Page 65 of Employing Patience

I love the idea that he finds me dangerous.

“I’m Alice,” she says, shaking my hand. “And my brother is Gus. What were you doing that day you were watching him through the shelves?”

“I wasn’t watching Gus,” I tell her again. Maybe this time, she’ll hear me since we’re not surrounded by hysteria.

“He was watching me,” Art says, smug grin in place.

“Oh.” Alice scrunches up her face. “Are you boyfriends?”

“No,” Art answers at the same time I say, “Maybe.”

“Joey’s what adults like to call a pain in the rear end.”

“Isn’t it pain in the ass?” she asks.

Art looks like he wants to die. “Swear again and I’ll tell your mother.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Don’t test me.”

Her little face turns evil. “Traitor.”

Art shrugs. “Is that supposed to hurt?”

“Do you like being a traitor?”

Touché.

Meanwhile, Gus is standing there, chomping on his candy bar, watching me. Neither of them is paying him attention, and I appreciate a kid who takes advantage of the situation.

“Taste good?” I ask.

“Yup.”

“What flavor did you get?”

“Just chocola-late.”

“My favorite too.”

“Can you give me a piggyback?”

“Sure can.”

“What?” Alice interrupts. “He’s already eating his chocolate? That’s not fair. I want my chocolate.”

Art lets out a long exhale through his nose. “You’re not having anything with that attitude.”

She does the same exhale thing he did and says in a robotic voice, “It’s not fair if Gus gets chocolate and a piggyback ride and I don’t.”

“Life’s not fair.”

“Especially for girls. Mom says the only way to make it fair is to speak up.”

I already love her. “How old are you?”

“Eight.”

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