A Blankie for Baby

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The week at my parents’ was very relaxing.  Mom and Dad kept Annamae occupied most of the time, spoiling her rotten while they were at it, but we didn’t mind.  We kind of felt she deserved a little spoiling after all the recent excitement.  My sister, Hortense, came down from Maine to visit with us for a few days.  Her husband, Nick, had taken their twin boys, who had recently undergone their first change, off on a camping trip to help get them used to it and to teach them a few things they were going to need to know.  And probably to learn such important skills as how to lift their leg when they pissed.  Heh.  I remember our brother, Alphonse, telling us about his learning trip with Dad.  Us girls, whichever form we’re in, just squat.  Hortense was going to join them at the end of the week.  She had stuff to teach them, too.

I had explained to Mom and Dad about my mission to obtain materials to make a blanket for my friends’ baby, and though they’d never met Pan and Az, they knew of them, and agreed it was going to have to be made from special materials.  Mom said Aunt Nayah probably would know what I needed and if she couldn’t scare them up, Grandpa Zu could, and Dad said to also ask Uncle Kambu.  That old shaman was pretty swift, too.   He and Aunt Nayah had turned out to be a really good match.  Come to think of it, he probably did know a thing or three about what I needed, since he’d taught Aunt Nayah right along with Grandpa Zu.  It’s great to have such talented people in one’s family.

We went by bus, and Grandpa Zu came to the depot to collect us.  I’d told him we’d make our way to his place but he’d insisted on coming to pick us up.  He came tooling up in his 2006 Chevy Colorado crew cab and helped Sam throw our bags in the bed.  There was no question of where we’d stay, either.  He would never have heard of us staying anywhere except at his home.  We were family and family always stayed there when visiting.

Annamae and I climbed into the truck, and I saw Grandpa had done some upgrades, and not just the great looking camel colored leather seats, either.  In addition to a CD player, he now had a DVD player, satellite radio, a hands-free cell phone adapter, and I glimpsed USB and Mp3 player connectors as we slid into the back seat.  Great additions.  He wasn’t getting rid of the 2006 body, though.  He loved it.  Of course, Grandpa could have gotten a Lamborghini or any other kind of expensive fancy ride had he wanted one, but he preferred his apple-red pick-up truck.  I understood.  I love my purple 1999 Ford F-150 and plan to drive it ‘til the wheels fall off.  Then buy some new wheels and keep on trucking.

On the way to his place, which was a compound type arrangement, Grandpa explained he had put Tandy up in the big guest suite on the second floor in the main house.  Uncle Kambu and Aunt Nayah’s house was undergoing some repair work, so they were staying temporarily in the first floor suite.  We'd have to “rough it” in the little guest house set back off the long driveway half-way between the main house and the compound’s gate.  Or, we could take one of the smaller bedrooms in the house, a number of which were currently occupied by Tandy’s bodyguards.  We opted for the guest house because it afforded more privacy, and there was an extra bedroom for Annamae, though she’d probably want to bunk in the main house which was where she stayed when we weren’t there.

We got the bags off the truck, with me helping this time – no public eyes to see how strong I was – and he drove on up to the “big house” as he called it, telling us not to be late for supper.  He insisted on taking Annamae with him, and she eagerly went, knowing he had some kind of treat for her.  He always did.

I went into the larger of the two bedrooms and started unpacking our bags.  I looked up as Sam came in and quietly closed the door.  He eyed me, grinning.  And raised his eyebrow.  Hot damn.  Sam never misses an opportunity.  Heh, neither do I.  We were almost late for supper.