SG Vol. 1 pt. 17

Naomi may not be able to see my disappointed glaring, but Tabitha definitely can as I glare at her for how much of a mess she got herself and my daughter.

They’re covered in dirt, mud, grass, leaves – if it was out in the yard, it’s on them now.

“Thanks for the meal, lil bro!” Tabitha says, rubbing the back of her head with one hand as her other goes for the taco on the plate I set out for her.

Meanwhile, Mom looks in her taco and moves its contents around a little bit to check and see if I’m making good on my threat.

She’s only doing it to tease me. I know it because she knows that I’d never try to trick her into taking her pills.

Between these two women, I can’t catch a break.

“Good thing ya bought some meat while it’s still cheap,” Tabitha says.

“That hurricane still heading this way?” I ask.

“Yep. Hurricane Mandy. Ya know what the next name to be used to if another storm pops up?”

“No, and I don’t really care.”

“Naomi!”

I squeeze my taco hard enough that its hard shell breaks and falls onto the plate beneath it.

Why the – who thought it would be a good idea to put her name on the list for tropical storms? My Naomi doesn’t deserve to be associated with shit weather.

“They’re gonna name a storm after me?!” Naomi excitedly asks.

“Yep! It’s because of how cool you are,” Tabitha explains.

Naomi looks so happy that a storm might get named after her.

Alright, whoever’s in charge of naming these storms. I’ll let you go this time.

“Oh! Umm, what’s the cane thing have to do with food?” Naomi asks.

“The agri ships have to sail away to avoid them,” I explain.

“Agri ships?”

“Agriculture ships.”

“What’re those?”

“Big ships out on the ocean that grow food and livestock for us.”

“Why do they do it on ships?”

“Because we don’t have the land to spare here. Too many people, not enough land for farming. You know those really tall towers we drive by sometimes?”

“Yeah!”

“Most of our food is grown in those or on agri ships.”

“Look at ya!” Tabitha says. “You’re already actin’ like a teacher even at home! Your big sis is so proud of ya. Now, ya just gotta do somethin’ about that attitude of yours.”

I reply to her by glaring at her. My glaring gets interrupted when Mom lightly smacks my arm. “She’s not wrong, you know,” Mom tells me. “You really do need to work on how grumpy you always are.”

Ugh. This is annoying. I just want to enjoy dinner with my daughter but I’m getting harassed instead.

“It’s okay, papa! I’ll love you even if you’re grumpy!” Naomi says.

All the annoying feelings wash away thanks to Naomi’s words.

“Ya can’t spoil him or he’ll never get better!” Tabitha tells her.

Now those feelings are back.

“Don’t make me toss you out,” I threaten Tabitha.

“Can I at least take my tacos with me?” Tabitha asks.

“Yeah. I’ll throw them at you after tossing you out.”

“Can ya aim ‘em at my mouth?”

I’m about to throw my own taco at her.

“So,” Mom interjects, “Tabitha, have you found yourself a man yet? Don’t you think it’s time you have a child of your own? Just look at how well you get along with Naomi!”

Tabitha almost spits her food out before frantically shaking her head. “Me? Hah, no way! My only loves are in the hangars back on base! I’d never dream of cheatin’ on ‘em.”

“You’re wasting your good looks on that! Just imagine all the cute kids you could have! And, between your pay from the military and the government supporting you, you’d never have to work again!”

“You don’t have to work if you have kids?” Naomi asks.

Mom says, “That’s righ—”

“Don’t even think about it,” me and Tabitha tell Naomi in perfect unison.

Naomi looks confused, but that’s for the best.

“Speakin’ of cheatin’, your boy here was makin’ friends with a cute nurse today,” Tabitha tells Mom.

I’m seriously five seconds from kicking her out.

“Papa is making friends? Good!” Naomi says as innocently as ever.

“Oh, thank you Lord,” Mom says.

It really says something about my relationship when even Mom is hoping that I cheat on Kate.

“She’s just some girl Zane sent to me to make friends with since she’s new,” I explain.

“Bless Zane’s heart,” Mom says. “If you won’t do it yourself, somebody has to.”

“I’m about to toss both you and Tabs out.”

“Papa! Be nice,” Naomi says with a pout and some cheese stuck on her cheek.

Come on, Naomi. You’re supposed to take my side. You’re supposed to make it two against two, not one against three.

“Seriously though, just a friend,” I explain.

“You’re making progress if you’re actually calling her your friend!” Mom says.

“I – I don’t mean it like that. You know what I mean. She’s just some girl who happens to be on the same base as me.”

“Come on, lil bro, you won’t even admit that we’re friends!” Tabitha says.

“Because we’re not. You’re an annoying mechanic girl obsessed with metal.”

“An annoyin’ mechanic girl obsessed with metal who really needs to start comin’ over more. I always forget how good of a cook ya are!”

“They’re just tacos.”

“Come on, ya big humble thing! You’re even blushin’ a bit! Just take the praise and accept that you’d make a better wife than a hubby.”

“I seriously, seriously hate you.”

“Darn, ya already stopped blushin’.”

“You pushed him too far and now we don’t get to enjoy the sight of him being flustered,” Mom says.

“I’m going to put you in a home,” I threaten her.

They both start laughing which makes Naomi start giggling despite having a full mouth.

I’d tell her to finish swallowing her food first if I wasn’t addicted to her laughter.

I hope she doesn’t grow up to be as annoying as these women are. That would ruin me.

A short time later and dinner is done with. Naomi is a mess, so I have to wipe her face off which makes her pout, and Tabitha finally does something useful by doing the dishes for me. It’s the least she can do after making Naomi a mess and getting a free meal out of me. Then there’s the fact that she tracked dirt through the house.

Guess I’m cleaning the carpets before I go to bed since I know Kate sure as fuck won’t.

“Glaring at the carpets isn’t going to clean them, Lance,” Mom says, placing her hands on my shoulders from behind. “Let me clean them. You go ahead and get to rest early tonight. Your eyes kept closing during dinner.”

Now that she says it… I do feel pretty tired.

I swear. Twenty-seven years old and I still feel like I’m treated like a kid when it comes to Mom. Well, if my old habits die hard, hers are probably the same. Plus… I’d be lying if I said it isn’t nice to know she’s still trying to look out for me.

“Don’t forget to take your pills, alright?” I tell her.

“I never do,” Mom answers.

It’s nice having somebody who needs medication and knows to take it themself instead of forcing it on them.

“Looks like lil bro needs an early bedtime,” Tabitha teases from the kitchen.

“I still have enough energy to toss you out,” I reply.

“Yeah, yeah. Mind if I work on your gal for a bit after I’m done here?”

“You just want to take her on a drive afterwards.”

“Ya know, you’re not entirely wrong about that.”

“Fine.”

“Oh! Can I go with her?” Naomi asks me.

“If she promises that you’ll both wear helmets,” I say, looking at Tabitha.

“Sure, sure. Promise. Ya know I’d never take her out without one,” Tabitha answers.

Fuck… I’m kind of sore now that I’m standing up. It’s been a while since I’ve run that much, and now it’s catching up to me. I can only imagine how those brats are feeling if I feel like this.

I plant a kiss on Naomi’s head and wish her a good night before walking into my bedroom.

Of course, the bed is a mess, Kate’s clothes are all over the floor, and just… whatever. I don’t care right now. After that bullshit argument with her earlier over groceries, I don’t feel like using any more energy on her. I just want to sleep.

Though, instead of falling asleep immediately, I can’t help but think about something.

Am I really going to be able to teach those brats how to become like me? I feel like a fucking idiot for only thinking of this now, but I’m a unique outcome to my old instructor’s methods. Nobody else turned out like me. Some turned out just as good if not better, but most suffered through training only to die within their first couple of battles.

I’m supposed to be training these cadets to be lasting, killer pilots. What is it that made me this way in specific? It wasn’t just being shouted at and being forced through Hell for months. There had to… have been… something….