Kate folds her arms as she leans against the firetruck, watching the sea of thousands of people all clad with signs and banners chanting. "They're determined, I'll give them that." Buffer mutters as they watch a group of women who seem to be chivying up the group, one clutching a megaphone. Between the frequent chants of what do we want? and the answering calls of the crowd, not to mention the stamping feet, clapping hands and the million other sounds all crashing together, Kate finds herself wishing she'd had the foresight to pack some painkillers for her ever-growing headache.
"Well, it will be a serious blow to the environment if it goes through." Kate concedes. "I can't blame them for protesting."
Buffer throws a sideways glance at her. "Since when were you a Greenie?"
Kate squints, searching the crowd for her sister's latest hair colour. "Since Callista's probably out there somewhere, probably dragging Bridie along for the ride." She shrugs. "Hey, with my sister's strong principles, we're kind of a Greenie household."
Kate's phone beeps, and she digs it out of her pocket, half-expecting it to be Cal texting some obscure fact, or resuming the argument they'd had that morning about how it was Kate's duty as a global citizen to encourage a station-wide strike and join the protest. However, as she glances down at the phone, she catches sight of Mike's most recent message and rolls her eyes.
I hear we're chaperoning the school disco together. Should I coordinate my tux to your dress?
Letting out a sound halfway between a scream and a groan, she shoves her phone back into her pocket.
"What kind of school has mandatory parent volunteer hours anyway?" Kate demands of Bridie, reaching her hand into the washing machine and tugging out a stubborn sock. "I mean, I'm all for helping out the public education system and all that, but seriously... do they actually still need parent chaperones? I thought that was just an American thing?"
"Apparently they 'encourage parents to familiarise themselves with all aspects of the curriculum'" Bridie recites, the quote sounding straight from some sort of information pamphlet and begins unfolding the clothes-airer. Kate watches in amusement as Bridie continues her habit of matching the clothes she's hanging up to the correspondingly coloured pegs; she's the only person she knows who has black and brown pegs in amongst her collection. "And anyway," Bridie continues, as she secures Kate's navy-blue bra with a matching peg. "Rose's Dad will be there, won't he? He seems okay."
Kate hums in a noncommittal fashion, but says nothing more, and Bridie turns to her, giving her a searching look that Kate doesn't much like. "Look," Bridie continues. "I know you have a hard time making friends and stuff. But he seems okay. Rose said her Mum died when she was a baby and he's kind of seemed a bit lonely ever since. Maybe it would be good for the two of you to get to know each other." Kate gives an involuntary shudder, dreading Bridie ever finding out just how well she had gotten to know him.
"I don't need to get to know anyone else." Kate rolls her eyes, passing over the uncomfortable thought and pegging up one of her t-shirts. Bridie pointedly swaps out the clashing pegs and reattaches them with blue. "Look, I'll... be civil to him." Kate adds. "But... he's a bit..." She can't quite figure out exactly what it is about Mike Flynn that rubs her the wrong way, other than the simple fact that he does.
"Okay." Bridie claps her hands together. "So, once the washing is hung out?"
"We're going out, little one." Kate finishes.
"Okay, that guy there? The one with the blue shirt and the glasses? With the laptop?" Kate fakes a stretch and turns, soon spotting the man Bridie had pointed out. He has the appearance of a stereotypical computer geek, although something about the feverish pace of his keystrokes gives the impression of great urgency.
"Yep." Kate murmurs as she twists back to face her daughter.
"Well," Bridie leans in close so that they can not be overheard. "He's a hacker, and he's stealing the cafe's free WiFi to access top secret NASA files and recode all the computers at Houston to play Can't Stop the Feeling every time they start up."
Kate snorts with laughter, although quickly stifles it at the curious faces turning to them. She takes a gulp of her coffee to cover the awkward moment, before scanning the people around the cafe herself. "Okay, well that couple there with the same pancake brunch and the matching his-and-hers collared shirts? The wife is secretly plotting to poison her husband just enough so that he gets sick and can't go on the cruise they've booked for the next month, because she thinks she'll have more fun with her best friend."
"Hmmm..." Bridie nods thoughtfully. "Dark family. At least my stories were lighthearted and cheery."
"What can I say?" Kate shrugs, before leaning closer and adopting a mock-serious gaze. "I struggle with internal darkness."
"Oh, come on!" Bridie rolls her eyes. "You're the biggest softie I know!"
"Well, then I'm an enigma." Kate settles on, draining her coffee and grinning. "Wanna hit up the aquarium?"