26

We came down into a dinning room that was surprisingly small for the size of the house and what I saw of the rest of the rooms. It had a table set for eight and several people busy laying dishes and plates of food on it my mouth started to water a little. Alex was sitting in one of the side seats with Tracy and Pedro on either side reading some papers in his hand. Pedro just stared at me and Helen with no interest while Tracy smiled big at Helen. Susan the one that looked like a red neck trucker to me was sitting by Tracy looking uncomfortable.

Alex noticed us and smiled. He set aside the papers he was reading and said "Come in! Come in!" in a cheerful voice and waved us to some chairs across from him. We thanked him and sat in the chairs.

"Well I think everyones here. Lets eat." Alex said and reached over and started to scoop up some mashed potatoes out of a bowl in front of him. Everyone else started to do the same. Helen and me dished ourselves up and started to eat. There was no conversation on the table for the first ten minutes as everyone ate. It was one of those uncomfortable times that you get so I just keep ed my head down and ate shoveling food into my mouth until I felt a elbow from Helen in my side. I looked up and smiled a little and started to eat slower. No one seemed to notice.

Alex finally broke the silence. "So Tracy says that she works with you Helen Isn't it?"

Helen being caught with some food in her mouth looked at Tracy and swallowed. "Yes! We have been working together for about three years now."

"I remember her talking about you during Christmas dinner a few years ago." Alex smiled. "She seemed said that you weren't a lesbo like her."

I choked on my drink I was drinking so did Tracy. Pedro just chuckled.

"Uncle Alex!" Tracy said after she stopped choking with a few pats on her back from Alex.

Alex just laughed. "Everyone always thinks I am inappropriate." with a side long look at Tracy "especially family." He leaned into the table like he was going to say something secret but said it in a normal voice. "I don't know why she cares shes got Susan over here." at witch time Susan turned a deep red.

"Uncle will you stop! You are embarrassing everyone!" Tracy said again.

Alex looked at everyone on the table and smiled as he pointed at Pedro. "Not Pedro here! I don't think I ever found a way to embarrass this big dumb ass Mexican here."

"And I doubt you ever will Sir!" Pedro said with a smile. And then proceeded to shovel food in to his mouth.

Alex looked at him for a second. "You eat like a pig sometimes. Do you know that."

"What do you expect. I'm a big dumb ass Mexican. Remember." Pedro said between mouthfuls. He finished up and wiped his face and then stood up. "I have to go and make sure the guards are in place for the night and everyone else has a place to stay."

"What ever!" Alex said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Pedro patted Alex's head like a dog and started to leave when he leaned over Tracy's shoulder. "It's a good thing you came, because I would of killed him by now." he said with a smile of fondness toward Alex. And then he left the room. Alex went on eating in much the same way Pedro did acting like he didn't hear him as he left.

The rest of dinner went quietly with little conversation. Mostly small talk between Tracy and Alex. He didn't seem to concern and very little was said about what was happening in the rest of the world. It was almost like it never happened and we were just guest at some guys house for dinner. At the end of dinner we were told because of Helen's background in medicine we would be staying in the room that we were using before as the main house would be used as headquarters. And that since I had a bad foot I could help out around the Kitchen since everyone was expected to help out around the ranch.

Alex got up and started to pick up dishes and shuffle them off to a door that as it swung open I could see that it was a Kitchen. I picked mine up with Helen's and started to hobble after him when Tracy stopped me with a hand. "No. its his time alone now."

I looked at her wondering what the hell she was talking about. She just said "For some reason or another he likes to wash the dishes. Its like his relaxing time or something. Go ahead and head up toward your room and go to sleep. You will be woken up when its time to start breakfast."

I looked to the door and then back at Tracy. "OK!" I set the plates down and with Helen at my side we hobbled back to the room. When we got there the dog was back on the bed and it looked like he had a bath because all his fur was wet and I could smell that wet dog smell. He seemed happy and pampered and the bed looked really comfortable to me. I laid back down as Helen went into the bathroom. I had to push the dog over who was hogging the whole bed. I thought that this had been the weirdest two days of my life and then I knew no more as I fell asleep.