Title: Believe
it or Not
By: Gail G.
"I can't believe it. I just can't believe it." Ben stood in
front
of his two sons a shocked look on his face.
"Pa, we can explain." Adam said, as he glanced over at his
youngest
brother. "Can't we, Joe?"
Joe's head popped up and he cleared his throat. "Yeah, sure,
Pa,
we
can explain all of this."
Ben crossed his arms over his broad chest. "Well I just can't
wait
to hear all about it. Who wants to start?"
"Adam, I think you should." Joe grinned, "you
are the oldest."
"No, no, Joe. I don't want you to feel left out. I
think
you
should go first." Adam smiled.
"Oh, I won't feel left out at all, big brother. You go right
ahead
and tell Pa all about it." Joe waved his hand toward his father.
Adam shifted. "I would not want to take such a privilege away
from
you, little brother."
"ENOUGH!" Ben's voice bounced off the rafters of the large
room. He
then started to run his hand through his silver hair.
"I just can't believe this." Ben muttered once again.
"I don't care
who tells me! But I want to know right now how on God's
green earth
that wagon ended up inside the house!! It didn't fit
through the
door now did it?"
"JOSEPH!" Ben bellowed.
"Pa, why do I have to explain? Adam is the oldest." Joe
asked, with
wide eyes.
Ben walked around the wagon that was sitting in the middle of his
living room. "Well for one thing this just looks like one of
your
ideas, young man. And by the way, where is the furniture?"
Adam took a step forward. "Pa, the furniture is in the empty
room
upstairs."
"I see." Ben replied. "Joseph, please explain."
Seeing no way out of the situation Joe took a deep breath and
started blurting out an excuse. "Ya
see,
like this. We, Adam and I, well we had this bet going that a wagon
wouldn't fit in the living room."
"A bet! I just can't believe it!" Ben yelled.
Joe shrank a bit at his father's unhappy voice. "Well
anyway,
I said a wagon could fit and Adam here said one couldn't. So
we
decided that we would take one apart and put it back together piece
by piece. So that's what we did. And guess what,
Pa? I
won the
bet!"
"You did did
you. Well what did you win?" Ben was now rubbing his
chin.
Joe smiled broadly. "Adam owes me five dollars,
Ben glanced over to his eldest son. "Is that so? Well I
only have
one thing to say to you both."
"Yes, Pa?" Joe asked. Adam simply
nodded his head.
"I want this WAGON out of the house NOW! And hurry up about
or I
might just forget you're both too old for a good spanking." Ben
glared at his oldest son.
Adam frowned. "Pa, you can't be serious. I'm
twenty-nine
years
old."
"Well if I were you, I don't think I would want to find out if I
was
serious or not. All I have to say is if that wagon is not out
of
this house in two hours–I'm giving you both what you clearly
deserve
and I don't care how old you are. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!?"
Ben
then turned and headed up the stairs. He stopped on the
landing and
yelled back down to his now busy sons. "Joseph, we will
discuss
the
evils of gambling when I wake up. Ben then stomped the rest
of the
way up the steps and disappeared down the hall.
Adam stood shocked in the living area trying to take in the threat
his father had just given him.
"Adam, he wouldn't. . .would he?" Joe
asked.
Adam picked up the hammer and started to take the nails out of the
side of the wagons bed. "Well, Joe, I'm not planning on
finding
out. I'm much to old to receive a
tanning,
that's for sure."
Joe nodded as he too picked up a hammer. They each worked
busily
until the wagon was taken apart and out of the living room.
They
then moved the furniture back into the main area making it just
under the two hour time limit.
Ben appeared at the top of the steps just as promised. He
looked
down into his now normal living
room before
coming down the stairs.
He simply grunted as he walked past his two sons, resting on the
settee. Adam looked at Joe as Joe looked at Adam.
"Boy, big brother. That was a close one." Joe said.
Adam nodded. "Yes it was. But who is going to explain
to
him why
the buggy is in the kitchen?"
Before Joe could say another word, Ben's voice echoed through the
house. "ADAM, JOSEPH!!!!"
The End
Gail G.