July 4th, 1964
Date: July, 2001
Fandom: X-Files
Category: Discipline
Rating: G
Status: Complete
Archive: Persuaders and Slashing Mulder
Feedback: whiteoaks@writeme.com
Series/Sequel: part of Red Cadillac's Danville Universe
Disclaimers: based on characters created by Chris Carter and Red
Cadillac, I'm just borrowing them
Summary: The Skinner family celebrates the 4th of July, young Walter
and his siblings learn a few lessons along the way
Notes: Thanks again to Red Cadillac for letting me play in her world.
This story is for Xanthe, I hope she returns online soon.
Walter Skinner watched his youngest brother fight to hold back tears.
Andy and Joe had taken to calling him Germie and refused to allow him to
play with them, saying they didn't want to be all germie too.
"Jeremy" Walter called to the boy.
Scrubbing his forearm across his eyes, Jeremy turned to see his
brother. "What?"
"Come here, I need your help," Walter figured ignoring Joe and Andy was
the best way to go. Besides, he had chores to finish. Today was the
fourth of July. His family was preparing to join in the town's
celebration. He needed to finish feeding the animals, plus he'd
promised his mother he'd bring in some fresh carrots and tomatoes for
their picnic basket. The parade on Main Street started in an hour. He
didn't want to cause his family to be late. His parents worked
extremely hard, he wanted them to be able to relax and enjoy the day.
Jeremy looked excited, "You want me to help you, Walter? What can I
do?" The little boy was bouncing with energy.
"I need to finish feeding the chickens, you can help me throw the feed
to them. You aren't afraid of them, right?"
""No, Walter. I'm not afraid, that was when I was little!" The four
year old boy pushed out his chest to show just how big he was now.
Walter smiled and took the boy's hand. "That's right, I forgot." They
headed towards the chicken coop. Walter filled two scoops with feed and
instructed, "Take this one. We just throw it on the ground in front of
them. Try to cover as much area as you can so they don't fight over
it." He unlatched the gate of the fence and they entered. As he
re-latched the gate, the chickens quickly ran towards them, squawking
with anticipation for the chicken chow. He slowly distributed the feed,
throwing it in a wide arc. Jeremy did his best to imitate his brother's
actions. "Great job, Jeremy," he said as they left the chickens. "Now,
we have to pick some carrots and tomatoes for Mom."
Jeremy puffed with pride at his brother's praise. The earlier taunts of
'Germie' no longer mattered. He was helping Walter. He knew Walter
wouldn't let Andy or Joe help him, he'd heard him tell them they were
just kids and got in his way last week when they wanted to help him
build a new kite. Walter was very fussy about following directions
exactly. He made the best kites, they always turned out perfectly.
He'd told Joe to wait another year, and he'd teach him how to hold the
saw correctly, and how to use the other tools correctly. Then, he'd
told Andy it'd be at least three years before he'd be ready, maybe more
'cause Andy couldn't hold still. And now, he was letting Jeremy help
him, even if it was chores and not building a kite, Jeremy just knew it
was because Walter thought he was old enough to do it right.
As they walked towards the garden Walter cautioned, "Only step where I
do. We have to be careful not to step on any of the plants. I'll show
you what's ready to be picked and you can pick it. I'll hold the basket
and you can put the stuff in it. Only, you have to do it very gently,
especially with the tomatoes. We don't want them to get bruised or
squashed, do we, big guy?"
Jeremy nodded his head seriously, he'd do exactly what Walter said. He
watched his brother pick up the basket his mother always used when
picking vegetables and then he cautiously followed his brother into the
garden.
"Oh, Walter! Look at that!" He pointed at an ornate spider web erected
between two plants.
"Pretty, isn't it? That's a garden spider web. They're really pretty
early in the morning when the sun's first coming up and there's still
some dew clinging to the web. But, stay away from it, garden spiders
bite if you disturb them. The bite hurts and makes a red bump on your
skin. But, don't worry," he quickly continued when he saw Jeremy start
to look scared, "They don't bite unless you bother them. Leave them
alone and you'll be fine." He added a one-armed hug to make his brother
feel more secure. "Let's go this way," he pointed towards the seeming
bushes of tomatoes.
Before they reached the tomatoes, Walter stopped. "Here are the
carrots. I'll point to the ones you can pick. Take a good hold of the
top, as close to the dirt as you can, and then just pull up. You don't
have to pull hard, the ground is damp and they'll be easy to pick." He
squatted next to the row of carrots and pointed to the first one.
Jeremy carefully bent over, grabbed the top of the carrot and pulled
upwards. Holding the carrot in the air he said, "I did it, Walter!
Just like you told me."
"Yep, you did. Let's get some more. We need lots for the picnic. We
need to hurry so we can get them washed for Mom too. I don't want to be
late for the parade."
Working together they filled the basket with carrots and tomatoes. They
hurried to the hose and Walter gently washed the dirt from the carrots
as Jeremy held the hose precisely how Walter had told him to. "All
done, let's get these in to Mom. You did a great job, Jeremy" Walter
smiled at his brother. He turned off the water and they almost ran to
the kitchen door.
"Mom! Mom! Look what Walter let me help pick!" Rachel Skinner looked
up from the table with a smile for her youngest. Jeremy was a handful,
but somehow Walter always seemed to know just how to take care of the
little boy and make him feel proud at the same time.
Rachel took the basket from Walter and peered at it's contents. "You
boys did a good job. Did both of you pick the vegetables?"
"No, Mama," Jeremy fell back into his younger name for his mother as he
answered her. "Walter showed me which ones to pick, but I did all the
picking. I was very careful. I did just what he said. He let me help
feed the chickens too!"
Walter nodded at his mother to let her know Jeremy was telling the
truth. "Looks like you did a great job helping Walter, honey. Why
don't you run and wash your hands. We're almost ready to go." Jeremy
ran to the bathroom. "Walter?" Rachel knew there was a story here, she
looked at her eldest and waited for him to tell it.
"It's nothing, Mom. Joe and Andy were teasing him again, I just thought
I'd keep him busy. Plus, he really did help," he smiled as he said
this. "I think it made him feel good to know he was helping me."
Rachel pulled her son in for a hug, "You're right, Walter. It did make
him feel good, I'm glad you're there to look out for him. I'll speak
with Joe and Andy again about teasing him. They just don't realize how
much that hurts him."
"Yeah, I know. I just hate to see him cry. I wish they'd stop." He
smiled shyly, "But then, I'd should quit teasing them, too, I guess."
His mother hugged him again, then swatted his butt, "That's right,
Walter." She pushed him towards the bathroom. "Do me a favor and check
on Jeremy. He's probably got water splashed everywhere except his dirty
hands by now."
Walter laughed and followed the sounds of running water to check on his
youngest brother. His father entered the kitchen in time to catch a
glimpse of the departing boy.
"Where's Walter going in such a hurry?" He bent to kiss his wife's
forehead.
"He's checking to see how Jeremy's doing washing his hands." She turned
to look at her husband. "Walter, that son of ours is something else.
Joe and Andy were teasing Jeremy again. I'm sure they're still doing
their Germie bit. So, Walter asked Jeremy to help him with his chores.
Jeremy actually helped feed the chickens and he picked vegetables form
the garden. I know if I'd done that, Jeremy would have either let the
chickens out, or stepped on some plants, or fallen in the mud. Our
twelve year-old son can work magic with that boy."
"That's because that little boy worships his big brother." He kissed
his wife again, then started loading their picnic supplies in the car.
Skinner family car
Walter Skinner, Jr. looked at each of his siblings. He had managed to
get them in the car while his parents were making one last trip through
the house to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything. "Look, you know
how hard Mom and Dad work. They're worried about money, and Dad's job
and us. I want everyone to behave today so they can have some fun." He
turned his gaze to Joe and Andy. "That means no teasing Jeremy. I mean
it," he continued as Andy started to reply. "Joe, if you want me as a
partner in the wheelbarrow race, you'll behave. Andy, I'll do the water
balloon toss with you, but only if you're good! Got it!"
Two sullen, 'got it's were heard. Slowly smiles appeared on both boys
faces, Walter was going to help them in the games. For that, they'd be
on their best behavior. They'd both been afraid Walter was going to say
the games were for kids. Having him on their side actually gave them
each a chance to win.
Walter looked at Jean. "Jean, please help Mom when you can. I know
your friends are going to be there, but try to watch and help every so
often. Mom does so much for us, it's her turn to relax a little."
Jean nodded. "You're right. If I forget, remind me, okay?"
Walter nodded. He knew Jean tended to get carried away when she was
with her friends, but she was basically a good kid. Sometimes he
thought she was too good.
Mr. and Mrs. Skinner got in the car, wondering why their children were
so quiet. They looked in the back seat, every child smiled at them. No
one was bleeding or even appeared bruised. Walter looked at his wife,
shrugged and started the car.
Founder's Park picnic grounds
All the Skinner's had enjoyed the parade. While none of them had been
in it this year, several of their friends had decorated bicycles and
wagons to participate. As each walked past, people cheered and
complimented them. It was fun to see so many of their friends. To
Jeremy, Andy and Joe the highlight was when the owner of the local candy
store walked past with his young daughter. They'd decorated a Red Flyer
with ribbons and construction paper in red, white and blue. His
daughter sat in the wagon and threw candy to the crowd as her father
pulled her along the route. Andy almost forgot his promise and started
to shove Jeremy out of his way, when he saw Walter's face. He quickly
stopped, picked up some of the candy he'd caught and handed it to
Jeremy. Walter smiled his approval and Andy had blushed and looked
down, then lifted his head and smiled back. Walter, Sr. and Rachel
watched in astonishment. Obviously, young Walter had had a talk with
his brothers!
Mrs. Skinner spread a blanket on the ground next to the picnic table her
husband had set up. They were close enough to the river to watch the
fireworks from the blanket tonight. She also had hopes that she could
get Jeremy and Andy to take naps during the afternoon. She knew if they
didn't sleep during the afternoon, they'd be crabby and out of sorts by
the time the fireworks started. What she didn't know was how she was
going to convince them to rest for awhile. Both boys were charged with
excitement, bouncing around trying to see everything at once. She
smiled as Walter knelt next to his youngest brother, whispered in his
ear, and the hoisted Jeremy onto his shoulders.
Walter turned to locate her, "Mom, I'm going to take Jeremy to the
bathroom. We'll be right back." He turned and jogged off, Jeremy
giggling at the impromptu ride.
The boys returned quickly, just as the last dish was placed on the
table. "Just in time, boys," their Dad greeted them.
His son smiled back as he lowered his brother to the bench. "Our timing
was good in both directions." He grinned at Jeremy, "no accidents
today, right guy?"
"Right,:" Jeremy responded. Normally he'd be embarrassed at his
brother's comment, but Walter had told him he was proud of Jeremy for
letting him know early enough that they'd had plenty of time to make it
to the rest rooms. "We washed our hands afters, too!" He held his up
for his parents to see.
"That's good, son. Let's eat," his father addressed his family. The
carefully prepared food quickly disappeared. Even Andy and Jeremy ate
huge servings, instead of picking at their food like they usually did.
Jean helped her mother clean up while the boys and their Dad wandered
over to the games area. Jean and Rachel planned to join them there as
soon as they could.
"Mom, how come the women always have to do the cleaning up?" Jean
quizzed her mother.
"We don't always, dear. But, sometimes it's just easier for us to do
it. Like today, Andy and Joe can't wait to get to the games. If they'd
helped us they'd make more of a mess. Your Dad and Walter are helping
us by keeping them out of our way. Plus, they're watching Jeremy. You
know how much work that is."
Jean giggled. "Boy, do I. You're right, it is easier this way." They
finished putting things away and headed out to find the rest of the
family. Rachel had worried earlier when Jean had said she didn't want
to be in any of the games, but Jean had finally convinced her that she
preferred to watched.
Rachel spotted her husband holding Jeremy on his shoulders. Andy was
standing on a bench trying to peer over the crowd. As she stood next to
her husband, she located Walter and Joe. Walter was standing almost
upright, holding Joe's ankles as they navigated the wheelbarrow race
course. Joe's face was red, and she could see the sweat running down
his neck. But he was grinning, and using his hands to propel himself as
fast as he could. Walter swerved as the boys next to them crumpled to
the ground. He adroitly maneuvered Joe around the last obstacle and
they crossed the finish line first. Standing, Joe jumped up and down,
shouting "We won. We won, Walter!"
His brother clapped his shoulder, "Yes, Joe. We won. You were great.
Thanks for letting me enter with you."
Joe stopped jumping and looked at his brother, stunned. "Letting you?
Walter, I've been begging you to be my partner for weeks. I'm the one
who should be thanking you."
Walter shrugged, "Well, maybe. But, you did agree to my terms about not
teasing Jeremy. That let me be your partner, you know?"
Joe continued to stare at his brother. He rubbed his sweaty hair back
from his forehead so it was standing in spikes. "Yeah, I guess."
Suddenly he smiled and hugged his brother. "Thanks, Walter."
The boys were presented with ribbons that were pinned to their shirts.
Blushing at the crowds applause, Walter quickly shepherded Joe vack to
their family.
After their parents finished congratulating them, they hurried to the
area for the water balloon toss. Walter handed his ribbon to his
mother. "I think that'll be wrecked if it gets wet. Do you mind
holding it?"
"Not at all. Go now, Andy's waiting for you." Rachel watched as Walter
hurried to his brother. They picked a water-filled balloon and got into
position. Walter in one line of kids, Andy in the other. The idea was
to toss the balloon gently to their partner. Then, one of the lines
would take a step back. They'd toss the balloons again, then the other
line would take a step back. The last pair that had an intact balloon
would win. The whistle was blown and Walter winked at Andy then gently
threw the balloon in an underhand toss to his brother.
Andy caught the balloon the way Walter had taught him and sighed. He'd
done it! Walter had reminded him many times to just let the balloon
touch his hands and too gently cradle the balloon as it settled into
them. He'd had to retrain himself from grabbing the balloon like a
baseball. He had practiced with Joe for weeks, thinking that Walter
wouldn't want to be his partner. Now he felt the pressure to do his
best to make Walter proud of him.
Andy watched as the other line stepped back. Imitating Walter's toss,
he threw the balloon back. Holding his breath, he watched as it arced
gently through the air and into Walter's waiting hands. It didn't
break! He exhaled, relaxed a second and prepared for the next toss.
The crowd cheered as balloons were tossed and caught, laughed and
offered sympathy as some caught balloons burst in the catcher's hands.
The back and forth tosses continued until only two pairs of boys were
left. Walter could not believe they'd come this far. He saw the stress
on Andy's face. He knew his brother was concentrating on doing his
best, he just hoped Andy wouldn't be too disappointed if they didn't
win. It was amazing that they'd gotten this far. He stretched out his
arms as Andy tossed the balloon to him again. He sighed as the balloon
didn't burst, then smiled as he heard the gasp from the boy next to him
when his balloon did break. Not looking at the boy, he ran to Andy and
wrapped his arms around him. "I can't believe we won. You did a
fantastic job, Andy!"
His brother was quiet, his face hidden against Walter's shirt. Walter
tilted Andy's face by placing a finger under his chin. He was shocked
to see tears running down his brother's face. "Andy, what's wrong?"
He looked over his brother, but could see no injuries.
"I was so scared, Walter. I didn't think I could keep catching it. I
was afraid I was going to throw it too hard. I was afraid you'd be
dis'pointed in me."
"Oh, Andy." Walter hugged him in a warm embrace. "I could never be
disappointed in you if you were doing your best. I'm so proud of you!
You're only six, and look at all the older kids you beat, Andy! How
could I be upset if we lost to them?" He squeezed his brother harder,
"Don't cry anymore, Andy. Okay?"
Andy shakily scrubbed at his eyes with his hands. "I won't Walter.
Are you really proud of me?"
Walter leaned down and lifted Andy into his arms. He rubbed his nose
against Andy's, making the boy giggle. "Yes, I proud of you little
brother. Don't ever forget that."
His parents had come up to their sides, worried about Andy's obvious
distress. They relaxed as they heard Andy's giggle. Walter looked at
Rachel, signaling that they'd talk about this later. They congratulated
their sons, and stood proudly as ribbons were pinned to the boys shirts.
Mr. Skinner gently took Andy from Walter's arms. "I think it's time to
head back to our blanket guys. Mom has some lemonade waiting for us. I
don't know about you, but I'm thirsty!"
Knowing exactly what his father was doing, Walter shouted, "Me, too!
I'll beat you back their Joe. Jeremy, hop on my back!" He chased after
Joe, giving Jeremy a thrilling piggy-back ride the whole way. Rachel
and Jean followed at a more sedate pace.
"Jean, isn't that your friend Lisa over there?" Rachel questioned as she
pointed to a girl standing forlornly by a tree watching the Skinner
family go past.
"Yeah, that's Lisa. We're not friends anymore, though." Jean couldn't
bring herself to look at her mother.
Rachel stopped and put her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "Look at
me, Jean. Why aren't you friends anymore?"
"'Cuz, she likes John and I like Paul," Jean mumbled in reply.
"You can't be friends because she likes a different Beatle than you
do?" Rachel was astounded. "Why?"
"Because." Jean watched as her mother's lips disappeared, leaving a
thin white line in their place. Speaking quickly, she continued,
"Cindy, May and Paula all like Paul. They have a club. I can't be in it
if I'm friends with someone who likes a different Beatle better than
Paul." She scuffed the toe of her sneaker against the grass.
Rachel looked at Lisa, then at the backs of her retreating family.
Taking Jean's hand, not exactly gently, she continued to follow the boys
and their Dad. "We'll talk about this once we get the boys settled,
young lady. Until then, I want you to think about what it means to be a
friend." She quickened her stride, causing Jean to jog to keep from
being dragged.
The boys were sitting happily on the blanket, retelling how they won
their contests. Jeremy was in Walter's lap, his head resting on his
shoulder. He seemed happy to listen to Joe and Andy replay even move
they'd made. Joe described the obstacles he and Walter had navigated
while Andy talked about how far apart he and Walter were by the last
throw. While Joe appeared happy and content, Andy appeared slightly
hesitant, like he hadn't quite recovered from his emotional outburst
earlier. Rachel poured lemonade for everyone and joined them on the
blanket. Her husband pulled Andy to his side, letting the boy rest
against his arm.
"You boys had an exciting afternoon," Mr. Skinner began. "I'm happy you
won, but I'd be just as happy and proud of you if you hadn't. You did
your best, that's what counts." He smiled at Joe and began to softly
rub Andy's back. "I think everyone had a good time. They were
certainly good sports about losing. I like to think you boys would be
just as good about it if you'd lost." He looked subtly towards Walter.
"Dads right, guys. Playing your best and being a good sport is more
important than winning. Winnings like desert after a great meal." He
startled himself, he had no idea where that analogy came from, he
decided he liked it, however. "Joe, you made every turn perfectly. You
responded to my steering like we did it all the time. You can't do
better than that. Andy, I'm sorry you felt we had to win. I was having
a good time just being your partner. It was fun seeing if we could
still catch the balloon after each step. I just wanted you to have fun
today, not to worry."
Andy squirmed closer into his father's side. Rachel took the empty
lemonade glass from him. "It was fun at first, Walter. Then I got
scared I was going to mess up. You kept smiling at me, so I knew you
were having fun. I just didn't want it to stop."
Walter looked at his Dad, then nodded. "I guess I understand. I
haven't been playing with you as much as I used to. I'll try to do
better from now on." He saw his parents' pleased looks.
Andy rested his head against his father, yawned and said, "Good." Then
fell sound asleep. His father continued to rub his back until he was
sure the boy wouldn't wake as he moved him to lay on the blanket.
Walter had managed to lull Jeremy to sleep as well. He moved his
brother until he was resting comfortably next to Andy.
"Walter." He looked up to see his parents watching him. His father
continued, "It wasn't your fault Andy was so scared. But, it is good to
hear you're willing to spend more time with him. I know he's a lot
younger than you, but he looks up to you, just like Jeremy does." Mr.
Skinner looked over at Joe, "I expect Joe does too." Joe nodded
quickly, if Walter was willing to play with Andy more, maybe he'd be
willing to play with him more, too.
Walter shoved his brother's shoulder lightly, "I get it. I'll try to
spend more time with Joe too." He followed the shove with a grin. "At
least you can ride a bike with me. We can ride around together, how's
that sound?"
"Great." Joe looked unbelievably happy. Walter couldn't believe that
he meant that much to him. Maybe he could start showing Joe how to use
tools now instead of waiting. Joe was pretty careful with stuff, plus
he was smart. Walter knew his brother caught on to reading and
arithmetic a lot faster than he had. He had a feeling the same would be
true with measuring and putting stuff together.
Rachel looked at her husband. "Jean and I need to talk about
something. Think you guys can handle things for a bit?"
Walter, Sr. laughed. "With those two asleep, I don't think we'll have
any problems." He looked at his older sons. "You can go watch the ball
game if you want. Just come back in about an hour, okay?"
"Sure, Dad." Joe and Walter quickly ran off to see the game.
Jean slowly stood and walked over to her mother. "We can talk here. I
know you'll just tell Dad anyways."
Rachel gestured to Jean to sit next to her.
"Did you think about what I said?"
"Yes, ma'am. But, I really want to be in that club."
"Jean, you don't treat your friends badly just so you can join a club.
You know better than that. Just like you know that you don't stop being
a friend just because you like different Beatles, right?"
Jean ducked her head, "Yes, ma'am."
How do you think Lisa feels? She's been your friend since you started
school. Your best friend. Does she know why your doing this?"
"No, ma'am. I've just been ignoring her."
Rachel sighed. "What do you think you should do?"
Jean looked up at her mother. "I should go apologize to Lisa."
"That's a good start. Tomorrow, I'll want you to write in the lesson
book. I think you need to write about what you did wrong, why it was
wrong, and how to make sure you don't do it in the future. Okay?"
Jean smiled. She'd been feeling bad about how she was treating Lisa.
Now she could make things right, "Thanks, Mom. You're right."
"Go find Lisa now. Don't be surprised if she doesn't welcome you back
with open arms."
"I won't, Mom. I'll apologize and ask if we can still be friends. I
was wrong, she has a right to be mad at me." Jean hurried to find her
friend.
Rachel looked at her husband who was smiling at her. "Favorite Beatle.
I guess boyfriends will be next."
"Let's hope we have a few years before that happens. I'm not ready to
deal with crushes and broken hearts just yet."
Later that afternoon
Joe and Walter had returned on time. Soon, Jean appeared, her friend
Lisa with her. As their mother started to set up for an early dinner,
Andy and Jeremy woke from their naps. Again, the food was quickly
consumed.
"Mom?"
"Yes, Joe."
"Is it all right if Andy and I go over by ball field. Some of the kids
were going to play catch after dinner and before the fireworks."
"I think that's a good idea. Be careful, and be back here before dark."
"Thanks Mom." The boys ran off to join their friends. Rachel knew
there'd be other adults supervising. Her boys were safe here with her
friends and neighbors.
"What can I do?" Jeremy asked. He watched plaintively as his brothers
disappeared.
"We could go exploring," Walter offered. He looked at his folks, "I
thought we could walk near the river. We could see what's going on. We
won't go near the water, I promise."
Their parents agreed to the plan and told the boys to be back before
dark. Walter and Jeremy walked hand in hand down to the river. It was
a long walk for Jeremy, so Walter took time to point out interesting
items as they walked. "Look, see that tree? That's an oak tree.
They're the ones that acorns grow on. If you look up in the branches
you can see a squirrel's nest. They like to eat the acorns."
Jeremy listened intently, trying to learn everything Walter told him.
He liked the way Walter talked to him like he was one of the big kids.
He never treated him like a little kid, making fun of him like his other
brothers did.
They continued their walk, climbing on rocks and walking around trees,
taking their time getting to the river. As they approached the bank
they noticed men working diligently. They continued to walk until they
were in the midst of the group.
"Sir," Walter asked politely, "What are you doing?"
The man stopped and looked down at the boys. "We're setting up the
fireworks for tonight. You can watch if you stay out of the way."
The boys carefully watched everything the men did. Soon, the men were
explaining what they wee doing and why. They even let Walter and Jeremy
help them set up the framework for the ground display. Both boys were
so intent on what they were doing, they never noticed the sun setting.
Suddenly, it was dark. Walter looked up and panicked. "Oh, no. We
were supposed to be back to our parents by now. They're going to be
worried about us. We better go." He grabbed Jeremy and pulled him onto
his back. He'd be able to run if he carried the boy.
"Wait. We have a radio here. We can get a message to the Sheriff, he's
at the picnic area. He'll let your parents know you're on you're way.
What's your name and where are your parents?"
"Thanks. Our last name is Skinner. The Sheriff knows my folks. They
probably have him looking for us already." Walter shook the man's hand
and took off running.
As he expected his parents were worried and had contacted the Sheriff.
"Walter's a responsible boy. He may just be late, but we're worried."
Mr. Skinner informed the Sheriff. "They were going to walk near the
river."
The Sheriff was organizing a search when his radio bleeped. He listened
intently and turned back to the Skinners. "Your boys are on the way.
They lost track of time. Walter was afraid you'd be worried. They were
with the men setting up the fireworks, that's who just called me. The
boys will be here soon."
Shaking the Sheriff's hand, the Skinners returned to their blanket,
looking out at the crowd, waiting for their sons to appear. It wasn't
long before they spotted Walter's head bobbing through the people.
"Dad, Mom! I'm sorry we're late!" Walter called as he approached the
blanket. "I completely lost track of time. All of a sudden it was
dark. I knew you'd be worried. Did the Sheriff tell you we were
okay?" He lowered Jeremy next to his mother who hugged him tightly.
His father gathered him in a quick hug.
"Yes, Walter. We were worried. The Sheriff was organizing a search for
you when we got the message. We'll talk more later, let's enjoy the
fireworks now. We're just happy you're here, safe and sound." Walter
knew what his father meant by talking more later. There was nothing he
could do now, so he sat down to enjoy the pyrotechnic display with his
family.
Skinner Residence, that night
Andy and Jeremy had fallen asleep in the car on the way home. Jean and
Joe barely managed to stay awake. They'd had a full day. As soon as
the car came to a stop, they went into the house to get ready for bed.
Walter and his Dad carried the other two in and their mother got them
ready for bed. Walter walked with his father to his bedroom
Mr. Skinner closed the bedroom door and stared at his son. It had been
an emotion filled day. Most of it had been fun. Andy's stress reaction
and the family's fear for his missing sons were the only two drawbacks.
Walter had tried so hard to make everyone happy. His father knew he had
made deals with Andy and Joe to make sure there were no squabbles
between his younger sons. He's also heard Jean tell Rachel that Walter
had asked her to help so her mother could relax a bit. The boy kept
taking more and more responsibility on himself. He knew he had to tread
carefully or Walter would let guilt about being late make him feel like
he'd destroyed all his parents' pleasure for the day.
Walter was standing next to his bed, waiting for instructions from his
father. He was trembling slightly, afraid he'd ruined everything by
making his parents worry.
His father crossed to him and sat on the bed. He gestured for Walter to
sit next to him.
"First, Walter, I want you to know how proud I am of you. You did
everything you could to make this a fun day for the family, and most
especially, for your mother and me. I want you to know how much we
appreciate that. I know you made deals with Andy and Joe, and your
mother told me about having Jeremy help with your chores. Jean
mentioned that you asked her to help your mother, too. I'm proud of you
and so is your mother, son."
Walter was sitting with his elbows on his thighs, head bent down. "But
I ruined everything by making you worry."
His father rubbed his back. "Walter, we all lose track of time
occasionally. Yes, we were worried. But, you did the right thing. You
got a message to us and you hurried back as fast as you could. That was
very responsible behavior."
"That doesn't make up for being late. I wanted today to be perfect, and
then I messed everything up. I'm sorry Dad."
His father put his arm around Walter's shoulders. "You take too much on
your shoulders, Walter. I know your mother and I give you a lot of
responsibility, maybe too much. You need to be a kid too." His father
shook him gently, "Did you have any fun today?"
Walter looked in surprise. "Oh, yeah! Winning those games was fun,
except for Andy being so worried. Doing chores with Jeremy was great,
too. He learns so fast and tries so hard. We had a lot of fun
exploring too. He tried to memorize every tree I pointed out to him.
We climbed on rocks and pretended we were the founders. The most fun
was helping set up the fireworks. You wouldn't believe how much
planning goes into that. I thought they just shoot them off, you know?
But they actually have plans, and making the fireworks takes a lot of
time and you have know chemistry and everything." He saw his father
grinning. "Yeah, Dad. I had a good time."
"Good. Now, about your being late. I can understand how that
happened. But, it's not really an excuse is it?"
"Mo. Sir." Two serious, dark brown eyes met his. "It's no excuse,
Dad. I should have been paying attention. I'm really sorry you and Mom
were worried."
"I believe you, Walter. I think a hand spanking will do as a
punishment. You made a mistake, you didn't set out to disobey."
Walter nodded, stood, and lowered his pants. As he was pulled into
position, he looked up at his father. "Was Mom scared? I didn't want
to ruin her day, Dad. I wanted her to relax and have fun."
"Yes, she was scared." He pushed his son's head down. "You didn't ruin
her day. We were only worried and scared for a little while. Knowing
you were safe was a great relief. Your mother understands, Walter."
"Now, what's this spanking for?"
"For not paying attention, for being late getting back, for worrying you
and Mom."
His father's hand connected solidly with his backside. He jerked and
gasped. Another blow struck. Then, another. His butt was starting to
sting and burn. Two more slaps and he started to cry. He didn't
protest. He deserved this spanking. His breath hitched with the next
swat. His father pulled him up against his chest.
"I think that's enough, Walter." He hugged him tightly. "Wash up and
get ready for bed. Then come down and say good night."
Walter hugged him back and headed for the bathroom.
Walter, Sr. found his wife in the kitchen, washing the dishes from the
picnic and putting things away. "Is Walter okay?"
"I think so. He was afraid he'd ruined our day. I think I convinced
him he didn't, but I suspect he needs to hear it from you as well."
Rachel finished putting the last dish away. "I'll tell him. That boy
takes on too much, I wish we could find some way to get him to relax
more."
"We can try, but I think we need to accept that this is just the way
Walter is. He's always been so serious. I still remember those solemn
eyes following me around when he was a toddler. He constantly seemed to
be taking stuff in, trying to figure out how things worked and how to do
things." He paused to laugh, "Oh, Raya, you should have seen him
tonight when he was telling me what he enjoyed today. His eyes lit up,
his whole face was smiling, and so much of it was about doing things
with his family. The part that wasn't, was setting up the fireworks and
that he turned into a way to learn as much as he could about them. He's
such an amazing boy."
Rachel came up behind her husband and hugged him. "We need to remember
that boy and let him shine more often." As she said that they heard
Walter coming down the stairs. He came into the kitchen and smiled to
see his parents hugging.
"I just came to say good night." His smile faded as he added, "I hope I
didn't ruin your day, Mom."
His mother hugged and kissed him. "You didn't ruin my day, Volodya.
You couldn't ruin it. You did so much to make it the best fourth of
July I've ever had." Looking into his grinning face, she added, "I love
you, son."
"I love you too, Mom, Dad." His father kissed him and steered him back
to the stairs. "Go to bed now. You've got a busy day tomorrow, keeping
all those promises you made to your brothers."
"Oh, yeah. I wanted to talk to you about that. Do you think Joe's
ready to start learning about the wood working tools? I'll make sure
he's real careful, Dad. You know he's almost always careful and how
good he is at learning and doing things."
"Yes, Walter. I think he's ready. But, I think you better make sure
Andy and Jeremy are napping or at least busy elsewhere. They're not
ready."
Walter laughed. "I know that, Dad. What I don't know is if they'll
ever be ready." With that he turned and dashed off to bed.