American Entertainment 1982

Chapter 29

Bethea's foster family is located in a residential area in the center of Providence, in a quiet environment with large green plants, close to the park and the Providence River.

It is a British-style detached house with five bedrooms and six bathrooms. In addition to the garden and swings in the backyard, a small boardwalk has been built, leading to the river. In summer, the family can row a boat. Fish on the sparkling river.

When Tommy Hawke and his son arrived, Bethea was already wearing a pink Betty Doll outfit of the same style as Tony, holding a plush doll from "Napy Guys" in her hand, and was in the care of her foster mother Monica. Accompanied by two pet dogs, he waited outside the door, waving excitedly at the Hawker's pickup truck.

Tony and Tommy actually felt a little embarrassed when they parked their car in the public parking space. Looking around, there is no such high-powered pickup truck that blue-collar workers like to buy in the entire residential area. It is a luxury recreational vehicle with a surfboard on the roof or a yacht hook on the rear of the vehicle. It doesn’t need any external reminders. Just get out of the vehicle and you can intuitively feel that the three members of the Hawke family mixed in the bottom of society are out of place here.

When Colin Hawk jumped out of the car, Bethea in front of the door suddenly shouted: "Daddy!"

After that, he ran nimbly like a strong and sunny deer, and threw himself heavily into the arms of the old man!
Colin Hawk hugged Bethea lovingly, raised it above his head and spun around in circles: "Bethea, my baby girl! How are you doing this week?"

"She insisted on wearing Betty Doll." Foster mother Monica walked slowly behind, without interrupting the intimacy between the two, she just smiled and said beside her: "And she insisted on making arrangements for going to the park in the morning. It was changed to the afternoon, I didn’t understand it before, but when I saw Tony and Tommy, I understood her insistence.”

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Hopkins, thank you for taking care of Bethea." Father, Tony, and Hawke politely spoke to each other at the same time.

The 42-year-old woman in front of her is a senior partner of a local accounting firm. Her husband Reid Hopkins runs a dental practice. The biological daughter in the family has grown up and is studying at New York University with a full scholarship. Well, let's put it this way, the two pet dogs raised by this family are both richer than the three members of the Hawke family at this time.

After all, the two pet dogs can enjoy the treatment of going to the pet hospital to be served and bathed twice a week, and being taken away by the pet doctor for regular medical examinations every month. Unemployed from GM Ford, I no longer know what unlimited hot water and dentists are.

"Daddy~Why are only Tony and Tommy wearing the jacket I mentioned?" Bethea giggled under her father's support, and then looked at the three of them with her soft and bright eyes, asking questions.

"OK~ come down, baby girl." Colin Hawk carefully put down his daughter, then took off his coat and threw it to Tony, revealing the T-shirt inside, which was just an ordinary white T-shirt from the front, but he took off the coat , showing the back, you can see a graffiti of Betty Boop and the diaper family printed on it, and there are crooked children's handwriting below:

"Bethea Hawke and her family."

Monica covered her mouth to avoid losing her composure, and then exclaimed with emotion: "Oh, you printed the painting that Bethea gave you last time on the T-shirt? It's great, Mr. Hawke, I'm so touched gone."

"Do you like it? Bethea? This is drawn by my precious daughter. Of course I have to carry it with me." Colin Hawke proudly spun around in front of Bethea, enjoying his daughter's love with pride. surprise expression.

Taking advantage of the moment his back was turned to Bethea, the father did not forget to look at Tony and Tommy, especially Tommy, imitating his disdainful tone when he was in the car and said: "Family comes first, huh?"

Tommy Hawk could only shrug his shoulders and make a win-win gesture to his dad.

There is a park next to the residential area, and Bethea rushes to the park to show off her diaper family.

Monica handed Colin Hawke the tote bag that had already been prepared, which contained vitamins, drinking water, biscuits, snacks, yogurt and other children's products, and told him Bethea's precautions, but at this time Colin Hawke hesitated, but turned to Tommy Hawke, who was tossing his sister lightly with Tony:

"Son, come here, I had some insomnia last night, and I'm worried that I can't remember clearly, so come and listen with me."

Leaving Tony to play with Bethea, Tommy came over with some doubts, Monica looked at Tommy: "The weather is a bit dry today, check her lips for about half an hour, if they are a little dry, remember to let her drink water , and there is lip balm for children in it, and at four o'clock, she must remember to take vitamins, so that at dinner she..."

After listening to Monica's earnest instructions for a few minutes, the father and son took Bethea to the park to play.

I don't know if it's an illusion, but Tommy Hawke felt that his father seemed to let him spend more time alone with Bethea intentionally or unintentionally, which made him feel a little abnormal.

Bethea is the jewel in the palm of his father Colin Hawke, and his status in his heart is not comparable to that of the two sons. In order to ensure that time can be used for him to accompany Bethea, he even refused to allow Tony and himself to accompany him to visit.

With doubts in his heart, while his father took Bethea to buy ice cream, Tommy asked Tony: "Tony, do you think it is possible that Dad is terminally ill and will die soon?"

"Really?" Tony turned his head to look at his father in the distance, and then looked at Tommy with a hellish expression: "I don't think it's possible."

"Why? Why are you so sure?" Tommy looked at his brother suspiciously.

Tony shrugged: "I don't think if I'm terminally ill and I'm going to see God right away, I'm still in the fucking mood to go to a strip club to drink. Last night after he finished working overtime until midnight, he went to a strip club with his friends and got drunk. Or I got a call from the club and drove him home."

"Well, your reason is very good, I hope I'm thinking too much." Seeing Tony's extremely determined expression, Tommy whispered.

Tony came curious: "Why think too much? What did Dad do to make you want to curse that he is about to die? He did a five-finger movement on the posters you collected, but he didn't clean them up?"

"No, I gave the poster to Dennis. Do you think it's abnormal that Dad seems to have a lot of time today for me and Bethea to play alone. He wanted to glue Bethea to his above the head." Tommy expressed his doubts to Tony.

Tony nodded slightly, then patted Tommy on the shoulder: "Maybe he wants you to spend more time with his sister before you go to college and leave here."

"I'll bring Bethea home before I'm admitted to college." Tommy exhaled, as if speaking to Tony, but also as if talking to himself.

Bethea was waving ice cream in the distance and calling the names of the two brothers. Tony ran slowly towards Bethea, turned his head and smiled at Tommy who followed:

"Compared to your words, I believe that you will become the X-Men and make coffee for Professor Charles Xavier in the bathroom."

(End of this chapter)