Someone Out There
Chapter Twenty Seven: Unsuspecting News
Miroku motioned for Tommy to hide while ringing the doorbell. Tommy hid behind the stairs while Miroku greeted his mom hello. "Hey Sango, we're back!" exclaimed Miroku. Sango nodded and frowned, "Where's Tommy?" Miroku pretended to look surprised, "What do you mean, he's right here…" Miroku let out a fake shrill of a gasp. Tommy had to stifle his giggles so he wont be heard. He buried his face into the stuff whale, drowning out his giggles. He's a good actor, thought Tommy.
"Miroku …" Sango said in a warning tone, "Where is Tommy?" Miroku paced around, pretending to think deeply. "I swear, he was right here with me before we crossed the road. I guess I forgot about him when crossing and…" "YOU LET HIM CROSS THE ROAD BY HIMSELF?" Sango shrieked. She was going crazy. Protectiveness, fear, grief: everything washed up inside her. "You tell me what happened to our so-"
Before she could finish her sentence, Miroku's eyes shot open and without a doubt, he put his hand over Sango's mouth and pushed her (accidentally) and she fell to the floor. He tripped and fell right on top of her, his face close to hers', their noses touching.
I'm sure she wouldn't have said 'our son' if she knew he was right here, thought Miroku dryly. Sango looked surprised with a 'what the fuck' look on her face. She tried to push Miroku off, but he stayed there grinning dumbly. "Say uncle first," he joked. "Haa haa very funny. Where is Tommy!" she asked frantically, still not knowing that her son was just hiding.
"SURPRISE!" shouted Tommy. He jumped through the front door and skidded across the floor with his sneakers on. "You idiot!" she shrieked slapping Miroku in the arm. "Never. Do. That. Again." she said, slapping him while saying each word. Miroku laughed and halfheartedly tried to attempt her whacks. Whatever man, you know you like it, said a voice in his head. Miroku blushed, pushing the thought away.
"IT'S THE BLUE WHALE!" shouted Sango. Miroku winced at the high pitched squeals followed by the baby talk from Sango. What's gotten her so excited today? He raised an eyebrow looking at Sango hugging the stuffed whale. "What is it with girls and stuff animals?" teased Miroku. "What is it with men and boobs?" she shot back. "Ooo, touché," he smirked.
"Where'd you get this blue whale?" Sango asked Miroku. "He won it mom! You should've seen him. He was playing pool and these big scary guys were there and I told him to back away but he said no so he went along and won that thing for you. All I said was that you really liked it. It was so cool mom you should've been there!" cut in Tommy. Sango looked at Miroku with a smile, "Really?" Miroku smiled sheepishly and scratched his head, "Yeah."
Sango smiled, touched by his kind gesture. "Want to come in?…well you already pushed yourself in, but want to sit down?" Miroku nodded and entered her living room. Tommy sped into the house, kicking his shoes off everywhere (much to the protest of Sango) and dove into his toys to play. Miroku followed Sango to her kitchen,
"Want to stay for dinner?" she asked. Miroku was surprised that she'd invite him over, but said nothing. It's probably to thank you for taking her son, no, our son out today not anything more, don't get your hopes up, the voice in his head reminded him.
"Well?" Sango stared at him, waiting for his reply. "What? Oh sure thanks if you don't mind," he replied hastily. He tried not to notice how sexy she looked in her sundress and apron. A sexy housewife…where'd you ever find that in real life? Miroku mused. Stop it with the hormonal-driven fantasies, his mind scolded him.
Sango looked at Miroku blankly, "Are you okay? You don't seem yourself today." "I'm fine!" argued Miroku brushing her away as she slumped down on the couch. He turned the TV on and started flipping through the channels mindlessly.
Sango shrugged and went back to preparing vegetables for dinner. "What do you want to eat?" No response. "Miroku?" Miroku looked up lazily from his spot on the couch, "What dear?" Sango ignored the 'dear' comment and asked again, "I said what would you like for dinner. Did Tommy really drain all that energy from you? Not so easy is it?" she laughed.
Miroku looked blankly at her, "Wait- you can cook!" he asked disbelievingly. "Yes, and a real meal at that too!" she declared. Miroku looked skeptically and waltzed up right behind her.
He peered at the vegetables she was dicing. "Make these carrots heart shaped!" said Miroku. Sango laughed and pushed him away, "Out! I can't cook with you looking at me like that!" "Who says I was looking at you?" retorted Miroku, secretly hoping that Sango was just bluffing when she said she caught him gaping. Ring ring. "Can you answer the phone Miroku?" asked Sango. Miroku nodded and picked up the cordless and tucked it behind his ear. "Hello."
"Is Sango home?" said the voice on the phone. The stranger had a Canadian accent and spoke every sentence as if it was a question. "Well tell her to call me, thank you? Tell her it's about the favorable bachelor? Okay? Thank you?" and with that the man hung up.
Miroku scoffed, "What a weird guy." "Who was it?" called Sango from the kitchen. She was stirring the vegetables for the chicken broth soup she was making. "Some guy with a Canadian accent," replied Miroku. "Oh, does he speak every sentence like a question?" asked Sango, recognizing who might've been calling. "Yeah, said something about 'favorable bachelor'…I think you got a loony stalker here," joked Miroku.
"You dork, that's my dad," chided Sango. Oops. Miroku's cheeks blushed a little, "Oh really? Sorry." How embarrassing! cried the voice in is head. "Did he say favorable bachelor?" asked Sango. "Yeah…he did," said Miroku, the idea dawning on his head.
Bachelor, eligible man for marriage…dad calling about it…her knowing about it. Wait a minute! "Sango, uh what's with this bachelor business?" Miroku asked uneasily. Has she been dating someone else?
Sango's cheeks flushed crimson.
Uh oh, not a good sign man, the voice warned him. "Sango?" Sango dropped the ladle she was holding and wiped her hands clean on a dish cloth. She adjusted her ponytail, thinking of how to put this. "Well it's like this. My dad has been trying to get me to find a husband for the past 4 years." Miroku nodded, waiting for her to continue. His stomach had an unsettling feeling as if a flock of butterflies were fluttering inside.
"He's been looking through family friends and stuff, and there was this one guy, really nice guy, he took me out on a date. It was sort of like this blind date thing, so I guess it doesn't really count. I had a good time, hung out with him a few more times but then eventually we saw each other less. He was a great friend. Tommy adored him. Never cried whenever he was held by him." Sango smiled at the memory of a baby Tommy. He was the cutest baby ever, she declared silently to herself.
Miroku unconsciously slid onto the couch. Dang, Tommy likes this guy? Would he prefer this guy over his real dad…him? Miroku slapped himself mentally for being jealous. You're overreacting man, not cool, not cool, the voice chided. Seemed like the voice was talking to him a lot lately. Either it was a sign of paranoia or he was mentally stupid. He vouched for both.
"So uh," he said clearing his throat, "Do you see him anymore?" Miroku watched Sango's face intently to see any reaction. Nothing much shown. "Nope, haven't seen him for a while. I miss talking to him though," she shrugged, going back to her soup. "Tommy, wash up!" she hollered upstairs.
Miroku decided not to press any further but the unsettling feeling in his stomach didn't calm down any better throughout the night. He went to wash his hands in the bathroom while she set up the table. The bathroom smelt beautiful, as weird as that sounds. There were bath sponges hung up on suction caps on the mirror, bottles of fruit shampoos on one side and perfume on the other side, a bar of soap shaped like a duck and lavender towels hung on the rack.
Miroku enjoyed mingling in the washroom, surrounding himself with the essence of Sango. The burst of sunshine in his life, the tangy essence that he loved. "Hey what's taking you so long?" knocked Sango. "Uh, coming," he stammered. He unlocked the door and followed Sango to the dinner table.
"Who would've thought you actually learned to cook well?" asked Miroku rhetorically. Sango shrugged, but a smile lit on her face, glowing from the praise she was receiving. "This is good," he continued. Tommy sat down and poked at his food. "Hey little man, what's wrong?" asked Miroku, noticing Tommy's quiet demeanor.
"Our real teacher is going to be back tomorrow," he sulked. Miroku grinned and felt oddly proud that Tommy would like him over his real teacher. Sango raised and eyebrow and looked at Miroku. "I'm taking you were a favorite amongst the kiddies?" Miroku shrugged modestly but a faint tinge of pink sprinkled his cheeks.
"You're blushing," teased Sango in a sing-song voice. "Shut up," he grinned, adverting her gaze. Sango laughed, "Aww, that's so cute." Miroku's heart did a double leap before fluttering back down. His heart felt like a marshmallow.