#tssm Martha Conners

[the-lavender-room]

Remember this thing I mentioned

The past week and a half had gone by slowly. Over 250 hours dragged on and on; an eternity of waiting for this moment. Murmurs and whispers fill the late afternoon air. Half-audible words dissolved into a blanket of white noise. The only discernible sounds being the buzz of insects that got too close.

Curt sighed; slouching in the folding chair that was provided. There weren’t that many people here and he doesn’t know them. Curt was alone here, and he’ll be alone for a while. It wasn’t the first funeral he’d been to, but it is the one he was the least prepared for.

Richard, Mary, Carl, and Jamie. His friends, they were all dead. When he first heard of the crash, he didn’t think much of it; he’d heard of many plane crashes before. A few days later they had identified the bodies, and Curt was devastated. They were the only ones who stuck with him since college and they died so soon. It wasn’t fair.

Curt wiped away the tears that had formed at the corners of his eyes.

————————————

Curt almost didn’t notice as people began to clear out; his mind must have wandered off and wasn’t aware of the loss of time. He inhaled sharply, feeling like his body wasn’t able to before. The man stood up, took a second to stretch, and said ’goodbye’ to his dear friends one more time.

He leaned against a lamppost outside the cemetery, waiting to grab a cab home. With the last bit of red at the edge of the horizon fading to a deep purple. He’ll never see his friends again. Not directly at least.

Curt and Martha had been asked to watch over Carl and Jamie’s son, Eddie, before they left for their trip; looks like they’ll be watching him longer than they thought. Martha decided to stay home with him; the sudden death of close family was a very difficult concept for a small child to understand.

Curt watched small moths flutter around the light; one got caught in a web.

A tap on the shoulder got the young man’s attention. Curt turned and saw another man; hair already fading to gray. The man smiled but spoke with a somber tone. “You must be Curt, right? Curt Conners? I’m Ben. I’m sorry we couldn’t meet under better circumstances.”

Curt rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “Yeah, that’s me…” He recognized the man now; Ben Parker was Richard’s older brother. Richard used to talk about him a lot and had only good things to say. Maybe this conversation won’t be so awkward. “…It’s nice to finally meet you.”

He held out his hand. The older man took it in his own firm, yet gentle, grip. His tone and demeanor seemed friendly enough and Curt relaxed a bit. A nice change from other people Curt has met in… recent years.

The two men easily fell into friendly conversations. They reminisce about their lost friends and family. It felt nice to have a relatively casual conversation with someone other than just Martha. Hopefully, they could stay in contact after this.

—————————————

Time moved too quickly, for once, and before they knew it, a taxi pulled up. Curt jumped in the backseat, but before he could give directions home, the door opened again.

Ben stood in the door for a second, a look of confliction clear on his face as he ran a hand through his hair. “I, uh…” whatever the older man had to say was obviously hard for him; it was important. “…You remember Peter?”

“Peter? Yeah, a little bit.” Richard and Mary’s son. Curt ”met” him twice before; only a few weeks after the kid was born, and at his third birthday only months ago. Of course custody of the kid went to his aunt and uncle.

“My wife and I, we’re— I don’t want to pressure you, but… we’re not doing well, financially. Richard trusted you, and I do too…” Curt had a feeling he knew what the older man was trying to ask. He shifted so his full attention was on Ben. “…We don’t want to raise a kid in a bad situation, it’s not fair to him. I don’t want you to feel obligated, but we would appreciate some help, just a little.”

Curt almost couldn’t believe it, Ben Parker was asking him to help take care of his nephew, Richard’s son, his friends’ son.

“Let me talk this over with my wife first” this wasn’t a decision for curt to make on his.

The man sighed and thanked him before closing the door, to the annoyance of the driver. Curt gave directions to his neighborhood and watched as the older got smaller and smaller in the distance.

————————————

Curt had gotten home much later than he would like. With the moon rising high in the sky, and the stars shining brightly; Curt was glad he and Martha called the next few days off.

In the living room, he found the TV set to the menu screen of a kids movie; bright colored dinosaurs smiling.

Martha sat at the end of the couch; a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She stared blankly, not at the tv, but somewhere beyond that Curt couldn’t see. Eddie was on the other end of the couch; too untrusting of the adults to get close, yet not wanting to be left alone.

He rounded the corner and embraced her with a kiss. Her dull, blue eyes looked up at him; finally realizing he was home. “Hm. How’re you feeling?” She sounded tired, and sad.

“Well, I’ve been worse…” He laughed half-heartedly. He sat on the arm of the couch; resting his head against Martha’s. Curt felt mentally and socially exhausted, so he appreciated this small moment before he mentions their ”proposition”.

“Sooo… I met Ben earlier…” Martha looked at him confused. “Richard’s brother.” He clarified. He waited a few minutes before continuing; “…He asked if we could help his nephew, Peter.”

Curt wanted to help, he really did. He knew it was hard for a young couple to take care of a toddler. He couldn’t imagine how difficult it would be for an older couple, especially with everything going on.

“Well…” she looked down towards her feet. Her grip on the blanket tightened. Curt sat up awkwardly; he looked over at the six year old curled up opposite of them. He couldn’t make his snoring sound faker even if he tried.

“…Well, we do have a third room…” Martha continued. She put her hand on Curt’s. “And I’m sure Eddie will be excited to see his little friend more.”

Curt lit up; nearly slipping off the couch. “And y-y’er sure?”

“Of course I’m sure.” She stood, wrapping her arms around him and gave him another kiss. “I miss Richard and Mary as much as you do. I’d love to help my close friends, even if they’re…” She trailed off, tears forming in her eyes.

‘they’re gone…’

———-

Let me know if any spelling mistakes, thanks ☺️

[the-lavender-room]

Take stuff

[the-lavender-room]

I’m half tempted to make an AU were by ( yet to be thought through circumstances) Curt and Martha have custody of Peter and Eddie after their parents die

[the-lavender-room]

My lack of size consistency🤦‍♀️