No sooner had Josie and I put the last dish in the washing machine then the sound of the the front door squeaking open came to us... Along with a squeal from Aunt Cassie.
"In the name of all things holy..." she mutters. "Franklin needs to find a new play place."
Josie snorts before greeting her mom.
"Hey dearies! Oh Gen, you forgot your suitcase!"
I glance at Josie before heading back down the narrow halls and into the front entrance. I take the the handle for Aunt Cassie and offer a small, "Thanks."
She smiles at me and we both squeeze our way back towards the kitchen. Aunt Cassie stops once we make it, but I keep heading down towards the bedrooms. I drag my little suitcase inside and inspect the area. Sighing, I decide I'll tackle this project later.
"Mom, did you buy any-?"
"Josie dear, don't worry about me. I'm the one who's supposed to take care of you. Now, which room did you give Gen?"
"The spare one, doh."
"The spare one's a mess!"
"It's perfect Aunt Cassie," I reassure her as I reenter the scene.
She flashes me a nervous smile. Then she turns back to Josie.
"Where in the blazes is your brother?"
"Mom! He's just playing in his room.
Don't you trust me to be able to keep an eye on one kid?" she protests.
"Josie," Aunt Cassie warns, sending an 'I-don't-like-your-tone-glare' her way.
Josie rolls her eyes. Then, in an annoyed tone pushes out, "Can I help you unload the groceries?"
"No!" Aunt Cassie replies so quickly it makes me jump. Josie shoots her a nervous glance. She clears her throat, embarrassed. "No, uh, why don't you help Gen get settled in her room?" Then she mumbles, "Lord knows that place needs help."
Josie crosses her arms and mumbles, "Yeah, sure whatever. Come on Gen."
She walks my way and grabs my arm, pulling me towards my new room.
Josie examines the place for a second, her arms folded and her brows furrowed in thought.
She starts pointing around the room saying, "Trash, trash, trash... Trash.... I swear... I'm gonna get a garbage bag. We need, like, zero of the junk that's taking up your space."
She turns to leave. My eyes follow her for a bit before I glance around again. I notice that the only sort of bed in here is the old crib. That doesn't bother me though. I'd slept on the streets for years and quickly learned to love it. How much worse could a dusty floor be?
Josie returns, a trash bag in hand, and immediately begins throwing everything in sight in the bag.
"There's... nothing here you want to keep?" I laugh.
"I'll keep it of I want to, trust me," she says flatly.
She gets to an antique looking doll in the corner and I expect her to want to hold on to it. But into the bag it goes.
"Hey, hey!" I protest. I quickly go up to her and 'dumpster dive' for the doll. "If you don't want this, can I have it?" I ask playfully.
She looks at me and blows a stray strand out of her hair. "Gen, if you want a doll we can go shopping or something. But please. That thing's old," she says flatly.
