of disgust. "He's gonna start bawling
again."
"Not," Alby
sniffed.
"What's wrong now?" Kevin
asked him.
"Dunno."
"You gotta know what's got
you sulking like a squished worm!"
Kahl giggled, but Alby only
became more despondent. "I miss Lannie and Beth."
Kahl immediately grew
solemn, but Kevin gave an exasperated roll of his blue eyes. "There
ain’t nothing we can do about that, right?"
His brother nodded in unison
with him. "Okay, so don't let it bug you. Hey!" Kevin’s eyes lit up
with devilish amusement.
"How about if I share a
secret with you guys? Promise not to tell?"
"Promise," Kahl said
quickly, and crossed his heart.
It took Alby a moment longer
to nod his agreement.
"Okay." Kevin bent over his
folded legs, leaning closer to his brothers. "I saw the naked lady
sneak into Winnie's room. I think they're doing the
bump."
Kahl's eyes grew larger,
while Alby muttered, "His name is Winston. He's nice."
"Winnie, Winston, close
enough," Kevin said impatiently. "He's a fast worker, huh? She must
like him a lot."
"Deliah."
"Huh?" Kevin
asked.
"Her name is Deliah." Alby
released a watery sigh and straightened away from the door jamb.
"Maybe she's not doing the bump. Maybe they're just talking. Ever
think of that?"
Kahl jiggled his head. "How
come you know her name? Aunt Aggie told me she hasn't
talked."
"Yeah," said Kevin, frowning
at Alby, who shrugged his small shoulders.
"I just know."
"Right, and I'm gonna be the
next queen," Kahl sneered.
Alby stuck out his tongue at
his brothers. "Betcha her name is Deliah."
"Whatever," Kevin testily
dismissed, and lifted the sweater into his hands. He bit onto the
wool strands along the hemline and yanked until one at last broke.
But when he lowered the bundle back onto his lap, he spat something
into his hand and held out the leveled palm for his brothers to
see.
"Oh gross!" Kahl gasped,
staring at the bloodied tooth. "That's makes two, Kev!"
Awed that his brother had
inadvertently yanked out another tooth, Alby leaned forward for a
closer inspection. "Wow. Don't it hurt?"
Kevin worked his mouth
against the metallic flavor assaulting his taste buds. "Naw, it
doesn't hurt. Just tastes gross."
"Use scissors or a knife
next time," Kahl said.
"Why? This means I get
another visit from the Tooth Fairy," Kevin beamed.
Alby shrank back, his
cherubic features shadowed with fear. "What if the boogeyman comes
instead?"
"He can have it if he pays
for it," Kevin quipped, and laughed when Kahl released a squeal of
laughter.
Alby remained sullenly quiet
while his brothers unraveled the sweater Laura had gotten Roan for
Christmas.
* * *
In the library, Roan settled
onto the sofa with a cup of steaming black coffee in one hand, a
stack of mail in the other. After taking a sip, he placed the
coffee on the end table to his right, rested his right ankle atop
his left knee, and started glancing through the letters, bills and
advertisements. He was nearly through scanning the ads when Laura
sat next to him, a coffee cup nestled between her hands.
"Anything
interesting?"
"No' yet," he grinned, and
paused just long enough to plant a kiss on her cheek. "Poor ol'
Henry had a helluva time makin’ it to the door. I've got to try to
clear a path sometime today."
"It's snowing again," she
sighed.
He moaned softly. "We'll all
get bloody crazy if we don't get away for a wee spell." He looked
into her smiling eyes and grinned. "I've a mind to go shoppin’,
lass."
Laura clamped her left hand
over her heart. "You? Roan Ingliss of a mind to spend money? You
must be getting stir crazy!"
Bobbing his head and
grinning, his gaze scanning the fronts of the envelopes again, he
said, "Aye, the walls are closin’ in on me. I'll wager there's no'
a person in all o' Crossmichael who isn't ready to kiss off this
winter. Can't say I remember one quite so harsh. We never see this
much snow in these parts."
Laura sipped her coffee, but
lowered the cup when Roan held up a long white envelope and
again."
"Not," Alby
sniffed.
"What's wrong now?" Kevin
asked him.
"Dunno."
"You gotta know what's got
you sulking like a squished worm!"
Kahl giggled, but Alby only
became more despondent. "I miss Lannie and Beth."
Kahl immediately grew
solemn, but Kevin gave an exasperated roll of his blue eyes. "There
ain’t nothing we can do about that, right?"
His brother nodded in unison
with him. "Okay, so don't let it bug you. Hey!" Kevin’s eyes lit up
with devilish amusement.
"How about if I share a
secret with you guys? Promise not to tell?"
"Promise," Kahl said
quickly, and crossed his heart.
It took Alby a moment longer
to nod his agreement.
"Okay." Kevin bent over his
folded legs, leaning closer to his brothers. "I saw the naked lady
sneak into Winnie's room. I think they're doing the
bump."
Kahl's eyes grew larger,
while Alby muttered, "His name is Winston. He's nice."
"Winnie, Winston, close
enough," Kevin said impatiently. "He's a fast worker, huh? She must
like him a lot."
"Deliah."
"Huh?" Kevin
asked.
"Her name is Deliah." Alby
released a watery sigh and straightened away from the door jamb.
"Maybe she's not doing the bump. Maybe they're just talking. Ever
think of that?"
Kahl jiggled his head. "How
come you know her name? Aunt Aggie told me she hasn't
talked."
"Yeah," said Kevin, frowning
at Alby, who shrugged his small shoulders.
"I just know."
"Right, and I'm gonna be the
next queen," Kahl sneered.
Alby stuck out his tongue at
his brothers. "Betcha her name is Deliah."
"Whatever," Kevin testily
dismissed, and lifted the sweater into his hands. He bit onto the
wool strands along the hemline and yanked until one at last broke.
But when he lowered the bundle back onto his lap, he spat something
into his hand and held out the leveled palm for his brothers to
see.
"Oh gross!" Kahl gasped,
staring at the bloodied tooth. "That's makes two, Kev!"
Awed that his brother had
inadvertently yanked out another tooth, Alby leaned forward for a
closer inspection. "Wow. Don't it hurt?"
Kevin worked his mouth
against the metallic flavor assaulting his taste buds. "Naw, it
doesn't hurt. Just tastes gross."
"Use scissors or a knife
next time," Kahl said.
"Why? This means I get
another visit from the Tooth Fairy," Kevin beamed.
Alby shrank back, his
cherubic features shadowed with fear. "What if the boogeyman comes
instead?"
"He can have it if he pays
for it," Kevin quipped, and laughed when Kahl released a squeal of
laughter.
Alby remained sullenly quiet
while his brothers unraveled the sweater Laura had gotten Roan for
Christmas.
* * *
In the library, Roan settled
onto the sofa with a cup of steaming black coffee in one hand, a
stack of mail in the other. After taking a sip, he placed the
coffee on the end table to his right, rested his right ankle atop
his left knee, and started glancing through the letters, bills and
advertisements. He was nearly through scanning the ads when Laura
sat next to him, a coffee cup nestled between her hands.
"Anything
interesting?"
"No' yet," he grinned, and
paused just long enough to plant a kiss on her cheek. "Poor ol'
Henry had a helluva time makin’ it to the door. I've got to try to
clear a path sometime today."
"It's snowing again," she
sighed.
He moaned softly. "We'll all
get bloody crazy if we don't get away for a wee spell." He looked
into her smiling eyes and grinned. "I've a mind to go shoppin’,
lass."
Laura clamped her left hand
over her heart. "You? Roan Ingliss of a mind to spend money? You
must be getting stir crazy!"
Bobbing his head and
grinning, his gaze scanning the fronts of the envelopes again, he
said, "Aye, the walls are closin’ in on me. I'll wager there's no'
a person in all o' Crossmichael who isn't ready to kiss off this
winter. Can't say I remember one quite so harsh. We never see this
much snow in these parts."
Laura sipped her coffee, but
lowered the cup when Roan held up a long white envelope and
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