Topek-emo
And then Keri wrote some Emo Woe for back-in-the-day Topeka. February 1984 back-in-the-day. I warn for... orphanhood. And cute kids. But mostly angst. Also the end is tacked on and I'm meh about it but I needed the scene out of my head.
Lavender left them with a plate of Oreos and some chocolate milk. They'd mumbled thanks and gone back to the Atari, taking turns playing Frogger but remaining otherwise quiet.
Ambrose's grandfather had dropped him off early in the afternoon with the explanation that the boy probably needed some time with a friend. William and Lavender had agreed, and settled the kids in the rec room.
After getting unceremoniously squashed for the eighth time Katy set the joystick down with a sigh. "I give up. Wanna play something else?"
"No," replied the subdued, quiet boy who had replaced excitable, brilliant Ambrose.
She frowned. "Okay. We can watch a movie." He shook his head, so she got up and opened the closet. "Well, how about a board game? I've got Boggle, Sorry, Chutes and Ladders, Clue, jigsaw puzzles..." Katy looked back to see him shaking his head and picking at the carpet. With a scowl she went and sat down in front of him, arms crossed. "Well?"
"I don't want to do anything," Ambrose mumbled without looking at her.
"Well maybe you should just leave, then," Katy snapped, and knew as soon as she said it that it was wrong.
"I don't want to go back there!" Ambrose said with a glare, the first look he'd given her in a while. He drew his knees up and wrapped his arms around them. "That house is old and it smells old and all the stuff is old and it's creaky and Gramma can't make mac and cheese right and she won't let me touch the stove even though I CAN cook and-" He dropped his head to his knees and sighed. "I wanna go home, Az. I can take care of myself."
She didn't say anything yet, just scooted closer and put an arm around his shoulders, then leaned her head against his.
"Do you miss them?" she asked finally.
"No. I don't know. I don't want to talk about it."
She nodded, because she wasn't sure she wanted to talk about it either. She had thought, a little, about what it would be like if her mother and father were gone, and she ended up crying all over them which got Dorothy crying too even if she didn't understand. Then again her parents were different from Ambrose's, who had been nice but strange in ways she couldn't really name.
He shuddered beside her, and her arm tightened around him. "It's okay, Brose," she whispered.
"No it's not!" he wailed, and the sobbing broke out full force. Katy flung her other arm around him and held tight. She remembered that Ambrose hadn't cried at the wake, or when she'd gone to drop off his homework, and wondered if he had done so at all before now.
So she held on, despite the new tightness in her chest and the sting of fresh tears in her eyes. One of Ambrose's hands came up to grasp her shoulder and Katy started crying in earnest too.
"Is it that bad?" she asked after, when tears had dried and the sobs reduced to tiny gasps. "Your grandparents' house, is it bad?"
Ambrose swallowed, wiped his nose on his sleeve, and shook his head. "Well...the wood stove is nice. And there's a porch that goes all the way around, and Gramma does make good chicken noodle."
"Uh huh," Katy said and rubbed her eyes. "Anything else?"
"Poppy said that, if I wanted, maybe in the spring I can move to the room in the attic."
Her jaw dropped. "You mean you can live in the attic?" At his nod she found herself grinning. "That's so cool."
He tilted his head, and although he didn't quite smile he came close. "Yeah, that is kinda cool."
They ate the Oreos, they played a couple games of Sorry, and then they convinced her mother to let Ambrose show her the right way to make mac and cheese. Later they sacked out together on the couch, a video of Return of the Jedi playing on the TV as they dozed. Things weren't normal, but they started to get better.
Lavender left them with a plate of Oreos and some chocolate milk. They'd mumbled thanks and gone back to the Atari, taking turns playing Frogger but remaining otherwise quiet.
Ambrose's grandfather had dropped him off early in the afternoon with the explanation that the boy probably needed some time with a friend. William and Lavender had agreed, and settled the kids in the rec room.
After getting unceremoniously squashed for the eighth time Katy set the joystick down with a sigh. "I give up. Wanna play something else?"
"No," replied the subdued, quiet boy who had replaced excitable, brilliant Ambrose.
She frowned. "Okay. We can watch a movie." He shook his head, so she got up and opened the closet. "Well, how about a board game? I've got Boggle, Sorry, Chutes and Ladders, Clue, jigsaw puzzles..." Katy looked back to see him shaking his head and picking at the carpet. With a scowl she went and sat down in front of him, arms crossed. "Well?"
"I don't want to do anything," Ambrose mumbled without looking at her.
"Well maybe you should just leave, then," Katy snapped, and knew as soon as she said it that it was wrong.
"I don't want to go back there!" Ambrose said with a glare, the first look he'd given her in a while. He drew his knees up and wrapped his arms around them. "That house is old and it smells old and all the stuff is old and it's creaky and Gramma can't make mac and cheese right and she won't let me touch the stove even though I CAN cook and-" He dropped his head to his knees and sighed. "I wanna go home, Az. I can take care of myself."
She didn't say anything yet, just scooted closer and put an arm around his shoulders, then leaned her head against his.
"Do you miss them?" she asked finally.
"No. I don't know. I don't want to talk about it."
She nodded, because she wasn't sure she wanted to talk about it either. She had thought, a little, about what it would be like if her mother and father were gone, and she ended up crying all over them which got Dorothy crying too even if she didn't understand. Then again her parents were different from Ambrose's, who had been nice but strange in ways she couldn't really name.
He shuddered beside her, and her arm tightened around him. "It's okay, Brose," she whispered.
"No it's not!" he wailed, and the sobbing broke out full force. Katy flung her other arm around him and held tight. She remembered that Ambrose hadn't cried at the wake, or when she'd gone to drop off his homework, and wondered if he had done so at all before now.
So she held on, despite the new tightness in her chest and the sting of fresh tears in her eyes. One of Ambrose's hands came up to grasp her shoulder and Katy started crying in earnest too.
"Is it that bad?" she asked after, when tears had dried and the sobs reduced to tiny gasps. "Your grandparents' house, is it bad?"
Ambrose swallowed, wiped his nose on his sleeve, and shook his head. "Well...the wood stove is nice. And there's a porch that goes all the way around, and Gramma does make good chicken noodle."
"Uh huh," Katy said and rubbed her eyes. "Anything else?"
"Poppy said that, if I wanted, maybe in the spring I can move to the room in the attic."
Her jaw dropped. "You mean you can live in the attic?" At his nod she found herself grinning. "That's so cool."
He tilted his head, and although he didn't quite smile he came close. "Yeah, that is kinda cool."
They ate the Oreos, they played a couple games of Sorry, and then they convinced her mother to let Ambrose show her the right way to make mac and cheese. Later they sacked out together on the couch, a video of Return of the Jedi playing on the TV as they dozed. Things weren't normal, but they started to get better.