Page 124 of Don't Call Me Daddy
I don’t know what’s going through that head of hers. All I know is, she chose to come back to the festival over following the list, and that has to meansomething. Besides, I’m relieved that I still get to surprise her.
“Of course. Anything for my godson and this special lady.” He shakes my hand, giving me a curious look, though he doesn’t ask how she injured herself. “Make sure to keep it clean. You can stop by my office in about two weeks, and we can remove those stitches.”
“I’ll take good care of her, Doc. She won’t have to lift a finger,” I say, wrapping an arm around her.
“I have no doubt, son.”
“Okay, I’m fine. Can we go now? You’re sort of the main event, you know. I don’t know how much longer Guy can stall everyone,” Ivy says, snapping back into planner mode as if the events over the last few hours never happened.
I wrap my hand in hers, wanting to savor every last moment I have left. “Don’t worry, baby; we’re not going to miss it. Guy and Luka are on it. Jett texted me after he dropped him off. Everyone’s in position, and I’m sure everyone will be more than entertained while they wait,” I assure her as we make our way to the middle of the parade.
I can see the giant red throne of my dad’s float, and I realize they aren’t moving. So, I guess whatever Guy’s doing to stall is working.
We weave our way through the crowd of people until we finally make it to my dad’s float. His face flashes a look of relief when he sees me as he waves and smiles to everyone.
Ivy tries to sneak inside through the hidden door, but I catch her arm, shaking my head.
“Stay with me. Who cares about the plan? I need you by my side.”
She nods, standing there awkwardly beside me as my mother hugs her in greeting, whispering something in her ear that makes her relax.
Then, she hugs me, wrapping a cape around my back as she hisses in my ear, “Where the hell have you been? Your father and I have been worried sick ever since we heard you were missing.”
“Sorry about that. I’ll fill you in later. How’s everything going?”
The corner of her lip curls into a grin. “See for yourself. I think they’re almost finished.”
I follow her eyes as I see Guy—at least I think it’s Guy—draped in a dark, loose-fitting dress, wearing a long, dark-haired wig as he falls to his knees, begging for his life.
He’s on his own float, but it’s basically just a flat trailer bed that they must’ve added right before my dad’s so he could stall. That’s actually really smart. It almost looks like it was always supposed to be part of the parade.
Smoke fills the air around him, and he tries to fight back a cough, but eventually gives in.
“Is that a fog machine? Are they reenacting the?—”
“Shh … this is the best part,” my mother says.
I glance at Ivy, who appears to be equally confused.
“Don’t ask me,” she says.
Suddenly, there’s a large boom, and someone dressed in a Phantom costume, bobblehead and all, drops in front of him.
“How the hell did they have time to get ahold of the high school mascot costume?”
“Would you zip it? This is a beautiful moment your brothers are creating,” my mother hisses under her breath, confirming the other character to be none other than Luka.
Jeez, where do these two come up with this shit? It’s almost terrifying how good they are. It makes me wonder how much time they spent practicing this in their free time.
We watch as my brothers captivate the crowd in their reenactment of the Phantom’s first appearance. Luka even goes as far as placing his foot over Guy’s throat as he delivers the Phantom’s infamous warning.
The crowd falls silent as Guy writhes beneath him in fear. Then, another cloud of smoke appears, and suddenly, Luka’s gone.
Everyone erupts in applause as Guy and Luka return, both bowing and waving as the high school marching band plays the fight song behind them.
Holy shit. Consider me impressed.
After the song ends, my mother turns on her mic, thanking my brothers for their epic performance that will undoubtedly become a permanent addition to all future festivals.
