BibbleSmiley(BS)

Lavender Feather

It was a relief to sleep soundly after his previous rude awakening. There were two twin sized beds that could either be made into bunk beds or converted into a one by pushing the mattresses together. Homeless people can not have girlfriends. Chongo made the bed that he was to lie in. He did little things like this that added up throughout the day to make him feel accomplished. He would've stayed in bed a little while longer but could smell the myriad of aromas drifting upstairs from the kitchen. He detected notes of frying bacon, baked biscuits and freshly squeezed orange juice. Well he couldn't exactly smell the juice but he was holding up hope that there would be some at fathers table. He changed into new clothes that had belonged to Adam. They had some patches on them but like the embroidered towels in the bathroom they were well sewn with due regards to Marjovaes skills as a seamstress. His old clothes were put with the others that were to be washed and hung out to dry. They would still be damp by morning before the sun had a chance to wick away the excess moisture. Those used for his sleepers would be used in rotation with a spare pair reserved for Sunday.

He stomped down the stairs alerting the household to his presence. Adam was already positioned at the head of his table reading the newspaper with a cup of coffee. He paid extra for the delivery route to come this far out into the back forty. It was well worth the money to keep up to date reading from the free press. The news was full of lies. Tom Carlson had been recruited by the CIA to participate in the mockingbird project after being fired by CNN for taking his job with a grain of salt. Adam was adamant about keeping up to date on current events. He said that the more he knew about what was going on in the world the better understanding he would have for the time they were living in. He would be doing the same thing as an old man marveling at how things had changed since he picked up his first job that gave him an officer title dubbing him Paper Route Adam. He wasn't phased by the depressing content that sometimes made its way into the articles. That was part of life. All he could do was be grateful that he didn't recognize any of the names although he read the obituaries first partially to make sure that he wasn't in them. He saved the comics for Benjamin who enjoyed the medium of storytelling. The text only took up a small fraction of the page so it was important that the dialogue was well written. He needed help reading so often that Adam often got impatient and read outloud to him. He would rather be reading the joke book. The comics just weren't the same ever since Calvin and Hobbs stopped making an appearance.

Chongo took a peek at the front page which said that someone had poured LSD in the water supply and vaporized it as soon as the edict was given not to drink tap, dispersing it into breathable air. "These damn terrorists are trying to put us back three hundred years so that everyone can live like us farming their own food. I tell you what we've got a right to make it pesticide and hormone free, the government can't force us to take their supplements." "If I were president I'd declare every day poney day and everyone would get to take a leave of absence. Just sit around and relax, pet a pony. If it sheds it means spring is here!" Benjamin said. "Good morning to the both of you." Chongo said taking the same place he had at fathers table as he had yesterday. "How'd you sleep last night?" Adam asked keeping his eye on the spot of the page he was on like most readers, he needed a good place to break. "A real bed makes all the difference. It was lights out like three blind fancy mice AKA bats. Had something to do with hard work too I bet." "Yes indeed, an honest day's work will do that for a man." Adam commented and added nothing more lost in his text. "You seemed pretty deep in your REM state when I knocked you out of the peach tree yesterday." Benjamin said. "That's because I had eaten so many of their fruit that I was very relaxed. Sleep came as naturally as a fish does to water. They're afraid of the sky because that's where the birds that eat them are." Benjamin nodded seriously. "I saw that happen once where the bird tucks its wings and dives looking for fish. It was on Animal Kingdom. Mom said that cartoons aren't educational like reading is. I'd like to learn how one day." "Eat with meals until mastered." Adam said from behind his paper. "I hate having to try, if I was good at it I should know how to do it already." "Books are good." Adam noted absently. "How would I know I've never read one since I can't make letters into words. It's like trying to speak spanish. Besides all that dad ever reads me is his joke book and the Bible. What if I want to know what's going on outside the back forty?." Finally Adam lowered the paper having finished his paragraph and in a better mood. He knit his eyebrows concernedly. "What do you mean the joke book isn't good? And if you could eat in spanish I'm sure you would speak it fluently." Chongo thought that he ought to be more concerned about Ben not liking the Bible. The out of whack priorities made him wonder if Adam had created Eve out of his crazy bone rather than a rib.