The Good Hair Family Sitcom

S2 E1.1: Cycle of Life

Cyrus's POV

I sit with my back to the bay window at the kitchen table, my husband on the left, and my daughter on the right with her hand blocking the sun from hitting her phone as she reads something and laughs. With none of us talking, the chickadee call from outside wafts in, competing with the chewing of our toast. While we eat, TJ and I both keep bringing our eyes back to Jayda every time she giggles at her screen.

"Jayda, why don't you put down your phone and interact with us for the meal?" I ask.

"My phone is my life," she defends. "It keeps me in touch with the world. Without it, I might as well be playing piano in an old folks' home."

"I feel attacked," TJ mutters.

He plays piano in old folks' homes sometimes to entertain them, but that just makes him an caring citizen.

"Well, at least talk to us," I say to her. "What's so interesting on that phone that you can't put it down?"

"Fine. You want to know? Tay tried to do her mom's botox herself to save money, and the photos are horrendous."

She has a grin on her face as she begins to turn the phone in our direction to show us, but I push her hand back toward her, shaking my head.

"I changed my mind. Don't tell us," I mumble.

I scoop up another spoonful of my cereal and bring it up to my lips, but it drips off right back into my bowl the second Wyatt stomps into the kitchen and drops something brown, fuzzy, and wrapped in a blanket down in the centre of the table. It makes a thud, causing our chairs to rattle, and the boy stares down sadly at the bundled blanket with tuff of fluff peering through its cracks.

"Please tell me that's another blanket under there," I say.

"No!" my son cries. "Monsoon died!"

"Who's Monsoon?" TJ questions, eyeing the watermelon-sized lump in the centre of us all.

"He's the bunny that liked to sleep under my bed," Wyatt explains, his forehead still wrinkled in despair. "He didn't wake up yesterday. I thought he was just old and lazy, but then I realized he wasn't breathing."

Most parents would be most shocked by the fact that their son had an animal living in their room, but this is my son, so I'm more surprised by something else.

"You named your rabbit Monsoon?" I say.

"Can you get that thing away from my food?" Jayda sneers. "It's grossing me out."

Wyatt turns his cold eyes to his sister, replying, "When your time comes, I'll remember how you treated Monsoon and be sure to give you the same treatment."

"I'm sorry about your rabbit," I say to Wyatt. "The most difficult normalcy of life is that everything has an end."

Wyatt nods sombrely, looking down at his covered bunny corpse.

"I want to sit shiva," he says after a moment.

"People don't usually sit shiva for pets," I respond.

"Then I at least want to have a memorial, and we'll pray and bury him."

"We don't have anywhere to bury him," TJ brings up. "I don't think we're allowed to do it in the yard."

I furrow my brows and ask, "Is there a law for that?"

TJ just shrugs.

"Then we'll compost him," Wyatt says.

"I'm sure Monsoon would like that," I say. "We can do it today."

"Thank you."

Wyatt sniffles a couple times then spins around and heads back toward the stairs.