"Hey now you keep an eye on your sister Garen! It's an old house, might not be safe!" Floyd called after his kids as they sprinted inside. They probably didn't hear him. Well, Garen was a good boy. A quiet one, and too wrapped up in his Nintendo half the damn time, but he meant well. The boy was a smart one, and even if he was never going to be an athlete Floyd was still proud of him. As for Maryn... that one was always getting into trouble if no one watched her - and sometimes even when they did. No one could make mischief like his daughter; he counted himself lucky he didn't have a mountain of medical bills from the crazy stunts she pulled. Still, curiosity was healthy in a kid, and she was smart too. That probably came from his wife's side, he had to admit. He'd certainly married up.
Speaking of Mary-Anne, she'd asked him to get the things inside and make sure Harpo was inside before night fell. That was sensible thinking; the forecast wasn't great. All the same, that might mean a cozy night with the missus - especially since they had a real fireplace in the mansion. He was certainly looking forward to cozying up with her in front of the fire.
Oh, right, things to do first. Floyd whistled loudly. "C'mon, old boy. Here, Harpo." He clapped his hands at the dog to get his attention. As usual, the rottweiler had to have a mind of his own, barely attending to him for a few seconds before sniffing around again. He probably wanted to explore. "Well, you'll follow us in when you get hungry enough, I'll bet." He got back in the car and got it started after a few minutes.
Mmm. I'm going to have to spend a day with the engine again, see why it ain't wanting to turn over. Probably just the cold air."A good car's like a high maintenance woman; got to put in a lot of work, but damn is it worth it. I'd know," Floyd muttered to himself as he dropped the manilla envelope on the passenger seat. He rolled down the window. "I'm gonna go ahead and park in the garage, alright hun? I'll unload everything once I got this squared away." It was typical Floyd, of course; when it came to taking care of chores, the car always came first, and then the rest of them.
Floyd drives the car to the garage, opens the garage, puts the car away, closes the garage, and starts unpacking things - starting with the food, then his tools. Once his tools are unpacked, he'll examine the garage itself and get an idea of what he's going to be working with. The other stuff can wait until the kids have picked their rooms. Garen's particular about his set-up anyway, so Floyd knows there's no point in getting his stuff out at least until the boy's ready for it.(Thanks, Toaster. I'll include myself in your compliments.
)