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.
Evan finds a surprising ally in his plot to do something special for Chan's birthday. When Kamal calls Chan to complain that Laksha has no time for him because she is busy with Evan, Chan worries that something is wrong. See what's going on in this week's chapter of Super Trooper. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers! Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!
The savings and loan where Chan worked locked its
doors promptly at noon on Saturday, since it was just a half day. But that didn’t
mean any customers still inside were kicked out. Everyone who was already
inside at twelve was taken care of before the employees closed up and left for
the day.
Everything was running smoothly today. Chan hoped the same could be said of his
home. He’d called Evan on his break and talked to him briefly. But Evan had
seemed a little… distracted. Chan had asked was anything wrong and had been
assured that nothing was. Still, he couldn’t help but worry just a little.
His concern only increased when his cell phone rang
just as he was walking out the door.
What
has happened now?
To his surprise, the caller was Kamal. Chan steeled
himself for the worst but hoped for the best. “Hello?”
“When are you coming home, Chan?” Kamal hadn’t even
bothered with a salutation. Not surprising.
“I’m getting to leave work now. Is something wrong?”
Chan held the phone away from his ear as he bid one of the tellers a good day,
then returned to his phone.
“I’m booooooored,” Kamal complained. “I want you to
come home and play with me.”
Ah, so nothing earth-shattering or critical. Chan
breathed a small sigh of relief.
“I thought you were playing with your friend Gene
today?” Chan asked. He juggled the phone as he locked the door behind him, the
alarm already set, then crossed the parking lot to where his car sat beneath
one of the few shade trees around.
“I was, but he had to go visit his grandma.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Chan automatically commiserated.
He barely remembered his grandparents. They had died when he was little, long
before his mother’s remarriage and before she had his siblings. He wondered if
Kamal missed not having a more extensive family. Not that there was anything he
could do about it, other than be the best brother he knew how to be.
“Yeah, me too,” Kamal replied. If he was disturbed
at his lack of a grandmother, he hid the fact rather well.
“Maybe you can play a game with Laksha till I get
home?” Chan suggested as he started the car, glanced automatically behind him,
and backed out of his spot.
“No, she’s too busy for me.” Kamal sounded
aggrieved. “She told me to go outside and play if I was going to keep whining.”
“Is she playing with Madhu?” Chan wondered if he
expected too much from his sister. She was still a child herself, after all.
“No. Her and Evan—”
“She and
Evan,” Chan automatically corrected him.
“She and
Evan are doing something, and she won’t tell me what.” Chan could practically
see the pout on his little brother’s face. Despite himself, he had to smile,
even as he wondered what Laksha could be up to with Evan. Should he be more
concerned or relieved? Hopefully it was nothing serious. What that something
serious might be, he couldn’t say.
“I’ll be home in just a few minutes. We can do
something then, okay?”
“Yay!” Kamal’s mood instantly brightened. “We can
have fun without them!”
“Kamal…” Chan thought carefully how to phrase his
next question. “Laksha and Evan… they’re not yelling at each other, are they?”
Not that either one of them actually yelled. The only yelling he’d ever heard
from Evan was when he was in State Trooper mode. Not yelling exactly, but
definitely a get-your-attention voice.
“Yelling? Why would they be yelling? I’ll meet you
out front!” Kamal ended the call before Chan could get in another word. Well,
he supposed that was his answer. He’d have to wait to find out what was going
on.
How bad could it be?
to be continued
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