Nate sat in the living room as the rain pattered against the window louder that it had earlier that day. The weather had been consistently dreary, and while Nate didn't like getting wet, he loved the way the air smelt during these kinds of climates. He hung out next to the two, five-year-old twins—Ava and Bryce—while they simultaneously played with toy trains and did a puzzle. Nate was unsure of where his parents were exactly, but they told him they'd be back within the hour. Until then, he had to attentively stay with the children.
"No! You move back there, behind the block," Ava said aggressively towards her twin.
"Dude, stop being so bossy," Bryce replied, using "dude" for the millionth time that week; he watched a character on T.V. say it, and much to everyone's demise, he did too. He said it over and over again.
"You guys, come on," Nate sighed as he put down a puzzle piece in the place where it lined up with another. "There's plenty of space. You can put the trains anywhere, and you don't have to play together if you want to do your own things."
"Nate, can I help you with the puzzle?" Bryce asked, completely ignoring what Nate had said.
"Of course," the man smiled.
Bryce hopped on Nate's lap above his crossed legs and grabbed a handful of the puzzle pieces.
"We have to do one at a time," Nate instructed. "I've already done this corner here, and we need a piece that has an edge like this."
He demonstrated his words as he traced his finger along the puzzle that he had already accomplished. In the distance, Ava made explosive noises as wood bonked against random household objects.
"Where's a piece that will go against that?"
Bryce sorted through the components—grunting as he did so. Nate couldn't help but be amused as he listened to his brother act as if he was searching for lost treasure.
"I this it?" he asked as he held the piece in front of Nate's eyes.
Nate chuckled as he outstretched his palm. "Hand it to me, Bryce. I can't see."
The young child giggled as he placed it in Nate's hand. The two of them laughed.
"I always forget," Bryce spoke funnily.
"Did you forget Nate was blind? Again?" Ava retorted.
"Hey! You forget too!" Bryce shouted back.
"Well not as much as you! I-"
"Guys, guys, guys," Nate held his hand up. "You both forget, and it doesn't matter. Everyone forgets sometimes. Even mom and dad, and my friends."
"Yeah, one time mom told me to go get you because there was a rainbow outside and I was like "I don't think he can hear a rainbow" and mom got really confused until dad reminded her."
Nate laughed even harder. He found all this stuff hilarious. It was even funnier coming from young children.
"Sounds about right," he replied. "Bryce, why don't you try to put the piece in to see if it fits?"
The younger boy did just that, and it worked perfectly. "Heck ya!"
"Good job! Now, let's-"
All of the sudden, the front door opened, and the footsteps of Mr. and Mrs. Thompson entered the home.
"Mom! Dad!"
The twins ran up to the adults—abandoning the activities they were participating in prior as if they weren't doing them in the first place.
"Hey guys," Jackson—Mr. Thomson—smiled as he placed down a bag of groceries on the dining room table.
"What have you been up to?" Alice—Mrs. Thomson—asked while she took off her coat, setting it on a hook attached to the wall.
YOU ARE READING
All Our Sensitivity
Romance"Are you always going to forget I can't see?" "I don't need to remember when we're kissing." "Weirdo." Nate was born blind. That was a fact. Nate was also gay. That was a fact that came much later after his six-month relationship with his best frien...
