Minna

Chapter 11

~ In which there is a warm house

"Patch!" Minna called wildly. He turned, as if to run, but then took a step back. "Where have you been?" He spoke tentatively. The younger girl rolled her eyes playfully.

     "Where does it look like I've been? I got cake." She held up the box so he could see better.

     "Yeah, I can see that." The older boy said. Even though he wasn't looking at the cake, but at her. Pfft! Patch held in a laugh, but it kind of escaped.

      "Er, what is it?" Minna asked, confused.

      Patch walked right up to him and smiled. Then she tippy-toed so that she could pat him on the head endearingly. "You are so funny, Minna." She said.

     When Minna looked at her with wide eyes she chuckled. The older boy blushed.

     "Come on," She pulled his sleeve. "Let's knock."

     Ms. King opened the door and welcomed them with a smile.

     The elderly lady had prepared a feast for them. She made all of her famous dishes, tea leaf salad, steamed broccoli, cornbread, half a chicken with gravy, and an oreo pie for desert. That, with the strawberry cream cake that Patch brought, was a recipe for overstuffed stomachs.

      At Ms. King's table, mealtime was talk time. The three very different people talked about everything from how Patch had gotten money for the cake to the blessings of clean, accessible toilets.

     Both Patch and Minna, as the conversation lead to their friendship and they grew to like the lady more and more, felt it was time to talk about something more important: their life story.

     "Erm, in the orphanage where we grew up we were, uh, the only kids who had parents that were, uh..." Minna started, but wasn't sure how to finish. To begin with he wasn't sure if Ms. King would approve of the truth. He wasn't sure if even Patch would approve of the real truth. And he wasn't sure how to put anything that wasn't the truth...

     "Killed by large objects." Patch, the dearest little girl - ha - added 'helpfully'. "My parents were crushed by  a piano while I was still a toddler."

      "My! How horrible!" Ms. King interjected, holding her hands over her heart as she gasped. "By a piano! I'm amazed that you still have such a passion for music." Patch nodded, with a hint of sadness in the shaking of her head.

     "I know that it's what they would have loved best." She said while squinting up into the heavens. "I can hardly remember them, but I know in my heart that they loved me. And I love them." Minna was... uh.. eh... Patch?

      What? The? Heck?

      Compulsive liar, maybe?

     "And you, Minna boy?" Ms. King addressed him.

     "Huh?"

     "Your parents...?"

     "Oh. Um. Divorced. Broken home. There was a huge fight over child custody..." The words slipped easily out of Minna's mouth. It wasn't until he noticed Patch's shocked expression that he realized what he was saying. "Oh yeah, and they got crushed under a stainless steel fridge. My dad. The one from the old house. My mom's spine broke when a replica terracotta warrior fell... er..." Wait, did he just say that?

       Patch was quiet with shock for a while but then spoke softly. "It's hard for him to talk about. He still remembers it well." Nice save.