kindly.

“Oh…” Chris said, he paused to think for a minute and then said: “Hey, I forgot to tell you… I accepted a babysitting job for the three of us, we start on Saturday.”

Jeffery spat out a mouthful of orange juice, spraying Kit in the face. Kit froze, looking disgusted.

“You know, you really need to stop doing that,” Kit said slightly irritably, wiping his face with a napkin, while Jeffery coughed and spluttered. 

“What?!” Jeffery exclaimed finally, looking incredulously at Chris. “You mean to tell us that you accepted the job—and included us in it—WITHOUT EVEN ASKING US FIRST?!”

“Y-yes....” Chris said timidly, shrinking back and looking down at the floor. Jeffery’s tone made him feel as if he had done something stupid.

Jeffery sighed and pulled Chris into a hug. “Hey…” he said softly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad, but you really should’ve asked us first.” And he kissed Chris on the side of the head to comfort his brotherly cousin.

“Yeah, Chris....” Kit agreed, joining Jeffery in hugging Chris while Melissa was saying ‘Aww, how cute!’ in the background. “But, you do realize that the babysitting job is on the same day as talent show, don’t you?”

“Oh, no! I forgot!” Chris exclaimed in panic, looking upset. “I’m sorry, guys, I forgot about the show when Mrs. Robinson asked me.”

Kit embraced Chris in an effort to calm his upset brother.

“Chris, calm down...We’ll work something out.” Kit said consolingly, patting his brother on the back. “Shh, calm down, little brother.”

“Yeah, like Kit can show Jason a few tricks as practice, I’m sure he’ll like that.” Jeffery said. “We just have to make sure the job is over before the show starts.”

“See, Chris? We can work something out." Kit said, still holding his brother in a consoling hug. “But next time, we’d like to be told about it before you include us in a job, okay?”

“O-okay, big brother.” Chris sniffed, his face hidden on Kit’s shoulder.

“Cheer up, cuz,” Jeffery said, walking up to Chris and patting him on the back. “We’re not mad at you, so please, turn that sad face upside down.” And using both of his index fingers, he pushed Chris' lip into a smile. “There, that’s better.”

Chris giggled, feeling much better now. “Thanks, Jeffery.”

“There, that’s my happy cuz.” Jeffery said, smiling cheerfully and placing a hand on Chris’ shoulder. “We would never be mad at you, Chris, not ever. Look at this face,” he added to Kit, holding Chris’ chin in his hand. “Who could ever stay mad at a face like this?”

“Very few.” Kit replied, grinning.

The rest of the week went by with Kit improving little by little with the magic tricks he was learning from Melissa and Jeffery, but he was also getting more and more nervous as Saturday looms ever closer.  

“What if I get up on stage and freeze up or—or forget to do a trick or something?” he confided some of his feelings to Jeffery on Friday, the night before Saturday.

“Relax cuz, you’re gonna do fine,” Jeffery said comfortingly. “If you get too nervous, just picture the audience in their—”

“NO! I’m not doing that!” Kit said, looking mortified.

“Heh, sorry, cuz, forgive my bad joke…” Jeffery yawned and stretched out his arms. “I’m getting tired. But hey, Uncle Baloo’s going to the show, isn’t he?”

“Yeah…” Kit said slowly. “As far as I know, Papa Bear and Mom are taking us trick-or- treating after the show is over, so I guess he’s coming, if he’s not late getting back from Louie’s Halloween party…”

Jeffery laughed.  

“Well, if he’s there, just look at Uncle Baloo or at Aunt Becky when you have to look out at the audience.” Jeffery suggested. “Otherwise, you’ll just be looking at me or at what you’re doing.” 

“I guess…” Kit said doubtfully.

“So, what’s ya gonna be for Halloween?” Jeffery asked, purposely changing subject.

A white ghost suddenly popped up in front of them

“BOO!”

“AAAHHH!” yelled Jeffery, falling backward onto his poor tail section, while Kit had no reaction except to smile at the ghost. In his street days, Kit had been taught to expect the unexpected and he doesn’t get scared easily.

The ghost pulled of its’ sheet to reveal Chris, who was now pointing and laughing at Jeffery.

“Gotcha!” Chris laughed, grinning real big and holding a white sheet in his hand. “I can’t decide if I wanna be a bunny rabbit or a ghost….maybe I should flip a coin for it…” 

“Chris!” Jeffery gasped, breathing heavily while holding his chest. “Hey, no fair, how come I’m always the victim of your pranks?” he pouted.

Chris shrugged. “You’re just a lot easier than Kit; I just can’t prank him, no matter how hard I tried. He just doesn’t scare easy.”

Kit was smiling and chuckling amusingly at Chris and Jeffery’s interactions. “You’re both nuts…”

“But we’re your nuts.” Chris pouted cutely, hugging Kit.

Kit and Jeffery both laughed at that, while Kit pulled Chris into a deep embrace.

“That’s right; you’re a nutty bear, but you’re my nutty bear.” Kit said, kissing Chris on the cheek.

“So, what are you gonna be?” Jeffery asked Kit, as he and Chris broke apart.    

“Yeah, big brother, what’cha gonna be?” Chris asked, still smiling happily.  

“Do you even have to ask?” Kit said, shaking his head. “I’ll either wear my magician outfit, or change into an ace pilot after the show. What about you?”

“Oh, that’s neat, cuz.” Jeffery said, smiling. “I think I’ll be my magician self, Star Bear the Wizard…or maybe a surgeon,” he added, looking uncertain.

“Jeff, the wizard or the magician suits you better.” Kit said, grinning.

“Yeah, so why’d you even think of being a surgeon.” Chris asked, while nodding in agreement toward his brother. “What’s a surgeon, big brother?”

“I’ll explain later, Chris.” Kit said gently, but his insides were boiling, enraged by the fact that Chris’ education was so carelessly neglected.

Jeffery shrugged. “I dunno; it is something I wanna be when I grow up….”   

“I don’t think you’d want to be a surgeon, Jeff.” Kit said gently.

“Aw, why not?” Jeffery whined, looking as though his dreams had been crushed.

“Because…” Kit said, not wanting to burst Jeffery’s bubble. “You faint on the first sight of blood, and to be a surgeon, you’d have to operate on people and you’d be seeing a lot of blood during an operation.”

“Ooh-ooh…” Jeffery shuddered, looking creeped out. “Just the mention of blood makes my skin crawl!” and then he made a fake gagging noise.

“What’s blood?” Chris asked innocently. No one in the orphanage where he grew up ever mentioned blood, thus he doesn’t know what blood is.

Kit and Jeffery groaned, neither one of them wanted to explain what blood is to Chris. And Kit suddenly wished for a terrible fate to befall the person who deliberately neglected Chris’ education.

Kit looked at Jeffery. “Jeff, why don’t you go and get us a snack while I talk to Chris?”  

“Yeah, sure thing, cuz.” Jeffery said as he turned and left the room.

At the doorway, he heard Kit saying: “Well, Chris, blood is what gives you life, it is life in a way,” before he closed the door. Going down the steps, he heard Chris asked: “So, blood is the water inside me?” A loud groaned sounded from the bedroom and Jeffery could imagine Kit rubbing his temples to ward off a headache that was coming. 

“Well, it is my fault that he thinks blood is really water…” Jeffery muttered to himself. “Why did I have to go and do that water-sprouting trick for?”

Jeffery went downstairs and into the kitchen, wishing the umpteenth that they had an elevator.

“Well, you wanted a room on the top floor…” he muttered to himself

“Mom, can you fix us some finger sandwiches for me to take up to my room, please?”

“Sure dear, as long as you don’t leave crumbs on the floor.” Melissa said and she started making sandwiches.

“Mom!” Jeffery groaned while smiling and rolling his eyes. “I’m a neat and clean freak; I’m not going to get messy up there.”

Melissa froze and then she turned around to face Jeffery, looking stern.

“Jeffery Lee Cunningham!” she said, one hand on her hip, the other wigging a finger at Jeffery. “Don’t you dare call yourself a freak! You’re not a freak, you’re a very special boy.”

“Mom….” Jeffery said, blushing scarlet, but looking pleased that she called him special. “It was just an expression, I didn’t literally call myself that.”

“I don’t care!” Melissa said in a final sort of way, before returning to making

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