Wake Up Δ Walker

chapter twenty-six

August, Janie, and Abilene are eating breakfast and Bonham is cooking eggs.

"So, how are you faring in your, uh... repaying the Side Step debts?" Abilene asks her grandson.

"I-I knocked off, like, $400, so, you know, only about infinity left to pay back dad and Geri." August says.

"You'll get there." Abilene assures.

Janie notices Bonham's whisking get aggressive.

"So, what's with all the traffic lately, huh?" August asks. "There's, like, trucks and trailers and, like, deliveries 24/7."

"Yeah, well, you may recall that your uncle went behind my back and opened up this damn circus." Bonham says.

"Oh, he's just the uncle now?" Abilene asks making Janie quietly chuckle.

"Yeah, and maybe we'd have some of this under control if anybody had bothered to come to the family meeting that I called? I've been saying that we don't have enough room out here for all this, but... apparently this and that is all being worked out and I just shouldn't worry myself about it." Bonham rants. "I'm being put out to damn pasture. You know, I... I might as well just take an Alaskan crise and drink myself to death."

Janie shares a look with her twin.

"August, Janie, could you two give us a sec?" Abilene asks.

"Yeah, yeah, got it." August nods.

"With immense pleasure." Janie smiles, getting up.

"You two have a have nice day, sweethearts." Abilene tells them.

"You, too." They both reply, walking out.

+++

"Thank you so much for helping with the build, dad." Liam tells his dad.

"Yeah, when you dangled bacon in front of me until my eyes went crossed, I had no earthly idea what I'd signed up for." Bonham remarks.

"I'll keep that tactic in mind." Janie quietly says to August who laughs.

"Well, we couldn't build all this for the horse rescue without you." Stella tells him. "You've got more experience than the both of us combined."

"That was real sweet of you to say, sis. I mean, I love it when my expertise is acknowledged, really." August remarks.

"I suppose I'll just sit back since I barely have experience." Janie comments.

"Oh, August, that's a good joke. You, too, Janie. August, been funnier if you hadn't oversold it." Abilene says. "Like, "That's sweet of you to say, sis." See? Sweet, simple, clean, funny."

"I don't know, I think I like it better the way he did it." Bonham says. "Just kind of went on and on."

"Watch. Hey, Stella, can you set me up again with the line that you said to your granddad?" Abilene asks.

"What is going on here?" Stella asks, chuckling.

"Go ahead, show them a thing or two about comedic timing." Liam says. "When mawline was your age she was the star of a comedy troupe."

"That's sweet of you to say, sis." Abilene retorts.

"And that's what's known as a callback." Liam says.

"Okay, how am I just finding out about this?" August questions.

"Yeah, what the heck? What else you guys keeping from us?" Janie asks.

"Can we focus on building the stables? We can't board the rescues at the Davidson Ranch anymore." Stella says. "Colton says their stabled are packed."

"What's this? Cordell send someone over to help because he's too busy today?" Bonham question, seeing a car pull up. August waves to the person who gets out of the car. "Too busy today, too busy every day. For weeks."