Prank Call

Annabelle stirred the stew she was making for the Saint Patrick's Day party at the church and she took a long sip of whiskey.

She glanced over at her friend, Rosie, who was sitting at the table and Annabelle snorted a laugh.

"Are you gonna call them or not?" Rosie asked.

Even though she knew they were safe, the idea of not seeing her boys still hurt.

It didn't matter that they were twenty-seven-years-old now.

They were still her little angels.

"I'm gonna call 'em," Annabelle said as she slightly staggered to the phone and she picked up the receiver. She made the call as she waited for someone to answer and she hoped either Connor or Murphy were home.

"Hello," Connor's voice said and she sobered up a bit.

"Connor, is that you?"

"Mother, is that you?"

"Is that worthless brudder of yers there? I want th'both of you t'hear this."

She could hear Murphy complaining about no hot water as Connor told him she was on the phone and Rose smiled at her.

She started telling them it was their fault that she had lost her girlish figure and that her life sucked as she looked around for Noah's gun and she told them she was going to kill herself. Her mind replayed the day the twins had found the gun in the hall closet and she could hear them pleading with her not to do anything foolish. She knew she and Rosie would have to do a lot of prayers of forgiveness and she and Rosie tried hard not to break out in giggles.

She had never fired a gun before, but she had to do something to convince the twins that she was serious and she aimed the gun out the window. She prayed she didn't hit anyone or anything as she fired the gun and Connor and Murphy started shouting in her ear. She couldn't hold in the laughter any longer as she broke out laughing and she heard the relief in Connor and Murphy's voices when they realized she pranked them.

"Good one, Ma," Connor said and she could imagine him rolling his eyes.

They then asked a question they've asked for years.

Which one of them was the oldest.

Even though the answer was on their birth certificates, she hadn't bothered to look and she told them the one with the biggest cock was the oldest.

Chuckling, she hung up the receiver as Rosie snorted a laugh and Annabelle went back to the stove.

"You are a terror, Annie," Rosie said.

"True, but they love me anyway," Annabelle said.

"Aye. Those boys are angels."

"They're more than that. They're saints," she said and she went back to cooking the stew.