Page 17 of Jeremiah
“I don’t care. I really don’t.” Hugging him again, he asked him if he had any plans. “I thought we could go into town and grab some dinner before I have to get back. I know you guys normally eat together with the others but I want some time with just you. All right?”
“Sure, I’d love that. I have some things I have to pick up in town anyway.” The two of them went into town together. That was when Cliff noticed that his brother had some white paint on his face. When he went to rub it off, he found that it was gray hairs. For some reason, that made him laugh again. His baby brother wasn’t much of a baby anymore.
They talked about everything that they had going on. He found out that Lexy was teaching online classes about animals across the world. That Jeremiah still kept in contact with the school back home. And he wasn’t at all surprised to find out that Jeremiah and Lexy put money into banks everywhere they went so that if something ever happened, there would be funds to use. Tornadoes or the like. Yes, his brother was brilliant.
~*~
Loren enjoyed his time with his brother more than the others, he thought. They still teased him for being a king and made crowns for him that they were expected to wear around. For all their teasing of him, it was difficult work to be the king of anything. Still, he loved them and would do anything in the world for any of them.
It had taken him four months to get things set up so that he could enjoy his time with Jeremiah. The fact that he’d asked him for a month to visit had made him work extra hard on getting coverage. Joel was extremely helpful by doing some of the duties that he could but it was the queen of all the earth that made things especially easy for him to spend time with Peanut.
“I’ve been wanting to ask you about getting more shifters here. Not to work, not really, but I think that it would be a good time while we’re resting this time to get some new acts for the coming season.” Loren asked him if he was thinking of expanding. “No. Gosh no. I have more work now than I can usually get to. No, what I’m wanting to do is to make a second circus that would travel to the places that we can’t. Bring in animals that wouldn’t normally be in a circus setting. I’m talking about magical animals that would be able to help the faeries and kings and queens of other lands like it does you guys when you come here.” He sat down hard. “What did you think I was going to do?”
“Fire me.” He enjoyed Jeremiah’s laughter. “I don’t know what it is you’d fire me from. All I do is send you help when you need it. Though I have to tell you, it’s a great deal of fun trying to get one up on you when you ask for more workers. Were you surprised when the last bunch showed up? How long did that take you to figure out that you had the president shifting into a large cat for shows.”
“To be honest, if not for one of the others telling me, I wouldn’t have known. I don’t get out much, as you know.” Hugging Jeremiah, he told him how green the president was when he got shit on by one of the elephants on his first day. “I thought for sure he was going to go home. Christ, I still laugh about it. He was literally covered from head to boots in elephant poop. But he was a real trooper. Just stalked over to the hoses that are forever lying about and had them scrub him off with one of the many brooms. Then he went right back to work.”
“You know, he never told me that part when I asked him if he had fun.” I don’t suppose you got any pictures, did you?” He handed him one picture, and it was perfect. “I’m going to have to tease him about this. His wife must have known, now that I think about it. She kept telling me that he certainly got his pores cleaned out. Now I understand.”
They both laughed, and he told his brother that he loved him. Laughing he told Loren that there was a lot of love being spread around here this time. That all of them had made a point to tell him and Lexy that.
“Because we do love you. And love that you’re making this work for us, too. And I have to tell you, I love that you’re going to be doing something like this for the others in the other realms. I know a couple of people who could use a good, hard laugh. You’re a good man, Jeremiah. A very good man.” His brother was embarrassed, and it took him a while to get his own emotions under control. Just as he was going out of the camper that they all shared, his wife came in. Hanna hugged his brother harder than she did him. Then he showed her what she’d gotten. It was a pretty sash that proclaimed her to be the head nursery mother.
“I get to play with the baby animals, Loren. They have about twenty-five of them from little…I get to play with the babies and help the kids understand how to be gentle—” Hanna hugged Jeremiah again. “You’ve done me a solid, Jer. I hope you know that. I will remember this trip more than any other because you let me play with the babies.”
“It was Lexy’s idea. She said that you, of all people, would know what the animals were about and interesting facts that you could share.” Hanna said she was going to go and find her. “I believe she’d in the nursery tent.”
When Hanna left, nearly dancing her way to find Lexy, Loren couldn’t help it. He asked her if Lexy really had thought of it. At his nod, then the shaking of his head had him laughing. He had no doubt that in less time than it took his mate to race to the nursery tent, Lexy would be telling him he was in trouble. Or maybe not. Loren decided to find Hanna and play with the babies, too. He hoped they had a baby porcupine. Those were his favorite baby animals.
Loren looked around as he was walking toward the other tent. It startled him that things were so clean. Trash cans lined up the entrance that the public used and there were that many or more all over the grounds. Even the animals looked clean to him. Looking at the bottom of one of the larger tents, he couldn’t believe how white it was compared to anything else that he’d seen in other places. The trucks seemed to be in good working order. The flyers that were around town, too, he remembered were bright and eye-catching. There were several people in town handing out tickets that could be used for some of the games of chance. One of them was his dad.
“Good to see you, Dad. Are you having a good time?” He only laughed. Dad was in his element of being able to talk to people without being told he was talking too much. Dad handed him a string of tickets and told him to help. Loren was having a great time until Dad came and told him it was time to get back. Whatever he did at the Peanut tonight, it wouldn’t compare to hanging out with his brother and dad like he had today.
~*~
Saul had had a rough morning and he didn’t want to be hanging around anyone that was in a chipper mood. That included children who were coming to this thing, too. Stretching his neck, he was avoiding his family most of all. After talking to Jeremiah, Saul was going to take the night off so that he could get his shit together. Those were his words, not his brothers. He hated people right now.
Making his way as far away from the crowds as he could, he flopped himself down on the ground and growled. Whoever came up on him had better have their will made out. He was going to start something that was going to be more than anyone could chew. Smiling just a little, he decided that his anger wasn’t to be tempered by a smile. He was mad.
“Mister.” He told the little girl to go away. “I’m lost, and I can’t find my mommy.” He glared at her, and she put her hand on her hip and glared back. “You’re not a nice person. I just wanted you to help me.”
“Go away, kid. I’m in a terrible mood, and I don’t want to say something to you that will have you bawling all over me. Go find one of the clowns. They’ll help you find your mom. Why are you talking to me anyway? Didn’t anyone ever teach you to stay away from strangers?” The little girl huffed at him and then sat down next to him with her back to the tree. “Kid? Didn’t you hear what I said to you? I’m in a terrible mood, and you’re not helping.”
“Well, I don’t care. I’m in a terrible mood, too.” She looked at him and then turned her face to the crowd. “I don’t even know why I’m in a terrible mood. It’s your fault. How could I be in a terrible mood when I’m at the circus, I ask you.”
He nearly laughed. But when she looked at him, her brow cocked like his own wife was good at doing, he covered his mouth with his hands. She leaned back on the tree and crossed his arms over her chest as he’d done.
“I’m supposed to be meeting my grandda today. Are you a grandda?” He said that he had too many grandchildren to keep track of. “Well, that’s a mean thing to say. I bet that they don’t like to hang out with you, either. You’re an old sour pussy, aren’t you?”
“I’m having a bad day.” She asked him why he was taking it out on her. “Because you’re bothering me.” That was when he noticed that she had a long scar along her leg. It was still pink it was so fresh. “How did you do that? Tangling with something bigger than you? See, you’re too trusting, and it will get you into trouble all the time.”
“It was how my daddy saved me. He didn’t want to do it, but he stuck a long knife in my dress I had on and cut me too. If he’d not done that, I’d not be here.” She looked up at him again. “I don’t guess you care either, do you?”
“I do too care. What are you…when did this happen? I can smell that you’re a wolf. Why didn’t you shift? That would have taken care of it.” She said that she was waiting to meet her grandda so that he and her could run in the woods. “Huh. Well, that sounds like a stupid plan. He’ll probably be more concerned that you’re hurt than running with you. I would be, anyway. Do you know how to even shift?”
“No. Dad was going to tell me but he’s been too busy of late. That’s what he says all the time. My momma died when I was—you’d probably blame that on me too, won’t you?” He looked at the little girl and watched her face. Then he asked her how her momma had died. “She and her brother were trying to save a little boy from drowning. My uncle Sam was all right, but my momma, she died.”
“Your mother, was she Lynn Tate Brown?” She looked at him again and just stared at him. “You’re Lynn Brown’s little girl, aren’t you? Your name is Sara.”