Part 96
Early the next morning, Eddie was awoken by the ringing of the doorbell. He tried to ignore it but whoever was out there was persistent. He moaned and got out of bed. Pulling on his trousers, he went downstairs and opened the door to see a cop.
"Good morning Officer," he said, absently scratching his leg.
The rhino tipped his hat. "Sorry to wake you, sir. I'm Officer Leonard, here to do a wellness check on Dame Noodleman. Her son has been trying to reach her for the last week."
Eddie frowned. "Come in, Officer. I am her grandson, Eddie. My father has a restraining order against him from, well, all of us," he explained.
He nodded. "That makes sense. May I see your grandmother?"
The sheep looked away. "Nana passed away last Sunday. We didn't tell him because she specifically asked us not to in her will," Eddie explained. "The courts have been notified and her estate has already been settled."
Officer Leonard nodded. "My deepest condolences. I will inform him that he is to cease trying to contact her or you for that matter. I will not tell him why." He started to leave. "You should know that he's trying to get released. His lawyer has been at the prison a lot."
"I have no doubt. I don't care as long as he leaves me alone. Me and my family," the sheep said. "Was there anything else you needed, Officer?"
The rhino shook his head. "No, Mr. Noodleman, thank you."
"That's Mr. Moon. Moon-Suarez," Eddie corrected him. "Have a nice day, Officer."
"Vat vas zat about?" Gunter asked groggily as he came downstairs.
Eddie shook his head. "Dad sent a wellness check for Nana. I guess I'm going to have to tell him eventually. I just want to put it off as long as possible." He felt two thick arms wrap around him. "I don't know why I care about it so much. She cut him off for a reason. Is Jerry awake?"
The hog nodded. "He's taking a shower. How about I order us all some breakfast?" He nuzzled him gently, comfortingly. "You don't have to tell him anything."
The sheep clung to his partner. "Better idea, once Miss. Crawly and Sarah are up, let's go get breakfast. I feel like going out."
"Great idea! Ooo, let's go to Lucy's. I hear they have the best hash browns," Gunter suggested.
—
The sun peaked rudely through the slats of the window blinds, aimed right in Meena's face. She wanted to sleep in but it was Sunday.
"Mmm…" Alphonso rolled over in bed, surprising her. "Good morning, my goddess," he smiled at her.
She sighed contentedly. "Good morning," she leaned in for a good morning kiss.
He kissed her back. "Mmm, what if…. What if we stayed home this morning? We were out really late last night."
"I think that's a great idea, I'm still very tired," she admitted.
"Great. I'll send Tyler a text, letting him know," he said. A few minutes later, he rolled back over. "Now… what else could we possibly do… while in bed…" he teased her, kissing her again. She moaned her approval of the plan.
—-
Tyler flipped a pancake on the griddle while his phone buzzed. He picked it up. "Ha, Alphonso came to the same conclusion we did. After last night, I don't have the energy for church." He began typing a reply.
Ash nodded. "I know I don't. Worrying about Porsha then dinner and all the chatter. It was a crazy night and there wasn't even any alcohol." She laughed.
He laughed with her. "So what should we do today? Just hang around the apartment or should we go out…"
Ash thought about it. "It's gonna be a nice day. Let's go to the park."
"Yay!" The twins cheered joyfully. They loved going to the park.
The orangutan laughed. "I'll pack us a picnic lunch to take with us," he promised as he served up breakfast.
—-
The Hunter-Green family ate their breakfast at the small round table. They were almost done when Ryan's phone rang.
"Hey, Mom. How're ya doing?" Ryan asked cordially. "Yes, we're coming for Easter as promised. Don't tell Grandma and Grandpa. Just get them to the Grand Opera House on Sunday, April 10th. At 6pm." He laughed. "I emailed you the tickets. You'll be in the Family Box as usual. Yeah, he's doing great. I can't wait for you guys to meet him. He's a great kid. Yeah, that's a surprise too. Okay, I'll talk to you later. Love ya, Mom." He hung up. "I can't wait for you to meet my grandparents. MeeMaw is the greatest."
—
Gunter and Eddie watched as Jerry tapped frantically on his laptop while they ate their breakfast. Sarah had brought a book she was reading for class.
"Wow! Opening night has already sold out! All pre-orders." The cat cheered as he checked out the latest email from the opera house. "I checked out the routes. It'll take about a day and a half. So we should leave that Wednesday to account for any incidentals and we can stop at this motel along the way to get some sleep." He pointed at the map.
They looked at his screen. Eddie took a drink of his coffee. "Terrific, make the reservations using the business card but let's say that Tuesday to give us time to rest between legs. And a couple of days to rest until opening night."
Jerry nodded. "And there's an email from Crystal Entertainment confirming that we are still coming to Redshore City the third week of May to finish out the contract…" The table got quiet.
"What is in Redshore City?" Sarah asked.
Gunter put a hand on hers. "Redshore City is the place where your Uncle Eddie and I lost someone we both loved very much. I didn't realize it was almost time to start thinking about that."
The melancholy settled over the table. Jerry looked at his computer. "Porsha could try and get the contract annulled now. She is in charge."
Eddie shook his head. "We already said we would. So… send them the confirmation. We should start planning that show too… Maybe we should change it up again." He pulled out his notebook and started writing. "So we have the Planet of War, Joy, Love, the Wormhole and finally the Planet of Despair. I wonder… We'll put that in the notes for tomorrow's schedule…."
Gunter saw what Eddie was doing. Throwing himself into the work to avoid the difficult thoughts. He took his hand. They shared a mournful glance, squeezing each other's hand for comfort.
Jerry bit his lip. He felt the same pain but didn't feel comfortable sharing it. Not when the source of his pain was the direct cause of theirs.
"I had an idea… they really only want a show with Calloway…" Gunter said. "What if we offered something different? Something we could continue back home after. A show that doesn't have as much baggage." He suggested.
Eddie nodded. "I like that idea. I have a few ideas we could work with." He hugged his lover.
—
Porsha was admiring her new music box when their bedroom phone rang. She smiled when she read the caller id. "Hey, Glenn…" She looked at Nooshy who was reading a comic book. She mouthed. "It's him!" The lynx laughed quietly. "Yeah? Oh! I'd love to take a walk along the canal with you." She stood up. "Yeah, I'll meet you at the entrance to the canal pavilion in thirty minutes. I can't wait." She hung up. "Eeeeee! He asked me out! That was asking me out right? This is a date?"
Nooshy laughed. "I wouldn't know but it seems like it. Go get ready." She started getting dressed too. It was getting to be a good time to busk. She would never give up street dancing. She loved it too much and Marcus had helped her secure a license to busk so cops couldn't drive her away.
"Oh! What should I wear? Nooshy, help me!" Porsha pleaded while she went through her closet. She grabbed a knee-length silver skirt with a deep blue peasant top. "Should I go with sweet and girly? Or should I go with sexy?" She pulled out a blue halter top and tight, black jeans.
Nooshy pointed. "Sweet and girly. Because we have to get past Big Daddy. Besides, you don't want to give this guy any ideas."
The wolf nodded and hurried to get dressed. "Good point. He's so sweet. I can't believe he waited so long for me last night."
"He must really like you," her sister smiled. "Not that I would know."
Porsha ran a brush through her hair and put some blue eyeshadow on her eyelids. Shimmery pink gloss sparkled in fluorescent lighting of the bedroom. "Okay, how do I look?"
Nooshy nodded. "You look great, sis. You'll knock his socks off."
The wolf grabbed her purse and hurried out. She passed by Big Daddy who was making himself a sandwich. "I'll be back soon, Big Daddy!"
"Whoa!" He stopped her. "Come back!" She stopped and came back. "Where are you going? Who will you be with?" He asked the normal questions,
Porsha bit her lip. "Glenn called and asked me to go for a walk with him along the canal. Please, can I go?"
He thought about it and called. "Nooshy!" He called. "I trust you, Porsha, but I reserve the right to make sure he treats you right." He explained as Nooshy came out. "Take your sister with you to make sure he minds his manners."
Nooshy shook her head. "Don't worry, Big Daddy. The pavilion is a great place to get tips. I'll keep an eye on them." She promised.
Porsha sighed. "Alright…" She wasn't too disappointed. At least her sister would be there if she got nervous. "We'll be back in a few hours."
Marcus nodded. "Have fun, girls." Having daughters was a new experience. All he could think about was protecting them.
—
Glenn was getting ready to leave. He spritzed a light cologne. He really liked Porsha. He ran a comb through his fur. "I'm going out, Dad."
"Oh? Going to see that lovely lady?" His father teased him while he watched tv. "Why don't you show her your writing. I bet that would impress her."
The German shepherd blushed. "Oh, no, I couldn't. What if she thinks it's stupid."
"It's not stupid, son. And she'll see that. Trust me. Girls love poetry," his father pushed him. "You'll get her attention. And it's your chance to show off your work."
Glenn sighed and grabbed a small notebook from his dresser. "Alright, Dad… but if she laughs at me…" he left, intending to buy her a bouquet of flowers.
AN: Ending this here, been fighting with this chapter for days. Please comment, let me know what you'd like to see as we head in the final months of the year leading up to the anniversary of Buster's death.