Unexpected

Weekend

Saturday morning found me doing all the housework I had ignored over my first work week at S.H.I.E.L.D. Ear buds in my ears and my phone tucked in my back pocket I sang to my shuffled playlist as I ran a vacuum over the carpeting, emptied and refilled the dishwasher, dusted, cleaned the glass, mirrors, and appliance surfaces, and sanitized the bathrooms. Mouthing the words to the song Time After Time instead of singing them aloud, I snatched up my hamper and made my way to the basement Laundromat. Finding the room of washing machines and driers to be empty I unplugged my ear buds from my phone and let the music play as I dumped my dirty clothes into a machine. Pulling myself up to sit on the machine next to it as my load started, I sang quietly along with the music. Only a few minutes into my wash cycle, Gram's ringtone blared through the room.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked tucking my phone in the crook of my neck.

"Penny, are you driving? What's that noise in the background?" Grams asked straight off.

Rolling my eyes in amusement I corrected her, "Just running a load."

"Oh." Grams seemed relieved that I wasn't driving and talking on the phone. Those kinds of habits made her nervous and she had drilled it into me at a young age not to do them, "So, how is everything there? Settling in okay?"

"Yeah. The apartment's wonderful and I finally have all my furniture."

"And your ankle?"

"Practically good as new."

"And work?"

My limbs were feeling much better after having a day off, "Tiring, but not bad. Training is going well."

"I wouldn't think translating work would need too much training, how long will you be training."

It was hard keeping the fact that I was actually going to become an agent from them, but it kept my grandparents from worrying too much, so I vaguely answered, "I dunno."

Grams continued her good natured interrogation until my load was clean and then she went on a rant about a lady in the neighborhood who kept asking favors of Grumps like fixing plumbing and doing yard work as my clothes went through the drier. "I was just telling Lori just yesterday that I can't quite tell if she has a little crush on him, if she's simply too lazy to do it herself, or if she really just needs the help."

"Well, it's not like this is new. June's been asking favors ever since she came back from her alcoholics' rehab or whatever it was." I shrugged as I checked the clothes in the machine to make sure they were fully dry.

"Honestly, I don't mind that your grandpa helps her. He's always been Mr. Fix-It and then there's his Good Samaritan tendencies, but what I really can't stand is that whenever he comes back from her house he smells like cigarettes and stale liquor-" Her voice cut off and I heard a slight scratching sound, "It looks like I'm getting a call from Lori. She's been real nervous about her upcoming surgery; can I call you back later?"

"Sure Grams. Tell Aunt Lori I said 'hi'." I smiled, pulling clothes from the drier.

"Love you, Pen."

"Love you too, Grams. Tell Grumps that too."

As soon as the call ended, my music kicked back on again automatically, playing "Highway to Hell", a song Grumps had always sung though it ticked off Grams. Standing at a counter at the back of the room, I started folding my laundry, my back to the door to the song. A few more songs played as I mindlessly went through my task until an old favorite of mine played "You Give Love a Bad Name" by Bon Jovi.