Plots Part 4

Elizabeth takes a deep breath and goes inside the school.

Abby is just coming out of her meeting. "Elizabeth. I'm glad you came inside."

"I'm sorry about earlier."

"It doesn't matter. You OK in here?"

"For the moment."

Abby hands her back he papers. "I didn't get a chance to give them to your teachers yet."

Elizabeth takes the papers and makes the round to her different classrooms.

"We've missed you in class," one of her teachers says. 'When can we expect you back?"

"Monday." she says.

"Good."

"See you then." Liz says and finds Abby in the school office. "I'm ready whenever you are."

"Where to next, then?"

"I thought we were going for lunch?" Liz asks.

"Wherever you want to go."

"There's a new Mexican place on H street."

"Sounds like the kind of place your father would never go to--let's do it."

"Cool."

Abby drives them to the restaurant.

"Hey isn't that Dad's car?" she spots.

"Maybe he is taking a late lunch."

"What a tough life he leads," Abby jokes. "Should we find out, or should we think about somewhere else to eat?"

Elizabeth laughs. "We might as well and find out what he is doing here."

"Then let's go give the man the surprise of his life," Abby says, and starts heading inside.

Tom is all alone with five different entrees at his table.

"Now I know why your father never wants the dinners that I cook," Abby whispers to Elizabeth.

Elizabeths smiles. "Hi Dad."

Tom sees his wife and daughter. "Abby, Elizabeth; what are you two doing here."

"It's a restaurant, so we came to drop off our dry cleaning," Abby answers.

"What?" Tom asks."Oh, thats a joke. Ha Ha." he says.

"Dad why do you have 5 plates?"

Tom replies. "I guess it does look strange, but I can explain. Want to join me?" he motions for Abby and Elizabeth to sit down.

Abby and Elizabeth sit. "So explain."

"The food critic on the paper is ill from food poisoning so Elliott asks me if I would do his column for tomorrow's paper."

"You're doing a food column," Abby asks, skeptically.

"Are you ok Dad?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I lost the draw." Tom says as he tries the chicken enchiladas. "Not bad, chicken is a little stringy."

Elizabeth laughs.

'The man who can mess up a salad is doing a food column..." Abby moans.

"You guys hungry? I can recommend the beef enchiladas."

"How much of this have you already eaten?" Abby worries.

"Let's see, I have tried 4 different appetizers, the entrees and before you walked in here I just ordered 3 desserts."

"The Register does cover work related illnesses, right?"

Elizabeth groans. "Suddenly, I am not hungry."

"Suddenly I agree with you."

Tom finishes making notes on the place. "So are you sure you don't want something?"

Elizabeth nods no.

A few minutes before Tom and Abby are due to arrive home Nancy rushes to get her books gathered and to get ready to go out hoping to avoid a lecture.

Tom and Abby walk in with Elizabeth. "Hi Sis." she says. "Where are you going?"

"Just out for a little bit. How are you doing?" She asks her sister.

"Doing OK." Elizabeth says.

"Nancy, may we have a word with you in the study?" Tom motions her.

"Ok, see you later Lizzie." Nancy heads to the study.

"Good Luck." She says.

"Thank you."

Tom goes inside and shuts the door. "I understand you missed classes today."

"I overslept, and Dad it is not going to happen again."

"Nancy, school comes first."

"You know you and Abby seemed more concerned about me missing school than you do about me hitting the Sedan. Elizabeth is the only one in this family who even asked if I was all right."

"Nancy, it was 3 o'clock in the morning. I am sorry my manners were missing. Are you OK?"

"I'm fine." She says quietly.

"Good." Tom says. "I want to know what steps you have taken to make sure this doesn't happen again."

"Brad's making sure the shoots don't run that late again. He yelled at the photographer. And I'm putting the alarm further away from my bed."

"Well I guess that'll do for now."

She sighs in relief. "Thanks Dad."

"Go study, will you?" he says as he holds his stomach.

"Are you ok Dad?"

"Yeah, just overate at lunch."

"Ok." She leaves the room and goes upstairs to talk to Elizabeth and sees that Abby is in there with her. They seemed engrossed in conversation so she just gathers a couple of books and quietly leaves the room.

A little while later Abby comes downstairs.

"How's Elizabeth?" Nancy asks.

"OK. She's going back to school on Monday. If she isn't too sick."

"Sick? What's wrong? She didn't get that flu did she?"

"She watched your father eat lunch."

Nancy is confused. "And?"

"It's not an experience I'd recommend to anyone with a weak stomach."

"But we see Dad eat all the time."

"Five meals at the same time?"

"That's not like him. Glad I'm not the only one screwing up today."

"No, it's not the...wait, I guess it is, since he only did it for work, too."

Nancy cringes. "I'm sorry." She says about missing school. "And he did what for work?"

"A restaurant review. I think he ate every dish they had, and all of them extra-spicy."

"That's not good."

"You're telling me. I'm the one who's going to have to listen to him complain all night."

~When are you going to find time for me? We never do anything anymore.~ "There's always earplugs."

"I don't think they make earplugs strong enough," Abby jokes. "You straighten things out with your father?"

Nancy laughs at the joke. "Yeah, I told him the measures that Brad's going to take to prevent that in the future and I'm relocating the alarm clock so I'll have to get out of bed to turn it off.

"Good. Did you do any damage to your car last night?"

"No, but the Sedan has a dent in it."

"That sedan is jinxed any way you look at it."

"Yeah but driving while completely exhausted doesn't help matters any."

"That's true. You could have called. I'd have come get you," Abby says.

"Then I'll call if I'm ever that tired again."

"Good. Sometimes I think that's the only way you'll find time for us to sit down and talk."

"I know I've been busy lately, but so have you."

"And it's going to get worse because I start teaching again on Monday."

"Well we're talking now right?" Nancy says trying to be positive.

"True. Want some ice cream, or maybe a salad?"

"Ice cream, I've been good this week in that department."

"Great. I have some decent flavors hidden in the freezer, if no one found them."

"Now you're talking." They go and raid the decent ice cream.

Sam lies underneath Nancy's feet.

"No way little guy. Chocolate isn't good for dogs."

Sam goes to lie underneath Abby's feet.

"Sorry, kiddo, you heard the boss," Abby tells him.

Sam makes a whiny noise and then goes to seek Nicholas out.

Nancy laughs. "Well he is a Bradford male."

"They never can say no to ice cream," Abby smiles, thinking of the night before.

"Yeah really." Nancy says oblivious to what Abby is thinking.

The next day in the front yard.

"Vivian!! Vivian!! Get out here!!" Horst yells from outside. "I love you!!"

"What the he....." Tom begins to say.

"Oh no." Vivian says and looks out the window.

"Who is it?" asks Nicholas.

"It's Uncle Horst." Nancy says.

Vivian meets Horst outside.

"Oh I see you finally remembered that you have a wife." She says.

"Vivian you're the one who left me."

"You're the one who loves personal possessions better than you love me."

"That's not true. I would give everything up for you."

"Then why have you been such a fool lately?"

"I can't help it if I'm a man, we're all jerks but I thought I was your jerk." He says.

She laughs and kisses him and they wind up making up. After saying goodbye to everyone V leaves with him.

"Some women are so easy to bribe," Dotty says.

"Yeah but making up is so much fun." Nancy says in defense of her Aunt.

Tom nearly chokes on his coffee.

"Are you ok Dad?"

"Fine Nancy, just swallowed wrong."

"I wonder why." Mary says under her breath and chuckles.

Tom glares at his oldest daughter.

Mary smiles in return.

"I guess you're right, Nancy," Dotty says. "Must be some kind of Bradford motto. That's what Abby writes me every time she and your father have a fight."

"Excuse me." Tom says and he leaves the kitchen. ~Why am I leaving, it is  my house.~ Tom soon returns and joins the family.

"Yeah they love to make up." Nancy says before she can stop the words from coming out.

"Nancy!" Abby protests.

"Sorry." Nancy says.

"We were all sorry until we bought stock in that earplug company," Joannie tells Dotty. "Now we're actually kind of happy. Drives up demand when they fight and then make up."

"And who's going to be next to put their foot in their mouth?" Mary says with a tinge of sarcasm.

"I think we should all take a turn," Joannie teases. "You're the oldest, you go first."

"No David is the oldest."

"Yeah but he's not here." Nancy says.

"Come on, Mary, show us how it's done."

"I'll do one better." She flings some eggs into Joannie's face.

"If there's one thing a performer can't stand it's egg on her face," Joannie says and catapults butter at Mary.

Nancy laughs.

Abby sneaks a glance at Tom and tries to cool things off before it's too late.

Mary is about to fling food at Nancy.

"Mary don't we have company." Nancy says.

"Don't stop on my account," Dotty says.

Mary throws food at Nancy, and Nancy retaliates.

"Girls!" Abby says, trying to break up the fight before Tom steps in.

"Yes Abby." They say while grinning menancingly.

Abby starts to back her chair away from the table.

They attack and soon everyone is throwing food.

"That's enough!!." Tom says loudly.

The fight ceases immediately.

"Thank you," Abby whispers.

"Now who is going to clean up this mess?" Tom asks the kids.

All of the kids look at each other.

"I guess you want everyone involved to, huh?" Joannie sighs.

Tom looks at his daughter. "What do you think?"

"Fair's fair I guess. I'll take this side, Mary, you take that, and Abby, you clean up down at your end of the table."

"Wait a second, Abby didn't start this you did." Tom tells them.

"You did say 'everyone involved,' Dad."

"Abby was in the line of fire just as I was. " Tom states wiping egg off of his tie and shirt. "Now I am going to be late for work."

"Just think of it this way, Dad--we just gave you today's column."

"Cute." Tom says. "Abby can I speak to you upstairs please?"

"Gladly," Abby says.

Tom and Abby walk upstairs. "I mean it don't help them." he says.

"Easy for you to say. You're going to change and go to work."

"Well go hide someplace." he says as he changes his shirt and tie.

Abby kisses him. "You are brilliant," she says as she reaches for some clean clothes.

"Since you go back to work on Monday, do you want to have lunch today?"

"I'd love to. I just hope this going to work at the high school is the right thing."

"You have already succeeded in one area. You got Elizabeth to agree to back  to school."

"I still don't know what I did. Where should I meet you and when?"

"You pick the place and call me." he says.

Abby smiles in a way that hints she's up to no good.

Tom doesn't notice her look. "I have to run." he says as he kisses her. "See  ya later."

"Yes, you definitely will."

Tom goes to work. Later the phone rings. "Hello?" Tom asks.

"Mr. Bradford, this is Mrs. Thompson from across the street. Your Sam has been visiting my Lois for the past couple of weeks now."

"Oh?" he asks.

"Yes and it might be longer than two weeks because I think they're going to be parents."

"What? You are joking."

"No I'm not joking."

"How do you know it was Sam?"

"Because he's the only one who comes over to visit."

"OK, what do you want me to do about it?"

"Will you help me find homes for the puppies when they are born? And get Sam fixed."

Tom sighs. "I'll make sure my family takes care of it."

Nancy walks in and hears this and remembers her conversation with Dotty and after her Dad hangs up she asks. "We'll take care of what Dad?"

"It seems one of the family members got someone in trouble."

She goes pale. "David or Tommy?"

"Sam." Tom says.

"And the rest of us are supposed to take care of it?"

"It's your Dog, if you remember correctly. I was bambooed into keeping it."

"Oh so now Sam is an it? Don't worry Dad I'll take care of everything. I wouldn't want to inconvenience you."

"Nancy, I didn't mean it like that. I Told you guys that Sam would be your responsibility."

She simmers down a bit and nods.

"So what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I'm sorry I got upset with you. I came to tell you something it's pretty cool."

"That's ok, what news?"

"We're going to be doing a photo shoot in New York this October."

"What? But School won't be out."

"Dad please think about it. I'll take my school work with me and they'll have a tutor along so I don't get behind."

"Nancy, I don't like this. I don't like this at all." Tom tells her.

"Please think about it."

Tom sighs. "I'll think about it, but I am not promising anything."

While Tom and Nancy are talking, the phone rings.

"Thanks Dad." She gives him a kiss. "Well I'd better get to work, and don't worry I went to classes today."

"Good." he says as he answers the phone. "Hello?"

Nancy leaves for work.

"Hey there, handsome," Abby says. 'What time should I pick you up for lunch?"

"I don't know if I can go, I had a rough morning." Tom tells her about Sam and Nancy.

"Fine. if you can't find time for me in your busy schedule...Maybe I should just call Donna and make an appointment."

"OK OK...how about in an hour."

"I'll see you then. And try to be in a better mood."

"I'm always in a good mood!." he whines.

"No, you're not," Abby points out. "But you will be after lunch."

"Oh?" he curiously asks. "What do you have in mind?"

"Before she moved out, I used to loan my friend Lisa--you know, from the district office--my apartment every once in a while. Now she's returning the favor. I think she thinks I'm having an affair, only she doesn't know it's with my husband."

"Hmmm...Maybe I should take the rest of the day off."

"I might not give you a choice," Abby says.

Tom laughs. "So do I meet you there?"

"Yeah, that would be good. Give me more time to prepare." She gives him the address.

"Ok. I'll see you soon." Tom says and hangs up.

"Donna." he yells.

"You bellowed, sir?"

"Yes, I am going home for the day."

"But it's only lunch time."

"I know but there is something I need to take care of."

"OK. You're the boss."

Tom leaves and drives to the address Abby gave him. He goes and knocks on  the door.

Abby quickly lights the candles, draws the shades, and answers the door.

"Is the power out?" he jokes.

"Depends on which power you're referring to."

Tom laughs.

"If you don't like my choice of decor, we could always go to the Hamburger Pit."

"No, not at all. I like it. I like it."

"I thought you would."

"Are you sure your friend won't come home?" Tom asks.

"It's the middle of the day, Tom. And I have her keys."

"Good." Tom says.

"Besides, it's just lunch."

"Lets make it a long lunch." Tom suggests.

"And long as you want it."

Tom kisses her and teases. "I'm hungry."

"Lunch is ready and waiting for you," Abby says, playing dumb.

"What are you serving?" Tom plays equally dumb.

"Your favorite dish."

"Pot Roast?" he jokes.

"Something even better."

"Show me." he says.

"Do you want the hot first or the cold?"

"Definitely the hot."

"There's chop suey and there's the special of the day."

"I'll take the special."

"I was hoping you would."

"So show me what the special is all about."

"Hope you like hot and spicy..."

"My favorite kind." he states.

"Then bring those lips over here."

Tom complies and kisses her.

"Guess you're not the only one who'll be served this meal," Abby laughs.

Tom laughs with her.

"Well, dig in before your lunch gets cold."

Tom picks her up and carries her to the bedroom.

When Nancy gets home for work she goes to Tommy and Nicholas room. "Nicholas we have to talk."

"What about?"

"Sam's girlfriend is going to have puppies. We have to help find homes for them and he's going to have a small operation."

"Cool." Nicholas says. "What kind of operation?"

"One that will make him feel better, but after it he won't father any more puppies."

"Oh." Nicholas replies not knowing what she is talking about

"Hey Tommy you want to help me out here?"

"No, that's Dad's job." Tommy states.
 

"Will you get him?"

"He is in the study." Tommy says. "He didn't want to be disturbed."

"But this is important."

"You bother him then." Tommy states

"Fine I will." She says and goes to knock on the study door.

"We are busy." Tom says.

"Dad have you given Nicholas the talk yet?!"

"What?!?" Tom and Abby stop what they were doing. "Come in."

"I had to tell him about Sam, and I was trying to tell him why and I couldn't. I caved."

"Oh swell." Tom says. "I can't tell Nicholas yet, he is only eight. He thinks kissing is yucky."

"Can you make up something?"

Tom looks at Abby.

Nancy looks at her father. ~Why can't he do it?~

"What do you think? Think he can handle the facts of life?" Tom asks Abby.

Abby thinks back to when Nicholas walked in on her and Tom and his reaction. "No. But does he have to know everything? Isn't what you told him enough? I mean, has he asked for anything more?"

"Not really but he acted like he didn't understand."

"He probably doesn't."

"So what now?"

"Maybe we should take him with us when Sam gets fixed," Abby suggests. "If he has questions, that'll be when he asks."

"Good idea."

"If he doesn't ask, don't volunteer any information." Tom suggests.

"Ok." She leaves the room.

After talking to Nicholas some more she goes to her bedroom to get ready for bed. "How ya doing kid?" She asks Liz

"Nervous, you?"

"I'm ok and don't worry it will be fine."

"I Hope so."

"It will be." She goes to sleep.

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