"Hey, Mr. Hollister," Harry turned in Zeke's desk chair, the keyboard on his lap. "Zeke's asleep."
"I see that. Zachary!" he shouted louder.
Zeke popped up to a ninety degree angle and looked at his father. "What's up?"
"I have a couple errands I want you to do today," Mr. Hollister said.
"Sure," Zeke shrugged. "Harry and I will probably get out around lunchtime."
"There's an envelope on the mantle. It needs a stamp and needs to get mailed. Could you also pick up the chainsaw from McCleccland's? And, fill up the van with gas. There's $30 on the mantle with the envelope. Your mom and I need to go to Kansas City tomorrow and we need the van full of gas."
"Sure. Yeah. We can do that," Zeke said.
Zeke's dad chuckled. "Are you sure?"
"No, but we'll do it. What are you and Mom going to Kansas City for?" Zeke asked.
"Seeing a doctor about her feet. You know she's been complaining for quite awhile so she finally got a referral from her primary doctor to see a podiatrist."
"Complaining for awhile? She's been complaining just about as long as I've been alive," Zeke chuckled.
His dad chuckled as well. "She has. What do you two have planned for today?" he asked.
"I think we're gonna go to the library in Lawrence and do some research on something. Harry's kind of being a nerd about something," Zeke said.
"You're the one that got me started on this," Harry said. "I have work at 3:30 so we won't be researching long. Zeke won't actually be up and awake until noon at the latest."
"What time did he go to sleep?" Zeke's dad asked.
"Three, four in the morning?"
"It's summer. I can have weird hours," Zeke argued.
"School starts next week," Harry said.
"Ugh. Don't remind me," Zeke rolled his eyes.
"I need to head out," Zeke's dad said. "I'll see you this evening. You guys have a good day."
"Thanks. You, too, Mr. Hollister," Harry said.
"Bye, Dad," Zeke said before flopping back down onto the bed and falling back asleep.
Harry continued to play on the computer for a bit before dozing off in the chair for a couple hours. Zeke woke up about 11:45 and they began getting ready for the day. Zeke changed his clothes, grabbed the keys to the van and began heading out the door.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Harry asked, standing by the mantle.
"What?"
"The envelope and the $30," Harry replied.
"What?"
"Your dad wanted you to mail this and fill the van with gas," Harry said.
"Oh. Okay," Zeke took the money and shoved it in a pocket. "Ready now?"
"Yeah."
They grabbed lunch and then giant bottles of soda at a convenience store before heading into Lawrence to go to the library. They spent a couple hours researching ghost towns of the area but didn't find anything new than what they already knew. When they left the library, Zeke pulled up to a mailbox and dropped the envelope in.
"Don't forget to stop by McCleccland's," Harry said.
"Why?" Zeke asked.
"Your dad wanted you to pick up your chainsaw. Do you not remember anything from your conversation from your dad this morning?"
"What conversation?"
"We all talked for, like, fifteen minutes. You were speaking in coherent, complete sentences. You were making jokes with him. You don't remember anything?"
"No."
"You were sitting up. Straight up," Harry held his arm straight in the air. "Were you asleep while you were talking to us?"
"I guess so. I don't remember talking to anyone this morning."
"Well, I guess it's a good thing that it was just a normal conversation and not some huge revelation your dad revealed to us and now you don't remember and just have to hear it second hand from your best friend," Harry said.
"Was there anything else? Another errand we need to do?"
"No. Just these three things. Your parents are going to Kansas City tomorrow to get your mom's feet checked out," Harry said.
"She has been complaining about them a lot."
"She's been complaining about them just about since you've been alive."
"Heh. Yeah, kind of."
"No, that's what you said to your dad when he told you that he and your mom are going to Kansas City to have her feet looked at."
"What the hell...?" Zeke exclaimed. They went inside McCleccland's and went to the counter. "I'm here to pick up a chainsaw for my dad. Hollister."
"Ah, yes. Hollister. You must be Zachary. I haven't seen you in years. You were shorter than this counter," the man knocked on it. The man went to the back of the store and brought out a chainsaw. "Here you go. It's already paid for. Say hi to your dad for me."
"I will. Thanks," Zeke said and he and Harry went back to the van.
As they drove home, at first it was in silence but then Zeke began talking. "A full conversation?"
"Cracking jokes and everything," Harry replied.
