YEAH CON, NO DRINKING MILK STRAIGHT FROM THE CARTON! *whacks you with a spoon*
Two V one Conner laddie. Sorry. XD
Yeah, I will admit I am guilty of drinking straight from the carton, but only once and it was fine because nobody else in my family drinks whole milk, and there were no cups. Otherwise, it’s one of my pet peevs.
Yeah, I will admit I am guilty of drinking straight from the carton, but only once and it was fine because nobody else in my family drinks whole milk, and there were no cups. Otherwise, it’s one of my pet peevs.
AH HA!! I have never drunk milk straight from the carton either, mostly because my mom gets the unsweetened kind. Tho if she got chocolate milk I might CONsider it. XD I do quite often drink out of the gallon water jug though.
It was Saturday morning, no one should have to get up at 8:30 on the weekend. Con gruffly shoved his irritation down and rolled over under the covers, it was for a good reason. He chanted that twenty times, convincing himself until he could force his body from the warm embrace of sleep and into the dim interior of his room. He blinked a few times and let out a yawn that ended up being big enough to grip his entire body into an enormous stretch. A few days in a heavenly bed paired with the new non-army schedule had made him miss not having them in training. After a moment of two he fully woke up and his arms and legs came on line, rolling out of bed he quickly dressed in the favored attire of jeans and a plain grey t-shirt. Flipping on a bill cap as he exited his room, he dropped down the stairs two and three at a time. Nexo had mentioned wanting to be gone by 8:50, so he needed to hurry if he was going to get to eat anything. Hurrying into the kitchen and rummaging around he managed to speed-eat five power bars, three of the doughnuts on the counter from last night, a quick bowl of cereal, and washed it all down with two vitamin waters. Nexo gave him a friendly whack on the shoulder as he passed not stopping. "Ready?" Conner snagged a banana he put in his back pocket and an apple he bit to hold onto as he grabbed his blue and white sketchers.
Sliding into the car he dumped his fruit into the cup holder and started trying to shove his feet into his shoes while buckling the seat belt at the same time. Nexo cast an amused glance over to his younger brother. "Bro, I'm gonna tell you this cause I love you….you look like a roasted pig with that apple." Con finished what he was doing and took the apple out minus a bite, "Hey, if I'm gonna operate correctly, I gotta eat." Nexo smile absentmindedly as he piloted the streets, "Yeah, I saw a bit of that, get enough? We can stop somewhere." Con shook his head and swallowed the mouthful he had, "This should tide me over until later." A few moments passed in companionable silence while Conner polished off his fruit before Nexo picked it back up, jumping topics. "Are you nervous?" "Eh, kinda." Like siblings can sometimes do he picked up the conversation mid-thought. "It's….hard. I almost don't want to see her, keep her fresh in my mind as she was before…." Nexo pointed his chin up indicating uncomfortable acknowledgment, and griped the wheel tighter, then spoke in a quiet voice. "Me too, I wish a lot of things from the past could be undone." Con shifted, staring hard at his knuckles, silently feeling the same thing as his brother. They were two sides to the same coin. "But I think you need to do this, I know I always will, as long as she needs me." Conner jerked his head up in a short nod of agreement and they finished the ride together in a feeling of bittersweetness. Pulling up and parking at The New Happy Haven Home for the Mentally Unstable Con took a moment, shoving his hands into his hoodie's kangaroo pocket, to look around and survey the turf. Not only was it now habit, but he wanted to see all the details, it seemed nice. Peaceful.
Slender cherry blossom trees graced the nice architecture of the house before them. It was large and sprawling and evergreen trees encircled the lot it was on. A garden stood nearby with a picket fence surrounding it, and larger gazebo that was almost completely obscured by the large white and pink roses that climbed it. Con smiled faintly, his mom, the one he had known at least would be happy here, and that was comforting in the least. Nexo threw his arm around his bro's shoulders and the walked together into the lobby. Con continued his scrutiny on the inside as Nexo checked them in. The nurse at the deck recognised Nexo and the process went quickly, by now the anxiety that had been lurking in Con's midsection was growing dominant, and it was hard to think about anything else. He just automatically did what he needed to and gave a quick fake smile when Nexo introduced him. The nurse said something about congratulations, and how good it would be for Grace May. Con did a double take and blurted out, "Who's Grace May?" The nurse blinked in surprise, "Umm, your mother. We don't call her Mrs. Oakhurst because the name reminds of things she no longer understands, it's not good for her." Con blushed hot, and muttered a faint, "Oh, uh yeah, right then," while staring in fascination at his sneakers. He had never heard his mom's names, she had always just been mom. He was relieved when they made their way into the wending halls and down corridors to visit her room. Nexo knocked softly and then opened the door when a soft voice told them to come in, he cast a warning glance attempting to steady his younger brother then came into the room smiling.
"Hey, mama, I brought a special visitor for you today." She didn't seem to hear him, she stood fraily at the window with an angelic smile upon her face, and a lace hanky clutched in one hand. "Oh Nathan darling! Come and see the deer on the lawn, they always come at dawn, it's so nice. The fawn is beautiful!" Nexo swallowed hard and came to stand by her gazing out of the window over the empty field beyond it, it was a nice view but not they one she saw. "It's beautiful mama. But I brought you someone special to see." Blinking a few times she seemed to pull herself from the window to look vaugly at him, "Oh but I can't! I'm not ready!" She smoothed at her hair and dress weakly. Nexo put his arm around her waist and started to guide her to one of the comfortable chairs nearby, "No mama, you look perfect, better than ever!" She let him settle her in the chair but still wore her look of vague worry. Nexo smiled again and dropped a kiss on the top of her head, "You'll like this surprise don't worry." Nodding his head at Con to come around they both held their breaths as he edged around to stand by his brother. Grace had been looking away, picking at the edge of her hanky, but now she turned back and her eyes fixed on Con. Con barely restrained the soul crushing sob he felt jerking around inside. She was so changed, her once long brown hair was chin length now, her skin thin as paper with the veins showing through, she had lost lots of weight and her hands shook when they lay open on her lap. But most of all was her eyes. A rush of icy cold froze all his body, it was another person in there, were had his mother gone?
These eyes were living in another world. She managed to quake out one word through her shock, "Conner?" "Yes mama." His voice cracked and he hopped his faint irish accent wouldn't mess up the moment. Everything he had strained, desperate that she would recognize him. For a second he saw her, a shard of his mother, peeking out. A tear slide down her face and she beamed reaching up to touch his face. Then the smile changed, and the stranger came back. "Conner, you silly boy. Is it my birthday already? You and Nexo planned this together didn't you. I love them." She closed her eyes and inhaled softly. "You know how I love white roses, you boys are so thoughtful." She laughed softly and let her hand drop. "It's almost time for dinner you know, we have time for your favorite story though, about the lemon seller." Nexo ducked down into her line of vision and patted her oh so gently on the arm, "Maybe next time mama, we need to go now. We'll be back later okay?" She gave another small laugh, "Oh yes, you need to do the chores, how could I ever forget. We'll do the story later then." She began humming and gazing into a secret distance, Nexo kissed her on the head again then led the way to the door. Con remembered, barely, but he remembered, being two and helping Nexo pilfer the garden clumsily to get her white roses on her birthday. When things were still happy. He made it out of the door then leaned back against the wall, sliding to the floor he gave into the storm inside. The deserted hallway kept watch as he sobbed all the massive brokenness floating in his mind and heart out. Nexo silently sank down next to him and they huddled together like two lost bottles in a turbulent ocean until Con had let out everything he had. It left him drained and empty, but also strangely fulfilled.
Unlike those graduated or public schoolers, I'm still in school! 
