Page 27 of The Road Ahead
“What will this part be?” Rio asked as I twisted off a section five finger widths wide.
“This will be the first arm,” I said. I quickly twisted a slightly shorter bubble, followed by another one, only about one inch this time. “This is going to be the base for his head,” I explained, then twisted another bubble to match the second one I’d done. “We then twist the three head pieces together.”
“It won’t pop?” Rio asked, as I deftly twisted two much longer sections to make the penguin’s body, folding them together.
“No. The balloons we use are thicker and better quality than regular balloons, plus, we’re not inflating them enough to cause that kind of tension. That’s not to say theyneverpop, but you learn pretty quickly what not to do.” I added another arm, making sure it was the same length. “Okay, so this is all we need of the black balloon, so we’re going to tie it off.” I twisted anothersection, then jerked it so the balloon snapped off, leaving me with a section to tie off.
“Oh!” Rio gasped. “I didn’t know you could do that!”
“Yep. It allows us to only use what we need, without overinflating smaller balloons.” I grabbed the white balloon and showed Rio how to twist them together to join the two of them. It didn’t take much longer to complete the penguin, with Rio watching and asking questions each step of the way, genuinely interested. I grabbed a marker right at the end and drew on some eyes, then adjusted the arms a little until I was satisfied. I held the penguin out to Rio, and they accepted it gingerly.
“I don’t want to break it,” they whispered.
“You won’t,” I assured them. “They survive kids all the time.”
They grinned and gently patted the penguin’s head. “Thank you, Cooper,” they said, then leaned in to give me a kiss. “I love it.” They handed it back to me. “I need to grab a drink. Did you want one?”
“Sure. Some water would be great.”
Rio went into the kitchen and filled two glasses, coming back over to the sofa just as Teresa came into the room. She was wearing a gorgeous midnight blue dress that flowed over her curves, stopping just above the ankle. The sleeves were billowy, and there was a delicate pattern embroidered on the neckline and cuffs. She’d styled her hair so it fell in soft curls, and she looked like some sort of medieval goddess. “Hey! You look fantastic,” I told her as she sat down in one of the armchairs.
“Thanks. I figured I’d make an effort for the last day.”
I accepted the glass from Rio, and they sat down next to me.
“I’m guessing you two figured things out last night?” Teresa said with a sly smile.
I frowned. “What makes you say that?”
“You two arenotas quiet as you think you are.”
“Oh my god,” Rio groaned. “That’s so embarrassing.”
Teresa just laughed. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about. I’m just glad the both of you worked things out.” She looked over at my kit. “Oh, are you practicing your unicorn so it doesn’t have a dick?”
I poked my tongue out at her. “Not yet. I was making Rio a balloon.” I held up the penguin.
“Aww, it’s so cute,” she exclaimed. “Just like you two. Are you going to make a pebble for them as well? It’s not a penguin mating ritual without a pebble!”
Rio choked on their water, coughing and thumping their chest.
“Are you okay?” Teresa asked them, standing up to pat them on the back.
“Uh, yeah,” Rio replied when they finally got their breath back. “Just, uh, swallowed wrong.”
Before Teresa could reply, Brad called out to her from the bathroom. “Terry? Could you please bring me my jeans?”
“Be right there,” she called back, then left the room, the conversation completely forgotten.
For her.
“So,” Rio said, grinning at me. They fished around in their pocket and pulled out the heart-shaped rock I’d given them the other day. “Now I get the penguin references.”
I groaned. “It’s not been deliberate. I don’t have a penguin fetish or anything!”
“Oh, sure. Never crossed my mind,” Rio said, then burst out laughing.
“Shut up,” I grumbled, which just made them laugh harder. I decided that playing dirty was the only thing left for me, so I kissed the laugh off their lips.
