It's Definitely Not All Mary Poppins

Goodbye. Look After Yourself (1)

Matthew stared up at the covered skylight, holding the hard hat flat on his head. The wind flapped the plastic where glass should have been, and underfoot, plastic wrinkled and crunched, protecting the newly stained red concrete floors. The hum of electrical equipment just under the carport roof vibrated through the air, and the living room doors were thrown open, wood stain drying in the sweet air.

"Ugh," Eli groaned, glancing down. "Why'd they fill in my etchings?"

"Historical restoration," Matthew sighed, glancing around the sparce living room. Plasterwork was, for the most part, finished, and the grouting was being touched up in places. There was still no paint, and the smell of wood varnish drifted from Yang's office.

"We can't always keep everything," Toby said, hands on his hips. "Trust me. There were a few good trees in front that had to come down, and I would've killed to keep them. But they were invasive, so...yeah. You've got to pick your battles."

The twelve-year-old grumbled under his breath. "Can I go see my room?"

"No," Matt said. "They're re-installing the radiant floors."

"I know. I want to see it." The boy grinned something wonderful and maniacal. "I want to put Geofferson's body under the concrete."

"You found his body?" Matt asked, raising a brow.

Eli shook his head. "Tried to. Couldn't. I thought he was dead in the playroom." He held up a bird's skull, cleaned and pale. "But I found this outside. Can I put it under the floor?"

Toby hissed through his teeth, shaking his head. "Please tell me Geoff is a pet."

"Geofferson, and yes."

"Thank God for that," Toby muttered.

"Gods," Eli clarified. "Don't be biased. Pay your respects."

Matthew turned to Eli. "Find somewhere else to bury it. And wash your hands, child."

He slipped the skull into his pocket. "Can I put Waka's body under it when he dies?"

"I'm not tearing apart concrete for a lizard, not even Waka."

Eli pursed his lips and frowned. "Boo. What about Nekhbet?"

"The lizard and cardinal can have a mausoleum in the backyard."

"See, this is why I said we needed a mausoleum," the boy said, crossing his arms.

Toby huffed at that, eyes wide and trying to stabilize the conversation. "But, your herbal garden is in the back. Doing pretty well, I might add, and by the end of the summer, they'll be so many butterfly weeds and Asters in bloom you'll be sick of them." He grinned.

Matt's phone vibrated in his pocket. "And Lilly's request for ivy along the carport?"

He shook his head. "I need them to finish redoing the carport roof before I can plant anything. I'm imaging some pretty Purple Passionflower trailing along the edge, and I'm germinating them now so they're strong and ready for next year."

"I bet she'll love that," Matthew said absentmindedly, withdrawing his phone and scrolling through the three new emails in his inbox. Two were from schools he had previously applied to, with offers that would make any struggling teacher blush; one from his mother. He deleted that latter without much of a second thought, slipping his phone away again.

Toby must have known, but said nothing.

Matt hoped he knew. He hoped the guilt of telling his parents about his assault still made Toby uncomfortable, regardless of whether it was well intended or not. His stomach unsettled every time his mind reminded.

"What?" Eli asked.

"Hm?"

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Matt said.

The boy accepted the answer but wanted to, still, ask. He turned away staring into the distant view the living room offered, fists on his hips, as if surveying his kingdom.

From behind, Toby whispered, "...need to...check something." His footsteps trailed off into the bedroom wing, being swallowed by the restoration work.

Eli tapped his foot on the plastic-covered floor before asking, "When can we ride in Lloyd again?"

Matt's shoulder's rose with a slow breath. "When everything's done."

"Does he have an engine again?"

Kind of. "Lilly and I have some finishing touches to do to it. But it's...mostly done." He turned to Eli. "The new door panels and the headliner should be coming in sometime next week. Liza's getting them for me as a birthday present."

"But otherwise, Lloyd is okay?"

"Overall...sure."

He started bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Good. I miss him."

Matthew deflated slightly. "I know. Me, too." He wiped his hand across his eye, feeling the lingering dust of the house being rebuilt from the bones up. "How're you doing?"