"Little Britches" (ATF) Universe

Based on a true incident.

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Dear Mizz Nettie,

Mr. Ezra thought it would be a good idea if I told you what happened with JD at the dentist's office, so you would understand why Papa Chris and Papa Buck got so mad at Miss Christina and fired her. He said that I should also explain why the Dentist won't see JD again.

Mr. Ezra has corrected my spelling, too. He's awful nice. I think he would be a good Uncle Ezra, don't you?

Miss Christina took JD and me to the Dentist for JD's first dentist checkup.

She had a magazine called Cosmo something and she told JD to follow the nice lady at the desk in to the dentist.

Near as I can tell, JD thought the nice lady was the dentist. Miss Christina didn't tell us nothing about dentists, neither. Mr. Ezra says that is important that you understand that she didn't explain anything to us, even though it was JD's first visit.

Well, anyway, JD went with the nice lady and I sat there real quiet, because Miss Christina gets irritated with me when I talk while she's reading. There were magazines for children there and I looked at the pictures.

Next thing you know, I heard JD scream like someone had pulled all his hair out at the same time. It was so loud even Miss Christina noticed. A lady sitting across from us who looked real nervous and who was holding her face funny jumped when he started in.

"What's that, someone having surgery."

"Nope," I said, "It's my little cousin JD getting his teeth cleaned."

The lady looked even more nervous and she left. Then we could hear a man yelling something fierce too. Miss Christina threw her magazine down and got up and I followed her to see if I could help. I knew JD weren't dead on account of the noise he was making, but I thought that maybe he'd feel better if I were there. I know he was making a lot of noise, but everyone tells me that they don't like dentists and I knew the dentist was supposed to be nice.

We went into the room where JD was.

JD was on one side of the room and he looked like he was ready to fight a bear to the death. On the other side of the room was this man holding his hand up, and screaming just as loud as JD. He was the dentist. JD bit him because no one told him he was the dentist and no one told him that the dentist was going to be touching his mouth. Mr. Ezra says that Miss Christina was irresponsible because Papa Chris and Papa Buck both asked her nice to get JD ready for his first visit. He said putting him in clean clothes is not the kind of preparation that they had in mind and that he's going to take JD to another dentist.

J. D. is going to talk to you next, cause he is worried you will take us away on account of he bit the dentist.

Love,

Vin

Dear Mizz Nettie:

This is what happened. Mr. Ezra keeps laughing but he says its not because I was bad or anything. Please don't get mad at Papa Chris or Papa Buck.

Miss Christina took me to the dentist with Vin. Vin stayed outside in the waiting room and I went with a real nice lady into another room. She smiled at me and put me in a chair that went way up in the air. I liked it a whole lot. Then she put a funny napkin around my neck and left the room.

Then, through another door, comes a man with a white coat on and he put his hands in my mouth. Now, Papa Buck said that no one who is a stranger is supposed to touch little boys and if anyone tried to touch me, I should make a fuss. So I bit him on the hand. I yelled too.

He hollered almost louder than Papa Buck did when we brought the kitten home that turned out to be a skunk. He was not a nice man neither. He said bad words and he said my teeth can all fall out for all he cares. The nice lady who made the chair go up in the air came in and so did Vin and Miss Christina and no one ever did anything to my teeth. They were all upset but they shouldn't be upset at me. I only did what I'm supposed to do. No one told me that mean man was a dentist.

Why is Papa Chris so mad at Miss Christina and not the dentist? And Mister Ezra found a new lady to be our housekeeper while Papa Chris and Papa Buck have to go away. Her name is Mrs. Potter and she can make COOKIES with chocolate in them. I think she is much nicer than Christina and she smells better too.

Love,

JD