Half the thoughts I'm thinking speak in sighs

 

Zoey couldn't think of a time she'd ever spoken to her husband's adopted brother, Naoki. She wanted to say she didn't know him, but the fact was she didn't care to know him. Her life was full with Mommie moments with big boy Lucas. She didn't have time for anything else. At least that was her reason when Alfie brought him up.

"We see him for Thanksgiving and Christmas," Zoey responded, "Isn't that enough?" She hardly knew what to get Naoki and Tyra, but she always managed to build a basket with a waffle mix and maple syrup. That was more than they'd get from them. She squinted hard when she brought that up. 

Christmas would be hard this year. They were barely skimping by. She often wondered if she should quit her job and stay home with him, but she wanted a pension too. "But if..if you want him and girlfriend to come over-"

"No, not just us, we need to have Boone and Maddie here, too." Alfie sounded as if he didn't want to make conversation with them anymore than she did.

"You shouldn't do that," she said they could get through a simple dinner with them, couldn't they?

"I want to have game night," Alfie decided.

"Oh, really?" Zoey practically rolled her eyes at the notion of she would be the one taking care of the snacks and the meal.

"It'll be fun." He smiled as if he had her wrapped around his little finger.

"If you say so." She shrugged. "But what about Lucus, we can't leave him out."

"Can't he sleep over at Mom's?" He shrugged back.

"Are you kidding me?" She shot him a look. This time she was putting her foot down. No way was she going to let her baby be subjected to all the treats Tammy had in store for him.

I don't care what they say

 Her name was Cheri, and Darry had 101 psychology with her. Needless to say, she was the only reason he showed up for the morning class. 

Perhaps it was a daydream that he'd get to know her. He didn't want to. He had a plan. And that plan was with Kat. It felt solid for a good long while now. She was the goal. And it made him feel he could get through college so they could be together one day. But Cheri messed that up.

Her grin always had a wink when she looked at him. He tried to ignore it, but after all, he was giddy as they came, thinking she had better plans for him.

Of course, she usually came to class in her plaid pajama bottoms. She didn't dress up much for the occasion. After all, she was a Midwestern girl, and they usually dressed this way, all slouchy, sipping on a coffee.

But there was that one time when he saw her in safari shorts. Yeah, she really did have beautiful legs; that was the first week at college. Since then, she didn't seem to give a damn. Somehow, this left Darry with a chuckle. She made him think of Kat. Yeah, he knew Kat didn't think of herself as a fashionista. 

Yet, those thoughts drifted the more he saw Cheri smile. He thought he might lose his shit altogether if he spoke to her, but he soon found she listened well.

They got together at the Campus Coffee Shop in the afternoon. Sometimes, they'd share a square of coffee cake that was at half price and talk about movies, usually comic book hero movies. Honestly, he was so happy around her, but the sadness remained that he'd let someone down. Maybe it was himself all along.

Waiting on the outside

 

"I don't know what to do." Naoki wasn't sure he should have said anything to KC about his so called brothers, but he was here while it was quiet and Tyra was with Millie at the Farmer's market near their condo. 

"What is it?" KC told him to relax and to spill it. 

Naoki went to make a pour-over coffee. He shook with laughter. "No  way can I relax. Not with Alfie and Boone."

"I thought-"

"Not exactly." Naoki looked back at him with a shrug. "Mom thinks it's great. You know, the three of us. But, it's hard to explain."

KC didn't say anything, and Naoki brought the coffee. 

"It can get complicated," KC finally said. He didn't know his mother's side of the family at all. "I don't know, it never really bothered me. My step-mom has always been around. What's the problem?"

"I guess it's not a problem, it's just me." Finally, Naoki mentioned how his mom had always celebrated an anniversary on the day they met. "It was always important. We'd do something together. You know, celebrate. But it means nothing now."

"Have you talked to her about it?" KC was serious. 

"I just can't. I mean, it's no big deal." Still, Naoki couldn't help but frown as he clasped his fingers around his coffee cup. 

"It looks like it is a big deal."

"But I don't want to bother her." Naoki sighed, thinking he didn't mean to be a pity party.

"You should tell Alfie and Boone, at least," KC told him.

"I know they won't want to hear how I met their mother. And how she's probably more of a mother to me than to them." Naoki nursed his bottom lip, then finally took a sip of the black coffee.

The rush of October

 

"Instant coffee?" Boone made a face of disgust. What was his brother Alfie up to? As it was, Boone had enough trouble at the bakery between the water heater and the ovens. The rush of October was here. Everything was pumpkin spice or apple donuts, and Alfie brought instant coffee.

"Are you wanting me to sell it?" Boone looked at him as if he didn't need his brother's side gig.

"No, it's just good, and with the price of coffee and everything else these days, you might want to start making this instead of getting all those coffee beans." He shrugged as if he could be a better manager at this kind of place.

Boone sighed. He checked his watch. Maybe he had ten minutes to spare, but goods were baking. 

"I just think you should, you know, prep for the worst." Alfie looked at him blankly as he put the dark espresso powder into a cup. He added the water from his dine-in glass and put it in the microwave.

None of this was appealing to Boone, who never used the microwave unless he absolutely had to.

"Actually, I would have heated the water first. You know, like a kettle." Boone told him as if he were the expert.

"It'll be fine." Alfie looked at him out of the corner of his eye. He doctored up the heated black substance with some sugar and cream and handed it to him. "Better than what you could get in Korea."

"How would you know?" Boone looked at him, disturbed by the bitter concoction's smell. He didn't want to drink it. "What do you want?" He squinted.

"Well, Mom's birthday is coming up." Alfie shrugged.

"Well, yeah." He knew that but wasn't certain how she might feel about celebrating it. "So?"

"So the three of us need to get together and figure it out." Alfie was serious as he waited for Boone to take a sip.

"The three of us?" Boone crinkled his nose. No way was he drinking this brew, but he finished it off while listening to Alfie.

"You know, how she is, she-she just wants us to get along with Naoki."

"Isn't he always there for every holiday?" Boone didn't have time for this.

"I know, but..but she doesn't think we're really friends with him," Alfie explained.

"OK, I get it," Boone guessed it was important, but it wasn't like Naoki invited them to his place.