okay, so I know that many are still coping with the drama of the season's finally, but I say let Huddy live on in shabiki fic...even if D. pwani is an indian giver :D Please come, grab a comfy chair and your fav beverage...even if it needs to be alcoholic after the little 180 we just endured...and read some fic...and leave me maoni :D
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Hands wrapped around a steaming cup of hot cider, Lisa Cuddy watched as her niece and nephew ran excitedly up and down the mti lined isles of the krisimasi mti lot, their laughter trailing behind them in crystalline puffs of air. Smiling, she carefully lifted the paper coffee cup to her lip and took a sip of the flavorful liquid within.
“Four Jew’s in a krisimasi mti lot; sounds like good start for a really racist joke.”
Lisa looked over her shoulder at her sisters smiling face and shook her head. “Well the two smaller ones are really only half Jew’s so…” she trailed off with a smirked.
Karen shrugged and took a sip from her own cardboard cup. “Since Paul converted wouldn’t that make them at least 2/3 Jew?” she laughed lightly her eye’s following her children as they circled one mti after another.
Tossing the end of her plaid scarf over her shoulder, Lisa snickered and gave her sister a noncommittal shrug.
As the pair made their way down aisle towards the two frolicking kids, Karen reached out and brushed a pile of snow off a nearby branch. “I still can’t believe wewe put up a tree,” she stated. “You know Bubbe would turn over in her grave if she knew,” she teased.
“A krisimasi tree, despite its name, isn’t innately Christian. Plus they’re pretty and make the house smell nice,” Lisa sighed, adjusting her sun glasses.
Karen snickered. “Yeah, I’m sure that argument would have convinced Bubbe. I can hear her now. ‘Lisa,’ Karen alisema in a gravelly voice clearly imitating their dead relative, ‘You would break this old ladies moyo kwa putting this abomination up in your home? wewe are trying to kill an old lady?” Karen alisema hobbling hunched over alongside Lisa, her face scrunched up in a grumpy pout.
Lisa laughed and rolled her eyes. “You forgot to throw in the fact I’m nearing 40, unmarried and childless…” she alisema her voice loosing it’s teasing tone as each word picked away at her soul.
Karen stopped in her tracks as Lisa’s voice trailed off. “She wouldn’t say that,” she returned softly. Placing her hand on Lisa’s kanzu, koti sleeve, she pulled her to a stop. “She’d be just as proud of wewe as we all are. wewe know that right?” she asked, her forehead wrinkled in concern.
Looking down into her cup, Lisa suddenly felt stupid having alisema anything, even if it had started in jest. She did of course know her family was proud of her and when she had told them she was going to try artificial insemination to start a family of her own they had all been excited, especially the females of the clan who had been zaidi than willing to offer up their support and personal experiences for her glen from. She was blessed to have the family she did, and she didn’t ever take that for granted. Taking a sip from her quickly cooling cup of cider, she finally brought her eyes back to her sister’s concerned ones. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to throw a bucket of ice water on our morning. I don’t know why I brought it up,” she confessed softly.
Considering her for a moment, Karen reached over and lifted Lisa’s sunglasses so she could look directly into her eyes. “If there is something, anything, wewe need to talk about wewe know I’m here for ya right?” she asked, ignoring Lisa’s attempt to sweep the clearly sensitive subject under the metaphorical rug.
Lisa started into her sisters bright bahari ya kijani, kijani bahari eyes for a moment and for a sekunde considered spilling the details of the past few weeks to her, but the middle of ‘Big Jim’s mti Farm’ wasn’t really the right time au the place, nor did it keep with her personal pledge to put a certain cranky doctor out of her mind. Shrugging the thoughts off, she forced a small reassuring smile onto her face. “I just want to enjoy siku with wewe guys, okay?” she nearly pleaded.
Karen looked at her sister’s pretty face closely. She knew her baby sister well enough to know there was something going on, but she also knew it would be pointless to try to get it out of her younger sibling if she didn’t want to talk. Taking a breath, she nodded in resignation. “Well then, let’s go pick out your culturally inappropriate holiday symbol then,” she smiled, rubbing Lisa’s arm warmly.
Lifting a hand to bring her sunglasses back down onto her nose, Lisa turned and headed towards her niece and nephew. “So Gracie, Scotty, which one will it be?” Lisa asked, reaching out a hand to pat the juu of Grace’s pink and purple knit hat.
Tilting her head back, Grace’s large slate blue eyes looked up at her aunt. “I think this one’s the best,” she stated, patting the branches of the mti in front of her. “But Scotty likes that skinny one over there,” she related, her nose crinkled up in disgust as she pointed at the scrawny blue spruce propped up along the fence across the aisle.
“My mti is not skinny!” Scott argued. Tugging on his aunt’s coat, he demanded her attention. “It’s pretty isn’t it Auntie Lisa?” he asked, his big blue-green eye begging for her approval.
Eyeing the pathetic looking tree, she placed a hand alongside his cheek and nodded her agreement in spite of herself. “It is very nice indeed. Kinda reminds me of the Charlie Brown’s krisimasi tree,” she lied carefully.
“Charlie Brown krisimasi tree?” Scott asked, his vacant look clearly inaonyesha his confusion at reference.
Lisa sighed and looked up at her sister. “See what keeping them sequestered in a “Jew’s Only” world has done? They don’t even know basic cultural references,” she chided playfully.
Karen rolled her eyes. “Yeah I’m sure the fact that, that cartoon’s from the 60’s has nothing to do with it,” she laughed.
Feigning shock that her sister had just basically called her old, Lisa turned back to her nephew. “I have the video at home, we’ll watch it when we get back,” she told him.
“Okay,” Scotty returned excitedly as he walked over and patted his mti of choice. “We’re taking this one, the Charlene Brown tree?” he asked, giving his sister a Victorious smile, to which she quickly stuck out her tongue at him.
“Charlie Brown,” Lisa corrected, “You know with Snoopy,” she added. Then turning her attention on the spruce in question, she eyeing the pathetic stump pretending to be a tree. Biting her bottom lip, she carefully chose her inayofuata words. “Well, we could get this tree,” she started, to which Scotty beamed, “But,’ she continued, “do wewe think it’s big enough for all the decorations?” she asked hoping he would take the bait. “Those snowflakes wewe made me last mwaka are pretty big,” she added hold her hand up to demonstrate the size of the fore mentioned items for effect.
Three years older and always an incredibly bright child, Grace picked up on her Auntie’s tactics quickly. Joining her brother kwa the mti she gently brushed a mitten cover hand over one of the emaciated limbs. Lowering her voice to a secretive level, she leaned in and asked, “Do wewe think this branch will be strong enough to hold secret surprise wewe made for Auntie Lisa?”
Looking up at his big sister, Scott warily considered the question. After a moment he stepped away from the mti and looked up at his mother and aunt. “Maybe we could get a taller one,” he suggested.
Lisa bit back a smile. “If wewe think that’s best,” she said, struggling to keep laughter from her voice.
Chewing on his bottom lip Scotty gave the thought another once over before nodding with certainty. “Yeah, I think a taller one is better,” he stated matter of factly.
Unable to contain it any longer, a smile spread across Lisa’s face. “Well then…let’s go find a taller one,” she stated, waving her hand towards the herds of other trees further up the aisle. With that Scotty was off.
Looking up at her aunt, Grace gave her a winning smile. Lisa eyed the 7 mwaka old closely. “You’re too smart for your own good,” she stated through a smirk.
Grace shrugged and pulled her hat on tighter to her head. “That mti was too ugly for your pretty house,” she remarked calmly, “And Scotty is still small enough to fool; I’m taking advantage of that while I still can,” she explained simply.
“Grace Marie!” Karen admonished at the 7 mwaka olds response. “Your little brother is only 4 years old!” she reprimanded.
Placing a hand on her hip, Grace sighed dramatically. “Yeah, I know! I only have about a mwaka left. Before ya know it he’ll be in school and then I won’t be able to get anything past him,” she declared matter of factly.
Rolling her eyes skyward, Karen sighed. “Just…go and help him find a tree,” she grunted, “and leave the mind games out of it,” she called after the little girl as she ran toward the other end of the mti lot.
Taking the hand that she had placed over her mouth to keep her from laugh aloud, Lisa let her laughter wingu the air in front of her.
“You find that funny, do ya?” her sister asked, heading off in the direction the kids had taken.
Still laughing, Lisa nodded.
“Good, when she’s a teenager I’ll send her to live with wewe then,” Karen smiled.
Suddenly the head of the very child whom they spoke poked out between two trees a few feet away from them. “Auntie Lisa, we found the perfect one!” Grace called out excitedly.
“Okay,” Lisa acknowledged.
Rolling her eyes a bit, Gracie sighed. “Well hurry up before someone takes the only good one here!” she stated.
Grinning widely at the little girl whom she loved so much, Lisa shooed her with a wave. “I’m coming! Go guard this national treasure of a tree,” she directed.
Nodding her head seriously, Gracie ducked between the branches and was gone.
Shaking her head in amazement, Karen glanced over at her sister. “On sekunde thought, why wait till she’s 13, I can have her packed tonight,” she sighed.
Spotting the half smile on her sister’s face, Lisa began to giggle. Before long both women were laughing, their melodious sound filling the crisp morning air like a song.
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“So we just need karanga siagi and a bag of Hershey’s Kisses right?” Karen confirmed as she shrugged on her gray wool coat.
Looking up for the bowl in front of her, Lisa glanced quickly at the recipe book to her right. “Yeah I think that’s it. Oh and don’t forget to stop at King and I for the take out.”
“Me forget Thai food? Right! I haven’t had a meal that doesn’t come with a fries and koki since wewe and I went out a couple of months ago,” she grumbled grabbing her mfuko wa fedha, mfuko from the counter.
Chuckling, Lisa wiped her hands on a dishtowel. “Don’t worry, someday the kids will grow up and stop out voting your chajio, chakula cha jioni choice in favor of McDonald’s,” she smiled.
Giving her a look that said, “yeah right,” she quickly pulled on her hat and turned for the door. Stopping inayofuata to the sofa, she planted kisses to the juu of each of her kid’s heads. “I’ll be back in a bit, be good,” she instructed. Without taking their eyes off the picha of Charlie Brown and his mti as they played out on the TV screen, both kids numbly mumbled, “I will.”
Giving Lisa a final wave, Karen turned and disappeared into the front entry.
Hearing the front door close, Lisa looked down into the ceramic bowl in front of her and the half mixed batch of karanga siagi Blossoms she and her sister had begun to make before realizing they were missing two critical ingredients. Giving the mixture a final poke with a fork, she picked the bowl up and headed for the fridge. Having depositing the fork in the sink and the bowl on a the shelf, she stopped on her way to the living room to check the temperature gage on one of the three heaters her brother in law’s labors had dropped off that morning. Pumping their electric heat into the kitchen, living room and bedroom, her nyumbani far from toasty warm, but 60 was still better than the 35 it had gotten to earlier that morning. Satisfied that the heater was working properly, she tugging her sweater closer to her body and padded off into the living room just as Charlie Brown and his gang began loo looing to the tune of Hark the Herald Angle’s Sing. Placing her hands on the back the couch, she crouched over it to peek at Grace and Scott. “So, what did wewe think?” she asked nodding at the TV as the credits rolled.
“His mti really was pretty in the end,” Gracie confessed softly, her eyes down turned.
Lisa tilted her head at the little girl’s honesty. Sharp as a whip and with a tongue just as pointed, she was always glad to see the capacity she also head for understand her short comings and seeing the other side of situations.
“I liked Snoopy’s decorations on his dog house,” Scotty stated, not picking up on his sisters admission.
Placing a hand on his head, his aunt gave it a ruffle. “Me too, but they looked even better on the mti didn’t they?” she asked.
Nodding his head in agreement, Scotty looked up at her. “When we gonna put up your tree?” he asked excitedly.
“Well…” she alisema slowly, “I was going to suggest wewe two put in the Grinch while I go out to the karakana to get the decorations. When your mom gets back we’ll get started.” Lisa alisema through a smile.
Getting up to stand on the sofa in front of her, Scotty bounced up and down. “I can help wewe carry decorations!” he alisema excitedly. “I’m strong,” he alisema flexing his arm to onyesha off his tiny mucle.
Biting back a smile, Lisa gave the small bicep an obligatory squeeze. “You’re right, it’s HUGE,” she grinned. “But your boots are still wet from this morning. So, why don’t you,” she alisema lifting up the blanket he had just tossed off, “cuddle here under the blanket and watch the Grinch and then wewe can help me with unpack the boxes later," she offered as a compromise.
Giving her a calculating look that was a comical as it was cute, Scotty finally nodded in agreement and flopped back down onto the sofa. Leaning down, Lisa pecked his cheek before turning to her niece. “The DVD is on the shelf, do wewe need my help finding it?” she asked.
Hopping up, Grace went over to stare at the small collection of DVD’s that lined one of the bookshelves in Lisa’s living room. “Nope I’ve got it,” she said, easily plucking the case from the shelf.
As the opening notes of the movie begun, Lisa turned for the entry where she had left her boots earlier. “Okay darlings, I’ll just be in the karakana if wewe need me,” she alisema over her shoulder. Both small head bobbing in understand, she turned into the entry and quickly dressed herself in her outer wear.
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Stepping out onto her front porch, Cuddy paused a moment to let her eyes adjust to the bright sunlight reflecting off the knee high snowdrifts in her front yard. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath of the crisp air and reveled in unusual silence that filled her neighborhood. She loved moments like this when world around her seeming silent, white and calm. So much of her life was anything but those things. Her days often passed in blurs of color, noise and stress, so she treasured moments such as this probably zaidi the most. Finally lifting her eyelids, Lisa let out a luxurious sigh before heading down the steps of her porch.
Cutting across her lawn, Lisa made her way through the deep snow towards her garage. She had considered going around on the sidewalk that her yard service had diligently cleared earlier that day, but the clean, unsoiled crust of snow in her front yard seemed to call out to her and she had answered. Making her way towards the garage, the cold seeped though her jeans to her legs, prompting her to songesha zaidi quickly. ‘When does a person grow out of frolicking in the snow,’ she wondered. She often watched Grace and Scott play for hours in yard, how is it they didn’t freeze, but one quick trip across her yard had her shivering? Shrugging off the thought, she quickly stomped her feet clean of loose snow on the driveway as she turned the knob on the side door of the garage.
Stepping into the dark, Lisa reached blindly for the button to raise the karakana door. Finally locating it, she gave it a tap and headed for the storage lockers in the back of the room. As she pulled open the doors and began rummaging thought the boxes and totes stacked inside, familiar rubble slowly filtered into the karakana and into her consciousness growing louder kwa the second. Yanking a tote off the bottom shelf she felt her body tense as the roaring engine made a turn into her driveway. Peeking out of the corner of her eye, she watched as the tall and lanky form cut the engine off then carefully dismounted onto the pavement of her driveway. Turning her back to his approaching form, Lisa yanked at heavy box labled ‘Holiday Décor.” in the back of the closet, cursing all along at the now familiar stirring in the pit of her stomach.
Suddenly House was at her side. “What are wewe trying to do, bust a spleen?” he asked.
Lisa jumped at his voice then cursed herself silently for it. ‘When did he learn to songesha around so quietly?’ she wondered. Craning her neck back to look up at him, she suddenly realized how close he was to her. Trying to take a step back, she bumped into the door behind her. Finding no escape from his proximity, at least not one that wouldn’t mean brushing past him, Lisa firmed up her stance placing her hands on her hips. “What are wewe doing here House?” she demanded evenly.
Without answering, House hooked his cane on his wrist then reached past her to pull the box she had been struggling with from the shelf.
Lisa stared at him for a moment a little taken aback kwa his behavior. Shaking it off, she reached to take the cardboard carton from him. “Well?” she asked, placing her hands on each side of the box and giving it a tug.
As in all things, House was unrelenting. Taking a step back, he moved the box from her grasp then tuned about and slow limped towards the exit.
Slacked jawed, Lisa watched his retreating back in shocked silence. Finally find words, she scurried after him. “House, were are wewe going?” she demanded.
Stopping in the middle of her driveway, he glanced back at her. “Taking this into the house,” he alisema as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Lisa shook her head, “Why do wewe think I want it there?” she asked hotly, placing her hands on her hips.
Grinning crookedly, House turned and headed back down the driveway.
Finally coming in step behind him, Lisa grabbed the sleeve of his leather jacket. “House!” she nearly shouted.
Grunting with frustration, he looked down at her. “The box says its holiday decorations and seeing as its 3 degrees out here, I highly doubt you’re out here just rearranging the garage,” he stated crisply. “Now do wewe want me carry this in au not?” he asked bluntly.
Squinting at him, Lisa shook her head and a finger at him. “Not until wewe tell me why you’re even here,” she insisted.
Rolling his eyes dramatically he nodded to the backpack hang off his right shoulder. “Brought wewe your evidence au lack there off. It’s not Cushing’s, I need a biopsy,” he stated, moving once again down the sidewalk towards her walkway.
Closing her eye’s she sighed. “Thought wewe needed to drill a hole in her head to hakikisha Cushing’s,” she finally retaliated as she moved to jiunge him on the walk up to the house.
Climbing the steps of her porch, House paused and waited for her to open the front door. Lisa stopped short of it and stared up at him expectedly. “It’s freezing out here Cuddy, and the file’s in my bag…mind if we do this in the house where it’s not freezing and I’m not holding a 50 pound box of menorah’s and dradles?” he snarked.
Blowing out a long breath, she felt her resolve slipping. He clearly had other motives for coming to her house. He could have called to annoy her about a procedure on the phone au as he often did, simply could have kwa passed her all together and bullied Chase into doing it without authorization. No, he obviously had other reasons for being here and honestly after the weird end to their phone conversations earlier that day, she was curious to see what they were. “Fine,” she grumbled pushing on the door, “But wewe best be on your best behavior, my niece and nephew are here!” she warily warned, stepping into her foyer.
An eyebrow raised, House followed her into the house. “Niece and nephew? I didn’t know your sister had spawned,” he returned flippantly.
Lisa rolled her eyes and shut the door. “House…for someone who ‘knows’ people, wewe can be really dense sometimes,” she grunted pulling her boots off. “I’ve had pictures of them on my dawati for years!”
Setting the box on the floor, he shrugged. “Oh, I thought those were the pictures that came with the frames,” he lied, a sliver a smile creeping onto his face.
Seeing the smirk, Lisa groaned and threw a glove, glovu at him. “House I swear…” she mumbled.
Side stepping the projectile, House shrugged then turned back to open the front door once again.
“I thought there was a file wewe wanted me to look at?”
Slipping his backpack off his shoulder, House unceremoniously tossed it at her feet. “It’s in there,” he alisema stepping over the threshold and onto the porch.
Grabbing the door as it began to swing closed, Cuddy stared at him in confusion. “Where are wewe going?”
Glancing back at her, House lifted his cane in the direction of the garage. “That other box of holiday crap, wewe want that inside too right?” he asked, making his way down the steps.
Blinking blankly at his odd behavior, all she could muster was a weak nod. With that he was off and down the walkway. For a long moment she stood stone still watching him limp towards the garage. House was voluntarily helping her? God, he must have maimed, au worse yet, killed his patient, her mind jumped. Letting go of the door, she turned quickly to the bag he had tossed in her direction. Picking it off the floor she moved out of the cold foyer and into the dining room. Bring the backpack to the large mahogany meza, jedwali in the center of the room, Lisa quickly pulled back the zipper and took out the blue patient file from within. Pulling out a chair she sat down and began flipping through the notes and test results.
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Hands wrapped around a steaming cup of hot cider, Lisa Cuddy watched as her niece and nephew ran excitedly up and down the mti lined isles of the krisimasi mti lot, their laughter trailing behind them in crystalline puffs of air. Smiling, she carefully lifted the paper coffee cup to her lip and took a sip of the flavorful liquid within.
“Four Jew’s in a krisimasi mti lot; sounds like good start for a really racist joke.”
Lisa looked over her shoulder at her sisters smiling face and shook her head. “Well the two smaller ones are really only half Jew’s so…” she trailed off with a smirked.
Karen shrugged and took a sip from her own cardboard cup. “Since Paul converted wouldn’t that make them at least 2/3 Jew?” she laughed lightly her eye’s following her children as they circled one mti after another.
Tossing the end of her plaid scarf over her shoulder, Lisa snickered and gave her sister a noncommittal shrug.
As the pair made their way down aisle towards the two frolicking kids, Karen reached out and brushed a pile of snow off a nearby branch. “I still can’t believe wewe put up a tree,” she stated. “You know Bubbe would turn over in her grave if she knew,” she teased.
“A krisimasi tree, despite its name, isn’t innately Christian. Plus they’re pretty and make the house smell nice,” Lisa sighed, adjusting her sun glasses.
Karen snickered. “Yeah, I’m sure that argument would have convinced Bubbe. I can hear her now. ‘Lisa,’ Karen alisema in a gravelly voice clearly imitating their dead relative, ‘You would break this old ladies moyo kwa putting this abomination up in your home? wewe are trying to kill an old lady?” Karen alisema hobbling hunched over alongside Lisa, her face scrunched up in a grumpy pout.
Lisa laughed and rolled her eyes. “You forgot to throw in the fact I’m nearing 40, unmarried and childless…” she alisema her voice loosing it’s teasing tone as each word picked away at her soul.
Karen stopped in her tracks as Lisa’s voice trailed off. “She wouldn’t say that,” she returned softly. Placing her hand on Lisa’s kanzu, koti sleeve, she pulled her to a stop. “She’d be just as proud of wewe as we all are. wewe know that right?” she asked, her forehead wrinkled in concern.
Looking down into her cup, Lisa suddenly felt stupid having alisema anything, even if it had started in jest. She did of course know her family was proud of her and when she had told them she was going to try artificial insemination to start a family of her own they had all been excited, especially the females of the clan who had been zaidi than willing to offer up their support and personal experiences for her glen from. She was blessed to have the family she did, and she didn’t ever take that for granted. Taking a sip from her quickly cooling cup of cider, she finally brought her eyes back to her sister’s concerned ones. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to throw a bucket of ice water on our morning. I don’t know why I brought it up,” she confessed softly.
Considering her for a moment, Karen reached over and lifted Lisa’s sunglasses so she could look directly into her eyes. “If there is something, anything, wewe need to talk about wewe know I’m here for ya right?” she asked, ignoring Lisa’s attempt to sweep the clearly sensitive subject under the metaphorical rug.
Lisa started into her sisters bright bahari ya kijani, kijani bahari eyes for a moment and for a sekunde considered spilling the details of the past few weeks to her, but the middle of ‘Big Jim’s mti Farm’ wasn’t really the right time au the place, nor did it keep with her personal pledge to put a certain cranky doctor out of her mind. Shrugging the thoughts off, she forced a small reassuring smile onto her face. “I just want to enjoy siku with wewe guys, okay?” she nearly pleaded.
Karen looked at her sister’s pretty face closely. She knew her baby sister well enough to know there was something going on, but she also knew it would be pointless to try to get it out of her younger sibling if she didn’t want to talk. Taking a breath, she nodded in resignation. “Well then, let’s go pick out your culturally inappropriate holiday symbol then,” she smiled, rubbing Lisa’s arm warmly.
Lifting a hand to bring her sunglasses back down onto her nose, Lisa turned and headed towards her niece and nephew. “So Gracie, Scotty, which one will it be?” Lisa asked, reaching out a hand to pat the juu of Grace’s pink and purple knit hat.
Tilting her head back, Grace’s large slate blue eyes looked up at her aunt. “I think this one’s the best,” she stated, patting the branches of the mti in front of her. “But Scotty likes that skinny one over there,” she related, her nose crinkled up in disgust as she pointed at the scrawny blue spruce propped up along the fence across the aisle.
“My mti is not skinny!” Scott argued. Tugging on his aunt’s coat, he demanded her attention. “It’s pretty isn’t it Auntie Lisa?” he asked, his big blue-green eye begging for her approval.
Eyeing the pathetic looking tree, she placed a hand alongside his cheek and nodded her agreement in spite of herself. “It is very nice indeed. Kinda reminds me of the Charlie Brown’s krisimasi tree,” she lied carefully.
“Charlie Brown krisimasi tree?” Scott asked, his vacant look clearly inaonyesha his confusion at reference.
Lisa sighed and looked up at her sister. “See what keeping them sequestered in a “Jew’s Only” world has done? They don’t even know basic cultural references,” she chided playfully.
Karen rolled her eyes. “Yeah I’m sure the fact that, that cartoon’s from the 60’s has nothing to do with it,” she laughed.
Feigning shock that her sister had just basically called her old, Lisa turned back to her nephew. “I have the video at home, we’ll watch it when we get back,” she told him.
“Okay,” Scotty returned excitedly as he walked over and patted his mti of choice. “We’re taking this one, the Charlene Brown tree?” he asked, giving his sister a Victorious smile, to which she quickly stuck out her tongue at him.
“Charlie Brown,” Lisa corrected, “You know with Snoopy,” she added. Then turning her attention on the spruce in question, she eyeing the pathetic stump pretending to be a tree. Biting her bottom lip, she carefully chose her inayofuata words. “Well, we could get this tree,” she started, to which Scotty beamed, “But,’ she continued, “do wewe think it’s big enough for all the decorations?” she asked hoping he would take the bait. “Those snowflakes wewe made me last mwaka are pretty big,” she added hold her hand up to demonstrate the size of the fore mentioned items for effect.
Three years older and always an incredibly bright child, Grace picked up on her Auntie’s tactics quickly. Joining her brother kwa the mti she gently brushed a mitten cover hand over one of the emaciated limbs. Lowering her voice to a secretive level, she leaned in and asked, “Do wewe think this branch will be strong enough to hold secret surprise wewe made for Auntie Lisa?”
Looking up at his big sister, Scott warily considered the question. After a moment he stepped away from the mti and looked up at his mother and aunt. “Maybe we could get a taller one,” he suggested.
Lisa bit back a smile. “If wewe think that’s best,” she said, struggling to keep laughter from her voice.
Chewing on his bottom lip Scotty gave the thought another once over before nodding with certainty. “Yeah, I think a taller one is better,” he stated matter of factly.
Unable to contain it any longer, a smile spread across Lisa’s face. “Well then…let’s go find a taller one,” she stated, waving her hand towards the herds of other trees further up the aisle. With that Scotty was off.
Looking up at her aunt, Grace gave her a winning smile. Lisa eyed the 7 mwaka old closely. “You’re too smart for your own good,” she stated through a smirk.
Grace shrugged and pulled her hat on tighter to her head. “That mti was too ugly for your pretty house,” she remarked calmly, “And Scotty is still small enough to fool; I’m taking advantage of that while I still can,” she explained simply.
“Grace Marie!” Karen admonished at the 7 mwaka olds response. “Your little brother is only 4 years old!” she reprimanded.
Placing a hand on her hip, Grace sighed dramatically. “Yeah, I know! I only have about a mwaka left. Before ya know it he’ll be in school and then I won’t be able to get anything past him,” she declared matter of factly.
Rolling her eyes skyward, Karen sighed. “Just…go and help him find a tree,” she grunted, “and leave the mind games out of it,” she called after the little girl as she ran toward the other end of the mti lot.
Taking the hand that she had placed over her mouth to keep her from laugh aloud, Lisa let her laughter wingu the air in front of her.
“You find that funny, do ya?” her sister asked, heading off in the direction the kids had taken.
Still laughing, Lisa nodded.
“Good, when she’s a teenager I’ll send her to live with wewe then,” Karen smiled.
Suddenly the head of the very child whom they spoke poked out between two trees a few feet away from them. “Auntie Lisa, we found the perfect one!” Grace called out excitedly.
“Okay,” Lisa acknowledged.
Rolling her eyes a bit, Gracie sighed. “Well hurry up before someone takes the only good one here!” she stated.
Grinning widely at the little girl whom she loved so much, Lisa shooed her with a wave. “I’m coming! Go guard this national treasure of a tree,” she directed.
Nodding her head seriously, Gracie ducked between the branches and was gone.
Shaking her head in amazement, Karen glanced over at her sister. “On sekunde thought, why wait till she’s 13, I can have her packed tonight,” she sighed.
Spotting the half smile on her sister’s face, Lisa began to giggle. Before long both women were laughing, their melodious sound filling the crisp morning air like a song.
**********
“So we just need karanga siagi and a bag of Hershey’s Kisses right?” Karen confirmed as she shrugged on her gray wool coat.
Looking up for the bowl in front of her, Lisa glanced quickly at the recipe book to her right. “Yeah I think that’s it. Oh and don’t forget to stop at King and I for the take out.”
“Me forget Thai food? Right! I haven’t had a meal that doesn’t come with a fries and koki since wewe and I went out a couple of months ago,” she grumbled grabbing her mfuko wa fedha, mfuko from the counter.
Chuckling, Lisa wiped her hands on a dishtowel. “Don’t worry, someday the kids will grow up and stop out voting your chajio, chakula cha jioni choice in favor of McDonald’s,” she smiled.
Giving her a look that said, “yeah right,” she quickly pulled on her hat and turned for the door. Stopping inayofuata to the sofa, she planted kisses to the juu of each of her kid’s heads. “I’ll be back in a bit, be good,” she instructed. Without taking their eyes off the picha of Charlie Brown and his mti as they played out on the TV screen, both kids numbly mumbled, “I will.”
Giving Lisa a final wave, Karen turned and disappeared into the front entry.
Hearing the front door close, Lisa looked down into the ceramic bowl in front of her and the half mixed batch of karanga siagi Blossoms she and her sister had begun to make before realizing they were missing two critical ingredients. Giving the mixture a final poke with a fork, she picked the bowl up and headed for the fridge. Having depositing the fork in the sink and the bowl on a the shelf, she stopped on her way to the living room to check the temperature gage on one of the three heaters her brother in law’s labors had dropped off that morning. Pumping their electric heat into the kitchen, living room and bedroom, her nyumbani far from toasty warm, but 60 was still better than the 35 it had gotten to earlier that morning. Satisfied that the heater was working properly, she tugging her sweater closer to her body and padded off into the living room just as Charlie Brown and his gang began loo looing to the tune of Hark the Herald Angle’s Sing. Placing her hands on the back the couch, she crouched over it to peek at Grace and Scott. “So, what did wewe think?” she asked nodding at the TV as the credits rolled.
“His mti really was pretty in the end,” Gracie confessed softly, her eyes down turned.
Lisa tilted her head at the little girl’s honesty. Sharp as a whip and with a tongue just as pointed, she was always glad to see the capacity she also head for understand her short comings and seeing the other side of situations.
“I liked Snoopy’s decorations on his dog house,” Scotty stated, not picking up on his sisters admission.
Placing a hand on his head, his aunt gave it a ruffle. “Me too, but they looked even better on the mti didn’t they?” she asked.
Nodding his head in agreement, Scotty looked up at her. “When we gonna put up your tree?” he asked excitedly.
“Well…” she alisema slowly, “I was going to suggest wewe two put in the Grinch while I go out to the karakana to get the decorations. When your mom gets back we’ll get started.” Lisa alisema through a smile.
Getting up to stand on the sofa in front of her, Scotty bounced up and down. “I can help wewe carry decorations!” he alisema excitedly. “I’m strong,” he alisema flexing his arm to onyesha off his tiny mucle.
Biting back a smile, Lisa gave the small bicep an obligatory squeeze. “You’re right, it’s HUGE,” she grinned. “But your boots are still wet from this morning. So, why don’t you,” she alisema lifting up the blanket he had just tossed off, “cuddle here under the blanket and watch the Grinch and then wewe can help me with unpack the boxes later," she offered as a compromise.
Giving her a calculating look that was a comical as it was cute, Scotty finally nodded in agreement and flopped back down onto the sofa. Leaning down, Lisa pecked his cheek before turning to her niece. “The DVD is on the shelf, do wewe need my help finding it?” she asked.
Hopping up, Grace went over to stare at the small collection of DVD’s that lined one of the bookshelves in Lisa’s living room. “Nope I’ve got it,” she said, easily plucking the case from the shelf.
As the opening notes of the movie begun, Lisa turned for the entry where she had left her boots earlier. “Okay darlings, I’ll just be in the karakana if wewe need me,” she alisema over her shoulder. Both small head bobbing in understand, she turned into the entry and quickly dressed herself in her outer wear.
********
Stepping out onto her front porch, Cuddy paused a moment to let her eyes adjust to the bright sunlight reflecting off the knee high snowdrifts in her front yard. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath of the crisp air and reveled in unusual silence that filled her neighborhood. She loved moments like this when world around her seeming silent, white and calm. So much of her life was anything but those things. Her days often passed in blurs of color, noise and stress, so she treasured moments such as this probably zaidi the most. Finally lifting her eyelids, Lisa let out a luxurious sigh before heading down the steps of her porch.
Cutting across her lawn, Lisa made her way through the deep snow towards her garage. She had considered going around on the sidewalk that her yard service had diligently cleared earlier that day, but the clean, unsoiled crust of snow in her front yard seemed to call out to her and she had answered. Making her way towards the garage, the cold seeped though her jeans to her legs, prompting her to songesha zaidi quickly. ‘When does a person grow out of frolicking in the snow,’ she wondered. She often watched Grace and Scott play for hours in yard, how is it they didn’t freeze, but one quick trip across her yard had her shivering? Shrugging off the thought, she quickly stomped her feet clean of loose snow on the driveway as she turned the knob on the side door of the garage.
Stepping into the dark, Lisa reached blindly for the button to raise the karakana door. Finally locating it, she gave it a tap and headed for the storage lockers in the back of the room. As she pulled open the doors and began rummaging thought the boxes and totes stacked inside, familiar rubble slowly filtered into the karakana and into her consciousness growing louder kwa the second. Yanking a tote off the bottom shelf she felt her body tense as the roaring engine made a turn into her driveway. Peeking out of the corner of her eye, she watched as the tall and lanky form cut the engine off then carefully dismounted onto the pavement of her driveway. Turning her back to his approaching form, Lisa yanked at heavy box labled ‘Holiday Décor.” in the back of the closet, cursing all along at the now familiar stirring in the pit of her stomach.
Suddenly House was at her side. “What are wewe trying to do, bust a spleen?” he asked.
Lisa jumped at his voice then cursed herself silently for it. ‘When did he learn to songesha around so quietly?’ she wondered. Craning her neck back to look up at him, she suddenly realized how close he was to her. Trying to take a step back, she bumped into the door behind her. Finding no escape from his proximity, at least not one that wouldn’t mean brushing past him, Lisa firmed up her stance placing her hands on her hips. “What are wewe doing here House?” she demanded evenly.
Without answering, House hooked his cane on his wrist then reached past her to pull the box she had been struggling with from the shelf.
Lisa stared at him for a moment a little taken aback kwa his behavior. Shaking it off, she reached to take the cardboard carton from him. “Well?” she asked, placing her hands on each side of the box and giving it a tug.
As in all things, House was unrelenting. Taking a step back, he moved the box from her grasp then tuned about and slow limped towards the exit.
Slacked jawed, Lisa watched his retreating back in shocked silence. Finally find words, she scurried after him. “House, were are wewe going?” she demanded.
Stopping in the middle of her driveway, he glanced back at her. “Taking this into the house,” he alisema as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Lisa shook her head, “Why do wewe think I want it there?” she asked hotly, placing her hands on her hips.
Grinning crookedly, House turned and headed back down the driveway.
Finally coming in step behind him, Lisa grabbed the sleeve of his leather jacket. “House!” she nearly shouted.
Grunting with frustration, he looked down at her. “The box says its holiday decorations and seeing as its 3 degrees out here, I highly doubt you’re out here just rearranging the garage,” he stated crisply. “Now do wewe want me carry this in au not?” he asked bluntly.
Squinting at him, Lisa shook her head and a finger at him. “Not until wewe tell me why you’re even here,” she insisted.
Rolling his eyes dramatically he nodded to the backpack hang off his right shoulder. “Brought wewe your evidence au lack there off. It’s not Cushing’s, I need a biopsy,” he stated, moving once again down the sidewalk towards her walkway.
Closing her eye’s she sighed. “Thought wewe needed to drill a hole in her head to hakikisha Cushing’s,” she finally retaliated as she moved to jiunge him on the walk up to the house.
Climbing the steps of her porch, House paused and waited for her to open the front door. Lisa stopped short of it and stared up at him expectedly. “It’s freezing out here Cuddy, and the file’s in my bag…mind if we do this in the house where it’s not freezing and I’m not holding a 50 pound box of menorah’s and dradles?” he snarked.
Blowing out a long breath, she felt her resolve slipping. He clearly had other motives for coming to her house. He could have called to annoy her about a procedure on the phone au as he often did, simply could have kwa passed her all together and bullied Chase into doing it without authorization. No, he obviously had other reasons for being here and honestly after the weird end to their phone conversations earlier that day, she was curious to see what they were. “Fine,” she grumbled pushing on the door, “But wewe best be on your best behavior, my niece and nephew are here!” she warily warned, stepping into her foyer.
An eyebrow raised, House followed her into the house. “Niece and nephew? I didn’t know your sister had spawned,” he returned flippantly.
Lisa rolled her eyes and shut the door. “House…for someone who ‘knows’ people, wewe can be really dense sometimes,” she grunted pulling her boots off. “I’ve had pictures of them on my dawati for years!”
Setting the box on the floor, he shrugged. “Oh, I thought those were the pictures that came with the frames,” he lied, a sliver a smile creeping onto his face.
Seeing the smirk, Lisa groaned and threw a glove, glovu at him. “House I swear…” she mumbled.
Side stepping the projectile, House shrugged then turned back to open the front door once again.
“I thought there was a file wewe wanted me to look at?”
Slipping his backpack off his shoulder, House unceremoniously tossed it at her feet. “It’s in there,” he alisema stepping over the threshold and onto the porch.
Grabbing the door as it began to swing closed, Cuddy stared at him in confusion. “Where are wewe going?”
Glancing back at her, House lifted his cane in the direction of the garage. “That other box of holiday crap, wewe want that inside too right?” he asked, making his way down the steps.
Blinking blankly at his odd behavior, all she could muster was a weak nod. With that he was off and down the walkway. For a long moment she stood stone still watching him limp towards the garage. House was voluntarily helping her? God, he must have maimed, au worse yet, killed his patient, her mind jumped. Letting go of the door, she turned quickly to the bag he had tossed in her direction. Picking it off the floor she moved out of the cold foyer and into the dining room. Bring the backpack to the large mahogany meza, jedwali in the center of the room, Lisa quickly pulled back the zipper and took out the blue patient file from within. Pulling out a chair she sat down and began flipping through the notes and test results.
I hide myself from the world,
building up walls to keep people out,
I try to keep them up, but instead,
wewe just knock them right back down.
Why do wewe really care if I'm happy?
Is it just wewe caring au is it love?
I want to ask wewe so many questions,
but it's rather hard to do,
because there is so much I want to confess to you.
About how my upendo grows for wewe deeper and deeper everyday,
and how everytime I see you, I could fade away.
Though I'd never protest my upendo to you,
in the way I'm saying it now.
But, I promise one day, I'll onyesha it,
some way, some how.
--------------------
Sorry guys if it's not really good,
it's my first poem.:/
building up walls to keep people out,
I try to keep them up, but instead,
wewe just knock them right back down.
Why do wewe really care if I'm happy?
Is it just wewe caring au is it love?
I want to ask wewe so many questions,
but it's rather hard to do,
because there is so much I want to confess to you.
About how my upendo grows for wewe deeper and deeper everyday,
and how everytime I see you, I could fade away.
Though I'd never protest my upendo to you,
in the way I'm saying it now.
But, I promise one day, I'll onyesha it,
some way, some how.
--------------------
Sorry guys if it's not really good,
it's my first poem.:/