Laughter Lines

And The Tables Turn

Cranking the parking brake on the van, Arthur swung the door open, allowing a furnace blast of air to smack him in the face. Not that it was much different than the temperature inside the van after a drive out to Dib's facility. Maybe Ginny was right and he needed to quit putting off fixing the AC. The van was an easy-bake oven out of his nightmares on a desert trip like this, and it wasn't like the auxiliary lab project was going to happen anytime soon. He'd be making trips out to the desert on a regular basis and so would Kay.

Grabbing a wide-brimmed hat, small towel, a crumpled brown bag and water bottle off the passenger seat, he exited the car and pivoted away from the Mini Mart that marked the entrance to Dib's labs.

Chloe would be along, soon. So would Lewis and Vivi. The text he'd gotten from Vivi—well, Lewis on Vivi's phone—when he woke was concerning, but dropping or even delaying Chloe's lesson was not an option at this point. He wasn't going to face her wrath in close quarters again if he didn't absolutely have to, so a few texts exchanged with Vivi ensured she and Lewis would tag along to keep an eye on Chloe and discuss the text with him.

He was early, though. Not by much, but it was enough. He gulped down a few swallows of water and wiped his mouth on his arm, capping the bottle. The site he was looking for was a few yards out from the Mini Mart, if he recalled. They couldn't have marked it with anything too conspicuous, but Dib had transplanted a cactus and a boulder at a particular spot to draw the attention of the select few who came to pay respects at two graves in the desert.

There. Two small metal plaques embedded in slabs of concrete. He took a moment to brush Duet's headstone clean. There wasn't much to say to Duet. It was thanks to Duet he himself was now simultaneously one and more than one, but then he would never have survived to defeat Demeter if he had been any less. Arthur bowed his head for a few moments, then tugged his hat off and moved over to the second headstone.

Hey Aji. Hope you don't mind a visitor. I got here early.

He spread a small towel and seated himself in on the ground front of the small plaque that marked Aji Pepper's burial. Heat still radiated through the towel, and he could only imagine what it would have felt like if he'd forgotten it.

I've been by a few times, but I never really got to sit down and visit. Missed your funeral too. I got to apologize to Lewis about his, but haven't apologized to you. He gave a weak grin. Always manage to be out of commission when there's a Pepper funeral. What's with that?

He sat there a minute, tracing the engraved letters with a finger. Abruptly, he lifted his prosthetic, flashed his wedding ring, then put his hands back together to sign, I'm taking care of Kay. Or, we're taking care of each other. Like you wanted. Dulcie seems okay most days. She's got a vocal coach and she's loving every second of it. Coach seems to think he could get her some gigs, or even signed soon. Bet you didn't think that could happen in your family. Lew and Vee are about as happy as they can be. Your Dad's leveled out, too. I've seen him stammer once or twice, but your Mom really worked hard with him and he's mostly back to normal.

I hope you know, they keep a picture of you on a shelf in the front room in their house. There's always a candle lit next to it. Mr. Pepper asks Kay and I for a different memory about you every time we come over. Arthur smirked. I try to keep my stories limited to the time before, y'know, you were trying to kick my ass every time you saw me.

He pulled a small, puffy yellow feather from a vest pocket, digging it into the dirt near the plaque. Kay sends her respects. I'm sure she visits every time she's out here, but when I mentioned I'd be here, she asked me to send them again. I think she misses you, too. Dulcie's never going to fly and Kay misses having a flight buddy. And a sister. I don't even think she holds her death against you. A lot less than I did, anyway.