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“Honk.”
“Bark.”
“Honk.”
Pepper licks Wilbur’s beak and sits down in front of him. I tentatively let go of the collar and Pepper lays down as Wilbur walks around her and smells her from nose to tail.
“Honk.” Wilbur shakes his tail feathers and heads into the back of the house.
Pepper follows like a good dog.
“That went better than I expected.” I smile as Kate nods in agreement as she watches the two walk out of the room. “Hungry?”
“One taco, please.”
“Coming right up.” I put a taco and some rice on her plate as she sits on the couch. I turn on the television to The Big Bang Theory and grab my plate and sit next to her.
With dinner finished and cleaned up, I feed both Pepper and Wilbur dinner. I cannot believe they are getting along so well.
Kate is looking at, but not watching the television, so I turn it off and sit down next to her on the couch.
“Tell me about your parents. What were they like?”
CHAPTER 13
KATE
“Tell me about your parents. What were they like?” Hudson asks me. I don’t remember anyone ever asking me to tell them about my parents. They always want to know about what happened that night.
“My parents were great. They loved me and each other. I remember them always touching each other.” I feel the smile on my face when I think about that.
“We went on vacations and to the beach. We had bar-b-ques, and their friends would come over with their kids and we’d spend the day playing in the pool. Mom was a stay-at-home mom and dad worked for the electric company. We were normal.”
I’m so glad Grandma made me remember those pictures. It’s making it easier to tell him about them.
“Dad was funny. Always had a ‘dad-joke’ to tell. Mom was a horrible joke-teller, though. She always ruined the punchline. In a way, that made her funnier than Dad.” I laugh.
“Do you remember any of his jokes?” Hudson asks.
I laugh. “Yes, this terrible one.”
“Tell me.”
“Why do seagulls fly over the sea?”
“Why?” he asks.
“Because, if they flew over the bay, they’d be called bagels.” I burst out laughing because I can still hear my father’s laughter at that joke all these years later.
Hudson groans, “That’s so bad, it’s good.”
“I know, right? It’s perfect to tell the kids when they come to the shop.” It feels good to laugh right now.
“Do you remember anymore jokes?”
I sigh, “No, unfortunately, I don’t. I know he was funny, but I was a little kid that idolized her parents. I never got to the stage where I would hate them.” I can feel the sadness jump right back into me.
“Tell me about that night, Kate.”
