Good morning, Happy Hump Day and Happy St Patrick's 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.
After seeing Chan off to work, Evan learns the babysitter is sick, so he decides to stay with Kamal and Madhu. Is he biting off more than he can chew? See what's going on 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!
Evan’s request for a day off was quickly given,
luckily. Otherwise, he wasn’t sure what he would have done. After getting off
the phone with his supervisor, he slid it into his pocket and returned to the
kitchen. Kamal was just finishing his pancakes. He looked up from his plate,
giving Evan an inquisitive glance as he searched for something or someone.
“Denise can’t come today. She doesn’t feel well,”
Evan explained.
“Oh,” Kamal said. “Is Mandy coming then?” He dragged
his fork through the remnants of syrup on his plate, his brow furrowed.
“No, I’m going to stay here with you and Madhu
today.” For a moment, Evan wondered if maybe he’d made the wrong decision, if
maybe he should have called Chan after all. Judging by Kamal’s expression, he
was none too pleased at the turn of events.
“Is something wrong?” Evan slid into the seat across
from Kamal. He’d found that people responded better if you weren’t towering
over them. Not to mention, he hadn’t
eaten yet.
“Nooo.” The way Kamal drew out the single word told
Evan that wasn’t exactly the truth. Was it because he didn’t want Evan there on
his day off? Or maybe he had other plans. The boy’s next words confirmed his
suspicion.
“Um… well…” Kamal hemmed and hawed before finally
bursting out with, “Some of my friends are coming over to play with me today.”
Evan felt relief at those simple words. Nothing
horrible, just plans seemingly gone awry for their free day. Probably something
Kamal had been looking forward to.
“No problem,” Evan said, offering Kamal a smile. “They
can still come over if I’m here, can’t they?”
Kamal mulled this over for a moment, scratching his
temple. “I guess so,” he said. “You mean, it’s okay with you if they come over?”
He sounded hesitant, as if he hated to ask. Evan wondered if the boy thought of
him as mean or menacing in some way. He hoped he didn’t come across that way.
There was such a fine line between being watchful and being strict, though. And
he wasn’t sure of himself yet with Chan’s siblings.
“Of course it’s okay,” he assured him. “Are you
full? Maybe you can find room for another pancake or two?”
He watched Kamal fight some kind of inner battle
with himself, as if he didn’t want to ask for Evan’s help with anything. But
his stomach won that round.
“Yes, please,” he replied.
“Here, take mine, I’ll make some more.” Evan slid
his plate across to Kamal, who happily accepted them. He knew Chan always made
extra batter, so it was no problem to reheat the skillet and make himself some
more. Just as he finished, Madhu toddled
into the room, rubbing her eyes and clutching her stuffed wolf. She glanced
between Evan and Kamal.
“Chan?” she asked hopefully.
“Not today,” Kamal said. “He’s at work. Evan’s going
to stay with us.”
Evan noticed that Madhu was shuffling from one foot
to the next. He recognized the signs immediately. “You want me to take you to
the bathroom?” he offered.
Madhu tugged at Kamal’s hand. “Kamal take,” she
said.
Evan wasn’t surprised. He was usually her last
choice for that particular duty. He tried not to read into that. She was just a
baby, and she didn’t really know him very well.
“Kamal, do you mind?”
“No, I’ll do it.” He slid from his seat and took his
sister’s hand. “Come on, Madhu. We have pancakes for breakfast.”
Madhu smiled and let her brother lead her away. Evan
decided to warm her pancakes and have them ready when she returned. Now, how
was he going to keep her occupied and happy all day?
to be continued
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