Problem Solvers

rigor samsa part 3

No one ever said being a single parent would be easy. Luckily, Grace had primary custody. Five only had to concern himself with little visits.

With that in mind, he encouraged the kids to update their visitation schedule. From now on, they could visit him twice a month.

The reason: restricting them to holidays had been cold. That was the apathetic behavior of an absentee father. Five understood that now.

Still, two at a time was preferable. He wasn't Superman.

This time it was Diego and Klaus, so Five prepared accordingly. When they arrived, he gave Klaus a warm hug and then a lighter one armed hug for Diego. 

Then, he presented them with gifts.

"Thanks?" Diego said. "But what's the occasion?"

Diego's gift was a stroke of genius. Kevlar pants.

"Can't I buy clothes for my brothers?" Five said.

"You can and you should," Klaus said.

Klaus's gift had been trickier. The boy claimed he didn't need gifts, but that was a lie. He was a sucker for pretty clothes, but surprisingly picky about style.

Five took the easy route and bought him a band t-shirt. It felt cheap, but he consoled himself with the knowledge that he had selected the perfect band: The Orion Experience.

"This is the best gift ever," Klaus said. "Thank you and I love you."

Five grinned. "You're welcome."

Diego cleared his throat. "Thank you."

"You don't need to say it twice," Five said. "So, what are we doing for dinner?"

"Pizza!" Klaus said. "Please?"

"That sounds good to me," Five said. "What do you think, Diego?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

"Excellent," Five said. "I'll order it."

The next morning, Five was in good spirits. For once, everything was going according to plan.

Take that Dolores! Five thought. I'm winning!

To celebrate, he decided to make scrambled eggs for breakfast. Enough for the whole family.

When Klaus wandered into the kitchen, he beamed.

"Hell yeah," Klaus said. "You got yourself a healthy appetite?"

Five puffed himself up proudly. "Yes, I do."

Klaus grinned. "Good boy."

Five laughed.

Klaus winked. "As for me, I slept like a baby."

"Excellent," Five said. "Your sleep pattern has stabilized?"

"Fuck yeah it has!" Klaus said. "Look at all this character growth."

Five grinned. "We deserve a reward."

"We do! We totally do!"

"What should we do?" Five said. "Do you want to go somewhere?"

"You have something in mind?" Klaus said.

"Do you like the zoo?" Five said.

"Meh," Klaus said. "I'm burnt out on that."

"Fair enough," Five said. "Don't worry, we'll think of something."

"What about a planetarium?" Klaus said. "You love astronomy, right?"

Five tilted his head. "Did you get that from Baby Five?"