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The sky. The sun. The way the sun shimmered on the flowing river. The grass. How much more average can I make it? The birds chirped. The birds stopped chirping directly outside the second story of a certain house, where a loud banging was emanating from the hallway.
“Babe!” Fareeha called out as she hit, or as she would say, knocked, on the door of Angela’s lab. Grumbling could be heard inside. “You’ve been in there for 22 hours! Come out and see your family, or so help me, I will break down this door!” As Fareeha began rolling up her sleeves, a large amount of shuffling came from within, followed by the door slowly creaking open. Fareeha stepped back in surprised as the door slammed open, a loud crashing sound as a mass of papers burst out the doorway. It was easily halfway up the door frame after spilling into the hallway, a tired figure of a woman giving a thumbs up from where she laid underneath the landfill of documents.
“....Sup.” You couldn’t see much of Angela past the shoulders, her white lab coat seeming to meld into the paper pile. Her glasses sat crooked on her face from where she fell, a tired sparkle behind them. Probably satisfied after some large breakthrough. Fareeha crossed her arms, disapproval written clean on her face.
“Get out of there, honestly.” She sighed as she helped Angela to her feet, fixing her disheveled coat as papers seemed to fall off her. “It’s time for lunch.”
“No can do.” Angela wagged a finger before turning around, wading into the landfill back into her lab. She had to crouch to avoid the doorway. “I’m working.”
“Okay, no.” Fareeha grabbed Angela by the tail of her coat, holding her back as she stubbornly swung her arms toward her desk. At least, where her desk was, under the garbage. “We’re putting science on hold until we clean this up. Last thing we need is the floor giving way.” Angela spun around at the words, blocking the entryway.
“You’ve never seen my lab before! There’s...science….in here!”
“I’m sure there is, babe. Sit tight while I go get cleaning supplies.” Angela sighed as she laid back, contemplating her options. It wasn’t too late to throw a match at it. She mumbled to herself as she waded back into the room, determined to hide her most important secrets.
Fareeha arrived a few minutes later, carrying, among other things, trash bags, clorox, rubber gloves, a dustpan and broom, some washcloths, and cleaning solution. She set them down at the edge of the landfill with a grunt, Angela looking up from the spot she had been at when Fareeha left.
“I don’t know what kind of garbage you have in there, so put on some gloves. It’s spring cleaning time.” Fareeha jabbed a pair of rubber gloves at her wife, Angela looking at them flatly in turn, refusing to move.
“I think that’s a bit extreme. It’s just a small mess.”
“Babe, your small mess flooded half the hallway. Even Hana would say this is too much.”
Fareeha tsked as she unfolded one of the black bags, determination on her face as she began shoveling papers in by the handful.
“Hey. Woah. Hey. Hey. Stop! That might be important!” Angela panicked as she dove for the papers, ripping them from Fareeha’s hands. And in half. “You don’t know what’s on here! Maybe it’s the cure for AIDS or something!”
“First of all, it’s just an old grocery list. Second of all..” Fareeha adjusted Angela’s glasses, having almost slid off. “...You already ripped it in half. So it’s trash.” Angela was speechless as Fareeha took the papers, throwing them into the empty garbage back before returning to the edge of the pile. The genius scientist of Angela took a few seconds before pouting and running back into the room, as fast as she could. Which was not very, considering the amount of office supplies she was moving through. After about a foot, she tripped, smacking her face on a file cabinet, leaving her splayed out on top of the mass. Fareeha paused a moment as she watched everything happen, letting out a disappointed sigh as she went back to work. She look at various documents here and there, papers either holding complex equations or dirty jokes and fantasies. Fareeha wondered how long Angela had been working like this, physically unable to set foot on the floor. A trash bag was filled, tied, and set aside. And another. Fareeha finished tying the third one before taking a break. She had barely made it through the doorway, a seemingly impossible amount of work in front of her. Angela sat where her desk ought to be, pouting and rubbing her face. “Babe, feel like lending a hand? You have to admit, it’s a bit out of hand.”
“Hmph. Why should I have to clean up if I don’t see a problem with it?” Angela turned away, cheeks puffed. She felt guilty, sure, but didn’t understand why Fareeha was going to such lengths. “Don’t you have a workout to do or something? Stop worrying about it.”
“Babe..” Fareeha sounded hurt as she opened a new bag. “It’s unhealthy. I know you do a lot, but living in a trash heap just isn’t good for you. I’m worried.”
“Sweetheart…” Angela slowly looked at her wife, tears beading in her eyes.
“Plus it’s a fire hazard. I don’t want to have to repaint the house again.” Fareeha clicked her tongue as she ruined the perfect romantic moment. She didn’t notice the brutal shock on Angela’s face as she squinted at papers, trying to figure out if there was anything that needed saving. Angela went back to pouting in the corner, mumbling about emotional abuse.
Several hours and two packs of garbage bags later, Fareeha wiped her brow, the room almost clean. Well, not almost. But you could finally see the floor. Scattered papers and general garbage still lay about, sitting on file cabinets and tables. Fareeha scowled at the layer of dust and dirt that seemed to have gathered on every surface, her rubber gloves snapped as she readied some hot water and a sponge. Angela was thankful to be sitting back in her office chair, watching Fareeha closely as she hugged her knees to her chin.
“I..uh...None of the chemicals are going to react with water, right? ‘Cause I know it’s heat’s important and all that. Right?” She looked over her shoulder at Angela, her wife just looking back with a cold stare. Fareeha asked herself why she was doing so much as she started cleaning the grime. She knew. She wanted Angela to live well, and if anything, she also knew Angela was grateful without admitting it. But that was okay. She let out a sigh after finishing the first table, the sparkling exterior overshadowed by several other tables with the same problem.
“I’m gonna take a break. It’s been...what? 3 hours?” Fareeha dropped the sponge in the bucket before snapping off her gloves, cracking her knuckles as she left the room. Angela’s eyes followed her as she left, lips pursed. She looked at the bucket, and back at the doorway.
“Yo, babe, these pears are fire. Did you want som-” Fareeha was stopped mid sentence as she walked back into the room, holding a platter of pear slices with some toothpicks. The room was clean from top to bottom, clean and sparkling with that classic look of just being washed. Angela looked like she hadn’t moved an inch, twiddling a mechanical pencil between her fingers.
“Don’t get the wrong idea, I just wanted to make sure you weren’t throwing away anything important!” Angela scoffed from her seat. “Including.” She held up a piece of loose leaf. “The aforementioned AIDS cure. You’re welcome.”
“....I don’t have AIDS. But that’s great! See, look at what you can do with just a little personal responsibility!” Fareeha set the pears on the desk as she wrapped an arm around her wife, admiring the spotless room with the eyes of a proud father.
“You’re right, these pears are good.” Angela agreed as she snuck her hand under Fareeha’s armpit, snacking. It helped that she hadn’t eaten for who knows how long.
“Did you remember to declutter your drawers? It’s just as important.”
“What no Fareeha wait.” Angela struggled, mouth full of pears, protesting as Fareeha reached over and opened one of the drawers on Angela’s desk. The room went silent.
“What’re these?”
“Oh, you know. Just….de-stressers.” Sweat beaded on Angela’s forehead as she felt the arm around her shoulders tighten. Fareeha could be a proud, deck-building, barbeque dad, sure, but that also meant she could be an angry, yelling father in the wrong circumstances.
“You said you had quit!” Fareeha’s voice rose in disbelief, her hand pulling a pint of Ben and Jerry’s from the drawer.
“I had! Have. I have!” Angela waved her hands at the box, just out of reach from where Fareeha was keeping her strong-armed to her seat. “It helps with science sometimes! Give it back!”
“I’m sorry, I’m going to have to confiscate these. I don’t know how I didn’t notice, but this is unacceptable. I’m disappointed with you. No dessert. How many of these do you even have?!” The last words hit Angela the hardest, her heart skipping a beat as her world seemed to shatter around her. Fareeha had promised cheesecake brownies that night.
“Wait….sweetheart...reconsider..” Angela pawed at Fareeha, clinging to her as she begged. “Anything but the brownies. That’s just...that’s too cruel…”
“You need to learn. We have a child to raise now, you need to set a good example. No wonder this room is so cold!”
“You know what will happen if you take that back to the freezer. Hana.” Angela stopped begging as a gleam appeared in her eye. “What are you actually going to do with those, sweetheart?”
“H-hey now! I trust Hana more than you. Besides, I have self control. I know better than to eat an entire pint of ice cream at once.”
“Really now?” Angela traced her hand into Fareeha’s, retrieving the pint and waving it in front of her face. Sure, it was cruel and unusual, but Angela wasn't about to let those brownies go by. “You already had a long day of work.”
“....It’s only 4 in the evening.”
“Shut up. You already had a long day of work, why not take it easy? Besides. It’s cookie dough. Your favorite.” Angela patted the edge of her desk, the hesitant Fareeha sitting down as she listened.
“Fine! Fine, I’ll take it, but how many do you have?” Fareeha had a look of real concern as she took the container from Angela’s hand, fishing in the drawer for a spoon.
“Only a baker’s dozen. Don’t worry about it.” Laughter, a few more containers from the drawer, the two moms settled down after what they decided to call a long day of work.
“God, my shoulders are killing me.”
“Relax. If you’re too sore you won’t be able to cook dinner.”
“I feel like I’ve cooked dinner a lot lately.” Fareeha pondered as she bit her spoon, sucking on the dessert. “Also, remind me to get some more pears next time we go shopping.”
“Well, I can’t cook dinner. Look at me, I’m horribly impaired.” Angela tsked as she spun around in her chair, holding onto her glasses lest they fly off.
“...Maybe in regards to your personal judgement.” Fareeha chuckled at her own joke, leaving the remains of her indulgence on Angela’s desk. “Alright. I’ll go get started on dinner. But you’re cooking tomorrow.”
“What about the brownies?” Angela called after Fareeha as she reached the door, having stopped spinning in her chair to address what she considered the most important issue of our time.
“...Yes, alright. I’ll make brownies.” Fareeha sighed, closing the door behind her and with it, the whoops and cheers of her wife. Only to come face to face with her daughter.
“What were you doing in there?”
“....Adult...things.” Fareeha stood stiffly, looking like she was being interrogated. The sleepy face of her daughter raised a brow, paused for a second, and then grimaced.
“Jesus christ mom what the fuck have some tact, damn.” Hana shook her head as she walked downstairs with her mother, stomach growling. “I just hope you’re not too tired to make good food. I’m sick of pizza.”
“I’ll do my best, dear.” Fareeha smiled, patting Hana on the shoulder as they walked down the staircase.
“Don’t touch me jesus christ who knows where those hands were a few minutes ago. Ew.” Fareeha snickered as they walked to the kitchen, preparing dinner for Angela to join them a few minutes later, jokes and a happy family dinner to come.
Later that night, Angela sat in the darkness of her lab, the dim light of her computer illuminating her face. She smiled. Sure, Fareeha might have dug around a bit, but she had done a good job at hiding her secrets. Red herrings always did the trick. She opened her drawer, pulling it all the way out to reveal a tab. She lifted it, the false bottom coming with it, revealing her most prized possession. But that was a story for a different time.