Touch of Hellfire (Pocket's Version)

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"So, where's Grandpa?" I asked Grandma, digging into my dinner. "He's away on business, in Germany," she told me. "So he's insuring Nazis now?" Mom joked but Grandma never found Mom's jokes funny. "He doesn't know any Nazis," Grandma told her.

"She was joking," I spoke for Mom. "Hard to tell," Grandma commented. "Oh, by the way, I have bad news, Claudia died."

"Who's that?"

"Claudia! Your cousin, Claudia!"

"Still no idea," Mom shrugged. "Well, the funeral is on Thursday so I thought we should all go together."

"Well, there's two problems, I can't get away from the inn and I've never met this woman!"

"You have," Grandma insisted. "Several times, we went to the Moon Landing at her house."

"Yeah, no memory at all," Mom told her and she rolled her eyes. "Either way, I couldn't go if I wanted to."

"Oh, wait!" Grandma suddenly piped up. "Rudolph Gottfried."

"Don't tell me," Mom sighed. "Another cousin?"

"No, a Nazi that we knew, I forgot. We stayed with him in Munich, lovely old man, a lot of interesting stories."

"You socialised with a NAZI?!" Mom gasped. "That's despicable, heinous!"

"No, dear," Grandma had a discreet smirk on her face. "That was a joke."

***

"HEATHER! YOU'D BETTER NOT BE EATING THE TRIPLE-CHOCOLATE BROWNIES!" Rory shouted up the stairs. I swallowed the brownie as quickly as I could. "Coming!"

I brought the box down, I only ate two....maybe three.

"Rory! We're gonna be late! Turn your stereo off!" I shouted. "Not me," Rory told me. She opened her door to reveal a dancing Lane. "Let me guess, your mother is thinking you're in the park thinking about South Korea and North Korea forming Mega Korea?"

"Something like that," Lane pouted. "Everyone! Out! Out! Out!" Mom shooed us all out the door. Once we left the porch, Babette and Morey walked by with their cat, Cinnamon, in some sort of pram made from a wagon. "Cinnamon's riding in style today," I chuckled. "Morey made it," Babette said proudly. "Cinnamon's not walking as good these days but she still loves her passeggiata. Italian for nice walk. Morey makes it sound so sexy!"

I widened my eyes and I just nodded. They eventually walked away and Rory rested her hand on my shoulder. "Our neighbours are weird."

"Yup."

Rory and I walked to the bus stop together. "No more brownies," she scolded me. "And don't forget to meet Mom and Sookie by the entrance for the bake sale."

"I won't, quit worrying, everything's fine," I told her. We got on the bus and sat down. "But let me..."

"No!"

I rolled my eyes and I sighed. "Hey," a guy spoke up behind us. "AH! Morning," Rory stuttered awkwardly. I recognised him, he's the guy Rory was hanging with before we started Chilton. "I'm Dean," he introduced himself to me. "Oh..I'm Heather...her twin," I told him. He immediately turned back to Rory. "Thanks for helping me get the job at the store. It's got me solvent."

"That's good," Rory nodded. "You always this serious?" Dean asked her. Rory shook her head. "So, how long does it take you to get to school?"

"About forty minutes...hang on this bus is going to Hartford!"

"I'm perfectly aware," Dean chuckled. "He has to get off the bus!" Rory shouted to the driver and I just sat there, processing the whole event. "Buses make stops you know, goodbye Lorelai Gilmore."