Nov 21st 8am, California
Beep. Penny waits for the results from the thermogun.
She smiles with relief that her daughter's fever has broken. "You are a little warrior. Mommy and Daddy are proud of you."
Her baby coos.
"We will set up decorations for Thanksgiving later. I need an expert like yourself for approval. Will you help mama?"
Her baby sputters out in response.
"I will take that as a yes. Let's get you fed."
She breastfeeds her baby while sitting down. "Your daddy is a funny man. He would be the type to say at this moment: "Save some for me. What about my cereal?"
She chuckles before stopping. She tells her a "secret". That her aunt is working on a way to bring her father back to them. She hopes he will be here by Thanksgiving. Confessions of doubt spill out, thinking something might happen to prevent his return.
After burping her child, her phone buzzes. Checking through, she finds the recent payment from Damocles Inc.
She exhales. I need to be strong until he comes back. Taki, give me some strength.
Back on Gaia,
Takashi stirs up from sleeping on his desk. The once burning candle is now a puddle of wax. Moving his hand pushes a crumpled piece of paper to join its allies on the floor. He feels his wife calling on his strength. He thinks back to their third date at the concert to relieve her mind....
He adjusted the pockets of his punk rocker jacket. Excited nerves led him inside the venue. During a mic check, he almost didn't recognize his future wife. Ghoulish makeup with a spiky jacket. His jaw dropped into a smile. She waves to him and he waves back. He yelled for her to kiss ass tonight.
She quickly grabbed her phone to shoot him a text. An invitation backstage when the band finished.
Drums thrashed around. Nasty breakdowns of the guitar had everyone jumping around. Her growling vocals blew Takashi away. A drug that's he now addicted to. Penny saw the look of euphoria on his face as he joined the moshpit.
After their performance, he went backstage and introduced himself to the rest of the band. They welcomed him in with fist bumps before letting him that Penny is dressing down. He offered to help with the instruments, but they told him to wait for her.
She came down without the makeup and in her regular clothes. They embraced with a tender kiss. She asked if her bandmates gave him any trouble.
The drummer responded. "Not at all. I can't help but notice that you have a groupie."
"I wouldn't mind being her only groupie," Taki blurted out.
His cheeks turned red to Penny's laughter. She turned his head while slipping her tongue into his mouth. The band left them for privacy. They stopped before their clothes were almost removed.
She stroked his cheeks, apologizing if it took too long to get ready. He mentioned he loved that look and wouldn't mind if she keep it on for the next time.
A smile stretched to her ears. "Noted. Are you now a metalhead?"
"Only for bands with bronze screamo queens."
"Somehow you know the right thing to say. I'm envious of that."
Taki held her hands. "I hope you make me pay one day."
His light brown eyes softened with hers doing the same. He led her by the hand to eat some pizza nearby.
They ate a large chicken pizza together, with olives on one side for Penelope and the other with ham and pineapple. Before digging in, she prayed. She noticed he didn't pray. She asked him about his faith which he answered with agnosticism, but open to religion. He asked her the same question.
YOU ARE READING
Kronos (Book One)
AdventureTakashi Watanabe taps his feet in anxiety as he awaits his firstborn child. The haunting trauma of his past makes him second guess his new role. Before he can see her, an Olympian deity rips him away from his loved ones and drops him in the world fi...
