Page 29 of Scammed

“Yes, sir?” said the boys, running down the hallway toward the call.

“Boys, if I call Fitz and Jax right now, will they tell me that you were given permission to be here?”

“Yeah,” the nodded excitedly.

“So, you didn’t screw with the text messaging system and respond for them?” asked Code. Both boys blushed, looking down at their shoes.

“Well, I mean, we didn’t want to bother them,” said Monroe.

“Son, we don’t want you lying to your parents,” said Nine. “We love that you want to help us and that you’re so very good at it. But other things are more important.”

“Like school?” frowned Spencer.

“Like school,” said Nine.

“But we’re bored, and this keeps us not bored. We like doing new things and having challenges. It’s fun.”

“I’ll call Jax and Fitz,” smirked Pigsty. “They can stay here until I hear from them. We might be raising feral children.”

“We might be,” said Gaspar. “Hell, we all were when we were kids. In the summer, Mama and Pops never knew which island we’d gone out to or what part of the property we were on.”

“Or did they?” smiled Nine. Gaspar frowned at his friend.

“Oh, hell. They would have known everything. Shit! I mean everything.”

The two little boys giggle, covering their mouths, and Gaspar grabbed them, tossing them into the air.

“You two think that’s funny, huh?” he said, tickling them. The boys laughed and laughed, the others smiling at the sweet scene that would have been impossible two years ago.

“Okay, both Jax and Fitz say it’s okay for them to be here. Apparently, both have completed high school requirements, and we’re working on a way to get them college credit courses.”

“Can you do that?” frowned Nine.

“I couldn’t. You damn sure couldn’t. But them?” said Gaspar, pointing to the boys. “Definitely.”

“I’m ready,” said Marcel, walking back toward the men.

“Then let’s go. You’re about to get your first ride in a jet,” smirked Gaspar.

“This is very exciting,” smiled the younger old man.

Boarding the jets, Marcel was experiencing nervousness and a sense of childlike wonder. He’d seen planes fly overhead, and he knew that it was possible, but he’d never thought for even a moment that he would have the chance to experience it himself.

Whiskey gave him a bottle of water and a bag of his new favorite snack, popcorn. Once they were airborne, he began to ask questions about how the jet flew and how the men were able to jump from planes in combat.

“It must be very hard for you,” said Gaspar, staring at his relation.

“How do you mean?” Marcel cocked his head to the side.

“Well, you watched as the world passed you by, getting more and more technologically advanced. Planes, trains, automobiles, telephones, televisions, computers. You were able to see the advent of them all but not touch them. Until now.”

“Yes, that’s true,” said Marcel. “I was always curious, and when I could, I would listen to people speaking about them. I should have liked to have been at the forefront of them all, but I suppose it wasn’t my time.”

“How are you doing with all of this?” asked Nine. “I mean, you’re suddenly alive, breathing, touching, falling in love, and getting married. That’s a lot of change for a man your age.”

“Ah, I see. A joke about my age,” smirked Marcel. The others chuckled, shaking their heads. “I don’t even know my age. I mean, when I died, I was thirty-six. I suppose I pick up where I left off.”

“Did you die?” frowned Whiskey.

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