Alone Together

1 - Moving In

Alfred had moved before. Mattie always had a hard time with it. He didn't see the need for tears, though. At least they knew someone there this time. His dad had never liked the city. He'd always said it was too busy and dangerous. They had lived there the past six years; it had been home.

Alfred went down with his dad. They stopped at a convenience store and got some drinks; cokes for both of them. They got to the house first. Alfred closed the passenger side door behind him. He shouldered his bag and held his half empty bottle in his hand.

"What do you think?"

The grass was cut and the paint on the house was peeling a bit. A pretty old house. If it had been a bit grander, Alfred thought it could've passed for one of those haunted places.

"It seems cool." He followed his dad to the front door. He held open the screen door as his dad unlocked the door and pushed it open. Inside, immediately there was a short flight of stairs going up on the right and one going down on the left. Alfred followed his dad up the stairs, a banister standing on the upper floor, going across the wall where the stairs were. At the top of the floor, to the left was a small hallway with two bedrooms at the end. To the right was a front room. A breakfast counter separated the room from the kitchen. Two windows looked to the front yard in the front room. Alfred saw the moving van drive into the far driveway in front of the garage.

"Uncle Randy's here," Alfred said.

"Cool. We'll just put everything in the front room for now."

Alfred nodded. He turned around and went into the room to the right. One window looked into the backyard, a closet was on the far side of the inside wall. He put his bag and soda by the door and went outside to the van. He ran to the back of the van to meet Alistor who was opening the back.

"Hey, Alistor."

"Hi, Alfred." Alistor smiled at him, letting the van door roll up to reveal dozens of boxes and pieces of furniture. Alistor handed him a box with Alfred's name written on top. "Here you are."

"Thanks."

Alistor grabbed a box and walked back across the yard with Alfred. "Aunt Sarah hasn't gotten here yet?"

"Of course she hasn't. She probably got lost," Alfred said with a smirk.

"Arthur's probably no help," Alistor said with a grin.

Inside, Alfred brought the box to his room and put it against a wall. They continued to carry things into the house. Alfred's mom arrived with Arthur and Matthew about ten minutes later.

"Nice of you guys to show up," Alistor yelled with a smile.

"We got lost," Matthew said, picking a box with his name from the truck.

"Told you," Alfred muttered to Alistor.

"Yeah, yeah." He waved him off. "I owe you five."

Alfred grinned as the four carried more boxes into the house. Alfred and Alistor worked together to carry in a few pieces of furniture and book shelves with their dads, while Mattie and Arthur took in the rest of the boxes with Alfred's and Mattie's mom.

That night, they ordered pizza for dinner. Mattie and his mom went out to pick dinner up while the fathers worked to hook up the television in the living room. All while, Alistor and Arthur were giving Alfred advice about the school. What to do, who to talk to. To he honest, Alfred wouldn't remember half of if.

"Got it!"

The boys ran into the living room to see the screen lit blue.

"It's blue."

"It's not hooked up to the cable yet."

"You said you got it," Alfred said, slightly confused.

"Well, at least you can watch a movie."

"Star Wars!" Alfred called out.

When dinner arrived, they all settled down in the living room with some pillows and blankets to watch Episode IV. It was dark when Uncle Randy, Alistor and Arthur left to go home.

"So, see you guys at school, tomorrow?" Matthew asked.

"Absolutely," Alistor called out.

The two brothers waved at their cousins as they drove away.

Alfred and Matthew slept with a few blankets and pillows in the living room. The moonlight shined through the many widows of the room. Alfred stared up at the cathedral ceiling. Four beams supported the ceiling.

"You excited for school tomorrow?" Alfred asked.

"A little bit," Mattie said. "You?"

"It's school."

"Think we'll make friends?"

"Of course we will!" Of course you'll make friends.

"You nervous?"

Alfred kept quiet. "I'm fine."

"That's okay. I'm nervous, too."