Marco! Polo!

"Sold to the young man in the red shirt, ten thousand dollars," the auctioneer said, then moved on to the next property.

David, DJ, Andy Cormier, and Michael Strickler descended on 1210 Brown Street. The three Cormier men and one Strickler man soon saw that John, through his work, had knowledge and skills and learned to follow his instructions.

"God damn but my kid sure did fuck up when she run off with that English fruit loop," Michael said as the men sat on the dilapidated back deck, enjoying their lunch of ham and cheese sandwiches and ice cold Gratchley's Beers.

"Yeah, well..." John said, not wanting to admit that he still missed April, still missed her warm body next to his in the small bed they had shared. He still missed the smell of her floral shampoo in his nostrils, the smell of her sugar --free peppermints. He still missed the 'um-um-um' sounds she made when she was in a deep sleep.

"Daddy-Daddy-Daddy, when my room going be ready?" Annalise yelled, preceding Grams onto the back deck.

"Uh huh, uh huh, y'all supposed be working and all y'all doing is sitting around drinking beer?" Lisa teased, stepping onto the deck.

"One hundred and sixty eight hours," John told his daughter.

"One hundred...Daddy! That, that's forever!" Annalise cried out.

"Um, oh, okay, how about ten thousand and eighty minutes," John countered.

"Daddy, that's even longer!" Annalise whined.

"Um, six hundred four thousand and eight hundred seconds?" John countered.

"Daddy!" Annalise stomped her foot in irritation. "That's too much!"

"Sweetheart, it's one week," David said, smiling. "Which means next Saturday? You going be in your new big girl room."

"Gramps you not fibbing, huh?" Annalise demanded.

"Oh, she's got your number," Lisa laughed, playfully messing David's hair.

Cautioning her against touching any of the walls; they were still wet, John took Annalise to see her new room. She was delighted they were paining the walls in the pearl pink color she'd picked out on her very own. The sandy beige carpet would go perfect with the pink walls and honey blonde wood trim.

"Yeah, too bad there won't be no room for a bed," DJ teased. "You'll just have to sleep on the floor."

"Uncle DJ, you not funny," Annalise declared and stood in the middle of her room. "My bed going be right here and you can't come in here neither."

Nina and Owen and Lisa Sanborne introduced themselves; they lived across the street and two houses down. Owen was a large man, six feet three inches and nearly three hundred pounds. Lisa Sanborne, his wife was petite, with long blonde hair and wide, happy smile. Nina was fourteen years old and was already an experienced baby sitter.

"Nina, my mom's name is Lisa too," John smiled at the portly young blonde and she giggled.

"Who's Lisa too?" Lisa asked, coming into the living room from her task of cleaning the hall bathroom.

"Mom, this is Nina," John did the introductions. "And her parents, Owen and Lisa Sanborne. Nina was just telling me she's a top-notch baby sitter."

Nina's hot blush obscured her heavy pimples. Owen and Lisa smiled widely as Annalise was introduced to the teenager and to the teenager's parents.

"How late you get to stay up?" Annalise demanded of the fourteen year old woman.

"Nine thirty," Nina said and Annalise's eyes went wide.

"Daddy-daddy-daddy," Annalise started.

"No, no, and no," John said. "Now, when you all grown up like Miss Nina? Then maybe."

Lisa, Owen, and Nina looked around the house. They nodded with approval when they saw that John had torn out the hideous maroon carpeting that used to disgrace the living room and hallway.

"Actually, think Stacy, that was the woman that lived here before, think she called it magenta," Lisa said.

"She called it magenta, we called it ugly," Owen countered.

"Annalise, your room is beautiful," Nina said.

"I picked out that color," Annalise bragged.

Nina was indeed an excellent baby sitter. John did use her a few nights a month, mostly when he had work functions to attend. Upon arriving home, he would find Annalise sound asleep in bed and Nina at the kitchen table doing her homework. John would pay her, then text Owen that he was sending Nina home. John would stand in his doorway, watching the chunky blonde girl walk to the edge of his driveway and look both ways before crossing the street. Then, John would wave in greeting to Owen, who would be outside, watching his baby girl approaching his home. Owen would return John's greeting and hug his baby girl when she reached their front door.

"Why y'all do that?" Nina complained one time to Mr. John. "I'm fourteen, you know."

"Because, there are all kind of sick people out there," John said, placing a fatherly hand on Nina's wide shoulder. "And all it takes is for one of them sick bastards to see a gorgeous little blonde out on the street all by herself...I don't even want to think about it."

"He thinks I'm gorgeous!" Nina whispered to her mother.

"Uh? Of course he does," Lisa smiled, wiping her nose with a wadded up tissue. "Uh? Because you are."

"Momma, no I ain't," Nina protested. "I'm all kind of fat and got all these zits and..."

"And a beautiful smile and those eyes, those are my eyes; that's how I got your Daddy," Lisa smiled tiredly. "All it took was for me to look his way and..."

When Owen and Lisa finally told Nina the truth, why Lisa Sanborne was always tired, Mr. John was the adult Nina ran to for comfort. John held the heartbroken girl, rocking her and crooning soothing noises.

"Its taco night tonight; you staying?" John asked, discretely texting Owen about Nina's whereabouts.

"Daddy-daddy-daddy makes the best tacos in the whole wide world," Annalise declared.

"Huh uh, my Mom...my Mom..." Nina playfully argued, then lost the smile.

It was a gloomy day in October when Lisa June Sanborne lost her battle against the horrible liver cancer. John took Annalise out of school for the funeral and Owen was grateful that Annalise provided some distraction for Nina. Owen also appreciated the fact that John was unembarrassed to give the neighbor and friend a genuine hug of condolence.

=-=-=

"Daddy-daddy-daddy, we back!" Annalise's voice cut into John's memories again.

"Kitchen," John called out. "Just finishing up the potato salad."

"Anything I can do...John?" Nina asked, coming into the kitchen.

John had not noticed earlier, but Nina's top emphasized her large chest. Her 32D breasts were threatening to spill out of the scoop neckline of her blouse and the cleavage on display was magnificent.

"It was so cold in there! I 'bout froze to death!" Annalise complained.

John looked at Nina's chest again and wondered if her nipples had threatened to rip through her top while they sat in the chilled air of the theater. She leaned over and looked at his bubbling baked beans, then at the large bowl of potato salad.

"That's why you didn't notice," John thought, looking at Nina's delightful backside stretching her jeans as she bent over.

April had possessed 29C breasts, which had been very nice to play with. But it had always been her backside that got John's attention. April in a pair of Daisy Duke Shorts could get John to do just about anything short of murder.

April had come to Annalise's fifth birthday party dressed in very short khaki shorts. The cuffs continually rolled up, exposing much of April's very nicely rounded backside. More than once, David, John's father nudged John to pull his eyes from his ex-wife's buttocks.

They held the party at Annalise's new house. Annalise proudly showed April, Agatha and Baba her new room. April acted dutifully impressed but John could read the resentment in his ex-wife's eyes.

After Annalise's sixth birthday, Annalise and Agatha and Evelyn had a sleep-over. John had both grandmothers in attendance; being the father of a six year old girl had taught John that he knew nothing about little girls.

"You know more than you think you do," Ann smiled as John stretched two blankets over the four kitchen chairs and made a fort in the middle of the living room.

A few weeks after that sleep-over, April asked if Annalise could come to their trailer for a sleep-over. John agreed, so long as Cecil was out of the trailer, or April got the court order rescinded. Judge Glasspool had decreed that Annalise could not be at April's domicile so long as Cecil was in attendance.

John truly hated having to refuse April those precious moments with her own daughter, but he did not trust the volatile Cecil around his little girl. He had witnessed how Cecil treated his own daughters and did not want Annalise subjected to Cecil's behavior.

John had never witnessed Cecil being physically abusive toward Agatha or Evelyn on any occasion, whether they were at his home, or at the Blackham trailer for Agatha's birthday or Baba's birthday celebrations. But the harsh glares and the biting words and the chilling reception the man gave would hurt a child much more than any physical blow ever could.

"You mother fucker," April snarled hatefully at her ex-husband when John mentioned the still existing court order forbidding any overnight stays so long as Cecil was in attendance.

At Annalise's seventh birthday, Cecil darkened the home with his surly presence. Again, John saw the resentment in April's eyes when Annalise proudly showed off the brand new swimming pool and shaded glider and her very own flower bed in the rear yard.

"Hey Cecil, we're out here, on the back deck," John forced himself to sound cheerful.

"No, no, this spot suits me just fine," Cecil snapped from his perch on the living room couch.

"Cecil, Sweetheart, we're all out here," April said, trying not to snarl at her difficult husband. "Come on; the girls are having an egg hunt."

"I am comfy-cozy," Cecil snapped bitterly from his perch.

John hoped Cecil would not be in attendance for today's barbeque. And, should the man attend, John hoped the man would be in an agreeable mood. He also knew, where Cecil Blackham was concerned, hoping for absence, or for civility was futile.

"Okay, I need to see if my Daddy needs help," Nina said, turning to leave the Cormier house.

"He needs help. God knows he needs plenty of help," John joked and Nina and Annalise giggled.

"Hey uh, Nina?" John asked, wincing as his voice croaked.

"Yeah?" Nina asked, hand on the front door's large knob.

"I uh, I mean, I'm going talk to your Dad about it, but uh, you, you like to go with me to Tokyo Gardens?" John asked, marveling at how much he felt like a teenaged boy at that moment.

"I uh, like, like on a date?" Nina asked, goggling at the handsome man.

"Exactly like on a date," John affirmed. "Was thinking maybe Wednesday night; I get out an hour early on Wednesdays and..."

"Okay!" Nina gushed and quickly left the house, left before John could back out of the invite.

"Daddy and Nina sitting in a tree," Annalise started singing.

"Oh my God, do they still sing that silly song?" John said as Annalise continued with her taunting.

Lisa, David, and Andy were first to arrive. Andy still lived at home; John was fairly certain his youngest brother was gay. But, no one talked about it.

DJ and his girlfriend, Cindy Knudsen, a voluptuous college student with waist length light brown hair showed up milliseconds after Lisa, David and Andy. Cindy greeted John with an affectionate hug and kiss to his cheek. She then picked Annalise up and threatened to squeeze the squirming girl. DJ warned John that Cecil and April had just pulled up.

"And he looks just thrilled to be here," DJ muttered under his breath the John.

"Yay!" John said flatly.

"I wanted to bring dessert, but DJ said your neighbor's doing it?" Cindy said, putting the giggling Annalise down.

"Sweetheart, we brought appetites; what else we need to bring?" DJ suggested.

"He what, your Daddy did?" Lisa asked Annalise.

"Oh oh," DJ teased John as Lisa fixed John with a laser beam glare.

"You going to get it," Cindy sang out.

"That girl is just a child," Lisa hissed at John, pulling him by his hair into the kitchen.

"Mother, she is eighteen years old; she's an adult," John defended.

"The last eighteen year old didn't teach you nothing?" David asked.

"Hey, Cecil, listen, don't sit on any of the furniture in here; John just had it all steam cleaned the morning," DJ said when he opened the door for April, Cecil, Agatha and Evelyn.

"He what?" Cecil asked, glancing at the couch.

"Yeah, thought it'd be dry in time for the party, but I just checked and it's still pretty wet," DJ said, herding everyone toward the sliding glass door.

"Mister John we going have another hunt?" Evelyn asked hopefully.

At Annalise's seventh birthday party, John and Lisa and Nina had secreted fifty plastic eggs all around the back yard. Most of the eggs contained bite sized candy bars, but three of the eggs had slips of paper in them. 'First Place!' and 'Second Place!' and 'Third Place!'

"And Baba has the first place!" John cheerfully called out.

"You just lucky," Agatha had groused.

The first place prize was a blue haired troll figurine. As Ann, Annalise's maternal grandmother had said, the stuffed toy was so ugly it was cute. Evelyn certainly was thrilled with the hideous figurine.

April shot Cecil a look; John caught the glare but did not know what the glare was for. Nor did he care what turmoil might be brewing in the Blackham home.

The day after the birthday party, Evelyn could not find her troll. She and Agatha searched their trailer but the hideous little figurine was gone. April suspected Cecil had thrown the toy away while she and the girls were at church. He smirked as he denied her accusations.

"Hmm? Oh, no, Baba," John smiled down at the girl. "That's just for birthdays. But did you bring your bathing suit?"

"So, Johnny, what's cooking?" Cecil sneered as they stepped onto the back porch.

"Don't call him that," April hissed. "How much have you had to drink?"

"Not enough," Cecil hissed back. "I still know where I am and why I'm here at this insufferable bastard's home."

"You're the insufferable one," April muttered.

"What? What was that, April?" Cecil demanded.

"Okay, green cooler's got the beer, the red one's got sodas and juice boxes," John called out, pointing to the two large ice chests. "Those of you that are driving? Please use the red cooler."

"One," Cindy said to DJ, holding up one manicured finger.

"Look, just because you're beautiful, and smart and sweet and I love you don't mean you can tell me what to do," DJ smiled, opening the red cooler and digging out a diet soda.

"Does too," Cindy said.

"Does not," DJ said.

"Uh huh," Cindy said.

"Look you two; don't make me put you in 'Time Out,' John threatened as DJ gave Cindy a quick kiss.

"Uh huh," Cindy muttered, wrapping her arms around DJ's waist.

"Nuh uh," DJ responded.

"Hey!" Nina called out, stepping onto the back deck.

Nina was wearing a too short, too tight tee shirt over her Bikini top. John glanced down at the stark white bikini bottoms and her tanned sleek legs.

"Nina, come on!" Annalise called out from where she and her sisters were splashing about in the pool.

Nina smiled and lifted the tee shirt up. David, DJ, and John glanced over as Nina's impressive chest came into view. The two patches of cloth barely contained her 32D breasts as she flung the tee shirt onto one of the three chaise loungers. David, DJ, and John watched Nina's bubble butt as she scampered to the in-ground pool.

"Eyes back in that head," Cindy laughed, slapping DJ's buttocks, hard.

"You too," Lisa growled at David, pinching his upper arm.

"What's this, you got something ask me?" Owen cheerfully demanded, wrapping John's head in an affectionate headlock. "Dessert's on the kitchen table. Chocolate pie, banana cream pie and Seven-Up cake."

"Wanted to ask you, Dude, when's last time you took a shower?" John said, squirming in the large man's friendly grip.

"Really? That's what you wanted to ask me?" Owen laughed, releasing John. "Beer's in which one?"

"Green one," John answered, lighting the coals in the grill. "Dad, check the brisket?"

"See James Bond's here," Owen muttered, nodding to where Cecil sat on the shaded glider, guzzling his second Barley Terlings beer.

"Mm hmm, spreading cheer and joy whenever he goes," John quipped.

"Seriously, you want take Nina out, I'm all right with it," Owen said, popping the top of a can of St. Elizabeth Lager.

"Brisket's about ten, maybe fifteen minutes away from being perfect," David announced.

John watched April pull her legs from the pool where she had been watching the girls and walk to where a sullen Cecil sat, slowly rocking back and forth on the glider. The moment April's buttocks sat on the padded bench, Cecil hefted himself up and marched to the green cooler.

"Marco!" Nina called out.

"Polo!" Agatha, Evelyn and Annalise called back,

April got up from the glider and approached the back deck. John saw her approaching out of the corner of his eye; he was watching the girls in the pool.

"John, Agatha's birthday's just a couple weeks away," April said.

"She'll be seven," John agreed. "God, they are just growing like weeds, aren't they? And right after that, Annalise will be eight."

"And, listen, I, we'd really like to have a sleep-over..." April said.

"Ann and Michael are okay with that? How is your dad coming along anyway?" John asked.

"No, no, not at Maw-Maw's house," April said, not bothering to answer John's question about her father's health.

"Yeah, April, how is Michael doing?" David asked, pursing his lips as Cecil carelessly dropped the bottle top from his bottle of Barley Terlings onto the lawn on his way back to his perch on the glider.

"The stroke was a really bad one," April admitted. "That's why Mom doesn't want to do a sleep-over at her house."

"Want to have it here? They can have a swimming party and..." John suggested.

"God damn it, she wants to do it at her house, our house, where we live," April screamed.

"Just can't stand it, eh Johnny? The better man took your woman?" Cecil sneered, returning to the deck.

"Hey, better man, pick up your bottle top, huh?" David ordered, pointing to Cecil's discarded bottle top.

"Eh Johnny Boy?" Cecil taunted.

"Dad, check on the brisket, okay?" John said. "April, I'm sorry but..."

A squeal from the pool alerted the people on the deck that Nina had managed to tag one of the girls. Doing a quick head count, John began to grill some hamburgers.

"Nina likes the burnt edges of the brisket," John said as David put the brisket onto a large platter.

"So, because your wife left you for a real man..." Cecil said.

"Cecil, be quiet," April snapped. "You are not helping..."

"What? Sooner or later, he's just going to have to come to terms," Cecil snapped at April.

"Marco!" Agatha called out.

"Polo!" Annalise, Nina and Evelyn called out.

"You, you're not going to..." Cindy asked John as Cecil continued with his drunken taunts.

"Hey, girls? Who wants hot gods? Who wants hamburgers?" John called out.

"I want a hot dog!" Evelyn called out then screamed when Agatha managed to tag her.

"I get a hamburger, Mr. John?" Agatha asked.

"Daddy-daddy-daddy, I want um, a burger," Annalise called out.

"There's no brisket?" Nina asked, guiding the girls to the steps of the pool.

"Mr. David's trimming off the purnt edges for you," John said and Nina gave him a big smile.

"Seriously, you ain't..." Cindy snapped, glaring hatefully as Cecil muttered some more remarks.

"Cindy, it's like a two year old. You tell them to be quiet? All you're doing is validating them. Let them know you're not paying any attention to their little temper tantrum? Sooner or later, they just tire themselves out," John shrugged.