(Posting an older story since I'm behind and this is actually pretty funny. Note: Kyle's birthday is in December, and since Oakwood's winters are more snowy than Crested Butte, that means there's usually a good 10 feet of snow on the ground. Also, Oakwood is fictional.)
It was a dark morning in Oakwood, but that didn’t keep Colt from waking up to the sounds of someone moving around in the kitchen. He stretched as he entered the warm, friendly room and greeted Annie with a kiss on the cheek as she poured milk into a bowl filled with various other ingredients. “You’re up awfully early. What’s the occasion?”
“Kyle’s birthday is tomorrow, remember? I want to get as much work done as I can today so that I can spend the entire day with him,” Annie replied. “Are you going to tell me what you got him, by the way?”
Colt grinned. “Something spectacular. You’ll see it tomorrow.”
“It had better not be an iPhone,” Annie said irritably. “I swear, if I have to return that thing–”
“It’s not. It’s something else,” Colt replied.
“Good. Anyway, you’re going to be in charge of decorations, right?”
“Of course.”
They continued to talk as they ate breakfast together, cleaned up together, and then sat together at the kitchen table, and soon someone entered the house through the back door. Colt looked up and waved at Katie, who had been coming over from next door every day for the past month just to spend time with the family. Mostly Kyle, actually. They were really an adorable couple. They’d even begun to study music together.
Katie sat down at the table and asked, “Aw, did I miss out on breakfast?”
“Yep. Kyle’s still asleep, so if you want to practice you’re going to have to wait for a while.”
Katie sighed and rested her head in her hands. “Darn. I thought he’d be awake by now.”
Annie smiled and stood. “Well, it is pretty late,” she said as she walked over to the bottom of the stairway, then shouted, “Kyle! It’s time to get up!”
The response was faint, but still audible. “Do I have to?”
“Yes, you do. Katie’s here and it’s time for practice.”
“It’s too early for practice. I wan’ sleep.”
“Kyle…”
“I’m an adult! I can sleep in if I want to!”
“You’re the one who wanted to get practice in, Kyle. Sometimes you have to give things up to get things you want.”
“I don’t want to practice today. I’ll get up if I can have ice cream for breakfast.”
“What?”
“If I can have ice cream for breakfast, then I’ll give up on sleeping.”
“We’re out of ice cream, Kyle.”
“Then go buy some.”
“The store’s closed today, Kyle. Just get up, will you?”
“It’s not worth it. I’m sleeping.”
“Fine, but if you don’t get down here in the next ten minutes, I’m sending Katie up there,” Annie shouted, then returned to the table and sat down. “That should get him up,” she said with some satisfaction.
“Sweet. I’ll start setting everything up,” Katie said, then left the table and disappeared into the garage. Ten minutes later, she returned, looked around, sighed, and asked, “Kyle’s still asleep, isn’t he?”
“Apparently. Well, you know what to do,” Annie replied, and Katie nodded and went upstairs.
“What is she going to do?” Colt asked curiously. This was the first time Kyle hadn’t reacted to that threat while Colt was there, after all, and Kyle never went into detail about what happened when Katie was sent in to wake him up.
“I can’t say. She changes it around,” Annie replied. “But whatever it is, it’ll definitely keep Kyle from sleeping in for a good month or so.”
Colt laughed. “I see.”
The next few minutes were quiet, and Katie passed through the kitchen three times. She would go up the stairs, then come down with a bundle of clothing in her arms, walk out the back door and over to her house, and return empty-handed. It was completely baffling to Colt, but whenever he tried to ask Katie what she was up to she silenced him with a look. So, he sat back and waited, more curious than ever. After another few minutes, when Katie was upstairs again, the house was suddenly filled with noises. To be specific, the house was filled with the Kyle screaming, “What the hell are you doing? Stop it! No, don’t– where are you putting that? MOM!”
“I told you what would happen if you didn’t get up, Kyle,” Annie shouted back up at him in a disinterested tone. A few minutes later, Katie came back down the stairs with a satisfied smile and sat down at the table.
“What did you just…?” Colt tried to ask, but the absurdity of it all was rendering him speechless.
“You’ll see,” Katie replied with a slight smile. Sure enough, Colt figured it all about five minutes later, when Kyle’s voice could be heard from his room upstairs.
“Mom…?”
“What is it, Kyle?” Annie shouted back at him.
“Katie took all my pants, so…”
“No, you may not borrow my clothes,” Annie replied. “Just come down in your underwear. We’re all family here.”
Silence for a moment, then…
“I can’t find any underwear.”
“Then use a t-shirt or something to cover yourself,” Annie replied.
Silence for another moment. Colt was beginning to understand. He was taken by surprise, however, when Kyle called down again.
“Um, mom…?”
“You don’t have any extra t-shirts up there, either?” she asked.
“No…”
“Then for crying out loud, Kyle, use a blanket!”
Silence for another moment. Colt couldn’t help but laugh when he heard Kyle’s voice again. “Mom…”
Annie looked at Katie in surprise and asked, “Did you leave him anything?”
“He has a pillowcase,” Katie replied with a shrug.
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