The J.A.P. Squad (standard:drama, 3594 words)
Author: Hopes	Added: Feb 24 2003	Views/Reads: 3346/2302	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
The entire family goes to a cabin in the Smokies. Even in the beauty of the mountains, the boys find a way to get in trouble (Jim, Andy & Pete, otherwise known as the J.A.P. Squad). [Third in the "Life Changes" series, but can be read alon

THE J.A.P. SQUAD By Hope 

Part 3 of “Life Changes” 

(Can Be Read As A Stand-alone Story) 

One boy is something.  Two boys are ‘exciting'.  Three boys together. .
. well, sooner or later an explosion of some kind WILL occur! 

David's mind was running along this line as he sat on the porch watching
the evening sky.  His younger brother, Pete; his adopted son, Jim; and 
Alex's son, Andy made up the J.A.P. Squad, as they called themselves.  
It had been awhile since their last scheme.  He wondered what they 
would come up with next. 

********** 

The J.A.P. Squad had decided they needed a money making project.  From a
neighbor they had gotten pure bred rabbits, three females and two 
males.  They thought they would sell Easter bunnies for the holiday. 

Pens were built and careful records kept of the litters to ensure the
quality and health of their animals.  The only problem was that they 
had not researched their market.  After selling the tiny bunnies to 
everyone interested for miles around, they still had 25 of them left.  
The expense was beginning to work into their profit.  Something had to 
be done. 

It happened that David and his parents were going to a homecoming at a
church they had attended when he was small the next Sunday.  Alex was 
fighting a persistent cold and would be staying home.  The three boys 
decided to go on to their regular church.  That morning they arrived 
several minutes late and slipped into the last row.  As soon as the 
service was over they quickly left. 

Imagine almost everyone's surprise to find as they journeyed home after
church, that they had a tiny stow away bunny in their car!  David 
received a number of phone calls about the various reactions.  It was 
quite obvious to everyone who had done this since they already knew 
about the business venture.  After all, it was a small community.  Most 
all had taken their ‘gift' in stride and laughed at the boys' actions.  
The local pet store owner took pity on the JAP Squad and took the 
adults and five returnees off their hands. 

David and Alex just shook their heads when they found out what their
boys had done, and then laughed until tears coursed down their faces as 
they imagined the various scenarios with some of the church people.  It 
took a while to let the humor of it settle down before they could 
properly scold their miscreants. 

********** Summer vacation had just begun.  The boys were given a week
of total freedom by their parents.  Next weeks they would be busy with 
their summer jobs of projects both at the house and around Gran and 
Gram's place (David and Pete's parents').  They were paid for their 
work so they could have their own spending money.  There were several 
special events coming up to save for. 

June would be busy with work projects.  A cookout was a tradition on the
fourth of July.  Since David bought his house, he had hosted the 
cookout and loved it.  In addition to a huge older house, there was a 
very large yard all the way around it.  A whole pig began to be roasted 
a couple days before the fourth, tables and chairs were borrowed from 
the church and set up and soft drinks were covered in ice in several 
tubs nearby.  All the family and many church friends would come. 

After the cookout, Alex and Andy would go to his parents' for a week. 
It had been three years since the accident that killed his wife, Ann, 
and incapacitated him.  He had made a lot of progress, but still 
couldn't drive.  Jan, his younger sister, would bring them back after 
their visit.  His daughter Maggie was home for the summer from college 
and he and Andy were anxious to spend time with her.  When she wasn't 
at college she stayed with Alex's parents since Alex could not live on 
his own yet.  He still couldn't believe that David had brought Andy, 
his godson, into his home and life after the accident and then brought 
him there when he left the rehabilitation center.  This was done after 


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