The Arc

Chapter 2

The sky was cloudy as Ken drove home. Not rain cloud cloudy, but snow cloud cloudy. Ken made a mental note to check their supply of rock salt in the garage. It had only snowed once that winter season, unusual for Columbus. January was usually filled with snow days; this year was turning out to be different. Christmas snow was all they'd had.

"Can't remember if we need a new shovel or not." He mused out loud. The sounds of John Legend was the only voice that heard him. The street was deserted and Ken glanced at the clock, not realizing how late he was coming home. The February chill nipped at his body as he stepped out the car and into the garage. He took notice of the shovel (now seeing that they needed two) and guessed that another two bags of rock salt wouldn't hurt. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it, right?

Ken hung his coat up in the mud room which was just off the garage and listened to the sounds of his home. The washer and dryer were going and he could definitely hear something sizzling in the kitchen. Smelled like onions, garlic and peppers. His stomach immediately growled.

"Wooo...Something definitely smells good in here!" He exclaimed. Sebastian looked up from the skillet at his husband and smiled. "What's cookin' good lookin'?" He asked as he leaned to kiss him.

"Hey baby. You guys liked the turkey sausage dish so much the last time, I thought I'd try it again." Ken reached into the skillet to grab a slice of red pepper and Sebastian swatted his hand away. "Hey get outta there! Wait for dinner."

"Can't, I'm starving babe."

"If you'd been here a little earlier  you could've had a bigger snack." Bas handed him an apple. "This should help." Ken took a huge bite of the Braeburn apple; his favorite.

"This won't last long."

"As long as it holds you 'til dinner." Bas silently noticed the clock as he began slicing the turkey sausage on the bias. "Traffic must have been a doozie with it looking like snow and all."

"Nah, traffic was fine. I stopped to attend a meeting." Ken replied. Bas looked up, concern covering his face.

"A meeting? Everything okay?" And before Ken could answer their seven year old daughter Corinne bounced into the kitchen and into Ken's arms.

"Daddy you're home!"

"Yes I am sweetie. How are you?"

"I'm fine. Just waiting for you to get home."

"Who me? Am I that important to you?" He asked as he set her on a kitchen stool.

"Don't be silly daddy, of course you're important to me. I have a lot of spelling words to go over and you always help me with my spelling."

"Ah, I see. Well, let me change my clothes and maybe we can catch a few before dinner, okay?"

"Okay," she replied as she hopped off the stool and ran to find her spelling folder. Sebastian was set to ask Ken again about the meeting when their twin teens came in.

"Wow, that onion is really loud dad." Cameron complained. Ken laughed.

"Onions usually are son, the good ones anyway." Bas replied as Cameron took his coat to the mud room.

"Ugh I'm so hungry!" Camille exclaimed and began to raid the fridge before she had even taken her coat off.

"Dinner will be ready in an hour, try an apple." Sebastian said. "And maybe you can get comfortable by getting out of your coat. Unless you're planning on going somewhere else." Camille looked down as if she had forgotten she still had the coat on. She sighed and shook her head at herself.