Hades Ain't Got Nothing on Us

Ch. 16 - Pro Bono

For the third morning in a row, Rob awoke to the delectable smells of a full breakfast being prepared in the kitchen. He changed from his favorite tee, recently washed, into a lightweight shirt. Out of the clean laundry that replaced his pile of sad chick lit, he grabbed a pair of jeans. He strummed his guitar, back on its stand after a long night's songwriting session, and followed the sounds of crackling bacon downstairs.

"You have got to stop spoiling me like this."

Behind the mound of steaming cinnamon rolls in the center of the dining table, Sephy was washing a pan in the sink.

"I can't help myself."

"I hate to break it to you, but deep fried pork is not exactly heart healthy."

"You deserve to have a treat after what I put you through, but if that's the way you want it, tomorrow it's back to turkey sausage. But today, wouldn't you consider a few strips of salty, crispy bacon one of your worthy risks?"

"The way you slather it in maple syrup? Of course!"

"That's what I thought," she smirked, and handed him a piece.

"You're going through too much trouble. I've already forgiven you a hundred times, and if you keep this up, I might be asking your forgiveness after I flip out on you. By the way, I'm all caught up my laundry too, so you can stop with that."

"Fine, but remember that this breakfast is not exclusively for you. Have you forgotten that pumpkin waffles are Allison's favorite?"

She placed a stack on the table.

"How could I? She's been eating them for breakfast, lunch and dinner."

"I wanted to thank her for talking me into staying. It took courage to show up at my house like that."

"Funny that was all she had to do to change your mind, but me trekking up an endless hill in the baking sun didn't persuade you."

"That sounds like a request to take the park off our list of places to frequent this summer."

"I'm willing to give the wilderness a second chance, as long as I'm not as stressed as I was that day."

He mock glared at her while she scraped a generous helping of scrambled eggs onto his plate.

"Very funny. Now, I have a very important pop quiz for you."

Rob dropped his fork and gave her his full attention.

"What's your favorite fruit?"

He stammered, caught off guard by the banality of the question.

"I like persimmons."

"Is that a joke?"

"No, why would that be funny?"

"Persimmons. Genus diospyros, the fruit of the gods."

"Funny coincidence, but it is my favorite. It's also the only species of fruit that isn't coming out of our ears."

"Except pomegranates, of course."

"Yes, but I don't want any pomegranates. In fact, about that fruit explosion in our living room, you have to cool it. Allison thinks she is going insane."

The bowl on the coffee table, evocative of Carmen Miranda, had become a source of considerable bewilderment for Allison. Besides the selection that bested any produce market, the stock seemed to replenish itself at a rate with which the best grocer in the world couldn't keep pace. Whether she ate a peach or a pear, a new one appeared in its place the next day. She ate one grape and came back an hour later to find the cluster full again. Given the way Sephy babied Rob lately, Allison didn't put several trips a day to the store past her. She had created a monster.