Just for you Marlene.  I felt the need.  Here is another fun writing.  Hope you enjoy.  Excuse my mistakes.

The yelling was heard throughout the house and then some.  Murdoch just shrugged his shoulders and tried real hard to concentrate on the books.  He heard little whispers and look up.

“Boys!  Would you like to spend more time in those corners?”

“No sir.”

The arguing heard from upstairs would not cease.  Heavy footsteps were heading in their direction. ‘God, which one is it?’

Both boys stared at each other, wishing it were the other’s father.  They both sat with their faces looking at the corner they’ve become too familiar with.  Juanito had counted the cracks and flower decoration on the tile along the base boards.  Carlitos had counted the number of deserts he’d missed every time his cousin and he get into trouble.

Scott appeared around the corner and stood firmly behind them glaring down at their backs.  Neither of the boys acknowledged his presence.  Murdoch just looked up and then back down, smiling at the possible outcome for boy’s consequences.  Scott breathing was heavy; he’d pace from one corner to the other and back; he’d huff and grunt not being able to express his thoughts at the boys because his anger was beyond his control, so he stormed out again.

More yelling was heard from the bedrooms.  Carlitos started to cry and managed a whisper, “Juanito, I hate it when my mami and pa’ fight and it’s our fault.”

“Sh-h-h-h-h.”  Juanito turned to glance at his grandfather. “At least they are fighting, I haven’t heard from mine and that means trouble.”

“BOYS!”

“Sorry sir.”

The front door opened.  ‘Aye dios, which one left?’  The door slammed shut.  This only added fear into the boy’s hearts.

They jumped when the heard the door open and slam shut again followed by heavy footsteps that lead into corridor.  Then there was silence.  This made them even more nervous.  Carlitos started to chant a prayer. “Now I lay me down to sleep….”

Juanito rolled his eyes.  “Carlitos, you are not going to sleep.”

“Yes I am, when my parents kill me and I need the Lord to take my soul to keep.”

“ENOUGH!”

“Yes sir.”

They jumped once more when they heard footsteps heading toward the kitchen that was followed by another door slamming upstairs and more footsteps heading their way.

Carlitos held his breath. “This is it cousin.  It was nice knowing you.  I only hope that….”

“Who gave you permission to speak?”  One of the fathers stood behind him.

“Nobody sir, I was just saying my goodbyes to my cousin.  Sorry.”

“Your goodbyes?  Are you planning on going somewhere?”

“Yes sir.  I hope… it is heaven.”  He started to whimper.

A loud grunt was released followed with a stern voice.  “You two need to spend more time here until we can all agree on your punishment.”

Juanito sighed loudly, which was not his intend.

“Is there a problem Juan Gabriel?”

“No Papí.  It’s just that my butt hurts from the whupping and I thought that….”

“You thought!  Isn’t that what got you in trouble in the first place… what you seem to think up?”  Johnny was now kneeling next to his son.

“Yes sir, but it wasn’t an ‘on purpose thought’.  Honestly, things just went wrong.  We didn’t mean for Jelly to get hurt.”

Johnny and his young son could hear some murmuring coming from the other corner. Johnny looked over to his nephew and asked,  “What’s he been saying?”

“He’s praying.”  All Juanito could do was jiggle his head in disbelieve.

Scott walked in just in time to hear Juanito’s answer. “Good!  Let him pray.  He is going to need all the possible help from God!” 

Carlitos just started to cry more.  Juanito started to harmonize with his cousin.  He hated to see his cousins or siblings cry.

Johnny just looked at his brother and grumbled. “Damn it Scott!”

“Look Johnny, we need to agree.  Our wives are not going to allow us to….”  He glanced at his father, who sat there biting his lips and holding his hand close to his mouth, just in case.  “…well, you know and stop being a….  ARGH!  Come on.  Let’s go discuss what we are going to do with these two!” They both walked away.

It was then that Juanito realized that the anger his uncle was feeling was not because of them, but because his father was not agreeing with him.

Murdoch stood up and headed to the kitchen.  “Boys, don’t you dare move from here.  I am going to get some coffee and… cookies to snack on.”

Between sobs, Carlitos uttered quietly, “Co-o-o-kies?”

Murdoch couldn’t help himself and smiled.

Juanito leaned back to check that their grandfather was out of sight. “Carlitos, calm down.  Our papas are not mad at us.”

“Wha-a-t  do… mean… not at  us?”  He sobbed and wiped his nose with his sleeve.

“Yes, they are mad, but at each other.  So it’s OK.  We’re OK.  They won’t be killing us.”

“Yeah, so you say cousin.  They won’t kill us today, but the way we keep getting in trouble… it is… it will happen.  I know it.  I feel it…  I hate it.”  He lowered his head and shook it over and over again feeling as if he was next in line for the firing squad.

“OK, maybe not today, but why worry about later.  Come on cousin, please don’t cry anymore.”  He desperately wanted to cheer the little man up.  “I’ll give you my desert, next time we get one.”

Carlitos head shot up, then back down.  “Cousin, I fear we will not be eating any desert for a very long time.  I don’t even remember what chocolate taste like.”

“Aye, Carlitos, we’ve only missed two deserts.”

To Carlitos two was too many. “Two… only two. You say it without feeling it.”

“Look I promise when we get out of this, we won’t do anything for a long time.  I promise.”

“Anything?  So what will we do Juanito?”

“Nothing.  We will just do nothing.  Just sit and do nothing.  We can’t get in trouble for doing nothing.” Juanito was gleaming with pride having thought up a nothing plan.

“Aye, don’t know cousin.  Coming out of your mouth, it sounds good, but once we start to do nothing, I think we’ll get in trouble for doing it.”

“Don’t you trust me?”

“Yes, that’s why we get in trouble.”  Carlitos shuffled his feet.  “Well, can I at least get two of your deserts?”

“Fine, two, but no more, sh-h-h-h-h-h, I hear someone.  Remember, do nothing!”  Juanito straighten himself up as did Carlitos.

Then Carlitos thought, ‘Nothing, I will do nothing.  Oh no, then I will suffocate.  I need to breathe!’  Carlitos turned to look questionably at his cousin.

Juanito noticed his cousins inquisitive face, but just shrugged his shoulder at him stupefied. ‘Why is he turning blue?’

Suddenly, Carlitos fell off his chair.

A frantic Juanito screamed, “PAPÁ, PAPÍ, TÍO…. ABUELO!  Something is wrong with Carlitos!”

All three men ran into the room and found Juanito cradling his cousin and crying.

“Juan, what happened?” Johnny moved his boy out of the way giving Scott and chance to check things out.

“I don’t know Papí he just fell off his chair.  He’s dead.  He’s dead!”  Johnny lifted his son into his arms and hugged him trying to calm him down.

Scott held his son and relaxed when he saw his son breathing and opening his eyes.  “Carlos, what happened?  How do you feel?”  He carried him over to the couch, just as the women ran in. 

“Scott?  My son!”  Murdoch stopped his daughter-in-law and wrapped his arm around her.

“It’s all right.  He’s fine.  Let Scott talk to him.”

Johnny walked out with his wife and son in tow hugging them close.  Murdoch stood observing Carlitos and Scott while still consoling Scott’s wife.

“Well Carlos?  You look fine.  What happened?”  Scott kept checking him over and over.

Murdoch wanted to calm everyone down including himself. “Son, should we send for the doctor?”

“No sir.  I really believe he is fine.  I just need to get him to talk.”  He held his sons chin.  “Son, what happened, tell me.  I promise I won’t get mad.”

Carlitos gulped and looked over for his cousin.  “Where’s Juanito?”

“Johnny took him outside to calm him down.”

Carlitos eyes opened wide. “Why Pa’, did he faint too?”

“No, no he did not faint, but I want to know why you did?”

He licked his lips.  “Well, Juanito promised me….” Carlitos confession was interrupted when Murdoch let out a snort at the mention of the partner in crime name.

“Sir, I’d appreciate some respect here.”  Scott was now fuming, especially after watching his wife stomp out of the room while mumbling something about him not sleeping in her bed.

“Go on Carlos.  What did Juan promise you?”

By then Johnny had returned with a now calm wife and son.  “Honey, go upstairs and check on the twins.  I’ll see what happened.”

“What did Juanito promise Carlitos, Scott?”  Johnny asked without letting go of Juanitos hand.

“That’s what I am trying to find out, given the chance!” Scott bellowed.

Juanito just stood by his father, hand in hand, scratching his head wondering, ‘How did we get into trouble again when we did nothing?’  He was feeling an alternate state of confusion.

Carlitos looked over his father’s shoulder and smiled at his cousin. “Well, we just got tired of getting into trouble, so Juanito promised to give me two of his deserts if I did nothing.”

Scott was completely baffeled. “How?....  I don’t understand you Carlitos.”

“We thought we could stay out of trouble if we did nothing!”  He reiterated.

Scott looked over to his brother for some assistance.

Johnny knelt down next to his son. “Juanito, what kind of nothing did you two do?”

“We did nothing Papí.  We just sat where you left us and did nothing.  I swear.” Juanito started to whimper.

Johnny held him close.  “Scott I don’t get it.”

Scott took in a deep breath. “Carlos, could you show us how you did nothing, please?”  He carried his son back to the chair.

Carlitos straighten himself up, looked at them and asked, “Ready?  I am now going to do nothing.”  And he did, including not breathing.  They all stood around him watching.

Johnny immediately saw what doing nothing meant and shouted, “Scott, he stopped breathing! Slap him, make him breathe!”

Scott quickly picked his son up and yelled, “Carlos breathe, breathe!”

Carlitos head wobbled a little then he looked into his scared father’s eyes. “OK…, but Pa’ when can I collect on my deserts?”

The End, NOT!