Conrad and Piper

Chapter 2

After Conrad had caught his breath (again), the two walked into the house to find Betty McCloud bustling in the kitchen preparing supper. Conrad cleared his throat quietly and she immediately turned around.

"Conrad!" Her eyes immediately roved over him, a frown on her face, as she walked up to him. "You haven't been eating enough. I told you not to let the stress get to you, son, and I expect you to listen."

"Nice to see you too, Betty."

The sarcasm in his voice was betrayed by the smile creeping onto his face.

"Oh, come here." She enveloped Conrad in a hug. "You're just in luck, though, I've got the supper almost done. Piper, hon, would you mind calling in your Pa?" She turned and went back to inspecting her food before beginning to place it on the table.

Piper turned to Conrad. "C'mon. I'll show you Pa's new favorite spot before dinner," she whispered, eyes twinkling. He had missed that little twinkle.

He followed her out the door and into the barn. "It started out just one time here and there, but soon enough he was here everyday. Don't tell Ma though, she'd have his head."

"Piper, what are you talking about?"

"What was that?" She turned abruptly and scrutinized him.

"What was what?"

"Your voice, there was something... An accent, I guess."

"Oh. Well, I was in England for a month."

"Huh. I kinda like it." She turned and started walking again. When she reached a ladder, she turned and grinned. "Up here."

"The hayloft? What would he - oohhh." Realization dawned on him. Of course.

They climbed up to find Joe McCloud fast asleep in a pile of hay.

"Pa." Piper nudged him. "Pa, wake up."

"Unnnn."

"He does that every time," Piper informed Conrad. "It's kinda like a waking up ritual a his now. First he groans, the he looks up for a minute, sees who it is, groans again, stretches and gets up, all real slow-like, until finally we go out the barn."

Conrad watched the man, and sure enough, he did everything she said, in the exact order she had said them. It wasn't until he was standing, bits of hay sticking from him every which way, that he realized Piper had a companion. Being a man of few words, all he did was get a look of surprise on his face before sticking out his hand for Conrad to shake.

"Hello, Joe," Conrad said. Joe nodded his head, and then the three climbed back down the ladder, going in for a classic Betty McCloud supper.

Later that night, Conrad lay awake in his bed, staring up at the ceiling with his arms behind his head. It was good to be home.

Funny, sometimes, how the meaning of home can change. Years ago, he remembered imagining returning to his own parents, finally having them appreciate him. But he hadn't talked to his father since leaving the institute, staying true to his words. It had definitely hurt - hurt still, in fact, sometimes today - but knowing he had another family that loved him more than they ever would was very comforting.

A light thump sounded outside on his little balcony, and Conrad turned his head slightly towards the noise. A quiet scraping alerted him to the fact that his door was being opened. He smiled.

"You know, I tell you every time that you can just walk down the hall."

"And I tell you every time that I'm gonna keep flying," came the retort.

He grinned and sat up. Piper was already standing next to his bed, and he patted the mattress beside him.

"So how's your first day back been?"

"Quite well, actually, if you put aside the fact that I was tackled before I even said a word."

Piper's tinkling laugh filled the air around them. "Yeah, I guess that wasn't quite a great hello. Although you shoulda been expecting it."

"I know, I should have, but I wasn't. And it wasn't a great hello. It was the best hello."

Silence ensued. Had he really just said that? That had sounded so... No word came to mind, which never happened to Conrad. It was frustrating.

"Uh, so," he cleared his throat, trying to dispel the awkwardness. "How've you been?"

"Oh, I been mighty fine. It sure has been sore round here without you though, you know. You know Pa don't talk much, and Ma's always busy with something. You're the only one who ever actually thinks about my questions. Speaking of which, have you ever thought how come humans have such cruel fun? All these animals right around us only do what they have to to survive, and yet in humans we find the need to kill 'em for sport. Why do you think that is? God sure didn't want us to do that, I bet, so was it somethin' Adam and Eve did when they ate from that tree?"

"Huh. I never really considered that before. But from a religious point of view I suppose you're right. The tree did make people a whole lot crueler, and throw the devil in and you've got yourself a huge recipe for disaster. From a scientific point of view, I suppose it would have something to do with the thrill people get when they have a good chase. Endorphins could cause unneeded euphoria which would lead to them doing things they wouldn't normally have done. They end up killing the animal and it becomes sport. They're chasing the animal in the first place for need of food, but once they have enough, they still want to have some more fun, and they continue."

"Huh."

They sat in silence for a while after that. Piper was beginning to get sleepy, her eyes drooping farther and farther every time she blinked. Eventually her head rested on Conrad's shoulder, her breathing deep and steady. He smiled, putting his arm around her and resting his head on hers. Yes, it was good to be back.