Awakening: Third Stage

Chapter Four

"Start The Day Right"

Saturday

Mrs. Tonitini smiled to herself as she stood over the stove, carefully preparing a healthy breakfast of egg substitute cooked in soybean oil, every so often checking on her spinach toast to make sure it didn't burn. As expected, she heard the tell tale thumping of feet behind her, just as she did almost every Saturday morning at 9AM.

"Good morning, Mom." Tino punctuated his greeting with a yawn as he rooted around in the fridge for some orange juice.

"Good morning, sweetie. You sound a little tired." His mother responded as she flipped her egg substitutes over in the frying pan.

"Oh, you know how it is. So much to do, so little time. I decided to do all my homework last night so I wouldn't have to bother with it Sunday."

"Uh huh. It might also be that I didn't hear you come in until almost one o'clock this morning."

"What? But. . .how did. . .?"

"Tino, I wouldn't be a very good mother if I wasn't able to keep track of these things. Just because I didn't feel like jumping out of bed to bust you doesn't mean I didn't notice."

"I'm sorry, mom. I got into this weird, involved conversation--"

"And you forgot to look at the clock. I know, don't worry. I decided I'd let you off with a friendly reminder when I got the phone call from Mr. Katsufrakis this morning."

"All right! He did come through!"

"This time. But let's try to remember that you're curfew is midnight, okay? If you're going to be late, I expect you to call and tell me who you're with."

"Got it. Does this mean I can expect the same from you when you go out with Dixon?"

"That all depends on whether or not we decide to run away together and get married. Then I might only have time to drop a postcard."

"Mom?" Tino croaked, with not a little worry in his voice.

"Kidding. We've been over that one before too. Something is probably going to happen between Dixon and I, but I don't really know when. Both of us are a little reluctant to start another marital relationship. On the other hand, he does get some serious bonus points for sticking around for so long. To be honest, I think he wants to pop the question, but he's afraid that I'll say no, or worse, that I'll accept."

"Would you?"

"I don't know. Depends on how big the diamond is." She smirked. "Now hear, eat your egg substitutes."

"Aww Mom. Is this that stuff that doesn't even have the yolk?"

"It would actually be a substitute yolk, and yes, it is. Egg yolks aren't very healthy, Tino. They have little to no nutritional value."

"Yeah. That's why they're the best part of the egg."

"If you'd like, I could serve this to you between two slices of spinach bread."

"Oh yeah, that's exactly what I'd like first thing in the morning. Fake eggs between green bread. Sounds like something out of a Dr. Seuss book."

"Ha ha, very funny." Tino's mother mouthed, indicating she found the remark anything but.

"Who's joking? I probably still have it buried up in my room somewhere."

"Eat your breakfast, Tino."

"Yes'm."

"Now, what will you be doing today while your poor mother sits alone at home all by herself."

"Give it up, Mom. If Tish's guilt trips don't work on me, you don't have a chance!"

"Fine then, I'll just have to see if I can get Dixon to take me down to the mall so I can help him pick me out a ring."

"That sounds nice, ask him to pick me up something while you're there. I've always thought a ruby necklace would look good on me."

"Okay, you're not your usual self. You seem pretty confident this morning."

"I've got to be. I have an appointment with Tish at ten. She wants to talk. And she brought home Prince of Wales last night, so that means it isn't small talk."

"So you're saying something big is in the air?"

"Probably. The last time Tish wanted to talk over Prince of Wales, I ended up taking home half the books on her family history."

"So know you know a lot more about her  history and culture, I take it."

"Yeah. In addition to five different goat milking methods and Tish's great-grandmother's recipe for All Day Stinky Stew."

"I always did want you to get a little culture."

"Yeah. And now I have more than I know what to do with. Anyway, we're supposed to meet the guys at the Big Tree around eleven. Who knows where the day will take us from there, but we've all got Homecoming on our mind."

"Considering your personal stance on most sporting events, I'll assume you're referring to the dance rather than the game."

"Are you kidding? Mom, this is like the biggest event of they year! It's the only dance our school has that encompasses all four grades. Anybody who's anybody from every class will be there, mingling around. Being in the right position at the Homecoming Dance can determine your social status for the rest of the year!"

"Right. And what position will you be taking, Tino?"

"I'll be standing in the corner, drinking punch and apologizing to Tish that I don't know how to dance. Which would probably go a lot smoother if Lor were there to tease me about it."

"Being teased by one of your best friends would be helpful?"

"Sure. Puts a more humorous spin on it. But since she'll be off making goo-goo eyes at Thompson all night, I'll have to fend for myself."

"I'm sure you'll figure something out. Now eat your spinach toast."

"Can't. Tish is making a little breakfast herself. You know how it is, I'd hate to insult her cooking."

"You don't seem to have much problem with doing the same to mine."

"I've eaten more of yours. I figure I've got some good will in the bank. I should get going, Mom."

"Uh-huh. And what will you be doing for dinner tonight?"

"The usual, pizza. I'll be back before midnight, I promise."

"Call me if you need anything, sweetie."

"What, so you can read my mind again?"

"It's been working for you so far. Goodbye."

"Later days."

"You came early." Tish smiled, surprised but also pleased with how things were going. She opened the door all the way, motioning for Tino to come in.

"You're not dressed." Tino smiled back, noting that Tish was still in her pajamas, not a typical trait for her.

"I recall from last night how fond you were of these. "You were keeping me pretty close." She blushed. "My folks really like you, though."

"I thought I picked up on that. They're good people. From a completely different world, sometimes, but good people."

"I don't get everything about the Old Country's culture either." Tish winked. "And I'm exposed to it a lot more than you are." She giggled as Tino put a hand on her shoulder. "Gee, Tino, should I just stop wearing these and give them to you?!"

"They're silk! I can't help it!"

"Right." Tish exhaled sarcastically. "And here I thought maybe you just like how I look when I'm fresh out of bed." Tino's response was to start a fit of laughter all his own. "Hey! What's so funny?" She scowled.

"Fresh out of bed? Tish, you've always been easy on the eye, but you can't fool me. Your hair is way too perfect for you to have just gotten up. I know you've been planning for this all morning."

"Can't we just pretend?" Tish pouted, realizing Tino indeed knew her too well for her to fool him. "For the silk, if nothing else?" She extended her arm to him, which Tino quickly grasped, then used it to pull her completely into his arms. "Whoa! What was that for?"

"You don't want me to be too predictable, do you?" Tino asked. Tish decided to be coy and said nothing, instead emitting a content hum and softly pressing her lips against Tino's. "This is definitely a different way to start the day." Tino observed in between brief kisses. He gently grabbed at small handfuls of the smooth fabric of Tish's outfit, sighing himself.

"You don't want me to be too predictable, do you?" Tish shot back. "But spontaneity won't get you out of this." She grinned, not allowing Tino to distract her further. "We need to talk."

"You sound like my mother when you say that."

"Yes, but I've made us a more pleasant breakfast, I'll bet."

"I don't know. Are you sure you can compete against spinach toast? It's pretty hard to resist."

"Somehow, I'll manage. Come on, I set everything up on the back porch."

"You're the boss." Tino smiled as he reluctantly allowed Tish to pull him out back.

Lor MacQuarrie had never seen any reason to treat breakfast differently than her brothers. In fact, more than any other time, breakfast in the MacQuarrie home was essentially an exercise in chaos. Generally, the house was big enough for all of them to run around as usual, but in the morning, all of them suddenly found themselves confined to one room, the kitchen. And despite its long tables, endless counters, and economy size refrigerator, things were still hectic as food was prepared and passed around the table. Cereal boxes, gallons of juice and milk, several loaves of bread, dozens of eggs, the list went on and on. To an outsider, it would be a challenge to figure out which was easier to feed: the MacQuarrie clan or an army barracks.

This morning, like most others, Lor wrestled for her place at the table, laying claim to whatever came her way. Breakfast was very much a first come, first serve basis, a lesson she had learned when she was very young. Etiquette might be all well and good, but it also meant that you were going to end up with the heels of a loaf for your toast. Having an X chromosome afforded her no special treatment among her family, and that was the way she liked it.

Reaching with her right arm, Lor elbowed her brother Danny away from the maple syrup can claimed possession of the bottle, which she squeezed out generously over her pancakes. "This is good." She muttered around mouthfuls, but if anyone was listening, they probably only heard "Thififgud," since her mouth was so full of her breakfast.

It was already 10:15, not much longer until it would be time for her to meet her friends in the park. No real plans had been made for the day. Expectedly, Carver would want to go over the details of all their outfits for the Homecoming dance one more time, since so much was riding on it. She had been less than enthused about her dress for the dance before yesterday, but now everything seemed so perfect. And to think, Thompson hadn't even seen it yet. Won't he be surprised! Oh yeah, she could see it now. Lor and Thompson—Homecoming King and Queen. Of course, the honor of those titles was reserved exclusively for seniors, but maybe they'd have to have their own private coronation.

Without doubt, Lor was feeling exhilarated this morning. Prior to the conversation she had had yesterday with Thompson, she had felt like a noose was tightening around her neck. Now she felt so free, like all her troubles were dissolving away. It was true that she was giving precious little thought, if any, to what he had said about moving to New York. There would be time to grieve over that later. Now was the time to revel in her good fortune of finally getting an official date! She was actually ahead of Carver in that department this time, beaten only by "the lovebirds," who didn't count in her book anyway since they were already built in. And after careful consideration, it seemed to Lor that the dress she had reluctantly purchased wasn't so bad after all. She knew that she was a tomboy through and through, and always would be, but perhaps the occasional touch of femininity would prove to be a tad liberating. It's not as though she didn't want to be a girl. She just preferred not to be a weak one that played with dollhouses  and needed protecting. Maybe that was just part of her upbringing, being surrounded by her brothers all those years had beaten any gentleness out of her.

She wondered only for a moment how someone like Tish could do it. While Tish wasn't a weak or subservient woman, she was decidedly. . .girlish. She almost exclusively favored skirts and blouses (usually skewing towards purple) to Lor's own preference for blue jeans and a varying array of sporty shirts. Unlike Lor, Tish was also dainty. From the manner in which she decorated her room down to her long, slender fingers, Tish was the kind of girl most suited to what Lor thought of as the "Girl's World." She was strongly feminine, comfortable with her sex but also liberated, something Lor really liked about the girl. Just because Tish liked to wear skirts didn't mean she felt her place was in the kitchen. Out of all of them, Tish was the one who preferred to be in control. Lor didn't fancy herself much of a leader, but she wasn't the type to blindly follow, either.

Lor caught a glimpse of her hand as she skewered a sausage with her fork and lifted it to her mouth. As she slid the fork back out, she stopped to look at her hand for a moment, noting how her fingers seemed a little on the short side, thicker than she had noticed before. Maybe that was why she had always taken to sports, no way would she be able to play an instrument well with hands like hers. Lor wondered if she should ask Mr. Higgenbotham about that the next time Tish dragged them to her favorite store. At least she always had a good grip, from basketballs to baseball bats, there was little she couldn't handle. She also knew her way around a volleyball court fairly well, not to mention pool, one of her pastimes of choice.

Smiling to herself, Lor plucked an orange out of the fruit bowl and hurled it towards her brother Kirk. It was a typical morning ritual, the MacQuarrie siblings, tossing fruit at each other, making long passes, calling first downs. The plays continued until everyone had a piece they actually felt like eating. While all of this would likely seem somewhat chaotic to an outsider, there was a structure beneath it all that one probably couldn't get if they weren't a part of the family. Lor's family believed that breakfast was the most important meal of the day; and weekend mornings were a pleasant change, considering how everyone wasn't hard pressed to get out of the house by a certain time like the rest of the week. It was enjoyable for them all to be around the same table like this, sharing a meal, starting their days together. Maybe it wasn't the kind of familial bonding one would see in a typical Kodak commercial, but that didn't make it any less valid, or detract from their individual happiness.

Lor had two families, of a sort—the one she was born into, and the smaller one that she had created over the years among her three best friends. With a little luck, a third type would blossom soon, a special kind just for her and Thompson. As Lor took a bite out of her fourth flapjack, she felt that not only were things changing for the better, but that she was ready to rise up to the moment.

I'm a little disappointed to say that this is the end of the chapter. I had hoped to show something of Carver's morning here, but my schedule has grown so cramped that I just don't have nearly enough time for writing. Seeing as how this chapter is already a week late and I wouldn't be able to work on it again for another five days, I felt it was better to sacrifice a scene and reassure you all that I'm still alive.

You can probably expect things to move quicker after Saturday. I think I've said something along those lines before, but I'm too tired to remember. Anyhow, the little details of how each stage unfolds kind of change as each chapter rolls of the presses. I think I've already doomed myself to this being a rather long stage, but I'll strive my best to keep you all interested.

As I tend to say with every update, thank you to each and every person who takes a few minutes to tell me what you think. I really appreciate those nice, long reviews that let me know what you think, and what you worry about, regarding my story. Keep it up guys and girls, I promise to read whatever you put in there.

I plan on letting a variety of events touch on the lives of our Fab Four this Stage, including the much anticipated triangle, so hold onto your Chug-A-Freezes and I'll do my best to keep the new stuff coming. Maybe even on time.

See you in a few weeks!

Lord Malachite

02/07/04

12:45AM, EST

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