Sandy and Kirsten were both in the kitchen, neither speaking. Both adults were hunched over newspapers and coffee, absorbed in their respective sections. Sandy the sports, Kirsten business.
Sandy looked up briefly from his paper. "Do you ever stop working?" he asked, taking a gulp of coffee.
Kirsten gave him a 'look' from across the island. "Are you suggesting that what I'm reading is uninteresting?"
"I think I am."
"Oh, and the sports section is so enamouring!" Kirsten scoffed. She had fun... didn't she?
"You know, if you took any interest in it, you might find it entertaining.
Look at this" Sandy said, shaking the newspaper at Kirsten. "Kings face off against Canucks. You don't find that interesting?"
"Canucks... what's their mascot, a duck?" Kirsten chucked at her own joke, ignoring the bewildered look given to her by her husband.
"I think you'd better stick to business..."
"Oh shut up!" Kirsten said, smacking Sandy with her section of newspaper.
"Hey Mom, Dad."
Seth came into the kitchen, grabbing an orange from the basket on the table.
Kirsten gave her son the once over, noting he was still wearing those flannel pajamas Gramma Cohen had given him years ago. "Are you still wearing those things?" she asked.
"I like them, okay Mom?"
"Fine, fine" Kirsten said, raising her arms in surrender. She wasn't going to get into a spat with a surly teenager on a Saturday morning.
Sandy set down the paper. "So did you talk to Ryan?" Sandy knew it was Ryan's birthday. The first he had celebrated in the Cohen house. The family wanted to make it special, and were willing to pull out all the stops to make it a rememberable celebration for their adopted child.
"Yeah" Seth replied, sounding heartily unenthusiastic.
"So, what does he want to do?" Kirsten asked, leaning forward.
"Mom, take it easy" Seth said, noting his mother's interest in how she was leaning across the island, intently hanging on his every word. "He wants to go to a hockey game."
"A hockey game?" Kirsten and Sandy recited in unison. They look at each other, surprised. Ryan didn't strike them as being a hockey fan, but you could never tell.
"The game tonight?" Sandy asked, glancing at his newspaper.
"I guess so. Today's his birthday, isn't it?" Seth said sarcastically.
"Hey" Sandy said warningly. "You don't sound to excited."
"Dad, it's a hockey game."
"See?" Kirsten said triumphantly.
Sandy ignored her. "So he wants to go to the game tonight?"
"Yeah Dad. Look, I'm not really too 'gung-ho' about this, so I'll let him talk to you." Seth looked at the orange in his hand, grimmacing. He returned it to the bowl and took off to his own room.
Sandy and Kirsten were silent for a moment.
"Should we let them go?"
"I don't know Sandy... a hockey game? They can get kind of rough, can't they?"
"And Ryan can't? I think we ought to give them a chance. They've scored responsibility points lately. I think they could handle it."
Kirsten was not so convinced. Send her baby boy to a hockey game? "And are the girls going with them?"
"I don't know. Didn't ask."
With a heavy sigh, Kirsten dumped her cold coffee into the sink. "Well, I guess you'd better get tickets for the four of them, just in case."
"So you're going to let them go?"
"It's Ryan's birthday. I want him to be happy."
"That's my girl. Always looking out for everyone else" Sandy grinned, kissing Kirsten.
"So... where did you put that sports section?"
Sandy looked up briefly from his paper. "Do you ever stop working?" he asked, taking a gulp of coffee.
Kirsten gave him a 'look' from across the island. "Are you suggesting that what I'm reading is uninteresting?"
"I think I am."
"Oh, and the sports section is so enamouring!" Kirsten scoffed. She had fun... didn't she?
"You know, if you took any interest in it, you might find it entertaining.
Look at this" Sandy said, shaking the newspaper at Kirsten. "Kings face off against Canucks. You don't find that interesting?"
"Canucks... what's their mascot, a duck?" Kirsten chucked at her own joke, ignoring the bewildered look given to her by her husband.
"I think you'd better stick to business..."
"Oh shut up!" Kirsten said, smacking Sandy with her section of newspaper.
"Hey Mom, Dad."
Seth came into the kitchen, grabbing an orange from the basket on the table.
Kirsten gave her son the once over, noting he was still wearing those flannel pajamas Gramma Cohen had given him years ago. "Are you still wearing those things?" she asked.
"I like them, okay Mom?"
"Fine, fine" Kirsten said, raising her arms in surrender. She wasn't going to get into a spat with a surly teenager on a Saturday morning.
Sandy set down the paper. "So did you talk to Ryan?" Sandy knew it was Ryan's birthday. The first he had celebrated in the Cohen house. The family wanted to make it special, and were willing to pull out all the stops to make it a rememberable celebration for their adopted child.
"Yeah" Seth replied, sounding heartily unenthusiastic.
"So, what does he want to do?" Kirsten asked, leaning forward.
"Mom, take it easy" Seth said, noting his mother's interest in how she was leaning across the island, intently hanging on his every word. "He wants to go to a hockey game."
"A hockey game?" Kirsten and Sandy recited in unison. They look at each other, surprised. Ryan didn't strike them as being a hockey fan, but you could never tell.
"The game tonight?" Sandy asked, glancing at his newspaper.
"I guess so. Today's his birthday, isn't it?" Seth said sarcastically.
"Hey" Sandy said warningly. "You don't sound to excited."
"Dad, it's a hockey game."
"See?" Kirsten said triumphantly.
Sandy ignored her. "So he wants to go to the game tonight?"
"Yeah Dad. Look, I'm not really too 'gung-ho' about this, so I'll let him talk to you." Seth looked at the orange in his hand, grimmacing. He returned it to the bowl and took off to his own room.
Sandy and Kirsten were silent for a moment.
"Should we let them go?"
"I don't know Sandy... a hockey game? They can get kind of rough, can't they?"
"And Ryan can't? I think we ought to give them a chance. They've scored responsibility points lately. I think they could handle it."
Kirsten was not so convinced. Send her baby boy to a hockey game? "And are the girls going with them?"
"I don't know. Didn't ask."
With a heavy sigh, Kirsten dumped her cold coffee into the sink. "Well, I guess you'd better get tickets for the four of them, just in case."
"So you're going to let them go?"
"It's Ryan's birthday. I want him to be happy."
"That's my girl. Always looking out for everyone else" Sandy grinned, kissing Kirsten.
"So... where did you put that sports section?"
