Status: Alive and Kicking!
The Ripple Effect
What's One More?
I jammed my key thoughtlessly into the lock, my mind wandering as I turned the knob and pushed open the door with my free hand. The other hand juggled with the bag of groceries cradled in the nook of my arm.
Rein and Jonathan scrambled about the room as soon as I entered the house, and I nearly fell over when they looped around my legs with shrieks of joy ripping past their lips.
“Mama’s home!” Rein cried, grabbing the hem of my shirt on my right side. “Hi, Mama!”
“Hi, Rein,” I murmured, walking toward the kitchen.
“Hi, Maman!” Jonathan squealed, winding his entire body around my left leg. “Welcome home!”
“Oh, hey, Jonathan,” I said, a little louder. “I don’t know that this is a good idea, boys.”
They just kept screaming loudly, both trying to tell me different stories at the same time as I dragged both of them across the floor.
I shrieked when I slipped, throwing the bag of groceries and falling flat on my face. Rein and Jonathan giggled from both sides of me, and they tugged at my arms while rolling on their backs.
“That was fun!” Rein squealed, hugging my right hip.
“Let’s play again!” Jonathan concurred, holding my left side.
“You two are ridiculous,” I teased, sitting upright and pulling them into my lap so I could hold them better. “But you’ve made a right mess, haven’t you?”
“Boys, I should say you owe her an apology,” Orion scolded, smiling apologetically. “They got away from me for two seconds, I swear, Sophie.”
The bag of groceries was in his hands, perfectly unscathed.
“Sorry,” they both whimpered, wriggling away from me before rushing into another game of what appeared to be tag.
Orion put the bag on the counter before helping me up. His hands still scrambled my thoughts, but once he released me I was finally capable of using my brain again.
“You’re some kind of superman, aren’t you?” I grumbled, stepping up to the bag and taking out the food. “How the heck did you catch this?”
“Right place, right time?” he shrugged, reaching from behind me and grabbing a package of chicken to put by the stove. “So… How was work?”
I smiled back at him. “You don’t sound too happy to talk about that.”
He mulled over it for a moment. “You’re right; I don’t.”
“Well… That aside, something curious happened today. Clarice—that’s the woman whose house I clean—and her husband Nate have their grandson, Brian, who lives with them, right?”
“Go on,” he murmured, his hand grazing my back softly as he moved to put a bag of chips in the pantry.
“Well, that’s just it. It was Brian’s sixth birthday a few days ago, so I got him a present: this cute little necklace with a moon engraved in it, like the one my parents gave me. So I—”
“Moon necklace?” he interrupted, his fingers wrapped around my wrist. “What moon necklace?”
“Oh.” I reached under my collar and showed him the pendant in which he seemed so interested. “My parents gave it to me when I was a little girl. I was obsessed with the moon, you know? Heck, I still am.” I tucked it back into its safe place. “Anyway, like I was saying, I got Brian a similar necklace. Normally the boy just gets all shy and won’t say two words to me. But…”
“But…?” Orion had stopped moving around; it was clear that I now had his full attention.
“He jumped on me, and he said he loved me.” Orion smiled. “He said ‘I love you, Sissy. Don’t leave me like Mama and Papa.’” The smile faded. “The poor boy… I can’t imagine what he’s gone through, Orion. Clarice never talks about his parents. I have to think it’s a painful topic.”
His hands were suddenly tangled up with mine, and his soft eyes bore into mine with an intensity that made my face burn bright red.
“I think it’s great, then, that he has you.” I nodded, struck mute. “And if he’s six, that means he’s just about Rein and Jonathan’s age, right?” Again, I nodded. “We juggled two—what’s one more?” My heart lodged itself in my throat when he leaned forward, his forehead pressed against mine. “But not tonight; I need the hope that I might have you to myself for even two minutes.”
“Orion—”
“Sophie, don’t worry about dinner tonight. My mother lectured me over how to cook a decent meal, and I’m going to try it out—you need not lift a finger, alright?” He leaned back, but his thumb brushed across my cheek. “Just relax in the den. Rein and Jonathan are watching something weird, I’m sure.”
“But… Are you sure?” I protested even as he pressed gently on my back to push me out of the kitchen. “I mean, I could—”
“I’ve got it under control. Give me an hour, Sophie. Just trust me on this one thing.”
“I...” He smiled harmlessly, and I groaned. “Just don’t burn down the kitchen; it’s all I’ve got.”
Even as I sat on the couch—occasionally peering into the kitchenette to check on that fool—I still could not stop thinking about little Brian. He had been so scared and desperate. Surely I, if anyone, knew what it was like to have “family” be such a painful topic. But not even thinking about his pain, why had he suddenly become so comfortable around me? He had never wanted to talk to me earlier; surely it wasn’t all over something as simple as a present!
Rein and Jonathan pulled me from my thoughts more often than not when they shifted and wriggled closer to me until I just pulled them into my arms and sighed, resting my chin on Jonathan’s head and chafing Rein’s arm gently.
Despite how nice it was to have these boys with me, my thoughts still wandered to the little boy who had surely witnessed much more than any child should have to bear alone.
“Boys, do you know a Brian? Black hair? Hazel eyes?”
“I’ve seen him. Why?” Jonathan asked, glancing to Rein to see if he knew what I was getting at.
“Do you know what would be great? If you two became friends with him. He’s a really sweet boy, and maybe the three of you can have a sleepover sometime soon. That sound fun?”
Dinner was lovely, speckled with nice conversation. Orion had really outdone himself with his chicken marsalla; that was something my mother used to make for me every birthday that passed. While we cleaned up, the boys ran about the house in one last hurrah before letting us tuck them into bed.
Orion glanced around, confused, once I eased the bedroom door shut.
“Only one bedroom,” I admitted, glancing back to the living room. “There’s a couch.”
He shook his head. “You have it. I can sleep on the floor.”
I watched him wrestle with his pillow on the hardwood panels, plopping roughly onto his side as he tried to get comfortable. Impossible.
“Orion…” I bit my lip. This was a really bad idea. “Sleep on the couch with me.”
He bolted upright then, his eyes widened incredulously. “Sophie, you don’t have to—”
“Stop talking and come here.”
He slept with his head at the opposite end of mine, but I noticed—before falling asleep—that he was hugging my legs. I would have laughed, but exhaustion took over.
Rein and Jonathan scrambled about the room as soon as I entered the house, and I nearly fell over when they looped around my legs with shrieks of joy ripping past their lips.
“Mama’s home!” Rein cried, grabbing the hem of my shirt on my right side. “Hi, Mama!”
“Hi, Rein,” I murmured, walking toward the kitchen.
“Hi, Maman!” Jonathan squealed, winding his entire body around my left leg. “Welcome home!”
“Oh, hey, Jonathan,” I said, a little louder. “I don’t know that this is a good idea, boys.”
They just kept screaming loudly, both trying to tell me different stories at the same time as I dragged both of them across the floor.
I shrieked when I slipped, throwing the bag of groceries and falling flat on my face. Rein and Jonathan giggled from both sides of me, and they tugged at my arms while rolling on their backs.
“That was fun!” Rein squealed, hugging my right hip.
“Let’s play again!” Jonathan concurred, holding my left side.
“You two are ridiculous,” I teased, sitting upright and pulling them into my lap so I could hold them better. “But you’ve made a right mess, haven’t you?”
“Boys, I should say you owe her an apology,” Orion scolded, smiling apologetically. “They got away from me for two seconds, I swear, Sophie.”
The bag of groceries was in his hands, perfectly unscathed.
“Sorry,” they both whimpered, wriggling away from me before rushing into another game of what appeared to be tag.
Orion put the bag on the counter before helping me up. His hands still scrambled my thoughts, but once he released me I was finally capable of using my brain again.
“You’re some kind of superman, aren’t you?” I grumbled, stepping up to the bag and taking out the food. “How the heck did you catch this?”
“Right place, right time?” he shrugged, reaching from behind me and grabbing a package of chicken to put by the stove. “So… How was work?”
I smiled back at him. “You don’t sound too happy to talk about that.”
He mulled over it for a moment. “You’re right; I don’t.”
“Well… That aside, something curious happened today. Clarice—that’s the woman whose house I clean—and her husband Nate have their grandson, Brian, who lives with them, right?”
“Go on,” he murmured, his hand grazing my back softly as he moved to put a bag of chips in the pantry.
“Well, that’s just it. It was Brian’s sixth birthday a few days ago, so I got him a present: this cute little necklace with a moon engraved in it, like the one my parents gave me. So I—”
“Moon necklace?” he interrupted, his fingers wrapped around my wrist. “What moon necklace?”
“Oh.” I reached under my collar and showed him the pendant in which he seemed so interested. “My parents gave it to me when I was a little girl. I was obsessed with the moon, you know? Heck, I still am.” I tucked it back into its safe place. “Anyway, like I was saying, I got Brian a similar necklace. Normally the boy just gets all shy and won’t say two words to me. But…”
“But…?” Orion had stopped moving around; it was clear that I now had his full attention.
“He jumped on me, and he said he loved me.” Orion smiled. “He said ‘I love you, Sissy. Don’t leave me like Mama and Papa.’” The smile faded. “The poor boy… I can’t imagine what he’s gone through, Orion. Clarice never talks about his parents. I have to think it’s a painful topic.”
His hands were suddenly tangled up with mine, and his soft eyes bore into mine with an intensity that made my face burn bright red.
“I think it’s great, then, that he has you.” I nodded, struck mute. “And if he’s six, that means he’s just about Rein and Jonathan’s age, right?” Again, I nodded. “We juggled two—what’s one more?” My heart lodged itself in my throat when he leaned forward, his forehead pressed against mine. “But not tonight; I need the hope that I might have you to myself for even two minutes.”
“Orion—”
“Sophie, don’t worry about dinner tonight. My mother lectured me over how to cook a decent meal, and I’m going to try it out—you need not lift a finger, alright?” He leaned back, but his thumb brushed across my cheek. “Just relax in the den. Rein and Jonathan are watching something weird, I’m sure.”
“But… Are you sure?” I protested even as he pressed gently on my back to push me out of the kitchen. “I mean, I could—”
“I’ve got it under control. Give me an hour, Sophie. Just trust me on this one thing.”
“I...” He smiled harmlessly, and I groaned. “Just don’t burn down the kitchen; it’s all I’ve got.”
Even as I sat on the couch—occasionally peering into the kitchenette to check on that fool—I still could not stop thinking about little Brian. He had been so scared and desperate. Surely I, if anyone, knew what it was like to have “family” be such a painful topic. But not even thinking about his pain, why had he suddenly become so comfortable around me? He had never wanted to talk to me earlier; surely it wasn’t all over something as simple as a present!
Rein and Jonathan pulled me from my thoughts more often than not when they shifted and wriggled closer to me until I just pulled them into my arms and sighed, resting my chin on Jonathan’s head and chafing Rein’s arm gently.
Despite how nice it was to have these boys with me, my thoughts still wandered to the little boy who had surely witnessed much more than any child should have to bear alone.
“Boys, do you know a Brian? Black hair? Hazel eyes?”
“I’ve seen him. Why?” Jonathan asked, glancing to Rein to see if he knew what I was getting at.
“Do you know what would be great? If you two became friends with him. He’s a really sweet boy, and maybe the three of you can have a sleepover sometime soon. That sound fun?”
Dinner was lovely, speckled with nice conversation. Orion had really outdone himself with his chicken marsalla; that was something my mother used to make for me every birthday that passed. While we cleaned up, the boys ran about the house in one last hurrah before letting us tuck them into bed.
Orion glanced around, confused, once I eased the bedroom door shut.
“Only one bedroom,” I admitted, glancing back to the living room. “There’s a couch.”
He shook his head. “You have it. I can sleep on the floor.”
I watched him wrestle with his pillow on the hardwood panels, plopping roughly onto his side as he tried to get comfortable. Impossible.
“Orion…” I bit my lip. This was a really bad idea. “Sleep on the couch with me.”
He bolted upright then, his eyes widened incredulously. “Sophie, you don’t have to—”
“Stop talking and come here.”
He slept with his head at the opposite end of mine, but I noticed—before falling asleep—that he was hugging my legs. I would have laughed, but exhaustion took over.
♠ ♠ ♠
Eventually I'm going to have to stop with making every update a double-update, but only when I run out of chapters :p And everyone who has commented, thank you so much. It means the world to me! And hitting the subscribe button makes me want to hit the update button all that much more; I promise that no notification goes un-celebrated! So thanks for reading :)