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Fox 044: Quiet Fox
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[AN: This is the forty-fourth in the Fox Tale series. Please read them in order.]
[Creative property of Lady Quindecim]
Day 10 - Thursday (continued)
Cornered with the drumline, I was glad to be relieved of the pass-it-on responsibility of Julie’s love life. I added that Keith and Tanya was doubling with Cody and myself for Halloween. There were some optical-daggers thrown in the direction of the flute section.
I passed Fox in the hall on the way to history class, which greatly brightened my mood. She said that we could talk about the menu for the party on the way home. So brightened was my mood that even world history and the exploits of ancient Greek politics were interesting.
Lab band was a lot of fun. Apparently, having added piano to the lineup, they wanted to dig deep through the library for songs to play for competition. I also like the working-on-songs-to-really-get-them-down part, but from time to time is it fun to just play through, sightreading songs. Of course, most everything here is new to me... still.
Walking out to the practice field, Keith came to me to say we were all on for the Blue Man costumes. Tanya was, according to Keith, rather keen on the idea, in fact. We were kind of laughing about it because Tanya too thought it would be amusing to see the boys dressed as ballerinas. I saw Aaron, tall and lanky, carrying his trombone, saunter up beside Julie, and I gave Keith a sideways look.
He shrugged, “Yeah, I didn’t want to make her sound desperate or anything like that, but... I just put in a small suggestion.”
I nodded, “Sounds fair to me.”
* * *
Fox was waiting for me out the backstage door after practice. I said, “Hi,” but she just smiled and turned her head. She looked happy, but still, not quite. It was just reinforcing my suspicion that she had a hard time looking at me. I could not believe that my resemblance to Cole was, for one, that strong, and two, that significant.
“So,” She said as we started walking, “I am liking the idea of Tex-Mex for the party. I mean, we can have like, build-your-own fajitas, chips and salsa, empany... impanya... little fried things and, and well, I am hoping you can come up with some more ideas.”
This was cool. Walking along here, she did not have to look at me and we could just talk and talk. No worries or fears. “Yep, I can do a good seven-layer dip and we can have empanadas - the fried things - and tamales. It will be fun.”
“The way you say ‘empanada’ and ‘tamale’... do you speak Spanish too?”
“What? Oh, goodness no. Except how to order one more beer and ask directions to the bathroom.”
“Oh, well. So, tell me about your dip.”
And so we walked, slowly, close, side by side, talking about all the things we could make, what would work well for the party, what would be great to just have some other time. I cherished the joy in her voice, right there beside me, step by step. It took no time at all to decide on a sensible menu, but as Fox said, it felt so good to be able to talk food with someone.
“How did you get into food?” I mean, I wanted to know everything about Fox and her life and likes.
“Self defence, mostly. Or Preservation. The idea of food prep at home was opening the package. From scratch meant to him that there were things that had to be stirred together before heating it up. Macaroni and cheese from a kit with diced up canned ham and carrots on the side was serious kitchen time. Now, don’t get me wrong, toaster waffles and canned spaghetti rings is not as bad a meal as it sounds after a few years. I learned how to operate the microwave before preschool. He said Mom’s fave...”
I waited, but a covert glimpse of a tear being wiped away suggested that I was not going to find out.
Finally, she just asked, “What about you?”
“Well, Mom was not that bad, really, but I missed home cooking. My brother Dan too, so he encouraged me to learn. Mom would get busy working and just forget, so, rather than bugging her, we would take over the kitchen.”
She nodded and let a few more steps pass in silence.
I continued, “When Dan went back to live with Dad,” I swallowed a little nervously, reminded that we both, Fox and I, have things we do not want to talk about. “He turned sixteen this past summer and could not stand living ‘in a house full of estrogen’ any longer, as he said... anyway, when he move back, I cut back on things a bit, keeping them really simple and fresh. All but cutting out meat entirely, the familiar Tex-Mex flavours just really worked nicely while still providing good protein and stuff. So, with just a few good recipes under my belt, so to speak, I just mix things up and have different stuff all the time. But I mostly leave the pasta and stuff like stews and casseroles to Mom.” It felt weird to be bringing Dad up like that, but it just kind of had to, explaining where Dan went.
She nodded again as we entered the park and again did not say anything.
“Hey, Fox, I’m sorry if,” I tried to apologize. But she shrugged away, turning her head down, away from me. It hurt more than I expected as that pain in my chest grew with each beat of my heart. She doubled a step to put her a pace ahead, but then backed off next to me once more when we got to the path joining the halves of the park. I expected her to just turn off down her trail but instead she threw her arms around me, pulling herself tightly into me.
“It’s not you, DG. Well it is but it’s not you. It’s a lot of things. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.”
I put my arms around her. “It’s okay. But I don’t-”
“No, little drummer girl. It is very much not okay. You and your mom should just go. Pack up and run away from me and from this place.”
“Is that what you want?”
Very faintly, less than a whisper, she said to me, “Quite the opposite.”
I let her hold me as I stood there, breathing in her scent in the cold October air. I could not really think of anything else but holding on to her and having her as a part of me. I did not understand this relationship we were forming and I had no way of knowing if I ever would.
[You have been reading the forty-fourth installment of the Fox Tale Series by Lady Quindecim.]
[If you received this text from a source other than DeviantArt, please let the author know via e-mail to lady.quindecim@gmail.com]
[I hope you have enjoyed this installment]
[Creative property of Lady Quindecim]
Page Forty Four: Quiet Fox
Day 10 - Thursday (continued)
Cornered with the drumline, I was glad to be relieved of the pass-it-on responsibility of Julie’s love life. I added that Keith and Tanya was doubling with Cody and myself for Halloween. There were some optical-daggers thrown in the direction of the flute section.
I passed Fox in the hall on the way to history class, which greatly brightened my mood. She said that we could talk about the menu for the party on the way home. So brightened was my mood that even world history and the exploits of ancient Greek politics were interesting.
Lab band was a lot of fun. Apparently, having added piano to the lineup, they wanted to dig deep through the library for songs to play for competition. I also like the working-on-songs-to-really-get-them-down part, but from time to time is it fun to just play through, sightreading songs. Of course, most everything here is new to me... still.
Walking out to the practice field, Keith came to me to say we were all on for the Blue Man costumes. Tanya was, according to Keith, rather keen on the idea, in fact. We were kind of laughing about it because Tanya too thought it would be amusing to see the boys dressed as ballerinas. I saw Aaron, tall and lanky, carrying his trombone, saunter up beside Julie, and I gave Keith a sideways look.
He shrugged, “Yeah, I didn’t want to make her sound desperate or anything like that, but... I just put in a small suggestion.”
I nodded, “Sounds fair to me.”
* * *
Fox was waiting for me out the backstage door after practice. I said, “Hi,” but she just smiled and turned her head. She looked happy, but still, not quite. It was just reinforcing my suspicion that she had a hard time looking at me. I could not believe that my resemblance to Cole was, for one, that strong, and two, that significant.
“So,” She said as we started walking, “I am liking the idea of Tex-Mex for the party. I mean, we can have like, build-your-own fajitas, chips and salsa, empany... impanya... little fried things and, and well, I am hoping you can come up with some more ideas.”
This was cool. Walking along here, she did not have to look at me and we could just talk and talk. No worries or fears. “Yep, I can do a good seven-layer dip and we can have empanadas - the fried things - and tamales. It will be fun.”
“The way you say ‘empanada’ and ‘tamale’... do you speak Spanish too?”
“What? Oh, goodness no. Except how to order one more beer and ask directions to the bathroom.”
“Oh, well. So, tell me about your dip.”
And so we walked, slowly, close, side by side, talking about all the things we could make, what would work well for the party, what would be great to just have some other time. I cherished the joy in her voice, right there beside me, step by step. It took no time at all to decide on a sensible menu, but as Fox said, it felt so good to be able to talk food with someone.
“How did you get into food?” I mean, I wanted to know everything about Fox and her life and likes.
“Self defence, mostly. Or Preservation. The idea of food prep at home was opening the package. From scratch meant to him that there were things that had to be stirred together before heating it up. Macaroni and cheese from a kit with diced up canned ham and carrots on the side was serious kitchen time. Now, don’t get me wrong, toaster waffles and canned spaghetti rings is not as bad a meal as it sounds after a few years. I learned how to operate the microwave before preschool. He said Mom’s fave...”
I waited, but a covert glimpse of a tear being wiped away suggested that I was not going to find out.
Finally, she just asked, “What about you?”
“Well, Mom was not that bad, really, but I missed home cooking. My brother Dan too, so he encouraged me to learn. Mom would get busy working and just forget, so, rather than bugging her, we would take over the kitchen.”
She nodded and let a few more steps pass in silence.
I continued, “When Dan went back to live with Dad,” I swallowed a little nervously, reminded that we both, Fox and I, have things we do not want to talk about. “He turned sixteen this past summer and could not stand living ‘in a house full of estrogen’ any longer, as he said... anyway, when he move back, I cut back on things a bit, keeping them really simple and fresh. All but cutting out meat entirely, the familiar Tex-Mex flavours just really worked nicely while still providing good protein and stuff. So, with just a few good recipes under my belt, so to speak, I just mix things up and have different stuff all the time. But I mostly leave the pasta and stuff like stews and casseroles to Mom.” It felt weird to be bringing Dad up like that, but it just kind of had to, explaining where Dan went.
She nodded again as we entered the park and again did not say anything.
“Hey, Fox, I’m sorry if,” I tried to apologize. But she shrugged away, turning her head down, away from me. It hurt more than I expected as that pain in my chest grew with each beat of my heart. She doubled a step to put her a pace ahead, but then backed off next to me once more when we got to the path joining the halves of the park. I expected her to just turn off down her trail but instead she threw her arms around me, pulling herself tightly into me.
“It’s not you, DG. Well it is but it’s not you. It’s a lot of things. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.”
I put my arms around her. “It’s okay. But I don’t-”
“No, little drummer girl. It is very much not okay. You and your mom should just go. Pack up and run away from me and from this place.”
“Is that what you want?”
Very faintly, less than a whisper, she said to me, “Quite the opposite.”
I let her hold me as I stood there, breathing in her scent in the cold October air. I could not really think of anything else but holding on to her and having her as a part of me. I did not understand this relationship we were forming and I had no way of knowing if I ever would.
[You have been reading the forty-fourth installment of the Fox Tale Series by Lady Quindecim.]
[If you received this text from a source other than DeviantArt, please let the author know via e-mail to lady.quindecim@gmail.com]
[I hope you have enjoyed this installment]
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First ever Non-Friday Fox submission. Anyhoo, DG and Fox get to learn a little more about one another. I am not going to tell you what in here is the important parts for later... but when they come up again, sure.
If this is the first one you are reading, by all means please stop and read the first one [link] first, then proceed in order, if you would be so kind.
And if you like it/them, let me know. If you do not, I would still like to know. If you are completely indifferent and do not feel it is worth your time to comment, that's okay, you can let me know that as well.
Part One: Fox at First Sight → [link] ←
Part Two: Foxy Lady → [link] ←
Part Three: Still a Fox → [link] ←
Part Four: Fellowship of the Fox → [link] ←
Part Five: Fox Free Period → [link] ←
Part Six: Fox, but not Forgotten → [link] ←
Part Seven: Fox Report → [link] ←
Part Eight: Fox in socks → [link] ←
Part Nine: Lingering Fox → [link] ←
Part Ten: Bargain with a Fox → [link] ←
Part Eleven: Speechless Fox → [link] ←
Part Twelve: Fox Filled Dreams → [link] ←
Part Thirteen: In a Box, With a Fox → [link] ←
Part Fourteen: Fox and Stone → [link] ←
Part Fifteen: Chef Fox & On the Spot → [link] ←
Part Sixteen: Fox Proud → [link] ←
Part Seventeen: Fox is Watching → [link] ←
Part Eighteen: Foxless Day? → [link] ←
Part Nineteen: Cornered Without a Fox → [link] ←
Part Twenty: A Fighting Fox → [link] ←
Part Twenty One: What Fox Can Never Know → [link] ←
Part Twenty Two: The Wounded Fox → [link] ←
Part Twenty Three: The True Fox → [link] ←
Part Twenty Four: Holding On To Fox → [link] ←
Part Twenty Five: A Box for Fox → [link] ←
Part Twenty Six: A Locked Box for Fox → [link] ←
Part Twenty Seven: Putting Fox Aside → [link] ←
Page Twenty Eight: The Fox Path → [link] ←
Page Twenty Nine: Fox Has Secrets → [link] ←
Page Thirty: Happy Fox → [link] ←
Page Thirty One: Walking With Fox → [link] ←
Page Thirty Two: Fox’s Gift → [link] ←
Page Thirty Three: A Foxed Conviction → [link] ←
Page Thirty Four: Fox’s Town → [link] ←
Page Thirty Five: Fox at Hand → [link] ←
Page Thirty Six: A Foxy Habit → [link] ←
Page Thirty Seven: I Can Dream About Fox → [link] ←
Page Thirty Eight: Chef Fox 1 → [link] ←
Page Thirty Nine: Chef Fox 2 → [link] ←
Page Forty: Chef Fox 3 → [link] ←
Page Forty One: Chef Fox 4 → [link] ←
Page Forty Two: Searching for Fox → [link] ←
Page Forty Three: Morning Fox → [link] ←
Page Forty Four: Quiet Fox → You are Here ←
Page Forty Five: Fox’s Warning → [link] ←
If, for whatever reason, you want to use any of this/these, please check with me first.
As always, comments and feedback are welcome.
If this is the first one you are reading, by all means please stop and read the first one [link] first, then proceed in order, if you would be so kind.
And if you like it/them, let me know. If you do not, I would still like to know. If you are completely indifferent and do not feel it is worth your time to comment, that's okay, you can let me know that as well.
Part One: Fox at First Sight → [link] ←
Part Two: Foxy Lady → [link] ←
Part Three: Still a Fox → [link] ←
Part Four: Fellowship of the Fox → [link] ←
Part Five: Fox Free Period → [link] ←
Part Six: Fox, but not Forgotten → [link] ←
Part Seven: Fox Report → [link] ←
Part Eight: Fox in socks → [link] ←
Part Nine: Lingering Fox → [link] ←
Part Ten: Bargain with a Fox → [link] ←
Part Eleven: Speechless Fox → [link] ←
Part Twelve: Fox Filled Dreams → [link] ←
Part Thirteen: In a Box, With a Fox → [link] ←
Part Fourteen: Fox and Stone → [link] ←
Part Fifteen: Chef Fox & On the Spot → [link] ←
Part Sixteen: Fox Proud → [link] ←
Part Seventeen: Fox is Watching → [link] ←
Part Eighteen: Foxless Day? → [link] ←
Part Nineteen: Cornered Without a Fox → [link] ←
Part Twenty: A Fighting Fox → [link] ←
Part Twenty One: What Fox Can Never Know → [link] ←
Part Twenty Two: The Wounded Fox → [link] ←
Part Twenty Three: The True Fox → [link] ←
Part Twenty Four: Holding On To Fox → [link] ←
Part Twenty Five: A Box for Fox → [link] ←
Part Twenty Six: A Locked Box for Fox → [link] ←
Part Twenty Seven: Putting Fox Aside → [link] ←
Page Twenty Eight: The Fox Path → [link] ←
Page Twenty Nine: Fox Has Secrets → [link] ←
Page Thirty: Happy Fox → [link] ←
Page Thirty One: Walking With Fox → [link] ←
Page Thirty Two: Fox’s Gift → [link] ←
Page Thirty Three: A Foxed Conviction → [link] ←
Page Thirty Four: Fox’s Town → [link] ←
Page Thirty Five: Fox at Hand → [link] ←
Page Thirty Six: A Foxy Habit → [link] ←
Page Thirty Seven: I Can Dream About Fox → [link] ←
Page Thirty Eight: Chef Fox 1 → [link] ←
Page Thirty Nine: Chef Fox 2 → [link] ←
Page Forty: Chef Fox 3 → [link] ←
Page Forty One: Chef Fox 4 → [link] ←
Page Forty Two: Searching for Fox → [link] ←
Page Forty Three: Morning Fox → [link] ←
Page Forty Four: Quiet Fox → You are Here ←
Page Forty Five: Fox’s Warning → [link] ←
If, for whatever reason, you want to use any of this/these, please check with me first.
As always, comments and feedback are welcome.
© 2013 - 2024 LadyQuindecim
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Still re-familiarizing myself with the older chapters, but I have been keeping up. This one made me smile. Back in high school, the ladies loved the way I said Quesadilla. 
I love how this story is progressing.
And I am glad to see a Tuesday update as well.
I love how this story is progressing.
And I am glad to see a Tuesday update as well.