Two Meerkats and a Family of Raccoons
“I see dem! I see dem!” Caleb shouted, pointing out the front window. Since he and Sophia had been taking turns identifying random cars as Eric and Nell for the last hour, Deeks didn’t put much stock in the announcement.
“Uh-huh. What color is the car?”
“B-lue,” Sophia responded very carefully.
Rosa leaned over to check. “Hey, they’re actually right this time. Looks like they just pulled in.”
The next few minutes passed in a flurry of luggage and hugs. As soon as Nell and Eric were settled into a room, Caleb and Sophia began peppering them with questions.
“Where da doggy?” Sophia wondered, peering around like it might be hiding in one of the suitcases.
“Oh, we couldn’t bring Penny with us this time,” Nell said. “But we have something even better. Presents.” She retrieved a bag and pulled out wrapped packages for each of the twins.
“Dis is for me?”
“Yep!”
“Yay! Presents, presents, presents!” Caleb and Sophia jumped around the room, more excited by the concept of presents than the actual contents. Eric and Nell watched with adoring smiles.
“What do you say?” Kensi prompted once they calmed down a little bit.
“Tank you!”
Now that the twins were thoroughly distracted, Deeks went in for longer hugs.
“Ugh, I missed you, Shaggy,” Nell said, squeezing Deeks extra hard before turning to Kensi. “And you too. A few times a year is not enough time with my favorite people.”
“I know. It’s all your fault for moving away and becoming extremely successful,” Kensi teased while she hugged Eric. “How is work?”
“Good, but always chaotic.” Nell shrugged. “We have nothing to complain about.”
“We also moved into a new apartment,” Eric added.
Deeks turned to share a look with Kensi, who had obviously picked up on the use of “we”.
“Is there something else you want to share with us?” Deeks teased. “Maybe a new relationship status.” Nell’s cheeks flushed and she glared at Deeks, ineffectually.
“Shut up.”
“You are glowing,” Kensi commented.
“We’re friends,” Eric insisted.
Deeks pursed his lips. “That’s how it always starts.”
“Moving on. Rosa, how are you? You’re a sophomore now, right?” Nell asked.
“I’m good and yes, this is my second year of college. It’s going really well. I’m lucky to have dad to answer all my questions,” Rosa answered.
“Ooh, that reminds me. We have something for you too,” Eric said, raising a finger as he darted out of the room. When he came back, he had a large box, which he set down in front of Rosa.
“Thank you. You guys didn’t have to do that. I never expect presents.”
“I know and yes we did.” Nell was almost giddy as they watched Rosa unwrap a sleek and thin box with a picture of a fancy looking laptop.
“It’s the latest model with all the accessories,” Eric jumped in. “You could use that to hack into almost anything.” He paused and shot Deeks and Kensi a look. “But you shouldn’t.”
“I didn’t hear any of that,” Deeks joked.
“Anyway, hacking aside, this should have everything you need as a up and coming lawyer.”
“There isn’t AI, right?” Rosa checked,
“Of course not,” Nell said, sounding scandalized. “That’s all completely disabled. Let me show you something really cool you can do.”
For the next hour, Eric and Nell enthusiastically set up the new laptop and accessories, giving an in-depth tutorial along the way.
When they were finished, Eric looked completely exhilarated. “That was fun.”
“Mm-hmm. Just wait until we get those two decked out with their first laptops.” Nell nodded to the twins (who were now eating a snack). “Should Uncle Eric and Auntie Nell get you a computer?”
“Yes,” Sophia said immediately, then tilted her head. “What’s a compater?”
“Something that you don’t need for at least a few years,” Deeks told her.
Leaning towards Sophia, Nell lowered her voice to a stage whisper. “We’ll talk about it later.” She straightened up, smiling widely. “It’s good to be back.”
