The following evening found the siblings settled down to a night of greasy pizza and trivia game shows. Both siblings sat on the floor, legs stretched out in front of them with a pair of pizza boxes between them. They had discovered that they may be older, but neither of them had grown any more "domesticated", and they hated doing dishes with the fiery passion of a thousand suns.
With that in mind, they decided to forgo the use of plates for the evening, and instead were eating the pizza slices straight from the box.
"Oooh!" Violet burst out around a mouthful of pepperoni pizza, "I know that one! Rhodophyta!"
Tony swerved his head around. "What in the…"
There was a buzzer from the television as the contestant got it wrong.
"I'm sorry," Said the smiling game show host, "but that is incorrect. The answer is Rhodophyta."
Tony narrowed his eyes at his sister, "What is it?"
"It's the scientific name of Red colored algae," Violet said with a shrug.
Tony smirked as the next contestant picked their category, "I'll get you on this one."
The announcer read from the card, "Who was the actor who played the Skipper on Gilligan's Island?"
"Alan Hale Junior!" Tony burst out, pointing at the screen. "You know I'm right, Trebek."
When it was announced that Tony was, indeed, correct, Violet giggled. "Alright," she said. You've got me on the popular culture stuff."
"That's about all I've got going for me," Tony said, but he was laughing when he said it. "That and my music."
Violet turned to him and tilted her head in speculation. "Music?"
"Yeah," Tony said. He hurried to his feet and went to the bedroom, his voice becoming muffled as he moved farther into the apartment. "I brought this with me, but I'd left it in my car last night." He entered the room with a big, well cared for yet obviously well played guitar.
Violet gasped. "You finally learned to play?"
"Finally?" He gaped at her in mock horror. "I will have you know, little sister of mine," he said, perching on an arm of the sofa and tuning the instrument, "That I was well on my way to being the brilliant musician I am today before I joined the military."
"Ha," Violet gave an exaggerated scoff. "This I have got to see."
After a few minor adjustments, a few test chords to loosen his fingers, Tony began strumming out what Violet recognized was their mother's favorite song.
Violet felt tears well up in her eyes as Tony, in a surprisingly good baritone, began to sing the familiar words. Violet joined in the next verse, and together the siblings sang a song that was so much a reminder of their childhoods, that for just a moment the years between began to melt away.
"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us, and the world will be as one…"
As the last chords faded, Tony held an arm out and gathered Violet close. "I am so sorry, Vi. If I'd had any idea… I would have stayed."
Violet shook her head. "No. You needed to go."
Tony sighed. "I thought so at the time."
Violet sniffled, swiping her hands across her cheeks like a child. "It's late, Tony, and I still have to work tomorrow morning."
Tony nodded, standing with his guitar in one hand. "Alright, Vi. Have a good night, and if you decide that you want your bed, I really can sleep out here."
Violet shook her head emphatically. "No. You take the bed and get some good rest."
"Alright," he said and made his way to the bedroom. "G'Night, Vi."
"'Night, Tony," Violet answered.
An hour later, once she was certain that Tony was asleep, she got to her feet. Still fully clothed from the day before, she slid her feet into her slip-on shoes without bothering with socks. She glanced at the time and knew that she'd have to hurry.
She might just have enough time.