At breakfast the stress and strain of the day before was obvious on everyone's faces. It was obvious for those who had faced the thought of never returning to the community and it was obvious on all those that had contemplated, at least for a moment, the possibility that in one day they could be down an entire household of loved ones and short one in another household.
Carol was not exempt from this number. It had hit her already the impact that the loss would have had on the group. Daryl would never have abandoned Hope, not as long as he lived, she was sure of that, but he would have needed help and Carol would have had to provide that.
Her family needed something. They needed some kind of pick me up, and so did she. She'd thought about it while preparing oatmeal.
"So we've got a busy day ahead of us." She said when the last person was served and she could sit down to eat the food that she didn't enjoy, but ate to keep on top of things. Everyone turned to look at her. She'd become responsible lately for giving out jobs and most people were attentive to whatever she had to say. "Everyone needs to bundle up. We're going to be outside a lot today." They continued to look at her, no one commenting yet. "There's a house a couple of streets over that has a very nice paved area and a basketball hoop. Do you know which one I'm talking about? It's in front of their garage."
Most of them nodded.
"Good. I need several of you to go and find chairs. Take them there for whoever wants them. Maggie, Glenn, do you have a basketball and a football in your collection of toys?"
"We have a football." Glenn said, looking a little confused. "No basketball."
"Go get it." Carol said. "We're having a play day. We all need it and I've decided to force you all to have it."
The group didn't look like there would be much forcing involved. The prospect of a relaxing day sounded nice to everyone after the stress of the day before.
Everyone started coming together near the house that Carol had designated. Jimmy and Junior had brought chairs for Dora and Frank, who weren´t participating in the fun, but wanted to watch. Maggie and Glenn had brought far more than a few balls, offering a variety of entertainment. It looked more like it was going to be like recess than anything else.
Most of the group was happy with a football and they jogged down the street a little to set up what was going to be their football field and to decide who would have who on their teams.
"Let me see that baby." Dora had said to Michonne. She'd immediately started kissing Hope, having previously discovered that the little girl was wildly ticklish, and making her laugh. Carol was entertaining herself with a hula hoop.
"I haven't done this in years." Carol said. "I'm terrible at it, but I always thought that one day I'd get the hang of it. My sister could keep it going for ages."
"I never was any good at that either." Michonne said, watching Carol.
"Any basketballs?" Tyreese asked, walking over to them. He'd been burrowing through the pile of toys with Carl.
"Not at the moment." Carol said, "But I bet there's at least one in the garage. You wouldn't have a hoop like that and not have a basketball."
"I'll get it." Carol said, heading toward the garage.
"Carl, wait!" Rick called after him, seeing him headed for the closed garage. "Did anyone clean out the garage?" Rick called back to Carol.
"I don't know, Rick." She said.
Rick went to the garage with Carl, and stepped in first to take care of any possible Walker lurking in there. Michonne was glad to see that he had thought to do that. Rick was calming down more. He had begun to watch Carl again, instead of just leaving the boy to his own devices and the protection of the clan. It made Michonne wonder if, as he continued to come around, he was going to develop an interest in Judith, or if she'd been completely forgotten by him.
Judith, at this moment, was acting like she'd been completely forgotten by Carol, which wasn't the case at all. Carol just didn't want to hold Judith right now and Judith was standing a little out in front of her, clutching her duck and reaching one arm toward Carol.
"Caw! Caw! I hold you!" Judith kept calling. In a moment, Carol would abandon her failed efforts at the hula hoop and hold the child. She would often let Judith beg to be held for a little while, but not too long. Judith usually was content to follow her around while she was working, but she'd learned quickly to distinguish between a Carol that couldn't hold her and a Carol that wouldn't hold her and there was one that she simply could not abide.
"Hey, look at this!" Carl called, wrestling a bike through the side door of the garage. It had a baby seat on it. He rolled it down the driveway to them. "It's got helmets too." He said. He looked at Carol. "Do you think I could take Judith for a ride?"
"I don't see why not." Carol said. "Bring the helmets."
Carl dashed up the driveway and came back a few minutes later with the helmets, his already resting on his head and carrying one for an infant.
"I don't know if it'll fit." He said, handing it to Carol.
"I'm sure it will be close enough. Just don't go doing any Evil Knievel stuff to test it out." Carol said. Carl smiled at her. "Ok, go ride around a few minutes and get your "wobblies" out." Carol commanded.
"Wobblies?" Carl asked, picking up the bike.
"With most things we know how to do and we never forget how to do, we are still pretty wobbly when we try to start doing them again after a long break. You need to ride around a few minutes and get over those wobblies. When you're confident on the bike again, I'll buckle Judith in for you." Carol responded.
Carl got on the bike and started to ride it in the street. He was, in fact, wobbling. They watched him as he turned the corner.
"Wobblies, huh?" Michonne said. Carol shrugged.
"What else was I going to call it?" She put the helmet on Judith, and slipping her finger between her chin and the clasp, snapped it. "It's not perfect, but I think it'll do the trick."
Michonne saw Tyreese headed for the garage in search of the basketball that Carl had completely forgotten about. She followed after him, wanting to have a talk with him.
"Did you ever think that Sasha might appreciate it if you'd quit cockblocking Jimmy?" Michonne said, stepping into the dark garage with Tyreese. He turned around. He hadn't been aware that she was behind him.
"Did you just say I was cockblocking Jimmy?" Tyreese asked. He couldn't believe Michonne was talking to him, much less talking like that. He talked to Daryl a lot, but he'd not really had too many conversations with Michonne.
"You know that's what you're doing." Michonne said. She'd seen it the effect when they were all making their way over her and Jimmy, making a move like he might put his arm around Sasha, had stopped and dropped his arm, realizing Tyreese was behind them.
"Help me get this door open, shine some light in here." Tyreese said, fumbling with the garage door in the dark. He didn't want to have this conversation with Michonne, but he certainly didn't want to have it in the dark.
Michonne helped Tyreese and together they pushed up the door. He immediately went to looking for a basketball. These had not been very tidy people.
"I mean what are you afraid of? Do you think her reputation is going to be ruined? We're not exactly a judgemental society when it comes to hooking up. It doesn't even matter if they find out they don't have anything in common besides the sex." Michonne said.
Tyreese didn't say anything. He really didn't like to think of his little sister having sex with anyone.
"She's my little sister." Tyreese said after a minute.
"She's still a woman." Michonne said. "And I don't think Sasha is as innocent as you'd like to think she is."
Tyreese continued looking for the ball. Michonne was pretty good at reading people, and she could tell that Tyronne was a little uncomfortable with the subject. She didn't know if it was that he was uncomfortable about talking about Sasha having sex, whether it was about talking about sex in general, or whether it was talking to her that was getting to him.
"Ah ha! Got one." Tyronne said, emerging from a bunch of things in the back corner of the garage and walking out with the basketball. "OK, I'll go easy on them." He said.
"You know it could be good for her." Michonne said. She looked at Tyreese and tilted her head to the side. "It could be good for you too."
Tyreese wasn't really sure what to think right this minute. Michonne had just very obviously checked him out. He gave her a confused look.
"Oh, calm down." Michonne said. Realizing that her quick examination of Tyreese may have thrown him the wrong idea. "Not me! I've got all I can handle with Daryl. I was just window shopping for a friend." She said, smiling.
Tyreese could tell that Michonne had something up her sleeve. He had never expected to really see that look on Michonne's face, but he'd seen it before on plenty of other women. Michonne was thinking something, and it was most likely something naughty.
"Who?" He asked, lowering his voice even more than it already was.
Michonne turned her head and looked down at the street where Carol was talking to Dora. Tyreese followed her gaze.
"What? Who? Carol?" Tyreese said.
Michonne looked at him, wrinkling her forehead a little. "What's wrong with Carol?" She'd lowered her voice too.
Tyreese looked back to Carol. She was laughing at something Dora was saying.
"Well there's nothing wrong with her." Tyreese said. "I mean, it's Carol. She's not really my type, and I've never really thought of her that way. She's so much a mother. I've never seen her be anything else."
"I, for one, have learned that types before this and types now are quite different." Michonne said. Andrea certainly hadn't been her type, and she'd have never imagined herself with Daryl before all of this happened. "Daryl wasn't my type, but I think he's pretty much ended up being the best type for me now. Carol's role in the group is very mothering, but no one's given her any opportunity to be anything else."
Tyreese glanced back towards the group. He'd never thought about it before, but now he was certainly entertaining the idea a little, which was obviously what Michonne was going for.
"Think about it." Michonne pushed. "If she's that attentive to your wants and needs at the dinner table, just think about how she'd be…"
"Ah, ah, ah! Stop!" Tyreese said.
Michonne smiled at him. "Think about it. I could help you out…if you need it." She said. She turned to walk away.
"Wait up, aren't you gonna play?" Tyreese asked, bouncing the ball on the pavement just outside the garage door.
"No, I'm going to get in on the football game." Michonne said, turning back for a minute.
"What the hell? Am I supposed to play by myself?" Tyreese asked. Michonne motioned her head towards Carol and smiled again, turning finally and jogging off in the direction of those that were playing football.
Tyreese bounced the ball a few more times and then walked down the driveway to where Carol was talking with Dora and Frank.
He cleared his throat as he joined them.
"Do you play?" Tyreese asked Carol, holding up the ball as a type of explanation. Carol smiled at him.
"I'm not good at basketball, but I'm not too shabby at Horse." She said.
"Fair enough." Tyreese said.
Carol looked back at Dora. "Can you keep an eye out for Carl and Judith?" Frank was holding Hope who had developed a very serious interest in the old dog tags that he wore.
"Sure, you go have some fun." Dora said.
Carol turned and followed Tyreese up the driveway toward the basketball goal.
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Seeing Michonne approaching Daryl called a time out to the small bunch. They stood there until she got to them.
"Can I be on your team?" Michonne asked Daryl.
"Well now," Daryl said. "Before I let you on my team, I'm going to have to ask you a few questions to figure out if you're better suited for my team or for Rick's." He grinned at Michonne.
"Ok, shoot." She said.
"Do you absolutely suck at football?" Daryl asked.
"I'm pretty bad." Michonne admitted. Daryl nodded his head a little.
"Do you feel like you can barely move, like you're at least seventy to eighty years old?" Daryl asked.
Michonne thought about it. She was still exhausted and her back and arms were sore. "Probably pretty close to that."
"Would a Walker be a more effective quarterback than you would be?" Daryl asked.
"Possibly." Michonne said.
"One final question," Daryl said, his grin broadening. "Could Judith cover you successfully?"
"It could happen." Michonne said.
By now there were giggles and snorts coming from the others.
"Then you can be on my team." Daryl said. "You'll fit right in."
Daryl's team consisted of Maggie, Glenn, and Beth, whereas Rick had Sasha, Junior, and Jimmy.
"Fine. Let's play." Michonne said.
"Now the teams aren't even." Rick said.
"Does it matter?" Daryl asked. "I mean you've seen us playing out there. We'd be more effective if we traded some people for Dora and Frank. One of your people could tackle three of mine at once."
Rick laughed. "I guess you're right, we're not really close in score or anything."
They huddled with their teams, took positions, and went back to playing what was probably the worst football tournament in history.
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"And here's the surprise I promised." Carol said coming into the dining room. She had a box, and it just happened to be a box full of pudding that she'd been secretly stashing away for some time in the storage area. "There's enough for everyone." She said, passing it around and passing out spoons.
Daryl, who was holding Hope took his, even though he had no intention of eating it. He would wait until everyone had one and then he'd pass his to Michonne.
"Hey, that's not fair." Sasha said. "When we played the last time, only the winners got pudding and I had to listen to Maggie's mouth. Now everyone gets pudding?"
"Yes, Sasha. Everyone gets pudding today. We're lucky that Maggie's still here for us to hear her running her mouth." Carol said.
"Thank you, Carol." Maggie said. "Although I'm not entirely sure that was a good thing." She added.
Carol smiled at her. "It was a good thing, Maggie, it was a good thing."
Carol watched Maggie quietly for a minute as she peeled open her pudding container and licked the top. As much as Maggie had the potential to get on everyone's nerves, Carol couldn't imagine sitting here at the table tonight and not having Maggie sitting there, with her feet in the chair and her knees drawn between her chest and the table, a sitting position that she often assumed after she'd finished dinner.
Carol sighed and tried to put it out of her mind. They hadn't lost anyone, and that was what was important. It was better not to dwell on what it would have been like if they had lost someone.
Tyreese was distracted tonight. He was eating his pudding and he kept glancing over at Carol, aware that Michonne kept looking at him. Now she had him thinking about it. Carol wasn't at all the type of woman that he would have been likely to ask out before all of this happened, but maybe there was some truth to what Michonne had said about types changing. Tyreese didn't entirely like the idea of being alone. With the exception of the kids, everybody had somebody now, except for him and Carol. Still, he felt bad thinking about it that way. If he did decide to make some kind of move on her, and she were to accept his proposition, he wouldn't want to feel like the only reason they were together was because there wasn't anybody left. It wasn't a flattering thought about either of them, even if there may be truth to it.
Carol was an attractive woman, a little too petite for his tastes, since he'd probably be afraid he'd break her if he hugged her too tight. She had a pretty face, and Tyreese did like her smile. The thing about Carol was that when she smiled, and she really meant it, everything about her lit up. She was very mothering to the group, to the entire group, but Tyreese wondered if there was any merit to what Michonne had said about her not really having the opportunity to try on more hats than that.
Tyreese looked at Michonne. She was looking back at him, half smiling and eating her pudding. Damn it. She knows I'm thinking about it now.
Michonne could tell that Tyreese was thinking about what she had said earlier. It just made sense to her. Tyreese was a good man, and Michonne thought that Carol deserved that, or at least deserved a shot at it. Carol would never be the type to make a move, especially not on a man like Tyreese, but she may very well accept his advances if Michonne could work him up to making some. And anyway, she felt like she kind of owed it to Carol to find her a nice man, she had, after all, stolen Daryl, and that had been Carol's on prospect at the time. Michonne was satisfied with herself. She'd never played matchmaker before, but with only two candidates, she thought she might actually be good at it. It looked like Tyreese, even if he didn't decide to make a move, would at least be stuck thinking about the possibility for a while.