Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.
Chan and Evan are dealing with what business needs to be done. Namely, arranging the cremation and seeing the lawyer about the will. See how they're doing in this week's chapter of Super Trooper. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!
Everything was happening so quickly. Chan felt as
though he was caught in the middle of a dream—the worst nightmare ever. The
trouble was he knew there was no waking from this dream, this was his reality
now. His and Evan’s. And his poor siblings.
He wanted to cry every time he thought about them,
but he forced himself to maintain a visible calm, for their sake. Not until he
was alone with Evan, in the privacy of the guest bedroom, did he feel able to
fall apart, at least a little bit, and let Evan put him back together again.
Chan called
their babysitter and she was more than happy to watch the kids while he and
Evan ran the necessary errands, especially once he explained to her what had
happened. First stop was the mortuary. The
people at the funeral home were very sympathetic, used to facing death on a
regular basis, and they made the whole painful process of arranging for the
cremation surprisingly quick and easy. They had already brought Chan’s parents
from the hospital, after Evan’s call. The private viewing would be held the
next day.
The next stop was the lawyer’s office. Aaran Patel,
as it turned out, had known his parents for some time, and was very saddened to
hear of their passing. Apparently they had updated their will when they began
having children, which he had advised them to do since life was unpredictable. Chan
couldn’t help but shiver when he heard that. If he was more superstitious, he
would consider that foreshadowing, but practically speaking, it was just
foresight on their part. That and good planning.
The terms of the will were simple. The house and its
contents were to go to Chan, as well as any money in their checking and savings
accounts. The house would be paid off through the mortgage insurance they had
bought when they purchase the home.
Most importantly, Chan was named as his siblings’
guardians until they came of age. That came as no surprise to him. They had no
one else. He would have done it, even if his parents hadn’t requested it. And
Evan said he agreed that they belonged with them. Still, Chan felt they should discuss
everything. He wanted to make sure Evan understood completely what would
happen. He didn’t have any children, after all. Neither did Chan, but he’d been
around these children for all of their lives. He almost felt as though they
were his own, and he couldn’t love them any more than he already did.
Chan signed the necessary papers for Mr. Patel that
would make his guardianship official once he filed them with the court. Now no
one could take them away from him. He felt relieved, even though there was no
one would possibly contest his guardianship. Better safe than sorry.
When they got back in Evan’s car, Chan reached for
his lover’s hand before he could start the engine.
“Is something wrong?” Evan asked.
“I just want to let you know how much this means to
me,” Chan said quietly. “I couldn’t do this without you. You mean so much to me…”
His voice broke a little. He swallowed in an effort to stem the tears that
threatened to fall.
“And you mean everything to me,” Evan said. “You and
them. I will protect all of you with my life, I promise.”
Chan knew he meant what he said. He had no doubt of
that. But did he realize how much this would disrupt their lives?
“We… we will have to move into the house,” Chan
said. “The apartment isn’t nearly big enough for us and three children.”
“Absolutely,” Evan said. “I can arrange for a sublet
until the lease is up in a few months. Besides, they’ll be better off in
familiar surroundings, don’t you think?”
Chan nodded in relief. He was glad Evan understood. “Thank
you,” he said.
“An apartment is just a place.” Evan placed his hand
over Chan’s. “Home is where the heart is. And mine is with you. Now and always.”
Chan was overwhelmed and overjoyed at once, and he
couldn’t stop the tears this time as they flowed down his cheeks. But they were
happy tears.
“Did I say something wrong?” Evan fussed, wiping at
Chan’s cheeks.
“Not at all, everything’s perfect,” Chan said.
Evan leaned in to Chan and kissed him tenderly. “Ready
to go home?” he asked. “We can pick up some dinner on the way.”
Home. That sounded so nice. They would have to
arrange to move their things in, but right now he just wanted to be with his
family and love them, and take care of them. They’d be especially thrilled when
they discovered they were getting fast food for dinner. The thought of their
excitement made him smile.
to be continued
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