The Quarterback and the Chef

Chapter 11

"Um … Brian, when are we going to talk to Bree?"

"How the fuck should I know?"

"It's Sunday afternoon. We have to give Mr. Johnson our decision tomorrow."

"I know."

"So, shouldn't we discuss it with Bree?"

"What the fuck is a four year old going to know about gifted classes? I don't want her getting a swelled head … more than she already has."

"This isn't about her getting a swelled head, Brian. It's about her continuing to learn. It's about her getting bored at school, and starting to hate it. I don't want that to happen."

"I don't either, but I'm not sure a gifted class is the way to go."

"We should still talk to her about it. We don't have to call it a gifted class. Maybe we can find out how she would feel about doing more challenging stuff."

Brian sighed. "Okay, call her in here."

Justin got up and went to the door of the sun porch. Bree, Beau and Patrick were racing around the yard chasing a soccer ball. Bree was able to control the ball pretty well, even against Beau who would bat it with his nose. Two white birch trees close together at the back of the lawn seemed to be the goal. As Justin opened the door, Bree kicked the ball between the two trees. She let out a whoop of triumph. Patrick and Beau stood and watched dejectedly as Bree took a victory lap around them, just like she had seen the soccer players do on TV when Brian was watching a match.

"Bree, Dada and I need to talk to you. Come inside," Justin said.

Bree stopped her celebration and looked over at her father. She had known something was going on all weekend, ever since her fathers had picked her up from school on Friday. She wondered if she was in trouble. They had been so quiet all the way home. She had heard Mrs. Black say that the principal wanted to talk to them. Then she had to wait in the classroom, even after Ashley and all the other children went home. At least Patrick was there with her, but he didn't want to play in the kitchen. She had finally given up and sat on the floor with Patrick till her fathers came back. Nobody told her what had happened. She was pretty sure she was in big trouble, only she couldn't figure out what she had done. She did her best at school not to say anything about what Mrs. Black taught the class, even though she knew how to do it all already. With a sigh she ran over to her father.

"Yes, Daddy?" she asked.

"Dada and I need to talk to you about something," Justin said.

"'Kay, Daddy."

She followed her father inside the sun porch. She glanced back at Patrick who shrugged and shook his head. She had told him she was worried that she had done something wrong. It looked like she was right. She wondered what her punishment would be.

"Come here, Squirt," Brian said as he lifted her onto his lap.

"Love you, Dada," she said as she kissed his cheek. It never hurt to use a little loving in this type of situation.

Brian smiled. He knew Bree's tactics. "Do you think you're in trouble?"

Bree nodded. "The pincipal wanted to talk to you."

"Did you do something bad?"

Bree frowned. She couldn't think of anything bad she had done. She shook her head. "I gave Tommy some of my pink paint," she said solemnly. "And then he ate it." She giggled. "I told him not to do it, but he did. Mrs. Black was mad." She wasn't sure why it was her fault that Tommy had eaten paint, but that was the only thing she could think of.

Justin winced at the memory of Bree eating paint in New York City. She probably didn't even remember that horrible incident, but he certainly did. "Did you try to stop him?" Justin asked.

Bree nodded. "I tell him not to do it, but he didn't listen. Then I got Mrs. Black. She was mad."

"At you?" Justin asked. He didn't think Bree had done anything wrong. She had been trying to help Tommy, and she had shared her paint with him.

"No, at Tommy," Bree said thoughtfully. "I in trouble?" she asked batting her eyelashes and looking down at the floor.

"You're not in trouble, Squirt," Brian said kissing her cheek.

"But…" She didn't know what the principal had wanted, but it must be something bad. None of the other kids' mommies had to go see the principal, except Tommy's after he ate the paint.

Brian decided it was time to get to the point. "You know that Mr. Johnson, the principal, wanted to talk to us last Friday?" Bree nodded. Now she was going to find out what she had done wrong. "He thinks you might be better off going into a different class at school."

Bree stared into Brian's eyes. The tears started to well up. "I sorry, Dada. I won't let Tommy eat paint anymore. I don't want to go to a different class."

"You like your class?" Justin asked.

Bree nodded. "I like Ashley, and Tommy's okay, most of the time."

"Do you ever feel bored in your class?" Brian asked.

Bree's brow wrinkled. "Bored?" she repeated.

"You know, like you can already do all the work and you're wasting your time?"

Bree thought about that. She felt that way all the time, but she wasn't sure she should admit it. They were going to send her away if she did. "Sometimes," she said slowly. It was really all the time.

"Would you like to be in a class where you could do more advanced work? Where you could learn to read and write and paint?" Justin asked.

Bree nodded enthusiastically. Then she could learn all the things that Patrick knew already. She could catch up to him.

"The principal suggested that you might like to be in a class like that," Brian stated. "Would you?"

"Yes, Dada."

"Are you sure?"

"Can Ashley come with me?" Bree asked.

"I … I don't think Ashley will be able to go with you," Brian said gently.

"Then I don't want to go." She was most emphatic.

"But there will be other children," Justin offered. "You'll make new friends."

"Don't want new friends, want Ashley."

"You could still see Ashley at recess," Brian promised.

"No," Bree replied. "Stay with Ashley."

"Okay," Brian said. "Go play with Patrick and Beau."

Bree scooted down off his lap and ran outside.

"That accomplished fucking nothing," Brian stated. "That's exactly what I thought would happen."

"The principal told us to talk to her about it. We did. I guess we say 'no' to the special class," Justin sighed.

"I guess so," Brian agreed. In spite of his misgivings, he did think that Bree would probably be better off in the gifted class. He remembered all the trouble he got into because he was brighter than the other kids and had too much time to think up interesting, and often dangerous things to do with his time.

"Then it's decided," Justin said. "We say no."

"I guess," Brian sighed.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Emmett called from the sun porch door. He let himself in. Drew followed behind him.

"Stay away from me, Honeycutt," Brian said holding his fingers up in the sign of the cross to ward off the evil of Emmett's kisses.

"Oh poo, I'm not going to kiss you," Emmett laughed. "In fact, I came to apologize for getting so carried away. I really did appreciate what you said to Seth Harris about me." Emmett stopped talking and stood waiting to be forgiven for his outburst a couple of days earlier. He waited and then he waited some more. Neither Justin nor Brian said anything. They were staring off into space with worried frowns on their handsome brows.

"What's wrong with them?" Drew whispered into Emmett's ear.

Emmett shrugged. "I don't know. Helloo!" he called.

"Are you still here?" Brian asked annoyed.

"What's the matter with you two?" Emmett asked.

"Did something happen?" Drew inquired.

"It's Bree," Justin said wearily. "They want to put her in a special class."

"But she's the smartest kid I've ever seen," Emmett said.

"Thanks for that, Honeycutt, but it's not that kind of class," Brian replied with a weary sigh.

"They don't think she's having problems. They know she's bright, and they want to put her in a gifted class," Justin explained.

"Oh, that's great," Emmett reacted. "So why are you so bummed?"

"She doesn't want to leave her friends," Justin said. "She's started to get settled into her class. We don't want to disrupt her already. She'll miss her friends."

"So, she stays where she is," Drew supplied in his usual practical fashion.

"Looks that way," Brian admitted.

"I don't see what the big problem is," Drew said.

"I do," Emmett replied. "I would have given my eyeteeth to be able to go into a gifted program."

"You were that bright?" Drew asked.

"Are you doubting me?" Emmett asked, glaring at his partner.

"No, never, I know how smart you are. You just never mentioned this before."

"I had the chance to go into a gifted program when I was in third grade. They wanted to send me to a special school, but I would have had to travel to Biloxi for it, and my parents didn't have the money or the wherewithal to get me there. So, I stayed where I was. I couldn't go." They all could see the sadness in Emmett's eyes as he remembered his parents telling the principal that he wouldn't be able to attend the special program. Not long after that he had started to be taunted, and he learned to hate school.

"Well, unlike you, Bree doesn't want to go into the special class," Justin said. "It would be right in her own school."

"Maybe I could talk to her," Emmett volunteered.

Brian squinted up at Emmett, his eyes contracted as he studied the man. He wondered what Emmett could say that they hadn't already said to Bree.

"Do you think you could convince her?" Justin asked.

"It's worth a try, isn't it?" Emmett asked.

"You treat her kindly," Brian warned. "I don't want her crying."

"I love her almost as much as you do, you big oaf," Emmett stated.

"I doubt that."

"Hrumpf," Emmett said as he headed out the sun porch door to find Bree.

They all watched as Emmett squatted down beside the little girl and talked to her seriously. She nodded after a minute. Emmett took her hand and they started walking down the path to the stream.

"Maybe I should go with them," Brian said. "In case she cries."

"She won't cry, Brian," Drew said. "Emmett's very good with children. Bree loves her Auntie Emm."

"Yes she does," Justin agreed, his face lighting up with a smile. "Let's make a pot of coffee while we wait for them to come back."

"So, Bree, you're in school now," Emmett said as they walked along the path to the stream.

"Yes," Bree said cautiously. She had a feeling that this walk with her Auntie Emm had more to it than a simple trip to the stream.

"How's it going?"

"Okay."

"Have you made any friends?"

"Yes, Ashley and Tommy," Bree replied, brightening up at the talk of friends.

"I had one good friend when I was in school."

"Who that?"

"Chad."

Bree frowned. "Is he still your friend?"

"'Fraid not. He's still in Mississippi, I think."

"Do you miss him?"

"I did for a while."

"Not anymore?" Bree asked looking up into her Auntie Emm's eyes.

"Not any more. I made new friends, like your dads and Michael and Teddy."

"Good friends?"

"Yeah."

"Like Ashley."

"Exactly, but there are always more friends out there to be made."

"There are?" Bree asked, although she already knew the answer. She was beginning to see where this conversation was going.

"It doesn't mean that you can't keep the old friends too."

"But you not friends with Chad anymore, are you?"

"Unfortunately not, but he's a long way away from here. Ashley will still be in your school. You can see her every day. You could ask your fathers if you could invite her over here for a play date on the weekends or after school."

"I could?"

"Sure. I bet they'd be happy to go pick her up for you."

Emmett lifted Bree up and sat her on the big rock. That way they were closer to eye to eye.

"Auntie Emm, you think I should go into the special class, don't you?"

"Yes, sweetie, I do."

"Why?"

"When I was a little older than you, I had the chance to go to a special class like yours. My parents couldn't afford to send me. I always regretted not being able to go."

"Would you have to leave Chad behind?"

"I would have," Emmett said thoughtfully staring into the stream. "But I never got to go. Then Chad moved away a couple of years later. His family went to Biloxi where his father got a job. I never saw him after that."

"I sorry, Auntie Emm," Bree said reaching out to give Emmett a hug.

"Thanks for the hug, sweetie, but it's okay. Chad and I were never destined to be lifelong friends."

"Me and Ashley will be friends forever."

"If that's true then you don't need to worry about going into the other class. You and Ashley will still find ways to stay friends."

Bree clung to Emmett's neck, but the wheels were turning in her head. "If I go to the new class, will Daddy and Dada be mad that I said no before?"

"I think your fathers will be very happy that you made this decision. I don't think they will be mad at all."

"Down, Auntie Emm," Bree said making a decision. "Will you help me tell them?"

"Of course I will." Emmett took Bree's hand and they started back up the path to the house.

"Here they come," Drew said as he sipped his coffee.

"I wonder what happened," Justin said. He hoped Emmett had somehow been able to convince Bree to go to the special class, but he also knew how stubborn Bree could be.

Brian watched his daughter and Emmett approach the house. There was no sign of tears. That was a good thing. "How was your walk?" he asked as Emmett opened the door and they entered the sun porch.

"Good," Emmett said. He gave Bree a gentle push forward. "Tell your fathers what you decided, Bree."

"I go to the new class," Bree said. That was greeted with smiles from all involved. "If I don't like it," Bree added, "can I go back to the class with Ashley?"

Emmett was taken aback. They hadn't discussed that possibility at all. Bree had certainly learned some of Brian's negotiating techniques.

"I guess that would be possible," Justin replied.

"Then I go," Bree said. She suddenly felt very relieved that she had made that decision. "Daddy, can I have a not healthy snack?"

"How about a big oatmeal cookie?" Justin said.

"Yum," she replied, as she followed her father into the kitchen to get her treat.

"How the fuck did you do that, Honeycutt?" Brian asked.

"Surely you don't expect me to reveal all my secrets."

Brian raised an eyebrow. "Well, whatever you did, I owe you one."

"No you don't. That's my thank you for the Seth Harris thingy."

"Okaaay," Brian replied. "Better than another big smooch."

"Oh poo, 'fess up. You enjoyed it!"

Brian couldn't help but grin as he went into the kitchen to get more coffee.

"You done good, Emmett," Drew said as he kissed his partner.

"Yeah, I did, didn't I?" Emmett said breezily, as he followed Brian to get some of that coffee and an oatmeal cookie for himself.