Leo threw his back down on the small table in the large front entrance with a sigh of relief. The light creamy apricot walls with matching scones were new from the last time he was here. And there was an unrecognizable painting of weird splotches of colors hanging up as the focal point opposite the large arched front door.

Leo used his toes to pull back each shoe carefully then kicked them off to the side near where the light white closet door was closed tightly. Green painter's tape across the door and the smell of paint lingering in the air.

“Mom?”

“Leo? Is that you? I am in the kitchen, honey, don’t touch the walls, they are almost drying.” she called back her voice a gentle, pleasant song.

‘Hmmm, she is in a good mood. I wonder why?’

Leo walked up the three steps that led into the little landing area with dark mahogany flooring and a black stone statement wall that led to the main sitting area and formal dining room, which was cleaned off and set up for dinner, with what looked like from far away the nice dinnerware.

He walked past them both and peaked around the wall that hid the kitchen, family living room and adjacent breakfast nook directly behind those two rooms.

“It smells good whatcha making?”

“Gosh, honey, how many times do I have to tell you to stop poking your nose up in weird places when I am cooking over the stove?” she exclaimed. Her voice light and breathy as she regained her composure from being startled.

“If I am poking my nose into the kitchen for the first time how would I know you are cooking over the stove and not say grabbing something from the fridge?” Leo asked pointedly. Leo leaned forward and hugged his mom wrapping his arms around her in a tight bear hug from the side while leaning his head gently down on her much lower shoulders. She lifted her one free hand and twisted awkwardly to pat him on the cheek softly.

“Oh, don’t be such a smarty, it’s dangerous whether I am in the fridge, over the stove or about to cut a steak, and you know it. Now be good and wash your hands, supper is almost ready.” she chided and restarted stirring the soup.

“What’s under the lid on that one?” Leo asked, hearing the sharp sizzling sounds from beneath the lid was making his stomach leap with anticipation.

“None of your business,“

“You know I am tall enough to just reach past you and look right?”

“I said no touching, Jeez, honestly you and Dad are always the same, little troublemakers. Keep your fingers out, now go wash up, oh and get your father from the porch for me too. God knows he is too deaf to hear me yelling at him from here.”

“Sure, allocate me to try to get him to leave his playing. I just got here. Why are you making me the bad guy?”

“Oh tut, shoo, get out of my kitchen.” she waved the ladle in his face.

Leo sighed in defeat and took one last longing look at the stir-fried vegetables, crispy fried sweet potato slices and the barbeque chicken.

“Yeah, okay I am going.” he said sadly and waved his hand nonchalantly then headed off down the hall and up the dark mahogany stairs holding onto the old intricate railing.

The fourth stair from the top didn’t creak when he stepped on it and he smiled.

‘Hmm dad fixed it… That or Mom hired someone cause she got tired of waiting for him to do it.’

Leo walked gingerly down the hall one hand out, fingertips running across the familiar walls gently. His finger hit the tiny notch in the wall where he and Caspian had been forced to patch the hole in the wall by themselves after they had made the grave mistake of playing baseball indoors.

He smiled at the memory, then his face turned into a frown.

‘Caspian.’ He sighed unhappily and swallowed around the lump that had grown in his throat.

“Dad?” Leo called pushing the bedroom door open, sure enough across the room on the other side through the little seating area his mom had served up in their room his dad had the door to the porch wide open and was playing a tune on his guitar.

Leo could tell he was not there, that he was peacefully strumming away at a tune that was so ingrained in his memory he didn’t have to think he just played.

“Dad” Leo repeated and leaned on the open door frame.

His dad opened his eyes and a pleasant smile creased his handsome features.

“Leo, you just got here, huh? Did you see the birds were quite enjoying that tune, Rob told me that my playing was a racket and scaring off the birds he has been trying to watch all week. That old goat doesn’t know what he is talking about. The birds love my music.”

“I know I heard.”

Leo said gently, his dad stood up, reached out and patted him gently on the shoulder in his standard non verbal hello.

“Put my guitar away, then come down to the kitchen. suppers ready, I can smell it.”

“I know Mom told me to remind you to wash up.”

His dad let out a hearty laugh,

“Your mother is becoming a crazy goat in her old age and doing things like dressing up for dinner and inviting her cackle of old Hens to do yoga, or dancing, or whatever in the park on Sundays.”

Leo smiled. “I suppose you’re both are doing crazy things in your old age. You are playing music for birds and she is inviting a group of them over to exercise.”

His dad’s laughter bellowed loudly into the room and he slapped Leo on the back good naturedly.

“You are such a smart ass.”

“Yes, just like you, I suppose the apple can’t really roll all that far from its roots now can it.” His mom quipped as she walked into the room.

Leo sucked in a smile.

“Mom, the saying is. An apple doesn’t fall too far from a tree.”

“Oh, pssh, don’t correct me if I say it’s right, then it is. Now go get dressed for dinner.”

“Get changed, why? Just to eat? What’s wrong with what I am wearing?” Leo whined looking down at his red, and black rose patterned t-shirt, and his dark blue acid wash distressed jeans. Everything was good quality fashion, he looked fine, better than fine.

“You want to sit at the dinner table like that? With half your legs hanging out of the holes from your ripped up jeans? If I wanted to see nobby little chicken knees, I would ask your father to put on a skirt. Since no one wants to see that, I doubt anyone wants to see yours either.”

“Honey?”

“Yes, right, I mean that is if you want to go change out of those ragged clothes, into something… Nicer.”

Leo rolled his eyes “Of course mom,” He smiled as she perked up immediately and shifted forward in her seat now happy as a peach while putting on a pair of earrings. Leo walked out of the room, chuckling.