4.34 Popcorn

"Autumn! Speed it up!" Kaity called up the stairs. He was the one who'd wanted to come to the laundrette with her, and now he was slowing her down. She just wanted to get the chores over with so she could put her feet up with a glass of wine.
"I'm coming!" He shouted down, and Kaity heard what sounded like an elephant stampede above her head before he bounded down the stairs. "Ready!" He announced, jumping the last three steps and landing at his mothers feet.
"One of these days you'll fall through that ceiling..." Kaity muttered, picking the bag of laundry up and heading out to the car.

_____

"I know what we can do after this, mummy dearest." Autumn smiled sweetly as he hopped up on the washer next to the one Kaity had chosen.
"Oh yeah?" Kaity asked, half listening as she poured way too much powdered soap into the wash-drum.
"Well, there's a pet shop right next door..." Autumn hinted, trailing off as his mother clicked her tongue.

"Autumn, we're not getting a dog." Kaity sighed, closing the lid and switching the washer on.
"But I'll look after it and you won't even know it's there!"
"No, that's how you think it'll work, but you'll get bored of it and even if you don't you have school all day."

 "But it doesn't matter! You know you can trust me! Haven't I proven myself to you?"
"Autumn, you're seven. You've not proven yourself to me, because you're a child and you can change at any second. You've inherited my temper and attention span, which is exactly why a dog is a bad idea." Kaity was getting sick of this conversation, she'd lost count of how many times she'd had to say no.
"But it would keep you company! Dad's gone again now, and you're all lonely at night, but if we had a cute little doggy then it could cuddle up to you at night."

Autumn watched his latest idea sink in. It was his best by far, and he knew his mother was weaker without his father there to back her up. Playing on that and her lonliness was pure genius.
"Autumn-"
"Please, mummy, pleeeeaaassseeeee!! I'll be really good!!" Kaity sighed, looking at the desperate look in her sons eyes.
"We can go the the pet shop, but only to look. Ok?"
"YES! Thank you!!" Autumn jumped off the machine and threw his arms around her.

_____

"Mummy please can we get this one?" Autumn gushed, tickling a small dogs nose. "He's really cute and friendly, see? He's not biting me and he doesn't even know me!"
"Autumn, we're not getting anything, remember?"
"Yeah, but-"
"No buts, I said we weren't getting anything."
"Then what was the point in bringing me here? Just to torture me?" Autumn spat, crossing his arms and glaring at his mother.

Kaity glared right back, and he realised he would never out-glare her. He turned his attention back to the dog, making silly noises and faces, making the animal bark at him.
"He's a natural." The woman behind the till remarked.
"Hmm?" Kaity asked her to eloborate.
"Your son, he's getting on really well with Peaches. We've had trouble finding him a home because he's not a throughbred and just gets overlooked." Kaity felt a pang of guilt. She'd never had a pet, and never had any desire to have one either, but to know this poor dog was left here just as lonely as she was without Winter, just for being different...
Dammit, Autumn! She thought to herself. Why did he have to put the idea of a dog to keep me company in my head?

"Fine!" Kaity conceded finally, watching how happy both her child and the animal were together.
"Really?!" Autumn spun around, a huge grin on his face. Kaity nodded her head once, and he flew towards her. "THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!! I promise I will look after him until the day he dies, and you won't even know we have a pet I swear!"
"What you going to call him?" Kaity laughed, thinking the name the dog already had was awful. Peaches? Just no.
"Um, well he's got popcorns all over him, so Popcorn?"
"Popcorn? What do you mean he's got popcorns all over him?" Kaity looked at the dog, he looked pretty clean to her.
"Yeah, the spots. They look like popcorn." Kaity sighed and shook her head. She couldn't be bothered to argue right now.

_____

"OHYEAHHH!" Elise shouted once they'd returned home with Popcorn. "This is SOOOO cool"
Kaity explained to everyone that this dog was their shared responsibility, the adults would not step in to care for the dog and it was up to them to treat it right or they'd find a new home for him.

 When Kaity saw how happy Elise was especially, she knew she'd made the right choice. She always felt awful that Elise might feel left out as she had no family in the house. Hopefully this dog would help her feel better connected as she grew up.
"Little Poppy-Popcorn, you're such a cutie. You are, aren't you? Yes you are!" She cooed as she brushed his fur down.

_____

Kaity pulled Shaena to one side as the kids fussed over the new addition to the household.
"I've not told the kids yet." She started in hushed tones. "And I know I should have asked you first, but I asked Winter to move in and he said yes." Kaity winced as she waited for her cousins reaction. She felt really bad about springing this on her; it was her house too and even if Winter was working away a lot of the time, it would still affect her.

"Why do you look so nervous?" Shaena asked. "Is this what you really want?"
"Yes." Kaity answered immediately. "Yes, definately. I know it's kinda sudden-" Shaena laughed. "What?"
"Sudden, Kaity? He's practically lived here for months, I actually thought he'd moved in already."

"Sorry." Kaity mumbled, turning away as she cursed to herself. "I know I should have asked you, but I hadn't really planned to ask him, it just kinda happened."
"Kait. Stop being silly. Of course I don't mind, and you don't need to ask me anyway. This is your house, you're just kind enough to let me live here. I won't be able to ever repay you for what you've done for me and Josh, and if you feel you're finally at a place where you can commit yourself to Winter, then I wish you nothing but happiness."

"Thank you." Kaity pulled her into a hug.
"You realise you'll have to tone down the pink in this house, right?" Shaena teased, looking around the room.
"Why?" She asked. "Like you said, it's my house. I'm just nice enough to let Winter move in here." Kaity winked, and both girls giggled.

_____

"Evening, sweet. How's your day been?" Kaity subcnciously smiled as Winter answered the phone.
"I caved." She confessed.
"What?"
"I let Autumn get a dog, and I told Elise we could get some chickens tomorrow." Winter laughed. "No, please, I feel bad enough as it is! Do you think I'm spoiling them?"
"No, Kaity. We were going to get the dog for his birthday, the chickens are a bit of a surprise though. Where did that come from?"
"I don't even know! Ellie was cooing over Popcorn-"
"Popcorn?!"
"Yeah, I just couldn't be bothered to argue. Tummy named him-"
"Him?! We have a male dog called Popcorn?"

"Yes, I know. It's stupid. Apparently his spots look like popcorn."
"Well... In that case I can't wait to meet him."
"Oh, I told Shae you're moving in."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, she said it's fine. I've not told the kids yet, do you want me to wait until you're back?"
"I don't mind. I don't think they'll be angry. Maybe tell them before, then you can ask the twins what they really think? I don't want them to feel like I'm intruding on their lives."
"Winter, you're the only father they've ever known."
"Still." Winter didn't finish.
"How was your day?" Kaity asked after a slight pause, flopping down on the bed waiting for his response.







Sorry to jump around so much! :/ Needed to get the doggy into the house, and there wasn't a lot else that fit with it, so you got a lot of nothing. Plot starts again next chapter, don't worry.
And I've given up on Autumns tattoos. We'll have to wait until he's a teen because they won't stay put. For some reason they washed off in the shower just after I'd put them back, and I'm not doing that all over again.