long conversation during dinner had affected him more than he knew. "Audie," he said with meaning, "if you ever need anything, any help at all, please give me a call." He didn’t know what prompted him to make that offer, maybe a premonition?

Audie took that in and replied seriously. "Sure thing, Mr. Carmichael. Thanks for the offer. And thanks again for dinner."

______________

Some weeks went by after that without much happening, but then Audie arrived home after school one day to find his mother unexpectedly home and in the bathroom amid a litter of medicine, or what looked like medicine.

"Are you sick, Mother?" Audie asked, alarmed.

"Yes," the woman replied. "I mean no, not in the sense you mean."

"Huh?" Audie asked, unable to understand that statement at all.

"Never mind," his mother told him. "I’m OK, really."

"You say so," Audie returned tentatively and left.

"Like hell," the woman replied under her breath when Audie was out of earshot. She gathered up the remains of the second pregnancy kit she had used in as many days and tossed the lot into the trash can. She had hoped that the positive results of the first one had been a mistake, but when the second kit confirmed the findings of its predecessor, she couldn’t deny it any longer. Hazards of the job. She went out to the kitchen, picked up the phone and called the First Street Clinic. She didn’t have to look up the number.

The First Street Clinic was actually on Baseline Road. It had started out on First Street, but the landlord had terminated the lease after the first year saying that the building was "unsuitable" for medical offices. The fact that the space was subsequently rented to a dentist put the lie to that excuse, but the clinic owner decided not to file a discrimination lawsuit, since such an action more likely to generate unwelcome publicity than get acceptable results. Besides, the Baseline Road facility was bigger and cheaper anyway. They had kept the original name, however, because that’s what was on the letterhead and that’s what all the clients knew. Audie’s mother walked to her first appointment two days after her telephone call. Her second appointment a week later was all but useless, all she got out of that one was the results of the tests made at the first - confirmation of what she already knew - and a third appointment, which would be the one that counted. She kept all of this from her boys, who, therefore, knew nothing whatsoever.

She walked to her third appointment with enough money for a taxi ride home. Rounding the corner she was horrified to see a couple of police cars with flashing lights across the street from the clinic, which was cordoned off with yellow barrier tape. Outside the barrier was a large crowd of noisy people. Alarmed that something had happened to the clinic, she was almost relieved when she saw the posters carried by the crowd. One said "Some Choice Are Just Wrong!" Another said "Stop The Baby Killers!" Others proclaimed sentiments somewhere between those two extremes. The crowd was chanting slogans. The police were forcing them to keep their distance from the front door, thankfully. The woman approached and was stopped by a policewoman who asked for identification. When she showed the police her appointment slip she was allowed to pass the barrier tape and enter the clinic.

"Jezebel!" The crowd shouted at her. "Murderer!" She hurried in and slammed the door shut.

"Whew!" the receptionist said, shaking her head. "Glad you made it past those bastards. We’re ready for you. Please come this way." She followed the receptionist to a small treatment room in the center of the building. "Please be seated," the receptionist said, motioning to the single chair. "The nurse will be in to see you shortly." She left, closing the door behind her with a click, which went unnoticed by the nervous patient. There was a long wait. So long, in fact that Audie’s mother needed to use the bathroom. She got up to do so. As soon as she was on her feet there was a tremendous explosion that forced her back into the chair. Alarmed, she screamed and rushed to the door, only to find it was locked. She turned around looking for a window. There was none, this being an inside treatment room, something that violated several codes, but the clinic owner had only given the landlord instructions for the modifications without fully explaining what they were for and the contractor had hastily put up the walls without filling out any permit forms. The panicked woman began pounding on the door screaming for help, not knowing that the receptionist, the nurse, and the doctor, the clinic’s only other occupants were then laying dead in the reception room where they had been eyeing the crowd of protestors when the rocket propelled grenade burst through the plate glass window, killing them instantly in the name of Christ, the Prince of Peace and turning the clinic into a man-made hell.

Still screaming and pounding on the door, the woman began to smell smoke. She looked up to see a cloud of black, oily vapor pouring out of the air conditioning duct...

Audie fixed a treat for his brother and himself - sloppy joes - food that was fun to eat as well as tasting good. He had no trouble getting Kevin to eat that. None at all. The boys cleaned up the dishes, did Audie’s homework, read a bit, bathed and went to bed as they always did. When he got up in the morning, Audie was surprised to note that his mother hadn’t come home yet. That was unusual, but by no means unheard of. Audie even smiled, it usually meant lots of money when his mother spent the whole night "out".

What was unusual was when Audie got home the next afternoon and his mother still wasn’t home. Kevin apparently didn’t notice anything amiss, so Audie kept his misgivings to himself, fished some money out of the emergency cigar box, gathered up the wasps, hustled Kevin to the market and came home with chicken parts, string beans and instant mashed potatoes. Audie couldn’t make mashed potatoes from real ones.

The next day even Kevin noticed that their mother hadn’t come home yet. Audie began to worry, but fetched some more emergency funds and carried on as best he could.

When the cigar box was empty, both Audie and Kevin knew something was seriously wrong. It couldn’t be ignored any longer - they were out of funds, unable to carry on. Kevin wanted to call 911 since that was what you did when you needed help. Audie, on the other hand, knew that meant the police and would not let Kevin make the call, afraid that that would be the last time he and his brother would do anything together. Racking his brain for another alternative, he remembered Mr. Carmichael’s offer to help. Audie didn’t want to impose, but he had no choice. He dialed Greg’s number. Greg answered.

"Greg?," Audie asked, "it’s Audie. Can I speak to your dad, please."

"Huh?" Greg asked at the unexpected request. "What do you want him for?"

"I’ve got some trouble here," Audie explained. Greg would hear about it soon enough.

"Uh-oh," Greg replied, "OK, I’ll get him. DAD!" he yelled, "It’s Audie for you!"

Mr. Carmichael came to the phone remembering his offer, worried that it might be serious. It was. "Hello," he said. "Audie?"

"Yes, Sir, it’s me. You said I could call if there was trouble. My mom hasn’t come home. It’s been a week..."

"A WEEK!!?" Mr. Carmichael exclaimed, not believing Audie would wait this long to call about something that serious.

"Yes," Audie confirmed without realizing there was something extraordinary about the delay, "and we are out of money for food. What do we do?"

"You waited until you were out of money to call?" Mr. Carmichael gasped, realizing why Audie had delayed so long. Then he gathered his wits. "Wait right there, Audie, I’m coming over."

"Thanks, Mr. Carmichael, I’m sorry to bother you..."

"Never mind about that," Mr. Carmichael said and hung up.

Several minutes later the Carmichales, all three of them, showed up at Audie’s door. He let them in and they gathered together in the living room, filling the small space to capacity. When Audie finished explaining about his mother, Mr. Carmichael announced that they would have to call the police and file a missing person report.
"NO!" yelled Audie, "Not the police. They’ll separate us and put us in a ’home’. I don’t want to lose my brother. Please don’t call the police!"

"No they won’t," Mr. Carmichael assured Audie, to no avail, the scared boy simply was too afraid to believe otherwise. He stood his ground and refused to call the police. His fear spread to his little brother. Kevin began to tear up and reached out to hold his brother’s hand. He didn’t want to lose Audie, either. Mr. Carmichael glanced at his wife. A decision was silently made. "No, they won’t," he repeated. "We won’t let them. You are going to stay with us until they find your mother. We won’t let them separate you. It’s final." He got up and made his way to the telephone. Audie almost tried to stop him, but realized that the man was right. There was nothing else they could do.

It took several hours before the cops left with as complete a description of Audie’s mother as the boys were able to give, a picture of her and all the paperwork done and assurances from the Carmichaels made about the boys’ immediate care. Mrs. Carmichael helped them pack a few things, noting in passing that they owned no pajamas. Letting that pass without comment, she checked the apartment, turning everything off and they took Audie and Kevin home with them.

(to be continued)", "pools_count": 1, "title": "The Tale of Two Little Bastards - Chapter 7", "deleted": "f", "public": "t", "mimetype": "text/plain", "pagecount": "1", "rating_id": "2", "rating_name": "Adult", "ratings": [ { "content_tag_id": "3", "name": "Violence", "description": "Mild violence", "rating_id": "1" }, { "content_tag_id": "4", "name": "Sexual Themes", "description": "Erotic imagery, sexual activity or arousal", "rating_id": "2" } ], "submission_type_id": "12", "type_name": "Writing - Document", "guest_block": "f", "friends_only": "f", "comments_count": "1", "views": "144" }