Date: Mon, 1 Nov 2004 18:18:03 EST
From: ICONvsICON@aol.com
Subject: MARCUS AND KYLE chapter twenty-one

A Shift in the Universe
Christian Mitchell Copyright 2004

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:

    In Los Angeles we celebrated Fourth of July at Tyler's house.  His family
hosted a barbecue every year in honor of Independence Day.  Like years of the
past, family and friends gathered to have fun and enjoy each other's company.


    As time passed Kyle and I started to organize and pack our belongings to
move into our apartment.  My parents purchased a few pieces of furniture as a
gift to us.  Kyle's parents supplied the kitchen necessities.  We pretty much
had everything we needed to feel at home in our new apartment.  The remaining
items left to buy were groceries, toiletry supplies such as towels and new
bedding for our bed.

    Kyle and I met Mr. Fredrickson to obtain the keys to the apartment.
Tyler and Paul helped us move in on July Fifteenth.  Once we had carried in the
last load of stuff we ordered pizza and sat in the living room.  Then we spent
the rest of the night talking and making fun of each other.

    When Kyle and I were finally alone we unpacked a few boxes of personal
items.  Yet, we were too exhausted from all the day's work to do much more.  We
dragged ourselves to the bedroom and lay on top of the unmade bed.  Kyle
nestled up next to me and wrapped his arms around me.

    "The phone and cable are supposed to be turned on tomorrow," Kyle
informed me as he made himself more comfortable.

    "Good," I muttered.

    Kyle grabbed one of the pillows and placed it under his head. "I love
you," he whispered.

    "I love you more," I replied with a kiss.

    Within minutes Kyle was asleep and quietly snoring in my ear.  I hugged
his arms closer to my body and fell asleep as well.


    The following morning Kyle started to unpack boxes while he waited for
the cable guy to show up at the apartment.  I drove to the grocery store to buy
food.

    In the past if I had to go to the grocery store I quickly walked around
and grabbed all the items that my mother needed.  This was the first time that
I actually purchased food for myself.  It was a cart full of stuff that Kyle
and I wanted for our apartment.  It made me feel sort of more responsible and
mature.

    When I returned home I was pleased to see that Kyle had unpacked most of
all the stuff.  He had already put most of our clothes away and had made the
bed as well.

    "Your mother called," he said.

    "She called your cell?  Or is the phone service connected?"

    "The apartment," he answered.  "We have our very own telephone number
now."

    "You've reached the voicemail of Mr. and Mr. Anderson.  Please leave your
message after the tone," I teased.

    "Or Mr. and Mr. Levine," Kyle smiled.

    "So what did my mother say?"

    "She's going to come by around six o'clock with your dad and Vanessa."

    "For dinner?" I panicked.  "I don't think I'm ready to cook dinner for
other people.  If I do, I know they won't eat it."

    "No," Kyle laughed.  "She said they wanted to drop off a few things.  And
I guess Vanessa has a housewarming gift for us."

    "She's so happy I'm finally out of the house that she's rewarding me."

    "Yeah, right," Kyle chuckled.  "She'll probably be over here a lot."

    "Okay, let's finish cleaning this apartment before they get here.  I'm
sure my mother thinks we won't be unpacked for weeks."

    "Well, then she should be pleasantly surprised when she gets here," Kyle
replied.  "It won't take long to have everything in its place."

    "You're right," I observed.  "Let's arrange the furniture then take all
of these boxes to the trash."

    By the time we had cleaned and arranged the apartment we had one hour
before my family arrived.  We curled up on the sofa together and watched a rerun
of the X-Files.


    Shortly after six o'clock the telephone rang.  It was my father telling
me that they were standing at the main building entrance.  I entered the code
to allow them entry into the lobby.  A couple minutes later there was a knock
on the door.

    Kyle let them in.  "Hello."

    My mother placed a box on the floor next to the television.  Then my
father walked in with two boxes and a plastic bag.

    She crossed the room toward me.  "Okay, I don't want to alarm the two of
you."

    "Where's Vanessa?" I asked.

    "She's bringing your gift upstairs."

    My dad wiped his brow and put his hands on his hips.  "Your mother wanted
to warn you first before Vanessa came up."

    "First of all, it wasn't my idea," she said.  "But Vanessa was adamant
about it being the perfect gift for the two of you."

    "You make it sound like she's bringing us a box of road kill," I smiled.

    "Well, it's not dead," she replied.

    I jumped up from the sofa and walked toward the door.  "What?  Are you
kidding?"

    "Um, I'm afraid not," my father responded.

    Kyle joined me at the door.  We leaned out into the hallway, but we did
not see Vanessa walking toward the apartment.  I turned around and faced my
parents.  "What did she get us?"

    "We promised we wouldn't say anything since it's supposed to be a
surprise," my father responded.

    "Well, I'm surprised already," Kyle smiled.  "And I can act surprised
when she gets here, if you really want to warn us first."

    "No," my mother laughed.  "You boys will have to wait."

    "Yeah," I agreed and turned back toward the door.  I could hear the sound
of plastic bags being carried in the hallway.  "Besides, here she comes."

    Vanessa walked in.  I immediately noticed the small kitten wrapped in her
arms that she was holding against her chest.  It looked like a tiger but it
was gray with a patch of white on its neck.

    Kyle's face morphed into shock.  "Holy shit!"

    "Happy housewarming!" Vanessa beamed as she handed the kitten to Kyle.

    "Oh, my God," I mumbled.  "I can't believe you got us a cat!"

    "Well, I was going to get you a dog, but mom and dad thought that it
might be too much to handle.  Plus I didn't know if you'd really want one since
that dog bit you when you were a kid."

    "Hey, that dog didn't like me," I quickly responded.

    Dad added," walking the dog and such while getting started with college
probably isn't a good idea at the moment."

    "Remember, I said it wasn't my idea," my mother reminded us.  "And it
didn't seem like Mr. Fredrickson was fond of dogs when I asked him about pets."

    "Mom wanted me to get you a stupid mirror to hang on the wall," Vanessa
complained.  "I thought this would be much better."

    "It wasn't just an ordinary mirror," my mother protested.  "It was a very
nice framed mirror that would look lovely on your living room wall."

    Kyle handed the kitten to me. The poor thing seemed frightened.  Yet, it
looked up at me and meowed, as if to say hello.

    "Hey," I smiled.  "Hey, little kitty."

    Kyle started to pet its head and scratch under its chin.  Then he turned
to Vanessa and gave her hug.  "Thank you, Vanessa!  That was very sweet of
you."

    "You're welcome," she smiled.

    "Yes, thank you," I said.

    "I have everything it needs," she replied and quickly walked out into the
hallway.  She returned with two large Pet Smart bags.  "The litter, food,
toys and a litter box."

    "Well, you certainly come prepared," Kyle laughed.

    "Do you like it?" Vanessa asked with excitement.

    "Yes," I answered.  "I wasn't expecting an animal.  A plant, maybe.  But
a cat is a nice surprise."

    "If it doesn't work out we can take it in," my mother said.

    "What do you think, Kyle?"

    "Oh, hell no," he smiled.  "I think we should keep it."

    "So do I."  As soon as I placed the kitten on the floor it immediately
attacked one of the Pet Smart bags.

    "See, it feels at home already."

    "Vanessa, shut the door," mother instructed.  "We don't want to lose it
within the first five minutes of being here."

    "What are we going to name it?" Kyle asked.

    "I don't know," I replied.  "Have any ideas, Vanessa?"

    "I tried to figure out a combination of your names, but all I could
really come up with is Lycus.  L, y, c, u, s."

    "Well, that makes sense," Kyle replied.  "I kind of like it, actually."

    "It's original," I said.

    Kyle agreed.  "Tiger or Fluffy or something would be too obvious."

    "Then it's settled," I smiled.  "The little baby kitten is going to be
named Lycus."

    "Or does that make us seem kind of pathetic?" he asked.

    "Oh, please!" my mother exclaimed.  "Don't worry about what people may
think about your cat's name.  Good Lord, it's only an animal!"


    Kyle and I gave my family a quick tour of how we had set the apartment
up.  Vanessa and Kyle sat on the floor and played with Lycus for about ten
minutes.  Then we left the cat alone so that we could have dinner at a
restaurant on Beverly Boulevard.