Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 43837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 219(@200wpm)___ 175(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 219(@200wpm)___ 175(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
Stevie makes a face. “She’s up before me and gets me ready for school.”
“Not this week, though, huh,” I ponder, wiping my hands on a towel before throwing it over my shoulder. The bacon and sausage crackle in the oven.
“Not this week,” Stevie confirms. “I’m on fall break this week, and it’s fun.”
After I plate the rest of the food for us to eat, I sit at the counter across from Stevie, who digs in happily. He drinks his orange juice, enjoying his meal.
“Hey, Stevie,” I say, as I sip at my third hot coffee of the day. When he looks up, I continue. “Are you okay with this? Living here with me. I mean?”
“I think so,” Stevie says, chewing on his bacon thoughtfully. He’s still in his pajamas, and he looks perfectly content. “It’s nicer here than at our house. There’s no Mrs. Maxine, but it’s still nice. The TV is really big, even bigger than the one at school!”
“It’s a nice TV for sure,” I agree with him, a little bit distractedly. It’s still late morning, and the world is foggy and chilled beyond the windows, with orange leaves tumbling over the sidewalks below the apartment building.
An idea that’s been bouncing around in my head comes to the surface. “I have a spare bedroom, Stevie. What do you say we fix it up today and make it yours? You can have a big TV if you want.”
I’ve been sleeping there in the spare bed for the past few days, but it only makes sense to move Stevie from the couch. I’ll figure out my room later on for me.
Stevie drops his fork, and I think I’ve overstepped.
“No way! That would be so cool!” Stevie jumps from his seat and wraps me in a hug. I pat his back, laughing.
“What’s all this excitement about? I couldn’t sleep anymore,” Kathleen’s tired voice asks. She spots the breakfast. “Wow, that smells amazing.”
She stands in the doorway, rubbing at her big, green eyes that are still hazy with sleep. Her hair is wild and wavy down her back, and her skin is pale. Her cheeks are pink with sleep wrinkles. She’s wearing a big T-shirt that was once mine, and I wonder if she has on any shorts underneath. I clear my throat.
“Here’s some breakfast for you,” I tell her, dragging a hand over her hip as she passes by. I hand her a plate filled with food. “You need to eat something.”
“Eddie is going to get me a big TV, Kat!” Stevie shouts, throwing himself onto his sister in a big bear hug. He grins back at me as he turns back to the TV.
She laughs, nearly dropping her plate as she sits down. She looks at me curiously, with her dark brows furrowed and her pale hair glimmering.
“A big TV?” Kathleen asks me skeptically. “What does that even mean, Eddie?”
Stevie is already in the living room, engrossed in a cartoon show.
“I was thinking we could move him into the spare room, and it could be his. Maybe we can go today and get stuff for him. We can make a day of it and maybe go to an apple farm.” I try to keep my tone light, I don’t want to overstep.
She’s staring at me when I look up, and there’s an unreadable look on her pretty face. Her eyes glitter, and she swallows hard, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Kat? Are you alright there?” I ask her, worried now that I’ve said something wrong and maybe I’ve upset her. Maybe she doesn’t like apples or something?
“Eddie,” she says, shaking her head. “This is too much, but thank you so much.”
After we leave the apartment later in the morning, I can’t help but feel so damn happy with the way things are going for me. The sky is as clear and turquoise blue as an ocean, a stark contrast to the fire-orange leaves of the trees.
A chilly wind cuts across the open car window. Even the days are getting cold now, not just the nights, as October inches further along and we’re getting that much closer to Halloween. I can tell that Kathleen likes it, and she seems happier.
Somehow, even after the hayride and the apple picking at the apple farm, Kathleen has managed to persuade Stevie and me on a further outing to get pumpkins for making jack-o-lanterns later. I can’t say I don’t want to do it too. This kind of outing is something I’ve always wanted for myself.
In the back of the car, there’s a new bed cover with dinosaurs and a brand spanking new TV with Stevie’s name on it. On his feet, there are brand new white sneakers. Those seem to make Kathleen the proudest.
Every time she looks at the shoes I grabbed for him while we were in the city, she looks as if she wants to eat me right up. I can’t really say I would be opposed to it.