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Momma and Jessy drove in the driveway as the boys were headed out the door. "What needs to be done yet?" Momma asked. "Barn needs cleaning and Kusmack needs a tractor driver." Nick hollered. "Get dressed to work. I'll call George." Momma said and the day got underway. "Let's go, I'll drive you over." Momma said. Jessy cultivated corn all day. She came in out of the fields about 9:30 that night, barely keeping her eyes open at the kitchen table, before heading up to bed as the phone rang. "Momma it's for you." Nick said adding, "Didn't say who he was. Goodnight. Everyone's in bed now." "Hello, Barbara." she said. "Momma it's me Zac. How is she?" he asked. "Her ass is dragging Zac. Just headed to bed. She's probably sprawled across it in her clothes, snoring by now." she answered. "What a lovely picture you paint." Zac laughed. "How are you? How did the interviews go?" she asked. "Okay, nobody caught on. Mom put some makeup on it so the redness didn't show." Zac said. "Thanks. You did good." she said. "Did you tell her." Zac asked. "Yep, she didn't believe me. But I told you that, maybe if you tell her." she said. "I will. I have to go they only gave me fifteen minutes. I'm in hot water for a long time." Zac said. "I'm sorry. I'll talk to them Sunday." she said. "That'd be great. Talk to you later." Zac said. "Bye" she said and hung up and the phone rang. "Hello?" she said. "Momma, man no one home all day." Chele said. "Sorry everybody was in the fields. What's up my Chele?" Momma asked. "That's nice to know, you still claim me." she said. "Oh Chele, it's not you it's the action I'm upset, disappointed with." Momma said. "How's Jessy doing?" she asked. "Tired, really tired. Worked her all day after little sleep last night. She's dragging." Momma said. "I won't bother to ask to talk to her then. Momma can I come home?" Chele asked. "Anytime. You know you're always welcome here, no questions asked." Momma said. "I have to take care of a few things, but I'll be there." Chele said. "I'll be waiting. You okay?" Momma asked. "Yeah on the outside." Chele said. "Well you come home and we'll fix the rest." Momma said. "That's what I was hoping. See ya then." Chele said. "See ya baby." Momma said turning off the lights and heading to bed. The next day started the same up early and into the fields. As she delivered laundry baskets, Momma was taken by surprised when she found Jessy's room stripped of everything Hanson. In the closet she found a stack of boxes housing her collection. Later in the afternoon the phone rang, "Hello" she answered "Hey Momma I got a letter from her." he said. "Zac. How?" she asked. "Chele found it, it was in the office. She wrote to everybody, me, my folks, Chele, Krystal." Zac shared. "That's strange." Momma said. "What's wrong?" Zac asked. "Zac between my talking to you last night and when she left the house at 7 this morning she boxed up her entire Hanson collection. Even her curtains, bedspread, all her shirts. I have to buy her more clothes, she suddenly doesn't have any shirts to wear." she said. "I'll talk to her. It'll be okay." Zac said. "I hope so Zac. Aren't you getting ready for the show?" Momma asked. "Yeah. I'm just getting back from the arena to get away from the hype one last time." Zac said. "That's how you stay so grounded." she asked. "I try." Zac answered then told her, "Jessy said she did the same thing, looked to her sisters for what to do Momma, just like me, only hers turned out okay and mine didn't." "Sometimes it works, sometimes you get slapped." Momma laughed. "I'm glad I called you." Zac said. "Me too. You tend to make me feel better lately Zac. Like I said you're special." Momma said. "I can't wait to get there. We're staying after to pack it all so we can head out first thing in the morning." he said excitedly. "All I can tell you is Sunday dinner is a 1pm you ain't here, you're grounded for a week. So she'll be here by then." Momma said. "Good I have to tell her something important." Zac said. "Well I gotta go kill the old Tom, he's been nasty lately and with your little brother and sister. I don't need him pecking them to pieces. He'll make good eating." she said. "Are we having turkey Sunday?" Zac asked. "That's the plan, if I can catch that sucker. He overheard me earlier so he's been hiding most of the afternoon. Wish you were here, you kids could tire him out for me." she laughed. "Man this is neat. Wish I wasn't going on stage tonight, I'd like to help catch Tom." Zac said. "I'll take pictures for you." she said. "Cool." he said. "Just don't tell the little ones, the have a tendancy not to eat what they called by name." Momma shared. "Okay I won't tell anyone younger than me." he said. "I'd better go see if I can find him or it's hotdogs again." she laughed. "I'd rather have turkey, look hard." Zac said. "I'll get Henrietta to help me." she said. "Who's that a neighbor?" he asked. "No the girl turkey, hen turkey." she laughed. "I got lots to learn don't I." he asked. "Tell you what, when the tour is over, come stay a week or two or three or however long you want." she said. "Really?" he asked excitedly. "Yes really, no pressure about Jessy, whether it works or not you're always welcome in my home. I think you're special." she assured. "I got to go too. I'm not after tomorrow's dinner though." he said. "No you just have to sing for your supper." she laughed. "Bye Momma, see you in the morning" Zac said. "Goodbye Zac have a great concert." Momma wished. As she was chasing the turkey from barn to barn, Chele's little mustang pulled in the far driveway. "Don't let him go. Catch that sucker." Momma yelled as Chele and Krystal jumped from the car and were in hot pursuit. Chele went around the shop and they heard a squawk. Chele came back around carrying the sucker upside down. She was smiling, dirty stained knees and all and a light green stain on her shorts. "Sucker took a dump on me. Give me that hatchet. I'll teach him to shit on my khaki shorts." Chele said headed to the chopping block. Soon he was hanging upside down draining as Momma put the pan of water on the outside burner to boil. The three plucked and gutted Sunday dinner, Momma snapping pictures for Zac as they worked. "So who's going to tell me why you're not at the concert." Momma finally asked. "It wouldn't be the same without sis Momma, I couldn't go. I explained to the guys. Man are they hard to get to. Every way I tried, security stopped me, your a fan and they turned me back, me screaming I'm not just a fan. Finally Zac heard me, did they ever feel bad, not for long though. Security escorted me in and I gave Zac his letter from Jessy and explained that without her, I couldn't sit through the concert without breaking down so I was going home. They understood so here I am." Chele said. "Good thing or we'd be having hotdogs for Sunday dinner instead of turkey." Momma laughed. Momma took them up and showed them Jessy's room. "Oh Momma, she must have been hurting to do this." Chele said. "I expected she'd been so tired she could have slept no matter what, but I guess not." Momma said. They made supper and helped out by getting the extra rooms made up. With each tractor that pulled in the driveway they listened for Jessy to see the car. Finally about 7:45, "Chele, Sis" Jessy screamed as she pulled the tractor up to the mustang. "You hit my car and I whoop your ass Sis." Chele screamed. "What car I don't see a car." Jessy teased and they ran to each other, hugging and jumping. "You're not at the concert, why?" Jessy asked. "I couldn't go without you. What kind of Sis do you think I am?" she asked. "Not the kind that goes without the others." Krystal screamed and the three jumped up and down and screamed together. Chele shared her Tom experience, "No way, you're a wuss." Jessy protested. "Way and I got pictures. The sucker took a dump on my shorts. Chopped that head off, he won't do that again." she chuckled and the girls headed to the house and Chele shared the pictures. Later that night they put together a Chele and Tom scrapbook, complete with narrative by the chasers, catcher, and chopper. They stayed downstairs that night watching movies, doing their nails and eating junk food. Finally crashing on the couches.
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