Prissie warned.
“I will not neglect the task your grandfather entrusted to me,” Koji promised.
When they turned their attention back to the group, her family was a sight to behold. Prissie shook her head at the level of ridiculousness on display, but with five brothers, she’d come to expect it. She knew from experience that it could get much, much worse.
“Beat this!” Neil gloated.
“Mine’s better!” Zeke argued.
“Milo’s dripping,” said Jude with a giggle.
Koji gazed around the table in fascination, then leaned close to whisper, “What is the goal of this contest?”
“No point,” Prissie said. “Just silliness.” Zeke crossed his eyes as he tried to catch a glimpse of his milk moustache, and Jude beamed up at Tad.
“Come on, Prissie,” coaxed Neil. “Don’t be such a stick in the mud!” Even Milo’s smile wasn’t enough to tempt her into joining in. “No thank you. I prefer to drink my milk, not wear it. Who started this, anyhow?”
Everyone immediately pointed to Milo, who sheepishly reached for a napkin. Prissie looked at him with raised eyebrows. “Sorry, Miss Priscilla.” Once she’d accepted his apology with a smile, he cheerfully changed the subject. “It sounds like everyone made it through their first day intact.”
“Not me!” Beau replied with a groan. “Mr. Hawkins started role call before I could tell him not to use my full name!”
“So it’s out,” Tad said sympathetically.
“Maybe no one noticed?” Prissie ventured, earning a flat look.
“It will take months to live this down,” the thirteen-year-old grumbled.
Koji looked from one sibling to the next. “What are you talking about?”
“Names,” Tad supplied.
“My name isn’t really Beau,” the middle brother explained. “That’s my nickname. It’s short for … my full name.”
Neil reached for another chocolate chip cookie, then shook it at Koji. “We who bear the name of Pomeroy share a tragic flaw, handed down to us by our parents.” Glancing around the table, the sixteen-year-old asked, “Shall we let him in on our darkest secret?”
“Why not?” Tad replied with a friendly smile. “I think he’ll keep quiet.”
Koji’s eyes widened. “Thank you for your trust.”
“Okay, then,” Neil agreed, picking up his tale. “It may interest you to know that Momma and Dad gave all of us Bible names.”
The young angel looked from one sibling to the next, then glanced towards Mrs. Pomeroy, who stood on the other side of the kitchen. Naomi had obviously heard these grievances many times before, and her gray eyes were dancing. “I think they’re fine names,” Momma said, trading an amused glance with her mother-in-law.
“Very traditional,” Grandma Nell agreed.
“And very unfortunate,” countered Neil.
Tipping his head to one side, Koji said, “I do not recognize most of your names from Scripture.”
“We shortened them,” Beau said with a disapproving look in his mother’s direction.
Tad took this as his cue, folding his hands on the table and fixing Koji with a serious gaze. “I don’t like it to get around, but my full name is Thaddeus,” he revealed. “I’ve been calling myself Tad since the first grade.”
“Indeed,” Koji replied before looking to the next brother. “Neil is short for…?”
“Cornelius,” he replied with a grimace.
“I might have guessed that one,” Koji replied. Gazing into Prissie’s face he asked, “Are you unhappy with your name?”
She shook her head, but admitted, “I do usually introduce myself as Prissie, though.”
“Aquilla and Priscilla were lovely people,” Milo interjected.
Prissie blinked in surprise. It sounded like the Messenger had known them. Was it possible for Milo to be that old?
Koji’s dark eyes sparkled with interest as he looked at eight-year-old Zeke. The boy’s unruly mop of blond hair was a testament to his energetic nature. “Zeke must be short for Ezekiel?”
“Nope. Hezekiah,” announced the boy.
“Is that worse?” inquired the young angel curiously.
“Way worse.”
Turning to the humiliated teen, Koji asked, “What is Beau short for?” The thirteen-year-old put his hands over his face and mumbled his reply, but the young angel’s ears were sharp. “Your name is Boaz?”
“The kinsman redeemer,” Mrs. Pomeroy said with a dreamy sigh. “I just love his and Ruth’s story! So romantic!”
One blue eye peeped out long enough to roll expressively. “Maybe so, but that doesn’t mean you should inflict his name on a poor, unsuspecting baby.”
“What is Jude short for?” Koji inquired, looking towards the youngest family member. “Judah?”
Neil leaned forward. “Here’s the thing. When Momma was expecting Jude, we ganged up and issued a formal protest. All of us are stuck with impossible handles, but we thought the new little twerp should be spared the indignity.”
Tad nodded. “We begged our folks to come up