Welcome Home!

Part 40: Frank and Eddie

Wally let me go at some point. I invited him to tag along with me, but he just wanted to sleep. I understood. Crying could certainly be exhausting.

"Sleep well, Wally. I'll check in on you later, okay? Don't get into any trouble," I called as I began to shut the door. Wally grumbled, but I knew he had heard me.

I marched out the door happily. Today was going to be a fun day, just like part of yesterday. I still needed to make it up to Howdy at some point, but he was the kind of sad cat who wanted to be left alone for a bit. I wasn't going to let him be alone for too long, however.

(Once you left, Wally sat up. He was hoping you'd buy into his sleepy act and leave him be. Regardless of whether or not you knew, Wally just wanted to laze about on a couch. A small part of him tried to reason that he deserved another day of rest.)

I was very excited. I was going to go butterfly catching with Frank and Eddie! I had never done anything with Frank and Eddie.. well, anything relating to catching things, at least. I had a feeling I had interacted with the two before. No, I definitely did, I just couldn't quite put my finger on what we had been doing.

I arrived at Eddie's post office. It was absolutely adorable! The inside was covered in lace and handmade decorations.

"Here's your net," Frank said as he handed me a net bluntly. I was caught off guard by the sudden interaction, but I didn't mind.

"Frank! You have to show hospitality to people before you hand them a net!" Eddie exclaimed. He took off his hat and placed it on his chest as he looked down at me.

"I'm terribly sorry for his behavior!" Eddie chuckled nervously. He put his hat back onto his head. "Ready to go?"

"Yep!" I answered cheerfully. Frank led the way with Eddie and me behind him.

"Frank's veeeeery serious about butterfly catching. I'm going to try and impress him. His reaction is always cute, and I'd like you to see it. It's quite funny," Eddie whispered. He laughed and continued walking.

We made it the spot. It was in a clearing the middle of the forest. I extended my net's handle and began running around joyously.

"Eddie, you can go over there. I will catch the butterflies here," Frank stated flatly. He swiped at the air gently. Although he seemed a little blunt, Frank was quite gentle.

I noticed something shining on Frank's finger. I squinted. It was a ring! I chuckled. How cute. Eddie Dear and Frank Dear.

We caught butterflies for over an hour. Towards the end, Eddie caught a golden butterfly. He gave his net to Frank.

Frank began flapping his hands excitedly, gasping as he took in the sheer beauty of the creature. I smiled at Eddie. He was right. It really was a fun reaction.

"Wow! It's a leuciris fimbriaria with a genetic mutation! I will keep this one for observation," Frank smiled slightly. Eddie beamed with pride.

"It's gorgeous."

"Very much so. Thank you, Eddie," Frank took Eddie's hand. I walked next to Frank on the way back.

"How long have you liked butterflies, Frank?" I asked. Frank thought for a moment.

"Hmmm.... I suppose I have liked them for as long as I have been alive."

I waved goodbye to them as I continued walking to Sally's house. I considered going straight to my own house, but Wally was not there, and I needed to stay by his side for a bit. I'd probably stay by his side for longer. I liked him. He was very silly.

I opened the door. Wally leapt straight up into the air on all fours. I had startled him! He plopped back down onto the couch and gave me a goofy grin.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. You startled me!" Wally laughed. I chuckled and walked over to him. I gave him a gentle hug.

"You've gone back to your previous way of laughing!" I tittered. Wally nodded.

"That happens when I have been caught off guard," he sighed softly. I patted his head in an adoring fashion. He really was a cat.

(Wally had expected your arrival. He had been waiting for you all da, motionless.

He had only jumped to make you laugh. He hoped that it was silly.

Wally was happy that you enjoyed spending so much time with him. He especially appreciated your head pats. They made him feel loved, as did any type of affection.)

"Come on, Wally. We should head back home. I'm sure Sally would like to have her house back," I helped Wally up to his feet.

"Sally would like what? Hehe. Are you two leaving already?! That's okay. Let's hang out some more another time, okay? Dont worry about Barnaby, too." Sally appeared by the front door. She stepped aside as Wally and I walked out.

"Thank you, my dear! Let's have tea some time, alright? We will prepare it this time, for two is not a party!" I hugged Sally. Wally tugged on a corner of my sweater.

"A tea party..?" he tilted his head. I nodded at him before looking back up at Sally.

(Wally was surprised you had suggested that again. He didn't mind, though. He was happy he could secretly fix his past mistakes.)

"Thank you for your hospitality!" I thanked her one last time. Wally took my hand, and we began walking home.

"Did you enjoy yourself? I liked staying over at Sally's house," I hummed. Wally's eyes sparkled.

"Yes! It was very relaxing," he grinned. I tilted my head to the side and smiled. Wally sang a little song as he followed me into my home.

"What would you like to do next? My little butterfly catching event with Eddie and Frank only lasted a few hours.. we haven't even reached noon yet!" I spun on the heels of my shoes and clasped my hands together. I was excited for what the rest of the day would bring! Still, I needed to make it up with Howdy.

(Wally wanted to go on a picnic, but it would be unfair to have so much fun whilst Howdy suffered. He sighed and tucked the plan away for another day.)

"Let's go make sure Howdy is doing okay," Wally stared out the window by my front door. I sighed quietly. It would be a difficult visit, but I would be doing it for Howdy, not me.

(Wally felt a little bad for suggesting such a thing, but you had to do it. Besides, Wally would defend you if anything bad happened. Well, he'd try to defend both of you. Wally didn't want any more fights to break out between his friends. Having Julie beat the living daylight out of him had hurt enough.)

We made it to the bodega. Howdy was quietly wiping off his counter. He looked up as soon as the little bell on his door rang.

"...?" Howdy stared at us curiously. Wally waved.

"How are you doing, my friend?" I asked gently. Howdy seemed surprised that I had spoken to him in such a delicate manner.

(Howdy was, in fact, absolutely bewildered. Why had you seemingly forgiven him for his behavior? Perhaps you had forgotten? No. You had done something different. You seemed different.

Howdy couldn't quite put his finger on it, but you seemed much less clueless than before. Still, it was obvious you were not interested in him in the way that he was interested in you.)

"..Wally... Flower... I'm so sorry I treated you both that way. I've just.. I've just been so scared," Howdy's voice trembled. Wally and I gave him our best hugs. We both stepped away in sync and looked up at him.

"Would you like to come to our tea party? It's not today, but it will be very soon," I invited Howdy. He nodded.

"It would be just dandy," he smiled.

Wally and I spent a few more minutes chatting with him before leaving.

"Goodbye, Howdy, dear! Take care, okay? I'll check in soon!" I waved. Wally marched out the door, humming a silly tune as he made his way back to the house. I followed him. Today had been a good day.

Better yet, there was still time for more activities! I hoped the rest of the day would be filled with relaxation.