Stars on 45 Vol. 2

William awoke to the phone ringing. He grumbled as he turned in bed. The ringing of the phone echoed throughout the small house.

“Gah!” he said. “I’m coming! I’m coming! Hold your damn horses!” William threw back his sheets and jumped out of bed. The old man marched down to the kitchen and grabbed the receiver.

“What is it?” William asked with gritted teeth.

“Uncle?” a woman’s voice asked on the other line. “Did I wake you up?” The old man’s mood lightened.

“Yes, Liz,” he said. “But it’s fine. What’s on your mind?”

“Uncle, I am coming home,” she said. William’s eyes grew wide as he woke up.

“What?” he asked.

“It didn’t work out with Chris,” Liz said. “I needed a break for a while.”

“Uh… sure,” William said. He didn’t know what he was saying at the time. Only after his niece started unloading her problems, did it all sink in.

What did I just do? Too late now.

--------

Muriel smiled as she hummed to herself in the library. Aisha, Clyde, and Lewis all watched, unable to figure out what was going on.

“Mur?” Lewis asked. The old biddy turned to her with a clown-like smile on her face.

“Yes?” she asked. The farmer shivered as she tried to keep calm.

“Did something happen lately?” she asked. Muriel tried not to laugh.

“Yes!” she said. Her friends all looked at each other.

“What happened?” Aisha asked. Muriel clapped her hands together.

“Jules is going back to New London!” she said. Her friends couldn’t react at first.

“Wha?” Clyde asked. Muriel held her breath as she got closer to her friends.

“Her job is taking her back to New London,” she said. “That’s one down, two more to go.” The old biddy leaned back in her chair. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. I love my family. I am just sick of seeing them around town on a daily basis.”

“Okay…” Aisha said at loss for words. Muriel smiled to herself and went back to her book. Her friends all looked at each other again. Oh boy…

---------

“Did you put up the flyers?” Annie asked. Tucker groaned and rolled his eyes.

“Yeah!” he shouted. His wife turned around.

“What was with that tone?” she asked. Tucker looked up from the fryer.

“What tone?” he asked. Annie glared at him.

“You’re doing it again,” she complained.

“What are you talking about?” Tucker asked. His wife growled at him. She threw her dish towel at him.

“Why do you always act like such a wanker?!” she asked.

“I act like a wanker?!” Tucker asked.

“Yes!” his wife shouted. He folded his arms across his chest.

“Is this about the thermostat again?” Tucker asked.

“There is no reason for the house to be so cold in the evening,” Annie said with acid in her voice. Tucker rolled his eyes and walked off.

“Where are you going?!” his wife shouted. He turned his head.

“Out,” he said. The man went out the door.

“Come back here!” Annie yelled. She ran over to the glass doors and looked outside. “Tucker! Get your arse back here, right now!”

---------

Close to noon, Tre woke up to find the house empty. It didn’t matter to him. He just climbed out of bed and wondered down to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and looked inside. Hm, not much inside. Tre closed the door and walked into the living room. When he looked outside, the young man froze. A young woman stood across the street looking around. She appeared to be lost. But, Tre wasn’t focused on that. Who was this beauty in white? Her dress and her hat looked so pristine. Tre’s face turned red.

“Wow,” he said. The man turned and hurried to the bathroom.

----------

Meanwhile, Muriel smiled and turned the page in her book. She hummed to herself the whole time. Lewis, Clyde, and Aisha tried to pretend that everything was fine.

End