Page 117 of Maximum
“Why? Benjamin used to love staying with us in the summer.”
“Probably because he’d been warned that there would be no gaming here.”
“Yeah, well, Jolene did complain that he’s turned into a nocturnal being who games all night and prefers to sleep during the day. It’s not healthy for a thirteen-year-old. I promised to make sure he gets in touch with nature while he’s here.”
When Benjamin finally woke up, he had drool on his face, but Hawk’s excitement over having his older cousin visiting cheered him up.
“You’re sleeping in my room,” Hawk said and showed the way while Maximum and I followed.
After preparing lunch, I went to tell the kids and found Dove in her room with her door shut.
“Hey, what’s going on?” I asked when I popped my head in.
Turning her head away, she gave a short “Nothing.”
I walked in, closed the door, and went to sit on her bed next to her. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
In a quick movement, she dried away a tear. “I’m just disappointed that Rose didn’t come. I was looking forward to us hanging out together.”
“I know. I don’t think she realized how much it means to you. I’m sure she’ll come by with her boyfriend to see us sometime this week.”
“Yeah, but she won’t stay for the night and she’ll probably hang out with her stupid marine boyfriend all the time. It’s not fair. Now Leon and Hawk have someone sleeping in their room while I’ve cleaned for nothing.”
“You could ask if they’re up for a big sleepover in the living room. If you all move your mattresses in there tonight, you could watch a movie together.”
Dove’s lips were still downturned. “They probably don’t want to. I wish Aisha wasn’t on vacation.”
Lumi and Damian’s daughter was only a few months older than Dove and the two of them had been close since birth. Aisha had already been with us for two weeks in June. Lumi and Damian were now vacationing in France with Aisha and her older brother Shane.
“Then I want to go to William, Ella, and Thea's.”
“You know very well that they’re staying with their grandparents in Norway for two weeks. They’ll be back in six days.”
Dove crossed her arms. “And then they’ll get to have the Americans for a week, and I’ll bet Rose will go there. She loves everyone except me.”
“That’s not true, Dove.”
She pouted. “None of them like me. They didn’t even ask if I wanted to join them, and they’re all in Leon’s room.”
“Give the boys a chance. They just got here.”
Another tear ran down her cheek. “Lucas couldn’t even give me a decent hug. He just said, ‘S’up.’” She imitated his American accent and shed another tear.
“He probably would have given you a better hug if he wasn’t holding his bag. How about you go and tell the boys that lunch is ready?”
Once again, Dove turned her head away. “I’m not hungry.”
“You’ll come and sit with us anyway. We’re eating outside in five minutes.”
Dove did come outside and to my relief, Lucas sat down beside her. The workers that we had on the farm were mixed with the rest of us and asked the boys about their lives in the States.
“We live in an apartment with a nice view, but Chicago gets really cold in the winter,” Benjamin said.
“Ha! I’m from Ontario in Canada, don’t talk to me about cold,” Calvin, who had been with us for a few months, teased. “Where I’m from it gets so cold that you can’t take a piss outside or your willy will freeze off, and one of my friends from school got hit in the head with hailstones so large they sent him into a coma.”
Hawk straightened up next to me. “My mum once talked to a girl in a coma.”
Faces turned in my direction and Calvin asked. “For real?”
