WIP 4-Part Special//Part Two: Tea With My Characters!

Hey y'all! Welcome to week two of the 2020 WIP Special!! This week we have something fun for you. Instead of having a bunch of questions about our characters, we decided to pretend we invited our characters over for tea. 

I don't know about the other participants, but it definitely stretched me, not only in figuring out what my characters would do, but in being honest with how I am as well. I may also out myself a few times in some...not so nice ways. But hey! Just being honest!

I hope you enjoy!!

~Welcome Home~

My doorbell rings, answered by a nervous bark from down the hall, where Chester is kept secure. A black blur zooms past me as Dustfinger races to his sanctuary inside the couch. D'Jetta, who had been sleeping soundly in her bed, shoots to her feet in attention. Her ears prick towards the door as she gives a tiny woof.

Wiping my hands on my pants, I make my way to the door. Part way there, I realize I never let my hair down out of its knot on the top of my head. For a brief moment, I debate the perks of looking nice, then decide it's not worth the effort. It's a blessing I wasn't caught in sweatpants and a tanktop. It'll have to do.

I yank the door open. A foursome stands outside. "Hey, y'all! Come on in!"

A woman with dark red hair and freckles steps in, her hands cradling a dish. "Thank you so much for havin' us over, sweetheart!" Lianna beams at me. "I brought a pie. Where would you like me to put it."

"Thank you." Her kind gesture catches me by surprise. "You can put it in the kitchen." 

Her gaze trails down to my bare feet. "Do we need to take our shoes off?" She begins to stoop down and unlace her sandals. 

Quickly, I shoo away her worries. "Oh! No, there's no need." I glance over my shoulder at the living room, which is filled with dirty dog toys and pet hair that had accumulated since I cleaned. I doubted anyone could track in more dirt than my critters already did. 

D'Jetta comes trotting over to see who is at the door. Her nails make a scratching sound with each step and her tail thwacks the couch with every swing. With noisy sniffs, she greets each person. 

With another bright smile, Lianna whisks away towards the kitchen. Her husband, Cyril, follows after her, silent as always. Behind them, a young man, with identical freckles and hair to his mother, steps in, then stops and looks back at a young woman standing on the front porch. Her dark eyes scan my house, clearly uneasy. 

"It's all right, Londiwe," Warrick encourages her. "She's an old friend of my family." 

I try to smile welcomingly. "Come on in. There's heaps of food waiting for us." It didn't matter what it was that made her uncomfortable. Food was the answer. At least, that was always my logic.

Sure enough, this seems to prompt her just enough to get her through the door. She gives the couch a curious glance, cocking her head at the open recliner portion. I laugh, used to guests being confused by the weird quirk. "That's where my cat, Dustfinger hides. He's not a fan of company."

"Dustfinger," she says in slow syllables. "A strange name." Her many, black braids topple off her shoulder as she turns to me. "Is it common here?"

My thoughts flicker back to the strange looks the vet techs gave me when I announced his name years ago. "No."

I lead them through my living room to the kitchen. As I step through the entryway, I stop in horror. Lianna is already busying herself with getting utensils and dishes out. Swallowing the control freak inside of me at the sight of someone else preparing food in my kitchen, I go to get the rest of the food and drinks ready. 

D'Jetta has found her latest target in Cyril. Her big ears perk forward as she sits primed to snatch any handouts he might try to sneak. No matter where the burly man walks, she sticks close to his heels. 

"Please don't feed her," I say as I set two heavy trays of crackers and fruit on the kitchen island. "She has bad manners when it comes to food."

In a few minutes, all the food and drinks are laid out on the island. "If Cyril will pray for us, then we can go ahead and dive in."

Without hesitation, we all bow our heads while he says a quick prayer. The same moment he says "Amen", War plows his way over to the front of the line. Lianna slaps at him with her towel. "Ladies first."

"It's all right," I tell her. "We go by a first come, first serve basis here."

She sighs, but allows him to continue through the line. We all motion to Londiwe to go ahead, as she had been standing off to the side by herself. She hesitates, but then proceeds, doing her best to not make eye contact. 

We all go through, pile our plates high, and then gather around the table. Conversation swirls pleasantly. 

"Have you all seen Vic since you've been back in the states?" I ask with my mouth full of salsa.

Lianna shakes her head. "He's been busy with helping the new government. We are planning on meeting up next month." A gentle smile graces her face. "It'll be nice to see him again." 

War has all but stopped eating. A distant look shadows his expression.

"You've missed him?" I ask, knowing full well the answer. 

"Yeah."

"So, Londiwe," I continue, trying to change the subject, "how do you like it here?"

She starts and looks up at me, her eyes wide. "It is...nice. There isn't as much farm land as I am used to." Her eyes flicker towards the window, where one can see our pasture. Our tiny herd of goats and chickens wander about in the grass, munching away. Our guardian dog, Jack, can be spotted in the woods, sleeping after a long night of circling the property. She looks back at the table, where the remnants of our meal dirty our plates, then at the company, then over at the quiet house, and finally down at D'Jetta, who circled the table, stopping briefly for pets. "This is more like home."

I smile. "I know what you mean."

~~~

I hope you enjoyed that! It's kind of rough, but it was really helpful in figuring out my characters a bit. 

Make sure you check out the rest of the participants' posts!

Julian

Catherine

MK