Friday Ficlet

It’s amazing what happens when one sets a timer before bed to just write. No web wandering, book borrowing, game gathering, LO lulling – just writing. Granted, “Write or Die” helped…

“You look downright ragged,” Kai Addison said, gesturing to her boys to take their uncle’s bags. “What, did you forget to get a decent sleeper car like you promised? Settled for a broken chair?”

He rubbed his eyes. “Given the scenery, who could sleep? The ride through Portland was spectacular. We could all go sometime. Not that far of a journey really. Takes you right along the coast in some spots, too.”

“And what reason would we have to go to Portland? Not the Rose Festival; Lucas’ allergies. Not basketball. No one wins like the Sonics did. And not baseball.”

“Oh, I don’t know. There is a lot to do there, Sis. The library, the arts. That one band you like has a show coming up in a few weeks.”

“Probably sold out,” she told him.

“Actually, yeah.” He made a sorrowful face, one she immediately interpreted to mean the opposite.

“What did you do Tenny?” She buckled Madison into the car seat even as the youngster insisted she could do it herself. The boys knew better than to fight for the seat behind their uncle, each child thankfully grabbing their chosen reading material before strapping in.

“Tenny,” she asked again.

“Played the lotto.” He leaned against the window, hair in his face, looking as though he might fall asleep as soon as Kai turned the engine. “Played the lotto and won. What do you say, Kai? Wanna go see ‘em? We could catch up with Lydia and the kids can have their fun and-.”

“Garcia? The first girlfriend you said wasn’t a girlfriend? She’s married. You’ll die at the hands of her husband. Didn’t she marry a football player?”

“Lydia? With a football player? Don’t be stupid! She’s smart, a genius. She married a music major.”

“A music major that would give you a proper tuning, I’m sure!” While Kai didn’t care what time Tenny came in, she regretted the fact that construction projects, not rush hour, would slow their way home away from the city. “I don’t know. Lucas might have to work that weekend, whichever weekend it is and-.”

Tenny yawned. “At least ask him first. Maybe we’ll be lucky and it will be a proper holiday for you guys. You became a more problematic workaholic than I first imagined. What happened to you?”

“Family,” she said. She smiled, seeing her three children engrossed in their words. It was as if they were a small bee’s nest, waiting, humming, before exploding with the rapid fire questions that always came about whenever their favorite uncle came home.