Chapter 29: Huddled Together

Jade slammed the phone hard against the wall before yelling something incoherent into it that sounded something like "Mom always liked me best!". She then dropped the phone into the toilet and flushed.

Nikki came running up the stairs to Jade. "What's wrong dear?"

Jade looked over at Nikki as she approached. "Nothing, Anna just called and suggested maybe we all go to Huddled Waffle Hut. I do hope she's not implying there's anything wrong with my cooking."

Ethan whispered to Nikki "Crisis narrowly averted".

Jade yelled "Are you talking about me!?"

"No no, just commenting on the fact the toilet is backing up because it has some sort of foreign object stuck in it." Ethan then got up, winked to Nikki, and wadded through the forming puddle in the bathroom. Moments later he returned with a soaking phone, and hung it back up on the receiver. It made a very unconvincing gurgled beep, followed by a couple of sparks and then burst into flames.

"That doesn't normally do that" Nikki added. "Could you be a dear and put that out Ethan?" Ethan grabbed the vase on the bookshelf nearby and dumped it on the flames to put them out.

Jade continued "We'll need to leave in a couple minutes, want to take one car?" Nikki and Ethan nodded and the headed for the door. "Kids, stay out of trouble while we're gone." Tigerlily came lumbering out of one of the bedrooms and looked up at Jade with a mean stare before eating some of the discarded flowers from the vase. "I'll take that as a 'Yes Jade'".

The three of them moved outside towards the car. Nikki declared playfully as they approached the HUMV, "I call shotgun!"

Ethan yelled "And I call roof!"

Jade frowned and said in the least excited voice she could "Yay, I guess that means I'm driving."

Ethan laughed. "Not necessarily".

Jade seemed to ponder this for a moment. "No I think I better, considering the alternatives do not seem very appealing."

After a quick drive to the local Huddled Waffle Hut, Jade, Nikki, and Ethan piled out of the vehicle and headed towards the building. As they reached the door, Ethan paused to straighten his wind-blown hair. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone waving frantically. Anna was sitting at a table inside with four other people, Amber, Millie, a guy and another girl. Making his way to the table, Ethan looked at the guy and said "Who the hell are you?".

The man looked up at him and frowned with a hurt look on his face. "Ethan! It's me Ralph, you've known me for like three years now." Ralph watched as Ethan's gaze moved to the girl sitting next to him. "And don't tell me you also forgot Myrna!"

Ethan looked back at Ralph and then back at Myrna. He then seemed to be thinking about something for a moment before his demeanor got noticeably more friendly. "No I didn't forget, I was just ...kidding." He then took a seat at the table and started to page through the menu.

"You're not actually looking at the menu are you?" Nikki asked. "You always order the same thing, always!"

He responded "I like to look at all of the 'could have been' meals just so they don't feel my neglect for them."

Ralph looked up from his menu. "Someone will order these items one day, today's not their day though."

Amber kicked Ethan in the knee. Ethan, semi-annoyed, asked "What do you want?"

Amber smiled innocently. "I'm currently experiencing tough times and am unable to conjure up enough funding to cover the expense of the meal we're about to consume. This being the case, I am in fact in search of an alternative means to cover the cost of the food I would like to eat."

Ethan commented sarcastically "I hear they're hiring cheap labor in the salt mines below the restaurant for anyone that can't cover their bill. You sound like a prime candidate for such an opportunity."

"You know as lucrative as that may sound, maybe someone would be able to cover the cost of my food for me so I don't have to join the workforce of mole people in the depths below."

"Yeah you'll have to find someone to help you out. If you're trying to get me to offer, all you have to do is ask. Amber repeat after me, 'Ethan, can you lend me some money so I can eat tonight?'

Amber groaned. "Alright fine, Ethan, can you lend me some money so I can eat tonight?"

"No!" Ethan laughed aloud. He then noticed that Jade was giving him the 'death glare', the stare that has killed many lesser men. "Oh um yeah alright I'll help you out this time."

It was at this time, the waitress came around to the table. "Welcome to Huddled Waffle Hut, can I get your drink orders please?"