"Now what I think you need to do," Alan said, pacing slightly, "is make a list."
Judith gave him a skeptical look.
"On one side of the paper," Alan continued, "write down what you don't like about our marriage, and on the other side, what you do."
Alan paused to rub his forehead, sighing heavily.
Judith stared at her husband with an incredulous look. "Alan, sometimes when I think about coming home to you, I start crying in my car."
"Okay," Alan replied carefully, "that would probably go on the don't side."
Charlie shuffled down the stairs, still in his boxers and an old T-shirt, wincing as the floor creaked under his weight. Jake bounced behind him, "Why would I lie, kid? The ocean is closed today."
"For God's sake, Charlie," Judith snapped, eyeing Charlie's brick red shorts, "do you think you could put some pants on?"
Alan's eyes darted to the two of them, then back to Judith. He gestured vaguely with his head toward the sliding glass doors that led to the outer deck. "Charlie, why don't you and Jake give Austin some company. He's feeling bored."
Charlie looked outside the glass doors at his other nephew's back, facing towards him. "Come on, kid, let's have breakfast out on the deck."
"Already had breakfast," said Jake, having lost his previous spring in his step.
"Okay, we'll have lunch."
"Not lunch time."
Charlie mimed his head exploding. Jake smiled with a foolish look on his face," That's his brain exploding."
When they stepped onto the balcony, the salty Pacific breeze hit them full force. Austin stooped over the railing, staring at the endless waves, completely absorbed in the rhythm of the ocean. Charlie sat down, letting the sunglasses he'd picked up earlier shield him from the morning glare. Jake immediately claimed the other chair.
"Uncle Charlie?" asked Austin, shaken out of his previous melancholy.
"Hey, kiddo," said Charlie.
"Hey, Uncle Charlie. How long has it been?" asked Austin.
"Last time I saw you, you were celebrating your birthday," said Charlie.
"It's been a while since then," said Austin.
Charlie reached out and took a sip of a thick red liquid from his glass.
"What's that?" asked Austin.
"Watermelon juice, want some?" asked Charlie.
"No, thank you," said Austin.
"Suit yourself," Charlie sank further into his chair with a groan, letting the juice replace the electrolytes he lost the previous night.
"Mom and Dad are splitting up," said Jake.
"Yeah, looks that way, kids," said Charlie, "You're lucky. When I was young, I could only dream about my parents splitting up."
"But your mom is my grandma," said Jake, confused why his uncle would say that.
"Yep"
"Grandma says you're a bitter disappointment."
Austin snorted," Everyone's a disappointment according to her."
"But she treats us nicely," said Jake.
"Wait a few years," said Austin and Charlie in unison. Both of them did a double-take, looking at each other with surprise. Before they could address that, Alan opened the glass door," Kids, your mom wants to say goodbye."
Jake quickly rushed out of the deck to the door, almost tripping on the carpet in the hall. Austin leisurely followed behind his brother. By the time they reached the driveway, Judith was already at the car, pulling out their things — two backpacks, each stuffed with schoolbooks and comics, and another small duffel with enough clothes to last them the three days she'd be gone.
"Here," Judith said, handing Jake his backpack first. "Don't forget, there are your math worksheets inside. And your reading log. Try not to 'forget' about them until Sunday night, alright?"
Jake groaned, slinging the backpack over his shoulder, and gave a quick hug. "Bye, Mom!" He was already more interested in running back inside than in promises about homework.
Judith turned to Austin, holding out his things with a quieter look in her eyes. "And here's yours. Clothes, a book or two. I even slipped in the new silver Rubik's cube that you bought a few days ago — thought you might like that."
Austin accepted the bag along with the Mirror Cube, his expression softening for a moment. "Thanks, Mom, I promise I'll learn how to solve it by the time you come back. " He shifted the strap onto his shoulder, then added firmly, "Don't worry. I'll look after Jake."
Judith smiled at that, her free hand reaching up to ruffle his hair. "I know you will. Sometimes, Austin, I wonder who's really the older brother between you two."
Austin's lips twitched a little. Then, he stepped forward and wrapped her in a deep hug. It wasn't rushed like Jake's had been; it lingered, steady and grounding.
Judith held him back just as firmly, shutting her eyes for a second. When she pulled away, her voice was softer than before. "Wow, a rare hug from my son. I thought you hated hugging."
"It's okay once in a while," said Austin, still in his mother's embrace.
"Be good, okay? Both of you. I'll be back Monday evening."
"Have a nice trip," Austin said simply.
She kissed the top of his head, gave Jake's hair one last pat as he bounded past with his backpack, and finally slid back into the driver's seat.
The car pulled out of the driveway, and just like that, the weekend belonged to the two men and the two half-men. Austin took the bags and propped them against the door." Uncle Charlie, where can I keep our stuff?"
"Guest Bedroom on the right, down the corridor to your left."
"Thanks," said Austin, carrying the bags to the room.
Austin pushed the guest bedroom door open with his shoulder and stepped inside. The room was neat in that way guest spaces often were—decorated just enough to feel polished but without the warmth of anyone really living there. The cream-colored walls, the crisply tucked bedspread, the matching lamps on either side of the bed—it reminded him of a fancy motel, the kind without a TV.
Jake's bags, however, had already ruined that careful order. They were sprawled across the bed like he'd tossed them from the doorway and never looked back. A shirt sleeve dangled off the edge, and one zipper was half-open with socks threatening to spill out.
With a sigh, Austin crossed the room and began straightening things. He didn't unpack—no point, not for three days—but he set the bags neatly against the wall, stacked one on top of the other, and adjusted the pillows Jake had mussed. He tugged the blanket corners back into place, then gave the room one last look, satisfied it at least looked intentional again.
When he returned to the hall, Jake was bounding after Charlie, who jingled his car keys like a promise. The front door was already half open, letting in the glare of afternoon light.
"Uncle Charlie's taking us for pizza!" Jake shouted over his shoulder, excitement buzzing in his voice.
Austin raised his brows. "I'm not hungry. You can go alone."
Charlie picked up the keys while saying, "There's leftover soup in the fridge from last night if you're hungry."
"Okay, bye, Jake. Don't buy candy!" said Austin, but Jake just waved it off as if he didn't hear the last remark.
Later, Austin sat curled up on the couch, fiddling with the strange round Rubik's cube his mom had slipped into his bag. It wasn't the regular kind—this one was smooth, its colors arranged in spiraling bands. He had a little folded scrap of paper in his hand, notes he'd scribbled days ago after watching a tutorial but then forgotten about. His lips moved faintly as he read the shorthand: "Opposite swap… rotate outer shell… keep core fixed."
None of it made much sense anymore. He frowned, twisting the puzzle absentmindedly while Alan paced the living room, phone pressed to his ear.
"Dr. Bloom, this is Alan Harper," Alan was saying in his low, overly polite tone. "My wife and I need to cancel our marriage counselling appointment this afternoon… Well, something came up… It's kind of personal…"
Austin sighed, giving the cube one more frustrated turn before setting it down on the coffee table. His stomach growled. He got up, padding toward the kitchen.
"Dad," he called casually, opening the fridge. The cool air washed over his face as he spotted a plastic container of leftover creamy tomato soup on the middle shelf. "I'll heat up some soup."
Alan quickly cupped a hand over the phone. "Give me a minute Austin. I'll heat it up myself."
Austin pulled out the container and shook his head. "No, Dad, I can do it. I'll just use a pan and pour it. It's not even that hard."
Before Alan could argue, a voice continued to speak from the phone. Alan just gestured for Austin to be careful, and focused back on his phone. Austin set the container on the counter and pulled the pan from the lower cabinet. That's when he noticed the other things inside the fridge door: half an onion wrapped in plastic, a bunch of green chilies, and a glossy red bell pepper. His eyes lingered on them. His hands hesitated over the soup.
The wheels started to turn in his head. Maybe he didn't have to settle for just reheated leftovers.
Back in the living room, Alan was still murmuring into the phone—until he froze, eyes drawn to the deck. A woman was standing on Charlie's deck, waving at him.
"Uh, Dr. Bloom, I've got to go." He hung up, moving toward the sliding door. "Hello?"
The woman tilted her head, smiling warmly. "Is Charlie home?"
Alan blinked. "Uh, no." He opened the door reluctantly. "I'm his brother. Can I help you?"
"Oh, hi, Charlie's brother. I'm Rose. Charlie's housekeeper."
Alan gave her a skeptical look. "You're a housekeeper?"
Rose nodded seriously. "Well, housekeeper slash actress slash hand model. I just do this to keep the wolf from the door." She punctuated it with a sudden growl, sharp enough to make Alan flinch. "Know what I mean?"
"Uh, sure," Alan muttered, not at all sure. He stepped aside. "Okay, c'mon in."
Rose inhaled deeply as she entered, closing her eyes with an exaggerated sigh. "I can smell him."
Alan frowned. "Smell who?"
"Your brother," Rose said dreamily. "He has a very musky scent."
Alan rubbed his temple, already regretting opening the door. "Uh huh. Okay, well, actually—can you help my son heat up some soup? I don't want him to handle the stove."
Rose's expression brightened instantly. "Sure, I'll take care of it."
Alan started to cross out, grateful for the handoff, when Rose suddenly said, "Wait!"
He froze.
She stepped closer, sniffing at him with sharp little inhales.
Then she leaned back, wrinkled her nose, and shook her head. "Nah."
She waved him off with a flick of her hand, dismissing him like a servant. Alan hesitated, but finally turned and left, muttering under his breath.
Rose, alone now, glanced toward the kitchen, where a young boy stood on a stool rinsing onions, chilies, and bell peppers under the faucet. He set each one aside in a metal colander, water dripping into the basin below.
"Hi, I'm Rose. What's your name?" she asked cheerfully.
"My name's Austin. Are you…?" He trailed off, studying her curiously.
"Oh, I'm the housekeeper," Rose replied without hesitation.
"Really," Austin said, tilting his head. "I didn't know housekeepers were supposed to be really pretty."
Rose covered her mouth with her palms and let out a delighted laugh. "That's so sweet of you! You're a little charmer—just like your uncle."
"Thanks," Austin muttered, reaching toward the knife holder.
"Whoa," Rose quickly stopped him before he could pull one out. "Your dad told me you were just heating soup. Why do you need a knife for that?"
"I want to cook something for us," Austin said, tugging gently against her grip.
"Really? Do you even know how to cook?" Rose asked, eyebrows raised.
"I know the basics," Austin said, his tone steady. "Trust me. You can have the first bite. It'll be amazing."
Rose leaned closer, narrowing her eyes playfully. "How old are you, Austin?"
"I'm a day older than yesterday and a day younger than tomorrow."
That actually made her laugh. "Okay, clever boy. Maybe you're old enough to cook, but let me handle the knife. What kind of adult would I be if I let a kid start chopping vegetables?"
Austin sighed, reluctantly conceding. "I just don't want to add to your work."
"It's no bother," Rose said warmly. "I can always mop the floor later."
"Okay then. Did you have lunch yet?"
"No,"
"Okay, then let's cook a bit more.
He glanced at her, then asked, "Did you have lunch yet?"
"No."
"Okay, then let's cook a bit more. You can eat with us—call it lunch together." His lips curved into a mischievous grin. "Our first date."
Rose blinked at him, startled, then shook her head with a laugh. "Aren't you a little Casanova?" She took the knife from his hands and nudged him aside. "Now then, tell me, what are we making?"