All Aboard Andi's Dream

© 2024 Duleigh Lawrence-Townshend. All rights reserved. The author asserts the right to be identified as the author of this story for all portions. All characters are original. Any resemblance to anyone living or dead is purely coincidental. This story or any part thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the expressed written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a review or commentary.

All Aboard Andi's Dream

Chapter 13

"We're Family"

Paul Jarecki was awakened by a strange squeaking. He was dreaming about spending a quiet weekend at the cabin, just him and Andi, but there came this noise, a tree branch scraping against the cabin, and no matter what he did, the branch kept rubbing against the cabin and continued to squeak. Slowly his eyes came open, and he was in their bedroom and the squeaking continued.

Little stars and planets slowly circled the ceiling, occasionally a shooting star would zoom across the ceiling, and the ISS, a rocket, or Santa Claus, would also drift across the sky. It was a gift from Grandpa Harold, Andi's step-father, a planetarium projector. He said it would keep the baby entertained at night. Paul wasn't sure about the baby, but he was fascinated. He might have to get another one for the nursery and keep this one. The thing was amazing, and Paul couldn't wait to explore the educational modes and teach the twins about the stars because star gazing was a big part of camping.

However, the squeaking continued and soon built up steam. Paul got out of bed, pulled on a robe and walked around the bed to Andi's side and carefully, so carefully, scooped tiny Danny out of the cradle as Andi woke up. "I have him," whispered Paul.

"Mmmfff" said Andi, and she went back to sleep.

Paul stepped into his slippers and stepped out of the bedroom. He headed down the back stairs and stepped into the kitchen, opened the fridge and took out a tiny bottle of breast milk Andi had expressed earlier, and set it on the counter. He put a pan of water on the stove and fired up the stove, then sat down at the table. Paul gave Danny a pacifier, which the little guy gnawed on thoughtfully for a while, then he pushed it out with his tongue. "You're so hungry," teased Paul. "Hungry, hungry boy," and he tried the pacifier again.

Eventually the water got to the temperature that he wanted and as he got up to warm the milk, John slowly walked into the kitchen with a bundled baby who was making little quacking sounds. John reached into the pantry for powdered formula, but Paul stopped him. "Hold on, we have natural," and he took another bottle of expressed milk out of the fridge and put both bottles in the warm water. "It's better for her."

"I can't have you doing that," said John. "That's for Danny."

"Andi is doing fine. She was feeding twins a few years ago, and her body still remembers how. There's more than enough for Danny and my little goofy girl," and he tickled Katarina under the chin. She didn't understand, but she was just barely a week old. There's a lot that she and her cousin Danny haven't figured out. Paul plucked the bottle out of the warm water and handed it to John, then grabbed the other one and sat next to his brother at the kitchen table and they fed their babies.

Paul reached over and adjusted the way John was holding the bottle. "I don't believe how you have taken to babies," said John. "You're like super dad."

"Me? No... I just have a little training. When I was seven mom made me help take care of you," said Paul. "I was complaining about changing your diaper and she said, 'you're going to have children some day and you'll thank me for this.'" Danny fell asleep while eating so as Katarina taught him Paul tugged on the bottle which woke Danny up. "Thank you mom," he whispered sadly.

"You changed my diapers?" demanded John.

"Yeah, quite a few times... then I married a doctor who raised two preemies on her own. It's quite an education."

"Macy still isn't producing enough to keep Katarina full and she's feeling horrible. We don't want to keep asking."

"We're family, it's ok. We have it, and if you need it, it's yours. Andi has only been part of this lunatic asylum for 11 months, but she really and truly loves Macy. It's ok about the milk, we have plenty and Macy will come along. Andi went through the same thing six years ago. She had Lucy to help her, but Lucy never had kids, so she couldn't identify with her problem." Paul pulled the bottle out of hungry little Danny's mouth, then put him up to his shoulder and started patting his back. He gestured for John to do the same.

John pulled the nipple out of Katarina's hungry mouth and burped her like Paul was doing. "How do you know when they need to burp?"

"They always need to burp," said Paul as a little burp erupted from Daniel.

Katarina burped, then expelled gas from the other end with a tiny beep. "Really classy, little girl," said John as he continued patting her back.

"It's ok, we'll check diapers when we head off to bed."

"I forgot my diaper bag," groaned John.

"There's always a spare here in the kitchen," said Paul. "This is where the babies are fed so Andi insists that a bag remains here. She says that it goes in one end and out the other."

Just then, Heather stumbled down the stairs. Her eyes were bleary, her nose was red from being blown. "You don't look good, Mom," said Paul.

"I'm fine, I heard the babies and I'm here to help."

"Get back to bed, we have it under control," said Paul. "I'll bring tea up to you when its ready. You need sleep as much as anyone else around here."

Heather looked at the teakettle, which gave no hint of warming up soon, and said, "I'll get tea in the morning," and she headed back upstairs.

The brothers fed and burped their children for quite a while under the watchful eyes of Macy and Andi, who peeked at them from the parlor door. When the tiny newborns couldn't keep their eyes open anymore and were done feeding, the guys changed the diapers and headed back to bed to find their wives sound asleep, or at least they looked sound asleep. But both Andi and Macy realized they weren't alone with raising their children. This wouldn't be as hard as they first thought.

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Yi made sure that the twins were ready for school, lunches packed, homework complete, pencils sharp and ready. As Yi checked their backpacks, Heather zipped the twins' parkas up and led them out to the van and snapped them in their seats. As soon as they were locked in, Heather said, "Kiss!" and got a goodbye kiss from each of the girls. "Have a good day!"

"Bye gamma!"

Yi took the twins to school fully prepared for their first homework essay assignment, 'What I did during the Blizzard of November.' The assignment was sent at the height of the storm, asking for an essay on what they did to keep busy. They both wrote a 200-word essay describing, as only the twins can describe, what happened at their house during the Blizzard of November. Their mother and aunt in labor, their dad loading them in the snowmobile and riding off into the storm, and pictures of babies being sent back. Of watching Yi being dragged around by the snowblower, and playing in the snow with Wonka. Oh yes, and meeting their new brother.

They were also armed with plenty of pictures of Danny and Katarina to hand out to their classmates. "What if they don't like Danny?" Sandy asked Yi.

"Don't start a fight. They clearly don't like beautiful babies," said Yi.

"Ok," Sandy almost sounded like she was disappointed she couldn't beat up a classmate. Yi put Madeline's glasses on her, then took a pair of glasses with plain lenses for Sandy and put them on her.

"You ready?"

"Uh huh." The twins really liked school ever since they got moved up in grades equivalent to the second grade.

"Ok, don't lose your glasses." Yi gave them a kiss and led them to their classroom. Their lunch boxes were attached to the outside of their backpacks "just like camping" as the twins claim. As soon as they were close, they yelled and squealed and dashed off to the classroom.

"They're sweet, are they yours?" asked a woman that came up behind Yi.

"No, I'm their governess."

"They never mention a governess, but they talk nonstop about their big sister," said the woman as she headed into the classroom.

Big sister? The twins teased her when they found out her birthday was the day after theirs. Yi felt a warmth that the twins would think of her like that. She wanted to rush home and make her little sisters a sweet treat for when they get home, but first she had a stop to make.

"Hi pretty girl!" called Grandpa Archie as Yi entered the feed store. "How's my favorite Korean granddaughter?"

Yi gave Grandpa Archie and Grandma Lacy a kiss and asked, "Where's Kenny?"

"He's unloading a truck," said Archie. "Sit down, you look a bit worked up. Anything happen since we last saw you?"

"We had two babies born," said Yi as she sat down in a rocker by the warm parlor stove.

"Any of them yours?" asked Archie, and Grandma Lacy swatted him with her newspaper.

"I haven't had a chance to touch either one of them. Andi is teaching Macy all about mothering and John and Paul are there constantly trying to be the best dads they can be when John's not writing his next sermon or Paul's not in his office being boss."

"So the whole bunch of ya are in that big old house?"

"Andi's mom is there with us too. Her dad will come for Christmas."

"That's quite a bunch! You going to have room for Kenny up there?"

"Kenny?"

"You can't live here and watch those little girls," said Grandma Lacy as she filled in a word on her crossword puzzle.

"You got your whole life ahead of you," said Archie. "You can't dedicate your life to a job."

"The twins and Danny are not a job," said Yi. "They're my sisters and brother."

"I'm sure that if you went to Paul and Andi and said, 'Kenny and I are going to open a restaurant in London,' they'd wish you luck and buy your plane tickets," said Archie.

"I'm sure he would, but I don't want to do that, not right now anyhow," said Yi. "I'm needed, and it's nice to feel needed."

Lacy swatted Archie with her newspaper again and said, "let the kids be. They'll make up their own minds."

Yi got up and headed back to the room that Kenny was converting to a sporting goods section and found he did quite a job. It looked wonderful. There were racks of snowshoes, skis, and ski boots, both alpine and Nordic. There was ice fishing equipment and all kinds of hunting equipment, and outdoor clothing of all types.

"What can I get ya?" he asked from behind a counter.

"I want a turkey," said Yi.

"I think the B-Quik has Butterball turkeys, I'm not sure of the other brands. Bells IGA just up the road has smoked turkey legs on sale."

"No, I want a wild turkey for thanksgiving," said Yi. "I've been involved in every bit of food on my menu, I planted and harvested every vegetable that will be on the table, I'm even going to whip the cream for the pumpkin pie I am going to bake. I already made the pie filling from the twins pumpkins. The only thing I didn't grow is the cranberries, but I will make my own cranberry jelly."

"Doc has a big old sack of cranberry's in his root cellar," said Kenny. "We picked them. There's a few cranberry bushes back by the spring that feeds the pond. Besides, Doc always cooks Thanksgiving dinner."

"I still want to harvest a turkey."

"Harvest?" chuckled Kenny. "Harvest isn't exactly the word for hunting and killing a turkey. They're pretty tricky birds.."

"I don't care, I dispatched half a dozen chickens a couple of weeks ago, a turkey is just another bird."

"Ok, you need camouflage, a shot gun, ammo, a hunting license, and a place to shoot," said Kenny as he pulled out the paperwork for a hunting permit. "Autumn and winter shooting isn't very good, the critters are skittish. Spring is much better. This permit will be for the remainder of this autumn and next spring."

"Perfect," said Yi. "When are we going hunting?" she asked as she paid her license fee.

"Honey, you know that I would do anything for you, but the store is expanding so fast that I don't have any time for..." memories of Yi stomping off angrily filled his mind and he steeled himself for her reaction.

"I'm sorry, I should be more supportive," said Yi. They leaned across the counter and kissed, then she whispered, "it's been crazy for me too... but I'm gonna get that turkey!" She gave him one more kiss, then she headed out of the store. In shock, Kenny watched her small, round ass swing as she headed out.

"Damn," he whispered. Now Kenny knew the precise feeling that's summed up in the expression "dodged a bullet."

Yi drove to Paul's cabin to check on the chickens and parked in the road because the driveway was still covered with snow. She clipped on her snowshoes and trooped over the snow and made her way to the barn. She went inside the barn, but this time she hit more than one light switch when she entered the side of the barn. There was the orange Kubota sitting in readiness, but it had the backhoe attached to it, along with the dump scoop up front. It was tempting to try, but Paul would freak if she broke it. In another bay was Paul's antique Ford 8N with a drag plow. She could drive the 8N, but there was too much snow out there for a drag plow.

Then she saw the John Deere, the baby Deere. It still had the snow blower attachment on the front. Here was a snow blower that wouldn't drag her around and make the twins giggle! And the baby Deere had a full tank of gas. She turned the key, and it started right up with a little bit of choke applied, then she shoved the barn door open and sat on the seat of the Baby Deere and studied its controls. This should be simple. She pushed down on the hydrostatic transmission pedal and the tractor surged forward, but it bogged down and stopped when it hit the snow.

Yi pondered this for a few moments as the yacht mechanic in her brain went to work. She backed up the tractor, turned the crank so the chute was aimed forward and a bit to her right, then pushed the lever that adjusted the lawnmower height. It lowered the snow auger. She pulled the lever that engaged the lawn mower and the snow auger roared to life. "YEEEE HAWWW!" she screamed and tromped down on the transmission peddle and the baby Deere tore into the snow.

She had figured out the zero turn lawn mower back at the house in a matter of moments. This was fractionally as complex to get started and running. The baby Deere gnawed away at the snow and ice, and she quickly had the area in front of the three cabins cleared and the larger area around the barn cleared. After that, she tore into the driveway. The first pass down the center was slow going, the auger clogged with the heavy wet snow quickly and twice she had to stop and clear it with an ice chipper. She made the full run and turned around and went back to it, and made a total of four passes to clear the driveway.

She returned the John Deere to the barn, then went upstairs to check the chickens. They were low on food and water, but not out. She cleaned up their roosts, collected a lot of eggs, and refilled the food and water, then cleaned out the straw and changed it, and carried her heavy basket down to her truck.

Ten minutes later, she was at Brad Clemmons' hog farm. "Need some eggs?"

"Did you bring pictures of the babies?" asked Brad's wife, Dianna. Yi opened her phone and showed Brad and Dianna the new babies and the overjoyed parents. "They're so darling! I can see their fathers in both of them. They must be so proud... oh and the twins!" Dianna flipped to a carefully posed picture of Sandy and Madeline holding Daniel and Katarina.

"The twins are crazy about them," said Yi. "The babies have to have a kiss before the twins head off to school."

"School? How are the twins liking school?" asked Brad.

"They're loving school now that they're in Zoar Academy."

"I knew it!" laughed Brad. "I knew there was no kindergarten that could hold them! What grade do they have them in?"

"Zoar doesn't strictly do grades, but they're doing second grade equivalent work. Their math skills are beyond that, but they need to get acclimated to school."

"And the glasses?" asked Diana.

"Madeline needs the glasses," said Yi. "Sandy wears a pair of matching frames with fake lenses because they're twins."

"Their glasses don't match, one is purple, and one is pink," said Brad.

"They both have a set of purple and a set of pink, but they wear the different colors so their little brother can tell them apart." Yi shrugged and added, "it makes sense to them."

"We can't wait to see them at church. Say hi to everybody for us," said Diana.

Yi departed with a dozen two inch thick pork chops and headed over to Gerry and Irma's dairy farm which was on what Andi called "The Happy Corner." It was where Paul rescued Andi and the twins.

"Hi, we need extra milk," said Yi as she handed Irma a dozen eggs, a pair of pork chops, and a couple of empty milk bottles.

"I suppose those tots get thirsty playing in the snow," said Gerry with his usual laugh.

"They're too busy being big sisters," said Yi as she handed Irma her phone.

"Oh my goodness!" gasped Irma.

"I could see it in their eyes that Sunday morning when we dug her out," said Gerry with a loud belly laugh. "I knew it would lead to this!"

"How sweet! Paw, get those folks some protein, said Irma as she gushed and cooed over the pictures. "What are their names?"

"They're named for their grandparents. He's Daniel Cyryl, and she's Katarina Romée."

"I miss Katarina and Cecil, we'd sit by the campfire with them after Paul built his cabin and they spent the nights," said Gerry wistfully. It was the first time that Yi had ever not seen Gerry laughing about anything.

"We never met Daniel or Romée," said Irma as they looked at pictures of the twins snuggling in a bed with the babies.

"Andi's father Daniel died in Iraq when she was young," said Yi. "I just found out that Macy was an orphan. She ran away from her uncle and Romée was the person who took her in and made her a fashion model."

"They are beautiful babies," sighed Irma. "They must be happy."

"Overjoyed," said Yi as Gerry handed her several frozen steaks and a huge roast that Yi immediately started making plans for.

As he handed Yi the meat, Gerry said, "Do you have anything against veal?"

"Veal is my favorite beef!" gushed Yi. Ten minutes later, she was loading the frozen meat into her truck, then saying thank you to the couple, she headed back to Paul and Andi's cabins to load much of that meat into the chest freezer. After locking up the cabin and barn, she pulled out of the driveway and was getting ready to lock up the gate when she noticed Josh was at his cabin across the road. She walked over with a question on her mind.

"How ya doin' Miss Yi?" asked Josh as he unloaded a cooler from his truck.

"I was wondering if you hunted turkeys."

"Me? Nah. I should though. The damn things are all over my property. They're thick as mosquitos in a South Georgia swamp and they're tearing everything up. They really tore into your garden this year."

"Really?" asked Yi. "I thought that was deer."

"Nah, deer nibble, they don't rip stuff up. I'm surprised Paul didn't deal with it."

"We were kind of occupied this year," said Yi. "Could I hunt turkey on your land?"

Josh looked Yi up and down. Even in a warm parka, she looked slim and tiny. "Have you ever held a shotgun in your life?"

"I shoot rifle quite often. My dad has an M1, and we shoot floating targets in the ocean off his boat."