The Greys Chapter 9: Loose Ends
#10 of The Greys
Jo and Kody embraced for a long time over the living room table before the hug finally broke. The vixen had finally stopped crying, though her tears had soaked into the shoulder of his shirt. Gently, Jo eased herself back into her chair, composing herself as she looked over at her son.
Kody looked at his mother, his real mother, as he slid back into his chair, resting on the edge of the seat as his elbows pressed into his knees. "Mom, I do have a question. What happened to my father," Kody asked curiously, "You said he would reap what he sewed."
The old woman nodded as she leaned back and daintily crossed her legs. "He did," she said with a sigh, "From what I 'member, he caught one a them matin' diseases a year er two after you were born. Dunno how, but I'm gessin' it was from him chasin' girls at the law sk'l his daddy sent him to."
Kody looked at the vixen, "And?"
"Well, yer daddy died in th'ospital. I read th'bitcuary when it hit the papers. All thay err said was he'd c'ntracted a ver-nurr-ee-ull disease and had some complications, dunno what he'd stuck his pecker inta tha'd cause that," Jo continued. The vixen was rather nonchalant about his death, not even attempting to sound sad at all, "He got wut was cumin t'im."
The tod just nodded his head. From the story, his father did sound like an ass, but he wasn't entirely sure if that was true justice. He'd half expected the story to end with his father knocking someone up and being forced to marry them, but this ending made sure that he wouldn't have any other siblings to attempt to connect with.
"AIV," Kody told his mother. "It sounds like he contracted AIV."
Jo blinked a few times as she heard him tell her exactly what his daddy'd contracted. "AIV? In't that th' hoe-moe disease," she asked. The tod just shook his head. He knew his mother was probably thinking in a different era, but it wasn't really her fault. "No, mom, it's not the homo disease," Kody replied as he leaned back into his chair, "no one's called it that for a long time, especially since it affects everyone, not just the LGBT community."
The vixen just nodded her head, "Oh."
There was another long, awkward pause in the room as everyone looked at each other. The cards had been placed on the table, but no one was sure what to do next nor the game they were playing. The four foxes just looked at one another, waiting for someone to break the silence.
Luckily Jeane finally said something. "So... Kody... err... what do you want us to call ya?"
"Kody's fine. I'm still trying to get used to it myself," he said as he gave his mother a smile before looking at his aunt. The vixen gave her nephew a nod, "Allright. Kody it is then. So Kody, what do ya do fer a livin'?"
Jo thought about answering, but Kody answered first, "I'm a pilot."
"Ya mean like them aero-planes," Gideon asked as he looked over at his cousin. The other tod smiled warmly, "Yeah. I fly airplanes. In the Air Force."
"Never thought they'd let a fox in th'Air Force, then 'gain, never thought they'd let a bunny be a cop," his cousin said in surprise.
"GIDEON," Jeane snarled at her son, making the hefty fox press his ears to the back of his head. Kody just brushed it off, "I'm not the only fox, but yeah, it wasn't easy getting in."
Jo smiled as she looked over at her sister-in-law, "He's also a college gradiate, like his momma."
The tod smiled, "Sure am, though, I didn't go to Z.U. I went to a different school."
"Oh? Where'd ya go," Gideon asked. He'd thought about taking a culinary course at the college over in Wolfsburgh, but he was genuinely curious about his new cousin.
"Grizzly State College over in Bering," Kody answered with a smile.
"Iddn't that a mostly burr school," Jeane inquired.
"Yes, ma'am, but I got a minority scholarship there. That and my Military Service Bill covered almost everything," the tod responded, but he was only bombarded by more questions from his aunt and cousin.
"Where ya flying out of," Gideon queried.
"Bout two hours away over at Mammoth River," Kody said as he sat back in his chair, but his aunt immediately asked him, "What did ya do before th'Air Force?"
"Army."
Gideon blinked, "Hell, looks like us Greys got us 'nother gen-you-ine war he-roe in th'family, like granpappy 'n great granpappy."
Kody just laughed, "I guess so."
"Ya gots any plans for the rest of the day, Kody," Jeane asked with a warm smile. The tod just shook his head, "No ma'am."
The vixen looked at her sister-in-law then over at her own son, "Gideon. How bout you take cousin Kody up int'town. Introduce him to some'a yer friends."
Gideon scratched the back of his head, "Sure thing, ma." He looked over at his cousin, "Ya wanna take both our cars er?"
Kody chuckled, "We can take both our cars. I'll follow you there."