2020-06-14 - Slapshot - Seamus, Sasha, Sasha's siblings, Paige, Iris

It had rained for days in Alexandra and the Beaulieu family were cooped up. The children were especially restless. They had been instructed by their parents to be really careful about mixing things up too much with locals because of Covid. But they were allowed to go outside, and then it rained endlessly. The Beaulieu parents, Felix and Amelie were consulting with contractors on the finishing touches to their soon to open dental practice. The kids were home alone.

Sasha looked out the window as he lay on his stomach on the couch in black track pants and a grey t-shirt with a logo featuring a frog in a top hat “Why did we EVER leave Manitoba?” He whined to no one in particular. He was 17 but felt like he was slowly dying of boredom.

Two of his three siblings were splayed out across the floor playing the family’s playstation. Rene and Catherine were playing a game called Human Fall Flat and Catherine, who was only 11 was getting annoyed with it “Rene I can’t get up there!”

“Hand over hand across the top of the tower...it’s simple as fuck.” Rene was 13 and he lives in  cargo shorts and zombie t-shirts. Today’s was grey like his and had a zombie who had been holding a red balloon watch his arm float off with said balloon.

Catherine fights with her little avatar and then groans and drops her controller and walks away to the kitchen “I HATE it!” She’s in a pair of dark blue overalls and a white shirt with a pink ringer collar and sleeve cuffs.

“Don’t throw that, you’ll break it!” Rene snaps back at her.

“Fuck you I didn’t throw it!” Catherine yells.

Genevieve wanders down the stairs looking half asleep in a white Winnipeg Jets t-shirt and a pair of  light blue pj pants covered in rubber duckies. “God, what are you all yelling...it’s so early. And Cath watch your mouth.” She was 15 and aside from her die hard love of sleep, possibly the most responsible of them all. She truly didn’t care if her sister swore but their parents ddi and if Cath made it a habit she’d get it from them later.

“Oh Rene can say it but I can’t?” Catherine wails “Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!!!!” She screams at all her siblings now.

Sasha pulled a couch cushion over his head and hid from the screaming “Why?”

All the Beaulieu kids looked very alike, like they had all been baked together in a French Canadian muffin pan like a matched set. They all had dirty blonde hair and deep brown eyes, with pale faces and robustly rosey cheeks. The two girls had hair just past their shoulders and both boys had shorter haircuts albeit a bit shaggy in the era of Covid.  They all had the kind of low cheekbones that made them look a little sad if they weren’t actually smiling. Genevieve called it their bulldog face. They all had slight French accents but spoke English most of the time.

All of a sudden a miracle came down from the heavens, a beam of light broke through the clouds and shone through the window onto Sasha as if the gods were calling to him. He peaked out from under his pillow “The sun…” he said like it was salvation and jumped up yelling louder “The sun...is finally out!! I’m getting the sticks and nets. Street hockey two on two!” He needed an outlet, they all did. Cath was cooking herself into a profanity stew in the kitchen. Rene was definitely in danger of becoming a playstation zombie and if he left Gen alone too long, she’d go back to sleep. There was a small shed in the garage with their two nets and a motley collection of hockey sticks. He felt his siblings step in and reach with him, getting all the equipment and grinned. They had a bin of small rubber balls for summertime with pucks mixed in for winter. The street wasn’t too busy, especially in this town but they’d watch for cars and as usual move nets as needed. They set them up about 20 or so feet apart.

Cath and Rene went in net and Gen faced off with Sasha still in her pjs with a mess of  slept on bun on top of her head.

“Think you can take me Sash?” She taunted .

“Fuck yeah.” Sasha retorted back. She was good, but he was better. It would kick ass if they got a few other local kids joining in like they often did in St. Pierre.

Gen dropped the ball and they scrambled, sticks on sticks and shoulder to shoulder as they fought for the ball.  Sasha almost dislocated his own shoulder breaking free of hers and then tipped the ball out of her reach and broke away slapshotting it down to Rene’s net. Rene was looking at someone moving in a  nearby house window and couldn’t save the shot in time. It went in.

“Fuck you I wasn’t ready!” Rene protested.

“The ball dropped Moron.” Gen scolded him.

Sasha brought it back to centre and he dropped this time and their dance began again.

Seamus Reinhardt found himself with a rare day off.  The fact that it was still raining just aggravated him.  It felt like it’s been forever since he’d gotten any outside recreation and a day off would have given him some more options besides The Gym.  But just as he was about to give up, grab his bag and go exactly there, the rain stopped.  “Thank god!”  he exclaimed as he now tried to decide what he COULD do.  Within minutes, the sound of voices came at him from down the street.  Happy voices.  Seamus pulled a grey hoodie over his 10-Alarm t-shirt and stepped out on the porch, looking towards the school.  Four people were playing street hockey.  He glanced down at his black sweat pants and stepped back inside to get on his shoes.  Then, he grabbed his hockey stick from the garage, leaving the garage door wide open and jogged towards the players who he was able to see was a guy that looked young like him and three younger people.  If the dirty blonde hair on every head was any indication, they were related.  That’s how people identified Reinhardts.  Coming closer, he stopped and stood, just watching as they played.  He’d never seen these people before .. new neighbors.

Sasha got checked and literally run over by Gen “Ah fuck me!” He said laughing as she took a way too easy shot on Cath and scored. Sasha sat up and seeing a redheaded guy about his age with a hockey stick in hand he beamed at him “Hey there, wanna play? I’m Sasha.”

In the meantime Cath looked like she was about to break her stick over Gen’s head “No fair no fair…..fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!”

“Cath!” Gen bellowed and knocked the stick out of her hand with her own stick “Stop being a spoil sport. I scored. Deal with it.”

Rene started cackling from the other net and waved at the new guy “Think you missed a fuck or two Cath…” He sang at her.

Sasha hung his head “I swear to god I’m adopted….” He says to the red head.

Seamus laughs at the banter.  Yup … they were siblings.  To Sasha he replies to the offer, eagerly, holding up his hickey stick.  “Fuck yea, I wanna play.  I’m Seamus.  Seamus Reinhardt.”  he looks at the girl called Cath who was being told to stop being a spoil sport.  “You’re the youngest, aren’t you.

Rene snorted.  “That obvious is it?”  he looks at his sister.  “It’s the stink of spoiled baby.”  he teases, as he is wont to do.

Seamus looks mildly indignant.  “Hey, I’m the youngest.”  he protests and drops a wink at Cath.  To the group he asks.  “Whose side am I on?”

Catherine looks indignant as her sister knocks the stick from her hand and then glares at Rene for his incessant teasing “I am not a spoiled baby!” She screams at him while really sounding quite childish as she does so. When the redheaded boy who said his name was Seamus walked up and seems like he might play, defended her and winked she gave both Gen and Rene little haughty looks and then a sweet smile to Seamus “Hi I’m Catherine...you can be on my side.” She sort of flirts at him.

Sasha snorts and gets up from the ground “Jeeeeeesus…” He mutters at Cath’s antics “Don’t scare off the neighbours now.” He looks between his siblings and tries to place Seamus “What do you normally play on ice?”

Seamus smiles at Cath, not scared but also clueless to any burgeoning crushes.  He looks at Sasha.  “I was Captain of the local hockey team.  Mostly played Center, but did pretty well as goalie.  Anything defensive.”  he isn’t trying to toot his own horn, it just comes naturally to him.

Rene laughs.  “In other words he’s you with red hair.”  he rolls his eyes, but is also laughing
 And shaking his head.

Genevieve looks at this new boy and then at her sister and rolls her eyes like Rene had, but for a completely different reason.  “Well three against two isn’t fair so ….  I’ll sit out and you pick teams … preferably with you two hockey champions on opposite teams.”  she suggests, already heading for the sidewalk to watch and make her own judgements about this new guy.

Sasha looks at Seamus like he’s a long lost brother “Awesome dude…” He gives Rene a little  half snarl and laughs “Oh piss off.” Then Gen leaves and he looks like he’s going to call after her but shrugs “A’ight….Well I’ll switch sides and shoot on Cath…” He drops his voice “You’re going to have to defend her, sorry…” Cath sucked as a goalie but what else could he do. Evenly matched. He’d take on Seamus. “Rene keep your ass parked in that net and no looking for ladies changing in the windows this time.” That was likely not what he was distracted by but he had to as an older brother of course. He goes to stand at the center and looks at Gen “You want to drop for us so there’s no danger of an advantage?”

Cath does an almost swoon behind Seamus’s back. Captain of the hockey team? He was so cute, and on her team now “Thank you Sasha.” She chimed at her big brother. She shifted her stick from side to side trying to look like she was always in goal.

Seamus nods slowly as one drops out and Sasha divides his remaining brother and sister into different teams.  He nods when he’s told he’ll have to defend Cath and nods, watching the younger kids taking up for the goal.  Moving up, he looks at Cath.  “We can do this.  Together.”  he encourages her like she is all other teams he’s captained.  Then he faces Sasha waiting for the ball to hit the ground.

Rene is immediately indignant.  “I’m not a Peeping Tom!”  he protests and moves to the net.  He loved being on the same team as his big brother, even though he’d never admit it out loud to anyone.

Genevieve nods and comes over, getting the ball and moving between the two guys.  She considered them both and thought to herself that their goalies might not have much to do if this Seamus was as good as Sasha was.  He raises her hand with the ball within … and lets it go, leaping back.  She doesn't know how aggressive Seamus was, but she knew her brother.

Sasha had chuckled at Rene and then nodded at Gen before she dropped the ball. Now he clashes sticks with Seamus trying mostly to block his ability to move at first. He holds his own position solidly and sort of braces. But he’s also in a stance where he knows he can take off running at any second.

Cath beams and Seamus and nods. Together! He was so dreamy!

Seamus notes that Sasha is trying to block him.  His own body is also set to run at a moments notice.  The ball hits the ground and for a second he and Sasha are blocking each other.  It’s the ball that decides, bouncing and heading to Sasha’s left and Seamus’s right.  He moves, but so does Sasha.  For literally a minute they run matching each other and making no progress towards the goals, but Seamus is having a blast.

Rene watches the older guys playing and sees he was right.  It’s like watching Sasha playing with a clone or something.  The ball stays more or less in the center and Rene quickly becomes bored.

Genevive watches from the steps of the house, amused.  Seamus was good.  The problem she could already tell was that Sasha was just as good.  But she cheers anyway, because it’s her brother and she knows he wants to win, even though she doubts anyone is going to.

Sasha moves with Seamus and blocks and chases and checks him, not too hard. Damn he was good. They were so evenly matched it was hard to get past each other. Sasha keep going but starts laughing and gets distracted by the humour of it and Seamus finally has an opening from a tiny moment of lapse.

Cath watches and shakes her head and then Cath being Cath cheers for the cute new boy “Go Seamus!”

Seamus sees his opening and quickly lines up and shoots to score.  The ball flies into the net, and then through it, it’s velocity making it hit a parked car, changing its trajectory and sending it through the window of the green house next to the brown house on which the sister Genevive was sitting.  The window Seamus knew belonged to Adum Brate’s downstairs bathroom.  Seamus had followed the ball and now stands straight and winces.

Adum Brate sees a ball come rolling into his living room.  He grabs it and, sparing a glance at his broken bathroom window, jogs out of his house and sees a bunch of kids, none of which he knows except for the redhead.  Seamus Reinhardt.  He jogs down his front steps and shakes his head, throwing the ball at Seamus.  “You’re not working today, Seamus?  Ask your boss for the bill.”  he laughs and heads back in his house, picking up his daughter and moving her further in.  A minute later he can be seen sweeping the glass up.

Seamus catches the ball when Adum throws it at him.  “Thanks, Adum and … yea …  I’ll pay for it.”  he promises and turns as Adum goes in the house with another wince.  “Busted the mayor’s window.”

Rene was bored and so not paying attention.  The ball goes through the netting, bounces off a car and then goes through a window.  “Oh shit!” and when an adult comes out, he stands and stares, but the man only shakes his head and laughs as he throws the ball back.  At Seamus’s words, his jaw drops.  “You know the mayor?”  he is suitably impressed.

Genevive stands up as a score is made and all hell breaks loose afterwards.  The man with the broken window seems to take it in stride,  and then she finds out he’s the mayor.  “Holy hell….”  she breathes.

Seamus shrugs.  “Yea.  He used to babysit us.”  he says as if this happened to everyone.  “He’s cool.”  he sighs, as it looks like their game might be over.  And he was having so much fun.

Sasha stared after the ball and then jumped and cringed when it went through someone’s window “Ah fuck….” But the house owner comes out and is insanely nice about it. When Seamus says the man is the mayor he drops his hockey stick “The mayor?!” Then Seamus says the mayor used to babysit him “He’s so young...you should see Monsieur Maynard from our old town…” When he talks about home the accent thickens.”and I do not think he would be so nice if we broke his window….” He laughs and looks at his siblings.

Cath was cheering again for Seamus when the ball went in net but then halts when it goes through and hits a car and then goes through a window “Let’s hide!” She suggests but a man comes out of the house “Oh no!” She panics but then the man is so nice about it. She listens to all the back and forth about this mayor who Seamus knows and her eyes go wide. She can hear the mayor cleaning up the glass even. She nods along with Sasah about their old mayor. He was just a weird old guy, older than her parents...he must be ancient.

Seamus nods.  “Well, he was in high school then.  He stopped when he went to college.  He was the police chief, then the mayor.”  he listens about their old mayor and snorts.  “Maybe it's just that this is a really small town?  I mean everyone knows everyone else almost.  I work for his wife.”  He stops short.  Sasha was his age.  An adult.  The others … well he wasn’t going to talk about the Love Shack in front of them.  He looks regretfully at the net.  It’ll need to be repaired.  But in the meantime, he looks at Sasha.  “You’re good.  Let’s call that even, eh?”  he offers his hand.  “Do you ever work out?  If you do we can hang out sometime.  Be nice to know someone who didn’t know my brothers and sister before me.”  he laughs.  “I’m going for a coffee at Perk if you guys want to come.”

Rene listens and realizes that the game is done.  WHile Sasha is distracted, he lifts a hand.  “I’m gonna look for frogs.”  he announces and takes off running before anyone can stop him.

Genevive watches what she can only describe as male bonding going on between her brother and Seamus.  It’s nice, as Sasha was the last of them to even want to move to this town.  She hears the invitation to the gym and then to coffee, and she stands.  “Cath and I will pass, thank you Seamus.  You go, Sasha.  Have fun.” and she motions for Cath to come in the house with her.  Hoping to sweeten the pot for her sister.  “With Rene off you get the Playstation all to yourself....”

Cath glides towards Seamus like a moth to a porch light and then stops as she hears Gen. Gen is steering her and dangling a  carrot. She hates that. But she also gets a lile overcome with shyness about what she would say drinking coffee with this dream boy and she wants to solve that game puzzle without Rene jeering at her. She sighs a little “Bye…” She squeaks out and follows Gen. As they get just out of earshot she mutters “Autoritaire (Bossy)” and then they go in.

Sasha slaps Seamus on the shoulder “You’re good too...fuckin awesome….” He shakes the hand “Yeah I work out. I haven’t found the gym yet. I have some free weights in my room but I share with Rene so it’s not enough space. I’d love to check out that gym.” He waves off Rene and then his sisters “Oh for fuck’s sake they left all the gear…..uh yeah to coffee but I can’t leave the nets and the sticks. Help me drag them into the garage?” He easily hoists one net and several sticks in his other hand but looks at the broken one “I’ll patch that up before we play again…”

Seamus waves to Rene who leaves before he can tell him he isn’t going to find frogs on the island and then gives a smile to Cath as she heads in the house.  He looks at the gear.  “Sure I’ll help.”  he agrees and begins.  “So that’s what it’s like to be the oldest?  Left with all the gear after the younger siblings run off?”  He laughs a little bit.

Sasha snorts “Every time. Sometimes Gen helps but Cath’s been a pill today so maybe it’s good she got her to go in. My parents expect me to do more, set an example...blah blah meanwhile they totally turn a blind eye when Rene or Cath play see food in a restaurant.” He throws up his hands “They’re a little tough on Gen too, oldest boy oldest girl, Mere (Mom) is Catholic and very traditional. How many siblings do you have?” Once they’ve gotten the gear in the garage he head juts to outside the garage and closes the big garage door before padding his pockets “Phone, wallet, keys...we go!” He says with a smile.

Seamus actually listens to Sasha’s description of being the oldest as he helps out the gear away.  “There are four of us, too.  But Fiona is the only girl and she, Owen and me are Irish triplets .. so they had us one after the other.”  he smiles as Sasha makes sure he has everything and then begins to walk away from the house.  “Fiona got totally spoiled.  Own room and everything because she’s a girl.  But I guess I was a little spoiled, being the youngest.  Mom’s last baby and all that.”  he shrugs.  “Fun while it lasted.”  they are passing the Community Garden and they can hear some of the deconstruction taking place at the far end.

Sasha laughs “Ah they needed two girls! Gen and Cath share too. The youngest is always a bit spoiled.” He teases “I mean even by siblings. I still remember Cath as a toddler trying to chase after us and keep up. Probably why Rene teases her so much, too close in age. Do you get along with them all?” He listens and then looks and sees some big construction equipment pulling away at one of the houses across the garden space “Whoah...what happened over there?”

Seamus snorts.  “They did NOT need two Fiona’s.”  he protests.  “She tried to sell me and Owen when we were kids.  Set up a lemonade stand .. or a brother stand or whatever.  Our babysitter at the time put an end to it, but still.  That’s not the point!”  he still laughs about it.  He looks at the deconstruction.  “That?  Ohhhh …  that’s the Rose house.”  his voice changes to a bit of a consiritoral pitch like boys will do when trying to scare each other.  “The mother snapped.  Killed her husband and son, then tried to burn down the house a few week back.”  he explains.  “Then a girl mutilated the sons corpse.”  he doesn’t know all of the details, but he knows what he heard and his tone of voice switches to something more compassionate.  “Actually … the son had raped Kira .. the girl who mutilated him.  She castrated him .. stabbed it right off.”  he winces.  “There was some stuff about it on the radio, and there was a fundraiser.  India Tor and Kagiso jackson …”  he pauses.  “I mean Aqoustic Spirit … they held a concert last weekend.  Kira was like .. really messed up in the head.  Her parents abandoned her or something and she went a little crazy.  Not a bad crazy.  We’d see her in the street and she never hurt anyone.”  he sighs, thinking about Jack Rose and Owen.  “Honestly … the guy got better than he deserved.  Anyway … Adum … Mayor Brate, ordered the building demolished.  People were throwing rocks and shit .. literal shit … at the house and, honestly … we're probably better off without the house standing.”

Sasha laughs and laughs about his sister trying to sell them at a lemonade stand and then listens to the gruesome and awful tale of the Rose house and the mother who kiled her husband and son and the mutilation, nay castration of the corpse of the son. It sounded like the son in many ways deserved all of it but still Sasha shakes his head “Unbelievable….I don’t know who those musicians are….is this Kira person ok now? Did she have to go into a psyche ward or something? That’s….holy….I can see why people want the house down.”

Seamus shakes his head as he leads the way further down the street.  “She’s in jail now.”  He speaks with a bit more authority on the subject.  “My Uncle Mike is a cop.  I guess she’s seeing a shrink now and she has a good lawyer.  Hopefully she’ll get released soon.  But yea …  no one needs a haunted house in town, you know what I mean?  We have enough weird shit with the Olin.”  he rolls his eyes and then they widen.  “Fuck.”  he jogs ahead to his house.  “Left the garage door open.”  he says, and tosses his hockey stick in before he pulls the garage door closed.  He meets Sasha in the driveway.  “Irresponsible youngest Reinhardt.”  he laughs and motions to the house.  “I live here, by the way.  With my parents, the oldest and his boyfriend Kurt.”  he considers.  “Kurt is a hugger, just to warn you. If you’re ever around, expect one.”  He delivers the news like a public service.

Sasha nods about Kira “I hope she gets some help. What’s the Olin? This sleepy little town is starting to feel like….Winnipeg.” He laughs “City sized town...way too much murder.” He smirks about the garage door  and then looks at the house as Seamus explains who still lives there. “So safe to guess you have your own room now? With a few out and that Kurt guy hugging your oldest brother in another one?” He doesn’t seem at all phased by the fact that the brother has a boyfriend.

Seamus nods about Kira and stops at mention of the Olin.  “It’s … like a bad luck hotel.  In the Bottoms .. real low class place, you know.  So I guess it makes sense there’s a lot of murders there … well .. I mean .. maybe one a year now?”  he laughs and nods.  “Yes!  My own room!  Tell Cath all she has to do is wait it out.  Fiona moved in with her boyfriend and now they’re getting married.  And the big surprise was my brother Owen got a girl pregnant … and they live together now.  Triplets!”  he snorts.  “And hey thought I was going to be the one.  Nope.  My halo and good name are restored.”  he proclaims as they walk again.  With all of the strange things in town, he decided to just skip the Mrs Norris chapter and turns the corner.  This is basically the center of town.”  he explains.  “Cop shop, fire department, library, Community Center.  Bunch of restaurants.  10-Alarm .. great chili that gets spicier if you can handle it.  Breakfast nook.  Earthcakes.  Probably the best pastries and whatnot on the island.”  he also decides to skip the Mrs Z chapter or this guy was gonna turn around, run home and the whole family would be gone by sunset.  “Plus the clinic and businesses.”  they near the Thrifty’s and he blinks.  “When did we get a dentist?”  he wonders.

Sasha makes a face about the murder hotel and then chuckles about Cath waiting it out for her own room. He nods about Fiona, getting married, moving out and then his eyes go wide about the brother Owen and the triplets “Yikes…..” He looks in all the directions Seamus mentioned things in the town smiling a little about pastry. Then when Owen asks about the dentist office he laughs “That would be my parents Dr.Felix Beaulieu is my father and my mother, Amelie is the dental hygienist.” He gestures at the little sign with their names” The town paid for our move. They really wanted a dentist office.” The windows are still papered over until it opens but portions of pant legs can be seen as people walk around and talk inside.

Seamus crosses the street to get a closer look.  “Your parents are the new dentists?  You must have a killer smile.”  he teases.  Sure enough there is a plaque for Dr Felix Beaulieu.  “I guess the town hit the jackpot…”  Seamus points to a second plaque.  “Dr. Greyson Page, Ophthalmologist.”  he chuckles.  “We were without a dentist for a long time.  Another long story and you’ll probably think I’m crazy by the end if you don’t already.”  he gets ready to move down the street.

Sasha smiles with exaggeration “2 years of invisalign, it should be.” His teeth are actually quite nice, go figure. He nods about the ophthalmologist. He frowns when he hears there’s a long story about why there’s been no dentist. “The old one didn’t get murdered did they? I might have to start carrying my hockey stick around….At least my parents have drills…”

Seamus rears back as if from some bright light when Sasha smiles.  Then he blows out a breath.  “Let me buy you a drink.  Or you can buy me one … how old are you. By the way?”  he realizes he never asked.  “I turned seventeen a couple of weeks ago.  May 22.”  If he's gonna tell the story, he hopes this guy is old enough to drink.

Sasha shrugs “I’m 17 man, January 1st. Happy Belated. So I can’t drink...in a  bar…” He says it in a  way that suggests he might have done so in other ways. “But coffee is good….”

Seamus laughs.  “I was joking … mostly.”  he replies about the drink.  “And thanks.  It wasn’t a big celebration with everything else going on, but it’s okay.” He nods as they continue past the Thrifty’s and past it.  “I work here.  The Love Shack.”  he says it with pride.  It’s his first job and he loves it.

Sasha looks at the Love Shack with great curiosity “You work in a sex shop? Cool. You don’t need to be 18?” He steps back as a couple spills out into the street giggling madly. They’re both blushing. Sasha watches them “The customers must be a trip…” He laughs.

Seamus is about to answer the question when a couple comes out, giggling.  They’re mainlanders, he can tell.  They cross the street headed for the Parthenon.  “Yea .. they are.”  He agrees.  “My parents gave me permission a few weeks before my birthday.”   he shrugs.  “I started out the favorite and .. well sex sort of knocked me off the favorite throne, but I’ve learned a lot about birth and disease control and all the stuff sold here since then, and was helping customers anyway once I hit sixteen … Megan .. the owner .. wanted to hire me so …  I asked permission.  I actually think my mom was more impressed with my spiel than my Dad, but he wanted at least one of us to work in the power plant with him.”

Sasha looks truly fascinated “My mother would shit a cat if I asked to work in a sex shop. She’s a bit naive about the idea that her children might...do that at all. Thankfully I’ve never been busted. And safety first, always. Nevermind what the church says. It’s almost medical, all the pregnancy and disease stuff right? I mean not that you treat people but if you sell condoms you reduce how many might have to be. The power plant sounds better than my father wanting me to be a dentist. I can’t stomach it….digging around in people’s mouths….” He gestures at himself “We’re truly disgusting beings sometimes.”

Seamus laughs.  “Well, if we keep getting along like this, I might be your mother's least favorite person.”  hs snorts as they start walking again.  “My father busted me in the Forest … one of the wooded areas .. screwing a girl against a tree.  I was thirteen and my father did indeed shit a cat.  My mother then had a fit, followed by my grandmother who I swear didn’t speak to me in anything but Gaelic for about a week.  To top it all off, I didn’t wear a condom that one time … so it was a lot worse.  But it did get me to thinking and educating myself and everything.  The girl left town like literally that weekend … apparently she wanted one last quickie before she hit the road.”  he grumbles.  “But anyway … your right … condoms save lives, but I’ve also sold vibrators and dildos as an alternative to sex.”  he shrugs and nods to the brick building at the bottom of the inline a bit.  “Perkatory.”  he pronounces, not unironically.

“Thankfully my mother is fairly busy with us and it’s us she polices, or tries to.” He laughs “Oh that’s rough….and do you speak Gaelic? My parents just switched to French but I’ve noticed out here that’s almost code. We heard more Manderin in Vancouver than French.” He winces about the no condom “That can be scary. We’ve all done it but scary. I’m sorry it didn’t work out too.” He titls his head about the toys “Does sex with yourself not count for anything?” He jokes and then looks at the Perkatory “Ha! I love it.”

Seamus tilts his head to the side.  “Parent policing … hope that works out for them”  he smirks.  “If you need anything, let me know and I’ll use my discount.  Just tell me your size and preferences and, after I tell you if we sell better, I’ll pick them up for you.”  he says it all casually, after all, it is his job.  “I speak more Gaelic now than I did.  My father and uncle swear in Gaelic and German, but my grandmother … turns out that little old lady can swear like an Irish sailor when she’s pissed.”  he laughs and then shrugs.  “Sam was a lesson learned, you know.  I haven’t had a girlfriend since and I’m not sure she was one, in hindsight.”  but then Sasha has him laughing again.  “It definitely counts.  I’d say you need a masturbation sleeve, but if your mom or siblings find it you’ll have a lot of ‘splainin to do, Lucy.”  he opens the door to find Perkatory jammed packed.  It’s a Saturday so, of course it is.  “Let's get the drinks to go and I’ll finish my half assed tour and tell you … the story.”  he promises.

Sasha walks in with him after listening, laughing and blushing a bit at the sleeve comment. “Well I know no one here but you and my family but if I meet someone nice I may hit you up for all that. I’m very good at hiding from my mother when I need to...although it helped to have access to a car. That’ll be a trick here. You always learn the swear words of any language first.” he laughs “I’ll teach you the French ones if you want but it’s all about insulting the church when we curse.” He takes in the menu and comments on Sam “It sounds like this Sam was very special to you Seamus. Lesson or girlfriend.” He’s speaking quietly enough not to be displaying their conversation and the chatter of the crowd helps cover it. As they move to the front he smiles at the woman behind the counter “Allo, may I please have the peppermint white chocolate coffee thing. Whatever the medium size is.”

Seamus laughs.  “Yea, it will.  I have a license, but the registration fee for a car alone is 555.”  he chuckles about the church.  “I’d love to learn.  They didn’t cover it in class.  Go figger.  There’s a priest in town now.  If that … helps?”  and then he sighs about Sam.  “I still honestly don’t know.  She was the first, but left me with a note jammed in my locker.”  he also lowers his voice.  He moves to the counter with him.  “Medium Trinidad coffee please, Buni.”

Buni Chuku sees Seamus and his friend.  Someone new, but with her business she can’t tell the tourists from the newcomers for a few visits.  She eyes the boy with Seamus.  “Dat say Decembah only fo a REASON.”  she tells him and looks at Seamus.  “Ya skool ya friend, Say.”  she considers.  “Let me tink.  Lookin atchu …  you … Trinidad White Chocolate fo da friend ob Saymuss.”  she turns and begins to prepare the drinks.

Sasha has to lean in to catch it all with the woman’s accent but he manages it “Oh shoot, read too fast, sorry. Yeah the Trinidad White Chocolate sounds good too. Thank you so much Madame.” As she steps out of direct earshot he replies to Seamus about the rest “i’ll tell my mother.” He laughs and then winces “Dear John note in the locker? Harsh. I got one of those at the end of things once but it wasn’t a shocker, just a final fuck off.”

Seamus watches Buni correct Sasha with a very slight grin. Then he snorts.  It’s nice to have so much in common with Sasha, but it was still a bit painful.  “Well, it surprised me .. that was a bad weekend all around .. well except my grandfather’s death.”  he turns around, looking at the other patrons and sees in particular two girls sitting in the rear window seat.  They look like sisters and, on closer inspection, he decided they are not twins.  Wavy dark hair and, when one glances his way he notices green eyes.  Both girls have face masks dangling off of one ear.  He smiles and elbows Sasha hoping he’ll see them, too.

Sasha nods and looks sympathetic and then surprised “Your grandpere (grandfather) dying was good?” He feels Seamus elbow him and turns in the direction he’s looking and then grins “Oh good, you do have pretty girls here. Not just murder and coffee.”

Seamus laughs.  Actually about both.  “You had to know my father’s father.  Pere.”  he tries on a little French.  He smiles at the girls.  “We do, indeed.  Of course the question is, do they live here or are they tourists.”

Buni returns with the coffee.  “They lib here.”  she tells them.  “Now gib me my five dollah an stop droolin on my flo, boys.”  but shes grinning.

Seamus pulls out his wallet and from that his card and taps.  “Thanks Buni.  You’re the best.”

“Ya damn right I be.  Now git.  I got money ta make.”

Sasha laughs as the woman Seamus calls Buni calls them out on checking out girls “Thanks Seamus...and thank you Buni?” He’s hoping he can call her that too. He does glance back again at the two sisters, he can’t help himself. He was a red blooded teenage male after all.

Buni waves them off, impatiently but smiling.  It was crowded today and she soaked up the energy like a sponge.

Seamus takes his drink and nods at the girls, then heads for the door.  Outside he will sip and look around.  “By the way ….  I think Sam was a lesson.  I mean we didn't date, she never met my parents, I never met hers … But she is still special … hell of a hockey player.”  he clears his throat and heads down the street.  He pauses at the last window, where the girls are for a last glance then looks at Sasha.  “This is the Bottoms.  Not the best area, but nice anyway.  The beach is this way.”  he pauses between the first of the three apartment buildings on the Perkatory side of the street and points to a building up the incline.  “Oh that’s the Parthenon … a four room hotel.  Zabat’s Greek restaurant and the Northern Lights yoga center in the lobby, if you’re into yoga … or Greek food.”  and he continues towards the beach.

Sasha nods about Sam “Oh and a hockey player. Nice.” He looks kindly at his new friend and then into the window at the girls without making it obvious he’s looking at them. His eyes drift to the places pointed out “I had one coach make us do yoga. It was ok….harder than I thought because I skate and workout. She said it’s because hockey makes all the muscles short and in yoga they lengthen. I think mine don’t want to..” He laughs. “Can you surf here? I’ve done windsurfing on the lake but never anything with big waves. This is the first time I’ve been by the ocean in my life.”

Seamus looks like he is having a fond memory.  “Yea.  She was great.” is all he says about it.  He laughs about the yoga.  “I’m not into it for pretty much the same reasons.”  he admits.  “Surfing is possible, I guess.   I’ve never surfed.  Swimming, scuba … anything involving the water, but especially when it's frozen.  I love winter.”  they arrive at the beach.  “This used to be a hotel.”  he begins and thinks a minute.  “There was an earthquake in 2017 and it basically collapsed…  not a lot of people hurt, because there was a memorial happening over there at the lighthouse for the survivors of the Cedar Point earthquake.”  he bites his lip again.  “Now this is the weird part … after the quake, the mainland was gone .. or we were gone .. and like a day later the island was surrounded by this fog … it scared .. everyone … and we .. well .. we couldn't get through it … and … we were cut off till earlier this year.”  he blows out a breath and waits to be laughed at and lose a friend in record time.

Sasha grins “Swimming is great. And I love winter too...so much. I was worried it wouldn’t get cold here….you have snow and ice? I feel like it’s the best season….earthquakes….eeek. I’ve never been in one but that sounds bad. We got flooded like crazy in Manitoba and some crazy tornadoes now and then.” He listens intently about the quake and the fog and then has a long think. Sasha is a very open minded person. His questions that follow are curious but not dismissive “Cut off physically? Or like in every way?I mean could you reach people in other places by phone? Text? Email? What about the internet?”

Seamus is glad he’s not suddenly alone because of his insane story.  “Every way.  No phones or internet.  Nothing.  We already had power and water and stuff.  They wound up clearing a huge part of the North Woods for the Farm.  A lady out there had chickens and goats and a couple geese … plus they grow stuff out there.  It was a nightmare, because Logan, the oldest of us, was at school in Vancouver.  My mother and grandmother didn’t know what to think.”  he blows out a breath.  “It could have been a lot worse … they tried to make it like life as usual, but … you know …”  he shrugs.  “And then one day a fisherman came back and said the fog was gone …”

Sasha looks amazed “That’s like something from a movie! And your brother,...that’s the one with the hugging boyfriend...they’re ok? You said they live with you now.” A look of horror comes over his face “Who did you play in hockey for three years? Because...hockey is life...I could live without the internet!”

Seamus snorts.  “Yea but … it wasn’t.  Logan lived close by .. became a Vancouver fireman and came back the same day the ferry reconnected.  Yea, our house has an addition on it, so they can live at home without living at home.  My mom has plans to turn the new extra bedroom into I think three things .. My Dad has plans for it too.  They’ll fight it out.”  he snorts.  He holds up a reassuring hand.  “Oh, we still played hockey.  When the inlet froze over, we’d play in our own like mini-leagues.  Like kids and teens and the old guys like my uncle and the mayor.  That part was kinda cool.  Once things settled in like a year we had a bunch of things that I hope they’ll keep doing even with the mainland back.  But yea … if there hadn’t been hockey … I don’t know what I would have done … drown myself in the inlet like my brother always tries to do …  I'm kidding …  Owen just doesn’t pay attention and goes skating literally off the inlet ice and into the ocean.”

Sasha nods along, taking in everything Seamus is telling him and looks relieved for him about the hockey. He laughs about the brother that falls in the inlet. “They must put up thin ice signs? Playing the mayor in hockey...what an interesting town…” He gets thoughtful. “Your brother, the older one. I hope people are supportive here. I mean about him being gay.” It dawns on him how he’s coming across and he holds up a hand “I like GIRLS…..like a lot. I had a best friend growing up who came out as gay and our small town wasn’t always kind to him. Marc, he lives in Vancouver actually. I don’t know if I can say we’re best friends anymore after so much time apart but we keep in touch. He’s happier there and has tons of friends now where in St. Pierre he really just had me.”

Seamus shakes his head, but replies.  “Oh they do … but Owen gets to speeding and then can’t stop himself she .. in he goes.  Not the most graceful creature in the world, my brother.”  Then he nods.  “Alexandra is the most open minded and diverse place on EARTH.”  he tells him.  “We have gays and interracial couples and gender identity .. stuff.”  he grins.  “Mrs Norris .. she lives in that hite house on the corner we passed next door to mine.  She will call out shit from her porch.  One day my grandmother heard her talking about how Logan was going to hell and was against god and damn if she didn’t march up on that old bat’s porch and punch her!  I guess Mrs Norros tried to press charges, but my uncle Mike told me that the chief told her he had better things to do than get in a mediation between two old ladies.  So no worries on the homophobic front, really.  We have a feww, but … mostly it's a really accepting place.”

Sasha chuckles and then looks truly impressed “That’s amazing for a small town anywhere.” Then he hears the grandma story and beams “You have the coolest grandmother! And the cops...I’ll tell Marc about all this in case he ever wants to visit...but more than likely I’ll have to go to him. He’s a hockey guy too. As far as I know my siblings are all straight...but who knows right? That shit doesn’t have to be set in stone. I worry about Cath...not on the sexuality front. She’s only 11 but she really struggled in school back home. She’s a handful behaviour wise too. Maybe a new school will be better. Mom says she has ADHD and some kind of learning disability. She said if she had more time she would have homeschooled her...but with their practice….I dunno. I guess we’ll see. Gen and I try to help her too but when we sit down with her and help her with homework she often just breaks all her pencils and refuses to do it.”

Seamus smiles and starts walking again.  “Yea, she’s incredible.  We’re all just getting to know her now that Heinrich is dead … My father wouldn’t let him near us much.  He wasn’t a pervert but he was abusive.”  he listens to the concerns Sasha has for Cath.  “I think the only one of us that had trouble in school was Owen, but honestly … I was a pretty self absorbed fucker as a kid.  Bound and determined to be the best at everything and maybe be more than the youngest Reinhardt.  If I can help her with anything, I’d be willing to try.  I tutored math in school and I graduating top of my class, despite having Covid…”  he suddenly stops and backs away a little.  “It was back in early April.”  he scoffs.  “We came back to the world and … bam.  It hit us too.”

Sasha scratches the top of his nose absently and looks ahead of them as he learns about the kick ass granny and the not so nice grandpa “That sucks….now I see why you said it was a good thing he died.” He goes quiet and listens some more noticing a medium sized dog jogging past them across the street with something in its mouth. The dog was quite speedy so he only caught a glimpse of it. “Shit you had Covid? Well you look healed. We’ve been a little spared in Manitoba but I know it’s been worse out here. And that part really sucks…”

Seamus only catches a glimpse of Kester and thinks maybe he has a mouse or something in his mouth.  “Yea … and I am healed.  The worst was trying to breathe.  Man …  I was sixteen and I’m strong but that shit knocked me on my ass big time.”  He walks to the end of the street.  “The Ice Goddess.  Our ice cream parlor.  Good place to bring a pretty girl in the summer.”

Sasha grimaces “Yeah everything I’ve read about people having it is bad...I mean aside from the whole dying potential...just bad. Did you have to go on a ventilator?” He chuckles about the ice cream shop “Noted. I also just like ice cream. Hey do you guys have a Seve? You know like a 7/11? We’re big on slurpees in Manitoba. Winnipeg is said to be the slurpee capital of the world. Obviously I’m from Southeast of there but you still get the bug. Even a gas station slush puppy is better than nothing if that’s all we got.”

Seamus moves immediately past the parlor and around the corner and along the shoreline.  “My mom’s a nurse, and once or twice I thought .. Maybe .. but I really didn’t want to worry her, so some nights I just worried and sort of dealt with it.  But no .. no ventilator.”  he grins.  “It’s called the Ice Goddess, of course they have slurpees.”  he assures his new friend.  “That might be strange anyplace else, but here it’s just another space saving thing.  I love em too, so I’ll probably run into you a lot when it gets warmer.”  He leads them past a papered window announcing a new scuba diving shop, then a bike shop and around another corner.  “A couple more restaurants.  Seafood and I don’t even know what this one is.  It came after.”  he turns left on the sidewalk intersection, and heads towards what looks a little like an alley between two buildings, but with sidewalk and shops.  “This is The Gym.  As you can see by the door ... that’s the place’s name.  Sometimes I guess you don’t want to put in the effort.”  he laughs and moves on.  “The membership isn’t that bad, if you want to join.”  he nears the end of the llwy and a curtained window and solid intricately carved door with a sign on it that says ‘Dust Jackets’ on it.  Directly ahead of them, the sidewalk T intersections left and right and dead ahead are trees.  Just as he gets to the intersection, he collides with something and hears an “oof”

Paige Page had been walking with her sister and finally exploring this new town where it seemed to rain all the time.  But their father got out and he had learned through talking to people where things were and had passed it on to his daughters.  When the rain had stopped, he told his oldest girls to go out and he would look after the younger sisters.  He had suggested they check out a hidden gen he’d heard about that he thought both the girls would like, a used and rare bookstore called the Dust Jacket.  Changing into a plain pale green blouse, a long skirt with a lovely rose pattern on the fabric and dark green ballet flats, she and Iris set off.  After a coffee at a cleverly named coffee shop, she and Iris had finally made it to the place their father had described.  But then, just as she was about to turn the corner, she collided with someone or something and was sent flying to the ground.  She landed on her left side in the soft ground, not realizing that the hem of her nearly ankle length skirt had flown up to her knee exposing her deepest shame, a long bad burn scar on the right side of her body, which now showed clearly on her right leg along with the black hairs of her legs clearly visible on her pale skin.

Iris Page was basking in the day out with her sister. The coffee shop as it turned out had both excellent tea and a highly amusing proprietor. And now they were about to check out the used bookstore. She peered in the windows and took in the ambience of the place before they walked in. She pushed her cat eye shaped brown tortoise shell glasses up a bit on her nose. She was wearing a brown cardigan over a blouse with a slightly gaudy 70s pattern. She had on a pair of old blue jeans rolled into capris and orange leather mary janes. Her black hair was loose, wavy and shoulder length and she wore some makeup but very subtle. She heard her sister’s “oof” behind her and turned with a jump and a gasp. Paige was down. There were two boys standing there. She had seen them in the coffee shop. She gave the redheaded one closest to Paige an assessing look. Was he some ginger oaf who made a habit of this? “Paige! Are you Ok?”

Sasha had been satisfied by the slurpee answer, pleased by the gym and seafood. “Be cool to eat some closer to where they catch it. Our options have pretty much been pickerel, Jackfish and goldeye. Everything else is either frozen or old by the time we get it.” He looked all around, listening and didn’t even spot the two girls until one literally fell over. Her skirt slid up and Sasha respectfully tried not to look but he did catch a glimpse. He noticed her scar and wasn’t bothered but he was curious how she got it. He also casually noticed she didn’t shave. Also not a big deal in fact her clothes were a little hippie ish which made him look twice. Maybe 4 times if you counted noticing her in the coffee shop. But right now the poor girl was down on the sidewalk and her sister, presumably was giving his new friend Seamus a bit of a stink eye. So Sasha stepped over and offered a hand to her “Hey... you alright?”

Seamus was going to answer Sasha but before he could he realized he’d bumped into some girl.  And knocked her down.  “Shit!  I’m sorry!  Are you okay?”  he calls and starts to offer his hand, then sees that Sasha has it well in … well .. hand. He looks at the other girl and realizes these are the girls they were checking out at the coffee shop.  The one he hadn’t managed to knock down was giving him a look.  “It was an accident.”  He defends himself.  He is a big guy and as graceful as he was, when he pulled an Owen, he didn’t fuck around.

Paige could hardly believe she was on the ground.  She was happy it was soft, but that wasn’t the point.  How had she fallen.  She hears the concern from her sister and two male voices.  Reaching for the hand, she is halfway up when she realizes the hand is not her sisters.  “Um … thanks.”  and she looks at the redhead who had knocked her down and was now apologizing.  “It’s OK.  I’m OK.”  Her long wavy hair had fallen out of its loose bun and was now all over her head.  She quickly began to twist it back up, a bit tighter this time, but anyone with their own set of eyes could see that the waves were natural and the hair as beautiful.

The door to Dust Jackets opens and a skinny man with horrible acne runs out.  “God, Owen, can you go one day without running into something or someone?”  then he looks and realizes it is not Owen.  “Oh shit … sorry Seamus.  I can’t tell you two apart since Owen got his hair cut.”  he looks and sees a girl getting to her feet.  Seeing she’s ok, he looks again at Seamus.

Sasha let go of the girl who he heard called Paige by her sister and then stood staring at her like a complete moron while he got transfixed by her hair. As she began to twist it back up into a bun he fought the urge to reach to stop her because containing that beauty was almost criminal. He was aware Seamus was apologizing to her and stepped back so he wasn’t standing awkwardly between them. Then a skinny man started talking to Seamus thinking he was his brother? He had now become familiar with the sibling names a bit ; Owen, Logan, and Fiona. He glanced at the skinny man and then glanced between the two sisters hoping the one Seamus didn’t knock over wasn’t going to give him what for.

Iris exhaled as her sister confirmed she was OK. She got distracted by the rantings of a skinny man seeming to call the redheaded collider Seamus. Seamus was not Owen, ok Sherlock, moving on. She was being kept from books. Seamus’s friend had swooped in and helped her sister up like she was some damsel in distress and then stared at her like an idiot. Iris was trying not to file these two in the cute but dumb category because that was a dismal section in her brain “Boys…” She said like it was a farewell. She was brief but with the hint of  a smile. “Paige. Let’s go in since you’re unscathed.”

The pockmarked man with the acne scars stood in the doorway, blocking the short hippy girls entrance.  He leaned in while talking.  “Well I’m glad it was you.  That book of yours came in this morning.  I meant to call you to come get it since you’ve been calling almost every day to see if it’s in yet.”  he pulls a large book off of the check out counter just inside the door.  The cover reads ‘Early 20th Century Architecture 1900-1925’.  He turns and is suddenly faced with the short haired girl, who is between him and Seamus.  He holds the book with its cover facing the girl.

Paige nervously finishes securing her hair bun and now looks nearly as much the librarian as her sister.  “It’s alright, Iris.  Really I am.”  she looks at the boy who was Seamus and not Owen.  “It could happen to anyone.”  and then she looks at the boy who helped her up, meeting his eyes and then suddenly dropping them.  “Thanks for the help…”  she begins and, even as her sister is ready to bowl down the clerk to get inside to the goodies, she remembers their manners.  “I’m Paige and this is Iris.  Our father is the new optometrist.  Dr.  Page.”  she hopes she put enough words between her first name and her last name to avoid teasing.

Seamus can almost physically feel the brush off from the girl that called he and Sasha ‘boys’.  Then the clerk delivers the books he’s been eager to get his hands on, just not in front of pretty girls.  Just as the long haired girl introduces them, he realizes that Iris is between him and his book.  “Good to meet you.”  he says to them both and then, not sure exactly how rude he is by doing it, reaches over Iris’s shoulder to pluck the book out of Albert Carpenter’s hand.  “Thanks Al, but it could have waited.”  even though Albert had just called him on checking in on the book all week.  If he doesn’t get elbowed, he will move the book around Iris’s body.  “Excuse my reach.”  he offers, but sincerely just in case.

Sasha engages with Paige when she introduces her and her sister. “I’m Sasha and this is not Owen….” he jokes and then says “Seamus. Nice to bump into you here.” He’s trying to be funny, maybe trying a bit too hard. “Did you say your name was Paige Page? And you’re going to a bookstore?” Sasha looks way too delighted by this.

Iris is annoyed by the skinny boy but intrigued by the book he’s holding up to Seamus. She’s actually considering just taking it to look at the cover when a muscular arm reaches past her ear. Iris laughs a bit and then looks at the skinny boy “Excuse us please Al is it? Could we pass and go in?” She cringes at the puns offered by Sasha and then smiles at him, almost embarrassed for him. He’s either flirting with her sister or very much in the cute but dumb file folder.

Albert has delivered the book and goes back in the store, since the shorter haired girl seems so impatient, taking his stool and waiting to see how many he gets in the bookstore first; Flies or humans.

Seamus takes his book and tucks it under his arm.  Then he groans a little listening to Sasha.  When he says what Seamus was thinking about the name, he clears his throat and looks at Iris, or rather her back.  If she’s already heading in, he’ll follow her, letting the door close behind him.  “Welcome to Alexandra, Iris Page.”  he rumbles. Now that he’s in the store he takes a deep breath like those who love books tend to do when smelling the old ones.  He pauses then, enjoying that smell.  “So … have you had a tour of the town yet?”  he seems to be offering.

Paige almost grins at the not Owen comment and shakes her head at his pun.  “It was your friend who bumped into me, not you.”  she has the barest hint of flirt in her voice, as if she’d almost wished it had been him.  “But it was nice to meet you.”  she glances up at him with a slight smile.  Then he does call her out on her name, she blushes a bit, lowers her head a bit more and addresses his shoes.  “Yes.  My parents had a great laugh about that little joke.”  she murmurs and then takes a deep breath and looks up at him, almost defiantly.  “Bookstores are great.”  and she turns to go in, haughty and promptly bumps into the now closed door.  Smooth move, Paige.  “Goddamnit…”  she grumbles pushing her glasses up.  The arms are in a bronze filigree pattern.  Very vintage looking.

Sasha looks hopeful at Paige’s smile and then sees he’s done the wrong thing by joking about her name. She stalks off towards the store and he stews in his own regret. When she bumps into the door though he suppresses a laugh but not well enough and it escapes “I’m sorry….are you ok? I did not mean to make fun of your name. Sometimes I make dumb jokes.” He admits “When I’m nervous. I’m new here.”

Iris picks up one of the books she was eyeing from outside before the whole kerfuffle and then hears Seamus talking to her. He has a nice voice and sounds less oafish in this moment. She turns around, holding it as she observes him breathing in, just like she does around books. Then she has to grin “I know right?” She gestures around with her free hand while the one holding a book displays a book called Astrid Cane; A Victorian Novel. The author is listed as Anonymous. She tilts her head and gives a little shrug about the tour “Paige and I are kind of doing that today. I’m a self guided tour person.” She admits.

Seamus grins a little as he is caught but not questioned about his smelling the air.  As she gestures with the book, he arches his brow and tilts his head.  “Lady Julia Tingle.”  he murmurs.  “Interesting name.  Clearly a woman who knows what she wants.”  he listens to her apparently turn down his offer of a tour.  He looks obviously at the book and then back to her.  He is nothing if not bold as brass.  “I’m getting that about you.”  he replies about self guided tours.

Paige looks at Sasha when he laughs at her.  She wants to be mad, but she can’t be, and actually starts laughing at herself.  “I’m fine.  Again.  I’m not usually this .. inept.”  she blows out a breath.  “It wasn’t a bad joke … OK it was but .. I understand ineptitude when you're new.”  she looks at him curiously.  “What do YOU have to be nervous about?”  she demands.  “Besides your puns and jokes?”

Iris flips the book to the back “It’s a great name. Wish I’d thought of it.” She jokes. She notices Seamus looking and his not at all shy conversation skills. Now she looks at his book “Alright I’ve shown you mine, tell me about your connection to architecture in the 1900s? I almost took it from your hand but you were too quick. I like vintage...buildings, clothes…..art…” She holds up the book in her hand “Novels.” She shrugs.

Sasha laughs along with her. He nods meekly at her calling him out on his bad puns and jokes “Ah you see you’ve revealed it without me answering. That my terrible humour will be revealed.” He doesn’t mention why he’s actually nervous which has everything to do with talking to her. His French Canadian accent is very obvious on words like terrible and revealed, the second one being spoken twice.

Seamus almost asks if she writes, since she mentioned wishing she'd thought of the name, but then Iris goes on and his love of banter and innuendo takes over.  He offers her the book with a charming smile.  “Here’s mine, but next time you don’t have to ask to take hold of it and I promise not to be so quick.”  he seriouses up for a moment.  “I love vintage and I love history.” he lowers his voice a tad more as he admits it, and he was ‘library quiet’ to begin with.  “I’m going to be an architect, but I love the way the old buildings looked more than the modern ones.”  he licks his lips.  “I like your taste in novels, too.  I might have to give that one a read.”  This girl looks like she might like the brain more than the brawn, and that stuns him on more than one level.

Paige notices his accent and looks up at him.  “So you’ll make me laugh with your terrible jokes which make me walk into closed doors and nearly break my nose?”  she laughs.  “Noted.”  she bites her lip and drops her head again.  “I’ll look forward to it and seeing you around town.”  she nearly whispers.  “I don’t get out much, but .. new town .. new habits?”  she sounds incredibly unsure and lifts her left hand to rub at her right arm.

Iris picks up on the double meaning and giggles “Usually a good plan.” She shoots back at Seamus. She puts the Astrid Cane book down on a nearby shelf temporarily and examines the architecture book front and back and then leafing through a bit “I agree. Look at these old train stations….makes one want to just go wait with an old steamer trunk and climb about the first one no matter where it takes you…” She looks up seeing him lick his lips and suggest he wants to read the novel she’s planning on buying “Well it won’t be stocked in the library...so you’ll have to borrow it from me. Trust me, I just started working there. They have nothing but the predictable and obvious in this area of literature. Perhaps I’ll do the town a favour and drop all the copies of Fifty Shades of Grey right into the ocean.” She’s joking but clearly not joking. Iris hands back the architecture book and picks up Astrid Cane again.

Sasha offers another lame joke “I could get you a helmet,,,,with a guard.” He stops joking and looks a little concerned by her comment about not getting out much. He had seen the scar on her leg. Perhaps she had disabilities as a result of her injury there “I hope so…” is all he can say. Then he reaches for the door handle to open it for her “But since you are out now, did you not wish to look at some books?” He has to step right beside her to pull the door open “Sorry, pardon me…” He bumbles not wishing to cause her further accidents today.

Seamus grins at Iris and picks up the book, skimming it quickly and liking the snippets he is reading.  He shudders when she talks about getting on an old steamer.  “Fuck, yea.”  he breathes.  He sets the Astrid Cane book back down as she mentions that she works at the library.  “How bout I give you my number and you let me know when you're ready to hand it over?”  he suggests and then he laughs at her suggesting she’d like to get rid of every copy of Fifty Shades of Grey and drop them in the ocean.  He groans slightly.  “You’d be my goddess then.”  he tells her.  “Fanfiction on the New York Times Bestseller list.  God, the world really is going to hell.”  he takes back his book, but isn’t going to move until he can exchange numbers with her.  If she thought he was joking about taking his number, he’ll let her know that he absolutely was not.

Paige snorts about the helmet and guard.  “Oh that’ll add to my beauty regime.”  she rolls her eyes.  She wears no make up and seems to take pains to look as plain as possible.  She blinks when he mentions books.  “Oh, Iris wanted something.  She knows what she wants.  I’m just tagging around right now.  You’ll notice in all this time she’s left me out here … alone … with you.”  she goes under his arm to get in the building.  “Thank you, Sasha.”  she begins to look around, not focusing on anything in particular.  Just browsing.  She can see Iris talking to Seamus and looking one hundred percent confident and she glances at Sasha .. and realises she can’t be bold and she doesn’t know what he wants, anyway.  He’s probably just making up for the fact that his friend knocked her down.  Most likely he was just being nice to avoid potential lawsuits.

Iris is enjoying talking to Seamus. He’s elevated to cute and not dumb and maybe beyond with his last few comments, particularly his shared hatred of fanfic best sellers. She digs in her pockets looking for paper and then just sighs and pulls out her phone “Let’s save a tree shall we? But I still refuse to read on a kindle….” She starts a new contact “Seamus What?” She’s asking for his surname and phone number all proper like. She notices Paige finally come in with Sasha and they both look a little awkward.

Sasha had laughed at the beauty regime comment and now shrugs and follows Paige in like a bulldog puppy, browsing near her but not in her face, trying to be casual. Was she unhappy at being left alone with him? He didn’t know how to gauge that statement.  He picks up a book from a random shelf and reads the back and starts chuckling “This sounds fantastic…” The book is called Bear vs Shark by Chris Bacheleder.

Seamus swallows hard when she mentions she won't read a book on a Kindle.  He’s yet to see her body beyond the hippy dippy clothes but he already knows he is attracted to her, which is a stunning thing all on its ownsome.  “Seamus Reinhardt.”  and he spells Reinhardt because most need that so it's a safe bet.  Then he gives her his number.  “Test text so I can put you in mine?”  he suggests.  He glances and sees that Sasha and Paige have joined them.  Sasha picks up a book, the title of which he can see across the store.  “God.”  he groans softly and shuckles, turning away from them so as not to embarrass his new friend.

Paige sees her sister and gives her half a wide eyes panicked look that says ‘hes cute and i don't know what to do.  I'm scared.  Save me.’ and then Sasha picks up a book that makes Paige blink. But she smiles.  “It does.  Can I borrow it when you’re done?”  the words escape her before she can stop them and she turns so red, she is almost making their section of the store glow with it.

Sasha hears Paige ask to borrow the book and grins stupidly at her, seeing the blush and then if it’s at all possible, his cheeks get redder and he almost drops the book on Paige’s foot, diving for it and bumping his head into her arm “Merdre! (Shit!) Sorry…” He catches it and stands up “I totally meant to do that.” he holds up the book “I think it has that potential like Snakes on a Plane….you know it’s going to be stupid, but you have to see it through.” His last statement reveals his reading level is actually well above this novel but he’s enjoying the potential for something funny.

Iris gives Seamus a slightly sarcastic smile at the spelling tutorial and then murmurs “Mmmhmm” and texts “I can spell Reinhardt.” With a little wink at him afterwards. She glances over at her sister just as she asks to borrow the most inane looking book she’s ever seen from Sasha and then blushes like a small explosion just jumped out through her face. Definitely cute but dumb, but hey, maybe harmless? She decides to take pity on her sister and the bear shark boy “Seamus, if we’re doing a book exchange, could we bring those two flustered people over there? I will even endure the Bear vs Shark discussions….”

Seamus looks impressed when Iris tells him she can spell Reinhardt.  “Then you’re already leagues ahead of any other girl I’ve ever wanted .. to exchange books with.”  The pause is just barely noticeable, but he doesn’t care.  Let her know he wants her.  He’s fine with that.  Then Sasha and Paige somehow manage a sort of Three Stooges act and Iris asks him to intervene.  “I have a fantastic plan, now I look at them.  So I will on two conditions.  One, you agree to make it a double date and two you send me a text message I’ll never forget.”

Iris doesn’t giggle or look coy or flip her hair. But she can feel the energy of Seamus’s straightforward yet without a doubt flirting and she enjoys it fully and wants to return it with the same energy. She looks him dead in the eyes and then says “Double date and ….well I might need longer than a text. How about a story on a train?” She’s thinking of the steamer comment he liked and her wheels are turning as they do. She won’t offer him Lacey…..but something of the eram and of the era of vintage he’s connecting to. She opens up his contact again and offers him her phone “Would you be so kind as to add in your email address?”

Seamus nods slowly, in total satisfaction.  He takes her phone and thumb types in his email.  “You have no idea how much I am looking forward to that email.” then he considers as he hands the phone back.  “Never mind.  You know EXACTLY how much I want it.” and he immediately turns and walks towards Sasha and Paige.  He places a hand on Sasha’s shoulder.  “You know what?”  he begins.  “I think I need to share something even better than the Dust Cover.”  he leans into them.  “How about we all go out to Vancouver next weekend?  I know this place called Coffee Ink.  Bookstore, coffee, tea and readings, but they probably won't start those back up for a while.  It’s in an old warehouse .. just …  trust me, you will have a blast.  I’ll have a blast.”  he motions behind him.  “Iris will have a blast.  Wadda ya say?  I haven’t been there in years but I know they still exist.  Movie afterwards if you're not completely satisfied.”

Paige actually giggles at the book fumble, even though he bumped into her right side and she usually avoided that like the Plague.  They're both fumbling and she knows she, at least, still doesn’t know what to do next.  Suddenly Seamus swoops in and offers them a … double date? … in Vancouver?  A place even Iris will love?  She has to admit, it does sound nice … but .. a date?  “I …  I …”  she looks in Iris’s direction and then quickly away and at Sasha.  “I’d love to.”  she looks into his brown eyes for the first time and, slower than usual, looks down at the floor.  But she made eye contact with him.  For her that was like a first kiss these days.

Iris hears Seamus’s words to her and gives him a knowing smirk. Yes she did know. That was what made it so fun. She took the phone back from him and hovered on the edge of the conversation he was initiating with Paige and Sasha. She gives Paige a this will be good for you look and nods and then gives her a little grin when she says she’d love to. “Iris will have a blast. Thank you for planning that in Seamus. And I will demand complete satisfaction, don’t worry.” She wiggles her brows and takes her book to pay, leaving them all to chew on that how they will.

Sasha was trying to think up a good bear or shark pun when Seamus came up and likely saved the day. “Coffee Ink? Cool!” He cracked up a bit at Iris “Can I have a blast too? I mean probably not like she means...with you Seamus..” He specifies because he totally caught that. Then Paige says she’d love to and her eyes lock on his and he just stares back into hers until she looks away like a deer in the headlights. “What Paige said.” He finally exhaled. How was he so suddenly out of practice? Was this Island cursing him? He had talked to girls before and more...but this Paige Page made him nervous. “Thanks Seamus.” He said quietly.

Seamus grins and nods when Iris explains that she will demand complete satisfaction.  He watches Iris head for Al and the check out.  He looks at Sasha and claps him on the shoulder.  “You can have a blast … with Paige and bears and sharks.  You let me worry about my blast and you worry about yours.”  he watches Sasha get nervous and, given their earlier talk and how easy Sasha was he thought his nervousness had to do with Paige.  He’d seen it happen, most recently with Owen and girls.  He got nervous.  When Sasha thanks him one claps his shoulder again.  “That's what friends are for, right?”  he murmurs quietly back and heads for the door, but doesn’t exit.

Paige blinks and looks up a bit sharply when Iris demands complete satisfaction with Seamus.  She did not judge her sister.  As a matter of fact, she was a little .. maybe more than a little jealous of her confidence.  Seamus clearly matched that confidence, which was rare in such a young man.  She looks at Sasha when he asks about having a blast too and blushes crimson … again but then smiles when he agrees he’d love the date, too.  Paige nods at him.  “We’ll have our blast .. um … without Iris and Seamus..”  she stammers and then takes hold of his book, pulling it up to his face and touching his hand.  “You gonna buy this?”  she reminds him and then, realising she was touching his hand, lets go of it and heads to the door, standing near Seamus but a little distance away.  That one was too much for her and she was glad that he’d taken a shine to her sister and not her.

Iris finishes her purchase and steps away from the counter slipping her receipt into her book “No bag...it’s just a paperback.” She slides a small card case back into her jeans pocket. She looks over at Paige and watches her touch Sasha’s hand and then retreat. She chuckles and heads to her, giving Seamus  a little smile as she passes “I’ve already named my protagonist….” she tosses out casually “Cordelia.” She looks kindly at Paige “You ok?” She gives her a little affectionate side bump hip to hip. She adored her sister and wanted her to have some fun and be happy. Sasha wasn’t at all her type but he seemed fun and happy. Seamus on the other hand she would happily pin to one of these bookshelves if they had the place to themselves.

Sasha chuckled at Seamus and sighed and then Iris said they’d have their own blast and  reminded him of his book and took his hand. He felt like an electric charge passed from her hand to his and froze. As she let go he came back to himself and shook his head around a bit “Bears and sharks...ours et requins…” He went up to Al and paid for his book “Ours et Requins….” he stammered automatically in French and then realized the guy was looking at him like he was speaking nonsense. British Columbia! “Bear and Sharks…” He corrected and then tapped his card “Thank you goodbye.” He laughed and walked to Seamus “I think I freaked out the clerk.” He muttered and then gave the two sisters a little wave, looking longer at Paige than Iris.

Seamus purses his lips when Iris tells him her protagonist's name and nods, grinning.  “I’ll be sure to check later tonight.”  he promises and then chuckles at the French and then opens the door, letting he and Sasha exit after a friendly ave to both sisters and a wink at Iris.  As the begin walking, he simply says ”Freaking Albert out isn’t all that difficult.  He’s very comfortable with books.”  he tucks his under his arm again.  “Not so much with people.”  He elbowed him as they turn the immediate corner.  “She likes you.  Paige.  And you like her.”  he chuckles.  “I can tell cause you don’t strike me as a guy that gets flustered at every pretty girl his friend knocks to the ground.”  he continues the tour around, pointing out ZigZag Records, the Fish and Burger shack and the Alexandar Cinema, the Blue Door and the Olin … just enjoying his new friend .. a lot.  Already they’d shared more than he’d ever shared ith another male friend and he really liked it.

Paige waves goodbye and loiters with her sister after the door closes.  She hip bumps her again.  “I’m …  I guess I’m ok .. I mean … this isn’t high school .. right?”  and finally they leave and not seeing the boys, she hoops her sister's arm and hugs it.  “It’s OK, isn’t it, Iris?”  she almost begs to know.

Sasha chuckles and lets Semus tell him all the more about this quirky diverse little island. When he calls him out about Paige he blushes “I’m an idiot around her…..I have done this before I swear. I mean my first time with a girl was at 14 in a fucking canoe. We didn’t even tip it. I’m not new...Paige just…” He motions like he’s upchucking nonsense in front of his face with his hand. “You saved me from myself.” He laughs. Seamus was already a kindred spirit. He hadn’t had this kind of comradery in a long time. To a degree with Marc but because of who Marc was it was always Sasha being there for him, just the dynamic as it had to be. He already felt like Seamus really had his back.

Iris hugs Paige’s arm back and leans her head into her sister’s “It’s very ok. For once you met a boy I think is possibly worthy of you. He’s a goof...but he really does seem like a kind goof. And if he’s not I’ll tie him to a barge and send him out to sea.” She smiles sweetly “Seamus is a treat...I can tell. I promised him a little story….no not Eliza….not ready for that reveal yet. But a little intrigue on a train….” She lets her mind wander a bit.

Seamus laughs.  “You didn’t tip it?  I’m not sure that’s something to brag about?”  he shrugs.  “I can’t talk.  My first time lasted like two and a half minutes on dry land.  I got better too.”  he laughs.  “And if Paige makes you…”  he mirrors the puking gesture.  “I’ll try and save you if I’m around.  AND check myself too.  Iris is … very different … I’ve never had a girl so .. forward and sure and it’s fantastic.”  he whistles low.  “I can’t wait till next Sunday.  Oh!”  he pulls out his phone and hands it to Sasha.  “Phone number, please.  We can hang out.  I have classes Monday and finals Tuesday and I work all day on Wednesday but then I’m free till Graduation on Saturday .. and of course our double date on Sunday.”  He suddenly lets out a frustrated gasp.  “Fuck, she never sent me that text.  Oh well, I’ll just have to wait for her to contact me then.  I’ll get an email story at least.”  He seems happy enough for that much.

Paige smiles.  “He does, doesn’t he.  And I really hope you don’t have to send him out to sea.  I really hope he is genuine.”  she listens to her talk about Seamus.  “You’ll share Eliza if you don’t scare him off slamming him against a wall and having your way with him.  Although I doubt he’d mind that one bit.”  she laughs and watches her sister's mind wander.  “Let’s head home.  I have to make a new skirt for this weekend.  Maybe a new blouse, if I can.  You can bounce ideas off of me … like should you have them be discrete in a passenger car, or not so much in a sleeper car or … baggage car or ..  I don’t know Iris ..  I can’t write like you do.”

Sasha snorts “Dude that WAS my first time...in that canoe. Two minutes was probably stretching it. She told me I was terrible even...but I can only say we didn’t tip the canoe….small victories? I have trained up since then...I mean I was only a Bantam..” He uses levels of hockey for reference “Now I’m a junior!” He snorts about what he says about both sisters “I’ll try not to upchuck or tell her only bad jokes. I thought you and Iris were gonna stop drop and roll right there man...talk about sparks.” He nods about the school stuff “Yeah I’ve still got a few finals online.” He grins “Good things come to those who wait my friend. She got your number and email?” He puts his number into Seamus’s phone “Are you like an email dude? I seriously never check mine….”

Iris giggles, a bit evilly “Oh so tempting. My sewing sister…..” She muses “Maybe they progress through cars and end up precariously between them, trying to get each other off without dying? I don’t know should I give the climbable ginger man that much closure? We need to leave something to his imagination…..I’ll see where it goes….”

Seamus laughs.  “Small victories.”  He agrees.  “So we were a couple Bantums fucking for our first time in the great outdoors.  Could have been worse.”  he grins about him and Iris.  “I would have.  Theres something about her …  I totally would have.  Albert’s head would have exploded but it would have been totally worth it.”  he watches Sasha add his number.  “Yea, I check my email on the regular, but now that I am expecting something very special to read … i might check it even more often.”  he smirks.

Paige giggles.  “I could make you a little skirt for … “  and she cuts herself off.  “How is that erotic?  The fear of dying before anyone cums?  And … you talked to him, not me.  Does he have imagination?  He LOOKS like a straight up jock.”  her eyes narrow.  “And if he is you’re better off going to get a good vibrator .. as long as it’s quiet.  Remember your roommate.”  who is her.

Iris perks up at the little skirt idea and then laughs “It’s a rush...like adrenaline mixed with dopamine...he’s more than a jock. He’s clever and it’s hard to explain but sensually intelligent. Like a jock would just look at my tits and talk about themselves or barely talk at all and just look. But Seamus both expressed himself about his interest in me and maintained intelligent conversation. Believe me I WAS ready to dismiss him at the door but he earned my attention.” She shrugs “All in good fun. I’ll write a story. We’ll go to the bookstore place with them. If we hate it we can ditch them and senak off to a fabric shop for you.”

Sasha cracks up “Well maybe give me a hand signal or hang a shoelace on a bathroom door if you need me to run interference next Sunday. I’ll tell her sister ALL my jokes and try not to cry if she punches me.” He gives a supportive grin “Now I’m curious what she’s going to write you…..no one’s ever written me a story before. I think the closest I’ve gotten is my name on a bathroom wall...but that was not a nice one….”

Seamus laughs.  “Well, there are some alcoves on the fourth floor, where there are more vintage erotic books.”  he muses.  “That doesn’t seem to be up Paige’s alley .. but that long skirt could be hiding more than hairy legs.”  he noticed that she hadn’t shaved, but wasn’t sure if he'd seen a burn scar or not, since Iris was looking at him like he was a serial sister pusher.  “But if I mention we’re going up there try and keep Paige occupied … I mean .. there some sort of dark corners on the third floor as well and Sunday is their slowest day … or it was.”  he then looks curious as well.  “I know it will be something about a train.  Hopefully not your standard army issue fuck in the lavatory.  That girl is stroking my damn brain.  Most just want the cock, if you know what I mean.  Iris … just .. wow.”  he then laughs.  “Not nice?  Did they get your phone number wrong?”  he teases.

Paige listens to Iris's assessment of Seamus.  “So he hides his brain under all that muscle?”  she had noticed how in shape both of the boys were.  “Why would he do that?”  she sighs in frustration.  “Males.”  then she smiles.  “I think we’re going to have a good time.”  she predits.  It’ll be my first real date .. have I ever even been on a proper one before?”

Sasha wiggles his eyebrows “Fourth floor naughty book romp? Check. Stroking things. Check. And no I don’t think Paige is as on the front page about it all as Iris which is more my speed. I saw her legs. Doesn’t bug me….my version of your Sam….hell maybe more so...was a hairy hippie chick named Manon. She didn’t  shave anything ever. She rejected what society told her to do with her face and body. Hell she had a big old port wine stain on one side of her face..” He runs his own hand over the left side of his face to indicate where. “But she was perfect to me….she just got done with me. Broke my heart. The bathroom wall thing...not Manon thankfully but I had kind of a rebound night with a girl named Mia. She wanted more, dating,,,,whatever. I couldn’t so I became a heartless asshole to her so she told the world of women at my usual arena so on the bathroom wall. Thankfully no phone number….” he laughs.

Iris looks curious “Well men can be suckered into identity crap...or maybe he’s just both. As long as I don’t have to pretend to like a sport” She sighs “Seriously first date? My god get me that barge...we’ll ship them in from Victoria and I’ll ship the bastards out!”

Seamus considers.  “I saw a bare patch on her leg, but honestly I was too busy looking at Iris.  She gives a killer glare like Fiona.  Does she have a birthmark on her leg?”  he listens to the comparison of Manon to Sam and he shrugs.  “I still don’t know if I felt … well .. OK I felt something for Sam but .. fuck she ghosted me.  And she .. well after she was gone there were girls ..man they’re worse than guys .. comparing the biggest ocks in the school blahblah blah.  Apparently my name came up along with Vincent .. Fiona’s fiance… he was just her boyfriend then.  Then that stopped and they got to talking about how she'd been with this ass named Joey Piccolo.  He knocked up two girls in his year.  I beat his ass then he told me he fucked Sam too.”  he waves his hand, brushing it all away.

Paige sighs.  “Well … I guess …  I mean Tom and I hung out at his house … and then he took me in that parking lot .. and Craig didn’t even pretend and just fucked me in a stairway before his wife caught us.  And of course Scott …”  she blows out a breath and lowers her head as they walk.  “I’m going to have more than one fucking date with Sasha and goddamnit it isn’t going to end in him cumming and me not.”  she suddenly proclaims.

Sasha casually sniffs “Nah I thought it was some kind of old scar. Then she said she doesn’t go out much so I thought maybe she had some bad accident and some kinda disability….but she walks fine so I dunno.” He listens with a frown to the tale of girls talking about boy by cock size and scoffs “That’s bullshit man….I mean even if it’s supposed to be a compliment. It’s body shaming either way and objectifying. I mean how bad does it wound when guys talk about tit size right? Even IF it’s complimentary.” He takes in the thing about Joey “Oh I don’t like guys like Joey at all…..guys who brag about fucking someone….then you find out later…..it was really not ok for the girl. I dunno if that’s this guy but I played hockey with a fe like that. And he knocked up two women? So he wasn’t being careful…..even worse. I mean we’ve all been careless once in a blue moon but it he makes a habit then he’s just a ass. I hope you beat him good. I know I shouldn’t say that...but I’ve got two sisters. I’m not their keeper but the less assholes out there the better.”

Iris snarls “Don’t defend them...at all. Never mind the barge I want a fucking bat. Line Devon up with them too. Married men are bad news. So are selfish men, coercive manipulative gaslighting bastards, rapists, and violent men who use romps as a change to try stuff that’s just fucking creepy. We’ll watch each other’s backs Paige...these guys are young so maybe that’s good. But text or signal me at the first sign of trouble and I will kick some ass. And don’t ever settle for not having an orgasm. This isn’t the 1950s…..women are sexual beings and we will assert our power in the bedrooms of this planet dammit.”

Seamus nods his agreement.  “Oh, I did … It was worth every minute of my three day suspension, too.  But I wish I knew where he was now. Because during the fog I found out out he tried to rape my sister and her best friend.  Of course I’d be in prison now instead of talking to you, but …”  He nods.  “Daisy .. one of the girls Joey got pregnant .. had a girl.  Olivia.  Very cute kid.  Daisy is kinda needy and I help her with the kid.  But she can get kinda clingy.  I don’t know if you’ve ever had to deal with that before.”

Paige looks at her sister with deepest admiration.  “You should be the oldest.  You’re the strongest.”  she sighs.  “I’ve had young men, but it isn’t fair to judge them.  The time in the bookstore was nice.”  she snorts.  “I do assert my power in the bedroom.  I’ve had three men and the one who made me cum as me.  Alone.  Well not always in the bedroom, but you know.  At least I know what feels good?”  she sighs.  “I wish I could be as confident as you hen it comes to men.”  and then she looks curious.  “Or were all yours shitty too?”  she suddenly wonders.

Sasha’s jaw clenches “Oh fuck that….I wouldn’t want you in jail but fuck that.” He nods “Mia was clingy but it was short lived. Mind you I was clingy with Manon in the end. Maybe this Daisy is afraid you’re running away on her…..I mean clearly you enjoyed talking to Iris. Maybe you just need to tell Daisy….put that Dear John letter down for her….it sucks but it’s closure.”

Iris shakes her head “I’m strong because I’ve had you to lean on Paige. Knowing what you like is always the first step...then you need a guy who lets you show him. Who takes the time. I only really had one of those long term...Devon, but he kept me on the side. Sure he was good to me sexually...well sort of. He pushed the BDSM envelope hard. I can do some of that but there’s a line for me where it’s uncomfortable. He crossed it. I mean I’m pretty god damned open minded.  But somehow I end up with these guys who make me feel like I’m holding them back...and I push myself to please them. I should take my own advice. I guess I was talking to me too. And with lots of casual meet ups, some were great fun, other times I thought I might be raped or murdered and had to get out fast. It’s why I stopped that...there are some sick people out there. For some reasons worse in Vancouver than Victoria. The last guy…..he almost made me want to take down my blog and become a nun. Joe he said his name was, probably not his real name, Everyone has a kink, we try to accommodate….so Joe’s thing was about the fact that he wanted to do it in the delivery truck for the place he worked Colmer Deliveries..I remember the truck. He wanted to park the truck somewhere and do it in the back. I initially said yes but then you know you just get that little voice in your head that says don’t do this…...well we started driving and was getting remote,,,his route. So at a red light I unclipped, unlocked and ran for it into a nearby gas station. Thankfully he didn’t follow me but then there was this awful news story of a woman my age who was sexually assaulted in a delivery truck and beaten and left on the side of the road. What if it was this Joe person? I can’t put myself in those situations anymore….it was overwhelming.”

Seamus shakes his head.  “No Daisy and I aren’t like that.”  he explains.  “We had a deal from the first time we had sex … it was friends with benifits.  You know.  I even bring it up a couple times a year and she’s always saying she’s fine with it.  If I get a girlfriend … ever  …  I’d call it off with her.  But … no .. I think Daisy is just clingy with … men.”

Paige listens to Iris's stories, but her look becomes horrified with Joe, the delivery guy's story.  “Oh, Iris.”  she blinks.  “Yes … please .. no more of that.”  She takes a moment to calm down.  “Well … Seamus isn’t a hook up.  You met him in person and have confirmation from that cashier.  Al .. that this name is Seamus … and not his brother Owen.”  she giggles a little bit.  “Did you get a last name?”  she wonders.  “I mean this is a small town so I bet everyone knows him.”

Iris clicks around on her phone and flashes the contact “Reinhardt. Did you get Sasha’s last name? Something French I assume from the accent…..I’m sure in a town this size we can find out more before we go on that date. I did tell him I work at the library...perhaps that was a bit too trusting. But I don’t think he’s a Joe. I mean even that bookstore geek knows him and witnessed our chat so I feel ok. And he didn’t suggest we go somewhere remote. It’s a bookstore. We’ll ride there on the ferry and then I assume a bus, and both of us together not alone with either of them. It’s a stupid world that we have to consider all this but I’m not taking risks anymore and neither should you….with bodies or hearts.”

Sasha nods “I’ve never been able to pull of a casual exchange like that but I respect it. Hopefully she takes it well if you do hit it off with Iris or anyone in the future. How long have you and Daisy had this arrangement? And she has a child? I will live vicariously...I think I might be a sort of relationship junkie.” He laughs.

Seamus doesn’t look worried.  “Yea.  She’ll be fine.”  he predicts.  “We got together just after she got pregnant with Olivia.  Her mother had thrown her out so she stayed with us a couple of days.  My first time in a bed.”  he snorts and then considers.  “The saying is Reinhardt's fall hard.”  he sighs a little.  “My parents, my uncle, my brother.  All of my siblings.  Except for me.”  he snorts out a laugh.  “My Uncle Mikey identified as gay … married a woman as his beard, it went so far.  Had a secret boyfriend none of us knew or even met who died before he could come out of the closet … and then he fell in love with Aunt Steph.  They’ve been together ever since.”  he snorts another laugh.  “Me?  Nothing like that.”

Paige blows out a breath.  “No, he didn’t give me one.  But you’re right.  It is a small town and I’ll keep my eyes and ears open for a last name .. or maybe even to see him again.”  she bites her lip.  “I’m already excited.  And it’s not even a fabric outing.”  she groans and laughs at the same time.  They stop on the corner where the police station is, and across the street and down a bit, they see a man kneeling and patting a sleepy looking dog.  He glances up and Paige notices, even from her distance the burns on his face.  “Iris … look.”  she whispers and nods in the mans direction.  “You go home, I’m going to say hello to him.”  It’s the burns.  She’s never met a fellow burn victim, and this man was in the uniform of a fireman.

Sasha listens,and his eyes go wide many times over. His friend’s relationship with a pregnant woman, the bed thing he nods at “The bed thing is rare at our age. I’m an expert at cars though…” He jokes and then marvels at the Reinhardts all having such love and the uncle who walked the spectrum of sexual preferences in both directions “Wow….well nothing’s written in stone they say.” He pats Seamus on the shoulder “That also means your not falling in love is also not written in stone. It’ll happen one day and it will be epic.”

Iris smiles at her sister and then giggles. She tilts her head at the man with the burn scars, the fireman. She looks like she might hover and then thinks about it steps back. This was Paige’s journey. She knew how much pain and shame Paige carried about her burns, how she hid them. The man looked like a sweet old guy, almost a bit like their grandfather had when he was a little younger and clearly his own traume was written right on his face. She nodded at Paige “Ok, I’ll see you at home.” Iris locked eyes with the man for a moment, in warning maybe, or understanding perhaps that she was entrusting him with her sister.

Seamus shrugs when his new friend pats him on the shoulder.  Love was not for him.  He’d accepted that a long time ago, even if he was still young.  “Maybe.”  he hedges.  “Let’s go play video games or something.  My place or yours?”