The Half Happy Family [For iselldrugstothecommunity]

[first_in_time]

A seven year old John Chesterton shared the task of setting the table with his father. Unfortunately, a child with a love of games should probably not be given any kind of responsibility which involved sharp objects. And neither should their father.

"Avarst! Ye matey!" Ian Chesterton cried at his son, brandishing a butter knife like a sword.

"Arrrr!!" John replied with one eye closed as though he were wearing an eye patch.

"Submit to me, matey, or I'll gut yer through!"

"NEVAAR!!"

The butter knives clinked once before Barbara managed to catch them at it; "boys!" she called from the doorway into the dining room. "That's quite enough. One of you will literally skin the other and I am not in the mood to drive over to the emergency ward."

Unfortunately, neither boy was paying much attention. To begin with they looked suitably shamed, but all it took was a quick exchange of looks and they lunged at Barbara, who screamed. And then giggled as the tickling fingers of John and Ian found her most ticklish spots. She managed to wriggle away, and ran for the kitchen, the hall and finally the lounge where they tackled her onto the sofa and tickled her until she managed to cry for mercy between fits of laughter.

Now breathing heavy, all three Chestertons sat on the sofa a moment, contemplating who to tickle next when the doorbell rung.

"I'll get it," Barbara said and pushed herself up to walk to the front door. Her hand reflexively went to her hair, double checking that everything was still in place. When she opened the door, flushed in the face from the giggling, hair didn't matter. Even dinner didn't matter. Nor sword fighting, or anything else.

"...Howard," she gasped.

Comments

[first_in_time]

John shook his head. What on Earth was a funny voice?

Since Barbara doesn't want John learning bad habits, she said: "Howard, why don't you help me collect the plates?" out in the kitchen, where John can't see him, Howard can lick all the plates he wants.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Perfect. Count on Barbara to think of a solution. Howard grabs the plates and stacks them, and even pushes Barbara's seat back into place behind her, so it isn't butting into the walking space.

Over the sink, he asks, "do you think I should like, try to read him a bedtime story? Like, to get to know him without him asking questions about me?"

[first_in_time]

It honestly surprised Barbara that Howard was actively trying to get to know John, even if it was for the purpose of stopping him asking questions. There had been that incident at the playground, but Barbara just assumed that was one of Howard's coping strategies. Get on with the job. Don't focus on personal details.

She turned from the sink to look at him. "Honestly...I think that reading to him will help, but the more interest he has in you, the more he's going to want to know. Such as where you've been, how we know one another. Where your parents are. We have told him snippets, but nothing entirely personal about you. He knows that we met on a spaceship, that your home was destroyed and you used to live with us until you grew up and moved out. Anything else he knows is at your discretion."

Barbara and Ian had always held honesty as their best policy. Why shouldn't John know that they traveled the stars? The tricky part, which they didn't foresee, was convincing him to keep it secret. Johnny struggled, of course, they'd already been called into the school twice on account of John starting fights when people didn't believe the stories he told of his parents. At least he was still at an age where it could be taken as his imagination overworking.

"But don't do anything you're not entirely comfortable with," she gently warned, leaning against the sink with one hand. "He'll be heart broken if he thinks you're becoming best friends and suddenly you're running away."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Howard quietly licks a plate as he considers that. He takes his time. He sets each dish aside when he's done and cleans up the silverware, too.

"I'm going to be here a while, I think." He glances towards the room with the couch, where his suitcase and cat carriers have been moved to. "If you'll keep me. I need to get my feet under me again."

He knows eventually the truth will come out to them, but they've generally been good about letting him take his time, waiting until he's ready to say what's on his mind rather than pressing.

"I mean, if I try to avoid him I'm going to make him, me and you crazy. And probably Ian too. If I try to get to know him maybe I'll..." Maybe he'll be able to be around John without thinking of his own teenage years; maybe he'll be able to plaster over the old memories with new, fonder ones. "He's going to wonder why I'm weird, basically."

[first_in_time]

"You can't avoid John, not in this house," Barbara chuckled a little, "but I understand what you mean. It's up to you what you tell him, Ian and I will simply play along. And to be quite honest, John will probably love you for being weird. You may have to fend off his friends when they come to visit because they'll have heard so much about you."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"I don't mean the fun kind of weird. Not like how I'm weird when I'm fixing radio out of bubblegum or whatever. I mean like the weird hours I keep, or the panic fits, or the food stuff, or you know. The not-fun weird stuff." He shrugs. The idea of John bringing friends over to gawk at him like some sort of zoo animal is far from appealing. "I did alright with the food stuff tonight though, I think. Mostly."

[first_in_time]

"I promise you he'll find it fascinating. Remember he's a child - there's not a lot that's 'normal' as an adult sees it. Either you'll have to sit down and explain how he should act around things like panic attacks, or we can do it as a family."

Since a number of the plates were now licked and ready to be washed, Barbara began to stack the sink. "And you did perfectly fine this evening. Just make sure that you're out of John's sight when you lick thing plates and cutlery, please."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"I don't really want me freaking out when I wake up dreaming of you guys dead to be 'fascinating'." He gets a dry-cloth out, so he and Barbara can do the routine they did when they lived together as three of them - she rinses, he dries and puts away.

"I promise not to eat nothing but candy around him, too."

[first_in_time]

"You're still dreaming about that?" Barbara sounded concerned an turned to face him fully. One rubber glove half on her hand. "Maybe living back here will help."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Of course I am. It's in the greatest hits collection, along with 'starving to death', 'eaten alive', 'everyone leaves me' and 'forgot my pants to work'." He forces a little laugh. "But yeah, maybe living back here will help."

Or maybe it won't. Maybe being around a kid will make it worse, those issues with jealousy and insecurity. He thought he got over them and grew up a few years ago, but they still ping him, sometimes.

"John seems to like the cats, at least."

[first_in_time]

"He does," Barbara smiled a mother's smile, the kind which spoke volume of how proud she was of her son. He was one of her favorite conversation topics. The others being Howard and her husband. "One of his favorite place is the petting zoo, and he quite often tried to ride our neighbour's Great Dane. I hope that your cats don't mind small hands constantly trying to pet them.

"But, Howard, whatever you decide to do, we'll support you. And you're always welcome here for as long as you want, you know that."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"They're used to me. They'll love anyone who doesn't squeeze them until their eyes bug out. Especially Sushi, he probably still remembers the days when I turned him into a teddy bear some nights." It's a cute image, John riding the Great Dane. Howard reaches over and turns on the faucet so they can get working.

"I know, I know. I'm just trying to get it all figured out, you know? I started going to another shrink and they diagnosed me as a delusional psychotic when I tried to tell them about most of the stuff that happened."

[first_in_time]

Barbara shouldn't have been surprised. Most people would have been diagnosed with something if they told stories of spaceships and disappearing adults.

"Will you keep seeing them?" she asked, turning back to the sink. Her eyes still stayed upon Howard just incase he thought she wasn't paying attention.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Hel- I mean, heck no. They lock people up for stuff like that and I don't want to spend time with padded walls, getting told everything's all in my head. It was way easier to say I was lying and just never come back."

He takes a clean dish and starts to dry it off. The step-stool he used to use to get to the top shelves is still here, dusty but leaning against the wall. He's touched that they kept it, as if they knew he'd be back eventually. He opens it, hops up and sets the plate away.

[first_in_time]

Oh, Howard. Barbara sighed sympathetically and watched him put the plate up in the cupboard.

"Have you found anyone to...spend more time with?" she ventured. There was little more Barbara wanted in life than for Howard to be happy. As far as she knew, there hadn't been any women in Howard's life, but maybe someone might just come along and help him in ways that Barbara wouldn't be able to.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Still got no friends. Just me and the cats." He tries not to sound bitter about that, but it's really clear he's lonely. "I'm still not good at that people thing. There's no aliens or wizards for me to befriend, so I'm out of luck."

He doesn't even want to touch on his love life.

[first_in_time]

"You never know, you might find something in Soho if you look hard enough," she chuckled. "I think the grocer might not be quite human. Maybe he has a daughter."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"I don't really have good luck with girls. I guess the spark isn't there." He tilts his head at the kitchen. "You might just have to wait on John for grandkids."

[first_in_time]

"You never know," she replied without looking back at him, "maybe one day there will be a spark. You shouldn't give up hope so easily."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

He sighs and puts away another dish. "I'm twenty-seven years old and have never even kissed a girl. Never even held hands. I think the boat s done sailed."

[first_in_time]

Very briefly, Barbara wondered if she should ask about his preference. There was a lot of attention being given to the homosexual rights. Perhaps Howard went with that crowd? Or maybe he didn't and she was simply looking into things a little too much, which she often did.

"Well, you let us know the moment that changes," she smiled at him and placed another plate into the washing up rack.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Don't get your hopes up." He sighs and dries off another dish. "So do you make friends with the other moms at John's school?"

[first_in_time]

Barbara nodded. "I'm sort of obligated. If I can't make friends with them, then John isn't invited to anything, and any helping I do in the school would be nightmarish. Not that the women aren't nice but then can be a little competitive."

Last time Barbara helped with an event at the school, several mothers stood around comparing their children's accomplishments. She played along for a short while until she realised what she was doing. Since then she'd listened more than spoken. A few mothers, however, were fast becoming her friends in Barbara's eyes.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"John stacks up though, right? I mean, he seems like an okay kid. Just needs to eat his veggies." They finish the dishes and Howard start to rinse and dry out the sink. Naturally, he's envious of John, because he doubts he'd ever be able to compete with anyone comparing their kids' accomplishments, and yes, he does realize how pathetic it is to be competing with elementary schoolers.

Primary school. Whatever they call it here.

"You know, when I was little, I was the first in my kindergarten to finish reading a whole book." His mom had bragged about it a lot. "I got great grades up until I was like, ten."

[first_in_time]

"John's just like all of the other children, except that he's quite fond of singing. All the time." To begin with, it was endearing but on occasion it was rather irritating.

"What happened?" she asked.