catching up

"Man..that sucks." Taylor opened another beer and sat at the kitchen table with Omaha after everything settled, and Sheena took Minnie back to her place. Taylor looked at his best friend, wondering what he could do about Omaha's cousin and his wife.

"Its probably nothing." Omaha shrugged, a bit sleepy. Although, Taylor didn't believe him. He knew Omaha was worried about Minnie, probably more so, than Blackie.

"And he works at the zoo?" Taylor winced in thought.

"I guess, he's some sort of zoo vet." Omaha shrugged, as if he didn't really know for sure.

"Probably, a zookeeper." Taylor said under his breath. He really couldn't think of anyone in Omaha's family, making it that far in college, but maybe so. Maybe Blackie was a real animal doctor. Suddenly, Taylor felt the need to be on Omaha's side in this.

Even if Sara made a big production how Omaha should go live with his family, Taylor knew he'd put his foot down, and tell her..his brother wasn't going anywhere. Yes, his mind was set on this, if he had too.

But she was off, on the phone with Daisy. Hadn't she talked to her enough, while on the honeymoon?

"Hey, do you ..really know..anything about this Max? Max and Daisy?" Taylor started peeling at the label of the pale ale in his hand. He guessed they really needed to do couple things, now. They'd done it on the ship with strangers. Suddenly, he felt like a fish out of water.

"Max?" Omaha looked at him as if he didn't know that much about him. "Don't you remember? He used to be with Sara."

Taylor drew a breath. That wasn't what he wanted to know.

"He's got a kid with Daisy and another on the way." Taylor clarified as if the past was now null and void and Omaha better not, ever bring it up, again.

"Yeah, I talked to him, after Thanksgiving. There..there was this..incident." Omaha winced hard. "I..I've known Tiffany..since high school. I never really knew Terry, all that well...anyway, he just decides to take their kid at Thanksgiving."

"Wow, stuff, like..that..around here?" Taylor shook his head. People were suppose to know better, especially in their part of the world.

"He's in jail now." Omaha sighed. "I'm not sure if Brick's out of the hospital yet."

"Hospital?" Taylor looked at him. Winter, was evidently a terrible thing. Taylor wished he was back on the cruise with all the new friends he'd made. A chill came over him. Maybe he was coming down with something, after all.