“Yep, you’re getting a bit sasquatch.”
Rocko liked Ellen; she said it the way it was, and he appreciated that.
“Not the look I’m going for,” he chuckled.“Talking of Xavier, has he said anything since his rescue?”
“Nothing, but it seems as though he and Damon understand each other well enough to get by.”
“He never leaves Damon?”
“Never, but I know there’s nothing romantic going on.They’re attached in some way, but no one knows how or why.It’s been that way since the moment Xavier was brought back; even when unconscious, Damon stood guard over him.”
“Maybe we aren’t supposed to understand it and be thankful they have each other in this messed-up world,” Rocko said.
Ellen turned to look at him.“You’re very insightful.Did you know that?”
“I don’t know.It’s how I see things and how my screwed-up brain figures things out.”
Rocko had never given it much thought before.He’d always accepted that his mind worked differently from others, but Rocko never considered himself particularly insightful.As far as he was concerned, it was simply another mutation along with his jacked-up memory, great for party tricks but useless in the physical world.
***
Apollo
Apollo pulled out his list.“We already have the regular supplies and the extra barbecue food Rosaline ordered.We need to pick up our order from the hardware store and stop by the gas depot and restaurant to pay this month’s tabs.”
Griffin grumbled.“I’m getting hungry, and Rosaline’s cooking roast chicken with all the fixin’s for supper tonight.Let’s move this along.”
“Wouldn’t want to get in your way of food, man.”Hendrix laughed as he held his hands up in mock surrender.
“Damn right,” Griffin chuckled, showing off a bit of fang for good measure.
There wasn’t anyone near them, so he was safe to extend them a bit, but they were ever cautious of their surroundings.
“Okay, let’s split up to move this along faster.Hendrix, you go to the hardware store with the truck.Griffin, you head over to the gas station, and I’ll go to the restaurant.We’ll meet up there when you’re done,” Apollo said while tossing the keys to Hendrix.
“On it.”
Apollo turned and headed down the street toward the restaurant.On the way, he stopped to have brief conversations with a few people in the community; it was always a good idea to stay on the locals’ good side and to fit in.The restaurant was busy when he walked in, so Apollo headed to the back service area to check for Mary.Luckily, she was working, and when she saw him, she came over.
“Good afternoon, Apollo,” she said with a smile.“Coffee?”
“No thanks, not today, Mary.Just here to pay our tab.”
“Great, I’ll ring it up for you.”
“Thanks.How’s your dad doing?”
“Good, thank you.He was going out hunting wild turkey tomorrow, but there’s still a mess from that windstorm.”
“I’m glad he’s feeling good enough to consider going hunting.How bad’s the damage?”
“Me too.Dad’s had a hard winter.We’ve got some trees down, and our fence needs to be repaired.”
“Let me see what we can do to help,” Apollo said, already working out a plan to stop by their farm.
“Dad will freak.He’s said that you’ve already done so much for us that he’ll never be able to repay,” Mary confessed.“Though I know he needs the help.”
“You leave that to me.He’ll never know we planned on helping.Just stopping by to be neighborly.”
