Murphys Squared
"Adam, get up! We're late! The clock didn't go off!" Hannah jumped out of bed like a bolt of lightning. It was almost 8:00, and school started at 8:30. "Adam! Get up!"
She rushed down the upstairs hallway. "Guys! Get up, we're late! You're gonna be late for school!" She banged on Crane and Daniel's door and then Evan and Ford's. "Get up! Now!"
Adam was staring out from their bedroom, hair sticking up in twelve directions. "What time is it?"
"8:00! Guthrie! Get up!" She pushed past her husband and yanked her robe off the back of the door. Adam started jerking on clothes as he finally seemed to realize the mess they were in. Vaguely, she noticed rain beating against the windows. Not only late but raining. Check that…pouring.
She heard the boys run into the bathroom, yelling at each other. They didn't shut the door. Okay, she just wouldn't be going that way for a while as they rotated in and out of the shower. One thing she didn't know before moving into a house of brothers was that they had no modesty at all with each other. She'd quickly learned to wear blinders to keep from noticing…stuff. This was definitely a blinder morning.
"Doggone it, Hannah, why didn't ya set the alarm?"
Hannah's head whipped around. "I did!"
"Then why didn't it go off?!"
"You can't be bothered to check it when you come to bed? I set it!"
"Well, I guess you didn't!"
"Maybe you unset it stumbling around the room last night!"
"I didn't mean to trip over the end of the bed!"
Hannah narrowed her eyes in anger but took a deep breath. They didn't have time for an argument. She clamped her teeth together. "I'll be downstairs!" She hurried out before either of them said anything else. Especially something she'd have to apologize for later. She was certain she set the alarm. She remembered last night perfectly: bathroom, chest, alarm, book, bed. She could see it in her head.
Or…was she confusing it with every other night?
She also remembered Adam stumbling in the dark and falling against that same chest of drawers. And the noise of items on top being jumbled.
Rushing to the kitchen, she quit worrying about last night. They had to get the guys out the door as quickly as possible. She saw books on the kitchen sofa and wondered which pile belonged to which kid. She decided to let the boys figure it out, but she could at least get the books ready to be picked up on the fly. She grabbed a stack and put it on the table, one after another, until four piles were lined up waiting for their owner. Then she hung jackets and slickers over the back of the kitchen chairs ready to be grabbed.
Upstairs, she heard pounding feet, frantic yelling, and doors and drawers being slammed. What a mess. She scrambled to figure out what they could eat. Then she heard a horn beep.
"Daniel! Evan! Troy's here! Hurry!" She heard them coming down the stairs. In seconds, they pounded through the laundry room. "Head's up!"
They were quick, Adam's brothers, and they turned as one to catch the apples. Hair still wet and shirts untucked, they grabbed their books and jackets and ran to the front door with a fast, "Thanks, Hannah!" echoing in their wake.
"'Bye, guys!"
A quick glance at the clock…8:15. She grabbed a couple more apples and waited for the last two. They weren't gonna make it. Guthrie had already missed his bus. But then she heard more feet on the stairs, and Ford, Guthrie, and Adam came flying through, looking just exactly like what they were: three guys who had badly overslept. Ford and Guthrie grabbed their apples, scooped up their books and jackets, and ran out the front door, Adam on their heels with keys and a dark look for his wife. Hannah narrowed her eyes. If he thought she was ready to concede, he'd better think again.
SB4SB
Adam stared through the rain, wishing the wipers worked better. At least he knew the roads like the back of his hand. Mostly, he worried about other drivers. And how much tread was still on the tires...
Normally, Ford was picked up by a neighbor on her way to drop her daughter at the bus stop for the junior high in Avery. But the arrangement was: if Ford wasn't waiting by the mail box, she didn't call or come up to the house. She was doing Adam a big favor by picking up Ford, and he'd insisted she not risk Priscilla missing the bus because Ford was sick or running late or working at home that day.
The elementary school where Guthrie was in sixth grade ran a bus right in front of the house. Why that bus ran so close to the Circle Bar Seven, and the junior and high school buses didn't, had never made much sense, but there wasn't much Adam could do about it. At least Daniel and Evan had a friend who picked them up, and Adam had been able to get Ford a regular lift to his bus. But they sure messed up this morning by missing the alarm.
Hannah's suggestion that Adam was responsible was just…ridiculous. And anyway, he didn't mean to trip over the foot of the bed. He'd stubbed his toe and fallen against the chest. He didn't remember anything falling or being turned over on top. Or not much. Besides, even if it had…didn't necessarily mean it was the alarm clock.
Coming to the last stop where Ford might catch his bus, Adam could see the vehicle just pulling to a stop. "Ford, get ready!"
"See ya!" With that, Ford jumped from the truck before it came to a complete stop. He sprinted to the bus just as the last kid in line climbed on. Seeing the doors close behind him, Adam sighed in relief that three of the boys would probably make it to class on time. Maybe not as clean or neat as usual, but they should at least get to school.
Guthrie was another story. Going half way to Avery to get Ford on the bus had taken them in the opposite direction from the elementary school in Murphys, and there was no way on God's green earth that Adam would be able to get Guthrie there before the bell rang.
SB4SB
Ford blew out a breath as the doors shut behind him. This was the last stop where he had any chance of catching the bus. And it had been really close. If Adam wasn't such a good driver…
Still, Ford was barely put together. He and Evan had vaulted out of bed when Hannah banged on their door. They'd bumped and tripped and run over each other getting ready. Basically, they'd stepped into the shower, brushed their teeth, thrown on clothes that might or might not have been theirs, and flown down the stairs. Evan had beaten him but only 'cause he weighed more and could toss Ford around like a stuffed animal. Ford glanced down and realized his shirt wasn't buttoned right. And it was sticking to him. Wonder if it was 'cause he was still wet when he put it on or 'cause of the rain. Didn't matter really one way or the other.
"Ford?" Cleo called out from about half way back, and he made his way down the aisle.
"Hey, Cleo." Ford felt a stupid grin break out across his face and couldn't care less. They hadn't exactly discussed it, but Ford considered Cleo his girl. His heart went all floppy whenever he was around her. And she made a point of keeping dances open for his invitation. And she…usually…saved him a seat on the bus.
"Priscilla said you weren't there, so I thought you weren't coming to school today."
Ford offered a little shrug, "We overslept."
"Oh." She looked at the girl sitting next to her. "Well, Cindy needed a place to sit…"
Ford couldn't blame her for not holding his seat. "Sure. I'll see ya later." He pushed on down the aisle. "Hey, Billy. Can I sit here?"
Ford started rearranging his clothes. A glance down showed he'd managed to get three buttons together, and none of them matched up correctly. As he worked to set things right, water dripped off his nose. Reflexively, he reached up and realized that his hair was plastered to his head, and water was dribbling down his neck. And Cleo had seen him like this.
"Hey, Ford, looking good." The sarcastic voice came from the seat behind him.
Stu Stapleton. Ford breathed a silent sigh. Stu and Kevin Ryland were his friends, but they had a tendency to…well, tease him, but not in a good way. He'd known them forever, being in school together since kindergarten, and the three of them had always been involved in the same activities. But despite all that, Ford felt like Stu and Kevin were older than him—not in age, but experience. They definitely acted more grown up. It had all come to a head the first time he asked Cleo for a date. They made him think he and Cleo had to go all the way, and Ford made an idiot of himself trying to live up to their standards. The amazing thing was that Cleo forgave him for the whole mess.
And Ford decided to forgive Stu and Kevin. There just weren't that many kids his age out where they lived. It wasn't their fault that Ford didn't have the gumption to stand up to them. Yeah, they pushed, but Ford managed to screw up on his own. He shouldn't hold his bad decision against them just because they suggested it. If Stu and Kevin and their girlfriends were ready for more intimacy, that was their call. Ford knew he and Cleo were right where they wanted and needed to be…except that he was sitting with Billy Jennings instead of her.
And of course, Kevin had to poke his iron in the fire, too. "I know it's raining, Ford, but you're soaked."
Ford pulled his shirt away from where it still stuck to him. "I think I was still wet when I put my clothes on." He could hear snickers behind him.
"That's gonna impress Cleo."
Stu's comment made Ford steal a look to where Cleo was laughing at something her seatmate said. It had been a while since he'd ridden the bus with somebody else, and he couldn't help but be disappointed.
"She don't seem real upset to be sitting with Cindy."
Ford tried for nonchalance. "She thought I wasn't coming."
"Seems like she'd have asked Cindy to move." Stu's voice was grating.
Ford felt defensive. "She can sit with whoever she wants."
"She's your girl, ain't she?"
Ford breathed deep, trying not to get riled. "Yeah, she's my girl."
"You shoulda told her to make room."
"Yeah, you got rights."
Ford bit the inside of his lip and watched the rain slewing along the window. Finally, he turned, "Is that why you guys are sitting together instead of with Denise and Missy?"
Stu rolled his eyes, "I'm done with that chick."
Kevin looked away, but Ford caught a flicker of discontent. He wondered if Kevin was with Stu because his friend was presently without a girlfriend or because Kevin had screwed up with Missy. The two boys were wading through girls with startling speed. Maybe Kevin was getting tired of it.
Ford went back to pulling his clothes into shape. While his hands were occupied, he recalled what he'd learned after the screw-up with Cleo at the beginning of the year. His brothers and Hannah set him straight about expectations—their own and what he should expect of himself. Hannah apologized over and over for pushing Ford to ask Cleo on a date. And while he appreciated her regret, he'd wanted to go out with Cleo for a long time. Hannah just recognized what his heart was yearning for and encouraged him to get on with it. And she taught him how to treat a nice girl.
And Adam and Crane talked about standing his ground against peer pressure. They both offered advice about letting the girl have a choice. Crane was still grieving Molly's departure. The two of them talked on the phone a lot, and Ford hoped they would be able to stick together. Adam hadn't quite figured out all that went with being a husband yet. He and Hannah argued a bunch, but they were clearly nuts about each other in spite of the disagreements. They always managed to make up, so Adam wasn't a total failure at the husband thing. And the fact that he managed to talk Hannah into marrying him in the first place just showed he knew something about girls. Ford decided he oughta listen to his brothers instead of his friends when it came to Cleo.
He glanced up front again. Still wished he was sitting with her.