It did not take long for Lucy and Leo to become acclimated. The early loss of their parents and their general lack of affection made them eager for attention. Not only from me, but from their new siblings as well. Entering their room some mornings, I would be greeted by the sight of their piled bodies, snoring away with contentment. Coming home from work, I was consistently greeted by the coterie of smurf babies in the most amusing of ways. From down the hall, a small head would peak around and begin to rapidly chirp to alert their siblings. The smurf on watch would then bolt towards me, as the rest of their siblings would be not far behind. Sometimes they would come holding hands or clinging to each other, always happy to see me.
With two new smurfs in the house, I was happy that the process was a painless one. My heart had bled for the two, finding them as I did. Sometimes at work, I would remember the look Lucy gave from that soaking wet cardboard box. Her two big, innocent eyes filled with a combination of fear and sadness. Pleading for anyone to save the two of them. I wondered at times, what their short lives must have been before I had found them and what would have happened if I hadn't been there. I shuddered to think of it, especially when I saw how innocent and defenseless they were. I would stay awake next to their sleeping cage at night and marvel at them, those precious little gifts.
The twins, though they had their quirks, fit in just fine with the rest. Lucy was very adventurous, constantly climbing over or on top of things much bigger than herself. She had proven herself after requiring me to by a new playpen for the house that was escape proof. She did cry in dismay after first encountering the new overhang blocking her but was assuaged when I put out some climbing toys for her. I know she liked to put on a brave face but she had an inner sensitive side she was hiding. It did come out sometimes. She loved to be scratched under the chin and would purr loudly when I did so. Her younger brother, though smaller and thinner than her, had a stronger constitution than I gave him credit for. He was the youngest of the group, younger than Daisy even. However, he did not let that stop him from tagging along with what everyone else was doing. Leo preferred to be near his siblings or to cling to his sisters back, getting nervous and panicky if he was separated. He was fine being held but would cry if you tried to put him down.
Gus though initially reluctant, had come around to love his siblings. He was the one to look after them, being the oldest and smartest. First to rise last to sleep, his watch over his siblings was unending. After being alone for the longest time, the sudden influx of smurfs had brought out him a familial passion. Daisy loved her new siblings, particularly the young Leo. She was stuck to his side whenever he wasn't around Lucy. At night she would sleep next to him and at meals would try to give him what was left in her bottle. I was surprised to see this the first time, the event causing me to seek information from Dave. He assured me that everything was fine and that it was a healthy part of smurf group dynamics. I took this as a great sign, that my efforts had bore fruit and that the smurfs had acclimated. Now of course, like all siblings they fought from time to time. However, their squabbles were not out of the ordinary and they would always work things out after a couple hours.
In my ease, I planned and created a wonderful dinner. It was not to be anything extravagant, just a little get together with some people close to me. I invited Dave as a thank you for all of the help he had given me. I had invited some people from the office but they were either busy or otherwise unable. My smurfs watched as I cook, their little noses sniffing hungrily at the smells which wafted from the stove. They each stood at the rim of the wicker basket, dressed in new clothing I bought just for the event. They jumped and chirped as the doorbell rang and they saw Dave standing in the doorway. I greeted him warmly and led him to the dining table, pouring him a glass of wine.
I returned to the kitchen, making sure that nothing was burning, when suddenly my phone began ring. Turning down the stove, I pulled out an earbud and accepted the call. Listening, my movements began to slow down. Sluggishly, I put the phone to my side, took up the basket of smurfs, and brought them to Dave. He looked at me with concern and asked what was wrong. I gave a vague response; one he did not buy. He looked me in the eyes and repeated his question, causing me pain in my chest. I excused myself and made my way to the bathroom leaving Dave and my smurfs behind at the table. Flicking on the light, I opened my medicine cabinet and fished out some pills. I took them with some water from the tap and then splashed some water on my face.
My heart was beating heavily and I was starting to feel light headed. The light bulb was getting brighter and there was a pounding in my head which grew each second. Looking into the mirror, I was greeted by my sweat drenched face. I couldn't bear it, let alone understand. Everything had been going so well. Seconds turned to minutes as I felt every cell in my body scream in terror. A deep feeling of sickness overcame me and cause me to vomit into the toilet. Sitting back with my head into the wall, I felt the room spin around me.
I didn't know what I was going to do.
I didn't know what I did wrong.
All I knew was that I had to think of something.
The door in front of me opened and Dave stuck his head in. Looking down at me, his eyes flared as he rushed beside me. I could hear him talk to me but I was unable to respond. I was paralyzed with fear and shame. What could I do? How could I tell him I just lost my job?