When Wally awoke the following morning, the first thought that came to mind was "ow".
He was stiff everywhere, and he meant everywhere. Sitting up from the couch, he felt his back pop at least three times. Maybe I should invest in a better couch...for my back's sake if nothing else. He stretched, hearing the various pops and cracks of his joints as he did so. Unconsciously, his gaze drifted in the direction of his room, where Arlynn peacefully slumbered on his soft, comfortable bed.
He ignored the feelings of longing towards the aforementioned object as his thoughts took another turn and he remembered the paternity test that he had mailed out the night prior. The paternity test that wasn't due back for another five days.
Looks I'll be sleeping on the couch for a while longer.
He hunched forward as he rested his elbows onto his knees, burying his face in his hands. Paternity test. The words echoed in his mind, only sounding that much more surreal every time he thought of them. Where did I go wrong?
'She's...ours'
Sensing his thoughts trailing in an unwanted direction, Wally stood, eager to do something, anything, to distract himself. An idea came to him in the form of his stomach growling loudly as it tinged painfully. Breakfast. I can do that right? I mean, Linda went shopping for yesterday so I have the stuff. Yeah and I need to pay her back too...
He made his way over to the kitchen, opening the fridge and taking out ingredients for a relatively simple breakfast.
"I can make eggs, right?" he muttered to no one in particular.
He got a bowl and placed it on the small kitchen counter space before taking out an egg, thinking back to how his mom used to crack them as he lightly rapped it on the rim of the bowl. Upon seeing no damage to the outer shell, Wally tried it again with a bit more power. It broke slightly, some egg whites and golden yolks leaking out from the cracks, but it wasn't quite enough. Wally tried again, but it was too hard that time and resulted in the egg breaking into pieces, the egg white and yolk along with tiny shattered pieces of the shell falling into the bowl.
...Well this is off to a great start.
He stared at the contents of egg in the bowl, wondering if it was still edible to eat. There's way too many egg shell pieces in there to individually pick out and I mean, they can't kill you right? ...Right. It's probably fine. Like swallowing a piece of gum. He took two more eggs, cracking them only slightly better as he released the contents into the bowl. I'm in the mood for scrambled today. He grabbed a fork, attempting to beat the eggs in the expert way that his mom and Aunt Iris always seemed to do it from his memories. Egg spilled over the sides of the bowl, onto the counter and even the floor.
Okay. What next?
He searched his mind, trying to grasp onto what little cooking skills he had learned from watching his mother. He snapped his fingers as it suddenly came to him. "Milk!" he said aloud. He made his way back to the fridge, pulling out the aforementioned item before returning to the counter. Shoot. How much did she add? Wally frowned in deep thought as he tried to remember. Alright, I know it wasn't a whole lot... Come to think of it, that was about all he knew. His mom had never really been one for exact measurements, thinking back on his childhood, he could remember his mother randomly adding a certain amount of an ingredient to a dish, seeming to just intuitively know the perfect amount.
Well thanks for nothing, Mom.
Briefly, he thought about calling her to ask but ultimately decided against it. With their different time zones, it was still very early morning where she was. Plus, even if she was awake to answer, she'd be absolutely pissed considering it had been a few days since he'd last called or texted her. Internally wincing at that inevitable conversation, Wally focused back on his task. Okay, so I can remember Mom saying something about too much milk ruining the texture so...a cap full should be fine, right? He unscrewed the milk cap, quickly rinsing it out in the sink before filling it to the brim with milk and pouring it into the bowl.
He stirred the eggs again, watching as it it turned into a lighter yellow color.Okay...this should be good, right? Wally nodded to himself in affirmation as he grabbed a frying pan, placing it on the gas stove and turning on the heat to medium before pouring the egg in. Wait. I was supposed to let it heat up first, wasn't I? His thoughts turned out to be true as he had to wait a full five minutes for the pan to warm up and the eggs to start cooking. Finally, he thought in relief as the edges of the eggs began to bubble. He began moving the eggs around (he knew to do that at least, thank you very much), but found that pieces were burning into the bottom of the pot regardless of how often he moved them. He slapped his forehead as he was struck with a realization. Butter! That's what you were forgetting, you idiot! He grabbed a plate, scraping the semi-burnt scrambled eggs onto it. Well, it still looks mostly edible at least...
"What's that?"
He whipped around to see Arlynn suddenly standing behind him, one hand rubbing a bleary green eye as the other held Fluffy.
"Well what does it look like?" Wally phrased the statement to be more patronizing than an actual question, but Arlynn replied anyway.
"Um..." Arlynn scrutinized the dish closely as if she was judging something in a competition. Then she shrugged. "I dunno."
Wally glared at the girl, offended by her indirect insult to his cooking skills (even if deep down he knew they were absolute crap), "They're scrambled eggs."
"Aren't eggs supposed to be yellow?"
"They are yellow!"
"Looks brown to me."
"They're an off-yellow color."
Arlynn looked at the dish again, noticing the tiny white specks dotting the eggs, "Why are there shell pieces in your eggs?"
Wally threw his arms up exasperatedly, "Cooking is hard, okay?! Now do you want breakfast or not?"
"Pass." Arlynn replied, stifling a yawn as she walked past him further into the kitchen.
Wally gaped after the girl, mouth opening and closing as he fought to come up with a reply but came up with nothing. After a few seconds of this, he settled with grabbing his plate of not-really eggs and a fork before sitting at the table, grumbling incoherently as he ate a mouthful. He nearly spit it out as he bit into an egg shell piece, its crunchiness coupled with the absolute blandness of the flavor making the dish almost inedible. Maybe if I add some salt? He got up and grabbed the aforementioned condiment before sitting back down and adding a sizable amount to the eggs. He took another bite...and had to fight to not spit it back out. I overdid it on the salt. Arlynn sniggered and Wally glared at her defiantly as he took another forkful of the god-awful-but-he-refused-to-admit-it eggs.
"Hey, why don't you make yourself some toast for breakfast?" he couldn't resist jabbing, "Oh, wait."
He didn't even attempt to hide his triumphant smirk as the girl's smile dropped and she glared at him.
She blew him a raspberry as an extra measure before turning back around and climbing onto the countertop effortlessly. Even with the extra height, Arlynn still had to balance on the tips of her toes as she reached up to the cereal cabinet, grabbing a box of Cheerios. She leapt off the counter after retrieving the desired item, landing gracefully on the tile floor before walking over and claiming the seat across from Wally at the dining table.
"You realize I do have bowls, right?" Wally asked as Arlynn opened the box and dug her hand in the bag, pulling out a handful of the dry cereal to eat, "And milk." he added.
Arlynn shrugged, "No thank you." she replied.
"It was a rhetorical- oh, nevermind." Wally took another bite of the eggs and managed to choke it down before finally pushing the plate aside in surrender.
"Shut up." Wally said just as Arlynn opened her mouth, probably to give some sort of snarky comment. He got up, throwing the eggs in the trash and putting the plate in the sink.
"I'm gonna shower. Don't burn down the kitchen." he stated as he walked out of the room.
"That joke's getting old, you know!" Arlynn yelled after him indignantly. Finding herself alone for the time being, Arlynn ate a few more handfuls before closing the box and placing it on the table, too lazy to put it away. She absentmindedly ran a hand through her hair, wincing slightly once her fingers got caught in a knot. She worked slowly through it, now more than ever missing her mom. Mommy always made sure to brush my hair. Feeling the lump grow in her throat at the thought of her mother and her eyes begin to water, Arlynn quickly pushed down those feelings. Stop being such a baby, Arlynn. Mommy'll be back.
Knock. Knock.
Arlynn looked to the door, grateful for the distraction. Should I answer it?
Knock. Knock.
She glanced down in the direction where Wally had walked off and seeing that the man didn't seem to be making a sudden appearance at that moment, she looked back to the door. Mommy always told me not to answer the door unless she's there, but is it the same for Wally...?
Another knock and then... "Walls! Are you home?!"
Arlynn groaned and rolled her eyes as she recognized the voice. Linda. Even Arlynn wasn't exactly sure what, but something about their meeting the day prior had rubbed her the wrong way. The false smile, the overfriendliness...okay, so maybe she could name a few things after all.
After another second of contemplation, Arlynn opened the door just in time to see Linda preparing to leave. The woman blinked and turned around, that overly cheerful smile that Arlynn was learning to hate appearing on her face, "Oh hi, sweetheart."
Arlynn. Arlynn wanted to correct since even her mom didn't use pet names like that for her. She bit her tongue however, remembering Wally's statement to be nice.
The two stood awkwardly at the door for a long moment, Linda struggling to hold up her heavy duffel bag and Arlynn staring at her and it warily.
"Um..." Linda began, clearing her throat awkwardly, "Can I...come in?"
"I don't know." Arlynn replied. Partly to be difficult and partly because she actually didn't know. With her mommy, all the rules were set in stone. Arlynn knew exactly what not to do and how badly she would get in trouble if she did it anyway. Wally, though, was a stark contrast. Wally knows Linda so he wouldn't get too mad of I let her in without his permission right? Or would he even care either way? Arlynn scrutinized Linda closely, ignoring the slightly wary look she was getting from the woman in response. I don't like her, but she doesn't look like a murderer... Plus, I can just scream if she tries anything.
Shrugging, Arlynn opened the door wider and stepped aside, "I guess." she said.
After only a brief second of hesitance, Linda walked in, going to the center of the living room and dropping her duffelbag on the floor. She shuffled awkwardly at the silence in the room, and Arlynn couldn't stop the rolling of her eyes.
"So..." Linda began after a tense moment, "Um, where's Wally?"
"Shower." Arlynn replied shortly.
"Um, okay," Linda said, "That's nice..."
Arlynn raised an eyebrow.
"So how long are you planning to stay here?" Linda asked.
Arlynn shrugged wordlessly.
"Um..." Linda chewed her lip and Arlynn had to hold back a smirk. This was kind of fun.
"Your mom." Linda said suddenly.
Arlynn narrowed her eyes at the woman, her mood suddenly darkening slightly, "What about her?"
Linda nervously avoided eye contact with the girl, "Um...she's in rehab, right?" she asked.
For the briefest moment, Arlynn had no clue what she was talking about, but the lie Wally had told Linda the day prior suddenly came to mind.
"Uh, yeah." Arlynn replied. Even if I don't know what a 'rehab' is...
"That...must be hard on you."
"Sure," Arlynn replied distractedly, "Hey, what's in your bag?"
Linda blinked, "Oh, this?" she asked, looking to mentioned object on the floor.
I didn't see you holding another one, Arlynn had to stop herself from saying at the last minute.
Linda knelt down to unzip the bag, "Well I figured you must've gotten tired of wearing Wally's old t-shirts so I dug through my niece's old wardrobe and pulled out some clothes that I thought looked your size."
Arlynn trotted over and peered in the bag as Linda opened it wider so she could get a better view. A barrage of t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies. jeans, and leggings-all in various colors ranging from a bright rose pink to a plain gray- greeted her vision. Reaching in Arlynn pulled out a pink champagne colored sweatshirt and held it out to get a better look. On the front she could faintly see the image of a thumbs up emoji, though most of the sparkles and color that adorned the design were washed out. Tossing the shirt aside, Arlynn continued to dig through the articles of clothing. Much to her surprise, she found that she liked nearly everything that was in the bag.
"Are they okay?" Linda asked.
Arlynn glanced at the woman in mild surprise, for a brief moment she had forgotten she was even there. Arlynn shrugged, "I guess." she replied nonchalantly.
The way that Linda had chewed her lip and clenched her fists ever so slightly did not go unnoticed by Arlynn, "Anyway," Linda said and Arlynn could hear the slight strain in her voice, "How long do you think you'll be staying here for?"
"Um..." What do I say? I don't even know the answer. And didn't she already ask this? "Not...long." Arlynn offered as a weak reply.
Linda nodded, seemingly satisfied with Arlynn's answer, "You know it must be really hard for you." she said.
Arlynn narrowed her eyes at Linda as she picked up the obvious pity in the woman's tone. She knew she didn't like her for a reason. "Yeah, you keep saying that." Arlynn replied.
Linda shrugged, "Well, you know, I just figured it must be difficult. What with your mother abandoning you and all..." she drawled.
Instantly, all of Arlynn's defensive walls came up, "She didn't abandon me!" she exclaimed because she didn't and Linda was a big fat stupid head to think so.
Linda's entire "nice girl" demeanor seemed to change as she let out a short patronizing laugh, "Oh, sweetheart. I'm a reporter...or I will be anyway. And if there's one thing I can tell, it's when a person is lying. For whatever reason, both you and Wally are lying to me, and I have to say that I don't appreciate that at all. So I'll give you a chance, honey, to tell me why you're really here."
Arlynn's eyes widened slightly in surprise. So she wasn't a complete ditz. "Why do you care?" Arlynn asked and underneath the suspicion in her tone was actual sincerity. Why did Linda care? It wasn't as if she lived here and this was only Arlynn's second encounter with her.
"My reasons are none of your concern, sweetheart."
Arlynn glared at her, "It's Arlynn. And I could say the same."
For the first time during their conversation, Linda glared back, "Listen, brat. I'm asking nicely."
Arlynn smirked, "And just what exactly are you going to do if you ask not nicely?"
"You know sweetheart, I'm sure your quote, unquote 'druggie' mom didn't teach you much manners so I'll tell you now that it's polite to respect your elders. Especially ones who hold your entire fate of whether you get taken away to an orphanage in their hands."
Arlynn paled, "Y-you're lying."
It was Linda's turn to smirk, "Am I?" she knelt down to Arlynn's level placing her hands gently on Arlynn's shoulders as her tone softened, "Listen, honey, I know it may not seem like it now, but I'm not your enemy. I just want to help you find your mom before...well, you know."
"Before what?" Arlynn asked, her walls crashing down as she stared at the woman with vulnerability evident in her gaze.
"Before Wally gets tired of you, of course. You wouldn't understand it now, but he's a college student and that means that he's really busy. Do you really think that he'll risk flunking out and ruining his entire future for one kid? Plus, Wally and I have a future of our own, sweetheart. One that doesn't involve a stupid, little kid getting in our way."
"He-he wouldn't. Wally wouldn't do that."
"And what makes you so sure about that? You've known him for...what? Two days? I've been dating him for two years. Between me or you, who would you say knows him better?"
Arlynn rubbed furiously at her eyes in order to get rid of the stinging and sudden blurry vision, "Why are you so mean?" she asked, "You don't care about me finding my mom. Don't care about me at all. So why...why-"
The two could hear the bathroom door creak open down the hall as Wally finished his shower. Linda stood, giving Arlynn's knotted hair a gentle ruffle, "Anyway, you should think about it, sweetie. I'll be around. Hope you enjoy the clothes. Oh, and I put a hairbrush somewhere in there too, I'd advise making good use of it." The front door clicked closed behind Linda as she made her departure. Arlynn stared at the door for a long moment before sniffing her nose and rubbing furiously at her eyes to compose herself. She had only just managed to stop the waterworks when Wally walked into the living room.
"Hey kid, was Linda here? I thought I'd heard her voice." he asked.
Arlynn's gaze focused on her bare feet as she replied, doing her best to keep the wavering out of her voice, "Yeah. Yeah, you just missed her. She um, she dropped off clothes."
Wally glanced at the duffle, "Yeah, I see that..." he then looked back to Arlynn, who still hadn't had lifted her gaze to look at him yet, "You okay, Lynn?" he wasn't sure where the nickname had come from, but didn't think too much on it as he stared at the child with concern.
Arlynn could only offer a short nod before grabbing two random articles of clothing out of the duffle and heading to the bathroom to shower.
So...Linda's kind of a jerk, right? I'd like to thank all of my reviewers and welcome any more!