Cousins (#1)

7:54 PM

After James and Morgan finished their meetings at the office, they headed out in Morgan’s fifteen year-old Buick.  The engine failed to start the first three times Morgan turned the key in the ignition, and even after it did begin humming, rancid plumes of smoke would escape from the back every couple of minutes.  James braced himself hard against the car door as Morgan swerved wildly to avoid a pot hole. 

“Please forgive my driving.  It is not an activity I routinely engage in.”  Morgan looked furtively over at James.  He was staring straight ahead.

“Whatever.  So where did you get this car anyway?”

“This vehicle belonged to my grandfather.”

“Your grandfather.  .what, he didn’t have a broom to fly around on?”

Morgan did not register James’ sarcasm but instead took his question seriously.

“Pop Pop was a Muggle.  He and his wife bore fraternal twins, a boy and a girl.”

James’ stomach became cold. 

“I only found out recently that my mother is a fraternal twin.”

Morgan nodded while keeping her eyes severely focused on the street in front of her.

“The boy was born a wizard, and the girl was born a Muggle.  Upon growing up, the boy married a witch; I am their only child.  The girl, sadly, despised her brother for his unusualness, and cut off all contact with him.”  Morgan missed seeing a large crack in the road and drove directly over it.  The inside of the car shook with a loud clatter.  “Before all relations were severed, however, my father managed to persuade his sister to accept a magical token of his affection for her.  He fashioned an identical token for himself, and believed the two would serve as reminders of filial love.  When I came of age, he gave his ring to me, and as I observed when we met this morning, your mother did likewise with you.”

James became very pale as he looked down at his garnet ring.  His cousin stopped abruptly in front of a yellow traffic light and hazarded a glance at him.  She noticed that he appeared to be wincing. 

“James, are you okay?”

James shook his head.  He shifted a little in his seat to keep his seat belt from chaffing his shoulder.  “Tomorrow’s my girlfriend’s birthday, and I forgot to get her something.”

Morgan stared at her cousin and noticed how serious his mouth looked.  She began to laugh.  James after a minute, laughed as well.  The light turned green, and Morgan pressed down firmly on the gas pedal.  The Buick jumped forward and James’ FBI personnel cap fell off his head.  He stole a glance at Morgan as he picked it up. 

“So are you married?”

Morgan took her eyes off the road for a quick second and paused before answering.  “Yes, and we have a beautiful daughter.”

James nodded.  “Maybe, after we get done tonight, we can arrange to all meet up.”

Something swam beneath the surface of Morgan’s eyes.  The sun dipped sluggishly behind her, and she saw the first fluttering of stars through the windshield.  “That would be nice.”