Three.

I woke around eleven to the screeching of a kettle on the stove and a clatter of pots. I pulled myself out of bed and into the kitchen where Caillen stood, grinning, pancake mix stains on his sweater. There was an assortment of dishes scattered around the kitchen, and a container of milk on the floor.

“Whatcha doing?” I asked, bending down to wipe flour off his nose.

“Making breakfast.”

I laughed and picked him up, a bowl of mix in his arms.

“You whisk, I’ll pour!”

He nodded, looking stern, and slowly continued stirring, his fingers wrapped around the spoon.

After breakfast, Caillen slid out of his chair and climbed into my lap, looking at me expectantly.

“What day is it?” He chirped.

“Its Thursday, little bird.”

“Is it the Thursday?”

“I think it is.” I said and kissed his forehead. “Go put on your coat! Lets go rescue a pumpkin.”

Caillen ran excitedly to his room, and within a matter of minutes he appeared in a little blue sailors jacket and socks.

“Will you help me with my laces?”

“Of course, little bird.” I scooted my chair back and walked over to him, kneeling over to tie his shoes. “Have you eaten enough? Have you taken your meds?”

He followed me over to the counter where a little blue box with Caillen's name on the top rested. I opened the lid and pulled out a red pill and a white pill, handing him a plastic cup of water. He quickly swallowed the pills and opened his mouth to show me.

“What a brave little bird! Let's go get that pumpkin.”

The first year we moved to this small town, we were low on money and Caillen was spending most time in the hospital. One day I was picking him up, when we saw a big brown truck with a batch full of perfect pumpkins. There were people gathered around, sorting through them all to find the one they wanted. Caillen looked at me and looked at the truck, silently begging for one. I gave him the few dollars we had left, and he picked out the saddest, slightly deformed pumpkin there was. I asked him why he had picked it, and he replied that he wanted a pumpkin that was the most like him.

Every year since we have gone back, no matter what money we’ve had, and let him rescue another lonely pumpkin.

When we got to the truck, Caillen began his search and I looked around at our neighbors, all focused on picking another pretty pumpkin. As I searched one out, i saw a man struggling to carry his pumpkin with grocery’s stacked up in his arms.

“Do you need any help?” I asked, watching him.

“Uh..yeah i guess?” He replied. Caillen ran to me, his pumpkin in arm, and I gently set mine down.

“Is that the one you want?” I asked Caillen, smiling. “Can you carry it all by yourself? We are going to help mister...uh…”

“Luther.”

“Luther with his groceries. Ok?” He nodded and we walked back towards the apartments.

________________

Later that night, after Caillen and I had stopped by the neighborhood cook-out, I left Caillen at home with Lillian and got dressed for work. I hated bar tending, I was only barely twenty one, but money was money and we needed a way to pay for my classes and Caillen’s medical bills. When I got to the club, Adam sat in the corner of the bar, cigarette in one hand, liquor in the other. A strip bunny danced seductively around him, but he took no interest, looking, bored, at his crappy cellphone. I slid behind the bar, and made him another drink.

“I heard you were here before.”

He looked at me surprised, and I pushed his drink towards him, trying to be coy.
"One of the bunny's told me that a 'handsome, greasy young man' stopped by and i just assumed.."

“It's alright, I would have, too. Yeah I stopped by. Not at the right time, apparently. I didn't know when you would be here. It sucked, by the way,”

“Why are you back?”

“I needed a drink that wasn't from a crappy leprechaun pub.”

“So, you didn't come for me?”

“That too. I couldn’t resist.”

I blushed, letting go for a minute.

“I’m having some people over tomorrow night. You should come.”

He thought for a minute.

“I guess I’m not doing anything.” He puffed his cigarette and got up to leave.

“Ok I’ll see you, then?”

He smiled and walked out.