Chapter 6 Mr. Rasberry

     Mr. Rasberry had just left the chaotic owl sanctuary in a very classic dad car. While driving the long stretch of road, Mr. Rasberry could only think of what to get at the store for his wife and child. He felt bad about leaving the field trip right at the beginning but his family will always come first, that's just the type of man he is. Even with how long the drive was, the scenery was able to keep anyone from getting bored, with its big lush trees, long elegant grass that blew in the wind, and the wonderful songs the birds chirped. Mr. Rasberry was in a state of tranquility, counting down the minutes he would be able to embrace his family again.   

     Mr. Rasberry was considered a good driver on a normal day, but today was like he had been possessed by a speed demon, going ten even fifteen above the speed limit. Mr. Rasberry was making sure to keep his eyes intently on the road in case something popped out, but he just really wanted to make sure everything was okay at home. Mr. Rasberry doesn't have many friends due to his constant talk about his wife and child, but that didn’t bother him one bit. He married his childhood friend, and was able to get the job of his dreams and even had a beautiful baby boy, his life was perfect.

     That doesn't mean there isn’t anything for him to worry about, for some reason his wife and child get sick almost every month. They’ve gone to many doctors but no one has been able to come up with an explanation. Due to their constant sickness Mr. Rasberry has looked up many, MANY recipes that help with illnesses. A trip that was supposed to take an hour and half, only took Mr. Rasberry an hour which gave him a little over thirty minutes to go to the grocery store so he could get more medicine and food to stock up on. At least it was only supposed to take thirty minutes, but Mr. Rasberry got into a trance while shopping and just kept grabbing things.

     His wife loved tending to their little garden to pass the time so he grabbed a whole bunch of seeds so she would have a variety to choose from. His son loved fruit; he grabbed watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, cantaloupe and raspberries to make his son a fruit spread. He then grabbed canned foods along with fresh vegetables. After shopping in the food section he went to the medicine and pretty much just grabbed everything that helped reduce fevers and calm the muscles. The last section he went to was to grab something for himself. By the end of the hour-long shopping trip he had spent a little over three hundred dollars. He sighed at the receipt. “When did everything get so expensive?” He whispered, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Mr. Rasberry took out his phone and saw two missed calls and a text asking where he was from his wife. Mr. Rasberry immediately went into panic mode and ran to his car to pack everything. 

     Before starting the car he texted back apologizing about being so long, but explaining that he was at the store near the house so he should be home in just a few minutes. He immediately started the car and carefully but also as fast as possible drove the car to their apartment. Due to this being a normal occurrence every time Mr. Rasberry shopped they put a HUGE rolly grocery bag carrier so he could take all the bags up in one go. After parking he bolted out of the car and with hands faster than the wind put all the groceries in the trolley and dashed for the stairs. Mr. Rasberry would have taken the elevator to the fifth floor where his house was but it takes too long for it to reach the first floor and he already made his family wait long enough. 

     With Mr. Rasberrys big build he was able to skip two to three steps at a time, cutting the time by at least half. Once at the door for the fifth floor Mr. Rasberry had to regain his composure and wipe the salty sweat that was starting to fall into his eyes, each drop stinging, making it hard to see. Mr. Rasberry adjusted his tie, then took a deep breath in and continued forth. He reached his door at the end of the hallway, before entering he took one more deep breath, and hoped he didn’t look too disheveled. Mr. Rasberry gently opened the door to his wife and son waiting by the front door. “What are you two doing out of bed? Come let's get you guys back down.” Mr. Rasberry said in a frantic voice, worried they would drop like a fly if even a small gust of wind were to touch them. The two looked at each other and burst into laughter. “Honey we’re doing fine, it’s you who looks like he needs to lay down for a minute.” Mrs. Rasberry was barely able to say through her laughter.   

     Mr. Rasberry in that moment looked like he had been through the ringer at least five times, with half his hair sticking up from the running and the other half stuck to his forehead from the sweat, his shirt only half tucked in, and his grizzly-like face barely able to hold it together. His wife and child were basically rolling on the ground laughing, clutching their sides, trying not to pee themselves. After a few minutes the two were able to compose themselves enough to stand up, but not enough to stop themselves from snickering here and there. Mr. Rasberry sighed at their outburst and just walked passed to put everything away. “Are you guys done splitting your sides?” Mr. Rasberry sarcastically asked while conscientiously putting things in their designated areas. “I’m sorry honey, it’s not often we see you disheveled, and the way your hair was parted pfft.” Mrs. Rasberry said, giving Mr. Rasberry a peck on the cheek. “HAHAHAHA, dad you looked so funny!” Little kid rasberry exclaimed, still holding onto his sides.  

     Mr. Rasberry finished putting everything away before asking. “So why are you two out of bed?” Mrs. Rasberry looked at him with a gentle and loving look. “We woke from a nap not too long ago and we suddenly felt energized!” Mrs. Rasberry replied while her and kid rasberry went into a flex pose. Mr. Rasberry chuckled at their antics. “I’m glad you two are feeling better, but you just got better so let's just relax and have a movie night, hm?” Mr. Rasberry asked in a gentle caring tone while giving the two a hug. “Only if we can have happy pizza, oh and soda!” Little rasberry excitedly said. Mr. and Mrs. Rasberry looked at their son, and felt proud of how strong he has become. “Of course Toby, it is movie night after all!” Mr. Rasberry said picking his son up, starting a game of airplanes.

     “Just the usual honey?” Mrs. Rasberry asked, walking towards the phone. “Yeah, but instead of vanilla root we should get peri. I heard it’s better for the stomach.” Mr. Rasberry said while having a tickle battle with Toby. Mrs. Rasberry giggled at the display in front of her as she punched the pizza place's number. One large, one medium and one small with a side of salad, breadsticks and one three liter peri soda. The total time it would take to bake and be delivered would be thirty to forty minutes depending on traffic, so while they waited they got everything ready for the movie night.

     It was mid afternoon when they ordered dinner, the sun looked like it was going to set later than in the winter but earlier than it’s supposed to for the spring. When the pizza arrived it looked like the sun was trying to latch unto the horizon for even a moment longer with its beautiful dark purple glow. The pizza man knocked on the door. Mr. Rasberry grabbed his wallet and walked to the door, while Toby was bouncing up and down excited for his feast to cumense. “Good afternoon sir, that will be $30.52. How will you be paying tonight?” The delivery man politely asked. “Will cash be okay?” Mr. Rasberry asked. The delivery man nodded his head and got out the cash pouch. Mr. Rasberry handed him 45 dollars before taking the food. “Keep the change.” Mr. Rasberry said, giving the delivery man a small friendly smile. “Oh there’s one more thing.” The delivery man said while pulling out a container of cookie dough. “The boss asked us to hand these out to customers because they’re going to expire soon. Would you guys like one?” The delivery man asked, trying to be considerate. Mr. Rasberry looked at his wife for confirmation. 

     Mrs. Rasberry shook her head yes with a sparkle in her eyes. Mr. Rasberry looked back at the delivery man and shook his head yes. “Of course sir, oh and if you guys are going driving tonight do be careful, there've been a lot of accidents today. I saw three just on the way here.” The delivery man said zipping up the pizza bag. “Thank you for letting us know. Drive safe.” Mrs. Rasberry said from the background. The delivery man nodded and went to the elevator. “PIZZA, PIZZA, PIZZA!” Toby excitedly yelled sitting in the living room. After dinner and the movie, they started to put the leftovers away, when they started to hear yelling from outside. Confused Mr. and Mrs. Rasberry went to the balcony, but at this point in time it was too dark outside. 

     The screams were only starting to get worse which started to scare Toby. Mrs. Rasberry grabbed Toby and went to his room to get away from the screams while Mr. Rasberry turned on the news to see what all the commotion was. What he saw only made his stomach turn, as he realized what was happening right outside his house.