WHO: Joy Llewellyn and Arthur Llewellyn (NPC) WHEN: August 10, morning WHERE: Their home in Cedarwood SUMMARY: What to do when your former son-in-law is on the news and your grandson is staying in the spare room WARNINGS: Joy busts out her teacher voice
Eli was asleep in the spare room, and Joy was cooking. Grilled cheese, cornbread, cinnamon rolls… some of her favorite, most practiced recipes, yet her brow was furrowed and her lips were pressed tightly together.
“Remind me, my dear, are we hosting a whole crowd of houseguests, or just the one?” Arthur was on the other side of the kitchen counter, idly watching TV while keeping his wife company.
Joy stopped chopping and looked up, confused. “Of course it’s just Eli. He said no visitors.”
Her husband stood and came around the counter to gather her in his arms. “I know what he said. I simply meant, don’t you think this might be a bit… much?” He gestured to the stovetop, where the first grilled cheese sandwich was browning, and the oven, which of course chose that exact moment to buzz loudly.
“It’s all I know to do,” she responded, voice so quiet it was almost lost under the sounds of the oven timer. “It’s the only way I know to help.”
“You help him by being here, and giving him a place to stay.” Arthur pressed a kiss to the side of his wife’s head, then turned off the oven, picking up a potholder and bringing the pan of cinnamon rolls to the counter. “Anything else is extra credit.” He pinched a bite of pastry as Joy was fetching the frosting, pulling it quickly into his mouth before she swatted his hand away.
When she looked up, there was a video of Nate on their TV, and Arthur was muttering some choice words -- his old favorites, plus some new ones that he’d come up with in the past few days.
At this, something in Joy seemed to come back to life. She glanced to the hallway to check that Eli’s door was still shut, then fixed Arthur with her fiercest glare.
“You will NOT say a bad word about that man while our grandson is in this house. In fact, you will not say any words about that man while our grandson is in this house. He’s going to be hearing whispers everywhere he goes, and he does not need it here. Is that clear?”
There was no arguing with Joy’s sternest teacher voice. Arthur merely nodded, blinked, and changed the channel.
A small smile bloomed on Joy’s face as she turned back to frosting the cinnamon rolls. There was so much that she couldn’t protect her grandson from, but this she could do.