Siblings by K. J. Janssen Read Free Book Online

right now.”
    Wil and Richard looked at each other, both with a “no-love-lost” glare, but nodded their heads in acquiescence.
    “All right then, and I don’t want any innuendos or double entendres. I want you two to be civil with each other, if for no other reason, then for your mother’s sake.”
    Once again, Wil and Richard nodded their heads in agreement.
    “Now shake hands and let’s watch some football until we’re called for dessert.”
    They shook hands somewhat reluctantly and took seats on opposite ends of the wicker couch in front of the TV. Ron sat in a side chair, satisfied that, at least for now, there was a truce between the two. If only it holds for a few more hours. I hope Lynn is helping Theresa understand our family. She seems like a gal with a good head on her shoulders. I think Richard made a good choice. He looked over at his sons. They seemed to be engrossed in the game. From their cheers, he observed that they were rooting for the same team; that was rare. There may be hope for them yet.
    As he watched them, his thoughts went back to the summer that Wilson fell out of the cherry tree in the backyard. Richard was ten years old and Wilson had just turned nine. Richard dared Wilson to climb out onto a large branch that extended out almost thirty feet away from the tree and about fifteen feet from the ground. It had rained the night before and the bark was very slippery. Wilson shimmied out about ten feet on the branch before hitting an especially slippery spot. He lost his grip on the branch and fell to the ground, his fall partially broken by an inflated pool. Richard ran over to his brother. Wilson was knocked unconscious by the fall and his brother thought he was dead. He broke into tears and screamed for his father. Ron made a quick diagnosis and determined that Wilson had broken his left collarbone and left wrist. By now Lynn was at his side. “Call for an ambulance right away. He has at least two broken bones and a possible concussion.” Throughout all this, Richard continued to cry convulsively, not realizing Wilson was alive.
    Ron grabbed him by the shoulders. “Get a hold of yourself, boy. Wil only has a few broken bones. He’s going to be all right.”
    “But it was my fault, Daddy. I dared him to climb out there.”
    “That doesn’t surprise me. I warned both of you to stay out of that tree; the bark is very slippery. If the pool hadn’t broken his fall, he could have died. What does it take to get you two to understand that I give you warnings for your own good, not to keep you from having fun? I’m very disappointed in you, Richard.”
     
    ***
     
    Ron’s reverie was interrupted by a call from the dining room.
    “ Dessert’s ready,” Marilyn called.
    The guys got up immediately and headed for the dining room, but not before Ron reminded them to be on their best behavior. They took the same seats as before.
    “We have apple, cherry, and minced meat pies, and Apple Brown Betty with a lemon sauce. Help yourself.”
    The men all had pies and the women chose the Brown Betty. After the second helpings were served, Richard and Wilson took their plates, excused themselves, and returned to the porch for the end of the game.
    Ron followed, but not before he thanked his wife. “Everything was delicious, Lynn.”
     
    ***
     
    After the table was cleaned off, Maggie went out to the porch. The game was almost over. She went over to Wilson. “Wil, how about taking a walk with me?”
    “Sure, Sis, let me get my jacket.” He went inside and returned minutes later. “Where to?”
    “Oh, let’s walk down by the park. It’s such a beautiful day for a walk. By the way, you handled yourself very well earlier. I will never understand why Richard always tries to bully you.”
    “Thanks, Sis.” He grinned. “I guess my time in the slammer taught me to control my emotions. There were always guys trying to provoke fights. You had to be on your guard at all times.”
    “That must