No Place Like Home Part 6 - Pop Went the Weasels
Author: Lexa
Email: c_rossingjordan@yahoo.com
Rating: PG
Comments: This is moving along (slowly). But I want to thank you all for your incouragement!!! I'm very busy right now with school and a play I'm doing, but I *will* find time to write part 7 soon! :) Anyways, ENJOY!!!!!
~*~*~*
"Round and round the mulberry bush, the mokey chased the weasel............."
I groan as I burry my head in one of the pillows to muffle the sound of children playing outside. I don't want to get out of bed. Not today. This is not the day for little children to be singing loudly outside my window in the morning. If only I could just sleep my way through the rest of Thanksgiving weekend.
"..........POP GOES THE WEASEL!"
Stupid kids. I throw my pillow off the bed and finally lift my head. The first thing I see is the clock that reads 7:30. I roll over to face the window. The children outside are now playing jump rope. What kind of children are they? Why are they playing outside at 7:30 in the morning? And on Thanksgiving, too.
My muscles ache as I pull my legs out of bed and the rest of my body follows. I can hear Greg fussing with pots and pans downstairs, and I wonder how anybody can be so excited about anything, let alone cooking, this early in the morning. Maybe it's just him. And those little children outside. And Luka. Okay, maybe I'm the only one who'd rather just never get out of bed.
I don't bother changing, just start going towards the kitchen. Just as I'm half way down the steps, I get a glimpse of inside the kitchen and realize Greg is not alone, Eric is sitting at the table. The two of them both turn to look at me, and we all pause for a moment.
Finally, my brother gets up from his seat and walks over to me on the stairs and smiles, "Hey, I think I remember you."
"Nice to see you too, Eric," I grin and extend my arms out to give him a hug.
As he hugs me, he lifts me up and looks at me. "Miss me?"
"Like you wouldn't believe." We both laugh. "You can let me down now."
"Never!"
"You know, even though you're bigger than me, I will still always be your older sister," I tease.
"No, no, all that goes out the window when I'm able to pick you up and twirl you around like this," he replies as he demonstrates.
"Come on you two," Greg calls to us from the kitchen. "Breakfast." Eric puts me down and I follow him into the kitchen. "So, what do you guys want?"
I notice he's made pancakes, put out cereal, and prepared toast. But no coffee. Eric looks at me and laughs. "I think I know what Abby wants."
I shrug, "I'm not really hungry. But I guess I'll have a bit of pancakes," I say, sitting down.
Finally, our father clues into what Eric meant. "Oh, coffee? I can make some."
"No, no, Dad, that's fine. Just sit down."
"Are you sure Abigail?"
Eric laughs. "I haven't heard you be called 'Abigail' in a long time." I stick my tongue out at him, and Greg joins Eric in laughing.
******
All around the cobbler's bench
The monkey chased the weasel
The monkey thought 'twas all in fun
Pop -- goes the weasel!
Johnny's got the whooping cough and
Mary's got the measles
That's the way the money goes
Pop -- goes the weasel!
*********
"I couldn't believe that you left med school," my brother comments as he takes a bite of toast.
I play with my fork and look at the small bits of pancakes left on my plate . The two of us have been sitting here for about an hour now. Greg left right after breakfast about thirty minutes ago so he could pick up something from work he forgot. Now that's devotion, going to work on Thanksgiving just to pick something up. Either that or he needed a break from us. Whichever way, it gave Eric and I time to talk.
"Some things just aren't meant to be."
"But you had worked so hard to get there. Then when you told me you left, I guess I was a bit caught off guard."
"I like my job as a nurse."
The two of us are silent for a moment, and my body starts to tense up a bit. We're both looking at each other. We both know what the other is thinking. I want to know how Maggie is, although don't have the courage to mention it first, and I can tell he desperately wants to know if everything's been worked out between Greg and I, although fears to bring it up.
"So..... You and this Luka guy...." He finally says, smiling.
I laugh. "Yah?"
"You never really told me much about him."
My body relaxes again. "What were you expecting? A description of how he is in bed?" We both laugh.
"Nooooooo...... that would probably be a bit too much information," he chuckles.
"Then what?"
"I don't know..... What does he look like? Has he ever been married? Does he have kids...... Does he prefer cheese or butter on his broccoli?" Both of us laugh again. It's not hard to remember why I missed Eric so much. He's the only glimpse of having a happy family I ever had.
"He's uhh.. tall, with dark hair.... He was married once, with two kids, they died." I pause for a moment, "And who eats broccoli?"
"His wife and kids died?"
"In the war."
"Oh."
**********
I climbed up and down the coast
To find a golden eagle
I climbed the rocks and thought I was close
Pop -- goes the weasel!
But, alas, I lost my way
Saw nothing but a seagull
I tore my pants and killed the day
Pop -- goes the weasel!
*********
"And what about your love life? Still going out with that Becky?"
"Yah. I still can't believe it. Next month it will be three years."
I raise my eyebrows, "Wow, surprised you haven't asked to marry her by now."
He tares a piece of toast and tosses it at me. "You're the one to talk! How is our dear Richard anyways?"
I shrug as I half-heartedly stick my fork into a small piece of pancake. It's soaked in maple syrup. "Busy with his whores."
"A little resentful, aren't we?"
"I swear Eric, he's now picking up dates at Chucky Cheese."
Eric shakes his head, chuckling as he gets up from his seat and takes both our plates to the sink. I follow behind him and open the tap, letting it fill up with water. There's a silence as we begin to wash the dishes. "So........ You and dad seem a little......" I look at him questioningly. "Distnat. I take it the two of you didn't really work things out?"
I turn to put the dish in the cupboard and turn back again with a sigh, "Not really."
He starts to wash another plate. I can see that look on his face. The disappointed look that everyone seems to use with me. Luka has the look on his face when I smoke. Weaver gets that look when I screw up. Everytime I don't live up to someone's expectations, I see that look on their face.
"It has been twelve years Abby."
"Right, it was a long time ago." I take the next dish from him to dry off quickly.
"Close, but that's not it." He stops what he's doing and turns to me, taking my hands, forcing me to stop what I'm doing and look at him in the eyes. "It's been a long, long time. I can't just sit around anymore and watch this happen. You think he doesn't love you and he thinks he did some horrible thing to ruin your life. And I think we both that's not actually true." We both stare at each other silently for what seems like an eternity. Finally, he let's go of me and slowly goes back to washing the dishes.
**********
Every night when I go out
The monkey's on the table
Take a stick and knock it off
Pop -- goes the weasel!
Put some pepper on its nose
And you'll make it sneeze-l
Catch it fast before it snaps --
Pop -- goes the weasel!
*******
Author: Lexa
Email: c_rossingjordan@yahoo.com
Rating: PG
Comments: This is moving along (slowly). But I want to thank you all for your incouragement!!! I'm very busy right now with school and a play I'm doing, but I *will* find time to write part 7 soon! :) Anyways, ENJOY!!!!!
~*~*~*
"Round and round the mulberry bush, the mokey chased the weasel............."
I groan as I burry my head in one of the pillows to muffle the sound of children playing outside. I don't want to get out of bed. Not today. This is not the day for little children to be singing loudly outside my window in the morning. If only I could just sleep my way through the rest of Thanksgiving weekend.
"..........POP GOES THE WEASEL!"
Stupid kids. I throw my pillow off the bed and finally lift my head. The first thing I see is the clock that reads 7:30. I roll over to face the window. The children outside are now playing jump rope. What kind of children are they? Why are they playing outside at 7:30 in the morning? And on Thanksgiving, too.
My muscles ache as I pull my legs out of bed and the rest of my body follows. I can hear Greg fussing with pots and pans downstairs, and I wonder how anybody can be so excited about anything, let alone cooking, this early in the morning. Maybe it's just him. And those little children outside. And Luka. Okay, maybe I'm the only one who'd rather just never get out of bed.
I don't bother changing, just start going towards the kitchen. Just as I'm half way down the steps, I get a glimpse of inside the kitchen and realize Greg is not alone, Eric is sitting at the table. The two of them both turn to look at me, and we all pause for a moment.
Finally, my brother gets up from his seat and walks over to me on the stairs and smiles, "Hey, I think I remember you."
"Nice to see you too, Eric," I grin and extend my arms out to give him a hug.
As he hugs me, he lifts me up and looks at me. "Miss me?"
"Like you wouldn't believe." We both laugh. "You can let me down now."
"Never!"
"You know, even though you're bigger than me, I will still always be your older sister," I tease.
"No, no, all that goes out the window when I'm able to pick you up and twirl you around like this," he replies as he demonstrates.
"Come on you two," Greg calls to us from the kitchen. "Breakfast." Eric puts me down and I follow him into the kitchen. "So, what do you guys want?"
I notice he's made pancakes, put out cereal, and prepared toast. But no coffee. Eric looks at me and laughs. "I think I know what Abby wants."
I shrug, "I'm not really hungry. But I guess I'll have a bit of pancakes," I say, sitting down.
Finally, our father clues into what Eric meant. "Oh, coffee? I can make some."
"No, no, Dad, that's fine. Just sit down."
"Are you sure Abigail?"
Eric laughs. "I haven't heard you be called 'Abigail' in a long time." I stick my tongue out at him, and Greg joins Eric in laughing.
******
All around the cobbler's bench
The monkey chased the weasel
The monkey thought 'twas all in fun
Pop -- goes the weasel!
Johnny's got the whooping cough and
Mary's got the measles
That's the way the money goes
Pop -- goes the weasel!
*********
"I couldn't believe that you left med school," my brother comments as he takes a bite of toast.
I play with my fork and look at the small bits of pancakes left on my plate . The two of us have been sitting here for about an hour now. Greg left right after breakfast about thirty minutes ago so he could pick up something from work he forgot. Now that's devotion, going to work on Thanksgiving just to pick something up. Either that or he needed a break from us. Whichever way, it gave Eric and I time to talk.
"Some things just aren't meant to be."
"But you had worked so hard to get there. Then when you told me you left, I guess I was a bit caught off guard."
"I like my job as a nurse."
The two of us are silent for a moment, and my body starts to tense up a bit. We're both looking at each other. We both know what the other is thinking. I want to know how Maggie is, although don't have the courage to mention it first, and I can tell he desperately wants to know if everything's been worked out between Greg and I, although fears to bring it up.
"So..... You and this Luka guy...." He finally says, smiling.
I laugh. "Yah?"
"You never really told me much about him."
My body relaxes again. "What were you expecting? A description of how he is in bed?" We both laugh.
"Nooooooo...... that would probably be a bit too much information," he chuckles.
"Then what?"
"I don't know..... What does he look like? Has he ever been married? Does he have kids...... Does he prefer cheese or butter on his broccoli?" Both of us laugh again. It's not hard to remember why I missed Eric so much. He's the only glimpse of having a happy family I ever had.
"He's uhh.. tall, with dark hair.... He was married once, with two kids, they died." I pause for a moment, "And who eats broccoli?"
"His wife and kids died?"
"In the war."
"Oh."
**********
I climbed up and down the coast
To find a golden eagle
I climbed the rocks and thought I was close
Pop -- goes the weasel!
But, alas, I lost my way
Saw nothing but a seagull
I tore my pants and killed the day
Pop -- goes the weasel!
*********
"And what about your love life? Still going out with that Becky?"
"Yah. I still can't believe it. Next month it will be three years."
I raise my eyebrows, "Wow, surprised you haven't asked to marry her by now."
He tares a piece of toast and tosses it at me. "You're the one to talk! How is our dear Richard anyways?"
I shrug as I half-heartedly stick my fork into a small piece of pancake. It's soaked in maple syrup. "Busy with his whores."
"A little resentful, aren't we?"
"I swear Eric, he's now picking up dates at Chucky Cheese."
Eric shakes his head, chuckling as he gets up from his seat and takes both our plates to the sink. I follow behind him and open the tap, letting it fill up with water. There's a silence as we begin to wash the dishes. "So........ You and dad seem a little......" I look at him questioningly. "Distnat. I take it the two of you didn't really work things out?"
I turn to put the dish in the cupboard and turn back again with a sigh, "Not really."
He starts to wash another plate. I can see that look on his face. The disappointed look that everyone seems to use with me. Luka has the look on his face when I smoke. Weaver gets that look when I screw up. Everytime I don't live up to someone's expectations, I see that look on their face.
"It has been twelve years Abby."
"Right, it was a long time ago." I take the next dish from him to dry off quickly.
"Close, but that's not it." He stops what he's doing and turns to me, taking my hands, forcing me to stop what I'm doing and look at him in the eyes. "It's been a long, long time. I can't just sit around anymore and watch this happen. You think he doesn't love you and he thinks he did some horrible thing to ruin your life. And I think we both that's not actually true." We both stare at each other silently for what seems like an eternity. Finally, he let's go of me and slowly goes back to washing the dishes.
**********
Every night when I go out
The monkey's on the table
Take a stick and knock it off
Pop -- goes the weasel!
Put some pepper on its nose
And you'll make it sneeze-l
Catch it fast before it snaps --
Pop -- goes the weasel!
*******
