Page 104 of Corkscrew You
“Danstillcounted the chocolate chips per cookie,” I remark. “I think he’s even kept the score sheet.”
Dan has his own tower of pancakes now, so he’s OK with being ribbed.
“This from the guy who’d snivel if I got given more Halloween candy,” he says.
“Youalwaysgot the most Halloween candy,” complains Izzy. “You were a slimy salesman even back then.”
“Slimy?” says Dan. “I’ll have you know my clients would trust me with their children. Which, to be fair, they usually value less highly than their classic cars.”
“One Halloween,” Max tells Shelby, “Danny dressed Izzy and me like Ewoks, and he took halfourcandy as commission for making us look cute.”
“In case you’re wondering,” I tell Shelby. “Halloween was theonlytime Dad wouldn’t monitor our sugar intake.”
“Yeah, because he knew we’d go allLord of the Flieson him if he did,” says Ava. “Dad hassomesurvival instincts. Least he did back then.”
“You children need to stop that.” Mom’s tone is quiet but severe. “You were brought up to show respect to everyone,particularlypeople whose opinions differ from your own. Your father is not an exception to that rule.”
Ava’s expression is mutinous, but she swallows the smart comeback because she knows Mom is right. We all do. We diss Dad partly because he frustrates us, but mostly because we’re terrified of what might happen to him. He may be a hard son-of-a-bitch, but he does love us, and we love him. Wedon’twant to lose him.
“Sorry, Mom,” I say on behalf of us all.
Izzy hands out the last plate of pancakes and slumps into her chair. “Phew.”
“Thanks, Iz, you’re the best,” says Dan, in a shameless play for seconds.
My plate is cleared in record time. Shelby, I observe, is hardly eating. But I can’t ask her why, not in front of everyone.
“I’m seeing the doc at nine,” I tell her, instead. “Do you still want to come?”
“Of course,” she replies, with only the briefest smile.
She’s definitely not herself. My bubble of happiness begins to wobble. Was it something I did? I’ll ask her after we’ve been to Doc’s. Won’t have a chance before; we have to take separate cars.
After breakfast, I head up to my room to grab my stuff. And bump into Max coming the other way.
“Hey,” I have to ask. “You sleep OK?”
“Like a baby,” is his reply.
Then the little bastard raises an eyebrow at me.
“You didn’t think I’d be stupid enough to sleep inmyroom last night, did you? No,Icrashed in the other guest bed. I’ve already got a ton of material for therapy,” he adds, as he starts to stroll on down again. “Didn’t need your porn movie soundtrack burned into my brain, too.”
What can I say? That young man will go far.
Back downstairs, I find Shelby at the front door, saying goodbye to the whole crew. They really like her, I can tell. I’m glad, but to be honest, if they didn’t accept her, I’d ditch the lot of them in a heartbeat. I love her. I want to be hers forever.
Mom hugs me like I’m going off to war.
“Let me know what Ray says.” She squeezes my hands, as a plea.
“Textallof us,” insists Izzy.
All this attention is kind of embarrassing. Nice, but embarrassing. It’s not like there’s anythingmajorwrong with me. I’m not Dad.
Then, as if I’ve telepathically summoned him, he appears. He looks … OK. Not angry. At least, I don’t think so…
The group parts to let him through, expecting, I guess, that he wants to talk to me.
