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Spring - The last Snow - 3 (Double Stink)

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Danny hunkered down in his room, the wooden door of his room unable to keep out the relentless tide of muffled shouts while his mother and father were fighting in the living room of the family’s home.

He had put on an animated movie for his siblings on his old and battered laptop, a beat-up thing that somehow still worked, despite all the times the younger children had pushed the wrong buttons or put the discs in backward. They were lying behind him on his bed, all four blocked from their parent’s angry confrontation by wearing headphones. Danny was painfully aware why the adults were clashing yet again; for the past year, it had always been the same reason: Money. Much to his relief, he also knew that they loved each other and their children beyond words and would never even think about splitting, and that the source of their flaring tempers stemmed just from their shared anxiety for the family’s current well-being and future security. Didn’t make it any better right now, though, he thought while he mixed some colours. He was sitting at his desk and prepared one of his Warbanner figures for repainting; a hobby he had inherited from his father, and they had often purchased figures for the tabletop game to work on them together. Of course they had also played the game with old sets his father already owned, and the boy had fought epic battles with his dad on the family’s big dining table. This was one of the reasons why Danny had been able to recognize some of the creatures in Josie’s artwork, and he had been inspired by it to come back to the game and the custom painting that came hand in hand with it. Also, he missed these one-on-one hours with his dad, as of late, they had not spent any mentionable amount of time on their shared beloved pastime.

Ever since his Dad, Dave, had lost his job in the wake of the pandemic a few years ago, the weight of grown-up worries hung in the air. From overheard conversations between his parents and other adults, Danny knew that many businesses had suffered great monetary loss and had to let workers go, if they were able to keep their doors open at all, that is. One of these unfortunate companies closing down had been his Dad’s long time employer, and the family had, as so many others, faced sudden financial struggles. Fortunately, his parents had put away some savings over the years before, and were thus able to bridge the gap in income. It had been a relief when Mr. Legrand, Caleb’s father, had hired him, but things hadn’t been the same at home since. Of late, Danny’s father spent way more time at his new work place to establish himself there and to get caught up to and familiar with the business’ dealings. While the boy understood the importance and significance of this for all of their benefit, it meant Dave couldn't spend as much time with his family prior to the change, of course, and even less on a hobby that only he and Danny appreciated. No point dwelling on what they couldn’t afford now, anyway, so Danny pushed the uncomfortable thought to the back of his mind and focused on the figure standing in front of him. It was an old Orc Battleboss, the paint faded and even chipped in some places, signs of a beloved toy that had seen many a fight over the years. The Orc was indeed tied to some truly memorable rounds Danny had played with his father, back then, when life had been easy, almost care free but for his struggles at school, and his parents had not argued like this with each other. Danny sighed.

Lost in his thoughts and his back turned to his siblings, the boy didn’t hear his sister Rosalie, the youngest of them all, getting up from the bed and taking off her headphones while walking over to his desk.

“What’s this, Danny?” his sister wanted to know, her chirpy voice full of curiosity. She pointed towards Josie’s painting, which Danny had put into a clear plastic document sleeve to protect it, lying beside the figure he wanted to repaint.

“It’s a gift I got from someone at school,” Danny told her. “Why aren’t you watching your movie, Bud?”

“Meh, Bill and Ted are tooting all the time, it’s real stinky back there,” Rosie mildly complained. “Who gave it to you?”

“A girl named Josie made it and gave it to me as a belated birthday present,” he answered, his mind a tad absent.

He glanced over his shoulder towards his brothers, the two younger ones, the twins Bill and Ted, giggling while they let rip one after another. He’d have to air out his room soon if they kept at it. As he turned back to his sister, he saw his eldest brother Wayne giving his brothers simultaneous slaps to the back of their heads.

“Josie? We almost have the same first name!”

“Uhm, sure, but just because everyone calls you Rosie instead of Rosalie.”

“Not everyone, Dad says Rosebud, and you call me Bud because of that,” Rosie countered.

“Eh, duh, can you imagine me saying something as cheesy as ‘Rosebud’?! And let's not tell anyone that's the reason you're my Buddy and Bud. I don't want anyone to get any ideas, else they'll think I'm suddenly nice to annoying little poopy-faces like you,” Danny growled playfully and moved in to tickle his sister a bit.

“Don’t be mean, it's not cheesy if Dad says it. But you’re right, would be if you said it,” his sister laughed and moved out of his range. “So, is Josie a new friend?”

“Dunno yet, Bud” Danny frowned. “Could be, she - she’s different from anyone else I know. Caleb seems to think she's aight.”

“Can I see the picture?”

“Sure, but don’t take it out of the sheet, I don’t want it to smudge.”

With careful reverence, Rosie slid Josie’s picture closer to her - her blue eyes huge and eager, her delicate little face flushed. A few strands of blonde hair, the same colour as Danny’s own, had fallen into her face.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

“Did Josie make it?” His sister traced her fingers along some lines of the drawing, her mouth slightly open in wonder.

“I think so, Caleb and I saw her drawing at school. Why?”

“They all look so alive,” Rosie marvelled, and Danny felt reminded of his own and Caleb’s fascination with the art piece. “Did she bless it? Is it a lucky charm?”

“What do you mean, bless it?”

“Well, in one of my bedtime stories, there was a Fairy Godmother. She had a magic wand, and she blessed a necklace for a girl, for protection and good luck,” his sister explained.

“Huh. I don't know about that, but it might as well be a lucky charm. Could sure use one,” the boy chucked and looked back at the drawing. One of the reasons it was so fascinating was that every time he looked at it, the beings depicted seemed to have moved slightly - but of course, it was only his imagination. Drawings did not change on their own, blessed or not.

“I wish we had a lucky charm, too, so Mum and Dad don't have to worry and argue any more.” Rosie whispered and looked up at him with that half-hopeful, half-worried expression that only she could manage. It was her way of asking if everything was alright without actually saying a word.

Danny’s heart jumped in his chest. He had tried so hard to shield his siblings from their parent's troubles, especially Rosie, who was still so young. He wanted her to stay her carefree self, bubbly and cheerful, and to not become as grumpy and quick to anger as he himself had been of late. She was also the reason Danny had only wished for the Sandwich for his birthday, so Rosie, whose birthday was on Monday, only four days after his own, could get a decent present instead.

“You picked up on that, huh?” Danny put his hands on her narrow shoulders and tried a reassuring smile. “Don't you worry about that, they'll be aight and us too.”

“Oh, I know. But I miss the times before. I want them to laugh again and to watch the movies with us. I hate those stupid headphones. And I hate twin farts. Twin brothers are really annoying, you know, they’re not only double the trouble, they’re also double the stink,” Rosie sighed and wrinkled her adorable little nose.

“It'll get better, I promise, Bud,” Danny said with more conviction than he felt right this moment. He could hear his parents' voices getting louder in the kitchen again. “Well, not the stink part, maybe, but the rest just might. Tell me what you asked Mum and Dad for your birthday present,” he said, in the hopes of distracting Rosie from the angry shouts filtering into his room.

Her face lit up. “You know the doll we saw at the mall, the one with the colour-changing hair and clothes?”

Danny nodded. He had also overheard his parents arguing about the price of the toy.

“Well, I don’t want it any more,” Rosie mumbled, her voice quieter now. She glanced down at her Doll, the current ribbon around the toy’s head faded and a bit threadbare. “I… asked Mum if she could make me a new ribbon for Udit instead, and maybe… we could use the money to all have pizza together. If I pitch in with my birthday money from Grandma, we could even get a new movie, so everyone can enjoy it. The doll would’ve just been for me,” she shrugged, hiding her lopsided grin behind rubbing her sleeve over her nose.

Danny would never admit this to anyone, but right now, his heart was melting in his chest. Rosie wasn’t just a good kid - she was one of the best people he knew, and this, her asking to share her birthday money with all of them was one of many examples of her proving it. The way she always thought of others, even though she was only seven, reminded him why he’d do anything to keep her smiling.

“That's crazy, Buddy. I’d have taken the money and just bought whatever I wanted for me,” Danny told her, but the girl just rolled her eyes.

“Sure, you would’ve. I heard you, you know,” Rosie huffed, her words coloured with loving condescension while she grinned at him and hugged her old Doll, Udit, close. The entire family thought the doll's name odd and had even asked Rosie if she had wanted to call her Judith, initially; if it was because she hadn't known the proper pronunciation of the word back when she had got the toy. His sister, though, had stated adamantly that this wasn’t the case, and that the name was exactly what it should be.

“You heard me what?” Danny raised an eyebrow, shaking his head over the feistiness of the small girl. In a way, Josie, equally fearless and outspoken, reminded him of her.

“When you told Mom you didn’t want anything for your birthday, so I could have the doll,” she shot back, her tone matter-of-fact. “You can act all tough, but I know better. Don’t worry - I won’t say I love you, ‘cause I know you hate silly girl stuff.” She paused, a smile softening her features. “But I still think you’re the best big brother out there.”,” Rosie concluded while twirling her fingers around her doll's hair.

“You know, Bud,” Danny said, his voice quiet, “I might just have the best little sister out there, too.” To his surprise, he meant every word.

As their parents’ voices rose again from the kitchen, Danny met Rosie’s eyes. In that shared silence, they both understood: no matter how hard things got, they’d always have each other. Maybe having girls in your life wasn't so bad after all, not if they were anything like his sister, Danny thought to himself. Looking back at the picture on his desk reminded him of Josie, and he made a decision. Friendship was a two-way-street, and the girl had already put herself out there.

He just hoped, he’d manage so she’d like him as much as Caleb.

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