control

    ’ ‘  are  you  shitting  me ? ‘ boo asked as she moved closer to the fence , resting her hands along it . ‘  keeping  frank  around ?  no  one’s  keeping  frank  around .  he’s  like  a  roach  that  never  dies .  just  keeps  coming  right  back  around . ‘ boo almost wanted to laugh at the idea , ‘  maybe  he  needs  help ?  frank  has  had  every  opportunity  to  get  his  shit  together . he  doesn’t  want  help  and  i  sure  as  hell  am  not  putting  in  the  energy  to  try  and  get  him  some .  he  likes  the  life  he  leads  ,  lydia . ‘

“Boo, dear, that is not what I meant at all.” Lydia lifted her hands in surrender, hoping she wouldn’t push the topic of conversation further to agitate Boo in a way she wished to avoid. It probably would have been best to leave well enough alone in order to side step, as some of the few young customers who visited the diner described it, poking the bear. “You know what, forget I ever made mention of it.” She wouldn’t stand there and argue if it meant silencing the screaming voice to mother the hell out of the Rabbits when that role was filled. “I’m sure you’re tired of every single person giving you advice, I won’t add myself to the list. I’m sorry.”

      he gave a smile and a nod of his head , knowing he wasn’t always the nicest but apparently he had a certain politeness , especially when it came women . his smile only grew with her words before his gaze returned to his phone . he wasn’t exactly expecting lydia to return too quickly , but it seemed she moved in record time , returning with his drink before he’d even switched apps in boredom . matteo lifted his head , humming as he glanced toward the dessert , popping his head to the side ,  “  what  pies  do  you  have ?  ”

Lydia became a natural with her work from the moment she began, excelling a job that most do not realize is strenuous and exhausting on the body. Of course, she never imagined a life where she pursued being a full-time waitress as a prime career choice, but like many, the woman didn’t remove herself from the debt-ridden rut she was stuck within. “The usuals, apple, cherry, meringue,  blueberry, cream,” Lydia followed Matteo’s line of sight, ensuring she wasn’t missing any that she memorized from memory, “I know it’s technically out of season, but I think we have pumpkin pie too.” She smiled teasingly as her attention returned to the male, “Extra discount off your order if you feel like splitting.”

     ‘  yeah ,  i’ll  keep  it  in  mind . ‘ although boo knew that she wouldn’t . she almost wanted to laugh at the question but didn’t . ‘  seriously ?  it’s  frank .  ‘ did frank ever behave himself ?  ‘  if  he’s  not  being  dragged  home  by  the  cops  then  he’s  passed  out  in  the  yard  or  coming  up with  some  scheme  to  get  money .  frank  never  behaves  himself .  ever . ‘

matteo lifted his head from his menu , looking her over and instantly offering a grin where lydia gave one . he’d never not seen this woman in here , he was beginning to think she had a permanent residency here , though he didn’t dare comment on how tired she looked , he wasn’t an asshole – just a concerned citizen .  “  it’s  no  problem ,  ” he assured with a wave of his hand ,  “  hopefully  you  get  the  tips  for  the  pain  of  it ,  ” he hummed , ordering his usual and handing over the menu ,  “  seriously ,  no  rush ,  I  have  nowhere  important  to  be .  ”

Lydia clicked and unclicked her pen a couple of times, not phased to see a familiar friendly face in the mixed crowd of the usual patrons who tended to seat within her section. A majority did show the kindness and a dash of pity, although she wasn’t a woman who desired anyone feeling sorry for her. “I haven’t been unfortunate so far, dear.” She scribbled down his order quickly and lifted a warm smile. “Thank you. That’s too sweet of you, but I can never forgive myself if your food came to you cold. I’ll be right back.” Shooting him a playful wink, Lydia dashed off to give the order to the cook and came back to Matteo’s table, setting a glass in front of him, “Your drink. Did you want anything else?” She waved a hand in the direction of the desserts, “I think Cal’s running a free pie slice special. Comes with your meal.”

     ‘  sounds  expensive , ‘ boo hummed before looking back at lydia . she had never been good at  accepting help from others even when it came to the people in this community let alone anyone else . ‘  thanks , ‘ she spoke with a nod of her head , ‘  but  we  got  it .  plus  ,  i  have  emery  and  aspen . ‘ maybe a little more emery than aspen but things were good with aspen for the moment which meant they would be a little more present .

“But worth it.” Lydia hoped she wasn’t imposing on something that didn’t concern her and there had come a time she kept a distance despite a desire for earlier intervention but it was the quick reminder this was not her family’s matter that she needed to fix. It’d be crossing a line, right? “Well, if anything changes, dear, anything gets too much to juggle, you know where I’ll be.” Somehow, Emery and Aspen’s involvement didn’t quite comfort her the way it should have. Or maybe that was the control freak in her. “Has your father been behaving himself?”

     boo looked up before offering a shrug of her shoulders , ‘  i  think  it’s  a  little  too  late  for  that  and  it’s  always  a  rough  one . ‘ the rabbits had a routine for just about everything . despite how chaotic it was , the younger ones managed to get out of the door typically on time for school unless deb or carl were throwing a fit although it was usually debbie . ‘  nothing  i’m  not  used  to  ,  you  know ? ‘ granted , maybe it was getting a little easier with emery and aspen stepping up to help .

“Oh, no, they’re never too old if it takes the worry from your plate. Or just go the traditional route and plant trackers.” Lydia took the moment to untangle the leash from her wrist before switching it to her other hand. She couldn’t imagine having as many children as the Rabbit family when caring for a large dog equaled the same amount of spent energy as one kid. Not that she ever gave herself to experience what a sibling endured for their younger brothers and sisters. “I’m just a few doors down, Boo, if you ever need anything. A cooked meal, a ride, you can always ask for my help.” It was her motherly side emerging, not that she could contain it nor would she ever attempt to. Though, how Boo dealt with her siblings was her business and it’s not like the parents were offering anything.

  𝒃𝒐𝒐 𝒔𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒘𝒐 . if one of the kids wasn’t trying to take the bat to school then one of them was trying to take something else . some days , boo managed to catch them but other days ? not so much . luckily , she had noticed one of the younger ones trying to take the bat they kept near the door . she sighed , putting the bat back as she pulled open the door , following them out at least to the yard . ‘ please , for  the  love  of  god  ,  be  good , ‘ she called out as they moved from the property and down the street to catch the bus . boo ran a hand down her face , mumbling under her breath before dropping her hand . ‘  what  a  morning . ‘

On the rare off-chance she was given a day off, it seemed like Lydia wasn’t permitted to spend that day in her house on the couch without distractions constantly making themselves known. If it wasn’t someone asking to have their shift covered, it was the dog begging for her attention. Honestly, she couldn’t necessarily afford a pet, tips at the diner were dwindling enough as it is, but having the dog gave her a reason not to come home to an empty house. Lydia’s hand gripped the leash tightly as she made her way along the sidewalk, feeling the tug from her golden retriever as a few children dashed to the school bus a couple doors down. The Rabbits, oh, she sympathized. “Another rough one, huh?” She stopped right at the foot of the pathway leading to the front door, urging Milo to sit, “I think you’ll need bells on them soon.”