Dr. Brown walked into the kitchen. It had to be three o'clock in the morning but he was thirsty. He got a glass out of the cupboard and filled it with water. The tap water in Everwood tasted better than the tap water in New York City. He walked out into the dinning room and casually looked over into the living room. He was surprised to see Jig asleep on the couch. He supposed Wendell was asleep on Edna and Irv's porch. Unless Edna did shoot him and she was in jail right now, that would be a good reason for Jig to still be here.
The next time Dr. Brown woke up he walked out of his room to find the three children in the kitchen. Delia and Jig were sitting at the counter while Ephram was cooking something on the stove.
"How can you not love Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?" Jig asked Delia.
"It gives me nightmares. All of those horrible things that happened to those kids," Delia tried to explain.
"Well, yea, but that stuff only happened because they were bad kids. Besides, they all turned out okay," Jig told her. Delia looked a little surprised.
"They did?" Delia asked her. Jig nodded.
"Yea, at the end of the book, when they're in the Glass Elevator, Charlie sees them all again. They look a little weird but they're all safe," Jig explained. Delia looked down at the table.
"Oh, I've never actually read the book," Delia said. Jig gasped in surprise.
"What do you mean you haven't read the book? Ephram! How could you let her not read the book?" Jig said slapping him when he came with in range.
"It's not my fault!" Ephram told her placing a dish in front of her and Delia, and than set down one for himself.
"What else is different in the book?" Delia asked. Jig thought about it for a few moments.
"Well you know how Veruca left, in the room with all of the geese?" Jig asked. Delia nodded.
"It wasn't geese…" Jig started.
"Squirrels, right?" Dr. Brown asked walking into the kitchen. Jig nodded.
"Good morning, Dad," Delia said. Ephram just nodded to him.
"Good morning all," Dr. Brown replied walking over and finding breakfast for him still warm in the pan.
"Why would they change it from squirrels to geese?" Delia asked.
"Well four geese and a few golden eggs are cheaper than a hundred squirrels and a few thousand walnuts," Jig explained. Delia smiled imagining the sight.
"A hundred squirrels would be really cool," Delia said. Jig nodded. They heard a bus horn coming from outside so Delia hopped off of her stool, grabbed her stuff, and said good bye to everyone.
"I'll come with you, I need to talk to Irv!" Jig said running after her. Dr. Brown placed Delia's dish by the sink and took her place.
"You had a girl spend the night…" Dr. Brown said. Ephram sighed angrily.
"She slept on the couch…" he told him.
"I know. Any news from the Harper's?" Dr. Brown asked him. Ephram shook his head.
"None. That is, until Jig gets back," Ephram said. Immediately following his last word Jig walked in. She didn't look happy in the least.
"What news?" Dr. Brown asked her.
"He's still there! That little freak is still on my front porch!" she complained.
"Wow, now that's persistence," Dr. Brown said.
"Well if he thinks you're still at home he probably won't come to school. Come on or we'll be late," Ephram said placing his dish and hers by the sink and walking around to her.
"I'll give you guys a lift," Dr. Brown said.
"That'd be great!" Jig said.
"No thanks," Ephram said grabbing her arm and walking toward the door.
"Oh but it's cold…" Jig told him.
"Let's go," Ephram said opening the door.
Delia waited until everyone else left the bus before she stood up and walked over to Irv. He greeted her with a smile and a nod of the head. She greeted him with an obviously problem ridden face.
"Have you ever been in a play, Mr. Harper?" Delia asked him. He let out a soft chuckle in gentle understanding.
"Nervous about Hansel and Gretel?" he asked her.
"I'm a gumdrop…" she admitted. Irv leaned in close to her.
"I was a bunny…" he told her. She smiled and walked off the bus. The idea of Irv in a bunny suit made her smile. Of course the smile faded the moment she walked through the school doors.
Ephram walked into his History class and sat down in front of Jig. Today she didn't even have her head down on her desk, she was up and alert, looking for any sign that Wendell might be there.
"Ryoko or Ayeka?" he asked her, still facing forward.
"What?" she asked as if she had just noticed he was there. A little surprised he turned around to face her.
"For Tenchi, Ryoko or Ayeka?" he repeated.
"Oh," she said, still kind of out of it, "either, er, neither. Kiyone."
"Kiyone? Are you kidding?" he asked her. She shook her head.
"No, that's how it will be," she replied to his surprise.
"What!"
"Didn't you hear that rumor? Yea, there's a rumor that they're making another Tenchi series, and it'll be Tenchi and Kiyone," Jig told him. Ephram's eyes widened in surprise.
"No! When does that come out?"
"I, I don't remember, know, I don't know," she said kind of confused. Ephram narrowed his eyes in worry.
"Are you okay?" he asked her. She nodded.
"Yea, it's just, this whole Wendell thing, it's got me a little out of it. I'm fine," she told him. He nodded and turned back around.
Amy walked into Dr. Brown's medical clinic. She had to be careful as she entered, in case her father happened to peer out of his window and see her. "Conspiring with the enemy," as her grandmother would say. Actually, it was her grandmother she was here to see. Amy's mom was still at meetings and she needed some womanly advice. It was late and as Amy walked in she saw Dr. Brown ushering his final patient into his office. Amy walked over to where her grandmother was putting things away.
"Hi Grandma," Amy said. Edna turned to her and smiled.
"Hey kid. What can I do for you?" Edna asked her. Amy glanced toward Dr. Brown's office door to make sure it was closed before she sat down and started talking.
"How long have you and Irv known each other?" Amy asked her. Edna paused for a few moments.
"About sixty years, maybe. When went to school together. Oh my, that was long ago…" Edna responded with a sigh.
"So you knew Irv before you knew Grandpa?"
"Oh no, just as long. We all grew up here. Of course your father was a few years before Irv and I in school," Edna said with a faint smile, remembering the long lost times.
"How'd you like Irv back then?"
"He was a sweet guy, and a hell of a runner. Damn I'll never forget those shorts…" Edna said now with a slight chuckle.
"So you kinda had a crush on Irv, back then?" Amy asked.
"I guess so. What are you getting at?" Edna asked realizing most conversations have a point.
"How'd you chose between Grandpa and Irv?" Amy asked her. Edna sighed and ran a hand through her hair.
"I don't know. I guess I didn't have to really. I ended up with them both."
"After Grandpa died…" Amy said sadly. They both fell silent.
"It's a gut feeling, kid. You'll know who you're supposed to love if not all, than a majority of your life," Edna told her. Amy nodded, thanked her, and left. Edna sighed sadly. She hoped her granddaughter was as tough and she thought she was.
"What type of meat is this Dad? I mean, it is meat, right?" Delia asked him. Dr. Brown smiled at her falsely. He turned to Ephram.
"This is your influence," Dr. Brown told him. Ephram shook his head.
"Oh no, that is this stuff's fault," Ephram said holding up a forkful of the black stuff on his plate.
"My tongue hurts," Delia said.
"I happen to like it. It has a very, distinct, flavor," Dr. Brown said to his son. Ephram laughed slightly. The phone rang and Dr. Brown stood up to answer it.
"Hello? Whoa, hey, slow down, what happened? Yea, yes. Okay, no. I'm on my way. Just stay calm. I'm coming, I'm coming," Dr. Brown said and placed the phone back in the cradle. He rushed off into another room and grabbed his coat and satchel. Ephram sighed.
"Who is it this time? Some little boy? A baby? An elderly woman?" Ephram asked him. Dr. Brown stopped and stared at him.
"It's Jig."
