Annette:Yeah, from one room to another. You don't walk for, you know, the practice of walking.
Brooke:Well, I went for a walk today. Fresh air, birds, sunshine. It was glorious.
Annette:I have several questions about this but I'd like to start with this—how dare you?
Brooke:How dare I what?
Annette:Do whatever you're doing without telling me!
Brooke:We cannot be those women who walk together in the mornings. Honey, no. I love you but we can't get a set of matching visors. That's not our look.
Annette:Let's presume it was a very late night. Let's also presume that it was a satisfying outing for you, even if it's not one you're willing to discuss with me.
Brooke:Why is it so hard to believe that I went for a walk?
Annette:If it was an early morning outing of the amorous variety, I applaud you. Morning sex for me is an experience made possible by virtue of already being in bed. Getting up and going out for sex at that hour is commendable. If we gave out awards for outstanding performances in getting some, you'd win in the Early Morning, Out of the House category.
Brooke:How much coffee did you drink today? You're wired, sweet pea.
Annette:You only deflect when I'm close to the truth.
Brooke:I'm worried about you. Go over to the pharmacy and get your blood pressure checked.
Annette:I'm keeping an eye on you, Markham.
Brooke:Don't stop with one eye. Use both of them. That's why you have two.
* * *
Brooke:This is going to sound ridiculous, but I'm asking anyway.
Annette:I'm here for it. Give me all the ridiculous.
Brooke:Where can I get really good fried chicken?
Annette:Quantify "really good."
Brooke:I have to tell you a story in order to do that.
Annette:I love your stories. I'm going to refill my coffee and sit down with a cupcake for this.
Brooke:Dad has been talking about his time in the National Guard recently. When I say recently, I mean it's the only thing he's talked about for the past week and I'm ready to start plucking my eyelashes out if it will make him stop.
Annette:Your father was in the National Guard? I didn't know that!
Brooke:Allegedly. I haven't done any digging to confirm or deny the story, but this is the first I've heard of his service.
Annette:Weird. Go on.
Brooke:It seems he enlisted after high school, trained with the state National Guard during college in Orono, and then spent a few months in Texas after graduation.
Annette:He was deployed to…Texas?
Brooke:It's hazy. Can't be certain. Dementia is a liar. This could be a story he read once upon a time or something he watched on television. It could be a mashup of things he believes to be true.
Annette:I know he's older than my parents, but not so old that he would've been down at the Alamo.
Brooke:Who fucking knows. But he claims he had the best fried chicken of his entire life while in Texas. In one retelling, it was near Galveston. In another, it was Plano.
