Author's notes:
Well, my daughter watching a certain movie has set me off on the "Twenty minutes with Perry White" challenge. I mean, it's meant for children (as well as adults), and it features an Elvis fan, an Elvis song and an Elvis impersonator. So, what would Perry do if he was to babysit? *g* Exactly. In order to have Kent children he can babysit, I place it in the timeline of my WIP 'Just Like Lois', but about 6 months before Lara's discovery. It's time for Baby Elli, Lois' and Clark's twelfth child, to be born... Once again, I'm writing from Lara's point of view.
It's not necessary for you to know 'Just Like Lois' in order to read this fic.
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It's one of these 'our family will grow soon' talks with my mom and dad. It's not like this has never happened before, since we already are eleven siblings. And just about every year we get the same speech. By now, I truly know it by heart.
"As you all know, we're awaiting another child," Dad starts his usual speech. I roll my eyes. My mother's bulging abdomen makes that more than obvious. "We have arranged for your Uncle Perry to look after you while your mother and I will be to the hospital."
I can't believe it. Not Uncle Perry again! He has babysat us when little Roger was born one and a half years ago, and also when the nearly five-year-old twins, Ally and Abby, have been delivered. Heck, he's even been there for Bernie and my favourite little sister, Arielle. Maybe he has been babysitting me for each and every birth in the Kent family. And always, always it's the same. "Dad, does it really have to be Perry again?" I ask in exasperation.
Dad looks at me curiously. "Why, don't you like him?"
"Oh, I do like him all right," I answer. I make a pause for emphasis.
"It's just that he always makes us watch the same old vid over and over again. It really sucks," JJ, my second-born brother, puts in.
"I don't see what is so bad about it," Dad says in obvious puzzlement.
Before we can get into a full-fledged discussion about that, I try something different. "Dad, couldn't you just give me a note where you state that I may leave the house to visit a friend?" At the age of thirteen, I feel much too old to watch this stupid Disney movie again. I mean, Disney movies are for babies, aren't they?
"Why don't you simply tell him that you may do that?" Dad inquires.
"Because he won't believe it this time, either," I burst out. "Remember, I've tried that last year."
Deciding that it's not worth starting a discussion, he takes a piece of paper, writes something on it with amazing speed - having to write a lot will do that to a person, I guess - and hands it to me. Grinning, stowe it away. With that, it should take me no more than five minutes with Uncle Perry before I'm out of here.
"Can I have one of these, too?" JJ asks hopefully.
"We'd like one, too," Sammy adds eagerly, her twin sister Lucy nodding eagerly. Dad starts writing again, and soon the four of us are happily stowing away our dad's permissions.
Jack and Jim decide to join in the fun. "Can't we have one, too?" Jim asks.
"No way. You're too young to go to a friend on your own," Dad decides.
"But we could visit Sam at Aunt Lucy's. I'm sure she'd pick us up if we ask nicely," Jack begs.
Dad sighs in defeat, considering that the nine-year-old twins and Sam Lane Olsen are indeed near to inseparable. He writes another message to Unce Perry. "But it's only valid for Aunt Lucy's place," he reminds the twins.
"I really don't know why you're acting like that. I really like Uncle Perry," Arielle, my seven-year-old sister puts in.
I snort. Girl, you have no idea.
************ One Week Later ********************
Mom and Dad have left half an hour ago for the hospital, and JJ and I are in charge of our younger sibs. That's just great, because they never do what either of us tells them. Especially Lucy and Sammy. They think they don't have to do anything we tell them because they aren't that much younger than us. I really can't wait for Uncle Perry to arrive and leave him with the little ones. Finally, the doorbell rings, and I rush to open.
"Guess who's here?" Uncle Perry's booming voice resonates through the entire house. I can't suppress a grin, thinking that he has no idea who's not gonna be here for long anymore. With some haste, I hand one-year-old Roger, whom I'm currently carrying, over to him.
"Pe-pi, Pe-pi!" Roger exclaims in obvious delight to see him. Uncle Perry lets him fly, and the little one screams in delight.
"Guess what I brought for you?" Uncle Perry beams at us. I already know what it is. The same vid as usual. But without me.
"Uncle Perry? I'm going to visit my friend Jodi," I tell him as casually as possible. The tiniest amoung of hesitation, and he'd not let me go.
Before I can move the five feet to the door, he bellows, "What? You're not going anywhere. Because I don't know whether your parents would approve. And right now, I'm responsible for you. Got that?"
Feeling ultimately superior, I pull out the message my dad wrote and signed for me last week. Uncle Perry's face falls, but he recovers quickly enough. "And I thought we could have some nice family time, watching a vid, enjoying ourselves..."
"Uncle Perry, I know the vid already. Besides, Disney is for little ones!" I tell him.
"How did you know it's a Disney?" he asks with all signs of being surprised. I simply shrug. No need to remind him that he always brings the same. "Anyway, when Elvis was your age...." he starts rambling again.
"When Priscilla was my age, she sure was allowed to visit her best friend with her parents' permission!" I interrupt him furiously. As soon as I see his thunderstuck face, I feel sorry for lashing out like that. Which gives him the upper hand. And he knows it. All too soon, we're in the midst of a heated argument, JJ, Lucy and Sammy, Jack and Jim all siding with me for their own benefit. Of course, Uncle Perry doesn't admit defeat in the face of such odds, quite the contrary. I'm short from giving up on this when, unexpectedly, the doorbell rings once again. Since I'm nearest to the door, I open it and come face to face with Aunt Lucy.
"What's going on here?" she asks.
A read-faced Perry White answers her, "Well, Lois is having her baby, and those youngsters don't want to stay to wait for the good news, they actually want to visit friends and the like. Can you believe it?"
Aunt Lucy smiles. "Well, actually, I've come to fetch Jack and Jim. Besides, what's wrong with the other ones leaving? Lois told me that it was okay with her," she says, quickly winking at us.
As inconspiciously as possible, I leave through the still open door. As I discover, JJ and Sammy and Lucy quickly follow suit.
Once again, Uncle Perry's face falls. "But I thought we could have a nice afternoon, enjoying a vid or two..."
While I'm hurriedly walking away, I hear my aunt say, "But Perry, there are enough children left who'd greatly enjoy watching 'Lilo & Stitch'."
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Bottom dweller's note: Okay, it took me about an hour to write this one. Sorry for cheating, but I just couldn't get it finished more quickly.
