THREE MEN AND A LADY
Chapter Eleven
Jack cautiously stepped into the
kitchen. Cal and Fabrizio were sleeping in the living room, and it didn’t take
much to wake them. Since Rose’s return two days before, he had been blissfully
ignoring his housemates.
Therein lay his mistake. Cal had
managed, in less than seventy-two hours, to eat all the food in the house. He
had even consumed the tuna Fabrizio had found in the mailbox.
Fabrizio had assisted him in
this; while Cal lay on the couch, Fabrizio had fed him.
Jack stood in the desolate room.
The cabinets were empty and the refrigerator door hung open, revealing a barren
interior. He sighed; this time Cal and Fabrizio had gone too far.
Jack walked across the hall and
into the living room. Cal was sprawled on the couch, Fabrizio on the floor. The
TV glowed soundlessly.
Jack carefully stepped over the
sleeping Fabrizio. He snapped off the TV. Cal awoke with a start. Irritated, he
turned to face Jack. "Why did you just do that?"
Jack stared. "What?"
"You heard me." Cal’s
tone resembled that of a kindergarten teacher. "Why did you do that?"
"Because you were
asleep."
"So?"
"It was a waste of
electricity."
Cal’s lips puckered. "How
many times do I have to tell you there is no such thing as electricity!"
"Then how does your precious
TV work?" Jack asked calmly.
Cal was adamant. "My TV has
nothing to do with that horrible stuff." Tears appeared in his eyes. Jack
groaned.
He had been hoping to avoid this.
*****
Rose slipped, unnoticed, into the
living room. Cal was crying on the couch, and Jack looked close to tears
himself. The best thing that could happen was that she would manage to calm Cal
down. The worst was that he would continue to cry.
Gritting her teeth, Rose thought
of a plan.
She never thought of one.
Fabrizio had left the room and wandered into the hall. He was leaning against
the wall, daydreaming about French fries. A knock on the door interrupted him.
He skipped to the door and opened it. His eyes went wide at what he saw.
"Ah!" he screamed in terror. Fabrizio ran up the stairs, not stopping
until he reached the attic.