As Evil As Ignorance

AEAI 1 - In Your Dreams, Ma.

"I'm home!" I shout as I walk through the door to the house I grew up in. This hasn't actually been where I've lived for the past five years, but it will always be home. "Is the food done yet?"

"Shut your gob and get in here to help," Pops yells back from, presumably, the kitchen. His accent is thick today; probably Dad's getting on his nerves. "Is Ella with you?"

"I'm here, Uncle Day!" she yells out from next to me as we hang our coats on the rack by the door. Leaving our outerwear, we head to the enormous kitchen where Pops is stirring something over the stove. "Is my mom here yet?"

He looks up as she speaks and gives us a smile, "No, babe, she called to say she'd be a few minutes."

"Typical," Ella shakes her head and sits at the island watching my father.

I walk over to him instead and wrap my arms around his body, "Hey, Pops."

He hugs me and pats my back a few times. When I let go, he kisses my cheek before turning back to the stove.

"Where's Dad?" I pick an olive from one of the dishes sitting on the counter and throw it in my mouth.

Pops smacks my arm lightly in reprimand before answering, "I think he's up with Nikki. She's been downright petulant today."

"So, that's where the accent is coming from," I say it more as statement, but he answers anyway.

"My accent is no more, or no less," an ongoing debate from my childhood. "She is acting like a toddler. She needs to grow up. She threw a fit just before you got in and your father went up to console her. Your nan would roll over in her grave if she knew."

I chuckle a little because that's another one of Pop's favorite lines. 'Your nan would roll over in her grave if she knew.' But in all honesty, before she passed away, that woman spoiled us more than any other person ever. And we're the kids of movie stars, so that's saying something.

"I'm going to check if he needs help. Is Brie here? Is she even coming?" I ask as I start to leave.

He shakes his head and takes the pot off the stove, "She wasn't sure when I talked to her earlier. Said to start without her if it came down to it."

I just nod and leave the room, hearing Ella start up small talk as I head upstairs.

Before I even get to her room, I hear, "You can't do that. I'm practically an adult."

"My roof, my rules," Dad's voice comes right after my baby sister's whine. "When you have kids of your own, you can take away their car all you want."

"That's not fair!" she shouts at him.

Knocking twice, I don't wait for a response to enter, "Excuse me young lady, there's been a complaint about noise disturbance in China. They said some sixteen-year-old is throwing a fit."

"Look someone called the cops," my dad motions at me with his hand. He walks straight over and wraps his arms around me in a tight hug. Then holding me out at arm's length, he smirk, "How's life treating you, son?"

"Good," I tell him honestly. "Catching bad guys and keeping the Greater New York Area safe." He lets go with one arm, one hand still resting on my shoulder, "But enough about me, I hear you have a bratty sixteen-year-old on your hands."

She rolls her eyes and folds her arms across her chest, "I'm not bratty. Pops said I had to give him my keys because I got a D."

"Wow," I nod in appreciation, "if I got a C I was grounded until it was an A." Shaking my head I look over to Dad, "You're really letting this place go."