"¡Chacho!”
“Don’t yell!”
"¡Vete pal-”
“Sweetie!” Zee interjects, interrupting the angered woman.
The heaving sister exhales vigorously, spinning around to resume cutting the fruit. The activity only lasts momentarily, her mind still racing with rage. She slams the knife down, and snaps around to see Zee still in the kitchen.
“Is it too much to ask to have a nice day?! To celebrate an anniversary? Yeah, it’s only a month, but it’s the first one month I’ve ever had!”
Zee moves closer to Sweetie, putting her hand on the upset woman’s arm.
“I know. He’s happy for you, we all are. It’s training day, he wants shoot, and hunt, he’s a boy.”
“I asked you to move training day to today just so Ros would be away from the house, he knows that!”
“I get it, just, you know, cut him some slack. He’s your brother. You’re both still alive, and together, that’s gotta be rare.”
“I hate when you do that chica.”
Zee cracks a sly smile, tilting her head.
“I know.”
“I can hear you!” Outlaw yells from the living room.
His sister screams back, "¡Vete pal carajo!”
A short moment passes, followed by another pouting response from Outlaw.
He yells once more, "¡Comemierda!”
Zee's eyes widen, grinning again. Sweetie bites her bottom lip, her face scrunching. Her eyes slam shut.
“He's feisty today, girl.” says Zee.
Sweetie's lids part abruptly, extending nearly to her hair line, her cheeks red with irritation.
“Yeah!” she scoffs.
◆◆◆
Rosaline taps her foot against the inside of Hawaii’s heel, widening his stance.
“Like that, and don’t lock your knees, keep yourself loose, always be ready to move, and be able to do it quickly.”
He gives a gesture of understanding.
“It’s a bit more tricky with a bow, than with a gun. A bow has more weight, and is bulkier, but fluid motion is important, no matter what.”
“Got it.”
“On my mark, hit all three targets, middle, right, then left. Don’t just turn your body, reposition your stance each time. Ready?” she says, holding her hand up high.
Hawaii bobs his head then Rosaline drops her hand. Hawaii draws an arrow from the dingy, make-shift quiver on his back, aims, then fires at the first target, hitting it dead center. He realigns his stance, lining up with the far right target, draws another arrow, and lands another bullseye. He spins quickly to his left, drawing an arrow as he rotates, lets loose as soon as his full draw is met, and hits the top of the target.
“That was good, but your left shots are still a bit too high. Those might not hit enough of the brain to kill.”
As Rosaline and Hawaii critique his form together, Rad and Mikey continue to practice close quarters combat. Rad, equipped with puffy, barely passable, protective gear moves in a wide circle around the little boy. Gripping the small stick, with a rock duct tapped to the top, the child steadily closes the distance between the two of them.
“Remember little man, in the kneecap. Just about everything is going to be bigger than you, so you need to bring them down to your level, like your mom does.”
With a stern ferocity resting in his unyielding gaze, Mikey takes another step closer, shifting to his left in the process, and smacks the rock affixed stick against the puffed cushion on Rad’s knee.
“Yeah, just like that! One more time!”
They break, putting distance between them once again. Mikey circles with the much larger man, remaining patient as the gap between them closes. When in range Mikey leaps forward, slightly hunches down, then strikes Rad’s knee again.
“You’re gettin’ good at that!”
The child, beaming with excitement, stares up at the behemoth, and holds his hand up high. Rad smacks his against the boy’s, high fiving him.
“But what happens when I do this?!”
Rad squats down and hoists Mikey high into the air, then drapes him over his shoulder, and runs around the trees on the edge of the small clearing. Laughter bellows forth from both of them. Rad extends his arms as far as he can, the boy at the end of them, and raises him up then down, repeatedly.
“Aaaaahhhh!” the towering man softly shouts.
On one of his downward rotations his eyes catch Rosaline, leaning against a tree, watching the merry duo. Rad abruptly halts their playful interaction and returns the boy to the ground.
“Sorry.” he bashfully says.
“No, it’s fine. He has fun when you’re out here.” she replies, an amused grin upon her face.
The excited boy runs to his guardian, his arms flailing in the wind.
“Did you see me? I was flying!”
Her hand rubs his head.
“I did buddy, it looked fun.”
“It was!”
“I’m glad.”
Her attention moves back to Rad.
“We should head back to the farm.”
“Alright, I’ll pack this stuff up. You gonna help me little man?”
The child peers at his caretaker, she motions her approval, then he skips back to the cushion covered man.
◆◆◆
“I see them! Hide! Hide!” Sweetie exclaims, her eagerness boiling over.
Outlaw and Zee duck behind the couch. Sweetie retreats to the kitchen, hiding around the corner, making sure she’s out of view from the windows. It takes the returning troupe several minutes to put up the supplies they carried with them. Sweetie’s anticipation grows with each passing second. Hardly able to contain herself, an expression of absolute joy engulfs her face. Her stomach flutters and turns, and her heart pounds with vigor.
The sound of feet stomping up the steps alerts the hiding three. The front door gently pushes open.
“Calm down, why are you guys pushing p-”
Rosaline’s question falls silent as she enters the house, and the large banner above the couch comes into full view. HAPPY ANNIVERSAY! in huge letters is written in strawberry juice across the long white fabric.
“What is-”
Again her thought isn’t finished, this time not from her own stunned curiosity, but from Outlaw and Zee springing into view from the behind the couch.
“SURPRISE!” Zee, Outlaw, Rad, and Hawaii exclaim in unison.
Rosaline’s eyes remain wide, still not sure what’s going on.
“Happy anniversary nena!”
Still in a state
