Page 34 of Doran

“Yes, well, nothing is expected in until after lunch today.”

I nodded. “Quiet day then.”

“Just the way I like it,” he replied, setting off, doffing a new hat on his head. It was a black Stetson with a silver band, and it looked great with his black and silver uniform.

“He’s looking snatzee,” I said, tilting my head towards him.

“You mean snazzy? Yes, he does. That’s a nice hat, and his uniform is always just so.”

A flare of jealousy swelled at the way she was casting admiring looks towards my brother. Irrational, I knew, but still it was there nonetheless. I grasped her chin and tilted her face up to mine.

“I’ll show you snazzy.” Then I kissed her, and made sure to do so thoroughly.

“You’re such a caveman,” she chuckled as we broke apart.

“Yabba dabba doo,” I replied, remembering the Flintrocks, and she snorted.

“I need to dust. I noticed smoke on the windowsill and bookcase last night.”

I stood up. “I need to clear the ground for the greenhouse. That way I can put the kit up this weekend.”

“We’d best get started then.” She got up, and after one last quick kiss, we parted ways to go do our chores.

21

SARAH

The kids’ Peanuts show was showing the credits when I went inside, and I needed to dust. I was also internally raging anew, this time with a focus on a new target: Doran and Kaelor's parents and sister. The nerve of those people! Not even bothering to come up with a polite lie to excuse their non-attendance, and outright saying, “Oh, that’s a two or three day trip each way, and if the only reason we’re going is your wedding, we don’t feel it’s worthwhile to spend that amount of time traveling”.

We own a freaking rooming house slash inn, for Pete’s sake! They could have stayed longer, gotten to know their new grandkids and me, reconnected with their son and brothers, taken in some of the local color - like the Tyridium dance thing at Bob’s joke wall. Or just enjoyed a respite and borrowed the flitter and explored the countryside, maybe us joining them on picnics. I wasn’t sure who deserved the Biggest Tool of the Universe award most - my parents, his parents, or his sister, and so I didn’t upset him about it by showing how absolutely pissed off I was about his family’s contributions to the “How Shit Can We Make Today” event. I was going to clean.

“Okay, boys, I’m going to go to the kitchen for a moment. You two can turn that off and follow me, and I’ll give you what you need to help me.”

“Bob, turn off the TV!” Evan yelled, and the wall reassembled its surface molecules so it was simply a wall.

“What are we going to be doing?” Matt asked as they trailed behind me obediently.

“We’re going to do some tidying up.”

“Aw, man! Chores!”

“Once we’re done, we can bake cookies. Sugar ones, and you two can decorate them.”

“Yeah!”

It would make a mess in the kitchen again, and I’d have to colour icings but that was okay.

“So, deal?”

“Deal,” they agreed.

Entering the kitchen, I opened the laundry cupboard and took out the laundry basket.

“Now, Evan, you take this and bring me the sheets off your bed and Matt's.”

“I can do that!” he said, looking happy that I hadn’t asked him to do anything difficult. He took the basket from me and raced away.

“No running in the house!” I reminded him. He had to have heard me, as his footsteps slowed and I didn’t hear any loud thumps from him thundering up the stairs.