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“I mean, isn’t he?” he blushes.
I shake my head and feel the slight breeze the movement causes across my flared nostrils. “You should have talked to me.”
He looks confused. “Isn’t that what I’m doing right now?”
I shake with the boiling anger I am trying to keep a lid on, for the sake of the rest of the diner patrons in the very least, since I don’t care if my husband sees me angry anymore. “You should have talked to me first, Jake. I’m not some damsel that needs the men in my life todecidemy life. I don’t know that I even want to take a break from my training right now!” I feel the heat invading my face with every word. Even if I would have otherwise agreed, there’s no way I will now. I’m way too stubborn for that, and he should have known that. “After all these years together, you still didn’t think better than to leave me out of the conversation.”
He looks at me with cold empty eyes. “Like how you included me in the conversation about your panic attacks, you mean?”
Pressing myself back in my seat to put as much distance between us as I can, I shake my head and respond quietly, “That’s different and you know it.”
He stares at the table as he indifferently utters his next words. “Besides, I thought you liked guys who take charge now.”
I have no response but a sharp gasp. He slams his fists on the table, making the silverware, and some of our fellow diners, jump. He glares into my eyes. “I don’t thinkanyof our previous years of experience can be called upon anymore. This is a whole new sport, much less ball game. Everything has changed.” His tone shifts from anger to desperation. His eyes soften. “I am just asking you for next weekend, Memorial Day weekend. We’re going to stay with the Danes. I already talked to Eliza. We’ll meet her, Rory, and Tabitha at her family’s place. One weekend at the shore. One weekend in our old, happy getaway place. You don’t even train on weekends anyway. Other than being pissed at me for not asking your permission first, what reason do you have to say no?”
As I look into my husband’s pleading face, the idea hits me that if I say no to this request, I think we could be done. I think this is his final plea. He needs to know if we can evenbea normal family anymore, even for a weekend. And I realize, I need to know also.
I nod and squeak out the one word that he needs so desperately to hear. “Okay.”
His eyes widen. He was not expecting my concession, especially not so soon, or so easily. Something inside me hurts at that knowledge.
Jake, on the other hand, relaxes his shoulders, possibly for the first time since this all began. He has a satisfied grin on his face that I would normally want to smack off, but today it is the first genuine, not-offspring-induced smile I have seen from him in months. “We can go over all the details tonight...”
He continues to talk, but his voice fades as other voices move into my mind over his. Voices I have not heard in months.
Did you hear that? They are going to go away! She will be away from her docent.
Yes. We need to tell them.
“God. Damnit!” It is my turn to hit the table. At this point, more of my coffee has landed in the saucer than my mouth.
Jake stops talking mid-sentence and looks at me with a lot of concern. “What did I miss?”
“Fucking imps!” I hiss as quietly as possible while I look around frantically, not caring that I am making a scene in our most frequented diner. “Where are they?”
Jake’s eyes are practically crossed in confusion while he lowers his voice too. “What are we looking for?”
I look back at him and smile, happy he’s on my side. “Little red bat-demon looking things. They would probably look like birds to you. That’s what I thought they were the first time I saw them. They’re probably outside. I can hear them as if they’re right in my head.” The shades are down in front of all the windows in the dining room. My guess is they’re right on the other side. I mouth, “I’ll be right back,” then look into Jake’s face and say out loud, “I think that trip is exactly what we need!” before I jump to my feet to run outside.
The other customers are looking at me like I’m a lunatic as I almost knock over two servers on my way through the dining room, around the corner, past the cash stand, and out the doors. I slow down as I round another corner, this time on the outside of the restaurant. I slide against the rough brown bricks and arch my neck to see ahead of me.
The little fire-engine-red dumbasses are still sitting on the window ledge with their ears pressed to the glass. Their eyes are squeezed shut, probably to focus on their eavesdropping; I don’t think they have enough brain power to put toward using two senses at once. Whatever the reason, it works for me. I’m able to sneak up silently and grab one in each hand, before they get a chance to see me and escape. They screech little screams into the air and clearly are trying to get away, but their faces scrunch up and cheeks puff out as they struggle, reminding me of the faces my kids made when they were pooping as newborns.
“Hey guys! Fancy seeing you here. What’s up?” I act like we’re old friends.
“Ummm, hi? Guardian lady?”
“Yes. Hi?” Their actual voices are so much quieter and higher pitched than when I hear them in my mind. It’s bizarre. I mean, it’s all bizarre, but, yeah. This? This is beyond.
“Whatcha guys doing out here? Spying? On little ol’ me?” I squeeze them a tiny bit tighter as I interrogate them.
“Uh, Jerry, why can’t we teleport away?” The slightly shorter and rounder of the two asks.
“I don’t know, Cliff… It must have to do with her powers.”
I make a mental note to ask George if my powers can block Imp magic, like a lead shield blocking X-rays.
“Jerry and Cliff? Your names are Jerry and Cliff?” Such every day, average-Joe, human names. I stop myself from laughing, but only barely. They do not look amused. Actually, they look pretty terrified. “Listen here, Jerry and Cliff. Here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to let you go.”
