62)

Well. I guess that’s how it feel to get told “Not my circus, not my monkeys.”

Kind of hard to get upset about it considering how many times it’s been my own attitude. She’s not my family, which means I’m not her concern. It’s a little annoying, but I guess now I don’t need to explain myself to her either. So it’s a little bit of weight off of me.

I gave her a nod and finished putting away all the lunch stuff. “So what time do we need to get you to the airport.” She pulled out her phone, “Let me check when a flight’s available, oh and I’ll arrange to get the wreck hauled off.”

As I got the last of the food put away she announced we would have to leave within an hour, or would have to wait another five. Since I wanted her gone, and guessed that right now the kids would want the same, I went looking for them. Plan was to take them with me to the airport, then on with me to the grocery store.

It would mean a long trip with three kids in the car, and a bit of an adult brat for the first half of it. But if I had the kids with me at the grocery store, I could let them, and by them I mostly mean Sara, pick out what they wanted instead of having to listen to her complain about what I decided to pick up.

I tracked them down to the hall bath where Sara was finishing up on the phone while Ami listened in. Splashing sounds from inside the bath told me the older girl had given up on wiping Aran down with a damp cloth and just tossed him in the tub instead.

I check my watch. “We heading out in half an hour to get your aunt to the airport. So Sara, finish up on the phone sometime soon, and Ami, could you get some clean cloths laid out for Aran.” I leaned over her to knock on the door. “Finish soaping up and rinse off kiddo, we going to get more food.”

By their aunt’s estimate we had more time, but having kids along could make the simplest things take forever, and the witch seemed like the sort of girl to always runs late.

My jeans and shirt passed the quick look in the mirror inspection. But I had to stop by my room for socks, boots, wallet, change, watch, and my pocket knife.

I headed downstairs to get the witch’s headed toward my car, only to see her standing in the open door of the library on the second floor, she jumped a little when I walked up next to her.

She waved at the room. “Why?”

I glanced in. “I’m single and when my friends got married I adopted their collections, then I had the money to buy everything else, so it’s more of a why not.”

She shook her head. “No, why a Gatling gun, I could see the rest of it, but how could you even get ammunition for a Gatling gun. Do they even still make what ever you would need for one?”

I glanced over at the gun. “It’s replica that can fire three oh eight, but I only fired it once at a gun range and used up everything I had bought for it. Once was enough to try it out, and it was such a pain to clean it I never did so again.”

Reaching around her I pulled the door shut, cutting off her view before she decided to look around more. I was trying to get her out the door. “Other they trying it out, there ain’t much reason to use it. Shotgun works fine when bad company comes around.”

She gave me a wry look.

“Not you.” I shook my head at the very idea. “I’d get the deer rifle with the scope and hide behind something several hundred feet away if I was going to shoot you. Safer that way.” I started heading downstairs.

She followed along with a snort. “Try it old man. See what happens.”

I waved a finger in the air over my shoulder at her. “Remember you gave me permission. No take backs.”

She began to protest until I turned around and held out my hand. “Keys. I need to move your luggage over to my car. Meet you out front.”

She glared at me but passed them over.

Outside I found the remains of some fast food packaging in the passenger foot space. A couple of shopping bags full of clothing that looked to be in sizes for all three kids, and a single overnight bag in the back seat. Nothing in the thunk.

So she wasn’t planning on staying all that long, but wanted to make sure the kids had a clean set of clothes in case I had them still just wearing what ever they had arrived in. Not sure what exactly what she had been thinking, but at least she had been thinking a little bit about their welfare.

I then herded the kids out, after the whines about changing their clothes, then got them in the truck. Tracked down the aunt checking out my swimming pool. Got her in the car, then got Sara and Ami who had gone over to look at their aunt’s car back into mine.

So twenty minutes late from what I said to the kids, ten minutes early from what the witch had said to me. I’ll take it as a win.

It only took us about an awkward forty minute drive to get to the municipal airport. Although it went faster after I turned on the radio and let the kids choose the station with the rear seat controls. Once there the witch directed me up to a security gate, and spoke across me to the guard. “lEt mE iN, cAll nO oNe.”

From there she directed me to a private plane. “On good, they are still here. I don’t have to find another plane.”

She turned to look into the back seat before she got out of the truck with her one bag. “I got you some clothes kids, I got a little bigger from your sizes at last Christmas. Since I figured it was better a little to big instead of too small. See you guys soon, and sorry about your childhood home. Bye.”

What a way to make a exit. Leave them wanting less.