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]

"Really? Even though we kiss one another all the time and hold hands as often as we can? You're going to have an interesting time here if that's the case." Barbara chuckled again and smoothed out the blanket over the cushions.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"I have very selective vision." He takes a deep breath. "If something happens to me, you'll take care of the cats, right?"

[first_in_time]

For the umpteenth time, Barbara held in a sigh and nodded her head. "I will take care of your cats if anything happens to you but you know that we will prevent any such things from happening for as long as we can?"

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Yeah. You will." He rolls over on the couch until his face is wedged to the side of the couch. "Good night, Barbara. Wake me up in the morning."

[first_in_time]

Barbara sighed, leaving him to it and not entirely understanding just what that was all about. She climbed the stairs wearily and was asleep once more as soon as her head hit the pillow.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

While they're sleeping, Howard packs up his things, except for the toys and treats for the cats, and slips out the front door, making sure he locks it with the hide-a-key as he goes.

He doesn't know where he's going to, but he knows when it's time to set restless aside. John's nightmare and his awful attempts to defuse it have made up his mind.

There's no note, only two cats mewling in confusion when Barbara and Ian wake up.

[first_in_time]

At first Barbara thought that Johnny was playing a game which involved the poor cats, and she stepped out to put a stop to it but when all she saw was an empty sofa and two cats running toward her, alarm bells began to ring in her mind. She checked every room of the house, the back garden, front garden and even Ian's tool shed but Howard was nowhere to be found. When she woke Ian to ask him about it he held her close and promised that they would pick up breakfast from somewhere and go looking for Howard together in the car.