Fallout

Oh, so many things had happened. Alo felt he was watching a good old American drama. He didn't think he was quite part of it, did he?

Yes, there were some very good happy moments at Vada's during Thanksgiving. Her brother Frankie was there with his girlfriend. She'd stayed over the night prior, and it wasn't until later that everyone found out, Lottie hadn't stayed in her room that night, and she wouldn't that night, either. She had obviously taken it to a new level with Frankie.

But there was some really good news. Henry announced Josie and he were having a baby. She would be three months pregnant in a week or two. After that, the meal was very mellow and well, Alo thought they might get to settle down to a game on the TV. Perhaps, he and Vada would snuggle and he'd have a good nap.

Henry's parents were talking quietly about the news while Henry and Josie went on to her parents' house. It was going to be a very low-key Thanksgiving. Well, he thought for a couple of hours, anyway. In spite of Vada and Lottie deadly glares.

They got in the fight in the kitchen.

It was hard to say who was more fierce. Alo and Frankie managed to separate them, in the nick of time. Alo was surprised they didn't scratch each other.

"It could have been a real cat fight." Alo sighed, letting Vada go up first to his room to get her thoughts together. She was staying over, even if they'd talked about Frankie and Lottie far too long in his car in front of her house.

Alo needed to talk to someone.  Roman was eating a cold turkey sandwich. "So how was your Thanksgiving?" Alo asked before he stole a potato chip off Roman's paper plate.

"Oh, the usual." Roman managed a twenty minute dinner with his family at some high end place in the city. Roman talked to Alo at the boarding house about his Thanksgiving. "Then I stopped by the old towne theater. See if I could help with a set or something. Suzanne, this girl I met, who works there, was practicing the Nutcracker with these little girls. Seriously, didn't even know she was a ballet instructor. Didn't know she had a boyfriend, either."

Roman tried not to be upset about it. He drank on his Jack Daniel's Black Coke. In fact, he'd drank the whole six pack. It was a let down to know that Suzanne had an Asian boyfriend. He'd hoped he would have seen her alone. He wanted to ask her out, but he guessed that wouldn't be happening now.