Page 68 of Castle's Cards

We last went to visit him a few months ago for his birthday. It’s amazing how drastic the difference in his appearance is from then. He’s much thinner, the angles of his face sharper and more clearly defined.

His skin looks sallow now, the dark circles under his eyes more predominant. He was exhausted, too. By the time I left, he was barely able to keep his eyes open.

I tip my head back against the cool porcelain edge of the tub and close my eyes as I remember the favorite memory I have of being with my dad.

“Wocky woad!” Four-year-old Izzy cries out as she points to the chocolate ice cream filled with marshmallows and nuts. Dad grins at her in his arms.

“That's what you want, Iz?” he asks enthusiastically. She nods and licks her lips as the teenager behind the counter rolls the scoop in the ice cream tub.

“One or two scoops?”

My dad looks at Izzy, raising his brow with a question.

“Hmmm.” Izzy taps her chin thoughtfully. I roll my eyes as I walk along the counter, admiring the vast amount of flavors in the freezer. Despite coming here twice a month for the past four years, I always have trouble choosing. McFreezy’s is our favorite place, and Dad always makes sure he has enough time to take us every other Saturday.

“Know what you’re getting, sweetie?” Dad comes up next to me. I smile up at him and note Izzy digging into her scoop with a spoon. Guess she went with just one this time. I look back into the glass and point at the pink and blue swirled tub of ice cream.

“Think I’m going to get cotton candy this time.”

“Great choice! Me, too.”

Dad ruffles my hair as the kid scoops two cones of cotton candy and hands them to us.

“Find us a table?” Dad asks as he moves toward the cash register. I waltz over to a table before grabbing a Back In Time page from the small stack on the table.

Dad comes over holding Izzy’s hand as they sit with us. I wait for them to get settled before fixing my dad with a challenging glance.

“1978. Vice President?”

“Hmmm.” Dad taps his chin, mimicking Izzy from earlier. “Mondale.”

I give him a thumbs up before moving onto the next category.

“Gallon of gas.”

“Wanna take a guess, Iz?” My dad looks down at my sister. Her mouth is already smeared with chocolate ice cream.

“Hmmm… ten dollars!” Izzy shouts, her eyes not leaving the melting ice cream in front of her. Her melting reminds me of mine. I take a bite, not caring how the cold hurts my front teeth just a little.

“Nope!” I make a loud buzzer noise like in the game shows. “Sixty-three cents.”

My dad swears before looking at us.

“Daddy said a bad word!” Izzy cries out.

“Yeah, I did. That’s a really good gas price, though.” My dad chuckles and I laugh right along with him.

The sound of the front door slamming closed brings me out of the memory. I have to blink a few times to completely disperse the ice cream parlor smell. It was so realistic that it’s almost jarring to come back to a bathtub filled with tepid water.

I shake my head before standing up and draining the tub. Carter and Izzy are laughing together downstairs, and I want in on the joke.

After toweling off and putting on some comfortable clothes, I slide on my fluffy slippers and slowly descend the stairs into the dining room. It’s weird living here after spending so much time in that tiny apartment. It feels bright in Carter’s house, whereas the apartment was dimly lit and dark all the time.

Carter and Izzy are sitting at the table, a few Totty Burger bags sitting between them. Izzy unwraps one, and the scent of the onion covered burger wafts through the kitchen. The second it reaches my nose, nausea knocks me cold.

I turn and sprint to the downstairs bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before the small amount of vomit leaves my mouth.

“Ugh.” I frown and flush the toilet before washing my hands and rinsing my mouth out. Once I feel a little better I rejoin the two in the kitchen. Izzy is enjoying her burger, unbothered by my reaction to the smell of it, but Carter is staring at me with a look of concern.

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