Chapter 30

Within days we were all in our normal swing…and Mark and I had picked up where we left off, traveling together, goofing around, throwing things at each other for no reason. And Mark, Saphrin, and Raven all got along together just fine though they barely knew each other. Within a few days though they were very acquainted and there was no awkwardness between any of us.

Mark and Jake picked up where they left off as well. Mark had a thing for staring contests…and so they spent much of their time doing that. Raven's fear didn't budge in the least…still he refused to touch Jake. Saphrin and Mark would often both play with Jake while having deep intellectual conversations. Saph admired him, I could tell by the way she looked at him, like she saw the intelligence that I saw in him and that a lot of people did. And she saw this and challenged herself to conversations with him and for that he respected her. I could tell by the way he looked at her. And not many people get that respect from him. It was special.

Don't worry though…I'm not hinting at anything. Trust me, since this is all over and I'm just recording everything that happened over the past few years, believe when I say that they were always totally plutonic.

From February to May passed in a very normal way…or at least as normal as our lives could be. I just mean at the same pace as usual. Like…to others our lives probably seemed chaotic and probably was, but we were used to it so didn't seem to notice…or care for that matter. A normal night on the road was to be backstage in a room shared by the five of us…seven if you count Claudette and Jake, and at first we'd take turns in the bathroom getting dressed…then we'd sit around waiting for our match if we had one. Saphrin, Mark, and I would play with Jake a lot while Raven and Amber would play with Claudette…sometimes I was with them but I switched around a lot. Saphrin's pregnancy was fine and normal and going as planned, and she, to be safe, didn't get as crazy and stayed calmed when it came to playing…that was the only real difference of pace with us.

After the event we normally would go find a restaurant…we rarely went to bars or clubs for three reasons…one being that Amber and I had a child, two being that we had a duck, and three that Saphrin was pregnant…not to mention that we normally didn't anyway. We were the types of people that could have much more fun over soda and junk food in a hotel room. Which brings me to our other option…we'd go raid a 7-11 or a deli or something and go back to a hotel room and just hang out and have fun for a couple hours before all heading our own ways.

This was my Perfect Time. I mean…of course I'd been blissfully happy ever since I'd met Amber, it was never a complete perfection to me. For some reason, I began to really feel it in March and April of 2000.

I was happy. Amber was happy. We were happy together with our daughter and our duck…Raven and Saphrin were with us, and we had friends in them, and they were happy. And then to have Mark come to me wanting to be friends with me not only made me happy that we were together again, but it, as corny as it may sound, gave me a new confidence that he would actually come to me, wanting to be my friend. It made me feel special or something…

And Paul…well I realize that I haven't updated his condition after his beating by Saph…

That night when he blacked out, other guests of the hotel found him there and called an ambulance. Perhaps some morality came over him for some reason because he didn't press charges…either that or he couldn't remember what happened. Knowing him it was probably the latter. He was in the hospital for a few days from what I heard and after that stepped down from his contract. I hadn't seen him after that. And so that was another thing factored in to my happiness…that Paul was out of the picture for the time being.

Things were at this pace for a while.

Our second anniversary came up…May 10. Saphrin and Raven threw us a little party…nothing big but just like…eh. It was only like ten people, our really close friends, but it was special. For the few of us that were there. Amber was absolutely ecstatic about everything. She was completely happy and so was I.

There isn't much to describe except that it was at the apartment, and after everyone left, Mark was with us cleaning up, and as I was walking into the kitchen to get something, I noticed that a wine bottle had tipped over on the table and was dripping onto the floor…

When I looked down I saw the reddish stain in the carpet, and when I picked up some napkins in my hand to dry it, I touched the carpet to feel that it wasn't wet. Of course this is confusing. I sat on my knees for a moment, frowning, thinking that it couldn't possibly have dried because minutes earlier I had passed through and the bottle was upright on the table. As if someone had licked it off the floor.

Then came the sound…

If I could describe it I would…or at least try to compare it to something but I don't know that I can. It was a kind of dried, choked noise… I'll call it a "hiccquack"…otherwise, the hiccup of a duck.

I couldn't stop the laughter. It came from me before I had a chance to think or hold it back or anything. I fell back on my heels and just laughed and laughed. I saw under the table that Jake was in the corner of the dining room, sitting down, his neck all scrunched up and like all bundled up in himself…I guess that's just what ducks do.

Amber walked into the room and so did Mark, both looking down at me and wondering why I was laughing. Mark smirked, the laughter contagious to him, though he couldn't laugh until he knew what was funny. Amber looked at the stain on the floor and groaned. "Kane why aren't you wiping that up?"

I couldn't even speak, I just covered my face in one hair and pointed with the other to the corner of the room. Amber stepped aside to see past the table and when she saw Jake nearly melted. Her eyebrows raised and hands flew to her chest. She let out a squeak sound and laughed as well. Mark then frowned, shrugged, and walked over to see for himself. I was watching him as his just froze, expressionless, and then turned to me.

"Oh my God, Kane. That's the funniest thing I've ever seen. I don't think I can laugh," and then calmly, without the slightest crack of a smile, he walked into the living room and sat down on a couch, in what looked like shock.

But then I felt pity and a bit of worry for my feathered friend, and I stopped laughing. I stood and walked to Claudette's room, taking one of her small, fuzzy baby blankets before I came back to Jake. Amber was sitting on the floor next to him, I think trying to sober him a bit by feeding him bread, and trying to pet him, but he was walking away from her…well not really walking…like…eh. A human that's drunk staggers…and now picture staggering, but not just walking. Waddling. A staggering waddle. A drunk duck.

Isn't my life comical?

I walked around to the other side of him, reaching down gently to pick up the slightly disoriented Noble Duck and wrapped him in the blanket, cradling him the same way I may have done to my own daughter. I wanted to go put him in his bed where he'd be nice and safe and warm. As I walked into the living room, I saw Mark again, his eyes open, mouth open, just sitting there. He slowly looked up at me to see the bundle in my arms. At first he remained expressionless…but when Jake decided to stick his head out of the fuzzy mass it got Mark started on one of his laughing fits, which needs not be described. I rolled my eyes, continued walking, and put Jake in his carrier. I tried to decided whether or not I should lock it, but when he began to stagger/waddle again I decided it was best.

The next day…when I told Saphrin what happened, she flipped out, and nearly had a heart attack. She was upset that she couldn't have seen it.

That day she gave him "Hatchet Bling" , declaring that he was not only a Noble Duck, but a Pimpin' Duck. I didn't really argue.