Ulysses, apparently, had had a lot to say this whole time. And only hadn’t said much because none of us could understand him.
Why I had chosen to study French in high school I will never understand.
Niko returned with the supplies. He knelt down in front of Mr. Appleton and cut a slit on the cuff of his new chinos. Niko began splitting them up the leg.
There were two wounds on Mr. Appleton’s leg. Near the ankle there was a horrible gash. I had never seen anything like it.
“Josie, maybe we should take the kids away?” I suggested feebly.
The wound looked like the guts of a fish, if that makes any sense. A big slash with pieces of flesh hanging out of it—green-and-yellow oozing flesh. It wasn’t bleeding, but you could see lines of red running under the skin, going up the leg, following the course of his veins. The lines were red and also a bruised kind of green in places.
The blood was coming from a different wound. This one above the knee. It looked like a bite, kind of. There was a chunk of flesh missing.
“What happened to you?” Chloe demanded.
“Razor wire,” Mr. Appleton said.
Niko poured hydrogen peroxide on the ankle wound and it hissed. Out loud.
“Come on, guys,” I said, feeling a little woozy. “Let’s give Niko some space to work. Everyone come help me in the Kitchen.”
There were protests and awws, but the stink coming out of that ankle gash was pretty ripe and eventually me, Josie, Sahalia, and Alex got the little kids rounded up and led them to the kitchen.
They were like a bunch of crickets, hopping and jumping all around, so excited by the arrival of GROWN- UPS and a DOG!
“Batiste,” I said, calling him over to me. “We need to fix something special.”
“Two breakfasts?” he asked.
“Well, the first one was sundaes, for God’s sake.”
“Don’t-take-the-Lord’s-name-in-vain,” he said quickly. Then “Yes! We’ll make a feast of thanksgiving, but for breakfast.”
Batiste ran ahead to the Food aisles. Chloe went with him to help. I guess they were starting to get along, somewhat.
I told Alex and Sahalia to throw away all the sundae stuff.
I got the other little kids busy making banana nut muffins under Josie’s supervision while Batiste and I cranked in the Kitchen.
In just under forty-five minutes, Batiste and I prepared roasted vegetable quiches, hash browns, a kind of a fruit salad Batiste told me was called ambrosia, and the last four packages of bacon.
Niko led the men into the Kitchen, just as the coffee finished brewing. Mr. Appleton was now equipped with crutches, which I hadn’t known we even had.
“And we made muffins for you!” shouted Max.
“And mine is the biggest!” shouted Chloe.
The little kids were a-boppin’ again, all yelling at the same time. And then Luna started barking.
“Shhh, you guys!” Josie said.
But they didn’t listen.
“Quiet! QUIET!” Mr. Appleton shouted.
The kids shut up immediately.
The silence was tense.
“I’m sorry,” Mr. Appleton said. “It’s just… we’re… I’m a little shell-shocked. It was very chaotic. Outside. And I’m not used to so much… noise.”
“We understand,” said Josie. “You’ve been through a lot.”
“Please sit down and I’ll get you two some food,” I said.
“Are you the chef?” Robbie asked me.
“Ah, yes,” said Mr. Appleton. I could see he was straining to be jovial. Trying to recover. “Who can we thank for this food?”
“I’m Dean. I do most of the cooking,” I said. “But Batiste here is the one who put this together.”
Robbie shook our hands heartily. Then Mr. Appleton shook them as well. His hand was papery but strong.
“Pleased to meet you,” Mr. Appleton said to us.
“Yes, sir,” Batiste said.
“I’m in charge of the food,” I said. “So I guess I will be the one who loads you up with provisions. I’ll be sure to give you lots of good stuff for when you leave.”
Somehow I felt strongly compelled to remind them that they’d be leaving sooner than later.
Maybe it was because they were eyeing the food like animals.
Everyone ate, but those two men really
Halfway through their meal, Robbie stopped eating and said an impromptu prayer in Spanish.
He winked at Ulysses and then explained to all of us, “I was so hungry, I forgot to give thanks to
“Amen!” Batiste said. “I’m always telling these sinners we should pray before each and every meal.”
Robbie chucked Ulysses under the chin. The boy shined like a new minted penny.
“Well, now we said thanks, so I’m gonna eat more!”
There was laughter at this and I gave him thirds.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
MR. APPLETON’S STORY
Niko and Josie discussed what to do with the little kids while we all met with the grown-ups.
“I don’t want to miss out on the meeting,” she said firmly.
“I understand that, but I don’t think Sahalia will watch them either.”
Sahalia was skulking against the wall, eyeing Brayden with venom.
Niko looked over to me.
“No way,” I said.
“Well, somebody’s got to keep them away!”
“I have an idea,” I said.
I walked over to the kids.
“Okay, you guys, I have a problem and I need your help. Me and the big kids and the men need to have a meeting. But Luna really, really needs a bath. Do any of you know how to give a dog a bath?”
Caroline and Henry’s hands shot up like arrows.
“Oh, oh, oh!” they chorused.
“I do, too!” yelled Chloe. “My nana has a Bernese mountain dog and I wash him all by myself!”
“Great!” I said. “We have three experts. You guys need to get all the supplies and bring them all here. Then wash the dog. Then dry her. Then comb her hair.”
“Then we’ll make her a bed and give her some food!” Max shouted.
“Then we’ll sing her to sleep!” Caroline added.
Josie watched me, nodding her head.
“Nice one, Dean,” she said. “I’m impressed.”
