Break of Beans and Bread

Eddie Dean

"Oh, that's what it feels like," Roland whisper softly to himself.

A smile suddenly creeps up on him and boy, even though he keeps trying to compose himself and regain some of his calm, stern manner.....I doubt he'll ever be able to do it until his twin leaves the area!

Hell! His twin is smiling as well, and I think he at least understands at some level why and all that shit.

Roland's childhood had been a lonely one. Something that the Kid (er....Jake), could relate to. Suddenly, poof, instant brother! That's the way the others described it.

Remembering how it could have gone instead of this, well, I guess it could be ugly and bloody instead of the Rolands acting like long lost brothers. Considering my Roland's reflexes and his...er....former father's reflexes (boy.....Steven isn't quiet like what I'd envisioned him), this would have been a bloodbath if Roland actually hated his younger (unarmed) self.

Well, after getting the sticky business of introducing ourself done (and answering the obvious questions that would bring), "my" Roland seems to be following a time honored ritual of after "breaking the ice", breaking bread (and with the side dish of beans....breaking wind).

......

Hey, remember, I'm supposed to be the joker in the Dark Tower series, according to the others! Got to play my part (and I'm not sorry to do it)!

Still, gotta admit that after finding out about how much more....."integrated" Roland's world is to mine, it's creepy. Things like the beans song ("Beans, beans, the musical fruit."). Things like that nursery rhyme that Roland told me about (the rain falling in the planes and the planes in Spain falling mainly in the rain). Things like that.

After the feast, Steven and the other Roland get down to the business at hand and begin to really grill my Roland about certain details on how Gilead might still fall (well, Steven does more of the grilling about that subject.....the other Roland seems more interested in how my Roland came by Susan's love)......

Shit.

The young dude sure seems taken by the idea, and.....

Nevermind, it'll work out or not. Roland (whichever one you speak of) was always a bit private in certain matters of himself. While it's nice seeing him opening up on this matter right now, I figure that afterwards I won't needle him about it. Some things out there you must not take lightly.

Even I know that.....

Soon, the grill session breaks and voices grow soft as the Rolands and Steven softly speak of private, personal matters. My Roland is crying a bit, telling and saying things to his.....former father that he hadn't been able to say before Gilead and the man had fallen. Susan and the Kid are also gathered in this tight huddle, to speak of close family matters as well.

Kind of wish that Probe and the rest of the family could be here for this, but Roland had said that it wouldn't be fitting with tradition (as if tradition could be fit into this wacky situation). So, the Golems had stayed behind on Nantucket Earth, taking care of other business. Maybe after this all was said and done, the Deschains of Midworld could drop on by to at least greet Roland's knew family, eh?

"Wonderful, but I believe we should give them some room for privacy," Susannah whispers to me as we move off a bit.

"Funny, I was going to suggest that myself," I nod.

A bit later....

Slith

"Uh Eddie," Slith calls to me, "Have a question for you, dealing with an.....ironic situation here?"

The human excuses himself from the others and walks over to the Draconian.

1. "Given the strangness of the day," Eddie sighs, looking up at the Sivak, "That word's definition could use some work yet again, but sure. Go and fire away."