Hi, I'm back with more. So we made it to the twenty-chapter-goal, and there's still WAAY MORE to come, yay! I know I haven't updated for so long AGAIN, so I typed this up real quick to keep you guys satisfied. I'M STILL WAITING FOR THE SUPER BOWL, OKAY?! Also, on a 4-1 vote, Zane will learn how to play Minecraft first, and then GTA. Or was it 4-2? 5-2? IDK Minecraft got more votes, though. ENJOY THY (SHORT) CHAPTER!
Outside it was a gloomy autumn day, but the roaring fire in the fireplace filled the house with a warm, welcoming glow. With country music playing over the radio on the TV and Zane sitting on the couch scratching Hailey's dog Juneau behind his ear, it didn't feel gloomy at all.
Hailey returned from feeding the horses.
"Hey Uncle Sam, what's for supper?"
Samuel was in the kitchen, digging around in the lower cabinet. He emerged and held a kitchen appliance in his hands. A quesadilla maker. There was a flicker of recognition on Hailey's face.
"Quesadillas?" She asked. Samuel nodded.
"Yes. Can you go grab some deer from the freezer?"
Hailey nodded and went to go do what she was told.
"Um, what is a quesadilla?" Zane asked.
"It's where you take two tortillas and stuff things like cheese, meat, or veggies and press them together and slice them up." Samuel told him. "If you haven't tried them before, I think you'll enjoy them."
Hailey came back with the meat. She began chopping the venison up into cubes before getting a cast iron skillet and frying it up. Then Samuel got cheese and Hailey spooned some fried deer meat into the tortilla. They placed a tortilla on top and shut the quesadilla maker. Soon they had an ample supply of quesadillas and sliced them up.
"Zane, come get you some quesadillas!" Hailey told him. "They're hot!"
Zane got up, thankful to be walking again. Hailey grabbed a plate and began piling on food.
Zane hesitated. He didn't want to seem rude, but he was quite hungry. Samuel saw his reluctance.
"Go ahead," he said. He nodded at the plate piled high with quesadillas. "Help yourself."
Zane, feeling a bit less subjected to being disrespectful, went over and got a couple. Samuel pulled up a third chair and came with his own stack. He and Hailey started a conversation about football and how the Panthers were both excelling on both sides and how they might win the Super Bowl. Eventually the plate with the quesadillas was empty.
"I'm going to make some more." He said standing up.
"Okay. You need help?"
"Nah, I got it."
Zane didn't quite understand who Hailey was talking about when she mentioned the Panthers.
"Who is this Cam Newton?" Zane asked.
Hailey looked at him. "Are you suddenly wanting to know about every QB in football?"
"I was just curious as to who he is."
"Cam is the quarterback for the Panthers."
"Hey Hailey, come look at this quesadilla," Samuel said. Hailey went over.
"Ha. It's all burnt at the bottom."
"And it won't fall." Samuel took out a pair of barbecue tongs and tried getting the quesadilla which was stuck in the top half. "Why won't it-"
Hailey thought for a minute.
"Maybe you forgot to put the top on." She suggested.
"Did I? No I didn't." Samuel pried loose the quesadilla and-
"You did forget top on!" Hailey cried. Where the top tortilla was supposed to be was just melted cheese.
"I did," Samuel said. He prodded the top with the tongs. "It's all crispy."
"Why did you forget it?"
Samuel took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "I'm just really tired." He said. "It's been a long day." It was true. He and Hailey had to fix a section of the fence that had kicked over by their horses. Hailey was telling him something, and when he didn't answer Hailey snapped her fingers in front of his eyes.
"Huhwhat?" He had said like he was half asleep and had been woken up.
"Dude are you tripping out or something?" Hailey had asked.
Samuel put back on his glasses and added another layer of cheese (and the tortilla, of course) and shut it.
"That's gonna be, like, a loaded quesadilla," Hailey said.
"Yea."
In a few minutes, the quesadilla was done, and Samuel went to open it-
It was stuck.
"Oh, crap now it won't open!"
"What?!" Hailey sprung up from her chair. "Lemme see!"
Hailey ran over and peered at where the two halves of the quesadilla maker met. A thin line of melted, crispy cheese lined the halves like masonry.
"It's from all the cheese you put on there!" Hailey said. She got a butter knife and started scraping it off. Whatever fell on the floor, Juneau came and licked it up.
"Careful now." Samuel warned as Hailey finished freeing the maker from the cheese. "Don't burn yourself."
"I know." Hailey said. Just as the last of it flaked off, the quesadilla maker sprung open with a loud pop! Hailey and Juneau both jumped.
"Ohmygosh that scared me!" Hailey said while laughing. Juneau had his ears laid back.
"Oh, get a sense of humor, dog."
Hailey picked up the butter knife that had fallen on the floor and tossed it in the sink. Since Samuel was tired, she sliced the quesadillas instead before bringing them over. She reached for one to see all the melted cheese practically almost burst from the tortillas. Hailey didn't seem to mind though. Zane actually liked it.
"Hey Zane," Hailey said reaching for another of the last two quesadillas. "Who are you-"
Suddenly Juneau jumped up and snatched the paper plate of quesadillas with his teeth.
"OH JUNEAU NO!"
"NO NO NO NONO!"
"AHH JUNEAU!"
Hailey, Zane, and Samuel all lunged for the plate. Hailey stood up so fast she fell out of her chair.
"JUNEAU GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" Hailey yelled as she sprung up and chased Juneau down the hall. She smacked her knee on the wall on her way out.
"OW! JUNEAU!"
Hailey caught Juneau at the end of the hall. The plate sat between his two front legs, the quesadillas on there unharmed. Juneau was in a defiant stance with a look that said try me.
"Juneau," Hailey said, kneeling slowly. "Can I have those back?" She did not want Juneau running off with them again.
Juneau just looked at her.
"Please?"
Hailey reached for it, and Juneau batted the plate. Hailey gasped.
"Juneau please!" Hailey begged. Then she had an idea. Juneau always had a spot where he loved to be scratched. It was behind his right ear.
Hailey reached and rubbed the spot, and Juneau suddenly started acting like a puppy. He flopped on the floor with his tongue hanging out, dangerously close to the plate. Still scratching, Hailey reached down and grabbed it. Hailey stopped petting Juneau and started down the hall, then heard Juneau whining. She turned around.
"Oh my-Juneau, no!"
Juneau was sitting and doing his puppy eyes. Hailey would've just went back to the kitchen and let Zane and Samuel have the last two if they wanted, except that when Juneau did that is was absolutely freaking adorable.
Hailey rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine," she said and tore off a piece before tossing it to Juneau. "I give up."
Juneau snatched the piece out of the air and chewed it with satisfaction.
Hailey started walking back to the kitchen, Juneau behind her. "Every single time." She said, shaking her head. But she was smiling.
Eh, why not end it with a puppy moment?