Chapter 23 #2
“It’s powdered red peppers,” Ocean replied. “I only ever saw my mom use it on deviled eggs and potato salad. I swear she’d have the same small container in the pantry for years before she needed to replace it.”
“I sprinkled a dash on the eggs when I made them the other day,” Pope said.
“Outside of that, and the way your mom used it, I’ve never seen paprika used on anything else.
As for that grandmother of yours, she sounds like a real piece of work.
I doubt she knew what the hell it was and wasn’t willing to admit it.
Nothing pisses me off more than when folks refuse to own up to not knowing something and refuse to just say that and take a moment to find the answers. ”
“I probably should have looked it up on the internet when I got to school,” Roan said.
“Since they refused to have it installed at the house. The only cell phone I had was one of those pay-as-you-go flip-phone burner ones, so it only made calls. Didn’t even have a camera in it.
I had to make sure I got my homework done at school or take my school computer to the library if I needed to research something or finish any online reading, since I couldn’t do it at home. ”
“You are always welcome to ask questions here,” Pope said. “If one of us doesn’t know the answers, we’ll help you find them. That way we all grow together.”
Diesel, who up until that point had been watching everything unfold from the dog bed they’d made for him out of couch cushions when he’d refused to head back to the den where he couldn’t see them, chose that moment to pipe up and bark, including himself in the conversation.
“Yes boy,” Roan said. “You too.”
That big bushy tail of his wagged wildly when they acknowledged him.
They’d need to include a brush when they stopped in at the Pet Emporium to pick up the rest of the supplies they needed for the dogs, since floof seemed to fill the air anytime Diesel wagged his tail or shook himself.
It was good to see the big dog happy and engaged.
When they’d returned from the hospital with Danger, they’d stepped into the house and been hit with a flurry of woofing and the frantic scrabble of claws on tile as the dogs had rushed to greet them, nearly bowing them over in the process; they’d been so happy to see that they hadn’t been abandoned.
The hospital scent that had surrounded Danger when they’d returned home had left the dogs skittish and confused, circling and sniffing when he dropped to one knee, trying to pet them again, but as soon as he’d showered, they’d been all over him again.
“Alright, I think we’re all set in here,” Pope said when he finished drying the second pot and returned it to the cabinet.
“I’ve got the food,” Ocean said, removing the platter from the fridge.
“Perfect. I’ll take two glasses, Roan, you grab the other two. Now let’s go enjoy the rest of our day.”
When they reached the den, Pope was pleased to see the television on, even if Danger was still scrolling through the streaming services, looking for something to watch, though how he could see what he was doing with Grunge’s head in the way, the dog moved back into his line of sight anytime Danger tried to peer around him.
“He’s not making it easy, is he?” Ocean said, snickering as he set the platter down and started removing the cling wrap.
“Shit, brownies too,” Danger said when he spotted them. “I thought I smelled chocolate.”
“Not just any brownies either,” Roan said. “These are special.”
“Yeah, I see you guys added sprinkles,” Danger said. “What’s the occasion? And please don’t say it’s in honor of getting a roof dropped on my head. I’m getting enough of that shit from Wreck.”
“Did he ask about the ruby slippers?” Ocean asked, bringing a momentary pause to the room.
Roan’s giggles, no longer hidden, spilled forth, while even Diesel got in on the action, woofing and prancing around his feet while he laughed.
Danger scrubbed a hand over his face, trying and failing to keep from falling suit. In the end, he groaned and gave in, while Pope chuckled and placed a glass on the table beside him.
“No, he did not,” Danger finally replied. “So don’t go putting ideas in his head.”
“Not even about flying monkeys?” Roan asked. “‘Cause they could have really come in handy that day.”
“And exactly how would they have come in handy?” Danger asked while Pope tried not to bust a gut waiting to hear how Roan answered.
“For starters, they could have flown us the fuck out of there when we got stuck,” Roan replied. “Or at the very least, been sent out as carrier pigeons to get help.”
“At that point, why not just train them to do the grocery shopping for us?” Ocean suggested. “Would be cheaper than Door Dash and twice as fast.”
“An army of flying monkeys as personal shoppers,” Roan mused. “Now that would be cool.”
“No, no, no,” Pope said. “The monkeys would just be for transport. Gotta hire the munchkins to do the personal shopping. Those monkeys are likely to eat their weight in produce and leave you with one hell of a bill in the end.”
“Good point,” Roan said. “There wouldn’t be a banana left in the state if we sent them.”
“Or peaches,” Ocean commented. “Speaking of which, we have got to get some for the grill. I’ve got a recipe for pineapple simple syrup with a hint of ginger that fucking rocks when you brush it over the peaches before you grill them.
We used to toss a few on the hibachi when we were at the beach and cook them to go with whatever else we were making. ”
“Bet we could even make saddlebags for the monkeys, just like we’ve got for our bikes,” Roan suggested.
“And have them stop up at the orchard for a bunch of apples on their way home,” Ocean suggested. “As long as they didn’t encounter any lions, they should be okay.”
“No way, man. Did you see what those trees did when someone tried to pick their fruit?” Roan replied. “Be safer to get the apples from a store.”
“How did this disintegrate into a mountain of Wizard of Oz jokes?” Danger groaned as he picked up a sandwich.
Roan just snickered and shot a look at Ocean, who shrugged.
“Because we’re saving the jellyfish ones for later,” Ocean admitted.
An eyeroll, a long-suffering sigh, then Danger just deflated and sat there pouting as he chewed.
That look, the whole tousled, disgruntled, narrow-eyed, I will get you for this tone emanating from Danger, was the absolute last straw.
Pope collapsed in his chair, losing his shit completely, tears rolling down his face by the time his sides began to ache.
“None of you are funny,” Danger muttered, “but you’re at least more amusing than Wreck.”
“Oh?” Pope said. “What did he have to say this morning?”
“Aside from giving me shit, he told me the report came back on the grocery store, and they determined that it was the weight of the water, coupled with dry rot in some of the support timbers, that caused the roof to cave in. The rest of the structure has been scheduled for demolition, and they are already taking bids on the rebuild. Then he asked whose brilliant idea it was to add stitches and a concussion to the grocery list.”
So much for eating his sandwich. The edge of the bread hit his nose instead of his lips when Pope doubled over and started laughing again.
“I told him not to be surprised if the next time he went into Joker’s Wild, the chandeliers were ear level on him again,” Danger grumbled.
“Meh, that one’s kind of old now, isn’t it?” Roan pointed out. “If you’re gonna get him back, it’s got to be better than the last time.”
“Wait,” Pope said, eying the pair while still struggling to regain his composure. “Did you help him with that?”
“Guilty,” Roan admitted, half his sandwich already gone.
“Just remember something, both of you,” Pope said. “If he uses you for a lawn dart, it’s on your heads, even if they’re sticking through the wall.”
Grunge woofed as if in agreement before licking the side of Danger’s face and, in a deft move, stealing the last piece of his sandwich from his hand, wolfing it down in a single bite.
“You’re welcome,” Danger said, rubbing those floppy yellow ears. “But that’s the last of my food you’re getting.”
Grunge didn’t think so and let Danger know it by staring at him with sad puppy eyes until Danger caved, ripped off a small piece of another sandwich, and fed it to him, muttering fine, but no more.
“Give it up,” Pope said. “He’s already got you wrapped around his paw.”
“Ya know what,” Danger said as he leaned to kiss the dog on the snout. “I can live with that.”
“As long as no one else drops a roof on your head,” Pope muttered as Danger kissed the dog again.
Danger’s glare, if one could call it that, was spoiled when Grunge licked him on the cheek. “Et tu, Brute?”
“Yup,” Pope replied, smirking at him. “And the name is Sir.”