Chapter 19 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
Evelyn passed on the info that Bethany would like a massage. "Hey, I'm a really good masseur," said Cody. "Why didn't I think of that?"
"Because you're a doofus," his sister told him.
While he was giving Bethany a fertility massage (most likely to induce a flirty mood), she told him that today was Talk Like a Pirate Day. "I used to love playing on the pirate ship," she said. "Too bad they don't have one for grown-ups."
"Wait right there," said Cody.
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He quickly changed into his pirate outfit. "Arrgh, it looks like a fair maiden landlubber has stowed away upon my ship. What shall I do with her?"
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This time Cody's passionate kiss...
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...followed by the proposal worked its charm.
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"Alack and alas," murmured Bethany with a giggle, "I'm being carried off to a pirate ship to be ravished!"
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It wasn't a pirate ship, but there were fireworks, which was pretty cool. As soon as they got home, Cody and Bethany tried for a new pirate.
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Cody moved in with Bethany and her parents. A little while later -- "Durn pirates," Bethany grumbled as she waddled into the kitchen. "I should have known better than to trust one."
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And later still -- "Maybe the fertility massage wasn't such a good idea," Cody muttered. But when he held George and then Johan, he realized that he'd finally found something he was really committed to. "I'll always be there for you," he whispered to each of them. "And for your mother, too."
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One rainy afternoon Bethany confided her fears to her mother. "They're so tiny," she said. "What if I drop one?"
"You won't," said Jodi. "Babies are easy. All you have to do is feed them, change their diapers, and cuddle them as much as possible. Now toddlers...they can be a handful."
"I could never scold a toddler," said Bethany. "They're so adorable, and they don't mean to be trouble."
"That's why you have to scold them," said her mother, "so they learn to behave."
"Well, I don't think I can do it," said Bethany.
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It wasn't long before George (in red) and Johan (in gold) grew out of their bassinets.
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And Bethany discovered that she could scold a toddler, after all. "George Kent Mullner, throwing food on the floor is absolutely not acceptable in this house," she shouted.
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She was not happy when she discovered that Cody had taken Johan out to play in the kiddie pool. "Why can't I be the fun parent?" she cried.
George needed a bath, Johan was hungry, and both of them were getting tired.
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"I've got an idea," said Cody. "Why don't you and I go out to eat and let the people with experience take over?"
They went to the Diving Pelican and watched the summer rain from its roofed-over patio.
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The storm intensified while they were eating, and they returned home to find Kent comforting George, who was frightened by the thunder.
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After the twins were put to bed, Kent challenged Cody to a mudfight. "You're on, landlubber!" he said, changing into his pirate outfit.
When he slipped and fell in the mud, Kent just laughed. "It's not Talk Like a Pirate Day anymore," he said. "But don't worry -- it's raining hard enough that all the mud should wash right off your suit."
The next day, to thank Jodi for looking after the little ones while he and Bethany went out, Cody took her over to the spa for some pampering.
"I think I'll start with the sauna," she said. "I'm so tired, I just want to become one with the steam."
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Which is what she did.
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So many people gathered around when she died, that there was hardly room for Grim to enter the sauna, but he did.
Obituary for Jodi MarshOne of the unsung heroes of the Gotoros War, Jodi Marsh kept the home fires burning while her husband Kent was off fighting. She raised two fine sons, Sam and Vincent, and then had a darling baby girl, Bethany, when Kent returned home. A long-time member of The Little Church on the Corner, Jodi is survived by her husband Kent, children Sam, Vincent, and Bethany, grandchildren Raina, Paul, George, and Johan, and great-grandchildren Phillip and Peter.
"They say that all good things must end some day.
Autumn leaves must fall.
But don't you know, that it hurts me so
to say good-bye to you-oo.
Wish you didn't have to go,
no, no, no, no.
And when the rain
beats against my windowpane,
I'll think of summer days again
and dream of you."**
A Summer Song, by Chad and Jeremy
Cody's story continues in
Chapter 29
