Melinda’s Story

Walter was halfway through the second episode when I finished my puzzle. Getting to my feet, I placed the last piece with a satisfied squeal.

He turned to me with raised eyebrows. “Are you okay?”

Wiggling my hips, I turned in a circle in a little happy dance. “I’m done. I’m done.”

He nodded. “Nice. But you said this was for Pat. What’s he supposed to do with it?”

I rolled my eyes. “Hang it on his wall?”

Walter looked thoroughly confused. “How? Won’t it fall apart?”

I didn’t answer him. I rifled through the shopping bag I had stowed in the corner, pulling out a large bottle of liquid glue.

That only seemed to baffle Walter more. “Are you going to glue it to the wall?”

I sighed. “Watch.” Removing the little twisty cap, I pulled off the safety seal. Instead of returning the cover, I left the bottle open and dumped the glue, zigzagging it over the entire puzzle.

Walter looked horrified. “What are you doing?”

I had thought it was pretty obvious. But since Pat had reacted similarly the first time he had seen me do this, I tried to have a little patience.

“Just watch.”

Putting down the bottle, I used my fingers to spread the glue over the puzzle, making sure to massage it into all the cracks. I had to add more glue a few times, but eventually, a hazy film covered the entire puzzle.

I stepped back, gesturing to it with a smile. “There. Tonight, that will dry. Tomorrow, I’ll give it to Pat.”

Walter examined the picture, a collage of muscle cars. “That’s perfect for his room.” He squinted through the hazy film. “Actually, I think Dad has a few of those cars. Pat’s going to love it.”

I smiled. “Glad you approve.”

“Since you’re done, does that mean we can go watch this show in the other room?”

I rolled my eyes at his whiny tone. “Yes. Go ahead and start it without me. I’ve got to wash my hands.”

While I was in my room, I changed into pajamas and brushed my teeth. Once I went to the playroom, I had no intention of leaving except to go directly to bed.

Miss Kara popped her head into the room as I settled onto Walter’s couch. “Ooh. What are we watching?”

Walter gave an exasperated sigh. “NeoGenesis. The original series. Now, can I start this? It was getting interesting.”

I pointed to the screen. “The guy in the red shirt there? He’s the bad guy.”

Walter glowered at me. “You better be kidding. Otherwise, I won’t let you watch the next episode with me.”

I was, but he didn’t need to know that. I turned to Miss Kara instead. “Want to join us?”

She shook her head. “No. You kids have fun.” She pointed at Walter. “Don’t stay up too late. You have work tomorrow.”

Walter gave a mock salute before starting the show. Pat waltzed in a few minutes later.

“Ooh. This looks fun.”

I smiled. “Go get comfy and you can join us.”

“Excellent.” He pointed to the television. “Oh, this is a good one. That guy in the blue hat? He’s the killer.”

Walter swore as Pat left the room. “I hate you both.”

I giggled. Pat had been kidding as well. But I wouldn’t spoil his fun.

When Pat returned to the playroom, he sat between me and Walter, kissing me until Walter started hitting him.

“Rule two. No making out during NeoGenesis. It’s just wrong.”

I giggled. “Does that really apply, though? Those rules were for the new series.”

Walter glared at us. “Yes. And move over. You two doing that so close to me is weird.”

I rolled my eyes as Pat moved to the other couch, wedging his hand between the cushion and the side of the couch. I sent him a curious look.

“Are you looking for loose change or something?”

Pat frowned. “No. I thought . . . Aha!” The bottom of the couch swung out as the top leaned backward. It was as if he had built a recliner into the couch.

Walter laughed. “Hey, I forgot about that.”

I reached beside me. “Does my seat do that?”

He shook his head, extending his arm along the back of the couch. “No. Just this couch. But you’re welcome to join me.”

He didn’t have to ask me twice. It was just like when we had babysat last week. I rested my head against Pat’s shoulder, stretching my legs along the couch.

I was asleep before the end of the episode.

Pat’s Story

A couple of hours later, not long after Lily came to say goodbye, Mom called us down for supper. As I got to my feet, I pointed to the blanket Melinda had thrown on the table.

“Make any progress?”

Taking my hand, she smiled as she led me downstairs. “Almost done.”

“Fantastic. Are you going to work on it tonight?”

“We’ll see.”

Mom and Dad were already at the table. As we started eating, Dad looked around. “So, the next leg of my tour starts tomorrow. Uncle Vinny is coming to pick me up before we head to Vancouver. Pat, can you drive me to the airport tonight?”

I would have rather spent time with my girlfriend, but I knew that wasn’t a valid excuse. I shrugged. “Yeah. Sure. Uh, are we flying home without you next week?” I pointed between me and my brother beside me.

Before Dad could answer, Mom interrupted. “Absolutely not!” She glared at Dad. “Adam, don’t you even consider it.”

As Mom continued to yell at Dad, I could feel my face growing warm. My girlfriend was right there. Couldn’t they wait until they were alone before arguing? What was she going to think?

I chanced a glance. She was smirking. That was a good sign, right?

Although Melinda didn’t seem uncomfortable, she was the first one to leave the table. Gluttonous Gourmand was only a few minutes behind her. While I hurried to finish my chicken, Dad turned to me.

“I’d like to leave in ten minutes. Do you think we can do that?”

I shrugged. “Yeah. Sure. Lemme go grab my keys.”

I checked on Melinda while I was upstairs. She said dinner was no big deal and she was just eager to finish her puzzle. I wasn’t sure I believed her. But Dad was hollering for me at the bottom of the stairs, so I couldn’t linger.

He was already in the garage. I pointed to the bag he had thrown in my backseat. “That’s it? That’s all you’re bringing?”

He shrugged. “The bus’ll be waiting for us when we get back to the States. I’ve got plenty of things there. Besides.” He smirked as I pulled out of the garage. “The more I stuff I bring, the more laundry I have to do.”

As we passed the canyon, Dad pointed to it. “How was your hike today?”

I groaned. “I got lost. Melinda . . . wasn’t too happy with me.”

Dad smirked. “How do you get lost? It’s a road.”

I could feel my cheeks grow warm. “Well, we took the trails, and every time we went back to the road, I kept accidentally going to the wrong parking lot.”

I could tell Dad was trying not to laugh. “And your brother didn’t correct you?”

I shrugged. “He and Lily took the other trail.”

“You had your phones, right? Did it ever occur to you to use your GPS?”

I frowned. “No.”

Dad shook his head. “So, you and Melinda have been spending a lot of time together this week. Is she enjoying LA?”

I shrugged. “I think so.”

“Mom thought it might be nice for you two to visit the set tomorrow.”

“Melinda would love that.” I spared Dad a quick glance at a red light. “Uh, just out of curiosity, why are you the one inviting me and not her?”

Dad laughed. “Because she was too busy yelling at me during supper. So, I feel like I’ve barely seen you all week. How’s school going?”

With a shrug, I told him about making Dean’s list and the community service program I had volunteered for. He told me about some of my uncles’ antics during the most recent leg of their tour.

Eventually, I arrived at the airport. Thankfully, there weren’t too many paparazzi. I still parked in the loading zone instead of the lot. Not that anyone seemed to mind.

I followed Dad into the lobby. While he spoke with the people at the desk about the pilots he had hired, I glanced out the window. It had only been a week, and I was already itching to get back in the cockpit. When Dad tapped my shoulder, I turned to him.

“Were you able to convince Mom to let me and Walter fly home?”

Dad shook his head with a smirk. “You might’ve been able to convince her if it were just the two of you. I could have even rented a single engine for you guys. But she is extremely protective of Melinda.”

I looked mournfully back at the runway. “So, how are we getting home?”

Dad shrugged. “I’ve got a two-hour flight to figure that out.”

As Uncle Vinny’s plane landed, I gestured to it. “Why’s Uncle Vinny coming here? I thought he liked the other airport.”

Dad groaned. “Aunt Margaret and the kids are going to Sacramento for the week. We’re taking my plane.”

“You want help setting it up for the night?”

Dad smiled. “That would be great. Thanks.”

I followed Dad to the plane, converting the two front seats into beds while Dad did his own. Together, we converted the divan, finishing as my uncles boarded.

Uncle Vinny pulled me into a big hug. “Congratulations on your certificate.”

I smiled. “Thanks for loaning me the plane.”

Uncle Eddie clapped my back. “So, does that mean you’re flying us tonight?”

I shook my head. “Yeah, no. Still not certified for international flights.” Plus, I would much rather spend the night with my girlfriend, though I wasn’t about to say that aloud.

While Uncle Eddie and Uncle Colin debated about whether Canada should count as an international flight, I gave Uncle Vinny one last hug and made my way off the plane. Dad followed me to the lobby.

“Thanks for the ride. You’re man of the house till I get back. Responsible decisions.”

I nodded. “I promise. Have a safe trip, Dad. Love you.”

After a quick hug, I headed back to my car. As much as I longed to be in the cockpit, I couldn’t wait to spend time with my girlfriend.

---

I found her in the playroom, watching the original NeoGenesis with Walter. It was one of the episodes I had watched earlier.

I smiled at them. “Ooh. This looks fun.”

Melinda sent me an adorable smile. “Go get comfy and you can join us.”

“Excellent.” I pointed at the screen. “Oh, this is a good one. That guy in the blue hat? He’s the killer.”

I could hear my brother swearing as I left the room. I smirked to myself. Of course, I was kidding. The guy was actually the next victim. I just enjoyed irking my brother.

I changed into a comfortable tee shirt and fleece pants, brushing my teeth before heading back to the playroom. After inserting myself in the middle of the couch, I kissed my girlfriend to show her just how much I had missed her.

She had missed me, too. I could tell by the way she kissed me back. But Walter had to ruin the mood.

He hit me. “Rule two. No making out during NeoGenesis. It’s just wrong.”

Melinda giggled. “Does that really apply, though? Those rules were for the new series.”

Walter glared at us. “Yes. And move over. You two doing that so close to me is weird.”

Okay. I would give him that one. I moved to the other couch. Dad usually sat here because it reclined. I shoved my hand between the cushion and side of the couch, trying to find the magic button.

When Melinda saw that my couch had more room, she came to join me. As she snuggled against me, I couldn’t help remembering falling asleep like this with her last weekend. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. She still smelled like strawberries. That was my last thought as I drifted off to sleep.

Attention Hammerheads

Melinda is always trying to build her vocabulary. What were some words in this episode that were new to you? She will add them to her vocabulary journal.