"I'm having a hard time believing that this is a thing that is actually going to happen," Mae murmured as she straightened the sofa.
"Honestly, same," Bea said, using all-purpose Windex to clean off the coffee table.
"It'll be fun," Ann replied.
"I notice you aren't saying anything," Bea said.
"He's too busy thinking about Melody sticking her tongue down his throat," Mae said, laughing.
"Are you?" Bea asked.
"I'm not, I'm thinking about Gasmask, for the record," Trent replied. They weren't letting him do any further cleaning because he and Melody had tackled the upstairs by themselves.
"Should I maybe, like, get up?" Melody murmured.
"When my mom shows up, probably," Mae replied. "Not sure how much longer she's gonna be though."
"Is everyone-" Trent began.
"Yes! Stop asking!" Bea replied.
He chuckled. "I can't help it."
"Yeah, you fucking caretaker," she muttered, finishing her task and walking into the kitchen to put the cleaning supplies away.
"Claire is going to come over with Mae's mom," Ann said. "Gregg and Angus are at their apartment, chillaxing and doing couple stuff together. Jen is chilling with her family. Everyone else is off living their life. So you're good babe."
"You're so caring," Melody murmured, shifting her wonderfully fit butt around in his lap.
"Hey, don't make him horny. I don't want him horny around my mom," Mae said.
"Any particular reason?" Ann asked, laughing.
"I feel like that'd make it weird? And like my mom wouldn't know how to handle it," Mae replied.
Trent shared a glance with Bea as she came back into the room. If anyone else caught it, they didn't say anything. He shifted his thoughts away from the idea of...doing things with Candy, (which was way more on his mind ever since the conversation they'd had), and instead thought about the last few days.
So much had happened that it was hard to sort the memories sometimes.
Only two days had passed since the premier of Gasmask, but it felt like a lot more. They'd pretty much just come home and buckled down, continuing to gather whatever money they could within their given time frame. Mae had wanted to keep going into June, but Candy had been very explicit in her response, a very firm no. They had already done way, way too much and she was already having a hard enough time as it was, she wasn't going to have her daughter focusing all her energy on trying to funnel money to her mother.
And so Mae had ceased her livestreaming marathon officially as the month of June hit Possum Springs by thanking everyone profusely and then telling them that the emergency was over and they should stop giving money. She also had managed to record enough material that she was good for the next two weeks if she uploaded one video a day, which she was going to do and basically take a vacation. It was obvious that Mae was worse for the wear. She had gotten grumpy and snappish, and she was having nightmares and sleeping more.
Trent had spent the time wrapping up his shorts that he'd been pounding out. He'd finished off the last serious idea that he had last night at around three in the morning and had barely had the energy to stay coherent while Melody rode him towards an orgasm. He remembered cumming in her hot pussy, grasping her perky tits, and then suddenly it was morning. He'd felt motivated to do something and so when he'd heard that Candy wanted to come over and celebrate with/reward them with some pot brownies, he'd decided to start cleaning up.
They'd kinda let the house go over the past few weeks.
"We done?" Bea asked.
"Yeah, I think so. All that's left is the basement, but fuck that, it's my gamer dungeon where I'm a trash mammal," Mae replied. "I'll clean it...whenever I feel like."
"So never?" Trent replied.
"Fucking eat my pussy," Mae shot back.
"I mean if you really want me to…"
"I hear talking," Mae said suddenly. "Okay, everybody just be cool."
"Oop," Melody murmured, getting quickly out of Trent's lap.
Ann snorted and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, 'cause we're so good at that."
The back door opened suddenly and Candy and Claire walked in.
"Hello everyone," Candy said brightly as she brought a baking sheet in. "I did it! I was a little uncertain about the portions but I believe I got it down."
"I'm actually super excited to try this," Claire said. "Also, like, I gotta know, I just gotta. What was the final count?"
"I just recompiled the data like ten minutes ago," Bea said. "And the final number, the total amount of money we managed to raise, is one hundred and two thousand dollars."
"Holy fuck me sideways, a hundred grand?!" Mae marveled.
"Yep."
"Is it, like, enough? I mean are we like good? Is it all sorted?" Trent asked.
"More or less," Candy replied. "We cut the sixty five thousand dollar check to the company. As of today, they have officially cashed it, and we have a legally binding e-mail saying that they will not take our house. So, ah, massive win, and thank you so much to everyone in this room. You are all forever heroes in my book. You are all always welcome in my home."
"I'm just glad we got it all sorted out," Mae groaned.
"What about the rest of the stuff? Taxes?" Trent asked.
"We're still kinda figuring that out. Your aunt looked over it, she's also like crazy good with taxes, apparently? She told us that we'll probably have to set aside around twenty grand to get the IRS off our backs come tax time. And so we have, locked it up, not touching it. I've spoken with Jacob, Lucy, and Melody here, and all of them have refused to accept any of the cash back. So...yeah. As of right now, Stan and I are sitting on roughly an extra seventeen grand."
Bea let out an appreciative whistle. "What are you gonna do with it?"
"Well, right now, we've got about ten thousand dollars in credit card debt, and so we're gonna use most of it to just kill that off and get away from the credit cards as much as we can. Which leaves us with seven. Now, I want you kids to tell me how much money you've presently got left between you. And I'll know if you're lying."
Trent looked around at Bea, Mae, and Ann. They all gave him the same look: this is on you and tell her the truth. "Between the four of us, we've got about three hundred bucks left."
"But," Mae jumped in quickly, "I've still got people kicking in money. Also, my is gonna dump like a grand on me in a couple days. I think anyway. And there's also some donations coming in through the website still, too. Although they've mostly dropped of…"
"Listen, I want to give you kids back a two thousand dollar check. If you accept it, then that'll be the end of it. And by 'it', I mean...this whole thing. I feel like this has changed the dynamic of our relationships and not all of it is comfortable. I will forever be grateful for what you did, but it's also going to bother me if I don't try to return at least some of the money that you just...gave us. So, please, if you just take the check, deposit it...I feel like it might help put things...back to the way they were. Although we all love each other a little more."
"I mean I'm down for that," Mae murmured.
Trent sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I gotta be honest, it'd be nice if we could just...uncomplicate all the emotions surrounding this. I mean as much as we can. I feel sort of...thank-you'ed out. Which sounds like such an asshole thing to say."
"No, it's not unreasonable. Here then," she said, reaching into her pocket and passing him a check. "Cash it soon."
"Who's it made out to?" he asked.
"The head of the household," Candy replied.
"Why do you know that's me?" he asked.
She laughed as she sat down on the couch and picked up the pie wedge she'd brought over to help serve the brownies, which she'd obviously already cut up. "I love Mae, but it clearly is not her. Ann seems to defer to you whenever I see you two talking. And Bea...could be, but I don't think she is. I believe it's you. Certainly it seems to be after this past week. The way you just took charge of the whole thing."
"Oh yeah, he's absolutely head of the household," Bea said.
"Still not sure if I'm right for that job," Trent muttered after studying the check for a moment and then putting it in his wallet. "I'll get it cashed soon. Thank you Candy."
"You're welcome. And thank you for everything. Now, weed brownies! What are we watching?" she asked.
"Not enough of you guys know about the wonder that is Adventure Time," Trent replied, "so we're watching that."
"Oh, I have no idea what that is," Candy said as she cut a brownie in half and passed one to Claire, then one to Ann. "Half and no more," she said firmly.
"It's a cartoon. A silly cartoon," Trent replied. "Thanks," he added as she gave him his.
"Hey, why's mine smaller?" Mae complained.
"Because you're...smaller, sweetheart," Candy replied. "I just don't want to overwhelm you."
"Well...okay. I guess I can always have more."
"Yes, but not for at least an hour," Candy said firmly.
They all ended up with some of the pot brownies and ate them.
"Huh, not bad," Melody murmured. "I thought it'd taste worse, although I can totally taste the weed."
"Yeah, I was hoping it would get rid of the taste but, well, it's been such a long time since I've done this," Candy replied.
"Missus Borowski, I say this with a lot of love, but you are really weird," Melody said after she'd taken a bite.
Mae laughed loudly. "She gets that a lot."
"Uh, you do too, Little Miss Smartass," Candy replied.
"...mom."
Everyone started laughing loudly.
"Yeah see, that's what I mean. Like...I've met a lot of people, and their parents. And, I don't know, maybe it's just where I'm from or who I hang around, but too many parents fall into one of three categories. Either they just don't give a shit at all, they give way too much of a shit and helicopter, or they try too hard to be the 'cool' parents. But, like, you aren't any of that? You obviously care, but you aren't like trying to make Mae do stuff, and you're also really cool, but not in like a try-hard, cringey kind of way? Like you're just bursting with mom energy and also you are authentically cool. It's amazing."
"Well thank you, dear," Candy replied. "Also, I told you, you can call me Candy. And as for why...I don't know? I've always been really weird, and I've been trying to figure things out my whole life, but for some reason, being a mom just comes to me really naturally? As for the weed...it isn't a call I would've made even six months ago. But, well, a lot changed this year. With all of us. And it's made me reassess some things. And I realized that I got older, but I didn't have to, if that makes sense? Mae and Trent really changed things in my thinking."
"How exactly?" Mae asked.
"I'm not too sure. The obvious thing is you just...outright telling your father and I that we should stop thinking we're too old to do things and hang out with people more. But I know something seemed to change when Mae moved back out of the house and here. I don't know, I felt...adrift after she went to college. After she came back and we resolved...the issues she was having, or at least began tackling them head on, something seemed to shift. And now I'm hanging out with old friends and new friends, having fun."
"Yeah, hanging out," Trent muttered before he could think better of it.
"What was that, dear?" Candy asked.
Bea started coughing and laughing, and Trent cleared his throat. "Nothing, Missus Borowski."
"Mmm."
"Mom I wish you had told me you used to get high. Especially, like, with Germ's dad? I didn't know you two used to be friends," Mae said.
Candy's eyes cut incredibly briefly to Trent and somehow managed to convey 'say anything and fucking die' in a split second extremely effectively. He coughed and ate the rest of his half brownie.
"Well I had friends when I was your age too, sweetheart," Candy replied. "And that kind of thing is...difficult to gauge when I should share with my child. I mean, when you're ten years old? No, I don't think so. But fifteen? Is that old enough to maturely handle this knowledge? Seventeen? Nineteen? At a certain point, it seemed easier to just not talk about it. And it wasn't like it was all the time. Just on the weekends sometimes. We also used to play Dungeons and Dragons with Jacob and Sandra, that's Jeremy's mom. And with your father, Bea."
"Wait, wait, wait. Stop. Just stop. You are telling me that my father played fucking D and D!?" Bea replied.
"Oh yes! He liked to argue about it and he missed games more than anyone else, but he was there. Mostly at the behest of your mother."
"Mom played?! Well...that actually tracks."
"Oh yes, Vanessa was a huge nerd. It was wonderful. Let's see, who else used to play? We had a few different groups we were part of. Molly would play sometimes."
"Lemme guess, was she a paladin?" Mae asked.
"Yep, pretty much every single time," Candy replied. "Lori's father was part of a different group. And Varney, the man who lives not far from Selma, you used to babysit has cat, Mae."
"Whaaaaaat? Really? He's such a jerk," Mae replied.
"Yes, Varn was...a bit prickly. His heart's generally in the right place."
"What was he?" Bea asked.
"He could never make up his mind. Usually something with magic, though," Candy replied. "Let's see, who else was there...oh, Mister Salvi! He was a DM. Always coming up with the wildest ideas. Oh yeah! Rosa was there, too."
"Whoa whoa whoa, Miss Rosa?" Mae asked. "Like super old Miss Rosa who hooked up with grandpa?"
"Mae," Trent murmured.
"I mean she did," Mae replied.
"Yes, she did," Candy agreed.
"Wait-you knew?" Mae asked.
"Oh yes. In the same way I knew you all were dating each other before you told me, I could tell about Roman and Rosa," Candy replied.
"...did grandma know? I mean, was I right? Was it an open relationship or…?"
"Well, put it this way: I know that Rosa and your grandmother were good friends, and having seen all of them together, in public and in private, it seemed pretty obvious that she was in the know. So, to put your worries at ease, I don't believe your grandfather was cheating on your grandmother, Mae."
"Oh...well, okay. That's what I figured. Mmm...I wanna do something nice for Miss Rosa but, like, what should I do? She's almost freaking eighty now and I think she lives by herself? I'm not sure. Do you have any ideas mom?" Mae asked.
"Well...you could write her a letter. As in, hand write it, and then mail it. It might seem a little silly in the age of texts and internet, but in my experience, older people love getting letters specifically in the mail. And she really likes you, Mae. When I was driving her back home, she was telling me how much you remind her of Roman, how similar the two of you are. And she was there when you were born, you know."
"She did say that, and I was gonna say I don't remember that, but...I mean, duh? Of course not, I was being born, lol. But okay, yeah, I could totally do that. I'll do it later on tonight. Oh wait, we don't have any stamps."
"I do! I have lots of stamps and I will be happy to give you some," Candy replied.
"Awesome. Maybe we could all write something," Mae said. "Like what we're up to. Man, could we, like, hang out? Would that be weird? Or like is it allowed? I don't really know the rules involving, like, really old people."
"Well she's still decently sharp and mobile. She's got more energy now that she's had her surgery and she's on proper medication, but she's still pushing eighty," Candy replied. "I would say, if you ask her if she wants to spend time together and let her choose, and you make sure to help her around and listen to her if she says she needs something, then yes. You could grab some lunch together or maybe help her with grocery shopping. And I think that would be wonderful. It seems that with old age comes great loneliness."
"God that sucks," Trent muttered.
"We're gonna live together forever," Mae said. "I wanna still be living together when we're pushing eighty."
"Same," he agreed.
"Honestly yeah, I've found my forever home," Ann said.
Claire laughed. "What are you, a stray?"
"I mean I was, kinda," Ann replied, laughing.
"I never knew how to feel about being tied down to someone and basically like building a life together before," Bea said. "My mom and dad's relationship was always a little...rocky. Dad and his anger problems and mom's absolute hard-as-diamond stubbornness, uh...well, they fought. Probably more than most parents. Although maybe not. At least I know the love was there and it usually worked out."
"Oh, Bea," Candy murmured, turning to her and hugging her suddenly, "I'm so sorry about your mother. I feel like we never really talked about it."
"It's all right," Bea murmured, looking a little surprised, but hugging her back. "I mean, it isn't all right at all and it never will be, but, you know...it's a thing that happened and I've been doing my best to deal with it and move on."
"I know. I regret that we drifted apart, but...well, that's life often. It just happens. You get busy with work and raising your kids and maintaining a household...oh dear, this got a little too serious, didn't it? I'm sorry, let's watch this cartoon," Candy said, letting go of Bea.
"That's fine by me," she replied.
"Yeah! Adventure Time!" Mae said.
"Uh, okay then, let's do it," Trent said, and fired it up.