Plans

Having finished the last drop of vegetable soup, Athena clears her bowl and places it in the kitchen sink. She takes the coffee pot off the burner, removes a mug from the glasses cabinet, and pours herself some hot java. There are two cups of coffee left in the pot, and Athena offers it to Carson. He does not resist her offer of more coffee.

Athena takes her coffee and music into the living room for some personal space. She wants a few minutes to herself while Carson finishes his food. Having listened to Boyz II Men during the hour of food preparation, Athena switches to more upbeat music: The Phantom of the Opera soundtrack. Music of the Night starts up as Athena begins her descent onto the sofa; despite having heard and memorized the lyrics for Music of the Night, Athena can't resist dancing and singing to the lyrics. She puts her coffee on the table to avoid making a mess on the carpet and belts along to the music.

Carson takes a hard swallow of coffee since he was not expecting Athena to start singing. He looks over his right shoulder, eyes bugging from his face as he witnesses something amazing: Athena walking from one end of the sofa to the other as if she is on a Broadway stage, singing to her hearts' content. While Broadway show tunes are not a favorite of Carson's, he appreciates Athena's love for theater. A loud buzzing sound from his phone redirects Carson's attention away from Athena.

Removing his phone from his right pant pocket and flipping to his home screen, Carson sees June is calling him. He looks at Athena, notices she he lost in her own world of singing, gets up from the bar, and heads into the guest bathroom. Keeping June's upcoming visit a secret is important to Carson and the guest bathroom at Athena's house offers much privacy.

Once the bathroom door is shut, Carson takes out his phone and calls June back. She picks up after the first ring.

"Carson, why did you hang up on me? Is now a bad time to talk, and why is there a cat meowing in the background?"

Waffle, June's eldest cat, had snuck her way into the bathroom while Carson and Athena were napping on the sofa. She is curled up by the sink and judging Carson for having disrupted her sleep. Carson greets June's questions with warmth and tact.

"Hey June, I am at Athena's house and one of her cats is in the bathroom. I am trying to be discrete while talking with you."

June is a blunt communicator and can come across as cold during a conversation. Talking with her brother does not soften her tone.

"And your bright idea for being discrete is hiding in the bathroom with a cat?"

"In my defense, June, the cat got to the bathroom before I did. I wanted the bathroom warmed up and covered with cat hair to make our conversation more comfortable. How may I help you, sis?" The level of sarcasm dripping from Carson's mouth makes June laugh. She takes a moment to clear catch her breath before answering Carson.

"I wanted to tell you I am coming into town this Friday. Will you be able to pick me up or should I ask the parents?"

"I will get back to you. Athena and I are trying to start up a family dinner night on Fridays. Assuming we get together with the parents this Friday, bringing you along will work out perfectly."

June lets out a small laugh. She is thinking how fun it would be to surprise her parents and Athena all at the same time. Her initial plan was to fly into Seattle on Friday evening, get dinner with Athena and Carson, then visit Luis and Hector on Saturday. Having a family gathering with homemade food sounds better to June.

"Are you still there, June?"

"Yes bro, I am still here. Let me know what the plans are for Friday so we can coordinate. I need to run, I have a client waiting for me on the other line. Take care."

"You take care as well. I love you June."

After ending their conversation, Carson is left sitting on the bathroom floor. Waffle lets out a small purr and crawls into Carson's lap. He does not appreciate having Waffle in his lap, he has a slight cat allergy, but, he does not shoo the feline away either. Carson gets up from the floor, puts his phone back in his pocket, and exits the bathroom.

Back inside the kitchen, Carson notices how quiet the house has become once again. He puts his dishes in the sink and catches Athena listening to her music still. She is no longer singing out loud and resting calmly in an upright position on the sofa. Her eyes are gleaming from the fluorescent lights shining above her head. Carson is not sure if Athena had another crying spell while he was on the phone, so, he walks over to the sofa and stands behind Athena.

Sensing a presence occupying her personal space, Athena turns around and spots Carson standing behind her. She smiles at him and turns back around, facing the coffee table once again. Carson sits next to Athena and tries to get her attention by tapping her on the knee.

Athena removes her headphones and starts talking with Carson.

"How may I help you, Carson?"

"I have a surprise for you that will arrive this Friday evening. Have you talked with Hector about Friday Night Family dinner?" Carson is trying to contain his excitement knowing full well how much a visit from her sister-in-law will cheer Athena up.

"What kind of surprise are we talking about? Yes, Hector and Luis are open to family dinners on Friday night. They invited us over to their place for this Friday if we are interested." The smallest hint of suspicion escapes Athena's lips as she responds to Carson's question.

"If I told you what to expect, then the surprise would be ruined." Carson winks at Athena as he says this.

"Very well then, I will follow up with Hector on what we should bring to dinner on Friday. Now, if you don't mind, I am going to take another nap." Athena replaces her headphones, gets off the sofa, and heads upstairs. She mouths the lyrics of Music of the Night as she ascends the stairs.