3 1/2 Harpers

Did You Check with the Captain of the Flying Monkeys?: Part 2

Elizabeth's POV:

Charlie & I return home from another softball game and find Alan in the kitchen.

Charlie: "Stupid musicians' league. I don't know why we bother."

Me: "Get this, tie score; we're down to our last out."

Charlie: "Our best hitter, Billy Kresky, is up."

Me: "The bases are loaded. So is Kresky."

Charlie: *to me* "Beer?"

Me: *nods* "Mm."

Charlie grabs two beers from the fridge and hands one to me.

Charlie: *to Alan* "His whole family is standing behind the backstop crying and pleading, 'Go back to rehab, daddy! We love you!'."

Me: "Needless to say, he choked."

Alan: "Guys, I think we've got a bigger problem. Our mother is missing."

Charlie: "Oh, don't try to cheer us up."

Alan: "I'm serious. I called her home, her car, her cell. Nothing."

Me: "Did you check with the captain of the flying monkeys?"

Alan: "Guys..."

Charlie: "She's probably just sulking because I screwed up her dinner party last week."

Alan: "That's what I thought, too, except I called her office, and they haven't heard from her either."

Me: "Ok, that's weird."

Alan: "Yeah. I think somebody needs to go over there and make sure she's ok."

Charlie: "Good idea. You do that, and we'll stay here in case she calls."

The three of us walk out of the kitchen.

Alan: "Why don't you two go and I'll stay here in case she calls?"

Me: "No, I gotta be honest. I like Charlie's idea better."

Alan: "Well, I'm not going there alone."

Charlie: "I'm not going at all!"

{Time skip}

Alan, Charlie, & I approach Mom's front door.

Charlie: "What do you wanna bet she ran off to Vegas to marry this Tommy guy?"

Alan: "Hey, i-if that's all this is, great.-*rings doorbell*-The only downside would be that you slept with our stepsister."

Charlie: "Huh. I hadn't thought of that. Kind of sexy."

Alan: "Kind of sick."

Charlie: "I'm sayin'."

Me: "Ok, when you things like that, it makes me question our alliance. Look, there's no one here. Let's go."

Alan: "No, no, I wanna take a look."

Alan pulls out his keyring and looks through it for his key to Mom's house.

Charlie: "You have a key?"

Alan: "I'm the good son."

Charlie turns to me questioningly, and I hold up the key on the ring that unlocks Mom's front door.