David dropped a head of lettuce into his bag, and decided heâd got enough for today. Heâd found a few cans, a green throw, and a couple of vegetables. It was crazy, the stuff people threw away. Lenny was too delicate to do this with him, but he didnât mind doing it by himself. It was nice, getting some space from the family. Having some time to himself. He looked at the dumpster one last time, and decided to call it a day. Theyâd worry if he stayed away too long.
He didnât read Lennyâs mind â he didnât wanna invade her privacy like that â but he sensed where she was, a few blocks from him. With his bag over his shoulder, he teleported, and stood right behind her. Sheâd insisted on taking the goat for a walk, like it was a pet dog or something, and he looked at it. Lenny was obsessed with building a farm out the back of the house, so they could their own vegetables, get milk from the goat, eggs from the chickens. It was a good idea â it meant they were more self-sustained â and heâd given her Bowie to help her out with it, but he didnât like the goat. It gave him the creeps.
When Lenny spoke, David raised his hands in a parody of surrender, like she could do him any damage with the piece of metal. âHey, hey. Cool it. Itâs only me, Len,â he said with a smile. âI finished the garbage run. Wanted to see what youâre up to.â He looked at the goat again, and frowned. âI donât know why you insist on walking that thing,â he said. âItâs not a dog.â
Lenny dropped her arm to her side when she heard Davidâs voice. âThat habit you have of popping outta nowhere really puts me on edge, man.â She crouched down, grabbing a couple more pieces of scrap metal. Hopefully, her chicken coop would be finished in no time. The family would be so excited to eat fresh eggs -- well, those that werenât entirely vegan would be. Betty and Beatrice would also enjoy all the space they were going to have, where they could safely strut around without fear of being eaten by wild animals.
âIâm just collecting some scraps. Figured theyâd be useful for the yard. Wanna help me? Or is that beneath our God?â she asked, her tone playful. She didnât mind doing it on her own. It was a welcome change from sitting around the house, bored out of her mind, watching the others get high on the blue stuff. Sometimes, she really missed huffing it. Being as high as the others meant that she didnât have to watch them all cuddle and spread their free love. Sheâd be in such a daze that she often fell asleep with her head on Salmonâs lap, or ran around the yard proclaiming that she was the Breakfast Queen.Â
David said that Gabby wasnât a dog, and Lenny opened her mouth wide, feigning shock. âReally? I wondered why she wasnât barking. I thought she was broken.â She grinned at her best friend, then fed the goat another piece of carrot. âGabs likes to get away from the house, too. Itâs boring wandering around the same patch of grass every day.â She handed him some metal, then inspected a piece on the ground with blood on it. âI donât think we need that one,â she said, shrugging. âSpeaking of dogs... Can we get one?âÂ