"Awesome!" Sandi looked at her young sister-in-law in exasperation. It would taker her a lifetime to clean out that mess and all shiny-haired Gabe could say was "awesome!!". She looked into the lower oven again. The melting blue and white storage container was now arrested in mid-fall. And, well, it did look kind of cool. But what sane person would put plastic into an oven? Sandi's house was a nice, clean suburban house set between other clean shining examples of suburbia, away from the city, with a manicured front yard and a spacious backyard. The inside was furnished with the best offerings of the city stores, and there was every modern convenience to ensure that they were maintained in shining soil-free splendor. "Help me clean this out before Jeff gets back". "uh ok". "Why", Sandi silently asked herself, "why? What did I ever do to deserve this family?" She looked over at Gabe who was now wildly lipsynching to the radio, holding a banana as a microphone. She sighed and pushed back a stray strand of hair with one hand, wiping the other on her dress. It was twilight and her husband, Gabe's brother, Jeff 'cleanfreak' Dawson would be home any instant now-and she still had the living room to straighten out. __________________________________________________ Jeff Dawson was late. Despite his long legs it would take him another ten minutes to reach the subway, and that meant another half hour of waiting before he could head on out to his destination. Rosie turned off the news and looked out the window. Three stories below was the rest of the world, bathed in twilight. There was a slight breeze, and it gently touched her hair. She looked down at the small army of people scurrying along, like ants, to escape the cold. Something bordering on abhorrence overcame her features. How she pitied them! Like cereal that went from a dark box into a cold bowl…. The man was looking at him uneasily again. Just the way a dog does when it senses a lizard nearby. Jeff rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through his red-gold hair. Boy, was he glad the train was finally here. It had been cold enough to make one as meticulous as him want to abandon all plans and head for any source of warmth available. He couldn't wait to get home, to hot soup and Sandy's arms and the couch in front of the fireplace. But..first things first! She applied some lipstick. Then some more perfume. Tonight was something special. Tonight Rosie Connery would be free. Something deep inside her fluttered unceasingly, with abandon. A shrill sound penetrated her thoughts. It was the doorbell. She impatiently flipped on a switch and snapped "who is it" into the intercom. No answer. She repeated herself. Still no answer. She looked at the bottle of Valium…she had no time for these games…the doorbell rang again. Angrily she walked to the door and looked through the peephole. And saw the thick red-gold hair that topped a tall frame. "Daniel", she whispered. _____________________________________________________ Sandy looked tenderly at their two little girls tucked in securely in their bed. The house looked normal at last. If only she wasn't married to such a perfectionist. Sandy shook her head, smiled and let out a long drawn sigh, as she put away the last of the books and toys Jeff was always bringing home for the girls. In the darkening city, Rosie opened the door of her tiny but neat apartment. Tears were streaming down her face. "Daniel..Daniel", she whispered over and over again. He was back, he was back. Jeff Dawson took out a tiny pistol - the kind that women use. "Daniel?" she said a little shocked, her eyes cloudy, her mouth half-open…and everything turned a strange shade of grey. A half hour later, everything cleaned up, Jeff Dawson headed on home.