[the_muses_stage] 28 - Holding Down The Fort
"There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort." ~Jane Austen
Randall was in the backyard raking leaves. He loved fall at his mother’s house. With the lay of the land and the trees, it just look beautiful. He almost hated raking the leaves and taking that part of the view away, but he was trying to take care of the grass beneath it; just as his mother had.
He glanced up, catching one of the kids throwing a basketball against the garage door. “Gregory. Quit that and get back to work,” he called out.
The boy, or young man, as he was thirteen, turned to glare at Randall. He dropped the basketball and went back to hosing out the gutters.
Randall shook his head and continued raking. Sometimes he was at a complete loss as to what to do with the kids that took shelter at his and Anna’s place. The two had taken his mom’s house, which she had left him, and turned it into a boarding house. Just like the one that had taken Anna in so long ago. They both knew they could never be Mama, but it was something they wanted to do. Anna more so than Randall. But she was passionate about it, and he was passionate about her. And he really did love kids, it was just some of the more troubled ones that he felt incapable of helping.
Anna always told him to relax. That he was doing enough by giving the kids somewhere to call home for the time being, and giving them food. Being there for them when others weren‘t. She would remind him how little they would have without the two of them.
He sighed. It got harder when Anna was gone. He didn’t mind her being gone, because that’s who she was. He had accepted that about her from the beginning. It was just that being home on his own, trying to take care of kids that he still struggled to understand, was hard. Mostly because he wanted so much to be good at it. He wasn’t like Anna, in the fact that he hadn’t grown up around the supernatural. Around people who had abilities. He had learned a lot throughout his long relationship with Anna, but he still saw her as more the expert than him.
She often had more faith in him running the place without her than he did.
“Randall!” A small Hispanic girl came running out the back door, the screen slamming shut behind her. She practically leapt off the porch to get to him. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.
Randall frowned and knelt down to catch her in his arms. “Maria, what is it?” He stood up, pushing her curls off her forehead. The girl was just seven years old, the youngest child they’d had there so far.
“Carlos was making me do things again,” she cried, clutching onto him. “I don’t like it, Randall, I don’t like it.” Her face dropped on his shoulder, and Randall sighed before kissing the top of her head.
“I’m sorry, honey,” he said softly. He rubbed her back and started for the house, calling out to Gregory over his shoulder. “Hey, keep an eye out on things.”
A bit of a smile shadowed over the boy’s face as he nodded. It was the little things, Randall was learning.
He walked inside, still holding onto Maria, and started through the house. “Carlos! Come out! Now.”
Maria’s ten year old brother crept out of the living room and stood back against the wall. He looked up at Randall with his big brown eyes. He didn’t say anything.
“Carlos, were you playing with your abilities again?”
The boy looked at his sister, then slowly nodded. “I didn’t do anything bad,” he said quietly, in his own defense. “Just wanted her to get me-”
“No, you did do something wrong.” Randall put Maria on her feet. “Maria, go find Taylor, okay? Tell her I said to watch you.”
“Okay,” Maria said, before turning and wandering away.
Randall turned back to Carlos and pointed to the front porch. “Outside. Now.”
Carlos slunk off of the wall and stomped out to the porch with Randall close at his heel. Randall picked Carlos up and sat him on the railing of the porch, then stood in front of him with crossed arms.
“What’s the first rule about the things you can do?”
“They’re not a game,” he mumbled.
“They aren’t. Especially not when you’re making someone do something, even as small as handing you something. Going into someone’s head like that can be dangerous, and it’s breaking their privacy. Especially when it’s someone like your sister, or anyone else that lives here. We’re all trying to make things work here, and you have to try too. That starts with respecting the rest of us.”
“I’m sor-rry,” Carlos whined.
“I don’t want to hear you’re sorry,” Randall said. He set his hands to the railing and leaned closer in front of Carlos. “I want you to say you won’t do it anymore. Those aren’t the kinds of things you should be messing around with. It’s easy to lose control of yourself that way.”
“I know.” The boy looked down at his hands. “I won’t do it again.”
“Good. I dislike lies, and I hope you’re telling the truth.”
“Are you gonna make us leave?”
Randall met the boy’s eyes and sighed. He shook his head and wrapped his arms around Carlos, pulling him close to his chest. “No. You’re not going anywhere.” If he could help it, the kid wouldn’t be responsible for his sister like that ever again. No ten year old needed to be the one making sure their little sister had somewhere to sleep, warm clothes, or food. And that’s how it had been before Anna and Randall had brought them in.
“Are you gonna tell Anna?”
“Sure am. She might want to talk to you about it too.” Randall pulled back. “That’s just how it goes, kiddo. She’s the mother hen of this place and we don’t keep secrets from her.”
“Okayyy,” Carlos sighed. He pushed himself off of the railing and looked up.
“Go find Maria and apologize, then go out back. Gregory’s going to start teaching you to take care of his vegetable garden.”
Carlos smiled. “Really?”
“Yep, but it’s a privilege. One that can be taken away.”
“You won’t have to take it away!” Carlos ran off, flying through the front door.
Randall sighed and ran his fingers through his hair as he turned to look down the long driveway. He knew Anna was going to be gone for several more days, but he almost hoped he‘d see her coming up the drive. Even though they had spoken that morning before most of the house was up, Randall pulled out his cell phone and hit her speed dial. It went to voicemail.
“Hey, gorgeous,” he said. “I miss you like crazy.” And he hung up, before heading back to the yard work.
1165
Randall was in the backyard raking leaves. He loved fall at his mother’s house. With the lay of the land and the trees, it just look beautiful. He almost hated raking the leaves and taking that part of the view away, but he was trying to take care of the grass beneath it; just as his mother had.
He glanced up, catching one of the kids throwing a basketball against the garage door. “Gregory. Quit that and get back to work,” he called out.
The boy, or young man, as he was thirteen, turned to glare at Randall. He dropped the basketball and went back to hosing out the gutters.
Randall shook his head and continued raking. Sometimes he was at a complete loss as to what to do with the kids that took shelter at his and Anna’s place. The two had taken his mom’s house, which she had left him, and turned it into a boarding house. Just like the one that had taken Anna in so long ago. They both knew they could never be Mama, but it was something they wanted to do. Anna more so than Randall. But she was passionate about it, and he was passionate about her. And he really did love kids, it was just some of the more troubled ones that he felt incapable of helping.
Anna always told him to relax. That he was doing enough by giving the kids somewhere to call home for the time being, and giving them food. Being there for them when others weren‘t. She would remind him how little they would have without the two of them.
He sighed. It got harder when Anna was gone. He didn’t mind her being gone, because that’s who she was. He had accepted that about her from the beginning. It was just that being home on his own, trying to take care of kids that he still struggled to understand, was hard. Mostly because he wanted so much to be good at it. He wasn’t like Anna, in the fact that he hadn’t grown up around the supernatural. Around people who had abilities. He had learned a lot throughout his long relationship with Anna, but he still saw her as more the expert than him.
She often had more faith in him running the place without her than he did.
“Randall!” A small Hispanic girl came running out the back door, the screen slamming shut behind her. She practically leapt off the porch to get to him. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.
Randall frowned and knelt down to catch her in his arms. “Maria, what is it?” He stood up, pushing her curls off her forehead. The girl was just seven years old, the youngest child they’d had there so far.
“Carlos was making me do things again,” she cried, clutching onto him. “I don’t like it, Randall, I don’t like it.” Her face dropped on his shoulder, and Randall sighed before kissing the top of her head.
“I’m sorry, honey,” he said softly. He rubbed her back and started for the house, calling out to Gregory over his shoulder. “Hey, keep an eye out on things.”
A bit of a smile shadowed over the boy’s face as he nodded. It was the little things, Randall was learning.
He walked inside, still holding onto Maria, and started through the house. “Carlos! Come out! Now.”
Maria’s ten year old brother crept out of the living room and stood back against the wall. He looked up at Randall with his big brown eyes. He didn’t say anything.
“Carlos, were you playing with your abilities again?”
The boy looked at his sister, then slowly nodded. “I didn’t do anything bad,” he said quietly, in his own defense. “Just wanted her to get me-”
“No, you did do something wrong.” Randall put Maria on her feet. “Maria, go find Taylor, okay? Tell her I said to watch you.”
“Okay,” Maria said, before turning and wandering away.
Randall turned back to Carlos and pointed to the front porch. “Outside. Now.”
Carlos slunk off of the wall and stomped out to the porch with Randall close at his heel. Randall picked Carlos up and sat him on the railing of the porch, then stood in front of him with crossed arms.
“What’s the first rule about the things you can do?”
“They’re not a game,” he mumbled.
“They aren’t. Especially not when you’re making someone do something, even as small as handing you something. Going into someone’s head like that can be dangerous, and it’s breaking their privacy. Especially when it’s someone like your sister, or anyone else that lives here. We’re all trying to make things work here, and you have to try too. That starts with respecting the rest of us.”
“I’m sor-rry,” Carlos whined.
“I don’t want to hear you’re sorry,” Randall said. He set his hands to the railing and leaned closer in front of Carlos. “I want you to say you won’t do it anymore. Those aren’t the kinds of things you should be messing around with. It’s easy to lose control of yourself that way.”
“I know.” The boy looked down at his hands. “I won’t do it again.”
“Good. I dislike lies, and I hope you’re telling the truth.”
“Are you gonna make us leave?”
Randall met the boy’s eyes and sighed. He shook his head and wrapped his arms around Carlos, pulling him close to his chest. “No. You’re not going anywhere.” If he could help it, the kid wouldn’t be responsible for his sister like that ever again. No ten year old needed to be the one making sure their little sister had somewhere to sleep, warm clothes, or food. And that’s how it had been before Anna and Randall had brought them in.
“Are you gonna tell Anna?”
“Sure am. She might want to talk to you about it too.” Randall pulled back. “That’s just how it goes, kiddo. She’s the mother hen of this place and we don’t keep secrets from her.”
“Okayyy,” Carlos sighed. He pushed himself off of the railing and looked up.
“Go find Maria and apologize, then go out back. Gregory’s going to start teaching you to take care of his vegetable garden.”
Carlos smiled. “Really?”
“Yep, but it’s a privilege. One that can be taken away.”
“You won’t have to take it away!” Carlos ran off, flying through the front door.
Randall sighed and ran his fingers through his hair as he turned to look down the long driveway. He knew Anna was going to be gone for several more days, but he almost hoped he‘d see her coming up the drive. Even though they had spoken that morning before most of the house was up, Randall pulled out his cell phone and hit her speed dial. It went to voicemail.
“Hey, gorgeous,” he said. “I miss you like crazy.” And he hung up, before heading back to the yard work.
1165