Standing By

Saying Good-Bye To The Morrises

(Tim)

Awakening slowly from a near dreamless sleep, I stretched my arms out over my head. I kinda wished I had a softer bed. Might have to look into getting a new mattress soon. This one ain't cutting it. I rubbed my eyes and sat up.

Wait—wait! Where was I? My eyes flicked confusedly over the front door, the mirror, the landscape picture, the table in the corner. The Morrises'. I was at the Morrises' house. In their foyer. I had been sleeping on their floor. With a quilt over me and a pillow thoughtfully tucked under my head. Last night started replaying in my head as Adam, Chris, and Rob stepped out of the kitchen, laughing.

"Tim's awake!" Chris announced, ridiculously cheerfully.

"Morning, Tim!" Rob greeted me brightly, a bag tossed over his shoulder. He had to have been awake for a while—he does not wake up cheerful.

"Glad you're awake," Adam told me, smiling.

"How you feeling, Tim?" John asked me.

"Uh...," I mumbled, scratching at the back of my head with both hands.

Austin and Chance came down the stairs. Both looked sleepy but were moving, awake, showered, and dressed.

"Coffee me," Chance ordered sleepily.

"Morning, Tim," Austin mumbled. "Ya sleep OK down here?"

"Err..." I wasn't sure. I had been asleep—on the floor at that—out cold for hours. I pulled to my feet slowly and gave my butt a good scratch next. Ahh. Nothing like a good scratch in the morning. I shrugged at my friends. "Sorry 'bout last night, y'all." I bet the Morrises would be glad to see me go so they could get a good night's sleep.

"It's OK, Tim." Austin yawned at me.

Chance disappeared into the kitchen only to reemerge a minute later with a giant cup of coffee. "Kitchen in the coffee, help yourself."

Rob, who's normally not a morning person by any means, laughed at him. "Kitchen in the coffee, or coffee in the kitchen?"

"Both," was Chance's short answer. "Ya know what I meant." He slurped away at it, Austin now going to get some.

I excused myself and made my way to the bathroom to try to get ready for the day. By the time I came out, Austin and Chance were at the dining room table with some breakfast, and Rob was helping himself to another slice of bacon.

"Come on in, Tim, got bacon and eggs and toast!" Rachel encouraged, handing me a plate.

"Thank you," I told her, wondering exactly how much using her as a hotel was costing her. Between bed (and floor) use, water use, electricity, and gas... then breakfast in the mornings... I knew they were well-to-do, but still, I hated being a burden or a drain on anyone. Might try to go by a bank today and leave some cash in the room, to try and offset some of the costs of housing and feeding me.

I sat down at the table over a plate of hot breakfast, juice, and coffee. Chance was flipping through his phone, still rubbing absentmindedly at his left eye. Austin's cup of coffee seemed to have melded with and was one with his mouth.

"We need to head on," Adam told me, leaning over me and giving me a quick hug. "You be OK?"

"Yes, Adam, I'll be fine," I promised him, patting his injured hand. "Safe travels."

"Call us," Rob added. "If you need anything. Always just a phone call away."

"Thank you, for everything. I could not have asked for better friends." I gave him a tight hug.