Re-Arranged

Chapter Thirteen

That morning, after the first meal of the day, Wes said he did not feel like sitting up. He had the pillow propped up enough so he could raise his head and look around the room.

"Let's keep me tucked in and lazy for the better part of the day," he had declared with a chirpy laugh. The other three had exchanged looks, but said nothing except syllables to agree with him. He had been watching the book on his bedside table and had missed their expressions. "Looks like that book will remain half-read," he murmured under his breath. When Sarah asked what he said, he shook his head and replied, "Oh, just muttering to myself, darling."

He patted on both sides of the bed. "Come on now, talk with me! Remind me of the strange world outside, remind the world of me! Speak of my adventures and not my downtime, oh lord, please talk, one of you!"

Ted and Amelia chuckled, and hit him on the shoulders when they rounded on both sides. Wes dramatised his reaction of hurt to a degree which earned him two more punches and sobered him up.

Sarah chuckled and excused herself to attend to the matters of the house, which was a camouflaged reason to get away and call Kelly. It would be evening her time, so it just might be perfect to talk right now.

"Oh, she thinks I don't catch on to her fabrications at this age." Wes shook his head and before either of Ted or Amelia could say anything, he changed the subject.

The conversation rolled out in a weird, natural manner, much like the rest of the past ten days. This time, however, Wes was far more nostalgic than usual. As though nothing of the present really mattered.

"...and to think missing stops and getting down on the wrong ones became a trademark Wes move after a while." When Ted roared with laughter, the other two could not help joining in too. Back then, he had asked Wes how he managed to miss his stops on the bus route so consistently, and the reply he got was a wistful: "Ah, what can I say, mate? The way the bus rattles and tumbles along, it puts me to sleep, like a baby in a bassinet!"

"I remember... baby in a bassinet," Wes repeated in current time, wiping at the corners of his eyes. "I did so hate having my car in repair shop or sent in for maintenance. I liked the deep sleep on the bus, no doubt, but after that one time when some buffoon tried to steal my bag while I snored, I was done with the public transport bullshit! Fix the public before you ask them to share a ride!"

"Tried to? Didn't he succeed as well?"

At Ted's prodding, Wes scrunched his face, gathering up the lines on his cheekbones, and nodded a moment later. "Now that you mention it, he did take it! I did not wake up a good two stops later! There was this grinning middle aged man just sitting there, staring at me, and when I looked frantically for my bag, which had my wallet and everything, he tapped me on the shoulder and happily – happily! – informed me how it had gotten stolen. Why didn't you stop him or wake me up, I asked. I looked too angelic while sleeping, he replied. How I dashed out of there! If that's not serial killer stuff, I don't know what is! There were just the two of us in the bus!"

His listeners were in splits again, clutching their sides while he grinned at them the way he remembered that strange man doing it. It only made them laugh louder.

"But! Nothing is more consistent in life than you, my friend!" He slapped at Ted's wrist and it fell like a ribbon touch, barely any pressure. When he was graced with a quizzical look, he expounded, "You've been working at the same goddamned company from the time you married my dear sister-in-law! You realize your relationship with your employment status is pretty much the same length as with your wife?"

"Huh." Ted considered it for a moment before shrugging his shoulder. "Oh well, at least I got promoted through the ranks in one of those relations."