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.
Vinnie and Ethan head back to Imperial to drop off Uncle Benny. They spend at night, and are delighted at the changes that have been made. The next morning Sarah joins them for dinner, and tells the boys what's going on in her life...since it involves them. See what's happening in this week's chapter of Bad Karma and the Family Plan. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!
The following morning, we were joined for breakfast
by Sarah and little Alex. Sarah was delighted to hear that her uncle was
staying on, at least for a little while. When Benny spoke about taking family
trips together, I could see Maureen fairly glow with happiness. Even the
Reverend didn’t seem averse to the idea. And, wonder of wonders, neither did
Joey, who had made a point of being pleasant even. Things were working out
better than we could have hoped when this all began. Of course, we were invited
to be a part of such occasions. Ethan solemnly promised that we would do what
we could, and what our schedules allowed. That seemed satisfactory to everyone,
and to us as well.
Before we left, we managed to get a few minutes with
Sarah, out on the front porch steps. Ethan took advantage of the time to hold
onto Alex, who seemed at least momentarily sated after his meal. He nestled
back against his uncle, looking rather content.
For her part, Sarah seemed rather thoughtful. More
than once, I caught her casting her gaze toward the distance, as if wondering
what might be there. It wasn’t until Ethan said we really needed to get going
that she gave us some insight into what was on her mind.
“Ethan,” she tentatively began followed by a pause.
“Yes?” he encouraged her.
“I’ve received an offer of employment from a history
museum.”
Ethan and I exchanged delighted glances.
“That’s great news. Congrats, Sis!”
I echoed Ethan’s sentiments, minus the sis, of
course.
“Um,” she began again. “This museum… it’s in
Roanoke.”
I hadn’t expected that, and apparently neither had
Ethan. Even more reason to be excited for her, though. She still seemed
hesitant, though.
“Sarah, what’s wrong? You don’t look all that happy
about it,” Ethan commented with a slight frown. “Is there a problem with moving
or something? You know we’ll give you all the help we can, and so will Mom and
Dad.”
“I know, and I appreciate that. The thing is…. I
hate to impose on your guys…” She faltered again.
I was clueless as to what she was saying, but Ethan
caught on more quickly, smart boy that he is. “You need a place to stay, right?
Until you can save up enough to get a place of your own.”
Sarah’s sigh of relief told me all I needed to know.
Ethan had called it, of course. Must be that twin thing they had going on.
“That’s really kind of you, Eth, but are you sure? I
mean, I don’t come alone, you know. Having a child in the house can be… well,
messy, sometimes. And loud. I don’t want to disrupt you and Vinnie’s lives or
anything.”
“Don’t be silly,” I assured her before Ethan could
even open his mouth. I knew what he would say, and I agreed with him. “We’d
love to have you stay with us.”
Ethan’s smile told me I’d said the right thing, as
he quickly added his agreement. “You never have to ask. You’re welcome to stay
with us whenever, for as long as you want. When does your job start?”
“I haven’t officially accepted it yet. I was worried
about moving and everything. I hadn’t planned on looking in Roanoke. I just
thought it was time to get out of Mercy’s hair, let her and her wife have their
privacy back. But then I found out about this place, and I thought it sounded
pretty wonderful. Maybe I can even take some more classes, you know? I know
Roanoke has schools I could attend.”
“Absolutely. That would be wonderful. Just let us
know and we’ll make sure everything is ready for you. We’ll even come and get
you. If we’re not on assignment, of course.” With our jobs, we couldn’t count
on anything, to be honest.
“I understand. And thank you both so much.”
We all rose at the same time. Ethan handed off Alex
to his mother, and we all hugged. Then it was time to make our farewells and
hit the road. We got Benny packed up, as well as all our stuff. Before Ethan
started the car, he turned to me and pulled me in for a kiss. “Baby, you’re the
best,” he said. I basked in the glow of his words for quite some time.
to be continued
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