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Declan had come up with the chore chart that was posted on the kitchen fridge.
Of course it had been Declan; Matthew was used to it. Declan had made him a chore chart when they had shared a dorm room at Aglionby and then later when Matthew moved to Declan’s D.C. townhouse. Usually Matthew’s chores were pretty basic: put away clothes, brush teeth, make bed, put on deodorant, tidy room, do homework. Completing all of his chores on a daily basis earned him an allowance and an allowance meant more money for games.
But now that they were all sheltering at the Barns, Matthew had new chores. It had been trial and error finding things he was good at. Declan tried to teach him laundry but Matthew had failed miserably on each occasion. He just couldn’t get the correct measurement of detergent or remember to sort properly or get the settings right. It was a lot to keep track of. And then Ronan was all shifty about doing his own laundry and Declan wouldn’t let anyone wash his clothes.
In the end it was decided that laundry was not his strength but he was a champ at folding clothes. It was actually nice, getting a fresh load from the dryer, all soft and warm and sweet-smelling, and carefully sorting the items and folding them.
Cooking was out of the question. Matthew burned toast, boiled soup, and ruined anything that required heating. However, he was a passable assistant. Declan would give him a bowl of peas to shell, corn to husk, or vegetables to chop. He peeled potatoes and carrots and apples. Ronan had almost had a heartache the first time he saw Matthew with a large kitchen knife but Declan had talked him down. As long as Matthew was listening to his music, he could focus on the task. And although he didn’t say it, Matthew loved being in the kitchen while Declan cooked. Declan seemed the most relaxed as he turned random ingredients into whole ass meals. Sometimes he even hummed under his breath and smiled.
Matthew did other things, too, like empty the dishwasher, sweep the floors, and help Ronan with the animals. Most of Ronan’s time was absorbed in caring for his creatures. There were feeding times, stalls to clean, coats to groom, baths to give, eggs to collect, and countless other little things that would crop up at random. Matthew spent his time assisting Ronan and competing with Opal for his brother’s attention. He wasn’t sure if he liked the casual way that Ronan treated both of them, like they were on the same level. For her part, Opal didn’t seem all that certain of Matthew, either.
He wasn’t allowed to wash the cars, which was a shame. He didn’t mow the lawn – that was something that Adam enjoyed doing. Adam always gravitated to messy projects like repairing broken appliances, cleaning out the gutters, or dealing with the rare plumbing disasters. Ronan called him the handyman, which always made Adam blush for some reason.
Declan was exempt from most chores since he handled the cooking but Matthew would still find him in his knock-around clothes dusting or washing windows. Sometimes Declan would be standing at a freshly cleaned window, his hands at his sides, staring pensively off over the fields. If Matthew ever asked if he was okay, Declan would say that he was just tired. Matthew was pretty sure that was a lie.
Altogether the chores weren’t bad. They were better than doing stupid schoolwork. Matthew could not with online school. Virtual school. Whatever. He could play games with his friends all night but stare at the screen for a forty-minute class? Torture. Mind-numbing torture. He told Declan this over and over until Declan had a breakthrough and got Ronan to dream up some toys for Matthew to play with during class. They helped, made him less antsy and distracted.
Declan started watching class with him, too, so he could help Matthew with his assignments. Adam also took shifts, the two of them dividing up the subjects. Declan sat in for literature, Spanish, and history; Adam watched science and math. By their powers combined Matthew somehow managed to make it through the rest of spring semester at home and Declan had made pizzas and ice cream to celebrate. Now he was trying to survive fall semester. At least Declan was reading all his lit books out loud for him, even going so far as to do voices for the characters. Way better than Ms. Hazel’s attempts.
Matthew was pretty sure that Ms. Hazel was hitting on Declan during their parent/teacher talks. She always gushed over how great Declan was with Matthew and how his involvement was really making a difference. She batted her eyes and asked if Declan had ever considered becoming a teacher. Declan had politely told her no, thanked her for her “help,” and ended the video conference with a deep sigh.
“I think you’re a good teacher,” Matthew told him.
Declan laughed. “Maybe you’re a good student.”
Matthew considered this and then shook his head, grinning widely. “Naw.”
With everyone helping him out, Matthew decided to add a new chore to his daily list, a surprise chore. The first day he did it was during the summer. He went out into the fields and started harvesting, picking wild roses that wrapped around the fence posts, daisies and Queen Anne’s lace, pink clover, sticky dandelions, bright red flowers he found in the woods, and small purple flowers with golden centers. He collected them one by one and put them in a basket he had found in one of the barns.
Back at the house, he got a large Mason jar from the cupboard and arranged the wildflowers just so, adding enough water to keep them fresh. It didn’t look as good or fancy as when his mother had done this but it was good enough. He carried the jar in his grass-stained hands to Declan’s room, pausing in the hall to knock on the door.
Declan looked done in when he opened the door, his hair messy and his eyes tired. He saw the bouquet in Matthew’s hands and his expression lightened.
“Surprise!” Matthew held the jar out for Declan to take. “You’ve been working real hard so I thought you deserved some flowers.”
Declan blinked and blinked. He took the flowers and held them up to his face, leaning down to smell them.
“They’re lovely,” he said softly. “Thank you, Matty. I definitely needed these.”
Matthew beamed. “Mom always liked having flowers around, remember?”
“Y-yeah,” Declan said, voice catching. His eyes were shiny and sad. “You’ve got her eye for finding them.”
“Mhmm.” Matthew nodded. “I’m gonna keep the tradition alive from now on.”
“Good idea.” Declan sounded like he was getting sick. Matthew hoped not. They had all moved here to avoid catching anything.
He left Declan to rest and skipped downstairs, singing to himself. He retrieved his second bouquet from the kitchen and wandered out to the small rose garden beside the house. Bees swooped over his head, drunk on pollen from the large roses.
Matthew set the flowers on the bench Ronan had dreamed and took a seat. Here in the warm sunshine, among the flowers and the bees, Matthew felt some of his mother’s peace settle over him. He stared at the commemorative sundial for a moment before closing his eyes and tipping his head back. The sun warmed him and he smiled.
“So mom,” he began, “let me tell you about today…”