The Kids Grow Up, Trish Hanan [books you need to read .txt] 📗

you’re mothers, for crying out loud, let your children live their own lives and stop trying to control them,” he told them. Jan stood up.
“He’s right, all three of my oldest boys have already asked Harry for a house and next year they’re moving out. Joy and I are both fine with that, for Christ’s sake, let your children breathe, stop trying to choke the life out of them,” she said. Sarek stood up.
“Our twins are both moving out next year and have asked for a house and we think it’s terrific that they want to be independent and self-sufficient, you should embrace your child’s free spirit not try to crush them under your thumb,” he said. Kate sighed.
“Tracey and Travis are both moving out next year and there’s nothing Barb and I can do to stop them and, of course, Harry is going to give them a damned house. You’re all barking up the wrong tree if you think he’s not going to. He gives a damned house to anyone who asks for one. That’s what he told me, all they have to do is ask and he gives them a damned house,” she informed them. Jenna stood up.
“That’s not right, these are our children and they’re minors, we should have a say in what they do,” she snapped. Reverend Phillip stood up.
“Well, really I don’t understand what the big fuss is about, it’s not like they’re going to Regis Six or the Episolon Galaxy. They’re going to another house, probably right on your farm or another farm right down the road and you’ll see them all the time, every Sunday at Church and dinner and during the week,” he said and they all glared at him. He sighed and sat down.
“Well, I for one can’t wait until Harry and Jake’s children are sixteen and they ask him for a damned house and they move out,” Max shouted and slammed his fist on the table. “On that day, I shall be laughing my ass off.” A lot of people nodded and agreed with him. Jake sighed and wanted to be in the other room.
At dinner Harry noticed a lot of people glaring at him. He looked at his husband.
“Is it just me, honey, or is everyone mad at me?” he asked and Jake grinned.
“Oh, no, babe, they’re all mad cuz you’re giving houses to the kids and they’re all moving out,” he told him. Harry giggled.
“That’s not happening till next year and they’re mad already?” he teased and Jake nodded.
“Old Max is going to laugh his head off when Emma and Jackson move out when they turn sixteen,” he said. Harry shrugged.
“Well we’ll have to deal with that when it happens, just like all the other parents. It’s a fact of life, kids grow up and they leave home, you can’t keep them with you forever,” he said and glanced at his kids. Emma and Jackson were eleven and cute as shit. Harry grinned.
“It’s a shame we can’t freeze them at this age for a couple of years though,” he teased. Jackson looked up and shook his head.
“And then I’d get stuck with grandmom for two years in a row as a teacher, no way, Dad, she’s a rotten teacher,” he informed him. Harry nodded.
“I figure she would be, she’s a real pain as a mother,” he said and all the kids laughed.
The following week they went out to weed their crops and noticed that the wheat didn’t look right. Harry got off the tractor and examined it and noticed lots of little tiny bugs had invaded it.
“Hey, Jake, come and look at these, I’ve never seen these bugs before have you?” he asked and Jake looked at them.
“Christ no, shit, babe, we’d better get rid of them before they attack the rest of the crops,” he said and they went to work. The entire wheat field had to be destroyed on every farm and the ground treated. They examined all the other fields and didn’t find any of the bugs in any of the other fields and surmised them must have flown in from somewhere and just landed in the wheat first.
“Well, whatever they were and wherever they came from I think we got them all,” Dr. George announced at the emergency town meeting. Harry nodded.
“We’ve treated the soil and we’ve got plenty of wheat to plant next year so we’re going to be alright,” he told them. Linda stood up.
“That’s fine for next year but what are we going to do until next year?” she asked.
“Yeah, Harry, what are we going to do for bread until next year?” Carl stood up and asked. Harry sighed.
“I know you’re not going to like this answer but every time we’ve sorted through the extra house bins looking for coffee, tea and extra stuff, cereal and crackers and stuff, we’ve sorted out the bread mixes and Bisquick and have put them aside. I’ve got about twelve bins full of that stuff just waiting for us,” he informed them and everyone frowned.
“Oh, God, not the bread mixes,” Lily moaned. Harry nodded.
“We have no flour and we have nothing else, so I really don’t see any choice do you?” he asked and everyone looked at each other and shook their heads.
The next day Harry brought four bins to each farm and let everyone go crazy and fill up their cellars. When Jake went out to get some for their house though, Harry grabbed his arm.
“Don’t get too much, honey, just get special breads like Bisquick and pancake flour and stuff like that,” he told him. Jake looked confused.
“Why’s that, babe, we’re going to need bread too, we’ve got seven kids to feed,” he said. Harry gave him a mischievous grin.
“We’ve also got a bakery with a thousand pounds of flour in it,” he whispered and Jake grinned and kissed him, hard and long. Fran saw and whistled.
“You two are in a good mood for bread mix day,” she retorted. Harry grinned and wigged his finger and she came closer.
“We’ve got a bakery, Fran, with a thousand pounds of flour in it, shush, don’t tell anyone okay,” he whispered and her eyes lit up.
“Holy crap, I forgot about that,” she whispered back. Harry giggled.
“I almost did too but then I checked the inventory and there’s even two-hundred and fifty pounds of rye flour so we can have rye bread,” he gushed and she grinned.
“Oh, wow, I love rye bread,” she gushed.
Jake went out and got them some pancake mix and Bisquick for biscuits because Harry always said that made the fluffiest biscuits so he got six cases of that and six cases of pancake mix and a couple of cases of flavored bread mixes that he thought might be a nice change and that’s all they took. They put what people didn’t take into one bin and took it to the Center and left it and did that with every farm in case people ran out.
That night Harry and Jake flew the Elizabeth to Sherwood and opened the bins for the bakery and found the precious flour and other cool things for baking and loaded up an empty bin. They parked it close to their house and sneaked it into their cellar closet and put a lock on the door. Harry put the empty bin up on the hill and they flew home and laughing, did it in the hanger because they were spies hiding from the enemy on a mission to save the planet.
“Where did you and Jake go last night?” DJ asked the next day as they were walking into Church. Harry yawned because he was tired.
“We flew the Elizabeth to a top secret mission to save the planet,” he teased and DJ laughed.
“You and you sex games, I swear, one of these days you’re going to have to include me,” he declared and Jake rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, right, buddy,” he told him. Everyone who heard laughed.
At dinner everyone complained about the bread mixes and at Harry’s table they complimented his biscuits.
“Well, Bisquick always makes the best biscuits,” Harry remarked and his mother nodded.
“That is true, but a whole year of those damned bread mixes? I hate sandwiches on that bread, they always fall apart when you eat them,” she complained. Barb nodded.
“The flavored bread is nice though, kind of like cake more than bread,” she said. Sissy sighed.
“Well, we should be grateful that we have them, after all, if Harry hadn’t brought down all those extra houses, then right now, we wouldn’t have any bread or biscuits or pancakes or anything like that,” she said. Everyone sighed and nodded.
A few months passed and Fran began to feel a little guilty but the boys didn’t. Harry made six loaves of bread and four loaves of rye one morning and she wanted to take one of each to share with Edna. Harry sighed and refused.
“You know the minute you tell Edna about the flour, Fran, she’ll tell Jenna and Fiona and Sarah and then everyone will know and those greedy bastards will all demand that we share it with them. I refuse to share my flour with people who call me a fishy freak fagola,” he said firmly and she nodded and sat at the table.
“You’re right, I’m sorry, sweetie, there’s no way to share with just a few, they would blab to everyone and soon they’d all come crashing through the door demanding their fair share,” she said sadly. Harry patted he shoulder.
“You’re a generous person, Fran, and I love you but most of those people don’t appreciate anything I do for them and they never have. Look at the liquor on date nights. I’ve been giving it to them for free for the past eighteen years and every single week do I hear a thank you, nope. All they do is bitch and gripe because I won’t let them take home a free bottle or I don’t have the drink they want or I forgot something. They’re all selfish bastards and I’ve had it up to my eyeballs with all of them,” he told her and she nodded.
“You’re right, Harry, they never say thank you, all they do is bitch at date night and act like they’re doing you a big favor by drinking your free booze, shit on them, they don’t deserve any flour,” she said firmly and her guilt was gone. Especially when the next date night came and Edna complained that he never brought any wine, just beer and mixed drinks and she loved wine, why couldn’t he just bring a couple of bottles from his wine cellar for people who liked wine. Fran was shocked and appalled at her friend’s rudeness.
“Oh, don’t worry, Edna, as soon as we get more grapes next year or the year after, I’ll be making some wine too,” Harry told her cheerfully. She frowned at him.
“You mean I have to wait two or three years for wine?” she asked. Harry shook his head.
“I’m sure David has a lot of wine left in his store you can buy,” he told her and she looked shocked.
“Are you kidding, he wants a thousand dollars a bottle for his liquor,” she snapped. Harry shrugged.
“I guess if you wanted it bad enough, you would pay that much,”