“We’ve got tape dude.” Josh was only too happy to fill him in on that score.
Just then we heard sirens blaring as two cruisers raced by outside. “That’s not a sound you hear everyday in Sea Crest.” I put it out of my mind, I’m sure if it was anything exciting Michael would tell us about it at dinner. Since Carrie had the baby three years ago he’s been a regular at the dinner table. I guess since he missed out on his daughter’s upbringing he was trying to make up for it with his granddaughter. Not to be outdone Stan was usually right there beside him and mom was finally getting the full house she’d always wanted.
Simone had gone back home because of her job and she had a life there but she came up as often as possible and whenever I had the time I took my girls down to see her; then there was FaceTime almost every night. I’m not gonna mention Carrie’s mom because quite frankly she’s not part of our family and we never do.
I watched my little girl as she ate her ice cream and unlike most dads I’m sure, I was secretly hoping she’d spill something. It’s the strangest damn thing, but the kid doesn’t spill. After five minutes of watching the careful way both girls ate their treats without spilling a drop I turned to my brother. “They’re like Stepford wives in training bro.”
“Let’s hope this next batch is boys, between the stress of worrying about their safety until they’re fifty and dealing with their near perfect personalities I’m about to lose my sh…” he cut himself off when four little eyes snapped in his direction. We’ve tried researching the phenomena but all I can come up with so far is that children today are more advanced than their peers. I know for a fact that Kadyn and Carrie didn’t take any kind of medication while they were pregnant, so we were kinda hard pressed as to why our girls were the way they are.
The spook factor was a bit worrisome and no matter how much their mothers claimed we were over reacting there was just no way it was normal for two three year olds to hold adult conversations and ask the questions these two did. Josh had come up with the idea of a video diary, which was now up to hundreds of hours.
Our phones buzzed on the table twenty minutes later. I checked mine with a frown because the message on the screen didn’t make any sense. “What’s yours say?”
“Come and get your wife.” Mine did too.
“It’s from Michael what could he mean…oh crap the sirens. Come on girls we have to go.” There were no tears of no, we want to finish, nothing. They just wiped their little mouths and placed the napkins neatly beside the bowls of half eaten ice cream that would’ve taken any other kid in the universe five minutes to destroy.
“Ready daddy.”
“Ready daddy.”
Four little arms lifted up for us to take them. I don’t know about Joshua but every time my little girl looks up at me like that, so trusting, and with all that love shining in her eyes for me, I melt a little more inside. I smelt her little neck as I lifted her from her seat and sat her on my hip. We dropped some money on the table for a tip and said a hasty goodbye as we headed out to go see what our women were up to.
The last time we’d got a call like this had been well before the girls were born and Kadyn and Carrie had been caught drag racing. Since then things had been pretty quiet, motherhood seemed to calm them down so who knew what they’d been up to this time. They were both big as whales so I’m pretty sure that they weren’t getting behind the wheel to do something stupid. This second pregnancy had convinced me that they’d planned the first. How else could you explain two women coming up pregnant close together twice? They weren’t talking but we’d made up our minds that that’s exactly what was going on.
Down at the station we heard the raised voices as soon as we walked in. Michael was sitting on his desk with one leg swinging and his head in his hand. Kadyn, Carrie and Nessa had two of his deputies pretty much cornered and were reading them the riot act.
“Can we join the party, what’s going on here?”
“Your wives have been arrested for assault and disturbing the peace.” That was a new one.
“Who did they assault?”
The two of them turned to us when they heard us but you wouldn’t think they were in any trouble with the way they were acting. They smiled at the girls who wanted down from our arms to go with their moms. Nessa looked like a thundercloud and was still busy arguing with one of the deputies who was trying his best to disappear into the wall.
“It was that idiot Dan.”
“Did he put his hands on you?” I’d seen that asshole around town a time or two but had never had anything to say to him since the day I’d stomped his ass. If he’d done anything to my wife there was a pretty good bet that I’ll be the next one in cuffs.
“He didn’t do anything to them as far as I can tell, they on the other hand beat the living sh…mess out of him.” The three of them started talking all at once until Josh whistled loud enough to raise the dead and the place got quiet again.
“You, talk.” I pointed at Kadyn who was looking mutinous; her ass can get up to a whole heap of shit, especially when she’s with her sisters.
“He was thumping on this poor girl right there in the mall like it was nothing and no one was doing anything so we did.” I looked at her seven-month pregnant tummy and took a deep breath.
“What exactly did you do?”
“The three of them jumped him and then sat on him until my guys showed up.”
Just then Andrew walked in looking like a slickster in his Armani suit and loafers.
“Okay what are my clients charged with?”
“What’re you doing here douche?” he was one of the lawyers on our payroll and the little shit was damn good at his job, but this was the first I’d heard of him representing our wives as counsel.
“The girls called.”
“They’re not charged with anything yet. I’m pretty sure Dan doesn’t want the whole world to know that he’s been taken down by a bunch of girls, but I’m still contemplating charging them with causing a ruckus in my town.”
“Come on dad don’t be a heel, that guy had it coming.” They started talking over each other again and all I could do was stand there and pray for patience.
“Can you all get them out of here? they’re giving me a headache.”
“Thanks dad.” Carrie gave her father a kiss on the cheek and then the babies had to follow suit before we were heading for the door again. “See you tonight for dinner.”
“Yeah get out of here, Joshua, Matthew can you please keep a leash on your women?”
Shit, why did he have to go and say that? That only started the yelling and screaming again and in the end I had to drag my wife out of there.
The douche took Nessa to his car and Josh and Carrie went to the car the girls had been using which left me and Kadyn with the one we’d come in. I strapped her in after seating the baby in her seat in the back. “Aren’t you going to lecture me?” she looked back at Amara and smiled before turning back to me in the driver’s seat.
“What would be the point? you’re just gonna do what you want anyway.” It’s true there was no point in arguing with her, in the last few years her strength and confidence has grown to the point where she didn’t show any fear. The girl I’d met was long gone and in her place was a self-assured woman full of fire. I took her hand in mine and kissed her fingers.
“Are you happy with yourself?”
“Yep, he had it coming, now he’s going to face charges for hitting that poor girl. Maybe we can help her Matthew, I think she wants to leave him but she’s afraid to.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
THE END