David dropped a head of lettuce into his bag, and decided he’d got enough for today. He’d found a few cans, a green throw, and a couple of vegetables. It was crazy, the stuff people threw away. Lenny was too delicate to do this with him, but he didn’t mind doing it by himself. It was nice, getting some space from the family. Having some time to himself. He looked at the dumpster one last time, and decided to call it a day. They’d worry if he stayed away too long.
He didn’t read Lenny’s mind – he didn’t wanna invade her privacy like that – but he sensed where she was, a few blocks from him. With his bag over his shoulder, he teleported, and stood right behind her. She’d insisted on taking the goat for a walk, like it was a pet dog or something, and he looked at it. Lenny was obsessed with building a farm out the back of the house, so they could their own vegetables, get milk from the goat, eggs from the chickens. It was a good idea – it meant they were more self-sustained – and he’d given her Bowie to help her out with it, but he didn’t like the goat. It gave him the creeps.
When Lenny spoke, David raised his hands in a parody of surrender, like she could do him any damage with the piece of metal. “Hey, hey. Cool it. It’s only me, Len,” he said with a smile. “I finished the garbage run. Wanted to see what you’re up to.” He looked at the goat again, and frowned. “I don’t know why you insist on walking that thing,” he said. “It’s not a dog.”
Lenny dropped her arm to her side when she heard David’s voice. “That habit you have of popping outta nowhere really puts me on edge, man.” She crouched down, grabbing a couple more pieces of scrap metal. Hopefully, her chicken coop would be finished in no time. The family would be so excited to eat fresh eggs -- well, those that weren’t entirely vegan would be. Betty and Beatrice would also enjoy all the space they were going to have, where they could safely strut around without fear of being eaten by wild animals.
“I’m just collecting some scraps. Figured they’d be useful for the yard. Wanna help me? Or is that beneath our God?” she asked, her tone playful. She didn’t mind doing it on her own. It was a welcome change from sitting around the house, bored out of her mind, watching the others get high on the blue stuff. Sometimes, she really missed huffing it. Being as high as the others meant that she didn’t have to watch them all cuddle and spread their free love. She’d be in such a daze that she often fell asleep with her head on Salmon’s lap, or ran around the yard proclaiming that she was the Breakfast Queen.
David said that Gabby wasn’t a dog, and Lenny opened her mouth wide, feigning shock. “Really? I wondered why she wasn’t barking. I thought she was broken.” She grinned at her best friend, then fed the goat another piece of carrot. “Gabs likes to get away from the house, too. It’s boring wandering around the same patch of grass every day.” She handed him some metal, then inspected a piece on the ground with blood on it. “I don’t think we need that one,” she said, shrugging. “Speaking of dogs... Can we get one?”
