Back in the Saddle

Atari and Eggs

Lainey

I didn't realize I had been talking to Joe for so long until I went to get two more beers for us, and saw that the beer was gone.

At which point I glanced at the clock on the wall, and noticed the hour hand pointing to the two, and the minute hand to the eleven. Almost three in the morning?

I let out an unavoidable yawn as I sat back down on the couch. "It's almost three o'clock," I told him tiredly. "And you're out of beer."

"That's unfortunate," he said. I looked around, then. Steven was dosing in a chair, and it seemed that all except Tom and his wife had gone home.

"Did everyone else go home?" I asked with another yawn.

Joe looked around then, too. He frowned. "Yeah, I guess so," he replied slowly.

"Huh."

Joe shrugged, getting up. "You wanna sleep here?" he asked, meaning the couch I was currently sitting on.

"Whatever," I replied with a shrug.

Joe disappeared into another room, appearing moments later with a blanket, which he handed to me. "Good?" he asked. I nodded, beginning to unfold the blanket. I was suddenly very tired. "G'night," he said, heading for the stairs.

" 'Night," I replied, already half asleep.

--

I woke up late the following morning. Steven wasn't in the chair, and for a moment I was confused as to where I was.

I made my way upstairs with the blanket still around my shoulders. I found Steven in the kitchen, looking hungover. Joe's girlfriend/wife was making some eggs. She and Steven were talking, but stopped abruptly when I came up the stairs. Joe must not be up yet.

" 'Mornin', babes," Steven said with a huge yawn, slinging an arm around my waist and pulling me closer, then planing a light kiss on my nose.

Just as Annie was putting the scrambled eggs onto three different plates, the door to the house flew open and a little boy that looked oddly familiar burst in. Both Steven's and Annie's faces lit up at the sight of him.

Joe followed closely behind the boy, and I suddenly realized why the kid looked so familiar. He looked like Joe.

But then the kid handed his little Star Wars bag to Joe and waltzed over to Annie, who met him halfway, and then the kid looked like Annie.

"Wassup?" Annie said smoothly, bending down to high-five the kid (who is probably her son) and then pulled him into a hug.

I wish my mom was that cool when I was little...

They gave each other a little kiss, then she fixed his wild curls and went back to the eggs, asking, "How was your adventure?"

"Aweso– Stevie!" The little boy noticed Steven sitting with me leaned up against him.

I took a small step back as the two high-fived. "Anthony!" Steven exclaimed, putting the kid on his knee. "What's up, little dude?"

Joe tossed the Star Wars bag into the couch, then approached Annie with a grin. "Why don't I get that kind of hello?" he asked with a little pout. But he was unable to hide his grin.

Annie frowned momentarily, then thought better of it and reached out her arms. "Wassup?" she said, just as she had said to Anthony. Then she reached out a hand for Joe to slap.