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Old Ms. Farnack was a long time neighbor, and she had as best he could tell, the same temper that she had ever had. She used to spray kids who got within two feet of her lawn with the garden hose. When halloween came around, everyone knew better than to go to her house for treats, she’d put raw eggs into your bag just to spoil your candy.

Her daughter and Husband whom had moved in in recent years, had the patience of saints to be honest. He knew his mother had called in the sound of multiple dishes breaking, loud screaming, but there was little to be done about it other than ‘disturbing the peace’. Ms. Farnack didn’t want taken care of, and even her Daughter couldn’t change that.

He’d never have expected the source of today’s argument though. Old Ms Farnack was standing on the porch with a large bag beside her, waving her cane, which honestly she always seemed to use more as a weapon than out of any need for it to assist her in walking, at least not for short distances.

He was out front helping to clean up his Mother’s garden that day, which she seldom did her self, despite the HOA for the area, so he heard it all. He wondered how much this had been happening since he’d moved out.

“I am going to DISNEY WORLD!!” Declared the older woman, wagging the curved handle of her cane perhaps an inch under her Daughter’s nose. The response was an adamant no. Gentle attempts to coerce her to come back inside.
It was not going well.

“Don’t you Mrs Farnack me you Limey b*****d!! You’re not denying me my right to see Micky mouse!! I am an AMERICAN which is more than I can say for you!”

She was very good at brandishing that cane without actually hitting anyone, it waggled beneath Jeremiah’s nose close enough to make a small breeze but did not damage, not like her more ‘colorful’ utterances.

“Mother!” Diane said, abashed.

Zac watched, but he was scowling now for two reasons, Mrs Farnack was now only one of them. Jer might have been getting a dirty look as well. No… he was absolutely getting one. At least till he noticed Zac, and then he’d be rather pointedly ignored.

Zac started stuffing clipped free branches into a basket, his dagger stare now half distracted by collecting scraps of branches before turning back and doing a more ferocious clip clip snap to the defenseless shrubs and roses.

“BULL!” the old woman snapped “Dual Citizenship my great grandmothers butt wart!! You just think I’m too old for Disney world you Li-“

“Mother, I do have some vacation time, would you like to go on one of those cruises? They go some very beautiful places. In fact I think they have some other characters on them too. Paul is in calling work and we’re seeing when we can get time off and tickets. Wouldn’t it be so much nicer to go as a family?”

That at least had Mrs Farnack turning to talk to her Daughter. Situation diffused by means of cruise lines. There might still be some swearing and cane brandishing but she was at least making her measured way back towards the house and had let Paul, who was on his phone carefully take the suit case back towards the inside of the house.

Zac glared at him. Wordless, probably petulant glare, tight lipped as he stuffed cut branches and twigs into a lawn basket.

He finally did speak though. “Are you? Cause you -really- seemed to have a pretty strong opinion on how SHITTY I was being before. ‘selfish’ I think you said. What changed your mind?”

Zac froze, and then stood slowly away from the basket. His jaw set and his eyes narrowed.

"Explanation. Now." He said still scowling. He was not up for shenanigans or mystery.

"What the F----k!?"

It was perhaps not Zac's most eloquent reaction. But it was an honest one.
"HOW?! Since WHEN?!"

“Taken.” He said firmly, folding his arms.

“Let me guess…. ‘Ezra’,”

“Taken… or chose.” Zac said softly.

Anyone else he might not have asked. But Jer and Ezra seemed to have a dynamic, one that set him ill at ease. It wasn’t his choice, it wasn’t something he understood, but he needed to know.