FREE FLYING HEARTS -- A collection of short stories from Tonig73

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Beth could hear the ruckus as she walked along the pathway, even before she reached the door.  Yelling and shouting and laughter echoed against the house's walls, and into the air as the sounds reached the front of the house.  She entered the house taking off her shoes, reminding herself not to strip down like she usually would.  As she walked between the kitchen and the living room, she saw Avery stood looking out of the large french windows to the pool beyond, his usual morning coffee in hand.  She put a hand on his shoulder. 

"What's going on ?"  It took a few seconds for her to register what it was that she was seeing.  Oh, hell no.  This wasn't going to work.  

"The large human puppies are in the pool, with the large non-human puppies" he grinned.  

"Avery !"  Beth had expected her son to somehow rectify this situation, but he just turned to face her, a smirk on his lips. 

"Ohhh, no.  I told you I wouldn't help you.  You wanted them here, and what did you say ?  'They're not puppies Avery, I'm sure they can look after themselves '  Well, look.  Look at the puppies .... "  She was looking, and she saw.  She saw the two tall caramel skinned men stood waist deep in her pool, the morning sun shimmering off their wet chest and backs, their hair dripping wet.  Laurent threw his twists back over his shoulders, throwing droplets of water into the air.  It all looked a little movie-ish, like slow motion, as Beth found herself mesmerized for a second, their casual aloof beauty captivating her.  She wanted to be angry at them, and she was, a little, but she couldn't help smiling at the fact that these two grown men were having so much fun.  Maybe that's what she could give them, then, while they were here.  The time and space to relax and unwind, and to be themselves for a minute.  To recharge and reconnect.  She smiled in spite of her mild anger, now ebbing away the more she heard them laughing.  The dogs, however, were a different story.  Avery stepped aside so his mother could pull open the doors. 

"Oi !  You two !  Out !"  Beth was now ready to do some yelling of her own.  Larry and Laurent got ready to obediently haul themselves out of the pool, making Beth laugh.

"Not you, them ! The other puppies."  She pointed to her two huge Dobermans, Oscar and Cesar.  She had considered calling them Beast and Blaze, it would have suited these two majestic dogs so well, but in this moment, she was so grateful she had decided not to do that.  Awkward, or what.  Yelling at Beast and Blaze to get out of the pool, you bad boys !  She couldn't help but snicker at that visual.  The dogs looked at her pleadingly, heads cocked, as they were so obviously enjoying themselves with their new playmates.  

"They're not allowed in the pool, guys."  The dogs got out, shaking themselves all over Beth, then running through the door she had inadvertently left open to the living room.  She didn't think it would be any help calling Avery to help, but she tried anyway. 

"Nope."  She could hear him from the kitchen.

"Ungrateful, unhelpful child."  Beth muttered under her breath, before turning and walking back into the house, addressing the twins over her shoulder.

"House meeting, 30 minutes, dining room."  

"Ooooh, we in trouble .... "  Larry shoved Laurent under the water one last time, getting out quickly before his brother could reciprocate the gesture.  As Beth watched, they chased each other around the pool one more time, and the mother in her wanted to yell at them, not to run, they might slip and hurt themselves.  As Laurent's joyous laughter filled the air, Beth realized his grumpiness from yesterday had all but disappeared.  But she was just waiting for it to rear it's ugly head again when they met up in the dining room later.  She hoped not, she thought, a small smile gracing her face, completely unaware that she was smiling at all.  She liked this Laurent.