The Agency

by Ann Knightingale

shoulder and I turn to look at her.

  She winks at me and calls," Hey Maria! Will you help me take this stuff in to the house please? We walked around so much earlier than me feet are killing me."

  "Sure mom no problem. Just give me a sec," Maria answers.

  Maria runs forward past me and over to the corvette to help Amy load things in to the house leaving me alone with Chest. Now is my chance to make my move.

  "Hey Chest. I have a question," I call over to him.

  "Sure shoot," He calls back.

  "Um.... Would.....you consider.... Being my..... Self-defense teacher?" I ask. That was not the intended question I was going to ask.

 

  "Sure Macey. But not right now I need some time to catch my breath from my bout with Maria." Chest explains.

  “Okay no problem. Maybe later," I answer. What is wrong with me?! I can't seem to spit out the right words. Now instead of a date I have a self-defense teacher. I follow Chest in to the house and join Tim by the T.V.

  As it turns out I end up watching the four hour car race. Then I remember the fighting class with Chest. But it's too late to ask him now. Already it's time to wash up and get ready for bed. So I guess that my plans are going to have to wait till tomorrow. Instead of crashing out on the couch I share a room with Elaine

  I wake up in the morning, and go to take a shower. I dress in a red t-shirt which must be the only plain one Amy permitted me to buy. I have a pair of soft blue jeans like the ones I had back at home. I bush out my hair and put it up in a ponytail. Unsatisfied I wrap my hair around the holder and clip it there making it in to a bun. It feels good to have my hair off my neck and weighing down the back of my head. I put my towel and dirty clothes in the basket by the door in Elaine's and my room.

  As I walk out of the hall I can hear Amy's Cheerful voice make its way down the hall and to the three bedrooms and the bathroom," Today's Tuesday! This means its laundry day. Put your baskets out by your door for pick up in ten minutes or you’re going to have to do laundry yourself, or not have clean clothes till next week."

  I walk down the hall to Elaine's and my room and grab my Light purple basket by the handles and put it out by the door as Elaine grabs her pink one. They both have the same make up but different colors. As I open the door for Elaine I see Maria's Black basket come flying out of the adjacent room to ours. I sigh as Maria's clothes spill out all across the hallway. Benjamin runs out carrying his light blue one that looks a little too heavy for him.

  He drops it and I can't help but giggle when his clothes spill. I walk diagonally across the hall to help him clean up his clothes. Chest comes out carrying his dark blue basket and sets it down. By the expression on his face he'd rather do his own laundry but Amy won't let him. Once Benjamin’s basket is filled up again with his clothes and sitting up instead on its side by the door we all head out to breakfast. When we finish eating Benjamin, Elaine, Amy, and Tim head in to the living room to watch television probably some cartoons since Benjamin went in first.

  "It looks like it's going to be a nice day," I say trying to remind Chest about our little agreement.

  "Yes, it is," Chest answers," Oh, Macey I'm sorry I promised Benjamin last night that I would read to him this morning. I totally forgot."

  "It's fine. Maybe a little later."

  "Right, I think I'm free this afternoon."

  "Okay, whenever you can will work."

  I sigh inwardly to myself so he can't see my disappointment and so he doesn't think I'm desperately in love with him. I'm not desperate just in love with him. He seems to be able to do everything perfectly. He knows just what to say. Like now for instance. He just let me down so sweetly that yes, I'm disappointed but I'm not heartbroken.

  I understand commitment to a young person verses an older one. So I don't push the subject and don't whine about it. I suck it up and head in to the living room to watch the ending of Tom and Jerry. I sit up against the couch and see Benjamin lying on the floor on his stomach holding his head up with his hands. Amy, Elaine, and Tim all sit on the couch and the wooden rocking chair.

  Obviously sitting spots aren't a problem. The best seat is taken by Elaine, but I've seen Maria sit there and no one made her move. Heck I've seen it to where the adults sat on the floor and the kids got the couch and chair.

  Once Tom and Jerry is over Benjamin runs off to find Chest so he can get his story time. I help Amy clean up the kitchen from breakfast it took at least ten minutes but it felt nice to do something other than take up space. I start the dishwasher for Amy and wipe down counters and the table. Amy rinses pot and pans and wraps up leftovers for snaking on throughout the day. When there's nothing else to scrub, wipe, mop, bag, put away, and throw away I go outside. I'm hoping to find something else to pass my time with. I walk around to the side of the house and find Tim working on the jeep.

  "Hey, Tim do you need any help? My dad's a part salesman and built his own race cars I might be able to help you," I ask adding a little more information than I wanted to.

  "Sure, I can use about all the help I can get. Don't tell Amy but I don't have any clue what I'm doing. Most of the time I'm on the phone getting a walk through from my friends. Learning how to fix whatever is wrong with the car while I go along."

  "I don't know all that much but I know some." Tim moves over and gives me room under the hood. I tinker around not exactly sure what I'm looking for.

  "What exactly is the problem?" I ask.

 

  "One of the lights are on, on the dash. I need to fix the water lines. I just put more water in it the other day and it keeps leaking. I had a friend check it out. He only had time to tell me what's wrong because he had a date or else I wouldn't be stuck here messing with something I don't know anything about," Tim explains adding more information than needed.

  I check the oil to see it needs changed as well as the water lines needing fixed. I change the oil and the lines in less than two hours. I walk to the back of the house and grab the hose to fill the lines with water and to wash up. Amy probably wouldn't be happy to see me covered in grime from the car. I fill the lines and wash my hands off in the hose's stream. It feels good to no longer have grime covered hands. I can finally see the actual color of my skin now.

  "Okay Tim start her up!" I shout to him in the car. He turns on the ignition and the car comes to life. He gives me a thumb up telling me everything is working properly. I walk back and put the hose away where it belongs and look at my watch. It's just about noon. I walk back in to the house to help Amy get ready for lunch. But when I get there lunch is already made. I sit and wait patiently feeling happy about all the things I've done today. The family started to file in as I was staring out the window.

  "There you are Macey. I've been wondering how those clothes have been fitting you. But every time I remember to ask you've disappeared to go and do something else," Amy tells me.

  "Oh. Sorry Amy I've been getting a lot of things done today and have been learning more about the family," I explain leaving out the fact I helped Tim with the car.

  “Too bad you didn't stay gone. Probably the only thing you did was smoke on your cocaine pipe, or shooting up. Or both," Maria hisses under her breath. I so can get her back about the laundry basket but decide that if I'm going to live here I might as well try to get along with everyone in the family. Even if not all of them want me here.

  Lunch doesn't take too long but Chest is one of the first ones out in to the living room. Amy nods to me and I take off after him.

  "Hey Chest. What's up?" I ask trying not to look as if I'm reminding him but enough he'll figure it out on his own.

  “Not much. According to Amy and Tim you've been a busy bee today," Chest replies honestly.

  "I guess. It helped the morning move faster than usual. Plus it helps me feel like I'm pulling my own weight. Other than letting others carry it for me," Dang, I gave to much information again. It wouldn't surprise me if he got up and
walked away briskly and never looked at me again. He just smiled and nodded. Then the smile falls off his face.

  "Crap! Macy I'm sorry I promised Tim I'd go scope out the land around here to make sure Sunder hasn't hunkered down anywhere around here. Maybe when we get back," He says distressed. I shrug my shoulders as if I don't really care but once again I feel a little let down but don't want to show it. We make a little small talk When Tim calls him to get ready to go. I wave and head in to my room.

  I close the door behind me and run to my bed before I can't hold the emotion any longer. I flop on my stomach on my bed burying my face in to my pillow and let out a heartfelt and heartache scream. The pillow muffles the sound so no one in the house will hear my distress.

  To pass the time till Chest gets back I plan to busy myself Maybe do a little reading with Benjamin and perhaps a little back and forth with Maria just for the fun of it. I make my way to Benjamin's room. I stand at the door breathing, trying to gain composure for the hour or so I'm planning on spending in the room that reminds me of my brother so much. Finally I turn the knob and walk in to see Benjamin already with a stack of