Ok, none of these characters belong to me, darn it...LOL..This story popped into my head, so I wrote it and decided to share. Anyone who has a young child can relate to one Jennifer DeSoto. ( ) is for thoughts.

 
"Is it time yet?" asked little Jennifer DeSoto as she sat at the kitchen table finishing up her glass of milk and her graham crackers.

JoAnne smiled as she washed the dishes. What was this, the fifth time Jennifer had asked this question since she got up this morning, and it was only 10:00AM. Turning around to face her daughter she replied, "No sweetie, it's not time yet," and looking at her watch she continued, "you still have 6 hours".

"Oh," Jenny said, not really understanding what 6 hours really was. After all she was only 3 years old. She got up and handed her empty glass to her mommie and walked purposefully out of the kitchen in search of her daddy.

(Daddy will know if it's time yet) little Jenny thought as she headed through the livingroom.

Spying the tv, she got distracted as there was a cartoon on; so she stopped to watch it for awhile, as it was her favorite cartoon, 'Tweety & Sylvester'.

After intently watching the cartoon till it was over, she noticed her 7 year old brother Chris was sitting on the couch, so she went over to him and asked: "Is it time yet?"

Chris looked at her after pulling his attention away from the next cartoon that was starting and replied, "No it's not time yet, dad and I don't leave for a few hours."

Confused, Jenny said again, "No, Chris, is it time yet?"

Looking at her annoyed, "I don't know what you're talking about twerp, so why don't you go ask dad," Chris stated.

Jenny crossed her little arms over her chest, stuck her tongue out at Chris, and stomped out of the room.

After searching the house, she found her daddy upstairs in the master bedroom putting on his shoes and socks. Little Jenny smiled and ran into the room, right up to her daddy saying, "Is it time yet, is it time?"

Roy smiled at his little girl as he kissed her on the cheek and then replied, "No sweetie, it's not time yet." And then he looked at his watch and said, "You've got another 5 1/2 hours."

Jenny's smile faded as she turned around and quietly walked out of her daddy's room and went down the hall to her bedroom. (How long is 5 1/2 hours?) she thought as she picked up her favorite doll and began to play.

After playing for awhile, she got up and headed back downstairs to ask her mommie if it was time yet.

She found her mom in the kitchen packing a backpack with lots of items. She went up to her and tapped her on the leg, and when her mom looked down she said, "Is it time yet?"

JoAnne sighed, "No, Jenny, it's not time yet; you've got 4 1/2 hours to go."

Jenny shrugged her shoulders and stomped out of the room (it was NEVER going to be time yet) she thought, but as she got into the living room, she spied the telephone and her smiled returned. (Surely 'he' would know if it was time yet).

Now Jenny did not know all her numbers by memory yet, but she did know 1...2...3...4...5 and she remembered his number was next to the phone along with her daddy's number at work; so she picked up the phone, sat down, and began to dial his number.

"5.....3.....3.....4.....2.....1.....1".

She heard it begin to ring so she waited for him to answer. After the third ring, she heard a very familiar voice.

"Hello."

"Hi, Uncle Johnny, is it time yet?" Jenny asked with great enthusiasm.

"Uh...Jenny?" Johnny asked

Jenny nodded her head yes.

"Jenny, is that you?" Johnny asked again

Jenny once again nodded her head yes.

Now Johnny knew Jenny's tendency to nod her head yes instead of replying yes, so he continued to talk to her.

"Sweetie, is your mommie there?"

Again Jenny nodded her head yes.

Smiling big, Johnny asked,"Would you go get her for me?"

Jenny nodded her head yes again, and plunked the phone down running to get her mommie. "MOMMIE, UNCLE JOHNNY'S ON THE PHONE!" she yelled.

Johnny could hear her through the phone and started laughing.

About a minute later, he heard the phone get picked up and Jo's voice.

"Hi, Johnny, you called?" she asked.

Chuckling, he replied, "No not exactly. Jenny called me to see if it was time yet, and then all she did was nod her head yes when I asked her stuff, so I suggested she get you."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Johnny, I don't know why she does that," Jo said.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I think it's cute," Johnny replied.

"Well I think she's a little anxious for you to come get her. She's been asking all of us all day, if it's time yet," JoAnne said laughing.

"Well hey, do you want me to get her early? I mean I can clean up and be over in say...30 minutes?" he asked.

"Oh, Johnny, you don't have to do that. I know you had things you wanted to get done before you picked Jenny up," she replied.

"Aww, that's ok, Jo, you just tell my best girl that I'll be over in a little bit, ok?"

"Well ok, Johnny, if you're sure."

"Yea, I'm sure, see ya soon...bye," Johnny said as he then hung up the phone.

"Bye," Jo replied.

She looked down at her daughter with a bit of a stern look on her face. "So, you called Uncle Johnny huh?"

Nodding her head yes, "uh huh"

"And.....why did you do that?" she asked

"Cause everyone was telling me it wasn't time yet, so I know Uncle Johnny would know if it was time yet, so I called him," Jenny reasoned.

JoAnne was amazed at her 3 year old daughter, and with the earnest look on her little face, she just couldn't be mad at her.

"Well Uncle Johnny is coming over in a few minutes to get you."

"YIPPIE!" Jenny squealed as she spun in a circle. "See, Mommie, I knew if I called Uncle Johnny, he would know if it was time yet."

"Hm hmm, well you go get your overnight bag that mommie packed for you, it's in your bedroom."

As Jenny ran from the room, Jo yelled "BE SURE TO GO POTTY TOO....AND WASH YOUR HANDS!"

Just then she felt arms wrap around her from behind, "I see our little girl won one again," Roy said with a smile.

"Yea, well...you know she's got all of us wrapped around her little finger," Jo said with a smile.

Roy snickered "Yea, especially my partner."

Jo nodded. "So you and Chris ready to get going to your overnight campout with the scouts?"

"Yep, Chris is getting his stuff and mines already in the car," Roy said.

Within a few more minutes, Roy and Chris said their goodbyes and headed out for a fun filled weekend with Chris's Cub Scout Den on their annual overnight campout for 'dads and lads'.

JoAnne had planned to go to her mothers while Roy and Chris were gone, to help her finish up her Spring cleaning, and knew that Jenny would be bored. So when Johnny had offered to take her overnight, she readily accepted knowing how much Jenny adored her 'uncle' and vice versa.

She heard the familiar sound of his Land Rover as it pulled into the driveway. She then heard the loud squeal of her 3 year old daughter who apparently heard him pull up too.

"Uncle Johnny, Uncle Johnny," she said as she struggled to open the front door.

 PART 2   (The Further Adventures of Johnny Gage & Jennifer DeSoto)

As the doorbell rang, little Jenny had her small hands wrapped around the door knob, working to get it opened. Finally she got the knob turned enough that the door opened.

"Uncle Johnny, Uncle Johnny, I missed you" Jenny squealed as she hugged her uncle firmly around his thigh.

Johnny reached down and pulled Jenny up into his arms.

"Hey there, Princess, how's my girl?"

"I'm fine, Uncle Johnny, and you know what?"

Johnny kissed her on her cheek. "What, sweetie?"

"I'm all packed and ready to go" she said with a nod of her little head.

"Yes, and she's been packed since yesterday," JoAnne said as she came into the entry way.  "Why don't you let Uncle Johnny into the house, Jenny."

"He is in the house, Mommy," Jenny said as she hugged Johnny around the neck, placing her little face against him.

Johnny smiled and put Jenny down, "Why don't you go get your stuff, honey, while I talk to your mommy."

Jenny skipped off to get her things.

"You sure you want to do this, Johnny, it's not too late to back out," Jo said with a smile

"Nah, no need to back out. I couldn't let her down if I tried.  We'll be fine, Jo, don't worry about her."

"It's not her I'm worried about, Johnny," Jo said with a chuckle.

Johnny grinned. "Any last things I should know about before we leave?"

"Just this.”  Jo handed Johnny a bottle of pink liquid. "This is Jenny's antibiotic, she needs to finish taking for that ear infection she had 3 days ago.  She gets a teaspoon full three times a day. I just gave her the second dose, so give her one before bedtime and keep it refrigerated."

"Amoxicillion huh, she likes this doesn't she?"

"Oh yes, she loves it and she'll probably try and talk you into letting her take more than she should, so keep it high up in the refrigerator so she can't see it."

Jenny came running back into the entry way with her backpack in one hand and her stuffed Tenderheart Carebear tucked under her other arm. "I'm ready."

Jo squatted down in front of Jenny. "Now you be a very good girl for Uncle Johnny, and do everything he tells you to, ok?"

Jenny nodded her head up and down. "Yes, Mommy, I will."

"Ok then." JoAnne kissed Jenny and hugged her tight as Jenny wrapped her little arms around her mom. Johnny smiled down at the exchange between mother and daughter.

JoAnne let her go and Jenny reached up, handing her backpack to Johnny; still hugging Tenderheart tight, she took Johnny's hand as they started out the door.

"Bye, Mommy"

"Bye, sweetie, be good"

"See ya tomorrow afternoon, Jo," Johnny said as he opened the passenger door of his Rover and lifted Jenny up into the seat, fastening her in with the seatbelt.

"Wait, Uncle Johnny, you gotta seatbelt Tenderheart in too."

"Oh, ok, how about he shares this seatbelt with you?"

Jenny nodded her head as he fastened them both in, and then shut the door. Hurrying around to the other side, he climbed into the vehicle and started it up.

"Don't forget your seatbelt," Jenny said.

"I won't, pumpkin," Johnny said as he fastened his seatbelt and then began backing the Rover out of the driveway, waving at JoAnne who waved back at them as they pulled away.

<51>

As they drove down the street, Jenny turned toward Johnny and said, “You know what?"

Johnny smiled. "No, what?"

"I'm gonna be this many on my birthday," Jenny said holding up 4 fingers,.

"And how many is that?"

Looking at her fingers, she said, "Um, 4, I'm gonna be 4 years old and Mommy is giving me a party at Micky Donalds, are you gonna come Uncle Johnny?"

"Of course I'm gonna come. I wouldn't miss it for the world, and I even remember when it's gonna be."

"You do?"

"Yep, a week from tomorrow. But I need to ask you something, sweetie."

"What?"

"Well, I was wonderin what you wanted for your birthday."

"Um, I want some My Little Ponys and the house that goes with them, and I want more Care Bears and, um...I want a new dolly and some coloring books and, oh and a buggy to put my dolly in," Jenny stopped to think a second placing her little finger on her lips..."oh, and I want skates and new crayons and um, new clothes for my dolly."

Johnny giggled thinking, (well she sure knows what she wants). "So what did you ask your parents for?"

"Oh, I asked them for a baby sister."

"You did, huh? And what did they say?"

"Well Daddy didn't say anything, he just looked kinda....funny, but Mommy said that would be nice, but if they did, it could be a baby brother...yuck!"

"Yuck huh? So you wouldn't want a baby brother?" Johnny asked as he carefully turned the corner at the intersection.

"Nope, brothers are brats and I got a older brother and he's a meanie," Jenny said crossing her little arms over her chest.

"Well they're right. If you ask for a baby sister, you could get a baby brother."

"How come?"

"How come what?"

"How come I could get a baby brother if I ask for a baby sister?"

"Well um....uh....those kind of things can't be controlled."

"Why?"

"Why?....well....um....that's just the way it is, sweetie."

"Why?"

(Oh man, how do I get myself into these things?) Johnny thought..."You know, sweetie, you should talk to your mommy about that."

Nodding her little head, she said, "Yea, that's what Daddy said too, I guess daddy's and uncle's don't know much about that."

Laughing, Johnny said "Yea, guess we don't."

They turned another corner and headed down the street. Looking to his right, Johnny saw a McDonalds and turning to Jenny he said... "Would you like to stop at McDonald's, sweetie?"

"Oh yes, yippee!" Jenny said bouncing in her seat as Johnny turned the Rover into the parking lot.

<51>

Parking the Rover, Johnny got out and helped Jenny get out of her seatbelt and out the door. Taking her hand, they headed through the front doors.

They went up to the counter, "So, sweetie, what would you like?"

"Um, I wanna girl's kid's meal, Uncle Johnny."

"Ok." And turning to the young girl at the counter, "I'd like a girl's kid’s meal and a #2 with everything on it."

"Would you like a hamburger, cheeseburger or Chicken McNuggets in the kid's meal, sir?"

"Oh, um...Jenny, which would you like?"

"I wanna cheeseburger please."

"Ok, and, sir, what kind of drink would you both like?”

Knowing Jenny loved Orange, he said, "A Coke for me and an orange soda in the kid’s meal."

Johnny pulled out his wallet to pay for the meals.

Sitting down a few minutes later, they began to devour their meals.

Jenny reached in and pulled out a plastic toy Barbie doll. "Look, Uncle Johnny, she looks like me, huh?"

Johnny took a hold of the 'toy'. He could never figure out how the toy people could think any woman could have that kind of shape, then realizing Jenny was expecting an answer from him, "Uh..yea, sweetie, she sure has your blond hair."

Jenny giggled taking the toy back. "Uncle Johnny, can I play in the playland over there?"

"Sure, sweetie, but finish your food first, ok?"

Jenny nodded, stuffing another french fry into her mouth.

Once she had eaten all she could, Johnny let her go play in the tunnels, and bridges and all the stuff they had for the kids.

Johnny threw the trash away, refilled his drink and sat watching Jenny, waving to her each time she got to the top of the slide and each time she got to the bottom. After about 20 minutes, Jenny came over to Johnny with an anxious look on her little face.

"Uncle Johnny, I got to go potty."

"Oh....ok...well why don't we leave and you can go at my place?"

“Nooo, I gotta go NOW, Uncle Johnny," she said as her hand went between her legs which were tightly together.

"Oh...ok....well....um....come on," Johnny said as he led her back to the bathrooms.

"You gotta come in with me, Uncle Johnny, cause Mommy says I'm too young to go by myself."

"Jenny...um....I can't go into the ladies room, their might be ladies in there.....uh...how about I get one of the girls who works here to go in with you?"

"Nooo, I can't go into the bathroom with a stranger, I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

Johnny let out a long breath and pinched the bridge of his nose..."Well....um..."

Jenny began squirming around. "Hurry, Uncle Johnny, it wants to come out."

"What, honey?"

"My pee pee," Jenny whined, her hand once again between her legs with her knees together.

"Oh man, what do I do...um...MISS," Johnny called to the girl cleaning off a table nearby. The girl looked up. "Could you guard this door while I take her into the bathroom?"

"Well there’s a lady in the women’s restroom with her 3 kids, sir, but you could take her into the men’s room and I'll watch the door, as I know it's empty at the moment."

Johnny sighed. "Ok thanks, come on Jenny." He opened the door and ushered her inside.

"Is this the boys room,Uncle Johnny?" Jenny said with wide eyes. “I'm not supposed ta go in to the boys room, ewwww."

"It's ok, Jenny, cause the lady outside who works here said we could, ok?" Johnny took her to one of the stalls and said, "Can you go in there by your self?"

"Yes, Uncle Johnny, but I don't know how to lock the door."

"I'll hold it for ya, ok?"

Johnny stood holding the door...."Uncle Johnny, I need one of those paper things."

"Paper things?"

"Yea, so I can sit on it," Jenny explained.

Johnny mumbled "sit on it"....”Ok, how about we put some paper towels on the seat and you can sit on them?"

"Ok...but hurry, I gotta go real...real...bad."

"Ok." Johnny let go of the door and got some paper towels and went into the stall and placed them on the seat. "There ya go, sweetie."

"Thank you." She smiled as Johnny left the stall and resumed holding the door for her.

A few minutes later, he heard the toilet flush and Jenny saying, "Can I come out now?"

Johnny released the door. "Sure, sweetie."

Jenny came out and marched over to the sinks. "What are those, Uncle Johnny, do I wash my hands there?" she said pointing to the urinals...

"Uh....no, sweetie, those aren't sinks."

"What are they?"

"Um....well....they’re um....they’re just special sinks that only men use," Johnny said hoping she would buy that.

"Oh," Jenny said as she began to wash her hands..."How come the handles are so far above the sink part?"

Johnny handed a couple paper towels so Jenny could dry her hands. "Well.....um....uh only tall men use them," he said as he gently pushed her out of the bathroom before she could ask him any more.

Once outside Johnny picked Jenny up and carried her to the Rover tickling her all the way, effectively ending that conversation...