I haven't put up the disclaimer in a while, and I don't intend to. You can visit Chappie One have a looky-see for yourself if you want. Anyway... THANKS FOR STICKING WITH ME FOR SO LONG! And thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for your infinite patience with my slow updates!
Dom woke up to a hot sticky day... and a random arm belonging to Letty thrown in his face. He glanced at Letty, who was still sleeping, and shook his head at her. He could feel the sweat already forming on their still bodies. Damn, it was gonna be another scorcher, and humid as well. Fuck.
He disentangled himself from Letty, and turned the fan up a notch. If Letty woke up too hot when she was on the rag, she was bitchier than even he could handle. He made a mental note to himself to check the books and see if they could afford central air yet. Probably not, fuck it; they'd barely made enough last month to cover a new microwave for the store.
He showered in cold water, grumbling quietly about the apple-scented shampoo one of the girls had bought. Dude, hadn't they ever heard of Ivory soap? It worked fine, dammit. He swore extensively as he began to sweat again the second he dried off.
Leon and a sleepy Jesse were guzzling coffee like it was going out of style. Dom could hear signs that Mia was stirring. There were bagels and sugary cereal on the counter. Neither Jesse nor Leon looked too aware that they were munching on whole wheat bagels and not doughnuts, which Dom took great amusement from. He poured himself the last of the strong sludge Leon tried to pass off as coffee, and started another pot that was geared more towards the women's taste. Fuck, if he didn't get out of here soon, he'd be late picking up the Mazda he'd promised to work on for Hector. And where the hell was Vince? Well hell, after all that was said last night, he didn't blame him for taking off early... or sleeping in. It had been a rough night.
Dom finished his coffee, grudgingly grabbed a bagel, smeared it with peanut butter, and headed out the door. He snatched his keys from the kitchen counter as he left, silently cursing Mia's attempts to get them all to eat healthier, and planning on picking up doughnuts on the way.
Sarah had cleaned up the mess Brian had left behind him just as people began stirring in the house. Jackie came home from her overnight shift at the drugstore, dragging grocery bags in with her. The sun shone brightly through the windows. The thermometer was steadily rising.
Sarah grabbed her keys, and muttered something to Jackie about cleaning supplies and dinner. Jackie raised her cup of strong coffee in salute, and Sarah sighed. She headed out to her truck, starting it and pulling out of the parking lot smoothly. Since Jackie hadn't brought Brian home with her, that meant he had headed west. She turned on the air conditioning, which she hated doing, and rolled up the windows. It took her ten minutes to find Brian.
He was sitting awkwardly at a bus stop, glaring at the sun. She pulled up across the street, parked, and hesitated for a second. When she looked back at Brian, he was scowling directly at her. His eyes held a hate she only too readily understood. She wished he didn't feel this way. Then she got out of the car, and crossed the street, tucking her keys into her back pocket. He looked away as she approached, and his eyes grew dim and shuttered. Sarah spotted a coffee shop close-by, and passed Brian, heading towards it. She felt his heavy gaze on her back like she felt the sun in the sky. A few minutes later, she sauntered up next to him with two coffees in her hands. A bus pulled up to the curb; people got on, people got off. She handed him a coffee with three creams and a sugar when the bus pulled away and the light turned green. They sat together, angry and frustrated. Sarah drank her black coffee with one sugar, and threw away her cup. Brian's coffee was cold. He suddenly drank it all in one gulp, handed her the cup, and clambered to his feet. Sarah tossed the cup.
They crossed the street to the truck, got in, and buckled up. Brian tensed as Sarah began to pull out too quickly into traffic, and somebody honked their horn. Sarah amiably gave them the middle finger, and finished her maneuvers. Her cell phone rang. It was Jameson.
"What's up, Jameson?" Sarah asked.
"Got any cash? Jack and Abbey are out of diapers." Sarah rolled her eyes.
"Your kids are regular crap factories. Yeah I got some. Look in the bottom vanity drawer, inside the folded black bra at the bottom. It's satin."
"You have weird ideas about where to put things, you know that?"
"Then why do you always ask for things I keep hidden?"
"I love you, sis."
"Love you too. Pay me back by next week."
"If I'm late, you can charge me interest." Jameson hung up then, and Sarah closed her cell phone. Brian was staring out the window, angry and frustrated, but dulling. Sarah gave him a concerned glance, then turned back to her driving.
I know, I know... long time, no update. I'm sorry. I really am. There probably won't be many updates for a long time. I'm trying to work two jobs to put myself through full-time college right now, hold together a two-year-long long-distance relationship, family connections that are all long-distance, friendships long-distance and local... yeah, I'm having a hard time right now. Thank you all who have requested more, and who have watched this story from it's inception. Thank you all who want more. I shall try, just for you.