Drabbles 48-55
Drabbles 48-55. Several years in Emil’s life, post novel timeline
Sour
"You remember this old candy?"
Everyone laughed at the sight of the small pack of Warheads in Emil's hand. "Sour on the outside, sweet on the inside," Marce said.
"Never could stand the stuff," Wena muttered.
"We used to have contests about holding a piece in your mouth the longest," Darren chimed in.
Emil grinned as he opened up the pack and offered it to the group. "Come on, for old time's sake." He had to keep a straight face at his friends' varied expressions. Somehow it seemed that he could not have picked a better candy for the occasion.
Crab
It had happened so fast. One moment they were all laughing over their meal, the next moment, Ray was slumped in his chair.
"Someone get an Epi-pen!" Emil yelled. He loosened his friend's collar in an attempt to keep him breathing. "What here is he allergic to?" he asked worriedly.
"Probably the crab," Sabine said. Her hands barely shook as she lined up the tiny needle to inject a much needed dose of adrenaline into their classmate's veins.
Ray's eyes fluttered open after a few tense seconds. "What happened?"
"Anaphylaxis," Emil replied over the sound of an approaching ambulance's siren.
Fish
"Five hundred bucks worth of fish. You said we could actually finish all of this?"
"You haven't seen me cook in a long time, Emil."
He nodded as he handed over the bag to Marce. "I trust you." After all, there was no better way to celebrate their so-called 'last meal' of the year---assuming that the world would really end within the next twenty-four hours or so.
Marce hummed as she began chopping up the fish into cubes. "Pass me that bag of nori there, please?"
"You're going to make sushi?!"
"Never did it, might never get the chance to."
Staycation
"What do you want for Christmas, Marce?"
She shifted on the sofa and pulled the blankets up to her chest. "Lots of hot coffee."
Emil chuckled as he ruffled her hair. "That's all?"
She shrugged. "I'm not sure if you could give me the other thing I want."
"I could try to."
Marce sat up and looked at him. "You, just here with me. Talking and laughing like we used to, before we nearly broke up."
"A staycation?" he asked, aware of how ill his girlfriend was.
She nodded. "I miss having those."
He kissed her forehead. "So do I."
Season
The chill of the ber-months had already set in by the time Emil dared to amble out of the house on his own. As he made his way around the front porch, he caught sight of his mother staring at him in shock. "Emil, you're going to hurt yourself!" she shouted to him.
He shook his head. "I don't want to celebrate the Christmas season in a wheelchair," he told her simply.
"But your legs---"
"They're healing. I'm going to walk to my oath-taking. I'm going to dance with Marce again. I'm sure of it."
Martha sighed at his stubbornness.
Sun
"That is so unromantic. You could have at least gone for a moonlight proposal!"
Emil laughed at Darren's complaint. "I wanted it to happen under ordinary circumstances."
"Under the sun, broad daylight at lunch. You're such a bum," Darren muttered. "How Marce puts up with you, I have no idea."
"She said 'yes'."
"Yeah but that better be the last time you do that. That woman deserves to be swept off her feet, you know that."
Emil shrugged. "She always says that she prefers walking on her own; literally and figuratively. She just likes having her hand in mine though."
Turtle
"I've been an associate for six years. Things are moving at a turtle's pace, so don't you expect much better for yourself. You're not going to become a partner before you're thirty, so you'd best forget about that dream."
Emil managed a polite nod as he listened to the older lawyer continue to rant. He wasn't sure how the topic had turned from a case on labor rights to the general politics and difficulties of life in a law firm. "Maybe this will be the breakthrough you want?" he suggested mildly.
"Don't patronize me."
"I didn't mean to, I'm sorry."
Wave
"You think it will flood that badly ever again?"
Emil shook his head. "They've improved the drainage. We won't see waves in the street this time, not like when we were in college."
"I hope you're right," Marce whispered. She stroked little Andrei's cheek gently, listening to his cooing. "Just for his sake."
Emil got into bed beside them and slipped an arm around Marce's waist protectively. "It's going to be fine," he said, whispering in her ear so he could be heard over the rain. As long he was around to protect them, he would make sure of that.
Sour
"You remember this old candy?"
Everyone laughed at the sight of the small pack of Warheads in Emil's hand. "Sour on the outside, sweet on the inside," Marce said.
"Never could stand the stuff," Wena muttered.
"We used to have contests about holding a piece in your mouth the longest," Darren chimed in.
Emil grinned as he opened up the pack and offered it to the group. "Come on, for old time's sake." He had to keep a straight face at his friends' varied expressions. Somehow it seemed that he could not have picked a better candy for the occasion.
Crab
It had happened so fast. One moment they were all laughing over their meal, the next moment, Ray was slumped in his chair.
"Someone get an Epi-pen!" Emil yelled. He loosened his friend's collar in an attempt to keep him breathing. "What here is he allergic to?" he asked worriedly.
"Probably the crab," Sabine said. Her hands barely shook as she lined up the tiny needle to inject a much needed dose of adrenaline into their classmate's veins.
Ray's eyes fluttered open after a few tense seconds. "What happened?"
"Anaphylaxis," Emil replied over the sound of an approaching ambulance's siren.
Fish
"Five hundred bucks worth of fish. You said we could actually finish all of this?"
"You haven't seen me cook in a long time, Emil."
He nodded as he handed over the bag to Marce. "I trust you." After all, there was no better way to celebrate their so-called 'last meal' of the year---assuming that the world would really end within the next twenty-four hours or so.
Marce hummed as she began chopping up the fish into cubes. "Pass me that bag of nori there, please?"
"You're going to make sushi?!"
"Never did it, might never get the chance to."
Staycation
"What do you want for Christmas, Marce?"
She shifted on the sofa and pulled the blankets up to her chest. "Lots of hot coffee."
Emil chuckled as he ruffled her hair. "That's all?"
She shrugged. "I'm not sure if you could give me the other thing I want."
"I could try to."
Marce sat up and looked at him. "You, just here with me. Talking and laughing like we used to, before we nearly broke up."
"A staycation?" he asked, aware of how ill his girlfriend was.
She nodded. "I miss having those."
He kissed her forehead. "So do I."
Season
The chill of the ber-months had already set in by the time Emil dared to amble out of the house on his own. As he made his way around the front porch, he caught sight of his mother staring at him in shock. "Emil, you're going to hurt yourself!" she shouted to him.
He shook his head. "I don't want to celebrate the Christmas season in a wheelchair," he told her simply.
"But your legs---"
"They're healing. I'm going to walk to my oath-taking. I'm going to dance with Marce again. I'm sure of it."
Martha sighed at his stubbornness.
Sun
"That is so unromantic. You could have at least gone for a moonlight proposal!"
Emil laughed at Darren's complaint. "I wanted it to happen under ordinary circumstances."
"Under the sun, broad daylight at lunch. You're such a bum," Darren muttered. "How Marce puts up with you, I have no idea."
"She said 'yes'."
"Yeah but that better be the last time you do that. That woman deserves to be swept off her feet, you know that."
Emil shrugged. "She always says that she prefers walking on her own; literally and figuratively. She just likes having her hand in mine though."
Turtle
"I've been an associate for six years. Things are moving at a turtle's pace, so don't you expect much better for yourself. You're not going to become a partner before you're thirty, so you'd best forget about that dream."
Emil managed a polite nod as he listened to the older lawyer continue to rant. He wasn't sure how the topic had turned from a case on labor rights to the general politics and difficulties of life in a law firm. "Maybe this will be the breakthrough you want?" he suggested mildly.
"Don't patronize me."
"I didn't mean to, I'm sorry."
Wave
"You think it will flood that badly ever again?"
Emil shook his head. "They've improved the drainage. We won't see waves in the street this time, not like when we were in college."
"I hope you're right," Marce whispered. She stroked little Andrei's cheek gently, listening to his cooing. "Just for his sake."
Emil got into bed beside them and slipped an arm around Marce's waist protectively. "It's going to be fine," he said, whispering in her ear so he could be heard over the rain. As long he was around to protect them, he would make sure of that.