Lina

Sitting across the table from her husband absently tracing a finger around the rim of her wine glass, Lina reflected back on events from earlier in the day. Francis arrived home early in the afternoon, all of the household preparations completed in time for his arrival.

A dozen years older than her, he was fairly tall and good looking, sporting a few extra pounds around his abdomen. He possessed a rakish charm and rapier wit many women found appealing. Lina greeted him convivially at the front door where he dropped his travel case and pulled her into a hug before giving her a kiss on the cheek. There was a light aroma of some perfume lingering on his clothes.

“Janine’s call,” he had said, cocking his head to the side and disengaging from the embrace.

Lina smiled patiently, “She told me she called you,” she said, “Though she withheld any specifics pertaining to reason.”

Smiling, “Basically, she expressed concern for your well-being, saying she feared you were suffering from depression and that maybe you would benefit from my presence to help ‘bolster’ your spirit,” he said, passing his luggage to Marta, who in turn ducked her head and vanished.

Chuckling softly, “I think perhaps a more reasonable explanation for her call might be that it is our daughter’s passive aggressive way of trying to lure you here on the heels of her birthday last week,” she suggested. “A birthday you were absent for and one she had hoped you might attend.”

Francis nodded, “I was just so tangled up,” he offered by way of excuse, spreading wide his hands.

Lina arched an eyebrow, “For your daughter’s eighteenth?” She knew her tone was accusatorial, but it would be good to put him on the defensive early.

“I thought sixteen was supposed to be the big one,” he replied, using an exaggerated eye roll to lessen the tension.

Again she smiled slightly, humoring his attempt at levity. “How long will you stay?” she inquired, cutting to the quick.

He shook his head slowly, “As long as nothing catastrophic pops up, I will be able to work from here for the next week or so, all subject to change depending which way the winds gust,” he answered.

After that, he had gotten himself squared away.

Janine must have stayed late at school, arriving home sometime after school had let out for the day. Lina wondered if her daughter had gotten wind Tom was back in Tess’s care and was devising some way of making an attempt to retrieve him.

Back at the restaurant, she returned to the present, Francis discussing amusing anecdotes relating to work people she couldn’t place. Smiling placidly, she brought her wine glass to her lips and took a sip, allowing her thoughts to drift again, back to Tom, though barely yet a man, all of the long dormant things he had awoken within her, the ardor, desire, and hunger brought a smile to her lips as she set the glass back atop the covered tabletop.

What an unusual set of circumstances, she mused. To find herself enamored of a tiny young man whom fate had brought into her life. Impudent, immature, and full of hubris, but so utterly vulnerable. At least he was out of Janine’s reach for now, she consoled herself.

“Lina?” he asked, derailing her train of thought.

Looking across the table, she smiled, “Sorry, dear, my mind was elsewhere for the moment,” she explained.

 “I was think of setting up in the office when we got home, just to make sure I’ve got my fingers on the pulse,” he said, collecting his own wine glass from the table and taking a drink.

“Of course,” she replied, given the perfume fragrance and the notion he had been with one of his stable of paramours prior to coming home, whether or not he would share her bed later.

Tess

Sitting on her bed, leaning forward, elbows on her knees, head in hands, Tess frowned. She was at a loss, uncertain of how to proceed to try and find her brother’s abductor. While they could not account for her whereabouts at the time of the suspected abduction, Miss Addison had been present throughout the day Friday and the normally stoic teacher displayed nothing out of the ordinary that might give cause to suspect she was secretly in possession of her brother. Same with the stunningly pretty Miss Harwood, though it was very easy to track her movements, all one needed to do was ask any red blooded heterosexual male student and they could provide a step by step accounting of Miss Hardwood’s movements. She had not visited the dorms the day before.

You would think if anyone found someone shrunk done to just a few inches, somebody somewhere would have said something. How often had it happened? Like never. It was infuriating. Tess made an exasperated noise with her mouth.

Sam looked over, eyebrow raised in askance.

Tess shook her head without removing her hands from her cheeks. “I’m so mad, I could stomp bunnies,” she vexed.

Sam frowned and shook her head, “That’s a horrible expression,” she said.

“I heard it on a TV show once, made me laugh,” she replied.

Getting up, Sam crossed the room and sat in the door at Tess’s desk, “I want him back too,” she said.

Tess grinned, “Oh I know why you want him back,” she said, perhaps a little cattier than she intended.

Sam blushed. “I mean,” she started.

Softening, Tess raised her hands, “I’m sorry, I know what you mean. Whatever you two did is between you two, really,” she assured knowing what an opportunist her brother was.

“I was going to say something,” mumbled Sam.

Tess laughed, “Not to worry, well about that. We do need to worry about the fact it’s Friday night and we have no idea where he is.”

“If he is with Miss Addison, imagine how much fun that would be,” Sam joked, making a humorless face. “Thomas,” she said, trying to imitate the teacher’s voice.

Tess chuckled, “True,” she conceded, the little moment taking away a small measure of the sting from worry.