Peerless

1: Home

Hoopoe's apron was a crimson mess. The knife had done its work, but her hand had not been steady. Having used her apron to mop up most of her folly she deposited it in the sink and this time used the proper tool to slice her pie and place it neatly.

The parlor hearth popped against the chill of the oncoming night, casting jovial shadows across the spruce wainscoting lining the walls. The entire house seemed to creak and tick in excitement.

In the kitchen at the back of the house, Hoopoe looked over the pie she baked for her husband's return. She would be the first to admit that her baking couldn't hold a candle to that of her mother-in-law, but Adolph had been gone for three months and she wanted to do something special. Checking the clock by the door she went into the hallway, stopping short at the grand family portrait. They were all there. The grandparents, her husband and Kanga. She adored the grand portrait. The artist had been beside herself to paint the family. She  considered it an honor to portray a Peerless.

In the parlor, she seated herself on one of the twin sofas opposite the fire before her hand cranked sewing machine where she had earlier been flat lining a bodice. The house was quiet and lonely when Adolph was away. Her sister-in-law stopped by on occasion, but she lived in the next town. Sometimes the clocks ticking sounded like drums and the creaking stairs like a locomotive.

The front door opened, and a merry voice greeted her. "Hoopoe, I'm home!" Adolph stepped into the foyer. When he saw her in the parlor he smiled. "Does my admirable wife have a greeting for her great wolf?"

The firelight bounced off Hoopoe's dark face as she opened her arms to him. It glowed on the décor, across the rug and heavy spun tapestries borne from faraway lands. The family space was watched over by statues and keepsakes from all corners of the globe, each marking a point on the Peerless travels.

"Now, let me see." Adolph said, searching among his bags. "I know I've brought something back for you."

"You shouldn't have."

"Aha." Adolph pulled out a box. "Made just right."

Hoopoe took the box and opened it. "New house slippers. And so soft."

"Are the colors all right?"

"Of course, they are fine."

"That's your initials on them too."

"Thank you. I'll put them on now." Using him for balance, Hoopoe put the slippers on her feet. "What do you think?"

"Fit for the queen."

Hoopoe spun around and fell flat on her bottom, her skirt blooming out around her. She laughed. "The queen of fools."

Adolph joined her on the rug. "How were you?"

"Just fine. Naomi is with me, and Akosua stopped by. Pa Peregrine had me over for supper every evening."

"Good." He took her hand. "I won't stay gone so long again."

She leaned on his shoulder. "You cannot promise that."

Adolph knew that much was true. He couldn't promise that. Nothing could stay.

****

After the pie was eaten and Adolph washed up, he found Hoopoe standing in the nursery door. The room featured striped wallpaper dotted with bright red cardinals. It was crowded with children's playthings and books, including a tepee and a doll house and a table with Noah's ark and all the wooden creatures therein.

Adolph stepped into the room and crouched down on the oval rug to pet the dog napping there. "Hello, Max." The mongrel thumped his tail. Adolph picked up a toy lion and wound the key in it, setting it free to walk the nursery floor. Setting it free with all his memories of the child that once played there."So, Kanga, does your wild beast have a name yet?"