Chapter 7

Laura was intrigued by Mr. Steele's news. Miraculously, she had everything under control at the house. The boys were having a World-War-II battle along the whole family room, with a million of soldiers displayed in their barricades, war tanks ready to attack, jeeps carrying more green characters, and the entire paraphernalia including them with their own helmets and guns. Staying at the family room had turned dangerous at some stage of the game, so she decided to retire herself from the battlefront towards a more secure territory. She was looking through one of Janice's photo albums at the living room when the bell rang.

"You arrived at least! Where have you been? What took you so long?" asked Laura trying to hide her intrigue behind a scolded welcome.

"I decided to make a detour by the video rental. I've brought something to share with the boys. Back to the future and FX."

"Let me see… A teenager is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his friend, Dr. Emmett Brown, and must make sure his high-school-age parents unite in order to save his own existence…"

She took the other case and gave a look to it as well, "Rollie is an expert in the art of Special Effects and has a reputation build on many low budget hack and slash films and is quite surprised to find that the FBI has a job for him. He is to stage the murder of a gangster that is about to enter the Witness Protection Program. He agrees, but then things get complicated. All the while a New York City police detective, Leo McCarthy, is investigating the faked murder and can't understand why the FBI is even less helpful than usual…"

"I don't think FX would be appropriated for two boys in a tender age. We are not going to create a trauma into those little ones with a violent movie. Let's go for Back to the Future," said Laura.

"I'll be in charge of the movie, and you can take care of the popcorn, Laura." Just at the moment he finished his words, he realized his mistake. Laura taking care of the popcorn… They would be going to smell burned popcorn the whole day. But it was already late. Laura was in the kitchen burning the stove, ready to start maneuvering the ingredients. Mr. Steele stood right behind her, putting up his sleeves.

"Why are you behind me, Mr. Steele? Don't you trust in my abilities?" she asked him without stopping her movements.

"On the contrary, Laura, I would love to catch a glimpse about my American wife in the middle of the ritual of making the best American popcorn."

She turned back, and crossed her arms in front of him, "Mr. Steele, you are lying."

"Why, Laura?"

"You are suspecting I will not be able to make some respectable popcorn, and you are here spying on me, ready to save us from what you think it will be a disaster." She ended her statement pointing him several times on his chest with her index finger.

"I would never spy on you, Laura," he answered her without looking at her face.

"Popcorn is one of the few things I am able to put together in a kitchen. I have some hidden skills, you know?"

"Really? I can't wait to be delighted with them…" he answered with a hint of sarcasm.

"Mr. Steele, go to the family room and get things ready to start with the movie. I'll be there with the popcorn in a blink," she ordered.

He didn't want to annoy her more, so he turned in his heels and disappeared from the kitchen, asking for mercy to the Lord in a very silent pray.

"Icy calm, Laura." She thought to herself. "You can walk out there and hit him in the back of his head with this pan, or you can go on and make some good popcorn." The first idea tempted her more than she cared to admit. But she controlled her instincts and started to let her skill flow.

Once he got to the playroom, he was in the disaster zone. He tried to find a practical way to get some order restored in the battlefield, so he suggested the boys push everything against the wall to make it easier to pick up, executing a demonstration with his own feet. The plan sounded like a good idea at the beginning… until Matthew shoved part of the soldiers with a strong kick. Lucas followed him, and in a moment they were pawing every little piece frantically through the whole space, mixing laughing with screams and blowing battle material all over the place. Laura, who was still in the kitchen, quietly working on the perfect popcorn, noticed the uncontrolled situation at the family room. She put the pan off the stove and went to see what was happening there. Just at the moment she put her foot into the playroom, a flying jeep almost crashed over her face.

"Mr. Steele! What's going on here? I thought you were going to get things ready! Children! This is not the proper way to put away your toys. We are not going to start with the movie until everything is in order."

"But he told us to do it like that…" answered Matthew pointing with his finger at Mr. Steele.

"You told them to do it in that way?" Laura's face was incredulous. But she didn't want to sound aggressive in front of the children. "Well, then maybe you can teach them how to do it correctly, from the beginning to the end, the whole way, Mr. Steele... I think the twins will appreciate that."

"Yes, show us how to do it," said Matthew trying to hide his laugh.

Mr. Steele stood up, and with all the pride he was left, began to pick up the soldiers, one by one, and to put them in the toys box. Laura tried to suppress her laugh, but couldn't resist and hurried up to hide behind the kitchen's door. Mr. Steele's face had been priceless. The man certainly had an excellent instinct to put the kids into action…

Once the order was finally restored, they started with the movie with the twins sitting on the floor eating popcorn. After the titles, Mr. Steele began to relax on the couch beside Laura. He put his arm on her shoulder, and instantly she put it off. "We are on a case, behave yourself…" she whispered to him.

He looked at her, and after rolling his eyes, he returned them to the TV screen. He was trying to focus his mind in the movie, when Matthew asked," Why is Doc using Plutonium instead of gasoline?"

"Because it makes the car run faster to travel through time," answered Laura.

The movie went on for some minutes.

"What is a Calvin?" asked Matthew.

"A Calvin is a blue jean," answered Laura.

"Maybe you have seen the advertisement… there is nothing between…" Mr. Steele added, but he was interrupted by Laura's elbow in his ribs. The boy turned back from the floor looking at him without understanding.

"Mr. Steele!" threatened him Laura with a critical gaze.

He gestured to her with his hands. He decided then to keep his mouth shut for a while.

"What is a radiation suit?" asked Lucas.

"A radiation suit is a suit specially made to protect people from radiation," answered Laura.

The boy seemed satisfied with the explanation.

"Who is Darth Vader?" asked Matthew a few minutes later.

Mr. Steele took the hint and answered faster than Laura this time, "Allow me with this one, Laura." He proudly gave the explanation to the kid. Laura gave him a tired gaze. She was surrounded not by two, but by three kids… The movie went on for a while until the fatal question arrived…

"Why Marty says his mother has got the hots for him?" asked the boy.

Mr. Steele was ready to start with his risky explanation when Laura interrupted him and pushed the VHS pause button. Looking at the children, she told them, "Okay boys, we have to be quiet to understand the movie, boys. If we are constantly talking, we are not able to understand what's happening. Do you want to keep watching, or you prefer to do another thing?"

"Keep watching," answered Lucas, talking for the first time.

"Okay. Let's go on with the movie then. If you have anything to ask after the end of the movie, then we will answer your questions." said Laura. She sat back on the couch and pushed the pause button again to let the movie to continue after exhaling a tired sigh.

"God, you are good," Mr. Steele whispered Laura in her ears.

"Shut up and watch the movie," she answered him smiling while patting his thigh.