Saturday, March 5, 2011

afternoon break



"Well...." Ellie had things to do. Like get started on the dinner she promised Hannah. They were going to make homemade pizza. "Are you going to tell me what is going on?" She looked at Roger who had showed up in the middle of the late afternoon. It had been weeks since she'd seen him last.

"No. Nothing is up." He was solemn. He wasn't even trying to wake up Zoe who was sleeping in her room.

"Something is definitely up." She knew. She just wish he'd spill it. Now.

"I am just ..you know, I hate my classes. Its the same old thing. All the time." He shrugged. Being indifferent. She sort of knew his moods. She'd known him since before middle school. Perhaps winter depressed him. Ellie thought about for a second or two, but she had her hands full with a toddler wanting to help because his sissy as he called her, needed help.

"Well, you have to get through it." She smiled as she set out a little meal of cheese and crackers for him. Cherries too. She made tea.

"You didn't." He was so sullen.

"What did I do?" She winced.

"You didn't go to college. You did this instead." He sounded bitter.

"Well, I'm no..Martha Stewart. She's divorced, anyway." Ellie remarked. "I wanted a family with Lon."

"Lon?" She could tell she had hit a sore spot with Roger. "What wonderful things has he done, this time?"

"Why do you have to be so mean?" Ellie didn't get it. He was in a strange mood.

"What do you mean? You know, I've never like him." He cracked a half cocked smile as he put a cheese and cracker sandwich together and ate it as if that was what he was here for.

"Yeah, I get that." Ellie nodded. "But he's always been there for you." Of course, it might have been for clogged toilets and cleaning the gutters, but he had been there. Lon didn't have to do anything for Roger.

Roger didn't say anything, but ate a cherry instead. He left the seed on the plastic red checkered table cloth.

"Are you and Doyle, OK?" She had to ask.

"Uh-huh." He stared back at her. She didn't believe him for a second, but she knew he wouldn't come clean about it until it was probably...too late.

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