Welcome To FMOOAE

Family First

Zach exhaled and opened his eyes. 'I got the job.'

Mr Garrett abruptly stood and hugged his son. And just like that, the sombre man was gone, and only a proud father remained. 'I knew you'd do it.'

'Didn't I tell you, Stephen?'

'Wait,' interrupted Zach. 'I heard what you said last night. I know that money is tight, so I'm going to start paying rent.'

'No, you're not.'

'Not one penny,' insisted Mrs Garrett. 'I'll pick up extra shifts at the supermarket.'

Zach wasn't a child; he knew his mother's part-time wage wouldn't see them through the month, never mind any longer. 'Whether rent or buying groceries, I'm helping you out.'

'You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?'

'I guess I'm stubborn like you, mum.'

She chuckled. 'Get over here.'

Zach knew what was coming when his mother went to wrap her arms around him, and he tried to wriggle loose, only to fall and roll sideways into the oven door. And when he finally looked up, both parents loomed close with fingers curled like claws. They were going to tickle him.

Mr Garrett piled on top first. 'He's a good one, isn't he?'

Zach was so ticklish he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. And while he held his palms close to his ribs for protection, his mother knew that the armpits were the place to attack next. She didn't hold back either. 

Zach, desperate to break free, kicked, rocked and wriggled some more, and when that didn't work, he tried snotting on them.

'Every time!' Mrs Garrett yelled, wiping the stringy green mucus from her sleeve.

His dad laughed with hands held high in surrender. 'You win.'

Zach crawled into the kitchen corner to catch his breath while his father grabbed an apple and his mother filled the kettle to boil.

'So tell me about the place,' Mr Garrett took a bite of his apple. 'Is Flurbury's as insane as they say?'

'Probably worse.'

'Well, we've all got to start somewhere.'

'That's what I told him yesterday.'

Mr Garrett smiled at his wife. 'Great minds.'

She took a bow and noticed mid-motion her husband gazing off into the distance. 'Where are you at, right now?'

'In... the kitchen.'

'Good one.'

The man nodded an apology. 'I think we need a little family time. We should all go to Flurbury's tomorrow.'

A pit opened in Zach's stomach. 'Please don't; I've enough to worry about with the volunteers without adding you two to the mix.'

Mrs Garrett folded her arms. 'What's wrong with us?'

'Nothing.'

She was amused. 'Nothing?'

'Nope,' answered Zach, edging his way out of the kitchen. 'Will you let me know when supper is ready?'

'I think I'll order us a takeaway tonight.'

Mr Garrett paled. 'We can't afford-'

His wife shook her head. 'We're celebrating our son getting his first job, right?'

'We sure are. Pizza then?'

Zach pumped his fist in the air and practically skipped upstairs, only to shout from the top step. 'Make it Ham and Pineapple.'

'Not many people I know like pineapple on their food.'

'Well, I do, mum. You can always get two.'

Barely forty-five minutes later, their food arrived with an obnoxious bang on the front window. And before Zach even managed to make it downstairs, he spotted the letterbox flapping. The delivery person was in the process of wedging one of the pizza boxes through the tiny gap.

'Come on,' Mrs Garrett yelled as she opened the door. 'What are you do-'

The words got stuck in her throat when she noticed how young the boy looked. He couldn't have been much older than seven, and even the red Shtuck's Pizzeria cap he wore was at least three sizes too big.

Zach sat on one of the steps and found himself imagining what would happen to the company when the Police discovered they hired children to deliver food as if it was a newspaper. Then the ignition of a nearby car started and brought him back to the present.

'Hurry up, Billy. We've got another five houses yet!'

The kid let go of the half-stuck pizza box and fled, and as the contents began to slide, Mrs Garrett dove to save it.

Billy skidded to a halt and set down the second steaming box beside the gate. 'Sorry.'

Zach got to his feet. 'Have we paid already?'

'On the app.'

The Garrett family couldn't chase after the delivery person without a car to keep up, not that there would have been any point in doing so unless they planned to yell obscenities at a child. Instead, they took their food inside and sat in the living room.

Like every night, Zach brought through the cutlery while his mother got the plates, and his dad brewed the tea in its black and white poke-a-dot pot. Then came the most challenging part of choosing something to watch on television, but tonight was Mrs Garrett's turn which meant they'd have to be content with soap dramas.

After tea, Zach felt so full he thought he'd have to be rolled up to his bed. Of course, he'd have to leave the comfort of the sofa first. And that wasn't about to happen any time soon.

Mrs Garrett gently shook her son's arm. 'Look at your dad. You wouldn't think anything was wrong, would you?'

'That man can sleep anywhere.'

She made a face. 'When you were four, we thought we'd lost you on holiday, and after one hour of hell, we found you sleeping in our suitcase!'

'Seriously? I can't remember that.'

'Well, you were four.'

Zach scooped his legs onto the sofa and nestled his head between two cushions. The lad should have known what would happen; the living room was so warm that he had no idea he'd dozed off until he knocked his cup on the floor. 'What time is it?'

'A little after ten.'

Zach rose to pick up the empty cup and noticed the suspiciously abandoned recliner. 'Where's dad?'

Mrs Garrett lowered her reading glasses. 'I made him go to bed; he's had a long day, and he kept asking me questions about my soap dramas. You know how much that drives me mad.'

'I might head off as well.'

She set her half-finished crossword puzzle down on the coffee table. 'Please; we both know you'll end up reading that book you love until the early hours.'

Zach spread his hands. 'I can't help that I love science-fiction. Besides, what better escape from reality than exploring new worlds?'

'Hmm, I think I'll take Bickering Blondies and The Good Friends over your abducting aliens any day.'

Zach laughed and leaned forward for a hug. 'Goodnight, and good luck with those Blondies.'

She kissed her son on the cheek, grabbed the remote, poured a glass of red wine from the bottle she had under the coffee table, and then unmuted the television. 'Oh, and one more thing.'

Zach popped his head around the living room door. 'Yeah?'

'Your dad meant what he'd said earlier. We're coming to Flurbury's with you tomorrow.'